Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Messerschmitt aircraft

German Warplanes flown by the Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Messerschmitt

During and after the end of the Second War a number of German Warplanes were captured and evaluated by the Allied forces.  Most of these aircraft were later scrapped and therefore only a handful have survived.  This is a partial list of aircraft that were known to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.

Während und nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden eine Reihe deutscher Kampfflugzeuge von den Alliierten erbeutet und ausgewertet.  Die meisten dieser Flugzeuge wurden später verschrottet und daher haben nur eine Handvoll überlebt. Dies ist eine unvollständige Liste von Flugzeugen, von denen bekannt war, dass sie von der Luftwaffe geflogen wu

Deutsche Kampfflugzeuge der Luftwaffe 1939-1945, Messerschmitt

(SDASM Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 162, bomber (prototype).

The Messerschmitt Bf 162 was a light bomber aircraft designed in Germany prior to World War II, which flew only in prototype form. The Bf 162 was designed in response to a 1935 RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, Reich Aviation Ministry) specification for a schnellbomber ("fast bomber") for tactical use. Messerschmitt's design was a modified Bf 110 with a glazed nose to accommodate a bombardier. In 1937, three prototypes were flown against rival designs, the Junkers Ju 88 and the Henschel Hs 127, both entirely new aircraft. It was eventually decided that the Ju 88 be selected for production, and development of the Bf 162 ended. As a disinformation tactic, images of the Bf 162 were widely circulated in the German press, captioned as the "Messerschmitt Jaguar", a name never used outside this context. This aircraft's RLM official airframe number of 8-162 was later re-used for the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter. (Wikipedia)

Messerschmitt Bf 163, STOL reconnaissance aircraft (prototype).

The Messerschmitt Bf 163 was an STOL aircraft designed by BFW and built by Weser Flugzeugbau before the Second World War. First flown on 19 February 1938 and powered by the Argus As 10C, the Bf 163 V1 proved to have similar performance characteristics to those of the Fi 156 but was more complex and expensive. Although some components for a second prototype were manufactured, the Bf 163 V2 was not completed and further work on the Bf 163 was terminated in favor of the Fieseler Fi 156. (Wikipedia)

Messerschmitt Me 20-II, fighter (completely different from Me 209) (prototype).

The Messerschmitt Me 20-II was a Second World War aircraft that was designed to be a follow-up to the successful Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was intended to break speed records and was a separate aircraft from the Bf 109, although it shared the same engine. The Me 209 had a number of unique features, including: Cockpit: The cockpit was positioned far back along the fuselage, in front of the cross-shaped tail. Undercarriage: The Me 209 had a wide track, inwardly-retracting undercarriage mounted in the wing section. Steam cooling: The Me 209's engine was equipped with steam cooling. However, the Me 209 project was canceled after the first prototype, the Me 209 V5, flew in late 1943. The prototype was 50 km/h (31 mph) slower than the Fw 190D and offered no improvement in handling characteristics. (Wikipedia)

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 263 prototype.

The Messerschmitt Me 263 Scholle (plaice) was a rocket-powered fighter aircraft developed from the Me 163 Komet towards the end of the Second World War. Three prototypes were built but never flown under their own power as the rapidly deteriorating military situation in Germany prevented the completion of the test program.

The first unpowered flight of the Me 263 v1 was in February 1945. Several more unpowered flights took place that month. The biggest problem shifted the center of gravity which was restored with the addition of counterweights. Eventually, the production aircraft would have repositioned the engine or the landing gear installation to solve this problem. The landing gear was still non-retractable. The first flights gave the impression that it was suitable as it was for production.Test flights later had to be halted due to fuel shortages for the Bf 110 towplanes. Because the Me 263 was not part of the Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program), it was difficult to get the resources it needed. For the time being the plane was not expected to enter production but further development was allowed. The v2 and v3 were not yet ready. The v2 was to get the retractable landing gear and the v3 would have its armament built in. The next month both the v1 and the v2 had the dual-chamber HWK 109-509C installed, correcting the center-of-gravity problems. They flew only as gliders.In April, the Americans occupied the plant and captured the three prototypes and the mock-up. The v2 was destroyed but another prototype ended up in the USA. The others were handed over to the Russians, who then created their own Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 interceptor. (Wikipedia)

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant, transport glider.

The Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant was a large German cargo glider developed and used during the Second World War. Intended to support large-scale invasions, the Me 321 had very limited use due to the low availability of suitable tug aircraft, high vulnerability whilst in flight, and its difficult ground handling, both at base and at destination landing sites. The Me 321 was developed, in stages, into the six-engined Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant, which removed some of the problems with ground handling, although the payload was reduced. Vulnerability to ground fire and aerial attack remained a constant problem during operations of all variants. (Wikipedia)

(SDASM Photo)

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 328, pulse jet fighter (prototype).

The Messerschmitt Me 328 was a prototypepulsejet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraftmanufacturer Messerschmitt AG. The Me 328 arose out of design studies for the P.1079 in 1941, having beenenvisioned as a parasite aircraft that would protect Luftwaffe bomberformations from Allied fighter aircraft. Being largely composed of wood, the Me328 was forecast to be several times cheaper than the cost of traditionalGerman fighter aircraft, such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 or Bf 109. It was proposed to use various forms of propulsion, including a single Jumo 004turbojet engine, either two or four Argus As 014 pulsejets (as used on the V-1flying bomb), and even as an unpowered glider. The Deutsche Forschungsanstaltfür Segelflug (DFS - "German Research Institute for SailplaneFlight") was also involved in its development.

Making its maiden flight in August 1942, the compact fighter was powered by apair of As 014 pulsejets. However, these engines were fairly unsuitable,producing excessive resonance, asymmetry, and noise; accordingly, the mannedflight programme was suspended after only a few test flights. During itsprotracted development, a wide variety of other roles were explored for the Me328; at Adolf Hitler's direction, resources were invested into its potentialuse as a bomber. As the conflict turned increasingly in favour of the Allies,the Me 328 project was resurrected for consideration as a Selbstopfer (suicide weapon) aircraft, but was deemed to be unsuitable even for this purpose. None were ever used in an operational capacity. (Wikipedia)

Variants

Me 328 V1 to V10
Prototypes for the planned Me 328A, with first three built by DFS and Me 328 V1and V2 first flown in unpowered form and later fitted with Argus As 014pulsejets. Carried piggy-back on a Dornier Do 217 and Heinkel He 111 and released for flight test, at times by Hanna Reitsch.
Me 328B V1 to V20
Twenty prototypes of the Me 328B ordered built Jacobs-Schweyer FlugzeugbauG.m.b.H. (Hans Jacob). Only the Me 328B V1 was completed, while Me 328B V2 wasincomplete before war's end.
Me 328A
The proposed parasite fighter intended for carriage by the Amerikabomber,
Me 328B
The proposed bomber variant. 280 production vehicles on order but not built.
Me 328C
Jumo 004 powered fighter derivative proposed in 1943.

(Tomas Del Coro Photo)

Replica at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Messerschmitt Me 609, heavy fighter/bomber (project).

(Stahlkocher Photo) Model.

The Messerschmitt Me 609 (alternatively Me 309 Zwilling) was a Second World War German project which joined two fuselages of the Me 309 fighter prototype together to form a heavy fighter. The project was initiated in response to a 1941 Reich Air Ministry requirement for a new Zerstörer (destroyer) to replace the Bf 110 in a minimum time and with a minimum of new parts. Messerschmitt's response was the Me 609, which would use the failed Me 309 project to form the basis of the new fighter. The Me 609 would have joined the two Me 309 fuselages with a new centre wing section. Only the two inner wheels of the joined Me 309's main landing gears would have been used and would retract into the centre section. This resulted in an unusual four-wheel arrangement.  The pilot would have sat in a cockpit located in the port fuselage, with the starboard being smoothed over.

Two versions were planned: a heavy fighter with four or six 30 mm MK 108 cannons, and a Schnellbomber (fast bomber) variant with two 30 mm MK 108 cannons and a bomb load of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) carried beneath the fuselages.One source claims that the Me 609 was actually a cover designation for test-ready, late-war Me 262s, not the twin-fuselage Me 309. However, this claim contradicts most other sources. However, by late December 1942, Messerschmitt Me 609 project was cancelled at the drawing board. (Wikipedia)

(Alf Van Beem Photo) Model.

Messerschmitt Me P.1106, jet fighter (project).

The Messerschmitt P.1106 was a proposed German fighter aircraft project near the end of the Second World War. It was intended as an improvement to the Messerschmitt P.1101.The Messerschmitt P.1106 went through several redesigns; the first version had a T-tail with the cockpit faired into the vertical stabilizer, and the later design having a V-tail with the cockpit moved slightly forward. The wings of each design were swept back at 40 degrees. The planned powerplant was a Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet engine, and armament was to be two 30 mm MK 108 cannons. The project was abandoned since the performance of the P.1101 had not been improved on, and the 1106 cockpit had poor visibility. (Wikipedia)

(JuergenKlueser Photo) Model.

Messerschmitt Me P.1112, jet fighter (project).

The Messerschmitt P.1112 was a proposedGerman jet fighter, developed by Messerschmitt AG during the closing stages ofWorld War II, and intended for use by the Luftwaffe. The progress of the warprevented the completion of a prototype before the fall of Germany. Its design,however, had a direct influence on postwar US Navy carrier fighters.

The work on the Me P.1112 started on 25 February 1945 after Willy Messerschmitt decided to halt the development of the Messerschmitt P.1111, which would have required, as standard equipment, a pressurized cockpit and ejection seat. Designed by the head of the Messerschmitt Project Office Woldemar Voigt (1907–1980), between 3 and 30 March 1945 as an alternative to the Me P.1111, the Me P.1112 design was less radical than the P.1111 and incorporated the lessons learned from the development of the Messerschmitt P.1110 design. Voigt estimated that the Me P.1112 would commence flight testing by mid-1946.

Intended to be powered by a single Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet, three design concepts of the Me P.1112 were developed. The last proposed design was the Me P.1112/V1 using a V-tail design and fuselage lateral intakes; the two first were the Me P.1112 S/1, with wing root air intakes, and the Me P.1112 S/2, with fuselage lateral intakes, both with a larger, single fin; both designs lacked conventional horizontal stabilizers. All three had a fuselage maximum diameter of 1.1 metres (3.6 ft). The aircraft's wing design was similar in appearance to that of Messerschmitt's Me 163 Komet rocket fighter. The pilot was seated in a semi-reclined position and was equipped with an ejection seat.

A partial mockup of the Me P.1112 V/1, consisting of the aircraft's forward fuselage section, was constructed in the "Conrad von Hötzendorf" Kaserne at Oberammergau, but the Messerschmitt facilities there were occupied by American troops in April 1945, before construction of the prototype could begin. (Wikipedia)

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