Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters preserved in the USA

Messerschmitt Bf 109 preserved in the USA

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War preserved in the USA. Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website. Photos are as credited. Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War in the United States of America would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It was still in service at the end of the Second World War in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. A liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine powered it. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.The plane was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor. However, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 34,248 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labour.The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann, was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring ace in the North African campaign, who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time). It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace. He scored 58 of his 94 confirmed victories with the Bf 109. Pilots from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Italy also flew the fighter. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war. (Wikipedia)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters of the Second World War preserved in the USA by aircraft type, serial number, registration number and location:

(Articseahorse Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Wk. Nr.), Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Wk. Nr.1342), 6./JG 51 "Yellow 8", flown by Eduard Hemmerling, crashed on 29 July 1940, Reg. No. N342FH, Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington. Airworthy.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7 (Wk. Nr. 5975), 6./JG 5, "Yellow 4", shot down 10 May 1942, Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, Savannah, Georgia.

(Tomás Del Coro Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 (Wk. Nr. 19257), "Black <1", Reg. No. N109GY, Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Airworthy.

(Tony Hisgett Photo)

(NASM Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 trop (Wk. Nr. 160163), coded KT + LL, 3./JG 4, "Yellow 4", USAAF foreign equipment number FE-496, painted as "White 2", National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

(Goshimini Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4 Gustav (Wk. Nr. 610824), II./JG 52 "Black 2", USAAF foreign equipment number FE-124, later T2-124, painted as "Blue 4", with Erla Haube reduced-framing canopy and taller wooden vertical fin/rudder unit, Reg. No. N109MS. National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

(Daderot Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 (Wk. Nr. 610937), built as a Bf 109 G-10/U-4, ex-Bulgarian AF, Ex-Yugoslavian AF (Serial No. 9644), 172 Group, 83rd SQ, 44, "Green <<", Reg. No. N109EV, Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.

(Tomás Del Coro Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10/U4 (Wk. Nr. 611943), II./JG 52, "Yellow 13", USAAF foreign equipment number FE-122, later T2-122, Planes of Fame, Valle, Arizona.

Stored or under restoration:

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Wk. Nr. 2023), built as a Bf 109E-7, 8./JG 5, "Black 9", flown by Ofw. Walter Sommer, crashed 27 May 1943, Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-0 (Wk. Nr. 5604), coded VK+AB, prototype.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 8461), 5./JG 27, Malcolm Laing, Texas.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 10144), 6./JG 5, "Yellow 7", flown by Fw. Albert Brunner, crashed 5 September 1942, Air Assets International, Lafayette, Colorado.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Wk. Nr. 10394), 6./JG 5, "Yellow 2", flown by Fw. Erwin Fahldieck, crashed 29 April 1943, Malcolm Laing, Texas.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Wk. Nr. 13500), II./JG (TBC), "Red 4".

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 10212), JG 5, Air Assets International, Lafayette, Colorado.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 10256), 11./JG 5 "<", flown by Fw. Horst Carganico, crashed 22 July 1942, Mickael R., Framingham, Massachusetts.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 10270), JG 5 "<", Mickael R., Framingham, Massachusetts.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Wk. Nr. 10276), JG 5, Air Assets International, Lafayette, Colorado.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Wk. Nr. 13927), 6./JG 5, "Yellow 6".

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 133 C.4K-64, "<<+-", Reg. No. N109F, Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Engined with DB605 and restored to Bf 109 G-2 condition.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 171 C.4K-100 (N76GE), ex-71 Sqn "71-9", used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Red 13", Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, Portage, Michigan.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 186 C.4K-122, used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Yellow 7", << + |, Reg. No. N109J, Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington, rebuilt as a Bf 109E with DB601 engine.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 199 C.4K-127, used in the film "Battle of Britain", ex-Edwards Collection, "Yellow 1 + <-" , Reg. No. N109BF, EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh Wisconsin.

Stored or under restoration:

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n unknown C.4K-30, ex-471 Sqn "471-26", used in the film "Battle of Britain", Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 120 C.4K-77, "Yellow 3", Reg. No. N700E, Planes of Fame, Chino, California. Under restoration to fly with Merlin 228 and reconfigured 109G-style cowling.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 129 C.4K-61, used in the film "Battle of Britain", Reg. No. G-AWHE, Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 137 C.4K-116, Reg. No. N6109, Quantico, Virginia.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 145 C.4K-105, used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Red 4", Reg. No. N6036, ex-Edwards Collection, Richard Hansen, Batavia Illinois.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n unknown C.4K-111, 471 Sqn "471-15", used in the film "Battle of Britain", Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 166 C.4K-106, used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Yellow 8", Reg. No. N90607, Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 187 C.4K-99, 7 Sqn "7-77", used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Yellow 5", Reg. No. N90604, Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 190 C.4K-126, used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Red 9", Reg. No. N90603, Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 195 C.4K-135, used in the film "Battle of Britain", ex-Victory Air Museum, St Louis, Missouri.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 220 C.4K-152, used in the film "Battle of Britain", "White 5", Reg. No. N4109G, Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 223 C.4K-154, used in the film "Battle of Britain", Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 178 C.4K-178, used in the film "Battle of Britain", ex-Victory Air Museum, The 1941 Historical Aircraft Group, Geneseo, New York, rebuilt with DB601N engine.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M4L c/n unknown C.4K-112, Accepted: Spanish AF, Assigned: 7 Sqd (codes:7 - 92), Assigned: 40 Sqd (codes: 40 - 2), used in the film "Battle of Britain", "Red 11", Reg. No. N1109G, currently in storage with the Edwards Collection, Wilson Edwards, Big Spring, Texas marked as "Red 11".

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L c/n 193 C.4K-130, "<", used in the film "Battle of Britain", Reg. No. N90602, Erickson Aircraft Collection, Madras, Oregon. Being restored to fly with a lowered Allison V-1710 and fitted with genuine Bf 109 G-10 cowling and reconfigured tail unit.