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1944 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Once Rained Death from Above, Now Entertains

The German Luftwaffe was one of the most dreaded organizations of the Second World War. Its machines dominated the skies over Europe for years before the Allied forces were able to put up a notable fight, and that is owed mostly to two important airplanes: the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
1944 Messerschmitt Bf 109 6 photos
Photo: Boschung Global/Richard Paver
1944 Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt is the more famous brother of the two. First flown in 1935, the fighter aircraft made a name for itself as soon as the Spanish Civil War in 1937, and was kept in service until about 1965, when the Spanish Air Force took it out of active duty.

It was in the hands of the Nazi Air Force that the plane made a name for itself. According to historians, no other airplane of the war, of any nation, scored more aerial kills than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 – during Operation Barbarossa alone (the invasion of the Soviet Union), German pilots shot down thousands of enemy airplanes while losing just about 350.

The success of the aircraft was achieved thanks to both the pilots, and the way it was made. Powered by a Daimler-Benz engine than spun a single three-bladed propeller, the Bf 109 could reach speeds of 520 kph (320 mph), a maximum altitude of 12,000 m (39,000 ft), and had a range of up to 1,144 km (711 miles).

As for weapons, it could carry a wide variety of hardware that could help it rain death from above: machine guns, cannons, bombs and rockets, all could be fitted on the airplane.

During the war close to 34,000 of them were made, one of the largest numbers for a combat aircraft of any nations, but not that many survive to this day. Those that do make quite the impression at air shows across the world, though.

The one we have here is no exception. Produced in 1944 as the upgraded G-14 variant, it is now for sale in Germany for an undisclosed price, but in excellent condition. The seller does not say what battles this plane was part of, but given the year it was made it most certainly say its share of fighting.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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