There will be no complete comparison here, but historical parallels will be present. I do not intend to show the similarity of the Yakovlev and Messerschmitt aircraft, but as the article progresses, you will be surprised how similar the history of these aircraft turned out to be.
Another question, of course, was what was the final. But we will also talk about this after the story ends.
Why Messerschmitt? Because the rest will be, but then. But it was the Bf.109, in my opinion, that was the most controversial aircraft of the Second World War. It’s not even a matter of how it was invented, but how it was constructed. By and large, there, through the knot, everything was atypical and controversial to the point of disgrace.
Many sources believe that the Bf.109 appeared due to the fact that Herr Hitler decided to spit on the Versailles Treaty and revive the Luftwaffe. This is partly true, but I have a slightly different opinion.
In fact, progress has played a role in the appearance of the Bf.109. And "Messerschmitt" would have appeared anyway, one way or another. But the reasons for the appearance were by no means political, but technical.
Aircraft engine designers are to blame for everything. It is their merit that for some time V-shaped 12-cylinder liquid-cooled aircraft engines with a capacity of 900 to 1100 hp entered the arena. And yes, it happened precisely in the 30s of the last century.
At the same time, it became possible to create a fighter with the so-called "aerodynamically clean profile". And yes, the plane would have turned out to be very high-speed, since the drag would be several times less.
Naturally, such fighters began not only to appear in different countries, but went in waves. The same "new wave", which was based on the use of a compact (in comparison with an air-cooled engine) in-line engine.
It was a galaxy of aircraft that played a very prominent role in that war. British Hurricane and Spitfire, American P-39 and P-40, French MS.406, D.520 and VG-33, Soviet Yak-1, MiG-3 and LaGG-3, Italian MC.202 and Re.2001, Japanese Ki-61. Naturally, the Bf.109 is nowhere to be found.
In general, we are used to considering the Bf.109 both the firstborn and the standard of the "new wave" fighter. However, despite the external similarity with fighters of other models, inside it is a completely different aircraft with an unusual design. And - quite controversial. Moreover, it was this unusualness that brought Bf 109 to the final. Not entirely natural, but expected.
By the way, a little-known fact: the first Messerschmitt Bf 109V-1 lifted a British Rolls-Royce engine into the air: the Kestrel.
This is the question of advanced German industry. In fact, no worse than the Soviet designers, the Germans used everything they could reach. Including motors.
But back to the oddities of the design. According to many experts, it was she, the design, that determined both the rise and fall of the Messerschmitt.
Of course, the designer played the most significant role in the future of the aircraft. And many of them had their own specializations. Mitchell built racing seaplanes, for example. This is partly why the Spitfire was an excellent aircraft in terms of flight performance, but in execution it was a nightmare that required incredible efforts on the part of the manufacturers.
The Caproni were best at multi-engine bombers. Dewoitine developed aerodynamically elegant fighters. Polikarpov was called "the king of fighters". Yakovlev built elegant aircrafts and training aircraft.
And here's a coincidence. As Yakovlev built aircraft that were quite far from combat use, so Willie Messerschmitt produced light sports aircraft. Very specific. These were very light and inexpensive machines, capable of taking off and landing from unsuitable areas. But which could be transported using a cart and a pair of horses and repaired with the help of improvised means.
And these planes must be inexpensive so that anyone can buy them.
And so, thanks to such layouts, Messerschmitt came to such a design: the chassis was attached to the fuselage (arguably, a narrow track, but the car could be disassembled and clung to a tug to anything), a light wing that easily undocked, in general, a very mobile structure.
But Messerschmitt's fighters were not allowed. In Germany, there was someone to build them. As in the USSR with regard to Yakovlev.
But Willie wanted to build fighters! He understood perfectly well that racing and sports planes are bread, but caviar would absolutely not hurt. Therefore, he himself began to design what later became the launching pad for the Bf 109. That is, Bf.108.
The sporty Bf 108 turned out to be a very successful aircraft. It contained all of the above: lightness, simplicity and low cost of construction, landing gear struts on the fuselage, two removable wings. Fast assembly and disassembly process.
And the military decided to take a chance and order Messerschmitt a fighter based on the Bf.108 concept. The money did its job and so the ascent to the sky of Bf.109 began.
The aircraft completely repeated the idea of the Bf.108: the same single-spar wing that could be easily undocked, the same chassis system, all the same sporty light weight and dimensions, manufacturability and ease of maintenance and repair, not to the detriment of flight performance.
The basis of the aircraft was a rigid "box" with a pilot's seat, gas tank and landing gear. The tail section was docked to it at the back, the engine with weapons was docked in front, the wing consoles were docked on the sides. Thanks to its modularity, the Bf.109 was very easy to manufacture and repair.
Very similar to the history of many Soviet aircraft, but the 109th engine was also missing! The Daimlers could not finish their DB 601 in any way (however, as they did - it went well), and the Junkers could not finish with the Jumo 210, which, moreover, was also much weaker than its competitor.
As a result, the first copies generally flew on the British Rolls-Royce Kestrel. Normal practice for those who lagged behind. The main thing is that the 109th flew, and flew quite well. Probably due to the really small mass.
The military received the new fighter with coolness. The 109th was really, as they would say now, innovative: the engine is so narrow, because of this, the cabin also did not differ in space, the canopy is so closing …
However, not only did the plane fly well, it was also so simple to manufacture (and - importantly - inexpensive), everyone liked it. And most of all I liked the fact that the Bf 109 could be driven in a stream in absolutely fantastic quantities.
Considering that Hitler was seriously starting the revival of the Luftwaffe, an aircraft of such a plan was not just in time, it was needed yesterday.
There was, of course, a fly in the ointment in this flying barrel of honey. This, as those in the know already understood, is the chassis. The chassis is the Bf 109's Achilles heel throughout its life and service. It broke. It broke on all modifications, and the heavier the 109 became, the more willingly it broke. It broke in the mud, in the snow, with pilot errors …
All in all, if it's serious, the chassis was probably the only drawback of the Bf.109. And so … incorrigible, because if the Bf.108 did not have such a problem, then it is rather strange that the Bf.109, which was made on the basis of the 108th, became fatal.
But there was a whole complex of problems that weren't solved just like that, or rather, they were a whole chain that led right here:
So, we have the following list of absurdities and innovations that Messerschmitt applied in his brainchild.
1. The landing gear in the narrow fuselage eventually gave a very narrow track.
2. Moreover, these racks had to be made high, because we are looking at item 3.
3. The engine on the Bf.109 was V-shaped, but in order to place the machine guns on top, it was turned 180 degrees. Accordingly, the axis of rotation of the propeller became lower than with the normal placement of the engine, so that the propeller did not cling to the ground, it was necessary to lengthen the struts and lift up the nose.
4. Hence, a very unpleasant thing appeared: the need to "work with the nose" when landing in order to at least see something. But since the landing is made at the minimum speed, the games with raising and lowering the nose very often led to the fact that the plane often finished landing either on its "stomach" or (even worse) on its "back". Landing in general has become a very dubious entertainment.
Here one could easily create the fifth point, say that the landing gear struts themselves did not have the required strength. However, here we can say that "everything is fine", if applied this way: in pursuit of the minimum weight, the racks were made as light as possible. And fragile.
And the point is to make them stronger and heavier, if it was not the strut that broke, but its attachment to the fuselage, which, in the name of minimizing the weight, was also made insufficiently strong. In this case, it was useless to strengthen the racks.
And you can find a bunch of photos to prove it. With the struts turned completely out of the mountings and the crashed plane.
That is, even the aircraft, which was considered the standard, had flaws. Still, there were more advantages. And the advantages outweighed, given that Mr. Messerschmitt began to rivet the 109s at such a pace that they simply did not have time to beat them. This situation was quite satisfactory for the Luftwaffe, it was clearly not enough only to check by force.
And now - lo and behold! - the civil war in Spain, where Bf 109 were sent to maintain the reputation of the legion "Condor", which was well hung by Soviet pilots on Soviet fighters by that time.
It helped, and in Spain the Bf 109 proved to be quite such a fighter capable of a lot. Everyone noticed this, and just then the designers rushed to build fighters with water-cooled engines.
Yes, about the engines … Above I said that the engines were not very good. Almost like ours. The first regular engine for the Bf 109 was the Junkers Jumo 210. The engine produced 700 hp, as Spain showed, this was enough to fight the I-15 and even the I-16, but … The Hurricane was more than competitive, despite its terrifying aerodynamics, the Spitfire had already been tested and was generally on its way.
There was, however, the above-mentioned DB-601 from "Daimler-Benz". And, in general, it was just a great engine for that time. 1000 "horses", Mercedes reliability … But here's the problem: it was a completely DIFFERENT engine. In every way.
The DB-601 was not only more powerful than the Junkers engine, but also more complex, heavier, and was supposed to have a completely different cooling system.
But even the fact that 601 was heavier is already enough for a light aircraft, built according to the principles of sports aircraft construction, to be redesigned. Messerschmitt was not alone, Yakovlev faced about the same when trying to put the VK-107 engine into fighters.
We understand that a heavier engine changes the alignment of the aircraft. And you have to do something about it. And what can be done with an airplane, which already has a power kit rather than a set?
You can, for example, transfer the weapon to the wings, as did the British and Americans, who did not bother with the problem of balance in this regard, with the exception, perhaps, of the Cobras. It was possible, as Soviet, Japanese, Italian designers did, to place a huge contraption - a cooling radiator - actually hanging it under the center section, unloading the bow.
Many did something, but this was not the way for the 109th. Again, the lightweight initial sporty design and the lack of the usual power set played a role. And there are no power elements - what do you want to fix?
And, besides, there was no more room in the forward and middle parts of the fuselage. Pilot, control, gas tanks, oil tank …
Of course, the Germans dodged. And they placed radiators (there were two of them) under the root parts of the wing. Aerodynamics, of course, deteriorated, but the speed increased as 300 hp. - it is not joke. It is clear that the idea of a quick-detachable, lightweight and empty wing was sentenced, but they do not cry through their hair when they take their heads off. And in addition to the radiators, two cannons were also installed in the wings.
Actually, here it is, Bf.109E, or "Emil", with which the Germans actually entered the Second World War.
There is an opinion (I support him) that it would be smarter to spit on the sporting past and create a new aircraft for the DB-601. And upgrade the plane along with the engine. Not the worst option, Yakovlev did it. Yak and VK-105 went through the entire war, very successfully opposing the same Messerschmitts.
But Willie Messerschmitt decided to continue with the tenacity of a Teuton. And then there was the Bf.109F, "Friedrich", which is considered by some to be the best aircraft of this class. Well, or at least the best "messer". Controversial, very controversial, because the original defects have not gone anywhere.
Yes, the work has been done, the Bf 109F has become more streamlined, not a "chopped ax". But in the future, everything began to resemble a "trishkin caftan", when for one problem another immediately began to arise. And Messerschmitt fought with problems until the very end of the war, and in the end he lost.
The further it went, the harder the Bf 109 became, the worse it managed, and so on. Yes, his weapon became more and more impressive, but the flying log, even if it spewed fire from several barrels, still remained a log. Than in the second half of the war, Soviet pilots used it quite normally, fighting, albeit not so armored and sophisticated, but more maneuverable Yaks.
By the way, it is worth noting here that the higher the speed, the worse the 109 was controlled. For example, take the second German fighter, the Focke-Wulf Fw.190, with which it was the other way around. At low speeds it was the same iron, but if overclocked, it was acceptable. The main thing is to have time to pick up speed. Those same "swing".
We will not go into engineering details here, especially since there is no point in discussing the Messerschmitt single-spar wing and the Focke-Wulf two-spar wing. It is clear that the Fokker was much stronger, and it is worth stopping at this.
It just so happens that the entire evolution of the 109 is nothing more than the evolution of the engine. The engine became more powerful - there was an increase in speed. This is completely normal and expected. However, the fact that the all-heavy 109 was based on the same lightweight sports design more and more affected the maneuverability and strength qualities.
It so happened that in those years, all designers simply went in cycles in speed, sometimes even to the detriment of maneuver. "The speed will be higher - everything will be!". But in reality, frank "irons" appeared, which, yes, could develop very impressive kilometers per hour, but …
Perhaps the best example here is our MiGs, which very quickly left the arena, vegetating in the air defense units, and the massacres that the Japanese Zeros were staging for their faster, but less maneuverable colleagues.
There should be plenty of everything. Both speed and maneuver. What's the use of a super-maneuverable fighter (I-16) if it can neither catch up with the enemy, nor run away? What is the use of an airplane that catches up with any car, but cannot do anything further with it, unless it knocks it down on the first run? Incidentally, this is Focke-Wulf. Caught up on the "swing", hit - and run! Otherwise, you can get it in full from the weaker in terms of weapons, opponents. As a matter of fact, that happened all the time.
Meanwhile, the 109th did not have such a balance. And the further the plane developed, the more difficult it was with the problems. Weight kept growing, maneuverability and handling deteriorated, the chassis caused more and more fears.
No wonder the Finns, who enjoyed exploiting the 109s, radically redesigned the chassis, actually redesigning and building a unit that suited them? In fact, at the level of modification G ("Gustav"), the aircraft approached a certain limit in terms of flight characteristics, beyond which nothing good could be seen.
Moreover, it was impossible to simply take and correct the shortcomings. They had already firmly cemented and the attempt to liquidate one gave rise to a whole wave of subsequent necessary processing and finishing touches.
For example, a lantern. Is it really so difficult at the 1943 level to make a teardrop-shaped lantern with virtually all-round visibility? Sorry, even ours could do it.
And why then the German pilots, remembering, apparently, the "Sheise" in all guises, continued to fly on the plane, which actually did not have a view back? But because removing the gargrot and installing a canopy with an all-round view was hampered by the same peculiar set of elements in the tail section.
It turns out that the review could be improved. Replacing the entire tail section or its total alteration, which is essentially the same thing.
The handling could be improved by creating a new wing. Not so lightweight and quick-release, new.
The chassis problem was also solved, but required rework of the center section. As well as the installation of more spacious (that is, heavier) gas tanks, since the new engines were both more powerful and more voracious.
It seems to me, or did I really sketch out a work plan for the creation of some other aircraft?
It is very difficult today to understand why Willie Messerschmitt did not take this path. Probably because of why Yakovlev did not diversify his fighters too much. Its name is flow. The fighters were in the production line, and they made approximately equal parts, both Messerschmitt and Yakovlev.
We will talk about a full comparison in the second part, it just needs to be done. There will be some absolutely mind-blowing moments, and now we will finish a little.
What I would like to say. Only that at the very beginning of World War II, while there was still a chance to start designing a new aircraft, it was necessary to use this chance. But since the war was going on, the simplicity and speed of manufacturing the 109 turned out to be stronger than the shortcomings. Temporarily.
Moreover, the new DB-605 engine, which produced 1500 hp at the ground, was simply incomparable, and the "Messer" really tore everyone to shreds. But alas, the time was really lost.
In reality, the entire structure worked to the limit of wear and tear and to the limit of its capabilities. This was especially evident in the Bf.109G. If you study the statistics, then about 22% of the aircraft of this modification did not die in battles, but were destroyed during takeoff or landing. By that time, the landing gear already "did not hold", and the "Gustav" could only take off from decent concrete airfields.
I must say that by that time the Germans were actually taking off only from them, since the campaign on the Eastern Front was lost.
But just imagine that in the Red Army Air Force "Yaks" and "La" could not take off or fought in such quantities …
But the Bf.109G of all modifications (and there were 11) could. Beat to pieces and not fly. Think about it, 11 modifications, 15,000 aircraft in 3 years. And at the same time, I constantly had to twist and finish something. And this is without the so-called "field modifications".
Many authors quite reasonably represent this as a kind of multipurpose application. Such, you see, a versatile fighter, you can hang anything on it. You want guns, you want a fuel tank, whatever.
But few people think about this "either-or". If you don't hang up the fuel tank - minus an hour of flight. If you don't hang up the cannons, the pilots of the “flying fortresses” will laugh at your attempts to shoot them down. Hard. And why then did the "Yaks", "La", "Focke-Wulfs", "Spitfires" and "Thunderbolts" manage to fight the whole war without carrying the most diverse stray under their belly? Which, I note, reduced the already not the best aerodynamics.
In general, it is customary to regard the Bf 109 as one of the best fighters of the war. Well, the most massive one. This is the extreme, in my opinion. As well as the extreme to consider the employees of the Messerschmitt firm as non-professionals who handed a worthless plane to the Luftwaffe.
The truth, as always, is in the middle.
The fact that the Bf.109 was an unusual aircraft for the end of the 30s of the last century, and I am not afraid of this word, revolutionary, is indisputable. But writing him down to the best is just flattering. Messerschmitt took the same thing as Yakovlev: ease of assembly and manufacturability. That is, the mass release was really massive. The Messers were assembled faster than they were shot down.
And here is the nuance. While experienced pilots sat at the controls of the Bf.109, the "thin" one was a very serious opponent. And very dangerous.
But over time, the cadres were knocked out, especially the Kozhedubs, Pokryshkins, Rechkalovs and others worked on this on the Eastern Front, the plane became heavier and more capricious, and, finally, the moment came when that was all. The Bf 109 ended up as an advanced fighter because it stopped being the Bf 109 that was based on a sports aircraft and became the Bf 109 that was blinded from what it was.
Plus, the flight crew, completely unprepared for aerobatics of such a strict and fragile machine.
And somehow the halo starts to fade. But for the sake of completeness, we will compare in the next part of the Bf.109 in combat plan. And we will compare with those with whom we had to really fight. And then we will make the final conclusion.
