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Me109
Cranston Military Prints  By Subject Aviation Art World War Two  Me109 |
| Second World War aviation art prints of the Me109 aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Me109 aircraft of World War Two. |
| Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s. |
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| Text for the above items : |
Knight of the Reich by Robert Taylor. On the morning of 15th October 1943, as Bf109G's from III./JG52 dive into attack a group of Russian fighters high over Zaporozhye in south-east Ukraine, their Kommandeur Hauptmann Gunther Rall pounces on a Soviet La-5 to claim his 222nd victory. During this astonishing one month period Rall shot down 40 aircraft and at the end of November 1943 achieved 250 victories - at the time only the second Ace to do so after Walter Nowotny. By the time he was posted back to the West, he was well on the way to his final score of 275 victories, making him the third highest-scoring Ace in history. Had he not been wounded in action numerous times and forced to spend months in hospital, he might well have been the highest-scoring Ace of them all. |
Fighter Legend - Adolf Galland by Nicolas Trudgian. Published 1991. This is a great value item for the collector of great signatures. |
Dragons of Colombert by Nicolas Trudgian In the summer of 1940, JG3, under the command of Hans von Hahn, scramble their Me109s from their French countryside base at Colombert, near Calais. With the deafening sound of their piston-engined aircraft, sporting the groups colourful Dragon emblem on their cowlings, they head for the battle front. Published 2000. |
Defiant but Doomed by Stan Stokes. Jagdeschwader 26, or JG 26, was one of the Lufwaffes elite fighter forces. Nicknamed the Abbeville Boys, or the Abbeville Kids,JG 26 gained tremendous notoriety early in the War while operating out of Abbeville in Northern France. Although JG 26 never operated with more than 124 fighter aircraft, the unit dominated its airspace over Northern France and Belgium for more than a two year period. Adolf Galland was one of Germanys top fighter aces of the War, with more than 100 confirmed victories. For most of his flying career Galland was associated with JG 26. By year-end 1940 he had attained 57 victories, and was awarded the Oak Leaves, the highest award of the time. Galland took over command of JG 26 in August 1940 during the Battle of Britain. In Stan Stokes painting, entitled Defiant, But Doomed, Galland is depicted during a mission with the Abbeville Kids on August 28, 1940. Flying low cover for a formation of Heinkel bombers Galland was shocked to see a squadron of 12 Royal Air Force Defiants flying directly below the bombers. The Defiant was a unique British aircraft which was utilized as a daylight fighter incorporating four machine guns enclosed in a top mounted hydraulic turret operated by a gunnery officer. Despite serving admirably during the Dunkirk evacuation, the Luftwaffe had devised tactics which made the Defiant only marginally successful. By utilizing its turret guns RAF 264 Squadron was preparing to decimate the Heinkels with an attack on their vulnerable underbellies. Climbing straight up into the formation Galland broke up the attack. Minutes later he was engaged with the Defiant piloted by 264 Squadron Commander Garvin. Although struck four times by the Defiants machine guns, Galland was ultimately victorious. Gallands JG 26 flew the Messerschmitt Bf-109 (also often referred to as the ME-109) of which over 30,000 were produced. The first large scale production model of the 109 was the E series. Powered by a 12 cylinder water cooled engine the 109e was capable of 360 MPH, and had a ceiling of 33,000 feet. The 109 was very maneuverable and had a very strong airframe capable of sustaining high G maneuvers. Utilizing a low-wing cantilever design, the 109 had retractable landing gear and initially was produced with fuselage mounted machine guns. Galland complained about this configuration and actually modified several of his aircraft to incorporate wing mounted machine guns, which would provide a wider field of fire. A few of these aircraft were utilized during the Spanish Civil War in 1939, and proved vastly superior to anything they faced. The 109, unlike many other fighters which were in service at the start of the War, remained effective for the entire War, and in fact became a de facto standard by which many other aircraft would be judged. Adolf Galland was promoted to General of the Fighter Arm in late 1941, and became preoccupied with fighter tactics for the duration of the War. |
Evening Reflection by Richard Taylor. With soft evening sunlight radiant behind them, Hauptmann Wolfgang Ewald, Gruppenkommandeur of 1./JG52, leads a schwarm of Bf109s back to their base near Calais after another hectic encounter with pilots of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, September 1940. This evocative new painting pays a fitting tribute to the Luftwaffe pilots that fought during this crucial period in history. |
Combat Over Normandy by Graeme Lothian. Spitfires of R.C.A.F 144 Wing led by Wing Commander Johnson in combat with ME109s of JG3 over Arromanches, France June 1944. |
Tribute to Peter Düttmann by Ivan Berryman. Peter Düttmann joined 5.JG52 in the spring of 1943, remaining with the unit until the end of the war. In just 395 missions he scored 152 victories - including 9 in a single day - and was awarded the Knight's Cross. Despite his aircraft being shot down or crash landing on 17 occasions, he was never wounded. He is depicted here in Bf.109 G-4 Black 12 of 5/JG52, Russia, May 1943. Peter Düttmann died in 2001. |
Erich Hartmann - Me109 Ace by Jason Askew. (P) A portrait of Erich Hartmann with the Me109 of this legendary Ace and his wingman. |
Gunther Rall - Black 13 by Ivan Berryman. Bf 109G-2s of III/JG 52 leave their dispersal on the Eastern Front in 1943. Nearest aircraft is Black 13 of Gruppenkommandeur Gunther Rall, then fast approaching his 150th victory. |
Above the Cauldron by David Pentland. Borisov, Russia, 2nd July 1941. The battle for Minsk lasted 12 days, when it ended 300,000 soviet troops had been taken prisoner. In the air fierce battles were fought to smash an escape route to the citys defenders. It was during this chaos that Gerd Barkhorn scored his first victory against a Soviet DB-3 bomber. He had flown 120 missions throughout the Battle of Britain, and only succeeded in being shot down himself. It was only in Russia that his career really took off. By the end of the war he was credited with 301 victories in 1104 missions. |
Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman. A Bf109E fighter is prepared to fight over southern England during the Battle of Britain. |
Tribute to Hermann Graf by Graeme Lothian. Bf109G-2 Yellow 11 of Oberleutnant Hermann Graf, Staffelkapitan 9./JG52, Pitomnik, September 1942. Graf scored his 150th kill in this aircraft in September 1942. He was awarded the Knights Cross after 42 victories, the Oak Leaves after 104 victories, the Swords after 106 victories and the Diamonds after 172 victories. His final total at the end of the war stood at 212 victories, and he held the rank of Oberst. |
The Right of the Line by Graeme Lothian. Sailor Malam leading 74 Squadron engaging Me109s of I/JG52 during the Battle of Britain, September 1940. |
Angels Three Zero by Robert Taylor Bobby Oxspring in his 66 Squadron Spitfire destroys an ME109 of JF/53 Ace of Spades Group, in a high level attack at 30,000 feet above Dover, 18th September 1940. |
Greenheart Warrior by Ivan Berryman. Bf109Fs of the Green Heart Warriors. |
Messerschmitt versus Messerschmitt by David Pentland. Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 6th April 1941. While escorting Stukas at the start of the German Balkan campaign, the Me109Es of JG54 were engaged by Me109Es of the Yugoslav air force. During the ensuing melee, ObLt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob claimed his 20th victory. |
Arctic Hunters by Richard Taylor. Occupied by the Germans, by 1942 Norway had become vital to Hitlers war in the East. With the Russians threatening to over-run Finland and attack Norway, the pilots of JG5 were tasked to support German ground forces, and to escort the incessant Luftwaffe attacks on Arctic Convoys from Britain to the vital Russian ports of Murmansk and Archangel. With such unpredictably harsh weather it was a life or death battle fought under extreme conditions. For the pilots of JG5 - Eismeer, the Polar Sea Group, the sun never set during the long summer months, and due to constant fog and storms it was often impossible for pilots to return to base, often diverting to other airstrips. But their darkest moment came in December 1944 when their Kommodore, Heinrich Ehrler, one of the Luftwaffes most brilliant fighter leaders, was made a scapegoat following the sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord. Despite holding the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and nominated for the Swords, he was convicted. High in the Arctic Circle a bitter war of attrition was fought in freezing, unforgiving conditions, the desperate conflict played out against a majestic, awe-inspiring backdrop of beautiful ice-clad mountains. Richard Taylors spectacular painting portrays the Me109s of 6./JG5 led by Oberleutnant Heinrich Ehrler, while based at Petsamo in Finland, as they soar high above the towering peaks of ice capped mountains glistening in the cold polar air, March 1943. Their dawn patrol keeps constant vigil along the glacial fjords of the Norways far-northern coastline, as the majestic vista gives the battle-hardened Me109 pilots a brief moment of tranquility far removed from the grim and bitter battles being fought below. |
Gunther Rall by Ivan Berryman. Gunther Rall sitting on the cockpit side of Bf 109G-2 Black 13 of III/JG 52, Eastern Front, 1943. |
Voyage into Destiny by Robert Taylor. Leaving the port of Gdynia on May 18th 1941, two large German warships stealthily zig-zagged their way up the coast of Norway at the outset of what was to become one pf the shortest, most fiercely fought naval contests of the Second World War. Operation Rheinubung was under way. With Fleet Commander Admiral Lutjens on the bridge, the brand new battleship Bismarck would leave the relative safety of the Norwegian fjords, destined for the busy shipping lanes in the Atlantic. After refuelling, and in company with the battlecruiser Prinz Eugen, on May 21st the two heavily armed warships headed for the Denmark Strait and out into the wide expanse of the Atlantic. Bound for active convoy routes, Bismarck would play havoc with vital Allied merchant shipping. Faster than almost any warship afloat, the magnificent new 42,000 ton monsters awesome firepower would prove no match for the lightly protected merchantmen or their escorts, as they laboriously plied their desperately needed cargo across the ocean towards Europe. It seemed she was invincible. Within three days of sailing, Bismarcks first encounter was a triumph! Intercepted south west of Iceland by the British Home Fleet, the German battleships gunners went into action for the first time, their second and third salvos striking the battlecruiser Hood. She exploded and sank within three minutes. But Bismarcks success brought the wrath of the Royal Navy upon her and, just three days later, on the morning of May 27th, with her rudder damaged by a torpedo, the pride of the German navy fell to the guns of the British Home Fleet. Outnumbered, she fought bravely, but succumbed, the magnificent new battleships active war lasting less than a week. The battleship Bismarck off the coast of Norway at the start of Operation Rheinubung. Under the watchful eye of Jagdeschwader 77s Me 109 fighters, in company with the battlecruiser Prinz Eugen, and destroyers Hans Lody and Z23, Germanys magnificent new battleship Bismarck is seen manoeuvring near Korsfjord Bergen on May 21, 1941. That evening, with Prinz Eugen, she will leave for Arctic waters, the Denmark Strait, the Atlantic, and destiny. Within days the pride of the German Kriegsmarine will have passed into history. |
Coastal Command - Avro Anson Mk.I by Ivan Berryman. An Avro Anson Mk.I from Coastal Command is attacked by an Me109. |
Russian Roulette by Robert Taylor. A Soviet Yak 3 hurtles towards us in a typically daring head-on attack on a Bf109. Other Yaks wheel and turn frantically in search of the enemy. Casualties on both sides are evident. Away into the distant horizon stretches a vast Russian sky, painted in Roberts inimitable style: soon all will be quiet again until the next ferocious encounter. |
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This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
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