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THE AIRCRAFT
The
backbone of Germany's air power during the early war years, the Bf109 first entered
service in early 1937. The Bf109 was characterized by good performance on the level and
vertical planes. It remained in production until 1942 and over 30,000 are estimated to
have been produced.
| Speed: | 387 mph |
| Service Ceiling: | 38,551 ft |
| Range: | 450 mi |
| Armament: | 1x30mm cannon |
| 2x20mm cannon | |
| 2x13mm MGs | |
| Plus 1,102 lbs of bombs |
Germany's
finest fighter design, the FW190 is also a strong contender for the title of best fighter
to emerge from WWII. Designed by Kurt Tank, the FW190 was a good dogfighter and gun
platform, outperforming the contemporary Spitfire in all measures except turning circle.
Total production was approximately 20,000.
| Speed: | 408 mph |
| Service Ceiling: | 37,403 ft |
| Range: | 500 mi |
| Armament: | 4x20mm cannon |
| 2x13mm MGs | |
| Plus 2,205 lbs of bombs |
When
it entered service in summer 1944, the turbo-jet powered Me262 ushered in a new era of air
warfare. Too late to influence the outcome of the war, it combined docile handling with
high speed performance. Just over 1,000 examples were produced.
| Speed: | 536 mph |
| Service Ceiling: | 36,080 ft |
| Range: | 524 mi |
| Armament: | 4x30mm cannon |