My visit to Elvington Air Museum continues, and today we have an interesting comparison of fighter aircraft from the Second World War, with a British Spitfire at the top, and a German Messerschmitt BF 109G-6 below. Both are replicas.
I'm not going to comment on their technical details or their relative merits when fighting, but on a couple of interesting links between the two.
The first link was that the crankshafts for the early Merlin engines which powered the Spitfire were actually made on a German machine.
The second was that the first Messerschmitt BF 109 aircraft were fitted with Rolls Royce Kestral engines, before changing to Junkers Jumo enginee as the war approached. After the war some Messerschmitt ME 109 aircraft built in Spain were fitted with Rolls Royce Merlin engines.
If nothing else this suggests we are likely to achieve far more if countries cooperate than if we compete.
Thank you both. The bright colour on the lower one are the personal colours of Col. Herman Graf of JG 50. Graf is credited as the first pilot in history to shoot down 200 aircraft. He eventually claimed a total of 216 ‘kills’, in 820 combat missions mostly over the Eastern Front.
Ian
February 3rd, 2024
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Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
Though not a lover of the purpose that these machines were built for, I can admire the technical developments that made them possible.
Ian
Thank you both. The bright colour on the lower one are the personal colours of Col. Herman Graf of JG 50. Graf is credited as the first pilot in history to shoot down 200 aircraft. He eventually claimed a total of 216 ‘kills’, in 820 combat missions mostly over the Eastern Front.
Ian