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During excarvation works in 1989, some buried plane wrecks were discovered. One was a
rarity from 1937. It was the Bf 109 B/V-10a, serial number 1010. The plane was registered
as D-IAKO. It is owned by a group of investors. They are restoring the plane under the
patronage of the Bayerischen Flugzeug Historiker e.V..
After the difficult identification of the wreck, it was noticed, that its structure was about 80%
complete. The installed engine Jumo 210 will not be restored with the plane, because it was given away to
Deutsches Museum, because it was damaged. So, the restaurators are searching for a better preserved
Jumo 210 engine, that is not easy to find.
It is not easy to say something about the actual status of the reatauration, because the restoration team
does not provide a lot of information. From an internal source adlertag.de learned, that now (April 2003)
the preperation of tools is completed and the restoration itself will begin soon. It may take a lot of time, until
the Bf 109 V-10a will show up on display, because the restorators do this work only in their free time.
In future the plane is supposed to be presented as static exhibition object. It is the oldest existing Bf 109.
In 1987 a British warbird enthusiast discovered the heavily damaged wreck of this Bf 109 on a Spanish airfield, where it was used for fire-fighting training. It was registered as C.4K-88. He transfered the wreck to England, where it is supposed to be restored. (no information since 1991)
In 1998 the wreck of a Bf 109 E-1 was found at a storage area of the Government
of India. It was still standing on its own gear and the wings were still mounted.
But the engine carriage was broken away and the engine itself was lying in an edge
of the area. The cowling and the canopy were missing. In the meantime the wheels
were stolen and the wings were dismounted, but nevertheless, experts said, that
it would be possible to restore the plane to airworthy condition.
This Bf 109 came from England to Hyderabad in 1940/41 and was shown flying. One of
this shows ended with a belly-landing, causinge damage to the plane.
The identity is not evidented. Only an inscription full of gaps on the left side of
the fuselage says, that this plane might have belonged to the 1./JG 77 and took part
at the Poland campaign.
A resourceful businessman, Gireesh Naidu, offered the College, owning the storage area where the wreck was discovered,
a deal. He offered a HAL Pushpack, a motorcycle and a vintage car for exchange and transported the Bf 109 of.
Since then there is no hint about the location of Gireesh Naidu or the plane. Rumors said, that the "Emil" was
transported away from India, maybe to England, where it will be restored to airworthy condition. The correct owner
of the wreck, the Gulbarga Municipal Corporation was not asked about this deal and feeled betrayed.
All we´re able to do ist to wait, for the plane to reapear and what will happen then.
Deutsche Technikmuseum in Berlin is owning a Bf 109 E-3. This plane was supposedly
produced by Erla Maschinenwerke GmbH Leipzig and got the serial number 1407. It was
delivered to the Luftwaffe on 28th November 1939 and was used by II./JG 77, also above
Norway. Later in war, the Bf 109 had to land on a frozen lake on peninsula Kola, where
it sunk as the ice melted.
After its recovery in 1993, a red "5" was found on the right side of the fuselage,
but also a black "2" on the left side. This made it obvious, that the plane was
used by more than one unit.
The Bf 109 was restored in Hungary and found its place at the new aviation hall of
Deutsches Technik Museum in Berlin.
A very ambitious restoration project begun in Suffolk,Virgina/USA in 2002. The
"Fighter Factory", being very experienced in restoring historic planes,
has bought five wrecks of BF 109 E, F and G, being recovered in Russia since 1998.
The best preserved wreck is that of an Bf 109 E-7 with serial number 2023. This plane
was produced in 1939, being an E-3 originally, and being transformed to an E-7.
In spring 1942, the fighter belonged to JG 5 "Eismeergeschwader". It got the
"black 9" and was shot down near Murmaschi on 27th May 1942. The pilot,
Oberfeldwebel Walter Sommer made a belly-landing, but keept missing since that day.
The restoration is going on for some time and the fuselage is now nearly completed
in cooperation with a company from eastern Europe. Many parts had to be made new.
The Fighter Factory also owns a complete propeller and a functionable DB 601 engine.
Nevertheless there are still many parts missing. Also the FIghter Factory needs blueprints
and other technical documents to reconstruct the wings. So it will need still some time,
before the E-7 will get airborne again.
(See pictures of this plane in the gallery)
A nearly perfect surviving Bf 109 E-7 was discovered and recovered from a lake in Russia
by Jim Pearce. This plane from 5./JG 5 got the Werknummer 3523 and the code CS + AJ. The pilot,
Leutnant Wulf-Dietrich Widowitz, had to belly-land it at April 4´th 1942 near Petsamo, after an engine failure.
The plane sunk after the landing. Widowitz died more than a year later during another crashlanding.
This Bf 109 was built in 1939 at Arado Warnemünde. This time it still was an E-1. Later it was converted to an E-7.
As mentioned before, this plane is in an astonishing condition. The original color is still on the plane and the cell
is nearly undamaged. Only the textile covered rudders and the parts, made out of magnesium suffered during the time. Also
some holes were discovered in the sides of the fuselage and the engine covers, may be resulting from a dogfight. This also
would make it clear, why Widowitz had to crashland his plane.
This Bf 109 is for sale. Because of its good conditon, it will be only a matter of time, until it is undergoeing a restoration
by a new owner.
Also in Russia, a Bf 109 is currently under restoration. Because Stalin
ordered to destroy all captured planes after the end of the war, this project will lead to
one of the first displayed German planes in restored condition.
It is the Bf 109 F-4/Z with serial number 7504, that was produced supposedly in December 1941
at Wiener-Neustadt Flugzeugwerke. The plane serviced with the 3./JG 3 and got the white 10 as
identification code. It was flown by Feldwebel Rudolf Berg, claiming 17 aerial victories.
On 28´th March 1942 the "white 10" got hits into the cockpit, killing the pilot. From an
altitude of about 200 Meters it crashed into a bog at Perfino near Novgorod. Feldwebel Berg was
burried by locals as unknown pilot.
His plane was recovered 1997 by ARG companyand bought by Andrey Usov in 2002. These parts were
the tail, canopy, propeller hub, engine and some parts of the cockpit. Because the Bf 109 parts
in Russia are cheaper, then in western countries, Andrey Usov tries to get even more genuine parts.
The main structural parts as fuselage and wings will be newmade by a company in Moscow.
He also thought about an airworthy restoration. This depends on the chance to get a usable DB 601 E
engine, what will be quite difficult.
On 11th October 1943, Feldwebel Gärtner got into his G-1 (serial number 14141) for a checking flight. After the "black 6" of 2./JG 5 took off from Sola (Norway), the engine got burning. Feldwebel Gärtner was forced to land on the sea and was rescued. The plane sunk and was recovered not until 15th November 1988. Today the plane is back at Sola, where it will be restored for the Flyvehistorik Museum.
The most impressive surviving plane is undoubtly this G-2, recovered in Russia in 2003, Werknummer 13605.
These "Gustav" is the plane of Heinrich Ehrler, later Kommodore of JG 5, who was shot down with this aircraft eastward
of Babjesero by russian AA-guns on June 21´th 1943. This time Ehrler was Oberleutnant and Captain of 6./JG 5. Today
the markings for 98 aerial victories are still visible on the tail. According to the damages, the plane turned over during
the crash. The pilot bailed out during a dogfight at the Murnau-railway track. Ehrler claimed 208 victories, until his
death on April 4´th 1945. This day, serving with the JG 7, he rammed - presumably on purpose - an enemy bomber.
His plane, found in Russia and recovered by Jim Pearce, is now for sale. Pearce plans to take this money for his Fw 189
restoration project.
Actually the plane is in Germany, where it will be restored by Flugwerk.
Behind costly restoration projects, as the restoration of an Oldtimer to airworthy condition, mostly stands a
big company, holding these planes as traditional planes. Not in case of this Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4. The
restoration works were financed and done totally private. This is much more astonishing, when you remember the
huge costs of such an project.
Actually this plane is not a real "genuine original", because the restoration is based on the Ha 1112 M-1L
(WNr. 139), used for the movie "Battle of Britain". It was produced in 1950 at Hispano in Spain. Nevertheless
it took eight years, until it entered service with the Spanish airforce code C.4K-75. There is nothing known
about its "life" at "Ejercito del Aire", but maybe this "Buchon" was used during the Ifni-Conflict in North
Africa. In 1965 the plane was withdrawn from service and parked at the airbase in Tablada, where it stood for
three years, until it was purchased for the "Battle of Britain" movie and optically converted into a Bf 109 E-4.
In the movie the plane carried the markings of "yellow 11" and "red 14". Still during 1968 the plane was intended
to play a role in another movie and so was reconverted into a P-51 "Mustang". Therefore a fake belly-cooler
was attached. But the plane crashed during a take-off and was severely damaged. Later, the "Buchon" went to
England, before it was shipped to the USA, where it was reviewed and fixed until 1986. During the first
test-flight, the plane again crashed and was again heavily damaged. Afterwards it was poorly fixed and converted
into a Bf 109 near shape for static display. 1994/95 the plane was again shipped to France and later to Augsburg
(Germany), where it was planned to make it airworthy again. The French owner gave up this plan, because of the
costs and made the wreck up for sale.
In October 1997 the actual owners got knowledge about this plane and made the spontaneous decision to buy it. The
initiator already got a functional DB 605 engine. During the further examinations, it became obvious, that the
fuselage was not useable anymore and a new would have been to construct. Only the cockpit section, the spar bridge
and some other small parts could be used. Of course the team needed help from specialists, to construct parts and
components for the plane. Parts of the aft fuselage were produced in England and the tail fin was made by AERA in
Italy, who already restored the Bf 109 G-4 "Nesthäkchen". The wings got a new covering and the stabilizer of a
bellylanded "Gustav" was attached. The engine hood was that of a G-4, although the team initially wanted to construct
a G-6. The lack of the "Beulen" (bulbs) in the hood and the resulting better view, were in favour of the G-4. The
cooler is not genuine too, because the bigger variant - used with G-10 - was attached, to improve flight security.
In January 2004, the DB 605 was attached to the plane and worked without any problems. During June the ground testing
begun and ended with the preliminary traffic licence. The flight testing was done by Walter Eichhorn, who also flies
the Bf 109 G-6 and G-10 of the Messerschmitt Foundation. He took off for the maiden flight at August 23´rd 2004.
Being done under top secret conditions, the officially presentation of this restoration project at October 8´th in
Albstadt-Degerfeld was like a thunderbolt. Prideful the owners presented their Bf 109, marked as "red seven", that
took off to its presentation flight into the blue skies.
At 07/16/2005 Siggi Knoll came in to touch down after a short flight. It was flight number 105 of this Bf 109. This landing
failed and the plane touched down with only one wheel, than touched the ground with the opposite wing. The undercarriage broke,
the engine was torn out and came to rest some meters beside the crashed plane. The pilot was not injured. After some days of shock,
the owners decided, to repair their plane and bring it back to the skies again. Therefor a lot of money is needed and if you want to
help, you find the bank account on the "home"-page.
(See pictures of this plane in the gallery)
The Bf 109 s/n 163824 was produced at Regensburg in 1944, within the last batch of the G-6
series. It was tested at Puchhof airfield and was damaged in the same year. Until today it
is not known, what unit used this Messerschmitt. During December 1944, the plane was
refurbished at "Ludwig Hansen & Co." repairing facilities, prooved by the inscription
"M.C.Y. 31.12.1944".
The plane got a new starboard wing, a new stern section and a changed engine cowl.
After the war the Britains captured the 163824 at Eggebek airfield. The plane was transferred
to England and in 1946 it was crated and shipped to Australia, where it was a present -
together with a Me 163 - for the Australian Government.
Until 1954, the two warbirds were stored, then they were transferred to the Australian
War Memorial. There were no documents with the two planes, so it was unable to clear
their identities. Due to the lack of storage room, the Bf 109 was sold to a flight instructor
for 100 Australian Pounds. Then Sid Marshall purchased the plane and integrated it to its
collection. After Marshall died in 1975, a British aviation enthusiast bought the plane,
paying 100000 $, and planned to ship it to Britain. The new Australian export laws cancelled
the plans and so the plane again was stored at Sydney.
The court case awarded the Messerschmitt again to the Australian War Memorial in 1987 on
the grounds that the Memorial "ensure the restoration and preservation of the aircraft...and
that the aircraft will be maintained for the general public."
The restoration works begun in 2002 and will hopefully be completed in December 2003.
A lot of work has been undertaken to clean and conserve the genuine colour from 1944. A part
of the canopy was changed and the tail wheel had to be changed. The radioactive instruments
were removed and stored. Except of the missing armament the plane is complete in all
respects.
The "Gustav" will find its place in a depiction of the European bombing offensive,
accompanied by an Avro Lancaster, a Me 262 and a 8,8 cm Flak 36.
The 163824 is the only Bf 109, wearing its original camouflage.
Another Bf 109 G-6 is going to be restored in Australia. It was quite
difficult, to clear up its identity. It was known, that its delivery code begun
with a "R" and it was painted with the markings of a technical officer of
a Geschwaderstaff. It was also known, that it was landed on a lake at Pskov/UdSSR
and recovered in 1990. After some investigations it was thought, that this G-6 was
the serial number 410077, being produced at Erla and being delivered to the
Luftwaffe with the code RK + FY.
Also it is known, that a Bf 109 G-6 landed on this lake, being damaged by AA-shells.
It was impossible to recover the plane, because the Red Army standing too close. So
the German troops destroyed the plane by gunfire, until it was sinking into the lake.
Also the unit and the pilot could be only guessed. It may be, the plane belonged to
the Geschwaderstaff JG 54 or the staff of its 4th Squadron.
The plane is actually owned by D. Prewett in West Heidelberg/Australia.
During a transfer flight on 28th May 1944, the G-6 (serial number 163306) "red 3" crashed
into a lake near of Gebbert (today Jaworz) airbase, causing the death of its pilot
Feldwebel Ernst Pleines. The plane belonged to Jagdgruppe West.
In June 1999, the plane was recovered by the Polish aviation foundation "Polish
Eagles". It was in astonishing good conditions. After its restoration, the G-6
will be part of the foundations exhibition. Today it is owned by the aviation museum of
Cracow.