Original German WWII Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 Mutterkompaß Master Compass in Gimbal Ring Mount Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great condition German WWII Luftwaffe Mutterkompaß (Master Compass), as used in the Messerschmitt Bf 109F-1 fighter and later variants. It was found that having the magnetic compass mounted in the cockpit dashboard was not optimal, so a “mother compass” was placed further back in the fuselage, and information fed electronically to a “Patin Repeater” on the dashboard. This compass was also used on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Me 262.

The compass is in great shape, and as far as we can tell is fully intact, though we do not know if it functional or still points correctly. It has a data plate on the side marked:

Mutterkompaß
FK-m
Gerät Nr. 127-110A-2
Anforderz. Fl 23331
Werk Nr. 55405
Herteller: gvy

There is also a data plate on the complete gimbal ring mount, which reads:

Achtung
Nur Stecker mit
eisenfreien Kontaktplatten
FL 23 332-2  verwenden

This warning indicates that one should “Only use plugs with iron-free contact plates”, as otherwise they would interfere with the compass function. checking with a magnet shows that almost all of the compass is non-magnetic for this very reason.

A really great display piece, used in one of the most famous fighters of WWII. Ready to research and display!

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft that was the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War (1939) and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II (1945). It was one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. From the end of 1941, the Bf 109 was steadily being supplemented by the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

It was commonly called the Me 109 most often by Allied aircrew and even amongst the German aces themselves even though this was not the official German designation. The “Bf 109” designation was issued by the German ministry of aviation and represents the developing company Bayerische Flugzeugwerke and is a rather arbitrary figure.

It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt (hence Me 109) and Robert Lusser, who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, during the early to mid-1930s.

Originally conceived as an interceptor, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several states during World War II, and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest scoring fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Bf 109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest scoring German ace in the North African Campaign who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany’s allies, notably Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace on the type, and pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.

This is an incredibly rare Messerschmitt Bf 109 Control Stick, complete with machine gun flip down trigger!