Original German WWII Messerschmitt Bf 109 Aircraft Balkan Cross Wing Section With Research – Approximately 36” x 42” Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force.

This wing section came to us with research stating that it was found at the crash site of a BF 109 at the Pitomnik airfield and was unearthed in 2000. The original owner states that he found evidence of five BF 109s that crashed at or near this airfield between 10/6/42 and 1/3/43, with four of them being totaled.  This wing section is believed to be from BF 109 F-4 Wk# 13113 of 9/JG-3. It is believed to have come from this aircraft as it was reported approximately 70 percent of damage was caused to the aircraft, making it plausible that a section this large could have been recovered. This was all done using a process of elimination of the 95-100 percent destroyed aircraft, as well as elimination of “near” or “area” of the Pitomnik airfield, which left Wk #13113. It was piloted by Ogefr. Karl Bohnke of 9/JG-3.

Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) “Udet” was a Luftwaffe fighter wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the development of the Luftwaffe, in 1942.

The condition of this section is quite nice considering that the aircraft crashed and the remnants remained buried for nearly 60 years. There are areas of extensive paint loss, rippling, holes, “tearing” and so on giving this an extremely pleasing appearance of a “war bird”. There is much of the original paint present and a solid break of black paint which would have completed the Balkan cross.

An incredible piece of WWII aviation history that comes more than ready for further research and display!

The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.

It was commonly called the Me 109 most often by Allied aircrew and even among 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.

Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3) “Udet” was a Luftwaffe fighter wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the development of the Luftwaffe, in 1942.[a]