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Pilots,
Today we are taking a closer look at the Messerschmitt Bf. 109 Z, an unusual experimental aircraft that sadly never saw more than one test flight.
The Messerschmitt Bf. 109 was a highly influential aircraft. It was fast, agile, well-equipped and in the hands of a true flying ace, it was highly deadly. The Luftwaffe was primarily composed of different varieties of the Bf. 109 and for good reason – the planes could be easily adapted to suit a multitude of purposes, and they were rightly feared by the Allied forces across Europe. Nearly 34,000 units were produced and they fought across all theatres of World War II.
So versatile was the Bf 109, that the German engineers were constantly finding new ways to modify and upgrade them. Some of the designs were fairly conservative, simply optimising the plane for performance. However, others were more ambitious as the designs looked for newer and more creative ways to put the reliability of the Bf. 109 to good use.
Around 1942, the German authorities put in a request for a new and improved heavy fighter (called a Zerstorer). However, with tight deadlines and little in the way of resources, it wasn’t feasible for the designers to create something new from scratch. Instead, they simply went through their inventory of existing airframes and components to see what they could put together.
The result was something that looked like it should never have left the drawing board, consisting of two Bf. 109F-4 planes effectively welded together, by joining them at the wing and the tail.
The aim of the peculiar contraption was to utilise the strength of both halves in order to give it greater power (with two engines instead of one), and greater fuel capacity and payload space by loading the starboard side of it (the pilot’s cockpit was on the port side).
Four versions of the plane were proposed. The first was to be a heavy fighter and fighter bomber. It was to be powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 605 engines and armed with five 30mm cannons as well as to carry up to a 1000 kg bomb under the centre wing section.
Everyone was dubious about the success of the ambitious endeavour, due to the unconventional look of the plane. Of particular concern was how the plane would handle with the pilot on one side rather than along the centre-line, but reports stated that it would be fine. Work proceeded and a single prototype aircraft was produced. The Messerschmitt BF 109 Z was ready for its test flight.
However, the prototype never saw a single flight. This wasn’t because there was anything wrong with it; it was simply the victim of bad luck. An Allied bombing raid on the Messerschmitt test base where the prototype was being stored resulted in it suffering extremely heavy damage.
Upon reviews, the authorities decided that the damage was too expensive and time-consuming to repair. In addition, significant progress was being made on another project, the ME 262, which was already going into production. The combination of these factors resulted in the BF. 109 Z project being scrapped without a single flight being made.
The Bf. 109 Z wasn’t the only attempt to make a heavy powerful plane by sticking two fighters together; the Americans achieved success with a similar project, which resulted in the P-82 Twin Mustang.
The Bf. 109 Z has a much more successful life in World of Warplanes than it did in real life. The German plane is a Tier VII heavy fighter. It has a lot of power and hit points at its disposal, but that comes at a price – it’s doesn’t have the manoeuvrability of its lighter fighter-class brethren. However, remember that as with all bomb-carrying aircraft, once you drop that heavy payload onto a target, the loss of weight will do wonders for your speed and agility. So, pick your target carefully, but don’t take too long about it – you want to maximise the power of both your bomb and your guns!
