The Bf 109 B-1 came out of the prototype V series of the Bf 109s and saw combat in the Spanish Civil War. While the Bf 109s faced various performance and reliability issues from their engine to an obvious lack of "punch", the experience proved to yield valuable data allowing for design improvement, ensuring the success of later Bf 109 models.
On 11 November 1937, the Bf 109 V13, D-IPKY flown by Messerschmitt's chief pilot Dr. Hermann Wurster, powered by a 1,230 kW (1,672 PS; 1,649 hp) DB 601R racing engine, set a new world air speed record for landplanes with piston engines of 610.95 km/h (379.63 mph), winning the title for Germany for the first time. Converted from a Bf 109D, the
/Airplanes/Axis/Germany/01-Fighters/Me-Bf109/Bf109E-7N-Trop.htm | Up-dated: 2./JG 27 - Ain-el-Gazala, Libya, 1941. Me Bf109E-7 Specifications
A total of 341 Bf 109 B-1s were built by Messerschmitt, Fieseler, and the Erla Maschinenwerke. Production of the short-lived Bf 109C began in the spring of 1938. The 109C was powered by a 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection.
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