Beautiful Unknown Airplanes of the Reich

It’s a terribly trite cliché to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The irritating thing about clichés, however, is that they become clichés because of the self-evident truth they contain. So in the case of determining what is beautiful about an airplane, it has to be recognized that it’s a subjective thing. What one person likes, someone else won’t. We here at Flight Journal recognize that, but since we’re picking the airplanes, dear reader, you’re just going to have to bear with us. That’s a privilege given to us editors.

In the future, we may open up the subject of “beautiful airplanes” to include all airplanes of all ages and types, and do a graphic presentation built on that premise. In this case, however, we’re going to limit the selection to German designs, all of them prewar and none that went into serial production. For that reason, they are virtually unknown. They do, however, indicate that, in the mid-1930s, the concepts of manufacture and aerodynamics were floating along right on the leading edge of a wave of technological advancements. Monocoque metal construction was just being accepted, and powerplant development was changing almost daily. In the case of these airplanes (with the exception of the He 100), the technology was moving so quickly that the very technology that created the airplanes left them behind and created a newer generation of airplanes that replaced them before they were hatched. Still, the earlier airplanes had a certain look that sometimes spoke of more thought being given to aesthetics.

Incidentally, on most of the airplanes that follow, information on them is sparse because they spent such a small amount of time on the aviation stage. They arrived, they were flown, they were dismissed, and then literally disappeared. Of the following airplanes, none—except the Me 209—left any bones behind.

Messerschmitt Me 209/109R

Here’s an interesting fact: The record for the fastest reciprocating, propeller-driven airplane was set by the Messerschmitt Me 209/109R, at 469.22mph in 1939. It held that record, with no one coming close, until 30 years later in 1969, when Darryl Greenamyer, flying his highly modified F8F Bearcat Conquest I, managed to reach 482.46mph.

A speed of 469mph in that age was breathtakingly fast. To capitalize on the feat, the Reich’s propaganda machine, for a short time, referred to the aircraft as the “Me 109R.” This attempt at sensationalizing what would appear to be a regular Messerschmitt fighter was quickly dropped, and the 209 figure reinstated. The only thing the 209 shared with the 109 was the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine and the name “Messerschmitt.” Everything about the airplane was aimed at speed, including the steam-type cooling system built into the wings. It had no conventional radiator.

Four different versions of the aircraft were built, and the fuselage of the original version—V.1—still exists in a Polish museum. Later, in 1943, the designation “Me 209” was applied to a proposed improved version of the old 109, but it never came to fruition.

Initially, the Luftwaffe tried to pass this off as a Bf 109R, a new model of the current 109. For obvious reasons, the ruse didn’t work. (Photo via EN Archive)

Messerschmitt did try to work some of the new racing ideas into the later, unrelated Me 209 design. It was aimed at replacing the Bf 109, but it never did. (Photo via EN Archive)

It has been said that form follows function, which is definitely the case with the Me 209. It literally looks like speed. Note that it has no radiators; cooling is via steam boil-off in the wings. (Photo via EN Archive)

Willie Messerschmitt congratulates Fritz Wendel for becoming the fastest man in the world. He held the reciprocating propeller record at 469mph for 30 years. (Photo via EN Archive)