The single seat fighter, developed by Professor Willy Messerschmitt, was considered revolutionary when it entered service in the Luftwaffe. It participated in battles over Spain in 1937 and showed a high degree of combat effectiveness. Based on lessons learned in the war in Spain, changes were effected which made the Messerschmitt a formidable fighter plane - as it proved itself to be in the course of WW2.
The Messerschmitt 109 is one of the most copiously produced airplanes in history: close to 35,000 planes were built, with production continuing after WW2 in Spain and Czechoslovakia. The planes that served in the IAF had been manufactured in the Avia plant in Czechoslovakia
The first ten Messerschmitts were purchased in April of 1948, and flown to Palestine - disassembled and packed - in a hired C-54 transport plane (Operation "Black 5"). The transport plane landed in Ekron Air Force Base, bringing with it a team of Czech technicians who assisted in assembling the Messerschmitts, and a number of Israeli pilots who had been training on the planes in Czechoslovakia. From the moment the first Messerschmitts took off in the IAF's service, Egypt no longer had complete control of the airspace over Palestine - and when the planes went into action, morale among Egyptian soldiers declined.
From the day the Arab armies invaded - May 15th, 1948 - the Egyptian Air Force had enjoyed absolute superiority throughout Israel's airspace. Egyptian Spitfires and Dakotas attacked Tel Aviv incessantly, and the prospect of bringing the newly arrived fighters out to attack and shoot down the Egyptian planes was quite tempting.
However, the staff officers, headed by Aharon Remez, believed in a policy of restraint and surprise. They held that the very fact that the Egyptians did not know that Israel possessed fighter aircraft was to Israel's advantage.
From May 29th onwards, the new airplanes were used for bombing ground targets, and it was only on June 3rd 1948 that Mudi Alon, commander of the First Combat Squadron, shot down two Egyptian Dakota planes that had been on a bombing mission over Tel Aviv (against Sde Dov airfield and other targets). These were the first kills scored in the history of the IAF.
The Messerschmitts turned out to be hard to fly, and posed a serious maintenance challenge. They exacted many casualties from among the pilots that flew them during the war, including the commander of the First Squadron. However, it is to their credit that they were the first and only fighter planes in Israel's possession in the initial months of the War of Independence, and made a contribution toward staving off the enemy and defending the country's skies.
The IAF's pilots at that time, who were mostly volunteers from overseas ('Mahal'), found it hard to get used to the Messerschmitt, and not just because of the objective difficulty in flying this unusual - some say unforgiving - plane: they had a problem flying an airplane which they had previously regarded as an enemy. These volunteer pilots had fought against the Messerschmitt in World War 2, in their Hurricanes, Mustangs and Spitfires. It was an odd feeling for them to fight against the Spitfires of the Arab air forces from inside the cockpit of a Messerschmitt.
By the time the War of Independence ended, five Messerschmitts remained in flying condition in the IAF. It was decided to retire them from service. One of these planes now stands in the Air Force Museum in Hatzerim, and is painted in the colors of Mudi Alon's plane, which crashed onto the runway after a mission on October 16th, 1948. All in all, 25 Avia S-199 fighters were purchased, but only 24 reached the IAF. Those were used on interception and strafing missions, and for escorting other attack aircraft. One S-199 was even fitted for aerial reconnaissance photography.
Θα βαλω και αλλες φωτο πιο μετα. Το μοντελο το εφτιαξε ο πατέρας μου πριν καπου 10 χρονια και ζει ακομα σε αντιθεση με αλλα...
Ελπίζω να σας αρέσει.
Το βαζω στα συγχρονα αεροσκάφη γιατι κατασκευαστηκε ΜΕΤΑ το 1945 στη Τσεχοσλοβακια.
