Messerschmitt Bf.109E, German users, part four

The JG 27, under the control of the X. Fliegerkorps, three JG 27's staffeln were sent to North Africa, composed mainly of experienced pilots who had piloted their Emils through France and Battle of Britain and some of them also through the Norwegian campaign.
Even if the I./JG 27 wasn't at full roster, its 90 strength fighter force, posed a very serious threat to allied aerial operations. In the new theatre of operations, the Jagdflieger faced mainly battle-worn Hawker Hurricanes that had gone through the battle of Britain, that was the main fighter of the RAF in the region as North Africa was classed as a low-priority front due to the cross-Channel threat. However, even if the Hurricanes were somewhat outdated and battle-worn, they still outnumbered German fighters, even wehn additional Axis forces were sent to the area.
The JG 27 was stablished at Ain El Gazala, in Libya, between Tobruk and Timimi using Gambut as and advanced base having a Staffel positioned there to conduct air raids returning to Ain El Gazala in the evening.
While the Bf.109E was becoming outdated in other theatres, it was very adequate for the JG 27's task, as any technical disadvantage was soon compensated by the veteran pilots who had already hundred of combat hours and great affection for the type.
In order to prevent excessive wear on the Bf.109E operating in tropical sandy or dusty areas, some tropicalization modifications were made in 1940 like the inclusion of a sand filter for the port side ram air-intake for the Daimler Benz DB601A engine, lubricant cooling and generator ventilation. Additionally racks were added to fit the 300L (66 imp.gals.) tank, which, although disliked by the pilots due to higher risk of fire, they were useful for long fligths over the Mediterranean. However, it seems that they weren't used when flying over land.
The Emils took place in most of Afrika Korps' operations over North Africa, like the first siege of Tobruk, where they mainly escorted Stukas and also some other theatres like Greece or Crete where they flew supporting the Fallschirmjager. With the introduction in the theatre of the more advanced Spitfire Mk.V and the Curtiss Tomahawk (P-40C) the Emils started to be outdated and, by autumn 1941 all Staffels assigned to North Africa and the Mediterranean began to transition to the Bf.109F-2/Trop.

Sources:
1. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 2 - Bf 109 Aces Of North Africa And The Mediterranean
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_the_Luftwaffe

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-7 & MiG-11

We bring you today, not one, but two lesser-known Soviet fighters from the World War II.
Late in 1942 work was well advanced at Mikoyan factories on a parallel fighter referred internally as the "A" Series. They were prototypes that Mikoyan hoped to fullfil a VP (an order from Soviet Air Ministry) requirement for a high altittude interceptor. The first of those, the I-220, was a new design of mixed construction with a metallic part forward of the cockpit and a wooden monocoque aft and wings with steel and auxiliary spars with spruce outer pannel ribs. The first prototype rolled out from production line in June 1943 and flew for the first time the next month, in July 1943. It was initially powered by a Mikulin AM-38F engine rated at 1700hp and was armed with two 20mm ShVAK cannons. In January 1944 it was refitted with a Mikulin AM-39 engine rated at 1800hp with fly tests continuing until August 1944. A second prototype was built in September 1944 and was armed with four 20mm ShVAK cannons, being the first fighter armed with such number of such cannons. The official designation given by the Soviet Air Ministry was MiG-11.
The second series of the "A" fighters was the I-221, which was fitted with a turbo-supercharged Mikulin AM-39A engine rated at 1700hp and with a centrifugal compressor, paired with a TK-2B turbo-superchargers developed by the TsIAM. That setting allowed a maximum ceiling of 13000m (42650ft). Unlike its most direct predecessor, the I-220, it was of dural construction instead of wooden monocoque and the outer wing pannels were also extended. It was armed with two 20mm ShVAK cannons placed above the engine. It flew for the first time on 2nd December 1943 but the programme came to an abrupt ending when, after some tests, one of the piston fractured causing the fighter to crash.
The next in the series, the I-222, was powered by a Mikulin Am-39B-1 engine rated at 1750hp with a TK-300B supercharger on its port side. It was armed with two 20mm ShVAK cannons mounted in a cowl above the nose. It had the same wooden monocoque structure of the previous I-220 and used a pressurized cockpit, designed by Shchyerbakov of welded dural sheet with inflatable rubber seals and pressurized by air tapped from the compressor. The cockpit was the first to be air conditioned in any Soviet fighter ever. It flew for the first time on 7th May 1944, but, although a mass production was expected, the course of the war made the need for a high altittude fighter pointless as the Luftwaffe had lost the high-altittude bombing capability. Priorities, therefore changed and, even if development programme continued, all proposals for series manufacturing were discarded.
The work continued on that "A" series with the I-224 and I-225, named internally as 4A and 5A respectively, even if the VP was just of mere scientifical interest as there wasn't any need for this type of fighter. The I-225 was expected to be tested three months before the I-224 and therefore, the first of two prototypes flew for the first time on 21st July 1944. It was powered by a Mikulin AM-42B 12-cylinder liquid-cooled vee engine equipped with a TK-300B turbo-supercharger on the starboard side, yielding a power of 2000hp. It featured a Shchyerbakov pressure armoured cockpit and an armament of four 20mm ShVAK cannons. It was made entirely out of metal and shortly after the first flight, it achieved the speed of 439mph (707Km/h) at 8500m (27885ft) high. Unfortunately, two days later, after many flight tests, the engine seized at just 15m (50ft) high and the aircraft crashed beyond repair. it wasn't until 14th March 1945 that the second prototype flew for the first time, as the Soviet Air Ministry was prioritizing the I-250. During subsequent testing, the I-225-02, powered by a Mikulin AM-42FB engine, attained a speed of 451mph (726km/h), which at the time it was believed to be the fastest speed ever achieved by a Soviet fighter. However, that record went for the Yakovlev Yak-3M.
The last of the "A" series, flew for the first time on 20th October 1944 and was powered by a Mikulin AM-39B engine which yielded 1750hp of power, equipped with a TK-300B turbo-supercharger on the starboard side. It was armed with two 20mm ShVAK cannons placed in a cowling above the engine and featured a particular exhaust system with four aft-facing ejection "chimneys". It gained an altittude of 14100m (46260ft) high durin its brief flight testing programme which ended when a supercharger malfunctioned and set the engine in an uncontrollable fire.
All these prototypes, from I-221 to I-225, were assigned the designation of MiG-7 by the Soviet Air Ministry.

Sources:
1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
2. http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/mig7.html (translated)
3. http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/i220.html (translated)
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 204 - Early Mig Fighters in Action

Messerschmitt Bf.109E, German users, part three

There were many sub-variants of the Messerschmitt Bf.109E:

• Bf.109E-0: The pre-production version, derived directly from the V14 prototype. It was powered by the Daimler-Benz DB601A engine rated at 1085hp (809Kw) that would power all sub-variants. It was armed with two 7.92mm (0.312in) MG17 placed in a cowl above the nose, and one 20mm MGFF placed in each wing. 
• Bf.109E-1: The production version of the E-0. It kept the MG17s above the engine and the other ones in the wings. Later they were modified to the E-3 armament standards. There was a small batch called E-1/B, which became the first Jagdbomber (fighter bomber), with a rack under the fuselage to carry either one 250Kg (550lb) bomb or four 50Kg (110lb) bombs. It was also fitted with the Reflexvisier gunsight and the FuG 7 Funkgerät short range radio. A total of 1183 E-1s were built with 110 of those being part of the E-1/B.
• Bf.109E-2: A very limited sub-variant based on the V20 prototype. It was armed with the wing mounted MG FF plus one motorkannone gun firing through the propeller hub plus the ones mounted above the engine. It was troublesome when in combat and in August 1940 only a handfull of them were in service with the II./JG.27 Squadron. 
• Bf.109E-3: In order to improve the performance of the E-1, two more prototypes were built, V16 and V17, which received some structural improvements and more powerful armament. This variant was armed with the two MG17s above the engine and one MG FF cannon in each wing. A total 1276 E-3s were built among them 83 E-3a export version built for Yugoslavia. 
• Bf.109E-4: This was a revised variant with armoured canopy and new MGFF/M which could fire a new type of explosive shell called Minengeschoss. The cockpit canopy was also revised to be easier-to-produce "square design" improving also the field of view. It was retrofitted to many E-1 and E-3s and remained unchanged until Autumn 1942 with the introduction of the G sub-variant. This sub-variant was the basis for every further development of the Bf.109 and some of them were fitted with the DB601N engine rated at 1159hp (864Kw) those being called Bf.109E-4/N. However, as it was the standard engine of the Bf.110, a very few of them were converted. In fact only one fighter group had some of them in service in July 1940. It was also available in the fighter-bomber version with a rack for either one 250 Kg bomb or four 50Kg bombs. These fighter-bomber variants were known as Bf.109E-4/B or Bf.109E-4/BN depending on the engine they were powered by. A total of 561 E-4s were manufactured.
• Bf.109E-5 and Bf.109E-6: Both were reconnaissance variants with a photographic camera placed behind the cockpit. The E-5 variant was the reconnaissance version of the E-3 while the E-6 was the reconnaissance variant of the E-4/N. A total of only 29 E-5 were built and just 9 E-6s.
• Bf.109E-7: The next major production variant. It entered into service in late August 1940 and, as the original E-3 and E-4 had a limited range due to its conception as an interceptor, it was the first sub-variant to feature a 300L (80 US Gals, 66 Imperial Gals.) drop tank placed on a rack under the fuselage. Thanks to the drop tank, the range increased to 1325Km (820 Milles). It was possible to replace the drop tank with a 250Kg bomb or four 50Kg bombs. From October 1940 many of the previous sub-variants were retrofitted with the drop-tank. Early E-7s were still powered by the DB601A engine while the later ones were fitted with the DB601N high altittude engine. A total of 438 E-7 were built.
• Bf.109E-8: An E-1 retrofitted with the 300L drop tank. 
• Bf.109E-9: A recon version of the E-7/N with a photographic camera and the drop tank.

Apart from that many of the sub-variants, specially the E-4 and E-7 were fitted with sand filters to be used in tropical areas and were designated as E-4/Trop or E-7/Trop.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109E

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

4. Osprey - Air Vanguard 23 - Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-F series

Messerschmitt Bf.109E, German users, part two

During late 1938 the Bf.109E entered into production. Engine was changed from the Junkers Jumo 210 to the larger Daimler-Benz DB601A engine which yielded much power despite being heavier. Due to the need of a larger area to disperse the extra heat generated by the engine, a redesign of the fuselage was needed, so as enlarging the nose radiator would've created an excessive negative drag, it was decided to place them beneath the wings, just in the juncture between wing root and wing pannel, leaving the oil cooler under the nose in a small streamlined duct. The new radiator position also contributed to counterbalance the extra weight of the engine which drove a three-bladed propeller.
In order to fit the new radiators, wings were almost completely redesigned and reinforced, with several inboard ribs cutted down to make place for the radiator ducts. Due to the new radiator configuration, cooling now was much more efficient, in spite of the extra weight and extra ducting and piping which could be too vulnerable in combat. Furthermore, undercarriage, when deployed, could throw up mud and debris on wet airfields that could clog radiators.
To test the new DB601A engine rated at 1100PS (1085hp 809Kw) two more prototypes, V14 and V15 were built, each of them with different armament, as the V14 was armed with two 7.92mm (0.312in) placed above the engine in a cowl, and one 20mm MGFF in each wing. The V15 was armed just with two 7.92mm placed above the engine. After flight tests, the V14 proved to be more promising and a pre-production batch of 10 Bf.109E-0 was ordered into production. Both early variants of E-1 and E-3 were shipped to Spain to be evaluated in combat during the late stages of the Spanish Civil War.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109E
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Air Vanguard 23 - Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-F series(1)
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - German users, part one *Battle of Britain special*

The most famous aerial operation of the Bf.109E was the contest of aerial superiority over the skies of England, between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe during the summer 1940.
Most of German fighter units at the time were already equipped with the Bf.109E-3 and E-4.
As a matter of fact, on 31st August 1940, all fighter units, excluding JG.77, reported to have 375 E-1s, 125 E-3s, 339 E-4s and 32 E-7s, so the E-3s were already under conversion towards the E-4. By july 1940, a fighter group, JG 26, was equipped with the Bf.109E-4/N with improved performance, powered by the new DB 601N using the 100 octane aviation fuel.
That fuel injected variant proved to be very useful against British Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, the backbone of the RAF during the Battle of Britain, as their British counterparts used gravity-fed carburetted engines that tended to cut-out at negative G-forces when the DB 601N didn't. Therefore the Bf.109E had the advantage when diving as it could blunt directly into a dive without loss of power. Regarding the armament, the British ones were armed with eight 7.7mm (0.303in) machine guns whereas most of the E variants were armed with two 7.92mm (0.312in) and two 20mm MGFF cannons. These late ones, fired many types of ammunitions, among them high-explosive shells, but with different ballistic properties to the MG17 as the MGFF were short on rounds, 60 rounds, making some aircraft to be fixed only with the MG17 as it could carry more ammo.
In August 1940 the Luftwaffe tested the Bf.109 against the Spitfire at Rechlin test centre being Werner Mölders (the leading Luftwaffe ace at the time) one of the participants. They concluded that the Bf.109 had better level and climbing speed to the Spitfire and Hurricane at all altittudes but the British ones had smaller turning circle. Therefore, the Luftwaffe advised their pilots to not engage the Spitfire or the Hurricane in turning dogfights unless they could use the Bf.109E in its full potential. Roll rate of the Bf.109E was also considered superior, as well as its stability on target approach.
During the Battle of Britain, the main disadvantage of the Bf.109E was its short range. As almost every monoplane designed in the 1930s, it was designed to intercept enemy bombers over friendly territory, so it wasn't foreseen the need to escort bombers over enemy territory. So Bf.109E used as escorts, had a maximum range of 660Km (410Milles) just on internal fuel and when arriving on British territory they had only an autonomy of 10 minutes, before having to turn for home, leaving bombers unescorted. This disadvantage, wasn't solved until the Focke-Wulf 190A came out, which by the summer 1940 was still in prototype form. The Bf.109E-7 issued this flaw by adding a ventral central-line where either an external fuel tank or bombs could be fitted. If the 300L was fitted the range increased to 1325Km (820 Milles) but the central rack wasn't retrofitted in the earlier models until October 1940. The Spitfire and Hurricanes, as they operated on their homeland, they could stay on the air much longer, as they flew over their airfields and bases.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_the_Luftwaffe
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Mitsubishi A7M Reppū

First things first, we wish all our readers a very merry Christmas and we hope that Santa brought you all your desired presents, and now, on to today's post.
By the end of 1940, the Imperial Japanese Navy, asked Mitsubishi to start designing a 16-shi carrier fighter that would replace the A6M Zero already in service. However, at that time there wasn't any reliable high-output compact engine suitable to be used in a fighter. Furthermore, Jiro Horikoshi's team (the team designer of the famous A6M Zero, among others) was busy fixing all the production issues of the A6M2b version of the Zero that was already under production, developing the A6M3 Zero and the 14-shi interceptor, that would eventually become the Mitsubishi J2M Raiden. Due to that, work on the A7m was pushed back until January 1941.
In April 1942, as the work on the A6M3 was already complete, the Imperial Japanese Navy ordered Mitsubishi to retake the works on the Zero's successor and shortly after, in July, the Navy issued a specification:
It had to fly faster than 345Kn (639km/h; 397mph) above 6000m (20000ft) in less than 6 minutes, it had to be as maneouvrable as the Zero and it had to be armed with two 20mm cannons and other two 13mm cannons.
One of the main obstacles was the engine selection, as in order to comply with the specification, it had to produce at least 2000hp (1500Kw) of power, narrowing that way the choices down to Nakajima's NK9 that was still under development and would later become the Homare, or Mitsubishi's Mk9 that was also under development.
With that choice of engines, wing loading became also an issue as the specification stablished a maximum of 150kg per square meter but desired 130kg per square meter complicating even more design considerations. With the Nk9, they could achieve less than 150kg, but with the less power, it wouldn't meet the maxomum required speed, however, it was concluded by the engineers that with the Mk9 it could fulfill the requirements. However, production of the Mk9 was delayed in comparisson with the Nk9 and the Navy ordered Mitsubishi to use the Nk9.
The aircraft was delayed further when Mitsubishi's factories prioritized production of the Zero and the G4M bomber as well as addresing issues on the Raiden.  Due to those factors, the 17-shi, which became A7M1 flew officially for the first time on 6th May 1944, as late as four years after the development started. It showed excellent handling and maneouvrability, but, as Mitsubishi's engineers feared, was underpowered with a maximum speed similar to the A6M5 Zero.
As it was disappointing, the Navy ordered development to stop on 30th July 1944, but Mitsubishi got permission to continue with the development using the Ha-43 engine, so the prototype flew with such engine and the designation of A7M2 Reppu (Strong Gale) on 13th October 1944. It now achieved a top speed of 628km/h (339kn; 390mph) and surpassed in climbing and other areas the Zero which made the Navy to change their mind about the aircraft. It was also equipped with automatic flaps, which were previously used on the Kawanishi N1K-J improving maneouvrability even further. An earthquake on 7th December 1944, plus Allied bombings, delayed the development of the aircraft even further.
In June 1945 Japanese Ace pilot Saburo Sakai was ordered to Nagoya to test the aircraft and declared to be the fastest aircraft he had ever seen, capable of surpassing anything in the air, Japanese or American. He claimed also that it could fly in circles, while ascending around a Hellcat or a Mustang and it could fight at up to 12000m.
Further versions were proposed and even worked on, like the A7M3, that would've featured a mechanically driven three-speed supercharger Mitsubishi Ha-43 engine rated at 2250hp (1680Kw), and, unlike the previous variants it would've operated from land bases. Work on the prototype of this variant was underway, however the end of the war halted any development.
Another land based variant the A7M3-J Reppu-Kai was planned around the turbo-supercharged Ha-43 engine, rated this time at 2200hp (1600Kw) including an inter-cooler with a maximum speed of 648km/h (402mph) and armed with six 30mm Type 5 cannons, four wing mounted and two oblique-firing mounted in the fuselage, copying the German Schäge Musik system. A full-scale mock-up was built but no prototype was produced.
When Japan surrendered in September 1945, every development was halted.
Edit: We've just updated the drawings today, on 30th May 2020.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A7M
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Yugoslav users

In 1938 the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) launched a modernization programme and, after long negotiations, they ordered 50 of them from Messerschmitt, followed by another 50 of them. They were delivered between August 1939 and late 1940. A total of 73 fighters were delivered under those contracts which was the second largest Bf.109 delivery order after the Swiss one.
When they arrived, they were assigned to the 31st Fighter Group, of the 2nd Fighter Regiment, based at Knic and the 32nd Fighter Group and 51st Fighter Group of the 6th Fighter Regiment, based at Prnjavor and Zemun, at the outskirts of Belgrade. They also equipped the 702nd Liaison Squadron of the 1st Fighter Brigade, based also at Zemun and the 81st Bomber Group and the Air Training School, based at Mostar. All of them were deployed in April 1941 when Germany invaded, but of the 73 of them only 64 or 65 of them were serviceable.
At 06:45am on 6th April the Luftwaffe launched Operation Retribution comprising a series of coordinated air and land attacks throughout all the country with aerial ones concentrated on Belgrade. Many waves of German bombers approached Belgrade, with the first one being composed of Ju.87 Stukas with a fighter escort. All the Bf.109E of the 51st Fighter Group scrambled against the first wave and soon the 32nd Fighter Group joined to support them. The pilots of the 102nd Squadron of the 51st Fighter Group claimed to have shot down seven German aircrafts at the cost of five of them. The pilots of the 32nd Fighter Groups' Messerschmitts claimed to have shot down four German Bombers at the cost of two fighters down, although it seems that many more Yugoslav fighters were damaged and hit, some of them even had to force land in the Italian Albania. As a curiosity, Yugoslav Bf.109Es received anti-air fire from Yugoslav guns too as the AA crew on land were unable to distinguish between German and Yugoslav Messerschmitt Bf.109s.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_Yugoslavia
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_in_Yugoslav_service
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Swiss users

In April 1939 eighty Bf.109E were bought. They were delivered from that month until just before the German invasion of France in May 1940. Those Bf.109Es were supplemented by an additional eight licenced manufactured from spare parts by Doflug at Alternhein in as late as 1944. Those were dubbed as "SuperSFR" as they had a bigger antenna and extra-cables.
When the battle of France began, the Swiss fighters began to intercept German flights intruding Swiss airspace. That way, for instance, on 10th May 1940 Many Swiss Bf.109Es intercepted a German Dornier Do.17 close to the border at Bütschwil, forcing the bomber to land near Alternheim.
Shortly later, on 1st June 12 Bf.109E were launched to intercept a force of 36 unescorted German Heinkel He.111 belonging to KG.53 that were crossing Swiss airspace to bomb the Lyon-Marseilles railway. It was then when the Swiss Air Force got its first casualty when the Bf.109E of Sub Lieutenant Rudolf Rickenbacher was shot down killing him due to the explosion of the fuel tank caused by the defensive fire of the Heinkels. Anyway, the Swiss managed to shot down six Heinkels.
In 8th June, Swiss Captain Lindecker led 15 Swiss Bf.109Es to intercept a formation of various German Heinkel He.111 escorted by the II./Zerstörergeschwader equipped with Bf.110 that previously, on that same day, had shot down an old Swiss reconnaissance aircraft, a C-35. In the aerial skirmish, five Bf.110 were shot down at the cost of a Swiss Bf.109E.
The Swiss Bf.109E received the famous red-white neutrality bands and they were still active until the end of the war and in some cases until the inmediate postwar, when they were replaced by better aircrafts.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_Switzerland
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Croatian users

After the defeat of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Independent State of Croatia was founded in April 1941 and later, in June the Croatian Legion was founded by Ante Pavelic to support German troops on the Eastern Front. The air arm was stablished shortly after, on 12th July, named 4.Mesovita Zrakoplovna Pukovnija (4th Mixed Air Force Regiment) with both fighter and bomber units.
The fighter group was sent to Germany to be trained on the piloting of the Bf.109 (they were trained with outdated Bf.109D which we published on an earlier post) and after the training was over, in September 1941, they were sent to the Eastern Front.
They were equipped mainly with Bf.109Es and some Bf.109Fs. The squadron was officially designated 15.(kroat)/JG.52 and were part of, JG.52 and arrived in Poltava, in USSR, on 6th October and by 9th October they already were flying in their first combat sortie where they shot down a Soviet Kharkiv R-10, however, it seems that the kill was scored by the German liaison officer in the squadron. At the end of October they were rebased to Taganrog, in Rostov region where they remained until 1st December and here the Croatians managed to score some kills. On that same day, 1st December they were rebased to Mariupol, in the east of Ukraine. From there they performed various ground-support missions mainly by attacking Soviet supply columns and escorting German bombers. 
In May 1942 they were rebased to Crimea and shortly after to Artemovka-Konstantinovka, in central Ukraine from where they performed aerial control missions in Sevastopol and Sea of Azov areas, still flying the Bf.109E which were already outdated. By this time, considering that most of Luftwaffe's units were already flying the Bf.109f or even the earlier versions of the Bf.109G, and that the squadron already flew their 1000th sortie, the pilots issued a complaint and, four days later from that complain the squadron was given a three month rest and the some pilots were transferred to Berlin to be trained on the Bf.109G. During that three month period the Bf.109Es were replaced by the much better Bf.109G-2.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Air_Force_Legion
3. Osprey - Aicraft of the Aces 49 - Croatian aces of World War II
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Slovak users

Between 1st July and 5th September 1942 the relatively recently created Slovak Air Force (created back in 1939) received two Bf.109E-2, one E-3, five E-4 and four E-7 instead of the initial 12 Bf.109E-7 promised. The aircrafts were second-hand and well-worn that had seen combat both in France, the Battle of Britain and even in North Africa. Some of then were even crashed and repaired several times, however, as the Bf.109E by that year had already been widely replaced by the Bf.109F as Luftwaffe's frontline fighter, the addition of those Bf.109E represented a significal update for the inventory of the Slovak Air Force.
The pilots that soon would fly them, were trained in Denmark with additional training made in Piestany, the airfield of Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia.
All of them were assigned to 13. Letka (13th Squadron) and assigned to JG 52 to be deployed in the Eastern Front and on 14th October 1942 they departed for the frontlines.
They were rebased to the town of Maikop, at the foot of the Caucasus 70Km (44 milles) south-east of Krasnodar from were they operated in various 'free-hunting' mission where they shot down various Soviet Aircrafts, mainly outdated Polikarpov I-153. The following months they performed mainly free-hunting missions and escort missions for the German bombers. However, due to the shortage of aircraft, by the end of November, they only could field three combat-worthy Emils.
It was agreed to replace the Bf.109E by the Bf.109F in December 1942 but as the training had to be made in parallel, many of the Emils remained at the frontlines in Maikop until 3rd January 1943 when they were rebased to Krasnodar, in the Kuban region. It wasn't until March 1943 that the unit wasn't fully converted to the Bf.109F.
The Emils, however, weren't withdrawn from active service and, as the war developed, they were assigned to the defence of their homeland's skies and later, when Slovakia uprised in late August 1944, the Emils composed the backbone of the Combined Squadron of the Slovak Insurgent Air Force. Apparently, after the uprising was uppeased, the Slovak Air Force ceased to exist.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
2. Osprey - Aircraf of the Aces 58 - Slovakian and Bulgarian Aces of World War 2
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Spanish Civil War

The Condor Legion was an unit composed of military personnel from the Air Force and Army of the Nazi Germany which served with the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War from July 1936 until March 1939.
Their fighter Jagdgruppes (fighter groups) saw the first operational deployment of the Bf.109A/B/C and D but also the Bf.109E 'Emil'. The Emil was supplied to the Condor Legion late in the conflict when a large number of them, 44 to be more precise, were supplied to their different squadrons from autumn 1939 until early summer 1939 when the war was already over.
They proved to be no match for the main Republican fighters, the Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 and they received heavy losses from the Condor Legion's Bf.109Es. However, their operational career was mainly uneventful and short as they came late in the war. They supported the conquer of Catalonia by the Nationalists during January and February 1939 which was the last great military operation of the Civil War and by that time the Republican Air Force had de facto, ceased to exist, so they barely met any opposition in the skies.
When the war was already over, in summer 1939 the Condor Legion was disbanded and their personnel returned back to Germany leaving some Bf.109Es left to be used by the, soon to be created Spanish Ejército del Aire (Army of the Air).
After the war all of them were assigned to the Pyrenean Military District and assigned to the 25º Grupo (25th Group) based in Agoncillo's airfield, close to the town of Logroño. They remained there in active service until 1951 when they were replaced by the Hispano Aviación HA-1109 J-1L.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_in_the_Spanish_Civil_War
2. http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2006/05/stuff_eng_waligorski_bf109e.htm
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condor_Legion
4. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_del_Ejército_del_Aire_de_España (translated)
5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Romanian users

In December 1939 Romania ordered a batch of 50 Bf.109E to Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. The first 11 ones arrived during the spring of 1940 and the remaining 39 a year later.
They were assigned to the newly formed Grupul 7 Vanatoare (7th Fighter Group) that had three squadrons and was considered as the elite unit of the Royal Romanian Air Force. In June 1941 there were 36 of them in active service.
Romanian Bf.109Es took part in Opertation Barbarossa since the very beginning, escorting bombers to strike against Soviet airfields. On 23rd June 1941, sixteen Bf.109Es engaged 25 Soviet aircraft and managed to shot down six of them with the first loss being on 5th July when Adj. Llie. Vatamanu was shot down to Soviet anti-air fire.
After 1941 the Air Force was re-organized due to the losses it has suffered and 15 second-hand ex-Luftwaffe Bf.109E-7 arrived from Germany in early 1942 and reinforced the lines of the Grupul 7.
Grupul 7 was sent again, with just 37 Bf.109E, to the frontlines, in the autumn 1942 to the Stalingrad area, where they were surrounded in November 1942 by the Soviet counter-offensive but they managed to escape at the cost of 5 aircraft plus three more being left behind to be captured by the Red Army. The remaining ones joined the Grupul 5 (5th Group) which was reorganized as a mixed fighter/bomber group that remained at the front until February 1943 when they returned to Romania.
During March 1943 the Bf.109E of the Grupul 5 (ex-Grupul 7) were replaced by the more modern Bf.109G and the Emils were assigned to training duties or to the Escadrila 52 (52nd Squadron). This squadron, that initially was equipped with Hawker Hurricanes Mk.I, flew various cover missions over the Black Sea, but in 1944 they had to join the rest of the Air Force to intercept USAAF's 15th Air Force bombers.
In late August 1944 Romania switched sides and the Bf.109E were taged as outdated and didn't see any more combat action during World War II. Just after the war, in 1946 all of them were withdrawn from active service.

Sources:
1. http://www.worldwar2.ro/arme/?article=397
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_Romania
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Various Foreign users

The Messerschmitt Bf.109E was used not just by Germany but by many other countries, even by their enemies, if not operationally.

• United Kingdom: On 27th November 1940 a German Bf.109E belonging to 2./JG 51 crashed in Monston. After being repaired, it was sent to No.1426 Flight, the RAF unit that tested enemy aircrafts. It was tested by test pilot John H. Heyworth who had to remove the canopy because he was very tall and couldn't fit in. It was tested in Duxford, Cambrigdeshire in November 1942, when it was repaired.
• Hungary: Although Hungary received more advanced Bf.109 types like the Bf.109F in 1942, they had some E-3 that had bought just prior to their entry into the war. As the Bf.109F weren't available in enough numbers, some squadrons had to keep their previous aircrafts. One of those squadrons was the 5/1 "Puma" fighter squadron that fought at the opening stages of the Operation Barbarossa. 
• USSR: Apparently some Bf.109E-3 were sold to the USSR by Germany in 1940 under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Their further fate is unknown. 
• Italy: Apparently, after the invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, Regia Aeronautica's personnel stationed in Tirana, Albania, belonging to the 150º Gruppo (150th Squadron) managed to rebuild an ex-German aircraft that crashed there with parts of ex-Yugoslavian Bf.109E-3a. Other sources claim that Germany supplied Italy with 12 Bf.109E-7 (under German markings) in March 1941 to be tested by the Italians, but they never shown any interest on the type as they had already many fighters covering that role.
• France: During the invasion of France in May 1940 some Bf.109E-3 were shot down either by anti-air fire or French fighters over French soil. One of them belonged to the 1./JG 76 and was forced to land on 22nd November 1939. It was tested agains the most advanced French fighters of that year like the Dewoitine D.520 and the Bloch MB.152. Many other were captured intact at the beginning of the war and were tested at the French test centre in Bricy. Apparently, after the tests were over, at least two of them were sent, still in French markings to Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire.
• Japan: Japan adquired five unarmed Bf.109E-7 in 1941. They were flight tested against the most modern Japanese types of the year like the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki and Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien. They didn't show any interest for the type, however they were interested in the DB 601 engine for their Ki-61 Hien. As the Allied expected to meet some Bf.109E-7 in combat, these Bf.109 were assigned the codename of 'Mike', but none was encountered.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history

2. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere in Italia 1 - Messerschmitt Bf 109 Italiani.

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109E - Bulgarian users

The Royal Bulgarian Air Force bought a batch of 580 Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3 and E-4 during 1940 and 1941. Those aircraft equipped their fighter squadrons.
As Bulgaria was part of the Axis powers, they were forced to declare war on Yugoslavia when Germany attacked in April 1941 so Yugoslavia started to make reconnaissance flights over Bulgaria and even some Yugoslavian Dornier Do.17 bombed Kyustendil, a small town close to Yugoslavian border, followed by small bombardments against some other targets as airfields where some Luftwaffe units were stationed, Sofia's railway station and some other smaller villages. Later it was revealed that those air raid were conducted by RAF units stationed in Greece, however, as most of the opposition to those raids was made from anti-air ground fire, the inefficiency of the Bulgarian Air Force was obvious as the Bulgarian pilots lacked training.
The truth air war came to Bulgarian during 1942 and 1943 when the Allied targeted the oil fields of Ploesti, in Romania, and they had to pass through Bulgaria in order to arrive there. The Bf.109E performed wheel enough for being outdated shoting down some American bombers.
When Bulgarian switched sides in 1944 they continued serving with the Bulgarian Air Force until the end of the war and even in the inmediate postwar as it's known that most of them were sold to Yugoslavia in 1949.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
2. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 58 - Slovakian and Bulgarian Aces of World War 2
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Junkers Ju.89

Since the German Luftwaffe was founded, its leader, General Walther Wever, realized the importance of Strategic Bombing, so a Langstrecken-Grossbomber (Long-range big bomber) was needed to fullfil that role.
The Ural-Bomber programme was issued with secret talks with the main German aircraft manufacturers, as back in 1933, the Treaty of Versailles was still in force, requesting them some designs for a long range bomber. The submitted designs were the Dornier Do.19 and Junkers Ju.89 respectively and prototypes for both aircrafts were ordered by the RLM (Reich's Aviation Ministry) in 1935.
Both aircraft proved to be promising, but when Wever died in a plane crash in 1936, his successors, Ernst Udet and Hans Jeschonnek, favoured smaller aircraft as they didn't require so much matherial and manpower, so the big bomber programme fell into disfavour. Udet and Jesschonnek were also the proponents of the close air support doctrine which advocated for attacking opposing forces on the battlefield rather than destroying enemy's industrial power. They convinced Hermann Göring about the need of Tactical Bombers acting in the army support role. Göring's beliefs proved to be right at the Battle of France, but it was the lack of Luftwaffe's Strategic Bombing capabilities the factor that hampered Germany in the Battle of Britain.
Back to the Ju.89, the first prototype was flown on 11th April 1937 by Hesselbach, it was powered by 4 Daimler-Benz DB600A engines rated at 560Kw (750hp) each and was going to be armed with 2 20mm MGFF cannons placed in a dorsal turret and another pair placed in a gondola above the fuselage. It was expected that additional defensive 7.92mm MG15 machine guns would be placed in the rear, front and even in the back of the cockpit making four the number of defensive light machine guns. However, just two weeks later of the first flight, on 29th April, the strategic bomber programme was cancelled by the RLM due to the high fuel consumption of heavy bombers and because bombers could only be manufactured in large numbers if they were medium ones, like the Junkers Ju.88.
However, a second prototype was manufactured in July 1937 and both of them were used by Junkers to learn about the stability and flight controls on large aircrafts. A third prototype was being manufactured but it was cancelled when the programme was cancelled.
On 4th June 1938, the Ju.89 achieved a new payload/altittude world record with 5000kg (11000lb) at 9312m (30500ft) outnumbering its most likely British counterpart in those pre-war years, the Short Stirling. Later, on 8th June 1938 the second prototype achieved an altittude of 7242m (23750ft) with a payload of 10000kg (22000lb). In late 1938 both aircraft were transferred to the Luftwaffe which used them as heavy transports.
Apparently both prototypes were scrapped in late 1939, however, some sources claim that they were still in active service in Norway during 1940. When it was being tested, Lufthansa expressed their interest in an airliner variant of the type and that leaded to the third prototype to be completed as the Junkers Ju.90.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_89
2. Luftwaffe Secret Projects - Strategic Bombers 1935-1945

Messerschmitt Bf.109D, German users, part two

The Bf.109D saw limited service with the German Luftwaffe during the early stages of the World War II. Although almost a 25% of the Luftwaffe's fighter units were equipped with the type, those units were quickly replaced by the more advanced type, the Bf.109E for the Invasion of Poland. However not them all were replaced in time and some of them served through the Polish campaign, with good performance as they faced mostly outdated, outclassed or both fighters.
By the period of the Phoney War (the time of period between the end of the Invasion of Poland the beginning of the Battle of France), some of there were still in service as the Bf.109E's production wasn't as fast as expected. During this period many Bf.109D claimed victories against French and British aircrafts including various Fairey Battle bombers and at least four French Morane fighters. When the Battle of France began in May 1940 they had been almost completely replaced by the Bf.109E as the frontline fighters with some few serving in night fighter squadrons until some time later in 1940 when they were definitely writen off from service and relegated to training units.
Apparently some of them were transferred in 1942 to the Independent State of Croatia's Air Force to serve as trainers.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_the_Luftwaffe
2. http://world-war-2.wikia.com/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109D
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.109D - German users, part one.

The Bf.109D was developed from the V10 and V13 prototypes and was powered by a Junkers Jumo 210D engine. D-0 and D-1 sub-variants were armed with two nose-mounted 7.92mm (0.312in) MG17 machine guns plus another two wing mounted ones. D-2 was a prototype with an engine-mounted machine gun but, as previous experiments, it failed and the idea was discarded. The D-3 sub-variant was a version similar to the Bf.109C-3 with 20mm MGFFs (0.787in) in the wings instead of MG17s.
Six hundred and forty seven of Bf.109D were manufactured. Most of them licensed ones mande by Focke-Wulf, Erla Maschinenwerk, Fieseler, Arado and AGO. Messerschmitt themselves only manufactured 4 of them, probably the D-0 sub-variant which was the pre-production version.
When appeared, the Bf.109D became the standard Luftwaffe fighter during the years before the start of the World War II. However, they saw only limited service during the war as most of the 235 Bf.109D that were still in service during the Polish Campaign, were taken out of active service and replaced by the Bf.109E. Some of them served as night fighters until early 1940 when they were definitely withdrawn from service.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109_A/B/C/D
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109B/C German users

The Bf.109B was the first serialed produced variant of the Bf.109. It was powered by the Junkers Jumo 210D rated at 661hp (493Kw) engine which drove a two-bladed propeller and was armed with 7.92mm (0.312in) MG17 machine guns placed in a cowl on the nose. When produced, a variable-pitch propeller was introduced and retrofitted to older models, which were known, extraoficially as the Bf.109B-2. They were assigned to the main German Jagdgeschwaders (Fighter Wings) but they were withdrawn from service before the beginning of the World War II as they were outdated. A total of 341 Bf.109Bs were manufactured either by Messerschmitt or by Fieseler or Erla Maschinenwerke under license.
The Bf.109C was the least produced variant of the Bf.109. It was produced from spring 1938 and was powered by a 690hp (515Kw) Junkers Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection. It featured also a strengthened wing that carried two extra machine guns making it four 7.92mm MG17. Various sub-variants were produced and this way, the C-0 was the pre-production aircraft, the C-1 was the production version and the C-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun firing through the propeller hub. C-3 version was a proposed version with the MG17 of the wings replaced with 20mm MGFF cannons and the C-4 was another planned version that was going to feature a 20mm MGFF mounted on the nose, but it didn't materialize.
A total of only 58 Bf.109C were produced by Messerschmitt. They served with some of Luftwaffe's Fighter Wings, but most of them were withdrawn from active service before the beginning of the war. However, some of them were used as night fighters until January 1940.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_the_Luftwaffe
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action  44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109D - Swiss users

Switzerland ordered 115 Bf.109D with the first 10 of then being delivered in 1938. When the Battle of France started, Swiss Bf.109D began to intercept German aircraft intruding their airspace. In fact, on 10th May 1940 many Swiss Bf.109D intercepted a German Dornier Do.17 close to the Swiss-German border in Bütschwil forcing the bombing to land near Altenrhein.
Late in the war, in 1944, they began to wear neutrality markings, the famous red and white bands on the fuselage.
The Bf.109Ds served together with the Bf.109E in various squadrons (Fliegerkompanie) of the Swiss Air Force until 1948 when them all, not just the Bf.109D but also the other variants that the Swiss Air Force had in inventory, were replaced by the much better North American P-51D Mustang.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_Switzerland
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Swiss_Air_Force
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109B/C/D - Spanish Civil War, part two

The Bf.109D reverted to the Junkers Jumo 210D engine had additional wing guns and a new tailwheel. Apparently the German intelligence services launched the idea that it was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB.600 engine in the Zürich Air Show of 1937, however, even if initially it was planned to be fitted with it, the shortage of them forced Messerschmitt to switch to the Junkers Jumo.
Many of them of every sub-variant, including the Bf.109E were sent to Spain to be combat tested with the Condor Legion where they faced Soviet-made fighters from early-to-mid 1937 onwards. They quickly replaced the Heinkel He.51 biplane that suffered many casualties during the first 12 months of the war as it proved to be the best fighter the Nationalists could handle as they weren't match for the main Republican fighter, the Soviet-built Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 and they lost many aircraft to Condor Legion pilots and ground anti-air fire.
After the Spanish Civil War, many of them served with the Spanish Ejército del Aire (Army of the Air) assigned to first line duties in the Pyrenees sector until 1944 when they were withdrawn from the first line and assigned to trainer duties and moved to Southern military flying schools.
It's worth to point that back during the Spanish Civil War, a second Bf.109 was captured by the Republicans (the first one was one of the prototypes). On 6th December 1937 a Bf.109B forced landed on a road close to Guadalajara (North of Madrid), controlled by the Republicans as it ran out of fuel. It was sent to Sabadell, in Catalonia to be tested by the Republicans first and French pilots later and then, it was repainted and sent to the USSR by ship. Its fate in the USSR is unknown but most likely it was tested time after time and the scrapped.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_in_the_Spanish_Civil_War
2. http://bioold.science.ku.dk/drnash/model/spain/bf109.html
3. http://www.network54.com/Forum/394728/thread/1181682653/Messerschmitt+Bf+109+B+republicano... (translated)
4. http://niehorster.org/080_spain/__spain.html
5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
6. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Messerschmitt Bf.109B/C/D - Spanish Civil War, part one

The Messerschmitt Bf.109B was the first mass produced variant and it was powered by 661hp (493Kw) Junkers Jumo 210D engine with a two-bladed propeller. Most of the previous Bf.109As were upgraded to the Bf.109B variant. It featured a variable-pitch propeller with the expectative of fitting an MG.17 that would fire through the spinner, however it's not clear if that machine gun was fitted in any of the aircraft that served in the Spanish Civil War. It had also three extra large cooling slots in the top and in the bottom of the forward cowling to increase the cooling of both engines and machine guns. In later machines underwing oil cooler was placed slightly further forward. This variant featured also shorter wing slats.
The next variant, the Bf.109C was powered by a 690hp (515Kw) Junkers Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection, increasing that way the performance at high altittudes, two extra machine guns fitted in the wings, exhaust ejector stubs were projected from the sides of the cowling, rather than being flush, like in the previous model, and both oxygen filter and electrical socket were moved back from under the cockpit to further back in the fuselage of the starboard side. This variant was the least produced of them all with very few of them serving in the Condor Legion from spring 1938 until the end of the Spanish Civil War.

Sources:
1. http://bioold.science.ku.dk/drnash/model/spain/bf109.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109_A.2FB.2FC.2FD
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
4. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 44 - Messerschmitt Bf-109 in Action Pt.1

Avro Lancaster Long Range Saddle Tanks

As it was expected that the Avro Lancaster was going to be the main bomber of the Tiger Air Force, the Commonwealth air unit destined to take part in the Operation Downfall, the Allied invasion of Japan in late 1945. The Lancasters destined to this unit were painted in white with black undersides and outfitted with additional radio units and navigational aids, in order to adapt them to the Pacific Theatre.
As the average ranges in the Pacific were much longer than in Europe, one Lancaster Mk.I was modified with the addition of external long range saddle fuel tanks on the upper central fuselage and was tested in Australia and India during November 1944, but as they proved to be really vulnerable when attacked, they were discontinued.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancaster
2. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 52 - Lancaster in Action

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (I-210 & I-211)

As the Shvetsov M-82 radial engine was mass-produced since May 1941 at Zavod (Factory) Nº19 in Perm, A.I. Mikoyan, N.N.Polikarpov, P.O. Sukhoi and A.S. Yakovlev were tasked with trying to fit that engine in some of their fighters, so the first engine was sent to OKB-155 (the factory assigned to Mikoyan) on 18th May and the blueprints for the prototype were ready by June being the 1st of July the deadline for the first flight of the prototype.
Their new aircraft was called MiG-9 or I-210 and was different from the MiG-3 in various aspects. It had a new and enlarged fuselage to fit in the engine with a widened rear fuselage and a more rounded section, wings were moved back 100mm, horizontal and vertical tailplanes were enlarged with greater chords than late MiG-3s, the engine cowling had four removable parts to allow easy access to the engine, cooling airflow was made out of shutters just like in the Lavochking La-9 or the Polikarpov I-185, that could retract away behind the spinner, it had four fuel tanks with a total of 488L (128.82 US Gals.) with a ventral tank still protruding, two oil coolers were installed in tunnel under the nose, main landing gear didn't have an opening access pannel and it was armed with 3 UBS 12.7mm (0,50in) cannons placed in the nose. Later, the last three prototypes were fitted with 2 extra 7.62mm (0.3in) ShKAS machine guns in the wings.
It was expected for this aircraft to achieve a top speed of 630km/h (391.46mph) at 6500m (21325.46ft) and 530km/h (329.33mph) at sea level. It flew for the first time on 23rd July 1941 manned by the NII-VVS (Soviet Air Force testing unit) test pilot M.I. Martselyuk with the second prototype performing armament testing on 25th August with one machine gun removed though. Further flight testing was made by NII-VVS test pilot A.P. Yakimov and their report was ready by the end of August 1941. They approved the installation of stronger armament and recommended to improve the take-off, high speed and rate of climb performances as the top-speed was rather disappointing achieving just 540km/h (335.54mph) at 5000m (16404.20ft) because of the defects in the air-cooling and cowling finish that, as it wasn't hermetically sealed, it created an unfavourable airflow.
During September 1941 the MiG-9 was tested in a very large wind-tunnel at TsAGI (Soviet Aeronautical Testing Institute) confirming the negative drag, requiring that way modifications in the fuselage. However, due to the German advance, it wasn't possible as the OKB-155 was evacuated to Kuybyshev in October. Three further prototypes were built there under harsh conditions, in the open air as the roof of the workshop wasn't build yet.
As the shortage of Mikulin engines were in order, Mikoyan followed the prototype with the M-82 engine and it was furtherly tested in January 1942 piloted by test pilot V.N.Savkin and, fortunately for them, engine overheating problems proved to be fixed.
During spring 1942 OKB-155 returned to Moscow and all the prototypes were finished, so on June 1942, the second, fully armed prototype was sent to the NII-VVS that assigned it to the 12th GvIAP, 6th IAK PVO and the rest of the prototypes were assigned to the 34th IAP, 6th IAK PVO to be tested operationally. Apparently they took part in some aerial combat and on 27th October an aircraft serving with the 34th IAP was returned to the OKB to fix some defects in the power plant.
In September 1942 it was oficially tested by the NII-VVS, however, it was unarmed. Tests were performed by chief engineer I.G. Lazarev and test pilot V.E. Golofastov. Tests showed the necessity of fixing the power plant, so it was sent back to the OKB-155, which it took them two more months with a top speed that was disappointing.
The poor visibility of the cockpit and the necessity of flying with the canopy opened to reduce the fumes, were defects inherited from the original MiG-3. Three prototypes were assigned to the 260th SAD, 7th VA and served in the Karelian front on 27th June 1943. They were used operationally for one year approximately before being written-off.
As the dissappointing performance of the I-210 showed that the adaptation of a radial engine to the narrow fuselage of the MiG-3 wasn't simple, it was decided to deeply redesign it, around the improved version of the M-82 engine, the M-82F, which was renamed in 1943 as the ASh-82F in honour of its designer Arkady Shvetsov. In order for the redesign, all previous experience with the I-210 an the recommendations of the TsAGI were taken into account, so Mikoyan redesigned and sealed the engine cowling, oil coolers were relocated to the wing roots, canopy was redesigned in order to allow better visibility, undercarriage was modified to make it smaller, slats were removed from the wings, tail surfaces were partially reshaped moving horizontal surfaces to a higher position, cockpit was provided with armoured bullet-proof glass, it was 280kg (617.29lb) lighter than the MiG-9 and it was armed with two 20mm ShVAK guns placed in the lower part of the engine cowling. It was called I-211 or MiG-9E.
First prototype flew for the first time on 24th February 1943 by V.N. Savkin and it achieved a speed of 670km/h (416.32mph) at 7100m (23293.96ft) and was able of reaching 4000m (13123,36ft) in just 4 minutes. However, maneouvrability wasn't good and the prototype was tested without radio or slats, so the installation of that equipment, vital for a 1943 fighter aircraft, was going to increase the weight of the fighter.
For those reasons, in spite of the good performance shown, the MiG-3 wasn't going to replace the Lavochkin La-5FN that was already in production and service. Apparently, 10 of then were built either completely or partially.

Sources:
1. http://www.airpages.ru/eng/ru/mig9.shtml
2. http://www.airpages.ru/eng/ru/mig9e.shtml
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_I-211
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
5. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 204 - Early Mig Fighters in Action