Messerschmitt Bf 109B-1 Fighter Aircraft, Luftwaffe 1937

August 27, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Messerschmitt Bf 109B-1 Luftwaffe fighter aircraft, photographed during test flights in Germany, 1937.

Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109B-1 fighter aircraft in flight during test trials in Germany, 1937.

This photograph shows a Messerschmitt Bf 109B-1 fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe in flight. The Bf 109B-1 was one of the very first operational versions of Germany’s famous fighter, entering service in 1937.

Armed with two synchronized 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns mounted above the engine, the Bf 109B-1 represented a leap forward in German aviation design. The machine gun slots are visible on the cowling, with the right-side engine air intake protruding just behind them. Unlike later versions, no wing-mounted guns were present on the B-1; those were only introduced with the Bf 109C model.

Only 30 aircraft of this version were built between February and the summer of 1937, before the improved Bf 109B-2 appeared. Despite its short production run, the B-1 was combat-tested in the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion. These operations provided valuable experience that shaped the development of later Messerschmitt variants.

The aircraft in this photo bears no factory or tactical markings, suggesting it was a newly manufactured machine undergoing test flights. The tail insignia, originally a swastika inside a white circle on a red band, appears to have been deliberately retouched—likely due to modern sensitivities.

Although soon replaced by later Bf 109 versions, the B-1 laid the technological foundation for the legendary fighter series that became the backbone of the Luftwaffe in the Second World War.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: German aviation archives / WWII aircraft records
📍 Location: Germany (test flights)
📅 Date of photo: 1937
📷 Photographer: Unknown