Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 "MT-452" - Utti, Finland
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NH82
N 60° 53.577 E 026° 54.634
35V E 495146 N 6750867
A preserved WWII-era Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 fighter aircraft on static display. Displayed inside a glass hut near Utti airfield in southeastern Finland.
Waymark Code: WM103CB
Location: Finland
Date Posted: 02/18/2019
Views: 19
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. From the end of 1941, the Bf 109 was steadily being supplemented by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
Finnish Air Force ordered 162 aircraft (48 G-2s, 111 G-6s and three G-8s) from Germany, but 3 were destroyed during transit, leaving the FAF with 159 Bf 109s. FAF pilots had 663 air victories during 1943-44 with Bf-109 G's and lost 34 in combat (20 shot down by enemy aircraft). 23 were non-combat losses and other write-offs. 102 Bf-109 G survived the war.
The aircraft on display is an example of the variant G-6. In February 1943, the G-6 was introduced with the 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131s, replacing the smaller 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 – externally this resulted in two sizeable Beule blisters over the gun breeches, reducing speed by 9 km/h (6 mph). Over 12,000 examples were built well into 1944 although contradictory factory and RLM records do not allow an exact tally.
This aircraft, MT-452, was delivered to Finland on June 23rd, 1944. It served in the Finnish Air Force for ten years and retired in 1954 with a total flying time of 311 hours and 45 minutes. It achieved nine aerial victories in WWII: four by Lt. Jorma Saarinen, two by Lt. Olavi Puro, two by 2nd Lt. Johannes Brotherus and one by S/Sgt Tapio Järvi. After its retirement, it was handed over to Air Force Academy for instructional use and therefore it survived. The aircraft was used as a monument during the 1960s in Santahamina near Helsinki. The aircraft restored at the end of 1960s. It was delivered to its current location at Utti in 1970 to replace MT-507, which was transferred to the Central Finland Aviation Museum in Tikkakoski. The aircraft got its display cabinet in 1982. The aircraft and its display cabinet were renovated in 1998.
(sources: (
visit link) ; (
visit link) ; the information boards in the display cabinet)