BFW M.23

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)

Industry	Aerospace
Founder	Willy Messerschmitt
Headquarters	Germany
Products	Aircraft, including the BFW M.23 sports aircraft

The BFW M.23, also referred to as the Messerschmitt M 23, was a two-seat sports aircraft from the 1920s, conceived by Willy Messerschmitt and manufactured by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). This model achieved notable success by securing victories in several key competitions during 1929 and 1930.

Development

Originating from a 1929 German Aero Club request for the Ostpreussenflug (East Prussian Circuit) contest, the BFW M.23—where "M" signifies its creator Willy Messerschmitt—was an advancement of the earlier BFW M.19 design. It featured accommodations for two occupants and incorporated foldable wings to facilitate transport and storage.

The M.23 was designed as a compact, traditional low-wing cantilever monoplane. Its landing gear was fixed, with main wheels mounted on cranked axles, complemented by a tailskid. Compared to the M.19, its vertical stabilizer and rudder were broader and shorter, though tail shapes varied among sub-models. Engine configurations ranged widely, from the modest 28 kW (38 hp) two-cylinder ABC Scorpion powerplant to the more robust seven-cylinder Siemens Sh 14a radial engine delivering 112 kW (150 hp).

Production encompassed three primary variants: the initial M.23a employed lower-powered engines and featured a sharply angular vertical tail; the M.23b introduced a curved upper fuselage line with a more rounded tail, accommodating diverse inline and radial engines, with length adjustments dependent on engine choice; finally, the M.23c presented an enclosed cockpit, utilized the most powerful engines available, and was marginally larger—approximately 200 mm (8 in) greater wingspan and around 500 mm (20 in) longer fuselage—than its predecessors. Its tail design was again altered, exhibiting a rounded top without the elevator cutout seen in earlier models.

Additionally, at least one M.23b variant was adapted for operation on floats.

Operational history

The M.23b models secured victories in both the 1929 Ostpreussenflug race, powered by the Genet engine, and the Circuit of Europe, which featured the Siemens Sh 13 engine. The following year, the M.23c variant was specifically designed for the Circuit of Europe, where it triumphed with seven aircraft competing.

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10197, Berlin-Tempelhof, Ankunft der ersten Europa-Flieger.jpg

Fritz Morzik, winner of the 1930 Circuit of Europe, pictured at Berlin Tempelhof in July 1930 alongside the M.23c

Although exact production figures remain unclear, records from the reconstructed German civil aircraft register list 74 units; among these, 53 were M.23bs and 11 were M.23cs. A significant number were acquired by flying clubs to serve as trainers for both fundamental flying skills and aerobatics. Additionally, private owners included notable personalities such as Ernst Udet, who conducted well-publicized flights to Africa and Greenland—the latter journey including Leni Riefenstahl as a passenger—and Rudolf Hess. In 1933, Erwin Aichele and his spouse completed a reliable 13,000 km (8,000 mi) flight around the Mediterranean without incident.

The Romanian civil aircraft registers indicate an additional 26 M.23b units, with 14 constructed locally under license by ICAR (Intreprinderea de Constructii Aeronautice Romanesti, meaning "Enterprise for Romanian Aeronautical Constructions"). These locally produced aircraft were distinct from the Romanian-modified variant known as the ICAR Universal. This licensing agreement was part of Messerschmitt's strategic effort to preserve a core team from BFW following its bankruptcy in June 1931. This group eventually formed Messerschmitt-Flugzeugbau GmbH, which continued operations until BFW was restructured under Nazi control in 1933.

Variants

M.23

The original version featuring an open cockpit and powered by a 15 kW (20 hp) Daimler F7502 two-cylinder horizontally opposed engine.

M.23a

Equipped with either a 28 kW (38 hp) ABC Scorpion or a 34 kW (46 hp) nine-cylinder radial Salmson 9ADb engine.

M.23b

Fitted with various engines including:

70 kW (94 hp) inline upright ADC Cirrus III

85 kW (114 hp) inline ADC Cirrus Hermes

64 kW (86 hp) five-cylinder radial Armstrong Siddeley Genet

37 kW (50 hp) five-cylinder radial BMW X

62 kW (83 hp) radial Siemens Sh 13

86 kW (115 hp) seven-cylinder radial Siemens Sh 14

M.23c

Powered by multiple engine types such as:

82 kW (110 hp) inline inverted Argus As 8

112 kW (150 hp) radial Siemens Sh 14a

Specifications (M.23b equipped with Siemens Sh 14 engine)

File:BFW M.23 3-view Aero Digest October 1929.png

Three-view illustration of the BFW M.23 from Aero Digest, October 1929

External links

• EADS: History of aviation > BFW M 23Template:Fix/category (technical specifications, historical overview and photographs)
• The B.F.W. M.23. A German Light 'Plane with Many Variations, Flight, March 21, 1930