Willy Messerschmitt

Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt
Born	Wilhelm Emil Messerschmitt (1898-06-26) 26 June 1898 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Died	15 September 1978(1978-09-15) (aged 80) Munich, Germany
Occupation(s)	Aircraft engineer and manufacturer
Years active	Early 1920s–1970
Known for	Designing the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Me 262 jet fighter, and other aircraft; founder of Messerschmitt AG

Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt

Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (German pronunciation: [ˈmɛsɐʃmɪt]; born 26 June 1898 – died 15 September 1978) was a prominent German aircraft engineer and manufacturer renowned for designing several influential airplanes used in both military and civil aviation sectors.

In the early 1920s, Messerschmitt developed numerous successful motor gliders and passenger aircraft. However, his reputation suffered significantly following the failure of the BFW M.20, which led to his company’s insolvency and earned him the enmity of Erhard Milch, later head of the Reich Aviation Ministry. Despite this setback, Messerschmitt revived his enterprise and produced several effective military aircraft for the Luftwaffe throughout World War II. His career faced another blow in 1941 when Milch barred him from government contracts, and again in 1942 due to problems with the Me 210 project, resulting in his resignation as company director and reassignment to research and development duties. Post-war, Messerschmitt was convicted in 1948 for employing forced labor during aircraft production and for collaboration with the Nazi government. Following this, he worked in Spain before returning to Germany in 1955, where he led Messerschmitt AG until retiring in 1970.

Among his most notable achievements was the design of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 alongside Walter Rethel. This fighter became the Luftwaffe’s primary combat aircraft and is recognized as the second most-produced military airplane globally, with approximately 34,000 units constructed. Additionally, Messerschmitt’s Bf 109R—later renamed Me 209—set an absolute world airspeed record that stood as the fastest propeller-driven aircraft until 1969. His company also manufactured the Me 262, which holds distinction as the first jet-powered fighter to be deployed operationally.

Early life

Wilhelm Emil Messerschmitt entered the world on 26 June 1898 in Frankfurt am Main, born to Ferdinand Messerschmitt (1858–1916) and his second spouse, Anna Maria Schaller (1867–1942). Raised in Bamberg, where his family operated a substantial wine shop and bar, Messerschmitt developed an early fascination with aviation. From a young age, he crafted his own model airplanes and gliders, which he tested alongside friends.

During his early teens, at age 13, Messerschmitt formed a friendship with sailplane innovator Friedrich Harth, who would later significantly influence his career. When World War I commenced in 1914, Harth enlisted in the Imperial German Army. While Harth was at war, Messerschmitt continued refining one of Harth's designs—the S5 glider—until he himself joined the military in 1917. After the war, the two reunited and collaborated again; Messerschmitt began studying at the Munich Technical College, while Harth manufactured aircraft at the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW – Bavarian Aircraft Works). Their joint creation, the S8 glider built in 1921, unofficially set a world duration record. They briefly partnered to operate a flying school. That same year marked the maiden flight of Messerschmitt’s first fully independent design, the S9 glider.

Beginning of his career

Messerschmitt completed his university education in 1923. However, after a disagreement with Harth, their partnership ended. He then established his own aircraft manufacturing business in Augsburg, initially focusing on sailplanes. Within two years, the company expanded into producing motor gliders and small powered aircraft geared toward sports and touring. This progression led to the development of the Messerschmitt M 17 and Messerschmitt M 18, which he sold to BFW in 1927 after the Bavarian state government encouraged a merger between the firms. Subsequently, Messerschmitt designed the Messerschmitt M20 light transport aircraft in 1928; however, this model proved disastrous for both BFW and Messerschmitt. Two M20s operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa were involved in severe accidents shortly after delivery, prompting the airline to cancel its order. The resulting financial strain pushed the company into bankruptcy by 1931. Moreover, these accidents created a formidable adversary for Messerschmitt in Erhard Milch—who would become deputy head of the Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM) and chief of development for the Luftwaffe—after Milch lost a close friend, Hans Hackmack, in one of the crashes.

Nazi Germany and World War II

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Messerschmitt with Erhard Milch (center) and Armaments Minister Albert Speer

In 1925, Messerschmitt developed a friendship with Theodor Croneiss, a World War I fighter ace and the elder sibling of his test pilot Carl Croneiss. At that time, Theodor Croneiss directed an air sports club which served as a covert front for the Reichswehr, since Germany was prohibited from maintaining an air force under the Treaty of Versailles. While negotiating with a potential backer to install an engine in his M17 design, Messerschmitt was prepared to relinquish his patent rights to secure investment. Croneiss interrupted these talks and offered Messerschmitt 4,000 Reichsmarks, which he accepted. The motorized M17 soon earned a prize of 10,000 Reichsmarks.

The Nazi regime’s creation of the RLM in 1933, led by Milch, revitalized the German aviation sector and revived BFW. Working with Robert Lusser, Messerschmitt designed the company’s flagship aircraft—a low-wing four-seat monoplane initially called the Messerschmitt M37 but later designated by the RLM as the Bf 108. The subsequent year, many innovative features from the Bf 108 were integrated into the Bf 109 fighter. Through Croneiss, Messerschmitt forged connections with prominent Nazis such as Rudolf Hess and Hermann Göring, which shielded him from suffering the same fate as Milch’s adversary, Hugo Junkers. To maintain operations despite Milch's efforts to block government contracts, Messerschmitt secured agreements with Romania for sales of the M35 and a transport aircraft, the Messerschmitt M 36. When Milch discovered this, he publicly accused Messerschmitt of treason and had the Gestapo interrogate him and other BFW officials. Likely due to Croneiss’ intervention, no further punitive measures followed.

In 1936, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 emerged victorious in the RLM’s single-seat fighter competition and became a primary aircraft within the Luftwaffe. Consequently, Messerschmitt and his factory assumed a significant role in the RLM’s armament strategy. This influence grew when the Bf 110 also won the multi-role fighter contest.

On 11 July 1938, Messerschmitt was named chairman and managing director of BFW, which was subsequently renamed Messerschmitt AG. That year marked the beginning of work on what would evolve into the Me 262, alongside development of the Me 210, intended as the Bf 110’s successor. However, the Me 210 faced severe developmental challenges that were only resolved by transforming it into the Messerschmitt Me 410, following pressure from Luftwaffe research head Ernst Udet. The situation deteriorated further after Udet's unexpected suicide, leading Milch to assume overall control of Luftwaffe production. These setbacks threatened both Messerschmitt’s reputation and that of his company. Adolf Hitler’s personal interest in the Me 262 provided some protection from Milch’s continued opposition. Despite this, Messerschmitt was removed from his role as company director and relegated solely to design and development tasks. Later in the war, he was assigned to finalize production of the Bf 109 before introducing the Me 262 but showed little enthusiasm for this assignment, delegating it to colleague Ludwig Bölkow. His final wartime project was the partially completed Messerschmitt P.1101.

Trial and postwar career

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Portrait by Günter Rittner (1978)

After the conclusion of World War II in 1945, Messerschmitt was labeled a "fellow traveler" of the Nazi regime and faced trial before a denazification tribunal due to allegations involving the use of forced labor in his aircraft manufacturing processes. Milch had secured a significant number of forced laborers for the Luftwaffe through his connections with the SS, employing them extensively in the mass production of planes. Accusations were made against Messerschmitt for transferring parts of production to concentration camps such as Flossenbürg, Dachau, and Gusen, from where forced labor was drawn, although the exact degree of his participation remains uncertain.

In 1948, he was found guilty of collaboration with the Nazi government and subsequently served two years in prison before being released and reinstated as head of his firm. With Germany prohibited from aircraft manufacturing until 1955, Messerschmitt redirected his company’s efforts toward producing prefabricated building components, sewing machines, and compact automobiles, most famously the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller. Extending his expertise internationally, he contributed to the design of the Hispano HA-200 jet trainer for Hispano Aviación in Francoist Spain in 1952. Eventually, he was permitted to resume aircraft production in Germany, overseeing the licensed manufacture of the Fiat G.91 and subsequently the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter for the West German Air Force. He also designed the Helwan HA-300, a lightweight supersonic interceptor developed for the Egyptian Air Force, marking his final aircraft project.

Throughout his later years, Messerschmitt guided his company through a series of consolidations, initially merging with Bölkow in 1968 and then with Hamburger Flugzeugbau in 1969. This resulted in the formation of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, which eventually became part of EADS (now known as Airbus). He served as chairman until retiring in 1970.

Messerschmitt passed away on 15 September 1978 in a hospital located in Munich, with details surrounding his death remaining undisclosed.

Criticism

Messerschmitt’s engineering approach was distinctly centered on maximizing performance by emphasizing lightweight construction and reducing parasitic drag from aerodynamic surfaces. However, some critics argued that this methodology was sometimes pushed excessively. His disagreement with Harth stemmed from concerns over designs that Harth considered dangerously unstable; similarly, the Me 210 exhibited instability issues that required enlarging both the airframe and aerodynamic surfaces to stabilize it, which consequently increased drag and weight. This design philosophy is also reflected in his disputes with Alexander Lippisch, who was responsible for creating the tailless Me 163 rocket fighter intended for production at Messerschmitt’s facilities. While Lippisch asserted that a tailless configuration inherently reduced total drag, Messerschmitt contended that necessary compromises to ensure safe controllability effectively negated these benefits by raising drag back to or beyond original levels.

Awards

In 1938, the Munich Technical College honored Messerschmitt with the title of Honorary Professor, and he also served as Vice-President of the Deutsche Akademie für Luftfahrtforschung (German Academy of Aeronautical Research). Additionally, the German government recognized him as a Wehrwirtschaftsführer (leader in the defense industry). That same year, Adolf Hitler awarded Messerschmitt the German National Prize for Art and Science.

Messerschmitt's contributions were further acknowledged in 1979 when he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

External links

1. REDIRECT Template:20th Century Press Archives

• Short Biography
• Harth & Messerschmitt Youtube Documentary