Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (German pronunciation: [ˈmɛsɐʃmɪt]; 26 June 1898 – 15 September 1978) was a German engineer who designed many important planes for the Luftwaffe and for commercial use.
In the early 1920s, Messerschmitt created successful motor gliders and airliners. However, the BFW M.20 caused problems for him, leading to financial trouble for his company and anger from Erhard Milch, who later became the head of the Reich Aviation Ministry. Messerschmitt rebuilt his business and designed several military planes for the Luftwaffe during World War II. In 1941, Milch prevented him from working on government projects, and the Me 210 plane further harmed his reputation in 1942. This led to his resignation as director and a shift to research and development work. In 1948, Messerschmitt was found guilty of using forced labor in aircraft production and working with the Nazi regime. He worked in Spain until returning to Germany in 1955, where he led Messerschmitt AG until retiring in 1970.
Messerschmitt designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109 with Walter Rethel. This plane became the most important fighter for the Luftwaffe and is the second most-produced warplane in history, with about 34,000 built. The Bf 109R, later called the Me 209, set the world airspeed record for propeller-driven aircraft, a record that lasted until 1969. Messerschmitt’s company also created the first jet-powered fighter to be used in combat, the Messerschmitt Me 262.
Early life
Wilhelm Emil Messerschmitt was born on June 26, 1898, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the son of Ferdinand Messerschmitt (1858–1916) and his second wife, Anna Maria Schaller (1867–1942). He grew up in Bamberg, where his parents owned a large wine shop and a wine bar. Messerschmitt showed an early interest in aviation. He built his own model airplanes and gliders, which he tested with his friends.
At age 13, Messerschmitt became friends with Friedrich Harth, a pioneer in sailplane flying. Harth joined the Imperial German Army when World War I began in 1914. While Harth was away at war, Messerschmitt continued working on one of Harth’s designs, the S5 glider, until he joined the military in 1917. After the war, the two reunited and worked together. Messerschmitt started studying at the Munich Technical College, while Harth built aircraft at the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW – Bavarian Aircraft Works).
In 1921, the S8 glider, which they designed and built together, set a world record for the longest flight time (though it was not officially recognized). For a time, they partnered to run a flying school. That same year, the first plane completely designed by Messerschmitt flew—the S9 glider.
Beginning of his career
In 1923, Messerschmitt completed his university studies. However, he and Harth disagreed and decided to work separately. Messerschmitt started his own aircraft company in Augsburg. At first, the company built sailplanes, but within two years, it moved to motor gliders and then to small powered aircraft, such as sports and touring models. These efforts led to the creation of the Messerschmitt M 17 and M 18 designs, which Messerschmitt sold to BFW in 1927. This sale happened after the Bavarian state government supported a merger between the two companies. The company later produced the Messerschmitt M20 light transport in 1928, but this model caused serious problems for BFW and Messerschmitt. Two Deutsche Luft Hansa M20 aircraft crashed shortly after being purchased, leading the airline to cancel its order for the type. This caused financial difficulties for the company and resulted in its bankruptcy in 1931. The crashes also created a strong opponent for Messerschmitt in Erhard Milch, who later became deputy head of the Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM) and chief of development for the Luftwaffe. Milch lost a close friend, Hans Hackmack, in one of the crashes.
Nazi Germany and World War II
In 1925, Messerschmitt became friends with Theodor Croneiss, a World War I fighter pilot and the older brother of his test pilot, Carl Croneiss. Theo Croneiss was the director of an air sports club that secretly worked for the Reichswehr, Germany’s military, during a time when the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from having an air force. Messerschmitt was trying to get money from a potential investor to build an engine for his M17 plane, even offering to give up his patent rights to secure funding. Croneiss stopped him and instead gave Messerschmitt 4,000 Reichsmarks, which he accepted. The motorized M17 later won a prize of 10,000 Reichsmarks.
In 1933, the Nazi government created the RLM, led by Milch, which helped restart Germany’s aircraft industry and brought BFW back to life. Messerschmitt worked with Robert Lusser to design the main product of the relaunched company, a low-wing four-seater monoplane called the Messerschmitt M37, later known as the Bf 108 by the RLM. The next year, Messerschmitt used many advanced features from the Bf 108 to create the Bf 109 fighter. Through Croneiss, Messerschmitt formed connections with Nazi leaders Rudolf Hess and Hermann Göring, which protected him from being treated like Milch’s other enemy, Hugo Junkers. To avoid losing business to Milch, who blocked government contracts, Messerschmitt signed deals with Romania to sell the M35 and a transport plane, the Messerschmitt M 36. When Milch learned about this, he publicly accused Messerschmitt of betrayal, and the Gestapo questioned him and other BFW officials. Likely because of Croneiss’ help, no further action was taken.
In 1936, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 won the RLM’s competition for a single-seat fighter and became a key aircraft for the Luftwaffe. Messerschmitt and his factory then played a major role in the RLM’s plans for weapons. This role grew further when the Bf 110 also won the competition for a multi-purpose fighter.
On July 11, 1938, Messerschmitt became chairman and managing director of BFW, and the company was renamed Messerschmitt AG in his honor. That same year, the company began work on what would become the Me 262 and the Me 210, planned as a replacement for the Bf 110. The Me 210 had many development problems, which were eventually fixed by changing it into the Messerschmitt Me 410 at the request of Ernst Udet, head of the Luftwaffe’s research and development. The situation worsened when Udet died by suicide shortly after, and Milch took over leadership of the Luftwaffe’s production. These problems and delays damaged the reputation of both Messerschmitt and his company. Adolf Hitler’s support for the Me 262 helped protect Messerschmitt from further attacks by Milch. However, Hitler forced Messerschmitt to step down as director of his company, limiting him to only design and development work. Later, Messerschmitt was asked to finalize the Bf 109’s design before the Me 262’s introduction but refused, handing the task to his colleague Ludwig Bölkow. His final project during the war was the partially completed Messerschmitt P.1101.
Trial and postwar career
After World War II ended in 1945, Messerschmitt was labeled as someone who supported the Nazis and was tried in a court that removed people from the Nazi Party. He was accused of using forced laborers to build his airplanes. Milch, who worked with the Luftwaffe, used his connections with the SS to bring many forced laborers to help produce aircraft. Messerschmitt was charged with moving some of his production to Flossenbürg, Dachau, and Gusen concentration camps, where forced laborers were used. However, it is unclear how directly involved he was in these actions.
In 1948, Messerschmitt was found guilty of working with the Nazi regime and spent two years in prison before being released. He then returned to lead his company. Because Germany was not allowed to make airplanes until 1955, he shifted his company to building prefabricated homes, sewing machines, and small cars, including the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller. He later worked in Francoist Spain, designing the Hispano HA-200 jet trainer for Hispano Aviación in 1952. He eventually returned to Germany to produce the Fiat G.91 and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter for the West German Air Force. He also designed the Helwan HA-300, a supersonic plane for the Egyptian Air Force, which was his final aircraft design.
Messerschmitt guided his company through mergers, first with Bölkow in 1968 and then with Hamburger Flugzeugbau in 1969. This created the company Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, which later became part of EADS, now known as Airbus. He remained chairman until 1970, when he retired.
Messerschmitt died on September 15, 1978, in a hospital in Munich. The circumstances of his death were not made public.
Criticism
Messerschmitt's designs focused on performance, especially using lightweight materials and reducing air resistance from aircraft parts. Some critics said he went too far with this approach in certain designs. His disagreement with Harth was about designs Harth thought were too unstable. The Me 210 also showed instability, which could only be fixed by making the aircraft and its parts larger, which increased air resistance and weight. Messerschmitt's design philosophy is also seen in his arguments with Alexander Lippisch, who was creating the tailless Me 163 rocket fighter at the Messerschmitt factory. Lippisch believed the tailless design had a benefit in reducing overall air resistance. However, Messerschmitt argued that the changes needed to make the tailless plane safe to control actually increased air resistance to the original level or higher.
Awards
In 1938, Messerschmitt was appointed Honorary Professor by the Munich Technical College. He also became Vice-President of the German Academy of Aeronautical Research. The German government gave him the title of Wehrwirtschaftsführer, meaning defense industry leader. In the same year, Adolf Hitler awarded Messerschmitt the German National Prize for Art and Science.
In 1979, Messerschmitt was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.