WI Willi Messerschmitt had been killed in 1928?

[oldironside]

Messerschmitt first came to prominence with is M.20 monoplane...

... which suffered a series of fatal crashes, including the first prototype on its maiden flight.

Since it wasn't totally unknown for designers to hitch a ride on test flights (Roy Chadwick was killed when the prototype Avro Tudor crashed on take off) how big would the butterflies from Messerschmitt's early death in his own self designed death trap be?

A few thoughts of my own:

For a start the 109 would be removed from the Luftwaffe's single seat fighter competition, leaving the He 112 as the obvious favourite. Also, the 110 would also not be available for the Zerstörer competition, probably allowing the Focke Wulf Fw57 to win the competition.

How would Nazi Germany have faired without those two warplanes during the first two years of the war?

In addition, the Me210 fiasco could be waived away and of course, Messerschmitt AG would not have been around to become the largest aircraft manufacturer in Germany.

One death, big consequences?

 

[Deleted member 1487]

Messerschmitt first came to prominence with is M.20 monoplane...

... which suffered a series of fatal crashes, including the first prototype on its maiden flight.

Since it wasn't totally unknown for designers to hitch a ride on test flights (Roy Chadwick was killed when the prototype Avro Tudor crashed on take off) how big would the butterflies from Messerschmitt's early death in his own self designed death trap be?

A few thoughts of my own:

For a start the 109 would be removed from the Luftwaffe's single seat fighter competition, leaving the He 112 as the obvious favourite. Also, the 110 would also not be available for the Zerstörer competition, probably allowing the Focke Wulf Fw57 to win the competition.

How would Nazi Germany have faired without those two warplanes during the first two years of the war?

In addition, the Me210 fiasco could be waived away and of course, Messerschmitt AG would not have been around to become the largest aircraft manufacturer in Germany.

One death, big consequences?

This could well kill the Zerstörer concept, as the other designs were pretty crappy. Goering was the only one behind it in fact and without a decent option, even his support would be tempered by the lack of a decent entry.

I think the He112B would have been a fine aircraft, though more complicated to build than the Bf109. Not sure if it makes a functional difference; without the Bf110 though we probably end up seeing the Fw187 have a shot instead. Not sure what happens to BFW without Messerschmitt, so we could have an interesting business situation ongoing there.

 

[oldironside]

without the Bf110 though we probably end up seeing the Fw187 have a shot instead.

It's possible but the question is whether it would be as a single or twin seat version.

A single seat 187 would be a very decent long range fighter (although not a war winner, IMHO) and the production capacity for the 110 would be spare. However, the RLM seemed obsessed with a second seat for somone to reload the cannon. This would put it somewhere equivalent to a twin seat Westland Whirlwind replacing a failed Beaufighter (although the 187 was slightly larger than the Whirlwind).

 

[Deleted member 1487]

It's possible but the question is whether it would be as a single or twin seat version.

A single seat 187 would be a very decent long range fighter (although not a war winner, IMHO) and the production capacity for the 110 would be spare. However, the RLM seemed obsessed with a second seat for somone to reload the cannon. This would put it somewhere equivalent to a twin seat Westland Whirlwind replacing a failed Beaufighter (although the 187 was slightly larger than the Whirlwind).

The second seat was for the radio operator and in the FW187 there wasn't a way to reload. So the reality is that the Zerstörer concept is more likely to die off rather than the Fw187 be shoe horned into the role. Rather it would fill the role it was intended for: long range escorting, which the LW saw the need for and wanted the Fw187 for until Goering decided that the Bf110 could fill that role, which forced the Fw187 to adapt to the Zerstörer requirements. With that role dead, the Fw187 retains its designed role as a single seat escort fighter. No Bf110, no escort fighter in the LW arsenal, so they need something, which the FW187 is the only game in town for. So it retains the single seat design with DB engines and original design spec.

 

[oldironside]

The second seat was for the radio operator and in the FW187 there wasn't a way to reload.

Really? I'm sure I read that somewhere. Oh, well.

Still, it will certainly (if events follow OTL) cause problems later in the war, because whatever the 187's strengths, its fuselage would have caused problems with any attempt to turn it into a nightfighter.

 

[Deleted member 1487]

Really? I'm sure I read that somewhere. Oh, well.

Still, it will certainly (if events follow OTL) cause problems later in the war, because whatever the 187's strengths, its fuselage would have caused problems with any attempt to turn it into a nightfighter.

Sure, which is why there would be an earlier push to get the Ju88C into widespread service and the Do215 would see wider service IMHO to make up for it, which isn't actually a bad thing, but it was more expensive to make and somewhat less production capacity and versatility than the Bf110.