Spitfire Meets Messerschmitt After 80 Years

This summer, the iconic Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf109E-4 fighter planes, with a shared history spanning over 80 years, will once again fly together. The Shuttleworth Trust announced that their Festival of Flight airshow will feature the unique reunion.

"Red 12," a rare Messerschmitt Bf109E-4, has been meticulously restored to flying condition in the UK and Germany. This German fighter, equipped with an original Daimler-Benz DB601 engine, was recovered in 1993 from the Russian battlefield where it was shot down five decades prior.

The Festival of Flight, scheduled for June 27 and 28, will host the Bf109E-4's British debut. It will fly alongside the Shuttleworth Collection's own Spitfire, symbolizing a historic aerial encounter not seen since the Battle of Britain era.

Also participating is a later model Hawker Hurricane from the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Bf109E model was the Luftwaffe's frontline fighter during the Battle of Britain. After this conflict, many were redeployed to the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union.

"Red 12" was shot down by Hurricanes on January 24, 1942, near the Norwegian border in Russia. Its restoration was a decades-long effort funded by enthusiasts, culminating in its current ownership by Eberhard Thiesen. The aircraft's distinctive roar comes from its original Daimler-Benz engine, with fewer than ten such Messerschmitts still flying with them.

Previous Messerschmitt appearances in the UK have featured Spanish-built Buchons, which used British Merlin engines. These are considered less original by enthusiasts compared to German-built versions with Daimler-Benz engines. The Buchons were used as stand-ins in the 1969 film "Battle of Britain."