Me Bf 109 E-4 with Personnel Pods
In 1943, the Messerschmitt design office at Augsburg co-operated with the Zeppelin Research Institute to design an aerial personnel carrier which could be used for agent-dropping or for carrying wounded troops or supplies. Like the Junkers Ju 87 Ag version, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 personnel pod was a timber container, aerodynamically designed to be small ( it should not block the pilot’s lateral view as in the Stuka) and fitted on top of the wing, approximately at the central section.
This device could accommodate an agent with parachute in prone position. The timber had a glazed observation blister at the front. One Me 109 E-4 (coded CI+??) was used for testing the pods in flight, carrying two pods, one of each wing. Due the increased weight the wing machine guns were deleted. It never entered production (as the Ju 87 Ag with personal pods) because the device caused serious instability and excessive drag.
This device could accommodate an agent with parachute in prone position. The timber had a glazed observation blister at the front. One Me 109 E-4 (coded CI+??) was used for testing the pods in flight, carrying two pods, one of each wing. Due the increased weight the wing machine guns were deleted. It never entered production (as the Ju 87 Ag with personal pods) because the device caused serious instability and excessive drag.