Rare WWII aircraft Messerschmitt Bf 109 & Battle of Britain Buchon to be auctioned
A very rare original Messerschmitt Bf 109 (with combat records) and an original Spanish-built Buchon, which flew in the movie Battle of Britain, are to be sold. Both are/will be flightworthy and are currently located in the UK.
Rare and storied WWII fighters to be sold
According to a PR Newswire report, two extremely rare and valuable WWII aircraft are being offered on a bid submission basis. These are to be sold out of an Australian-owned private collection.
The two aircraft are the “immaculately restored and kept” Messerschmitt Bf 109 E1 W.NR 3579 and HISPANO HA -1112 – M4L BUCHON ‘RED 11’. These are to be sold individually or together and can come with “fully documented, verifiable history and restoration records.”
The BUCHON was the star aircraft used in the 1968 movie, Battle of Britain, and was flown by the character Adolf Galland, a German Luftwaffe Ace. It became part of the Wilson “Connie” Edwards collection in Texas post-filming (more below).
The bid and sale process is being carried out by Icon Global Private Client Services in Texas. The sale is unrelated to the RAAF retiring eight of its heritage aircraft.
Get the latest aerospace defence news here on AGN.
Battle of Britain Messerschmitt Me-109
The Messerschmitt is advertised as “one of the most significant surviving fighter aircraft of the Second World War” and is one of only two or three originally German-built Me-109s to exist today.
This 77 year old Mk XVI Spitfire . A proud member of the Battle of Britain memorial flight and star of the 1969 Battle of Britain movie also spent 6 weeks at RAF Langham towing targets for the army anti-aircraft ranges off Weybourne.#Spitfires #History #Battleofbritain #Langham pic.twitter.com/bHzTHmtCsS
— Langham Dome (@DomeLangham) January 30, 2023
Global Icon notes that the vast majority of the Me-109s were destroyed during the war or lost after the war. The German fighter is one of the most produced aircraft of all time, with around 34,000 examples built.
The example being sold has “undergone comprehensive restoration of the highest standard of authenticity and preservation.” The airframe is claimed to be fully restored and is in a flying configuration with its original Daimler-Benz engine.
The engine has undergone specialist refurbishment in Germany and is to be reinstalled into the aircraft. The aircraft will return to full flying status after applicable inspections, certifications, etc.
According to Aerotime, this particular Bf 109 reportedly downed RAF Spitfires on the 10th of August 1940 and on the 10th of September 1940 during the Battle of Britain.
Original color footage of American B-17 Flying Fortress bombers under attack by German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft, 1943. #WW2 pic.twitter.com/cLcm5NSso8
— WWII Pictures (@WWIIpix) March 28, 2026
The aircraft crashed twice (once in France and once on the Russian front). The aircraft is currently stored at Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar in the United Kingdom.
Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchon Red 11
The Hispano HA-112 Buchon “Red 11” is a Spanish-built post-war variant of the popular Me 109. It is one of the licence-built Spanish versions made during and after the war. Around 170-239 were built (depending on counting methodology), with the last being retired in 1965.
Warbird Lovers has a website! https://t.co/qYszjXUH7q To launch I have published an in-depth review of my flight in Hispano HA-1112 M4L Buchon "Red 11" – the closest flight to a 109 you can experience. Get comfy, grab a coffee, and I hope you enjoy! #warbirdlovers #avgeeks pic.twitter.com/ewC0BIs90u
— Warbird Lovers (@WarbirdLovers) March 23, 2023
Even though only a tiny fraction of these aircraft were built relative to their German Me 109 counterparts, more have survived.
The Buchons have been used in several WWII war movies as stand-ins for German Bf 109s, with the most famous example being the Battle of Britain. In that movie, Spanish-built CASA 2.111 bombers also stood in for German Heinkel He 111s.
Red 11 is the only surviving factory-built two-seat, dual-control Buchon. It was built in 1954 and was originally powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine, although it was re-engined with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in 1957 and designated the HA-1112-M4L.
The aircraft served the Spanish Air Force as a trainer with Wings 7 and 47 and was retired around 1965. Notably, it was one of around 28 Buchons that were acquired by Spitfire Productions for the movie Battle of Britain.
Hispano HA-1112-M4L Buchon rED 11 G-AWHC Twin Seater getting airborn at the Duxford Battle of Britains Airshow 2018
— David Stoddart Photography (@dstoddartphotos) September 27, 2018
Sony A9 + Sony G-Master 100-400mm + 2.0 Tele Converter – 1/160th – iso 400 – F11#duxfordairshow #BF109 #buchon #messerschmitt #luftwaffe… https://t.co/wVTctUcNsi pic.twitter.com/zCr7ypAE08
For the movie, the trainer was fitted with a dummy cannon barrel with some other cosmetic changes to allow it to better resemble a German Bf 109E. It was purchased by an Australian group in 2015 and returned to flight in 2017.
The aircraft is currently located at Sywell Aerodrome in the UK.
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
