Description
You are bidding on an EXTREMELY RARE example of a WW2 German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me109 Gashebel Throttle Assembly (109.769-01)! This original cockpit control assembly was recovered from a crashed Me109 and represents approximately 95% of the complete throttle installation.
The Me109 Throttle Quadrant was mounted on the port side of the cockpit and formed one of the pilot’s principal engine-management controls. In addition to controlling engine power, the assembly incorporated several associated controls and switches required during normal flight operations, including the propeller-pitch control and fuel-system functions. The quadrant was mechanically connected to the aircraft through its various levers, linkages, cables, and operating controls, making complete original assemblies substantially more complex than the throttle lever alone. Original examples are EXTREMELY RARE today, particularly assemblies retaining the majority of their original wartime components, as wreck-recovered examples were commonly broken, stripped for individual parts, or lost entirely after the war.
Made of aluminum, bakelite, and steel, this original Me109 Throttle Assembly is in EXCELLENT wreck-recovered condition and represents an approximately 95% COMPLETE restoration project! All components presently assembled on the unit are ORIGINAL to this throttle assembly, while a small number of additional original spare components acquired separately are also included to assist with restoration. I had originally intended to restore the assembly myself and consequently applied the present red protective primer to portions of the aluminum structure, however my schedule no longer allows me the time required to complete the project.
The original aluminum side cover had several cracks from the aircraft wreck and these have already been welded. The welds remain visible on the reverse and will require grinding, dressing, and final cosmetic finishing before painting. The smaller fuel-pump control lever was bent almost straight during the crash and will require its original approximately 90-degree bend to be carefully restored. The original propeller-pitch switch was also damaged in the crash; the broken control itself can be replaced should the new owner wish to return the assembly to full cosmetic specification. Otherwise the throttle remains remarkably complete for a wreck-recovered example.
There is a distinctive and unique pulley mounted at the lower corner of the assembly remains present. This appears to have served as a guide for the cable associated with the winter-start pull control, adding an unusual surviving detail to the assembly. Parts 7 and 12 shown in the original Messerschmitt exploded-parts diagram, consisting essentially of small spacers/washers, are not present. Based on comparison with other original Me109 throttles and wreck-recovered assemblies I have handled, these small spacers were not always encountered on later installations and may never have been fitted to this particular unit. Virtually all of the major components shown in the factory diagram remain present.
There is normal oxidation, age-related wear, crash damage, scratches, marks, and surface deterioration consistent with an original aircraft component recovered from a wreck, but the assembly remains an EXCEPTIONALLY complete and highly restorable example. Everything represented as original is 100% ORIGINAL wartime German manufacture. I have shown its location in the last photos. With careful cleaning, minor metalwork, final finishing, and reassembly, this would make an OUTSTANDING centerpiece for an advanced Me109 cockpit restoration, museum project, airframe reconstruction, or Luftwaffe aviation collection!
