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Hello everybody, just another question that came across my mind recently: what are the reasons behind the different developments of propellers on German and British fighters in WWII? Both the Spitfire and the Bf-109 started their career with a two-bladed fixed-pitch wooden airscrew. On both aircraft, these were quickly replaced by two-bladed, then three-bladed variable-pitch propellers. With ever increasing engine power the Spitfire soon used four propeller blades (Mk. IX onwards), five blades (Mk. XIV) and eventually even a contra-rotating prop with 2x3 blades (some Mk. 21 and the last Seafires). By contrast, even the last Bf-109 K in 1945 used only three blades. The German airscrews changed in terms of increased chord and area but always remained three-bladed. This is even true for later and larger fighters, the Fw-190, Ta-152 and Do-335. I suppose that three-blade airscrews are less labor-intense and cheaper to produce than those with four or five (let alone contra-rotating designs), but somehow the propeller has to match the increasing engine output. With the rpm limited (the propeller tips shouldn’t get supersonic) and the diameter limited (problem of striking the ground), the chord/area and the number of blades seem to be only adjustable parameters. Therefore, it’s funny that the two countries followed different paths. Any ideas?
