Originally, the Bf 108 was only developed to take part in the Round Europe Challenge in 1934. The aim was develop a cost-effective, four-seater touring aircraft. In September 1933, the Bayerische Flugzeug Werke was one of the companies awarded a development contract. Under the leadership of Robert Lusser, a tender prototype was quickly developed and later given the official designation of Bf 108. An advanced touring aircraft was developed within just seven months, corresponding to Willy Messerschmitt’s vision of the “ideal aircraft”. The aircraft was a single-engine low-wing aircraft with an aerodynamic design that was almost perfect. It was manufactured in light-weight metal with high-lift devices and retractable landing gear. The control system comprising a combination of slotted wings, baffles, small aileron and landing flap was a special feature of the aircraft. The main landing gear comprised two single oil-damped shock absorbers. The first prototype of the Bf 108 A took off on its maiden flight on 28 July 1934. However, after successfully taking part in the Round Europe Challenge the aircraft was out of the public eye. The Bf 108 earned the nickname “Typhoon” (Taifun) after a record flight by famous female aviator Elly Beinhorn from Gleiwitz to Istanbul and back on 13 August 1935. She flew the 3,570 km round trip in only 13.5 hours. Sales successes continued to elude the aircraft, although new manufacturing methods had even been developed and introduced for production of the aircraft. Bayerische Flugzeug Werke hoped to generate international business with the advanced design of the “Typhoon”, but this remained a pipe dream for the time being.
Production was finally able to start up when the Luftwaffe selected the Bf 108 as a new liaison aircraft in 1936. After a number of modifications had been made, mainly involving the use of a standard aileron instead of the combined spoilers, the aircraft went into mass production as the Bf 108 B-1 at the Augsburg manufacturing facility from autumn 1936. One Argus As 10 C engine delivering 176 kW was used to power the aircraft and this helped it to achieve outstanding performance in flight. Apart from the Luftwaffe, a number of national and international civilian users continued to enhance the reputation of the aircraft with record flights right up to the start of the Second World War. This success was instrumental in gradually transforming the Bf 108 into the epitome of a modern touring aircraft. The comfort offered to passengers combined with consumption data and high speeds are achievements that were unequalled in an aircraft of this class and in many respects they remain unsurpassed to this day.
In the years 1940/41, Messerschmitt carried out further work on the aircraft to develop the Bf 108 D-1 and this version was initially produced at the Regensburg plant from autumn 1941. It was now conceived more as a purely military aircraft and better adapted to these requirements. For example, it was fitted with a variable-pitch propeller as standard, a more powerful onboard electrical system and a modified vertical tail plane. By February 1942, production of the Bf 108 had been transferred from Regensburg to Les Mureaux at the factory run by French company Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautique (SNCAN). Overall more than 1,000 aircraft were manufactured in all versions.
