Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German monoplane fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser and built by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, entering operational Luftwaffe service in 1937 and first seeing combat during the Spanish Civil War. It became the most-produced fighter aircraft in history, with 34,248 airframes built between 1936 and April 1945, and it served as the backbone of German fighter defense and offense through the entire Second World War. The aircraft's combat record was extraordinary, particularly on the Eastern Front, where the three highest-scoring fighter pilots of all time flew the Bf 109, led by Erich Hartmann, who was credited with 352 aerial victories, the highest total ever recorded by any fighter pilot. Despite being progressively outclassed in some respects by later Allied fighter designs, the Bf 109 remained in front-line German service until the war's end, continually upgraded with more powerful engines and armament.