Messerschmitt Bf109 "Emil" (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)

The Messerschmitt Bf109 (sometimes erroneously referred to as the Me109) was the main German fighter of World War Two.   It was produced in greater numbers than any other fighter before or since, a total of 33984 units, and comprised over 50% of total Nazi fighter production.  It still holds the record for the number of enemy aircraft destroyed, with over 2500 pilots becoming aces, 105 pilots destroying 100 aircraft or more and two claiming over 300 kills.

When it was introduced in 1937 the Bf109's performance made all other existing fighters obsolete, though that advantage was dissipated when the Hurricane entered service later that same year, and the Spitfire followed in 1938.  The Bf109 saw combat long before those British aircraft, fighting for General Franco during the Spanish civil war.  This early model Bf109E "Emil" flying during the 2005Yankee Air Museum "Thunder Over Michigan" airshow is shown in aSpanish civil war paint scheme, the black 'x' on the fuselage signifying that it flew there with the Kondor Legion.  It's the only Bf109 in North America still flying with its original Daimler engine, though there are several Buchons in the United States, Bf109s built by the Spanish after the war with British-designed Merlin engines.

During the early part of World War Two the Bf109 vied neck-and-neck for superiority with the Spitfire, but over time the German plane became less competitive, though it remained in production until the end of the war.  The instability caused by the Bf109's narrow undercarriage was a major problem, and it's said that more were lost in takeoff and landing accidents than were lost in combat.