Messerschmitt Bf 109 operational history victories. Messerschmitt Bf 109 operational history The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid-1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, a retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. The Bf 109 saw active service in many air forces and was active in several conflicts outside of World War II. Dozens of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, including the A, B, C, D, and E
Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants roles, a reconnaissance or bad-weather fighter, for example. Unlike the "Rüstsatz" field-kits, these modifications were permanent. The "Rüstsatz" kits were labelled with the letter "R" and a Roman numeral. "Rüstsatz" kits did not alter the aircraft type so a Bf 109 G-6 with "Rüstsatz" II (50 kg/110 lb bombs) remained a Bf 109 G-6 and not G-6/R2, which was a reconnaissance fighter with MW 50, as suggested by most publications. The "Umrüst-Bausatz", "Umbau" or "Rüstzustand" were identified with either an "/R" or "/U" suffix and an Arabic number, e.g. Bf 109 G-10/U4. Common "Rüstsatz" kits: Bf 109G: Common "Umrüst-Bausatz" ("Umbau")