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
Luftwaffe unravel with the failure of the invasion of the Soviet Union. The "peripheral" strategy of the "Luftwaffe" between 1939 and 1940 had been to deploy its fighter defences at the edges of Axis occupied territory, with little protecting the inner depths. Moreover, the front line units in the West were complaining about the poor numbers and performance of aircraft. Units complained of lack of "Zerstörer" aircraft with all-weather capabilities and the "lack of climbing power of the Bf 109". The "Luftwaffe"s technical edge was slipping as the only formidable new aircraft in the German arsenal was the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.