Number 6: The Messerschmitt Bf 109
Germany's most-produced fighter worth its weight.
by Staff Writer

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Synopsis: Before the Fw190, the Bf 109 was Germany's top piston engine fighter. The mass-produced Bf 109 appeared in a myriad of variants on every front and could fulfill various roles from interceptor to light strike fighter if a mission called for it. Debuting with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War, the Bf 109 would go on to see extensive action against British Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain, over the North of Africa in the desert campaigns, over France and Germany against the US forces and on the East Front versus the Soviet Union.

Pros: Exceptional maneuverability compared to contemporaries in late 1930's; strength in numbers (some 35,000 produced!); fearsome armament of four 7.9mm machine guns and single 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hub was enough to cause major damage against the best-defended of Allied bombers.

Notoriety: Appeared everywhere that Germany was causing trouble; ironically, the type was fielded by Israel for a time after the war - take that Hitler!

Total Production: 35,000+

Variants: Avia S-99/S-199; Hispano Aviacion Ha 1112

Operators: Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

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