The most iconic German aircraft of the Second World War, the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's principal fighter from 1939
until 1942 when the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190 came into greater
prominence. The Bf 109 served in every theatre of the war, though in
this book the author examines the Tip and Run era, D-Day and the Eastern
Front.
In the later years of the war, the Bf 109 fought with some success in
the defense of Germany against Allied bombers. The Bf 109 was the most
produced fighter aircraft in history and more aerial kills were made
with this fighter than any other aircraft. Indeed, A total of 105 Bf 109
pilots were each credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy
aircraft; thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two
scored more than 300. The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring
fighter aces of the war: Erich Hartmann, the top-scoring fighter pilot
of all time claiming 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories,
and Günther Rall, who claimed 275 victories. All of them flew with JG
52, a unit which exclusively flew the Bf 109 and was credited with over
10,000 victories, chiefly on the Eastern Front.
The Bf 109 was also supplied to several of Germany's allies, including
Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia.
In this selection of unrivalled images collected over many years, the
operations of this famous aircraft in the latter part of the Second
World War are portrayed and brought to life.
