The Messerschmitt Bf is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke BFW. However, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort , fighter-bomber , day -, night-, all-weather fighter , ground-attack aircraft , and aerial reconnaissance aircraft.
It was one of the most advanced fighters when the fighter first appeared, being furnished with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, retractable landing gear , and powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.
During the Second World War, the Bf was supplied to several states and was present in quantity on virtually every front in the western hemisphere; the fighter was still in service at the end of the conflict in The Bf is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, a total of 34, airframes having been produced between and April The Bf was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52 , mainly on the Eastern Front.
The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann , was credited with victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille , the highest-scoring ace in the North African campaign , who shot down enemy aircraft in about a third of the time.
It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen , the highest-scoring non-German ace. He scored 58 of his 94 confirmed victories with the Bf Through constant development, the Bf remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war. During , the Technisches Amt C-Amt , the technical department of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium RLM "Reich Aviation Ministry" , concluded a series of research projects into the future of air combat.
