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Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3

First Flights:
Me 109: September 1935
Bf 109E: January 1939
Bf 109F July 1940
Bf 109G: May 1942

The Messerschmitt Bf109 was assumed as an inferior plane by most of the general population during World War Two. Only later did most notice that the 109 was one of the best and most successful fighters ever made. It was a difficult plane to fly, by anybody's standards, but above average pilots could make the 109 a great killing machine. Its ability to out-climb any plane and its 30mm cannon (in the later versions) made it a very effective boom and zoom weapon.

The drawbacks of the 30mm weapon was its lack of ammunition (only 60 shells) and its unusual firing characteristics. Another couple of problems with the 109 series was its tendency to jerk when executing a tight turn and the powerful effects that torque had on the plane. The most major problem with the 109 series, towards the end of the war, was that it absolutely required above average pilots to be effective, which became more and more scarce as swarms of enemy planes killed them off.

Links:
Messerschmitt Bf 109 - pictures, statistics, lots of good info.