Fighter aircraft of Nazi Germany.
Originally designed in 1934 by Willy Messerschmitt at the Bavarian Airplane Co. (BFW), it was also known as the Bf 109. Modified after seeing action in the Spanish Civil War, it became Germany's premier fighter for much of World War II. The model used in the Battle of Britain was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane with a top speed of 350 mph (570 kph) and a ceiling of 35,000 ft (10,500 m). It was faster in a dive than the British Spitfire but was limited in range by a small fuel capacity. By 1944 improved Allied fighters such as the P-51 had outstripped it.