The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a single-seat fighter aircraft that was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during World War II. It was considered the most advanced structural design and aerodynamics of the time, with a low-wing, leading edge slats, a closed cockpit and retractable landing gears. It is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945.
German Ace Adolf Galland flew the Bf 109 during the campaign against France in 1940 and was commander of Fighter Wing JG62 during the Battle of Britain, by the end of which he had destroyed 58 enemy planes. In November 1941 he was promoted to the post of commander of the Luftwaffe's Fighter Arm, and a year later he was promoted to major general, becoming at age 30 the youngest general in the German armed forces.