The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the first truly modern fighter of the era combining the features of all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy and a retractable landing gear

In early 1940 an improved engine, the Daimler-Benz DB601E, was developed for use in the Bf 109. The constructors at the Messerschmitt facilities took a Bf 109E-1 and installed this new engine.

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Externally the Bf 109F differed from the E-series, resulting from many aerodynamic improvements. The stabilizer struts were removed, the cowling was shaped to be more streamlined, the big underwing radiators were much smaller, the opening for the supercharger was improved, the flaps were completely changed, the wingspan was increased to 9.92 m, and the wing tips now were rounded. The redesigned wing made the internal mounting of guns impractical, so armament was revised. The armament of the Bf 109F consisted of the two MG 17 above the engine plus a cannon firing through the propeller hub: The early F versions were equipped with the MG FF/M cannon, the F-2 got the 15mm MG 151, and from F-4 on the 20 mm MG 151/20 was used. 

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top scoring fighter aces of World War II: Erich Hartman with 352 official victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Günter Rall.  Hartman refused to fly any other aircraft. Question: during WWII, the average kill ratio in combat was 7 to 1 for the Bf109, for every german shot down 7 allied fighters were shot, what was the reason for this statistic?.   

Click here to find out why the Me109 was the most successful fighter of WWII.

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