Emil

Messerschmitt Bf-109E4

For those who may not know, I love aviation. Particularly military aviation. The Messerschmitt Me-109 is one of my favorite aircraft.

Technically speaking she is the Bf-109, the "Bf" standing for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, (Bavarian Aircraft Works). I have seen references indicating that after a certain date the plane became "officially" the Me-109, in official Luftwaffe terms the aircraft remained (officially) the Bf-109 throughout her lifetime.

One of the aircraft's designers, Willy Messerschmitt purchased the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, hence the "Me-109" designation. It was not unknown to see both "Me-109" and "Bf-109" in the same official Luftwaffe document!

According to Wikipedia:

All extant airframes bear the official "Bf 109" designation on their identification plates, including the final K-4 models, with the notable exception of aircraft either initially built or re-fitted by the Erla Maschinenwerke at Leipzig, which sometimes bear the erroneous Me 109 stamping.

Bureaucrats, neh?

At any rate, here's some great footage of a "May-hundert-neun" (as my old Oberstleutnant used to call her). This particular Bf-109E4 (Emil) saw action in the Battle of Britain. This particular aircraft was forced down (belly landed) and has been restored to flying condition. She currently lives in Canada.

A few facts:

• The Bf-109 was at one time the fastest aircraft in the world...
• The Bf-109 was the most mass produced fighter in history...
• The Bf-109 was flown by the top scoring 5% of fighter aces of all time...
• The Bf-109 scored more aerial victories than any other aircraft in aerial combat history...

By the way, I think the music in this video goes nicely with the footage.