Aircraft: Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was (and still is) commonly called the Me 109. There were numerous problems with the design but it became the backbone of the Luftwaffe because it flew faster and handled better than all other competing designs. Pilots were happy to overlook the problems. It saw service from 1937 in the Spanish Civil War until the end of World War II in 1945 where it flew against jets (and sometimes succeeded).