World War 2 photo: Repair of the Messerschmitt Bf.109 F-2 fighter aircraft from Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51) «Mölders» from the Nazi Luftwaffe in the harsh conditions of the Russian winter at the Bryansk airfield. The Eastern Front.
Location: Soviet Russia
Date of the photo: 1944
The Messerschmitt Bf.109 is a single-engine piston low-wing fighter that has been in service with the Luftwaffe and the Air Force of various countries for almost 30 years. Depending on the modification, it was used as a day fighter (including specialized modifications for low altitudes and a family of versions of high-altitude fighters), day and night fighter-interceptor, fighter-attack aircraft, fighter-bomber, photo-reconnaissance fighter and unarmed photo-reconnaissance (including high-altitude), as well as a training fighter. Messerschmitt Bf.109 was one of the two main Luftwaffe fighters, the most massive German aircraft throughout the Second World War, and also the most massive fighter in history.
By the number of Messerschmitt Bf.109 produced (as of March 1945, only in Germany – about 32,500 units; total production – taking into account the release in April 1945, in Hungary, Romania, Francoist Spain in 1944-1958 and post-war Czechoslovakia in 1945-1948 years – exceeds 33,000 copies; there is also evidence that the total production of aircraft of the Bf.109 family amounted to 34,826 or even 34,852 copies) is one of the most massive aircraft in history, second only to the Il-2 attack aircraft (36,163 aircraft) and light general purpose aircraft Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Sometimes you can come across the assertion that the training aircraft, and later – including the U-2 (Po-2) night bomber, also exceeded the Messerschmitt Bf.109 in terms of production (figures up to 40 thousand produced U-2 are called). But this is not confirmed by Soviet sources, which estimate the production of the U-2 at about 33,000 vehicles.