the messerschmitt bf 109 was a german fighter aircraft of world war ii , designed by a team under wilhelm willy emil messerschmitt in the early 1930s, when he was chief designer of the bayerische flugzeugwerke 8hence its prefix bf 9. it was one of the first truly modern fighters of the era, including features such as an all- metal monocoque construction , enclosed cockpit , and retractable landing gear . having undergone its baptism of fire in the spanish civil war , the bf 109 remained in service until the birth of the jet age at the end of world war ii, during which time it was the backbone of the military force. german luftwaffe fighters . 2 powered by a 12-cylinder inverted v engine, the phenomenal daimler-benz db601 , the bf 109 was supplemented, but never completely replaced in service, by the focke-wulf fw 190 , beginning in late 1941.