The most important fighter aircraft of the Nazi war machine, the Bf 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, first at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (giving it the Bf designation) and then Messerchmitt AG, between 1934 and 1935. The first models entered production in 1936, with 33,984 airframes completed over the next nine years, making it the most produced fighter aircraft in history.
The fighter incorporated several innovative features at the time of its introduction, including an all-metal monocoque construction, closed canopy, retractable landing gear, and several aerodynamic features that gave it superior mobility to contemporary fighters, with the exception of the legendary Supermarine Spitfire. Although it was confronted by more modern designs, a steady series of modifications and upgrades allowed it to remain a serious threat to Allied and Soviet aircraft until the end of the war. The Bf 109 would continue to serve for a decade or more in various European armies, a testament to the design's ruggedness and sophistication.
Bf 109G was an iterative development of the Bf 109F, with modifications focusing on increasing the aircraft's versatility and adaptability. It used a more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605A engine and later variants were rearmed with more powerful weapons, resulting in modifications that disturbed the fighter's slim lines. Gs were typically customized on the factory floor with a specific mission profile.
G2 eliminated the pressurized cockpit introduced in G1 and made other changes to simplify the design and make the fighter cheaper.
The BR21 suffix indicating a modification mounting the Rheinmetall-Borsig Werfer-Granate 21 rocket launcher (Bordrakete in Luftwaffe parlance) introduced in 1943, as an airborne version of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42. Werfer-Granate 21 was a development of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42. These rockets were used in the anti-bomber role to have a weapon with a longer range then the defensive guns. Along with the Anti-bomber role, these were also used in the ground attack role.
