https://youtu.be/kHaW5xa1veg
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the first truly modern fighter. With its all-metal stressed-skin construction, mono-wing design, enclosed cockpit, and retractable landing gear, it had no equal.
It was the fastest military plane in the sky for six years — until another German plane, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, supplanted it. Because of the large ground angle caused by the long legs, forward visibility while on the ground was very poor, a problem exacerbated by the sideways-opening canopy. This meant that pilots had to taxi in a sinuous fashion, which also imposed stresses on the splayed undercarriage legs.
The aircraft was often nicknamed Messer by its operators and opponents alike; the name was not only an abbreviation of the manufacturer but also the German word for “knife.” In Finland, the Bf 109 was known as Mersu, though this was originally (and still is) the Finnish nickname for Mercedes-Benz cars. Soviet aviators nicknamed the Bf 109 “the skinny one” (khudoy), for its sleek appearance compared, for example, to the more robust Fw 190. Total Bf 109 production was 33,984 units, of which 30,573 were produced during World War 2 (September 1939 to May 1945). The Bf 109 accounted for 57% of all German fighter types made and 47% of all German aircraft production.
Source: YouTube