The German Luftwaffe entered World War II in September 1939, employing as its main day fighter the Messerschmitt Bf-109, one of the classic fighter aircraft designs of all time. When war broke out, it was already riding high on a reputation derived from its successful blooding in the Spanish Civil War. 1941 saw the introduction of the Focke Wolf Fw-190 over the English Channel. Its superiority over the Spitfire Mk. V saw it rapidly become the Luftwaffe fighter arm's 'second iron' and was to play a major role in the widening conflict from 1941 onwards.
