High End Replica Collectible. When people think of WWII Ace fighter pilots, they usually think of Erich Hartmann, the highest scoring "Ace of Aces", whose credited total of 352 shot down aircraft is unrivaled in history, almost an order of magnitude later than the top aces from other countries. With superior planes, manpower, and training, the German Luftwaffe was able to dominate the skies on both the Eastern and Western fronts during the early to middle period of the war, giving their pilots ample time and opportunity for aerial victories.

It should come as no surprise then that Germany had other Aces whose credited total victories far surpassed those of other countries. The list of WWII Aces with 100 or greater credited victories has 105 entries, every single one of them in the German Luftwaffe. Just under Germany's No.2 ace Gerhard Barkhorn, the only other ace to surpass 300 credited victories with 301, is Günther Rall, who achieved 275 credited victories. every single one of them while flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109. As with Hartmann and Barkhorn, Rall survived the war, and later served in the West German Bundeswehr as part of the West German Air Force beginning in the late 1950s.

This is a very well made replica 18" x 40"L "Fuselage cutaway" from a German WWII Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-1, complete with replicated paint, markings, data plate, and even bullet holes! These were made as collector's items, and we presume that multiple were made for a run. It has a small aluminum plaque riveted to it with Günther Rall's signature above III/JG 52 Oblt. Günther Rall, and there is also a Luftwaffe eagle in the upper right. The rear of the cutaway has two hanger rings, and it comes complete with the original certificate of authenticity from Velasco Enterprises, which bears a 1997 dated raised seal. Also included is a high quality printout of Rall's service summary.

A fantastic display opportunity for the German WWII aviation enthusiast!

The Bf 109, designed by Messerschmidt and often called the ME 109, was one of the two main fighters used by the Luftwaffe during WWII, and it went through many revisions during the war. The final production version of the Bf 109 was the K series or Kurfürst (Elector), introduced in late 1944, powered by the DB 605D engine with up to 2,000 PS (1,471 kW; 1,973 hp). Though externally akin to the late production Bf 109G series, a large number of internal changes and aerodynamic improvements were incorporated that improved its effectiveness and remedied flaws, keeping it competitive with the latest Allied and Soviet fighters. The Bf 109's outstanding rate of climb was superior to many Allied adversaries including the P-51D Mustang, Spitfire Mk. XIV and Hawker Tempest Mk. V. Introduced later in the war, there were approximately 1,700 of the Bf 109K-4 variant produced between August 1944 until March 1945, when production ceased.

The Bf 109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War (1939) and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II (1945). It was one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. From the end of 1941, the Bf 109 was steadily being supplemented by the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

It was commonly called the Me 109 most often by Allied aircrew and even amongst the German aces themselves even though this was not the official German designation. The "Bf 109" designation was issued by the German ministry of aviation and represents the developing company Bayerische Flugzeugwerke and is a rather arbitrary figure.
It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt (hence Me 109) and Robert Lusser, who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, during the early to mid-1930s.

Originally conceived as an interceptor, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several states during World War II, and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest scoring fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Bf 109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest scoring German ace in the North African Campaign who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace on the type, and pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.