The third most manufactured plane of all time goes to the Luftwaffe Messerschitt BF109, with almost 34,000 produced during the span of WWII. Complete control is what Nazi Germany sought, and this was the most advanced war machine when it took to the skies in 1937, two years before the war began. The BF109E, E for Emil, was the first redesign in the series and accomodated more fuel and a powerful and heavier engine to carry more fire power as it needed to stay relevant against the increasingly aggressive response from the Allies as the war progressed and introduced more agile and stronger aircrafts. By mid-1942 more variants were called for and the G series for Gustav, began creating variants based on missions. Suited for the Mediterranean, successful fighter pilot Werner Schroer continued to rack up his numbers as he started to fly the newly upgraded Bf 109G while stationed in Sicily in April 1943. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves only three months after starting the campaign in Italy and Sicily, after reaching 85 victories. He continued his success through the Defense of the Reich, where he transferred from the Bf 109G to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Schroer was accredited with a total of 114 aerial victories by the time he was taken as a prisoner of war by the British in May of 1945.