Willy Messerschmitt

Wilhelm Emil Willy Messerschmitt (1898-1978) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer born in Frankfurt am Main. His most significant design was the Messerschmitt Bf 109, created with Walter Rethel, which became the most important fighter aircraft in the Luftwaffe and, with about 34,000 built, ranks as the second most produced warplane in history. His company also produced the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first jet powered fighter to enter service, and the Messerschmitt Me 209, which broke the absolute world air speed record and held the record for propeller driven aircraft until 1969, along with a number of motor gliders and airliners in the 1920s and 1930s. His career suffered setbacks, including the bankruptcy caused by the BFW M.20 transport aircraft and severe development problems with the Me 210. After the Second World War he was convicted in 1948 of collaborating with the Nazi regime and using forced labor, later worked in Spain, returned to Germany in 1955, and retired as director of Messerschmitt AG in 1970. He died in Munich in 1978. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/