The Bf 109 was the standard fighter of the Luftwaffe for the duration of World War II, although it began to be partially replaced by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 starting in 1942. The Bf 109 scored more aircraft kills in World War II than any other aircraft. At various times it served as an air superiority fighter, an escort fighter, an interceptor, a ground-attack aircraft and a reconnaissance aircraft. Although the Bf 109 had weaknesses, including a short range, and especially a sometimes difficult to handle narrow, outward-retracting undercarriage, it stayed competitive with Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top scoring fighter aces of World War II : Erich Hartmann, the top scoring fighter ace of all time with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories, and Günther Rall with 275 victories. All of them flew with the Jagdgeschwader 52, chiefly on the Eastern front, a unit exclusively flying the Bf 109 models and being credited with over 10,000 victories itself. Hartmann refused to fly any other airplane in combat throughout the war. Hans-Joachim Marseille, "The Star of Africa" also flew the Bf 109, and achieved all of his 158 victories on the Western Front, chiefly against Allied pilots in North Africa, including 17 aircraft shot down in a single day.