Most people are confused by the revised designations of Willy Messerschmitt's airplanes. For example, is the Messerschmitt 109 a Me 109 or a Bf 109? The answer is... both.
The original “Bf” prefix stood for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Allegemeine Gesellschaft (BFW), the company of which Messerschmitt was co-manager and leading designer until late 1938, when he completely acquired BFW's stock.
According to Luftwaffe documents, BFW planes built after Messerschmitt's overtaking were designated with the “Me” prefix instead of "Bf". The old prefix was to be used only for the Bf 108, the Bf 109B to D and the Bf 110A and B. All posterior models were to be designated using the Me prefix. Which is why the Bf 109D's successor is the... Me 109E.
In practice, however, even German official documents seem confused with the designations, and one can find examples such as Bf 109K or Me 109D. While using the prefix as indicated above would be strictly correct, it can't be said that using a different designation is totally wrong.
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