Bf.109E-4
"Emil" 
Armament:
Two Rhinemetall-Borsig 7.9-mm MG 17 Solothurn machine guns with 1,000 rounds
per gun, mounted on engine crankcase, with muzzles protruding into blast troughs
in upper nose decking, firing through propeller arc. Two Oerlikon 20 mm, MG
55 cannon with 60 rounds per gun, mounted in wings and firing outside propeller
arc.
Weights:
Empty 2,014 kg., Gross loaded 2,504 kg.The "Emil" was one of the best and fastest planes for its time period. Only the Spitfire could claim roughly equivalent speeds and capabilities. The Emil possessed the usual good climb rate of the 109 series. Its armament was superior for its period as well. Oddly enough it was one of the first dominant "Energy Fighters". The Luftwaffe pilots used the 109's superior speed and climb rate to good effect. Using those tactics the Emil could be almost untouchable versus many of the Early War planes it faced.
The Emil, like all the 109 series does not have great fuel capacity, giving it low endurance. This weakness was particularly highlighted in the Battle of Britain where the 109's could stay for only a few minutes in the combat area over England. The 109 was somewhat less maneuverable that most of the fighters it faced, but this was offset by the 109's good points. The 109E does not carry a lot of Cannon ammunition, having a pretty low ammo load. So it helps to get in close and make the rounds count with this bird. Firing ranges of under 200 yards and a very low convergence would seem to be the wise course to follow in reponse to the Emil's ammunition loadout.
The 109E's only real competition among the early warplanes is its arch-rival the Spitfire. The planes are very evenly matched. The Spitfire I can outturn the Emil, but not by as large a degree as some would suspect. These planes match up almost identically in speed. The Spit I's poor firepower is a rather large handicap because it has to get in tight and stay there in order to get enough .303's into the target to score a kill. The 109 should therefore use energy tactics and only turn for short periods to gain a deflection shot. The Emil has a much better chance getting in a killing snapshot. The Spit on the other hand has to set up and get in a long sustained burst in order to take out the 109. Other planes of the early war period should be minimal threats to the 109, provided the 109 doesn't fall for the temptation of turning with them. Almost all planes of the period are much slower and climb poorly. Energy tactics should be used to make short work of them. The Hurricane, being about 50mph slower is not a big threat provided that the 109 driver is smart enough to avoid a turnfight. The Hurricane is very maneuverable so stallfighting one is unwise.
Powerplant:
Daimler-Benz DB601A, twelve-cylinder inverted-Vee liquid cooled engine of 1,300
hp.The BF-109F "Franz" is considered by many to be the best overall 109 variant. It was the best dogfighter of the series. While the later "G" series made compromises with added armor and weight, the Franz's design was not burdened with design compromises to make it a better bomber interceptor. It was the last 109 variant still optimized to make it an air superiority fighter. The Franz had a top speed of about 370mph. It was however the most weakly armed of all the 109 series. It carried only one 20mm cannon and two light machine guns. Essentially this means that it relies on its single cannon firing through the spinner for its firepower.
This variant can give a good account of itself in a turn fight. Its great climb rate can be exploited in conjunction with its turning capability to make it a fairly close match to the Spitfire in a knife fight. Versus the Spitfire the 109 is better of sticking to the vertical rather than flat turns where the Spit excels. The 109F should use its superior speed and climb versus the Spit V, but should be able to stallfight the Mark IX fairly closely. The Franz is a pretty forgiving aircraft to fly, and handles well at low speed. The 109 has a bag of tricks which the experienced pilot can dip into. Its does a good scissors, and negative G maneuvers to force overshoots or to elude an enemies gun solution. It has good rudder response.
The
Franz has somewhat anemic firepower. It has the lowest hitting power of any
109 since the pre-war 109C. Since one can discount the 7.9mm light machineguns
as virtually useless, the Franz relies exclusively on its single 20mm cannon
to score kills. Like most of the 109 series its does not have great endurance
or durability. The Franz is rather sluggish at high speed so the pilot needs
to show care in high-speed dives. Stacked against its contemporaries of 1941-1942
the Franz is one of the faster planes. On the other hand, the Franz is slow
by late-war standards, with a top speed of only around 370mph. In Arena terms
this means that almost all but the slowest planes can easily outpace the Franz.
The Franz can turn well. Against planes with similar turn performance use its good climb rate to get little extra "edge" in combat. The 109F turns best with about 1 notch of flaps extended. More than that is normally overkill, which only adds more drag. The Franz, like all 109's can exploit its high climb rate to "spiral climb" its opponent. Learn this tactic well with the 109, because it's a bread and butter tactic with this plane.
The Franz is a plane with a split personality. Against the quick turning early war planes it is best used as Energy fighter. Against the faster but higher wingloaded planes of the mid and late war years the Franz is best used as a stallfighter. As is the general 109 rule, the Franz is a good scenario plane. The reason is simple. The Franz is one of the best planes of the early war period.
Left Side of Bf109 Cockpit Right Side of Bf109 Cockpit
Armament:
Two Rhinemetall-Borsig 13 mm MG 131 machine guns mounted
above the engine cowling with 300 rounds
per gun, one engine mounted Mauser 20 mm MG 151/20E cannon with 150 rounds
per gun and two underwing
mounted 20 mm MG 151/20E Mausers with 120 rounds per gun.
Cockpit Instrument Panel Pilot's Seat
The "Gustav" was the most heavily produced variant of the 109 series. Wartime development tried to make the plane a more suitable bomber interceptor. This largely failed due to the small size of the airframe. Instead of a sleek and maneuverable interceptor the plane became known as "The Flying Blister" due to all the modifications done on the airframe. With the modifications the plane became a somewhat second class plane.
The BF-109G6 is no doubt a better version of the Gustav than the G2 previously modeled on Warbirds. It's also slow by the standards of the late warplanes, with a top speed of just a shade under 400mph. It is a 20mph faster than the 109F, which is good, but it is also 10mph slower than the Spitfire IX.
The
G6 does have a somewhat better cannon and the more useful 13mm heavy machineguns
replaced the 7.9mm machine guns of the 109F. The 109G doesn't have the most
lethal weapons package on Warbirds by any means, but with the 20mm firing
through the spinner and the 2x13mm firing from the cowling, the 109G has a
dense cone of fire with no convergence worries.
The 109G is a mediocre stallfighter at best. The 109G-6 is not going to compete with the Spitfire at low altitude. The Spitfire will tear it up in stallfight. The G6 still retained two of the biggest strengths of all the 109's - its very high climb rate and its high service ceiling. The 109 can really get up there into "nosebleed" territory. This has limited utility in the main Warbirds arena, but is very useful in historical scenarios. The 109 has one of the best climb rates around. The Gustav in fact climb slightly better than the 109F, but not quite as well as the 109K. Nothing can spiral climb like a 109, so learn this move well if you want to be a successful 109 pilot! The 109's ammo load is miserly with only 9 seconds of fire for the main cannon, and its rather poor fighter-bomber
The 109G is a fairly rare sight in the Warbirds Arena. The 109G driver has to be aware of the limitations of this plane to be successful with it. The reason for the Gustav's rarity in the Arena is rather obvious -- the plane is outclassed by the high powered planes seen in profuse numbers. In historical scenarios the 109G usually fares better, especially when facing planes other than the top-tier 38's 51's or Spits. It was rather enlightening to see the 109G mop the floor with P39's and P40's in a recent hypothetical Eastern Front Scenario. As with most warplanes, the 109's level of success is often dictated by the level of competition offered by the opposition.
In
the arena, the Gustav can be flown successfully as long as the pilot doesn't
expect the world out of it. Diving into furballs versus 38L's and Spits and
expecting to wrack up 3 or 4 kill missions will lead to an early death. The
109G driver has to choose his engagements with care, and watch his energy
level carefully when confronting planes of superior performance (that is almost
all of the most commonly seen planes on Warbirds). The 109G can use its one
great asset - climb rate. Use the 109G's high climb rate not only to outmaneuver
other planes in combat, but also to elude other planes when necessary. It
is best used as an Energy Fighter - using its high climb rate to dictate the
engagement. Normal Boom & Zoom tactics with very high speed passes do not
suit the 109's style. It is better suited to the style of energy combat where
the main objective is to set up a moderate altitude advantage right over or
near the target. Then use short sprint dives with moderate closure rates for
gun passes. The 109 can then climb back out and loop or climb away as necessary.
The Gustav is not very fast, but fast enough if the pilot knows to watch his energy level like a hawk. Remember you don't have the speed to elude Spits and Mustangs, but you can outclimb them. The key to success is to judge the energy level of better performing planes very exactly, so that if they "turn" on you, you have enough energy to stay out of gun range and then to simply outclimb the adversary. It is usually a very good idea to allow yourself a comfortable cushion of energy superiority against the high performance planes. If things begin to look doubtful it is best to use that energy cushion to simply climb away to a safe distance. Even Spits and 38's will find themselves sucking air trying to climb with you if you start your climb with a moderate energy advantage.
Avoid stallfighting Spitfires or P38's if you want to live. In fact avoid stallfighting all together. The G6 version of the 109 is not going to compete on equal terms in stallfights.
The
Messerschmitt BF-109G-6/R6. As the War wore on efforts were made to upgrade
the 109's firepower. Several compromises were made to make the Gustav a better
bomber interceptor. 20MM cannon pods mounted gondola fashion under the wings
are seen on the R6 Variant on Warbirds. This was a frightful development in
terms of maneuverability and speed, which was despised by its pilots. It did
however almost triple the firepower of this plane, giving it a nasty punch
versus bombers, but at a very heavy price. The additional armament however
did little to help the planes maneuverability. The R6 carries almost as much
firepower as an FW-190A, but at a very heavy cost. The R6 is a flying albatross.
Use its still adequate climb rate to get well above enemy fighters, and use it very cautiously as a Boom and Zoom attacker against enemy fighters. But overall it is wise to avoid enemy fighters if possible. The 109G6/R6 is slow and maneuvers so poorly that is pretty much a sitting duck for enemy fighters if caught in an equal or inferior position. The R6 can show some competence against bombers. Its firepower is very powerful, but it lacks the durability of the 190 series. For this reason the R6's only real reason for existence is if you have to fly a 109 and attack bombers, and there are no 190's currently available!
Bf.109K-4
"Kurfurst"
Armament:
Two 15-mm MG 151 cannon mounted above the engine cowling and one 30-mm MK
103 or 108 cannon firing through the spinner.The Messerschmitt BF-109K "Kurfurst" is a late war variant of the 109 series which saw service in the closing months of the War in limited numbers. The "K" was a seriously beefed up version of the 109G series. It sported large increases in horsepower, and speed. Built to compete with such late war monsters as the Spitfire XIV, the 109K had a powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine which could be boosted to over 2000hp with nitrous oxide injection. This big engine pulling the 109's small airframe provided the K with an awesome climb rate of over 4800ft/min making it one of the fastest climbing piston planes ever built.
The
version of the K modeled on Warbirds has one 30mm cannon and two 13mm machineguns.
The 109K enjoyed the same high service ceiling of other 109's, able to exceed
40,000ft. This 109 was extremely fast with a top speed of around 450mph. It
is one of the fastest planes in the arena, although this doesn't get a lot
of press time. The 109K is a good bomber killer if the pilot is a good shot.
The 30mm cannon will make short work of even the sturdy B17 with just a few
shells. The negative point of bomber interception is that the 109K has to
get in very tight to use the 30mm, and it's not the most durable airplane
in the air.
Having that huge engine in the 109s old airframe has many negative ramifications. The 109K is a real Bear in the Air, and needs a veteran hand on the stick. The 109K has a nasty torque effect plus it handles very poorly at higher speed. The K's very powerful engine can accelerate the plane very quickly, but unfortunately it can quickly reach speeds where it becomes very dangerous to fly. Its very easy to lawndart this plane into the ground if the pilot isn't constantly aware of its high-speed characteristics. The pilot has to show care to reign in that DB-605 engine from time to time, because letting the engine "have its head" will lead to this 109 horse running wildly out of control in a gallop!
This 109 has a monstrous punch, but a very limited clip. It has the smallest primary ammunition load of any plane on Warbirds. For this reason specialized tactics are called for to get that big gun on target. My favored tactics with the K is to use flat low high-speed attacks to sneak into the enemy's blindspot. Zoom up, bleed off the excess speed to make last minute gunnery adjustments possible, and then toast them with a few 30mm shells with a 0 deflection shot from very close range. This tactic plays towards the K's strengths (excellent flat acceleration and level speed) while avoiding it weaknesses.
When eluding other planes it is usually very wise to avoid straight tail chases. Although the Kurfurst has very good level speed and acceleration it will soon reach speeds where the pilot will start to lose control of the airplane. It is generally wiser to keep to moderately high speeds and point that nose upward and climb out to escape. Diving away is often a very tempting escape, since it's a tactic most planes routinely use. The Kurfurst will quickly reach uncontrollable speeds using this tactic. A 109K with some kind of speed is almost guaranteed an egress by simply going into its patented sustained climb.
The K is the sustained climb and altitude king of Warbirds.
Its climb
rate is tremendous; in fact there are only a couple of planes that come anywhere
close. The KI-84 is quite close to the 109K in climb rate at low altitude,
but it will soon fall away at higher altitudes. Over 10k, nothing climbs with
the Kurfurst. The K is not good at diving attacks from above because of its
very poor high-speed handling. The Pilot also should generally avoid defection
shots of any angle at all. The 30mm cannon has no ammo to waste on low probability
shots like this. I use two different fire buttons almost exclusively when
flying the K. A button for the twin 13mm for deflection shots and ranges over
200 yards, and the "you are history pal" 30mm cannon button for the coup de
grace. Of course it helps to be an excellent shot with this plane. The 30mm
cannon is big, but it has a low rate of fire, and its supply of ammunition
is very miserly.
This
109 version especially requires the "Hartmann Solution" to gunnery. Close
to under 150 yards and use the 109's very big cannon to blow 3-foot holes
in the target plane. About 3 or 4 shells of the 30mm cannon will explode any
plane, so a 1/2 second burst will kill. But there is a catch, if you miss
you will find the cannon ammo counter reading "0" after only a few short bursts.
The 109K is in all senses a plane for the "Experten" only. Its quirky handling
and extremely low supply of ammunition make it a very poor choice for a beginner.
Its a major achievement squeezing 3 or 4 kills out of this bird, so scoring
multiple kills per sortie is anything but easy. The "Kurfurst" can be quite
an effective plane, even though it sees relatively little service in the arena.
I fly it with some frequency simply because I find it a challenging ride.
I have two favorite aircraft in ETO. The 109 is one of them. This aircraft has what I consider to be the most important characteristic a plane can have. Rate of climb.
Why do I think rate of climb is so important? Simply because so many people underestimate the value of it's 4k+ ROC. It gives me the advantage of being able to climb above my opponent during most any situation. This plane is the rope-masta. It can sustain a 4k spiral climb at 100 knots, only a Spitfire can even come close and even then you can still bottom them out.
Aside from the Bf109's climbing prowess, it has a whole bunch of other worthwhile qualities such as:
Turn Rate - it has a great flat turn radius and can keep up with a Spitfire a while.
Lethality - it has a cannon that lasts for about 60% of the load... can be very deadly!
Roll Rate - it has a very good roll rate... even at low speeds WEP - the Bf109's WEP lasts twice as long as any other fighter... it provides a fantastic climb rate when applied.
The Bf109's cannons can decimate any aircraft. This is especially true when you get a cockpit shot or a tail shot from 300 yards and the target is moving 75 knots after you've just roped him. For those who don't know what I am talking about when I refer to a "rope", it is this:
Rope (Rope-a-dope): A rope is an energy suck maneuver. Basically a higher aircraft (you) with lots of speed tricks or coaxes a lower aircraft with less speed (the dope) into pulling his nose up to pursue you or get a shot off. In doing this he bleeds off his speed (energy) until he is forced to drop his nose in order to keep from stalling or recover from the stall he just entered.
Since you have more speed...once he tilts his nose down...you roll over and pounce on him as he tries to gain speed to maneuver. The beauty of this is that, most of the time, when they roll over to gain speed they are going so slowly (75-100knots) that they are basically motionless... so when you roll over and drop onto them, the shot is sooooo god-damn easy it usually takes no more than one or two squirts to turn them into a metalic-looking paste. Once you get good at a rope and are able to judge the energy state of your enemy the Bf109 starts to open up. This plane can put a beatin' to any plane in the ETO with ease... providing you know your enemy's weakness. Here are a few tips for you beginning Bf109 drivers out there.
Against a P38: Immelmann to a spiral climb... thats it! Keep your speed at around 275 and when you pass him on the merge start a shallow climb till you are at around 100 knots pointed straight up and then flop over upside down and level. Roll over and start your spiral climb. The working here is that if the P-38 Immelmanns with you he will be about 200-300 below you. When you flop over you start a 4k steep spiral climb, he can't keep up (remember he is just as slow... he just can't keep up with your climb). He WILL bottom out..! Keep him in your left or right view... as soon as he flops over to dive, hit flaps and drop on him... ping ping ping... doom on you Mr. 38.
The 109's are good at negative-G maneuvers. The key is to do these without Redding out, or just barely Redding out and recovering very quickly. The key to the negative-G maneuvers is to first make the enemy lose sight, then get "out of plane"; that is out of his flight path and imminent gun solution. After the enemy has lost the "saddle up" position the 109 can either attempt to extend or, even reengage favorably, especially if the enemy has lost sight for a significant amount of time.
(An escape
maneuver practiced by Erich Hartmann, the top scoring Ace of all time.) Throw
the stick into one "corner" (45 degrees forward) and give a lot of rudder in
that direction.
The plane will slide down and to the side. A very hard move to match. An attack will have to roll about 150 degrees and then begin a normal positive G pull on the stick in order to pursue that move.
A very shape negative-G pushover pushing the plane below the enemies' view. Then a sharp pull-up involving maximum rudder deflection. If done correctly this will leave the 109 flying at about 90 degrees off its original flightpath, and the pursuer will have lost the 109 below his cowling, so will have to reacquire visually. By this time the 109 can try to extend or even turn the tables.
A short Negative G pushover transitioning to a sliding barrel roll forcing an attacker into an overshoot. If performed perfectly this maneuver will leave the 109 close on the enemies six after exiting the barrel roll.
The controlled stall reverse: The 109 handles pretty well at very low speed. It is possible to reverse using a controlled stall of one wing as a lever to reverse more quickly. The move is a slight variation of the normal wingover. That is; a slight nose high attitude following by hard rudder and then allowing the plane to slide into a reverse laterally as the rudder pushes the plane to the side.
In dogfight when the 109 (works best in 109F but applicable to other 109's) is approaching stall speed with 1 notch of flaps, deliberately bring the nose high and begin a wingover knowing that the wing on the side of that the turn directed to is likely to stall. The wing stalls and the plane the stall then accentuates the normal wingover "slide down" so that the 109 reverses direction more quickly. Since the stall causes a loss of altitude, the entire maneuver performs a similar function to the Low Yo-Yo in ACM. As the 109 finishes its stall slide going down it will pick up speed in the nose down attitude, thus letting the 109 regain enough airspeed to recover from the stall with a significant gain in angle.
All 109's can use this trick to some extent to exploit their excellent climb rate. The opening scenarios are often quite different. It can start from an aggressive position, or a defensive position. The aggressive scenario normally begins as a result of a lag pursuit. The bogie will turn hard to avoid a gun pass, while the Bf109 will then follow with a lag pursuit high. This sets up the spiral climb if the bogie begins a sustained turn attempting to enter a flat turn circling fight. The defender should be given just enough rope to be kept on the hook. Give the bogie a 12 to 15 o'clock low position below the wing and start to spiral climb with the bogie below and to the side. The 109's climb rate should begin to pay off. The time to convert the spiral climb into an attack is a matter of timing. Don't be tempted to convert the spiral too soon, as the enemy might still have enough energy to attempt a nose to nose merge. Generally I wait till the bogie is about d12-d15 and 45 degrees down below the wing. Then hit hard rudder and wingover into a 4 or 8 o'clock attack run on the slow bogie. If all goes according to plan the bogie will have insufficient energy to maneuver effectively and should be an easy target. From the defensive position the spiral climb can be used to turn the tables.
The best
way is to start from a straight climbing pursuit. Once it is clear that the
bogie is not gaining closure and is out of effective gun range the 109 can turn
to either side and begin the spiral. A bit of caution is called for here however.
In the very beginning of the spiral climb the bogie will most likely gain some
closure because he will be able to lead pursue your climbing turn a bit. Also
the turn will make your climb less efficient in terms of sustained climb rate
also. Keep this mind when beginning the spiral. It is not advisable to begin
the spiral, if the bogie is anywhere near effective gun range because he will
most likely gain a couple one hundred yards of closure as the spiral begins
to take shape.
As a rule the defensive spiral is going to take longer to pay off because the Bf109 has to wait for his sustained climb to come into effect before he can reverse for the gunshot. So when starting a spiral climb from a defensive position a lot of patience is called for. As with the offensive spiral, the gun pass should not be attempted until the 109 has reached a sufficient energy advantage. Also it is vital to make sure that the spiral has lasted long enough so that the bogie is at very low speed. It is even better if the target is almost "hanging on his prop" when the wingover comes to attack. To get the bogie to compromise himself like this it is a delicate feat to leave him just out of gun range during the spiral. This will tempt the bogy to ever increase his angle of attack in the climb and become slower and more vulnerable.
The 109 series rewards the excellent shot who is willing to use the "Hartmann Solution" - close to under 200 yards and use the 109's very narrow cone of fire to rip selected portions of the enemy plane to shreds with very high percentage gunfire. The 109 pilot has to be a very patient shooter willing to "wait and wait some more" until he gets the ideal shot. The "Spray and Pray" type shooters should look elsewhere for their plane of choice, because of the 109's mediocre lethality and small clip of ammunition. While the FW-190 Series are the meat cleavers of the German the plane set, the 109F is the rapier. Using the historically proven approach to gunnery can still make this plane quite effective versus enemy fighters and light bombers.
A detailed look at the Messerschmitt Bf109
special thanks to -
The BF-109 - "The Secret Instructions for JG54" Flying Instructions for the Messerschmitt BF-109 Version 1.0 - By Michael "Fletchman" Fletcher. Copyright 1997