Originally posted by Kurfürst
See Rule #4
Here's the difference Kurfurst. Your zeal for the 109 and bashing Spits is fanaticism. My interest in the history is not. Your initial claim was 10 Spit IX squadrons in Mid-1944.
You've backed of that one now finally.
No one has said the RAF wasn't still operating Spitfire Vs. They did until the end of the war.
But these also were not the 1941 Vb that struggled against the 190s. The 1943 Spitfire LFV was a different bird then the 1941 Spit FV.
Note the whines forever in AH about the previous Spitfire LFVc we had. Not a 1941 bird by far. Performance of the 1943 LFVs was on par with Spit IXs up to certain alts. The two stage Merlins were geared to give better performance up high. Kind of like the single stage Griffon III/IV in the XIIs. Down low it worked. It wasn't a high alt bird.
And in the end, what is your point? It's like you are trying to prove that the RAF wasn't on the winning side and that the Spit didn't accomplish anything. You can't change the history. Anyone paying attention knows the role the Spit played for the RAF and any number of other air forces. Despite your bashing, it clearly did it's job and did it well. End of story no matter how you spin the numbers.
The Spit IX was the dominant air to air Spit from 43 on. The Spit V had it's role, as did the XII, VI,VII, VIII etc, but the Spit IX was the hunter and the one that equipped the front line squadrons of 11 Group along with the XIIs and the Tiffies.
Be clear on one thing in all this, and this is the last I'm going to respond to your stuff. There is NOTHING in this discussion, or in AH that is that important to me. None of it makes me angry or causes me to act the part of a fanatic zealot, to use your terms. Real world events for me are all that are important, and dealing with the aftermath is the only thing that gets to me emotionally for obvious reasons.
This stuff is for the most part an escape from that real world stuff. I wish you'd get a clue on that. I wish it was possible to have a rationale discussion instead of the never ending 109s are best, Spit suck threads.
Using Crumpp as an example. The difference between you and he, is that I understand Crumpp's passion for the 190. He's worked his tail off to learn about it and has strong opinions about it and how it should be modeled in AH, and it's place in WW2 aviation history. I can respect that, because in the end he's just chasing the history and it isn't about rewriting some sort of propoganda story. So even when we disagree, I know his intentions are good ones and it isn't about his favorite plane is the best ever and the rest were dogs.
There are lots of folks like that, and we don't always agree, but they're in it for the sharing of the history and the knowledge.
You should pay attention to that instead of taking shots at everyone who doesn't agree with you.
