S!
I totally agree. The Spit IXF modelled here is completely unrepresentative of the Spitfires used late war. 75% of the Spitfire IX's built were LF models. It had the Merlin 66 instead of 61, far better climb and higher speed at S.L. By the way, the Spit IXLF did not generally have clipped wings. Most had the normal wing layout. RAF pilots did not like the clipped wing version for the fact that although it improved rollrate, it also removed any of the stall warning and gentle approach to stall of the standard Spitfire. Plus it increased wingloading.
The Hurricane would also be a good plane to have. The Hurricane I was slow, and lacked acceleration and climb, but it actually turned better than the Spitfire I. It was also a better gun platform, very stable and was a bear for punishment, much more durable than either the Spit I or Me109E. It also had better aileron and elevator response than the 109E in high speed maneuvers. In the Battle of Britain, there was a certain snobbery on the part of the German pilots who always insisted they were shot down by "Spitfires". Bob Tuck once shot down a 109 in his Hurri I, then landed and drove over to where the German had crashlanded. When he stuck out his hand and announced he was the victor, and flew a Hurricane, the German refused to shake his hand, insisting only a Spitfire could have shot him down.
The Hurricanes were outclassed when the 109F arrived however. Too much difference in speed and climb. Despite the fact the Hurri IIC had 4 Hispanos, it was tough to bring them to bear on an F which was using the vertical well. Typical tactics in the desert where the Hurri II's and 109F's were matched up were for the 109's to gain altitude advantage, then attacks to be made by the two rotte's (pairs) of a Schwarm (flight of 4) 109F's. They would take turns diving and zooming from opposite directions on the same target flight of British aircraft. This would be a continuous process of 2 aircraft coming down from either side simultaneously. Very tough to avoid. Hans Joachim Marseille and the crew from JG27 wreaked much havoc on Hurris and P-40's (British Tomahawks and Kittyhawks) this way. The 109F was really the best in 1941.
