pervert and I tried this match up and if I didn't bring him down within the first few merges, the 109F has a much better engine and can get on top and stay on top in climbing circles.
109E vs Spit1 Spit should win as long as he doesn't stall out badly or do excessive negative G manoeuvres losing energy in the process
109F vs Spit5 109F can win if he flies smart and uses sustained turns over yank and bank
109F vs Spit9 Spit 9 all the way haven't found a 109F pilot that would win in a straight out fight.
109G2 vs Spit9 Spit 9.
109G14 vs Spit8 Spit 8, the earlier 109 models stand a better chance of exploiting any mistakes.
109K4 vs Spit14 K4 all the way, Spit 14's handling slow is dodgy. The 16, 8 and 9 would all lick a 109k4 if he stood and turn fought.
Hopper and Jo have thrown various 109's around to really make my Spitty work 100% to beat them but the 109 vs spit fight is much closer than some luft cry babies would make out as long as they fly with aggression, purpose and stick time.
I find the Spit V more of a challenge than the Spit IX or Spit VIII. Primarily because my goal is to drag the fight into the vertical against the Spit V and force a turning contest with the Spit IX and Spit VIII. There's certain characteristics of the 109F that can be exploited against the later Spitfires.
As to the Spitfire XIV, it's not a stall fighter by Spitfire standards. I, along with a very capable and well know player, flew a series of duels, Tempest vs Spit XIV. No matter who flew the Spit, the fight invariably ended up with a 50-50 split of wins vs losses. Primarily due the Tempest having more useful flaps at very low speeds (progressive settings vs all up or all down). The Tempest's 4 cannon also gave it an advantage in a snap shot.
When the 109 flight model was updated several years ago, I flew two hours of duels with one of our Finn pilots. I used the 109F exclusively, he flew many different fighters, from Zeros on up. Ultimately, the 109F won every fight. Why? Because the other fighter had at least one weakness that the 109F could exploit. Now, the 109F has one weakness that can be overcome if you know what to do, and those who don't fly it often will not know about it. In fact, most who fly the 109F never push it hard enough to discover this weakness. It's there and can get you clobbered if you don't know how to avoid it.
