Bf-109E-3

[TheRhino]

My all time favorite aircraft is the Messerschmitt Bf-109E-3. As Aces High already has an E-4 (which could be used as an argument against my statement), an E-3 could easily be developed from it, the main difference being the canopy shape.
I understand that lots of people think that we have a complete enough line-up of Messerschmitts, but this is one I have always wanted to see in Aces High.

Any thoughts?

[Devil 505]

The only differance between the 2 is the canopy. That being said, the Emil need an exterior update anyways, so might as well add the E-3 and the E-7.

[Guppy35]

109E7 would make sense with  the DT, uprated engine etc.  It would offer a bit more then an E-3 in terms of special events and I suppose even MA use

I'm probably in the minority but I really like the look of the late Emils.

[Bino]

109E7 would make sense with  the DT, uprated engine etc.  It would offer a bit more then an E-3 in terms of special events and I suppose even MA use

I'm probably in the minority but I really like the look of the late Emils.

E-1 could be used in "Phony War" special events on the Western Front during 1939 and 1940.

E-7 would be a good addition for Mediterranean/Africa special events in the 1940-41 timeframe.

[Butcher]

E-1 could be used in "Phony War" special events on the Western Front during 1939 and 1940.

E-7 would be a good addition for Mediterranean/Africa special events in the 1940-41 timeframe.

Without any early war fighters, no point to it.

D.520 and E-1 would be interesting additions.

[Krusty]

While the E-3/4 was the mainstay of bf109s in the Battle of Britain, there were still a very large number of Bf109E-1s in service. The photographic evidence shows the 7mm wing guns were common enough.

As for adding a E-3? There is no need. E-1s and E-3s were essentially the same as E-4s, because they were brought up to the same specs in the field. The only real difference being the canopy.

I don't think HTC can add swappable canopies. It's been asked for on the P-51B for ages. It's not just an exterior graphic swap out, because the cockpit internal files would need changing too, and then all the code to differentiate the selection of which cockpit.

I don't think it's feasible, otherwise we'd have had our malcolm hood P-51B optional on the birdcage airframe.

I, personally, would like to see the E-7 and F-2. The E-7 adds post-BOB options to the Emil line and small improvements, while the F-2 bridges the gap between the spit variants and plays a rather big (tho brief) role in the historic timeline.

[Butcher]

As Krusty's post, I've always wanted to see an E-7 F-2 and Early Spitfire IIa's to make a 1941 battle of britain What if Scenario.

What if the Germans decided their fighter range was not enough in 1940 to attempt to attack england? what if they waited for drop tanks?

I can see the E-4, E-7, F-2 along with Spitfires Ia, IIa and Spitfire Vb along with hurricanes variants.

Gary Grigsby's "Eagle Day" has this scenario and its quite interesting to play out, since the germans have the escort range to attack airfields deep into britain, it makes the campaign far more interesting for the luft player.

[Karnak]

I just don't see the Ju88s and He111s handling being attacked by cannon armed Hurricane Mk IIc and Spitfire Mk Vb fighters very well.  That actually seems a larger issue for German success in a 1941 Battle of Britain.

[Kenne]

I just don't see the Ju88s and He111s handling being attacked by cannon armed Hurricane Mk IIc and Spitfire Mk Vb fighters very well.  That actually seems a larger issue for German success in a 1941 Battle of Britain.

it would seem that arming british fighters with cannons is a direct result to experience in the uselessness of rifle MG fire from the A wing fighters during the BoB.

if the BoB did not occure till the E7 came to service, where would the british gleen said experience from?

[Butcher]

I just don't see the Ju88s and He111s handling being attacked by cannon armed Hurricane Mk IIc and Spitfire Mk Vb fighters very well.  That actually seems a larger issue for German success in a 1941 Battle of Britain.

Hurri IIc and Spitfire VB's were not in total production yet, there would be at most one squad of VB's

[Karnak]

it would seem that arming british fighters with cannons is a direct result to experience in the uselessness of rifle MG fire from the A wing fighters during the BoB.

if the BoB did not occure till the E7 came to service, where would the british gleen said experience from?

No, the RAF was planning on going to 20mm cannons since the mid/late '30s.  They were actually running behind due to problems getting the Hispano to be reliable enough.

Hurri IIc and Spitfire VB's were not in total production yet, there would be at most one squad of VB's

I don't think you can do a Battle of Britain that early.  Sure, you can do Luftwaffe vs RAF, but then they are going to sit and twiddle their thumbs waiting for the Channel to be calm enough for invasion barges to be able to cross it.

[Denniss]

Another main difference between E-3 and E-4 was the cannon used, changed from MG FF to MG FF/M, the latter capable of using high capacity HE rounds (Minenmunition). AFAIR they at least doubled the explosive content.

[Krusty]

The MG/FFm was retrofitted onto the E-3 airframes as soon as it was available. It wasn't that much of an improvement over the MG/FF. The MG/FF already fired a minengeschoss round, it's just that the MG/FFm allowed a new minengeschoss round with thinner walls to be fired. This round had thinner walls to store more explosives inside it.

However, please remember the gun fired a wide variety of rounds in mixed belts. Only 1 in 5 round was a minengeschoss, if it was even loaded. Overall, if you average out the damage done (which HTC does -- they average the damage on mixed belts) it wouldn't be much different.


P.S. The E-7 and F-2 would play historic roles quite well. No need for a what-if BOB scenario. They were quite widely used on both fronts in large numbers AFTER the BOB.

[Denniss]

No Minengeschoss in the MG FF, just standard HE and an AP round available for the FF.
Too many variations in belt composition to get a definitive answer but one mine round every 5 sounds too low.

[Krusty]

They didn't load them out that much. They had solid, they had AP, tracer, incendiary, they had standard HE (yes, even with Mgeschoss they still used more standard HE than Mgeschoss rounds in the same belt), and it may have been as infrequent as every 7th round. It was every 5th or 7th, so I gave benefit of the doubt and said 5th because I couldn't recall which.

It would bring the average up very slightly, as compared to a no-Mgeschoss belt mixture.