Okay now I have to ask why. IIRC the bulges were to facilitate the breeches on MGs... So did they go back to a lighter caliber MG, or install a better version of the same caliber? I've always wondered what happened to the bulge, which appears in the G6 than is gone in the G10, and K models.
Since they had to enlarge the cowling to fit the larger supercharger, no more need for bulges. The same goes for the G-14/AS, G-10 and K-4. It's kind of a no brainer to do that anyway, isn't it?
So the armament was still 2xMG-131 in the cowling just like the 109G-6.
My educated guess is that the bulges are explained by economics and the desire for a rapid upgrade to the 109's firepower. It is cheaper to slap on the bulges to house the MG-131s than to redo the hole cowling; the 109's firepower had been facing criticism ever since the introduction of the F-series. Average pilots found the 2x7.7mm+1x20mm armament insufficient, and upgrading to 2x13mm+1x20mm is a
big improvement. With a good tracking shot I have shot down P-51s and Spitfires with only the cowl 13mm MG's, while the 7.7mm guns are almost dead weight.
FYI, I did some reading and the G-6/AS was used exclusively for high altitude intercept of American escort fighters over Germany, and not until early '44.
Btw, I don't know how much to trust wikipedia, but you appear correct that the Spitfire VIII was in service in Italy in late '43. It really should be added to the setup.
