“Gunther Ral
a memoir”
by Jill Amadio
"The American fighter-bombers had the advantage of speed, and the P-38 Lightnings, though lacking the quality of the others were equipped with twin engines that vastly outdistanced our single engine Bf 109s. But the P-51 was truly the star fighter in Europe because of it's long range and maneuverability."
Pg 174
"I could really detect the tactical differences between the German, British and American planes. This gave me the greatest respect for the P-51 Mustang and it's extremely comfortable cockpit, good rear visibility, long-range, maneuverability, and an electrical starting system."
Pg 242
"Unlike earlier versions of the Fw 190, which were powered by BMW air-cooled radial engines, the D-9 version was equipped with a Junkers Jumo 213 liquid-cooled inline engine. It was regarded as among the finest German fighter planes in service at the time."
Pg 244
"The elliptical wings on the Spitfires had fantastic characteristics, great lift. They were very maneuverable. We couldn't catch them in a steep climb"
Pg 53
"I didn't like the slats and our cockpits were very narrow, with restricted rear visibility"
Pg 54
"I was flying at 35,000 feet and was soon able to pinpoint the bombers coming from England by their contrails. As we reached our position we went into battle formation and dropped our external tanks. The FW 190s were at 26,000 feet. It was very unusual for Bf 109s to fly at such a high altitude because they could stall."
Pg 225
"Rall was well aware that a P-47 was much faster in a dive and had much higher structural strength than a Bf 109."
Pg 226
There you have it Boys......a reliable enough source for you?? or will I hear claims of bias again?
Game......Set.......Match
Now that is reality