oops, yeah, what Thor said.

I would love it too - of all the planes I have tried for any time in IL2 classic campaigns, the Fs were my favourite. I even think I like the F2 (or F1 if we had it) better than the F4: it really improves your shooting!

csThor,

How long did the F-1 stay in service with Jg-51?

I remember reading somewhere that the early 'F' models were plagued with problems relating to the tail-section (does something about jammed elevators ring any bells?) which might have led to a brief recall of the type whilst this was amended.

Wasn't Marseilles killed flying an early F model due to a technical fault? Presumably if the fault still existed at that time then an October 1940 'F' Model might have suffered from the same problem which makes me wonder how long it remained active for.

Stab/JG 51 got a small number of F-1s just for testing, but real numbers didn't appear until spring 1941. And it wasn't Marseilles, it was Balthasar (at that time CO of JG 2) who was killed in a Bf 109 F when a wing broke off (whether due to combat damage or overstress was never determined).

Marseilles died bailing out from a early Gustav over Africa.

yeah. Read an amazing article about him some time ago that just really put the man into a new light. He was definitely a man of competition and poise. One hell of a combat aviator.

Many thanks for the clarification.

I'll revise my understanding of the alphabet.

Love the Fs. Look forward to its incorporation in the sim. My two favourite rides in Il 2 were the 109 F and the Mk VIII Spit.