Wow, Maico, that's quite a saga! And a good read.
I second your thoughts on the MSFFB2. It by far has the best feel of any stick I've owned. I found myself needing more programable controls, unfortunately, than what the MSFFB2 could offer.
The Warthog HOTAS certainly offers that in spades, coupled with its TARGET software. It's a very powerful stick & throttle combination, and solid in the extreme. Unfortunately it lacks force feedback, which I sorely miss. It's also very clunky around its centering detent. Elsewhere in this forum a Youtube link was posted that shows a step by step procedure in removing the huge mainspring of the Warthog's joystick and relocating the smaller secondary coil springs to maintain a softer stick tension. It seemed very straightforward and is reversable if the results are not satisfactory (ie stick tensioning is now too loose and/or sloppy). This video also mentioned that washers could be used as shims with the smaller coil springs to firm the stick up a bit if needed. This is something I plan to try.
One other stick that I got through Amazon is incredible value at $36: Thrustmaster's TM16000. It's very solid, lots of buttons on stick and base, uses contactless Halls sensors, has twist-grip rudder axis, a throttle lever, and can use the same TARGET software as the Warthog HOTAS. I found its action to be very smooth and keep it as a spare.
The other control peripheral I've found very useful for CoD is the CH Quadrant. CoD has no shortage of axis available with its Complex Engine Management. Trims, mixture, radiators, even flaps and undercarriage -- all looked after. Trim especially is very smooth to adjust -- which one does CONSTANTLY it seems.
Others report excellent use of CH joysticks and throttles. My experience with them was very good initially, but the pots got "spiky" eventually, as did the pots in my expensive Thrustmaster Cougar joystick AND throttle. For the price and trouble of purchasing online and then installing a Halls sensor kit for the Cougar, it was far more advantageous to simply buy the Warthog -- which HAVE Halls sensors, as does the MSFFB2 and, as already noted, the TM16000.
There's my joystick story!