The 'Great Debate' - Spitfire vs BF109

[arthursmedley]

Originally Posted by Sammi79

To get the ball rolling, I will start.

All the evidence I have seen, which is mostly anecdotal suggests that; during the Battle of Britain, the early marks of both aircraft were very similar in performance, so similar in fact that victory was nearly always the result of things not related to the aircraft themselves, like pilot skill, numbers of aircrafts and tactical advantages (altitude, fuel, etc.)

Who's next?

That's all you need to say really. Everything else argued about in terms of relative performance and handling characteristics on these boards between the Spitfire and '109 (or the reds v the blues) is because we sit in the comfort of our own homes chasing pixels around a screen with a refly button.

The dicta Boelcke was valid from 1915 until the advent of the guided air to air missile. Everything discussed here must be considered within the context of historical reality. That reality was make sure you see your opponent first. Manoeuvre into a position of tactical advantage. Fire and then manoeuvre to retain the tactical advantage.

All successful fighter pilots were able to creep up behind their victims, blew their brains out and run away to do it again.