109 e3b against spitfire II

[Kurfürst]

Originally Posted by Seadog

I don't and haven't discounted other options, but raising displacement, for example, invariably means greater weight and greater frontal area, something that pilots don't want.

Compared to that theory, German DB 601 was same size as weight as single stage Merlin, 605 actually lighter then two staged Merlin, while the French 35-liter class Hispano Suize V12s were considerably lighter than both.

The only practical way a smaller displacement engine can keep up with larger ones is by heavy supercharging, but that does not comes free, superchargers and their systems add weight, and so does decreasing fuel effiency: more fuel need to be carried for same range.