Subject: WWII FW190's, how good were they in dogfights?
From: Gernot Hassenpflug
Date: 5/21/04 9:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time

Of the many German fighter pilots I spoke to in the
Hofbrau Haus in Munich shortly after the war the
majority opted for the ME 109. The Emil or "E " model
seemed the number one choice. Many were saddened because
the Emils were replaced by what they considered models
that were not quite as good. These discussions were in
the summer of 1945.

Interesting. I had always read that the favourite model was the F,
with nicer aerodynamics than the E, a better engine, and improved
handling and performance. The armament was pretty weak though in the
early models (15mm nose cannon, and two 7.7mm cowl guns). The G
version introduced the horrible handling characteristics that killed a
lot mroe student pilots. Brute power over finess.

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan

Well I really am just recalling what these Luftwaffe pilots told me over cold
beer and wurst at the Hofbrau Haus in Munich. I have no first hand knowledge
myself on this subject. They also were down on the "K". They said it was
unreliable because they tried to get power out of that engine that it was never
designed to deliver. Of course the war had just ended and here we were, former
enemies chatting over beer only weeks after we stopped shooting at each other.
.. It was a bit strange at first but we all soon got used to it. Some of the
guys who flew bombers had some interesting comments about the Norden
bombsight and their bombsight, but that is another topic for another time.This
post is about Emils.

Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer