World War II marked a major acceleration in aircraft development, beginning with basic, lightweight piston-engine designs and advancing to jet-powered technology. Today, discussions about which aircraft models could outperform others, or hypothetical matchups like the Spitfire versus the Bf 109, are still incredibly popular. However, with 80 years having passed since these aircraft engaged in combat, deciding which were truly superior is a challenging task.
During the war, nations grappled with similar questions: What were the abilities of enemy aircraft? Were they faster? More agile? Easier to operate? Finding answers to these questions was crucial for identifying strengths to counter and weaknesses to exploit. Typically, the only opportunity to examine enemy aircraft came from crash sites, making it a monumental achievement when a fully operational enemy aircraft was captured.
The Germans didn’t think too highly of the Spitfire
German pilot Major Werner Mölders tested both the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. Mölders was a fighter ace and the first pilot ever to achieve 100 kills. When he flew the British aircraft, he was happy with their handling, but as an overall fighting machine, he didn’t rate them very highly.
George Greenfield, a tour guide at the RAF Museum, quotes Mölders as saying: “It was very interesting to carry out the flight trials at Rechlin with the Spitfire and the Hurricane. Both types are very simple to fly compared to our aircraft, and childishly easy to take off and land. The Hurricane is good-natured and turns well, but its performance is decidedly inferior to that of the Me 109. It has strong stick forces and is ‘lazy’ on the ailerons.
“The Spitfire is one class better. It handles well, is light on the controls, faultless in the turn, and has a performance approaching that of the Me 109. As a fighting aircraft, however, it is miserable. A sudden push forward on the stick will cause the motor to cut; and because the propeller has only two pitch settings (takeoff and cruise), in a rapidly changing air combat situation the motor is either overspeeding or else is not being used to the full.”
British opinions of the Bf 109
The British also tested German aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Interestingly, while British pilots found the Bf 109 pleasant to fly at speeds below 250 mph, they considered it inferior to their own aircraft, contrasting with Mölders’ perspective: “In general the flying qualities of the aeroplane are inferior to both the Spitfire and the Hurricane at all speeds and in all conditions of flight.”
This highlights that pilots on both sides were not only somewhat biased but also assessed their opponents’ aircraft using unfair metrics. The Luftwaffe relied on tactics that involved diving onto a target, firing a short burst of machine gun and cannon fire, and then disengaging with a steep climb or dive. The Bf 109 excelled in this role.
When evaluating the Spitfire’s performance in these scenarios, it admittedly struggled, particularly due to engine cut-outs that affected Merlin-powered aircraft under negative Gs.
The Spitfire, designed for more traditional dogfighting, outperformed the Bf 109 in that regard. However, this approach was arguably less effective for quickly eliminating enemy aircraft. Hurricane ace Tom Neil noted, “All you needed was to go like a bat out of hell, clobber the other fellow and keep going. The 109 was very good at that.”
Just as the Germans did with the Spitfire and Hurricane, the British, when examining the Bf 109, failed to fully consider the tactics for which it was designed.
They didn’t like American aircraft much either
The Germans were also able to obtain American aircraft throughout the war, including P-47 Thunderbolts, P-38 Lightnings, and P-51 Mustangs. German fighter ace Walter Wolfrum, a recipient of WWII Germany’s highest award, the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, was able to test out some of the American aircraft.
Wolfrum said, “During the war, I had the opportunity to fly captured P-47s and P51s. I didn’t like the Thunderbolt. It was too big. The cockpit was immense and unfamiliar. After so many hours in the snug confines of the 109, everything felt out of reach and too far away from the pilot.
“Although the P-51 was a fine airplane to fly, because of its reactions and capabilities, it too was disconcerting. With all those levers, controls and switches in the cockpit, I’m surprised [their] pilots could find the time to fight.
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“We had nothing like this in the 109. Everything was simple and very close to the pilot. You fitted into the cockpit like a hand in a glove. Our instrumentation was complete, but simple: throttle, mixture control, and propeller pitch. How [the] pilots were able to work on all their gadgets and still function amazes me.”
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