109G6VSP51

SECTION 13.5

Bf-109G-6 "Gustav"
vs P-51 Mustang

SECTION 13.6
Bf-109G-6 vs. YAK-9

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COMPARISON TO THE P-51 FAMILY:
P-51B: A strange combination of great speed, good high speed handling and pathetic firepower; though the P-51B can be a painful antagonist in the right hands. The P-51B's advantages over the Gustav are (1) speed, (2) better dive handling and (3) superb energy retention.
P-51D: This model Pony addressed some of the problems with the P-51B & C models. Though slightly slower than the B model Pony the D makes up for the shortcomings in armament with 6x.50 cal. MG's and the limited visibility of the B model with a new "bubble" canopy.
BF-109G-6: The Gustav is more maneuverable at slow and medium speeds, accelerates better, climbs better and is superior in a verticle fight.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
    The P-51 did not earn the name "Runstang" for nothing. Poor P-51 pilots may try to dogfight you and you'll end up behind them and watch them dive away. Don't even bother chasing. If he comes back great. If he doesn't, it's no loss. For this reason it is a good idea to only fire on a P-51 when you know you can kill it. Dive on him, out-accelerate him. get really close and let him have it all in one shot. Most often, P-51 pilots then to "cruise along" even in a fight, untill they get pinged. Then they point the nose towards the ground and run away. Hitting them all in one shot prevents that "Runstang" instinct from taking over.
     A good P-51 pilot can be a real headache. He'll use energy conserving maneuvers to "Boom and Zoom" you all day, and then when you use your superior verticle ability to position on his 6, he'll run away. Frustrating as it may be, this kind of P-51 pilot flies smart and flies to live, and you gotta respect that.
     Since the Gustav climbs better than the P-51, by all means spend some time on climbout to gain some altitude. There is little or no excuse to let a P-51 get above you. When P-51's are about, stay high and you will kill them often.

ACM:
You won't need a lot of ACM to fight off the P-51 if you will remember your main goal is to get above them so you can surprise and kill them. Should you need to do battle with a P-51 down low it is best to fight in the VERTICLE where the strengths of your a/c come into play. The P-51 is best at high speeds and because of his power flaps can turn with you at high speeds. Make him bleed off his E in a turnfight and he becomes vulnerable.
An interesting catch is when the P-51 is put in it's historical role of bomber escort. Here, running away means certain death for the bombers the P-51 was ment to escort. Thus, in this situation a good 109 tactic is for the Gustav's to engage the escort and either run or draw them away from their charges while the 190's and 20mm gondola armed 109's move in to finish off the bombers.

MULTI VS. MULTI FIGHT:
Beware of the P-51's wingman. If your flight of Gustavs runs across a bomber formation escorted by 2-4 P-51's, then the fight shouldn't be so hard. On the other hand in a very large multi aircraft fight the P-51 becomes an excelent dogfighting machine. The Pony you are chasing just keeps just out of reach and waits for his wingman to come in and blast you. It is imperative for you to have a wingman with whom you can share constant support.
In fact, I recommend useing the 109's superior climb to keep any P-51's at a disadvantage and not let them employ wingman tactics at all. Like the Spit vs 109 fight, don't fight P-51's the way P-51's prefer to fly. Don't chase them, stay above them and catch the unwary ones.

HISTORY:
The 109G-6 "GUSTAV" was the first "universial" 109 and was produced in greater numbers than any other 109 variant. It was universial in the staggering of modifications that could be made to the airframe to suit different needs very easily. These included underwing 21cm rockets, two extra 20mm cannon fitted in gondolas, ground attack variants, engine upgrades and many others. 12mm machine guns replaced the 7.7mm guns of the G-2 model in the nose cowling and bumbs on the fuselage were needed to make room for the gun breeckes (hence it's German nickname, Beule or bump).
A stock 109G-6 was usually slower than the G-2, as it carried heavier armor, armament and was less aerodynamic. However most 109G-6 were eventully upgraded to the U/2 or U/3 variant either in the factory or in the field. The U/2 added GM-1 nitrous-oxide boosting and the U/3 had MW-50 methanol/water injection which produced an impressive 1,800 hp.