AXIS FIGHTERS
Fw 190A-4
Heavy guns, good for bomber interception. Also the king of 0-4000 ft where it holds a distinct speed advantage over the Allied fighters. Also rolls great so can jinx well while escaping. The worst turn fighter though so boom n zoom is the key.
Bf 109F-4
The prime version of the Bf 109's according to most German ww2 pilots, and a great fighter indeed. Has the same speed as the Bf 109G-2 except above 22000 ft. The Bf 109F-4 turns better though and is overall lighter. Can outspeed all Allied fighters except the P-38G when above 15000 ft. Can outturn the P-38G and P-40F but not the British fighters.
Bf 109G-2
Heavier and somewhat less agile than the Bf 109F-4. The Bf 109G-2 was plauged by engine problems and German pilots were forbidden to use WEP (1.42 ata) until June 8 1943. This hampers the Bf 109G-2's top performance, but it is faster than the F-4 above 22000 ft.
Macchi C.202's
A very well designed Italian airframe but with an outdated engine (Same as the Bf 109E-4Aa). Also very lightly armed. Quite agile at high speeds though and can dive very well. It is also able to outturn the American fighters, but not the British. The S.III has only 2x 12.7 mm MG's. The S.VII has an additional 2x 7.7 mm MG's. This somewhat reduces it's turn, roll, speed and climb performance compared to the S.III for a small gain in firepower.
Bf 110C-4
An outdated fighter that is best used for dive bombing and jabo raids with it's 2x 2200 lb bomb load. It has lots of ammo and decent armament but is outclassed by contemporary Allied fighters.
ALLIED FIGHTERS
P-38G
The king of high altitudes. This fighter is effective as a dive bomber with it's 2x1000 lb bombs, but it's engines really suffers at low altitude and it's not very agile. It is heavily armed though and can pack a good punch. Above 23000 ft though is where the P-38G really shines, able to outspeed all German fighters and gets an even larger advantage the higher up you go.
Spitfire Vb
A great turn fighter with good armament, although short cannon clip. Generally outperforms the Bf 109's below 15000 ft but loses power above this altitude.
P-40F
A P-40 using the Merlin XX engine as the Hurricane IIc. A decent all-round fighter best used below 15000 ft. Struggles to turn with the more nimble Bf 109's but has good speed at low altitudes and with wingman tactics it can cut a swath with it's good 6x.50 cal armament.
Hurricane IIc
Packing a heavy punch with 4x 20 mm cannons, and also turns inside a Bf 109. It's top speed leaves a lot to be desired though and Hurricane pilots should try to make it a turning knife-fight.
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/Robert