The following is a chapter from a book published in 1943

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soviet Fighter Tactics

 

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Part I

 

(Translated from Russian, 2000)

 

 

 

 

 

Text from the book is not reproduced here in its entirety, and has been modified to correspond to today’s grammar

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Engaging the Me-109F and Me-109G2 fighters

 

Me-109 is the mainstay fighter of the Luftwaffe. Only two of the various versions of the aircraft are still in use by the end of 1943, namely the Me-109F and Me-109G2. We will now go over their flight data, gathered during flight-testing of captured aircraft.

 

Maximum speed of a Me-109F is 510 km/h at ground level and 559 km/h at an altitude of 3,000 meters; airspeed begins to decrease above 3,000 m.

Maximum speed of a Me-109F is almost equal to that of our Yak-1, and is slower than the Yak above 3000 meters.

 

The table below outlines top speeds of a Me-109G2 by altitude:

Altitude	Airspeed
Ground level	505 km/h
1,000 meters	535 km/h
2,000 meters	564 km/h
3,000 meters	586 km/h
4,000 meters	592 km/h
5,000 meters	593 km/h
6,000 meters	621 km/h
7,000 meters	650 km/h
8,000 meters	643 km/h
9,000 meters	630 km/h
10,000 meters	603 km/h

The Me-109G2 fighter has the speed advantage over most our fighters at an altitude over 5,000 meters, and is inferior to our latest fighters.

 

We must try to negate the speed advantage during dogfights. This can be done in two ways, the most important of which is taking good care of your aircraft.

 

In one of the regiments, fighter pilots would complain that their Yaks did not give anywhere near the promised airspeed. When their machines were checked, it was found that the engine would not produce the intended rotations due to the propeller calibrated incorrectly. In addition, landing gear in retracted position had a gap of several millimeters from the lower wing surface, which would cause various parts of the gear to stick out while in flight; camouflage paint was done improperly and had bulges all over. Moreover, the pilots would open the radiator exhaust too much, and the canopy could not be opened or closed in the air, etc. When all of those problems were fixed, the airplanes not only met but exceeded the posted airspeed. Thus, not taking good care of your airplane can mean losing the edge in the dogfight.

 

The next method of negating the enemy’s advantage is employing advanced tactics. Speed disadvantage, as it has been discussed numerous times before, can be compensated for by altitude advantage, and thus being capable of quick speed boost during dive. German Me-109 fighters, when facing even greatly inferior airplanes (e.g. Hurricanes) that have altitude advantage, would rarely engage them as they knew their airspeed could not protect them against attacks from above.

 

Besides, it must be remembered that the Me-109 can only hold the maximum airspeed indicated above for no longer than 1 or 2 minutes in horizontal flight, as their engine overheats and causes the coolant to boil. Therefore, if a Me-109 encounters our Yak 1 or La 5 that have the altitude advantage, he would not be able to disengage just by using superior airspeed. German pilots try to enter a dogfight so that they have an altitude advantage, and their attacks are fast, quick dives followed by quick climbs straight up in majority of the cases.

 

Climb Rate

 

Me-109F can climb to 5,000 meters in 5.4 minutes.

 

When compared to Yak-1 data, we can see that the Me-109F has better climb rate under 3,000-3,500 meters. Me-109G2 climbs better even at higher altitudes. Our newer fighters have better climb rate than Me-109G above 4,000 meters; several types climb better at all altitudes.

 

Keep in mind that the speed of climb, as well as airspeed, is greatly dependant on altitude. If a fighter is above it’s opponent, then after a diving attack it can climb with immense energy and zoom up at an almost unbelievable angle.

 

This is what creates the wrong impression with some pilots about real capabilities of German fighters, namely the Me-109G2. A pilot that sees a Me-109 zooming past him with incredible speed, and climbing up immediately can sometimes forget that this is al achieved not as much by having a superior airplane, but rather by superior tactics and altitude advantage, that creates momentary speed boost. Influenced by personal impression, such pilots would often contribute incredible, inexistent advantages to the Me-109.

 

Real experience of our aces shows that Yak-1, La-5, LaGG-3, Kittyhawk, Aerocobra, Hurricane and the like, when engaging the Me-109 and having altitude advantage of several hundred meters, can easily win the fight. During the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, even the Chaikas (I-153s) shot down Me-109s. What really decides the outcome of an air battle is the tactics, most importantly the ability to take an advantageous position above the opponent.

 

Maneuverability

 

Horizontal maneuverability in a Me-109 is not that great. An experienced pilot can make a full turn in 20-21 seconds. Sharp horizontal turns are hard to do as the plane easily stalls; you rarely see snap turns in a Me-109.

 

German fighter pilots rarely fight horizontally as they know that entering a turning fight means losing initiative and giving it to whoever stays vertical. Initiative, as we’ve discussed earlier, has the foremost importance in a dogfight; thus, it is not recommended for our pilots to fight horizontally as well.

 

If for any reason you are engaged in a horizontal fight, it would make more sense to turn to the right as most of our airplanes turn to the right better and many German pilots, especially the less experienced ones, cannot turn to the right well. Every fighter pilot must be able to make right turns flawlessly. In addition, you should avoid alternating turns when your attacker is behind, as your airplane makes an excellent target when changing turn directions.

Me-109 dives rather well. It gains airspeed quickly and loses our fighters easily when in a dive. It is not recommended to follow a diving Me-109. It is best to stay above, slightly lowering your plane’s nose just to keep the enemy in sight, and dive into the Me-109 after it exits it’s dive.

View Animation

Me-109 loses a great deal of altitude when exiting a dive. It is very difficult for a Me-109 to exit a deep dive at a small altitude. It is also very hard to alter direction during a high-speed dive. When it is needed to alter directions during a dive, Me-109 will usually end the attack and climb to repeat the attack in a new direction. This particular weakness of a Me-109 can be exploited by our fighters.

 

Armament

 

Me-109F has two machine guns and one cannon; Me-109G2 has three cannons and one machine gun, all shooting straight forward. Me109F has 500 bullets per machine gun and 200 shells per cannon; Me-109G2 has 500 bullets in the machine gun, 200 shells in the center cannon and 140 in each wing cannon.

 

When attacking bombers, gunners usually prevent fighters from getting up close; there is no such obstacle when engaging the Me-109. Of course, it is always best to begin firing up close, but it is only possible when the enemy does not see the attacker and allows it to get close.

 

The faster you move toward the enemy, the less chance it has to notice you. This explains the desire of the attacker to approach the target as fast as possible.

 

During an engagement, the enemy can be exposed for fire at various distances and various angles. Even though a fighter should try to fire at the enemy from it’s 6 o’clock and close distance, if that does not seem feasible the pilot should be capable of a long distance deflection shot.

 

If the attacker is noticed, then the defender is of course not going to wait to be shot down, but will try to sake the attacker off. Whatever maneuver is employed however, the plane will not immediately begin moving sideways, and thus the attacker will still be able to take a shot with a good probability of a hit. No opportunity should be wasted in this situation to fire at the German.

 

When attacking the Me-109, and especially the Me-109G2, from the forward half-sphere (from 9 to 3 o’clock) it’s great firepower should be kept in mind. Attacks from the 3-9 line can be performed without counter attack during a deep dive, but they are ineffective as they give little opportunity to hit the enemy. Diving from straight ahead gives the enemy a chance to raise nose and fire back. Considering the fact that it takes more time to change directions in horizontal pane than in vertical, it is much better to attack from the 3-9 line in shallow dive.

 

Using rockets against fighters is possible, but it is very difficult to aim accurately unless approaching an unsuspecting fighter from above and firing from close distance. After that, a dogfight becomes so quick and situation changes so quickly that firing rockets is almost useless. Besides, they have significant weight and forward drag that affects the airplanes flight characteristics. It would make sense to employ rockets on I-16 and I-153, but they should not be fired in one or two (as when engaging bombers), but in salvoes of four rockets with interval of 0.2 or 0.4 seconds.

 

It is possible to taran the Me-109. Lieutenant Potapov successfully taran’ed a Me-109 on July 4, 1942. Such examples however, are not very numerous at this moment.

 

Vulnerable Points of Me-109

 

Vulnerable points of a Me-109 - engine, pilot and fuel tanks – are located in the front of the fuselage close to each other. Thus, the whole front half of the fuselage is a vulnerable spot. The only vulnerable spots in the wing are the radiators. The total vulnerable area is much smaller than that of a bomber, thus the effective fire distance for a fighter should be no more than 300 meters for a 20 mm cannon and a 12.7 mm machine gun. However, the actual effective fire distance that ensures a good probability of hitting an enemy fighter is no more than 100 meters.

 

When firing from 3 or 9 o’clock, visible vulnerable area increases, but not as much as for a bomber.

 

Placement of Armor on a Me-109F is shown below

The armor is extremely ineffective against armor-piercing ammunition, and should not be taken into consideration.

 

Me-109G armor is no different from the one on Me-109F, with the exception of the 18 mm plate behind the fuel tank that consists of several sheets of thin aluminum. Its intention is to strip the incendiary mix off the ammunition; it cannot be considered armor, as it does nothing to actually stop the bullet. In addition, as our research shows, the plate does not perform its intended function; on the contrary, it improves the probability of the incendiary ammo setting the tank on fire.

 

Me-109G2 armor is of the following thickness:

Area	Thickness
Headrest	9.4 mm
Armored plating	4.4 mm
Seat	8 mm

 

Armor protects the pilot from attacks from 6 o’clock from 45 degrees high to 35 degrees low. The pilot is protected poorly from attacks from the sides; even with 10 degrees off-nose the pilot is protected only partially. Me-109G2 armor can be penetrated with a medium caliber bullet from 100 meters; a 12.7 mm armor-piercing bullet will cut through it from up to 400 meters.

 

Cockpit armored glass only protects the pilot from medium caliber ammunition; 12.7 caliber bullets penetrate it easily.

 

Me-109F fuel tank has enough fuel for two hours of flight. Me-109G2 has enough fuel for one hour of flight at slow speeds. Fuel is used up very quickly at top speeds or during a dogfight; Me-109G will exhaust its full fuel capacity in 40 to 45 minutes. The fuel tank protector mixture (? not sure what the English equivalent is) can fill up to 20 medium caliber bullet holes, and 5 or 6 12.7 mm holes. Incendiary bullet hitting the fuel tank above the fuel level will usually ignite the fumes and cause the tank to explode. Protector liquid does not perform well at low temperatures; during winter the liquid freezes, crumbles and fails to close any bullet holes.

 

Cockpit visibility is one of the Me-109’s main weaknesses. It is not without reason that this plane is considered one of the “blindest” fighters. Cockpit is very cramped, canopy cannot be opened in flight and the armored headrest takes a lot of space. It is incredibly difficult for the pilot to see directly behind and below him. Me-109 pilots cannot see an attacker coming in from 6 o’clock low.

 

German pilots base their tactics on their planes capabilities. Bad visibility from the Me-109 causes them to use wide formations that allow one flank to see behind the other. Germans try to attack from above, with a short dive at close distance, climbing up sharply and will usually make a 90 or 180 degree turn at the end of the climb to look around.

 

Me-109s would avoid high altitude in 1941 and attempt to engage enemy fighters at 1,500 to 2,500 meters, its most favorable altitude. After Luftwaffe received the Me-109G2s in 1942, high altitude engagements happen much more often as this aircraft has an improved engine. Dogfights now occur anywhere under 8,000 meters. This allows us to assume that dogfights will continue to happen at higher altitudes as the time progresses, considering the fact both sides now understand better than ever the importance of altitude advantage. This brings all fighter pilots to one conclusion: you must always be prepared for a high altitude encounter during any flight. You must have your oxygen canisters open and oxygen mask ready and your weapons should be prepared. Moreover, young pilots should receive better high altitude training.

 

Germans use the Me-109G2 as a hunter. They usually attack single planes in pairs, and are known to attack planes taking off and landing at airfields close to the front, thus often preventing any activity.

 

When attacked by our fighter, Me-109 tries to escape by banking and sideslipping, or sharp turns, diving, climbing, barrel rolls and sometimes other maneuvers. At the same time, other planes from the same group will turn into the attacker to, in their own turn, attack our fighter. To prevent such tactics, the attacker must be covered by his wingman. It is highly recommended that Me-109s be attacked by pairs and only the leader should fire; wingman should do nothing but protect the leader.