DEFECTS REVEALED
MESSERSCHMITT FIGHTERS
INFERIOR MANOEUVRABILITY
(British Official Wireless.)
RUGBY, November 17.
Aerial actions over •• the "Western Front confirm pre-war reports of l^orwegian, Swiss, and Spanish pilots that the German standard single-seater fighter Messerschmitt 109, though extremely fast, lacks manoeuvrability and stalls very easily. The first defect] has been displayed in a number ofc combats in which the Messerschmitt was outclassed by the French Curtiss as well as by the British Spitfire fighter An example was provided in two dog-fights on November 6, each be-' tween nine Messerschmitts and seyen Curtiss machines. Four Messerschmitts, were destroyed, with no French losses. The effect oii the pilot of consciousness of inferior ability to manoeuvre is not to be underestimated.
Regarding the liability to stall, it is regarded as significant that very few Messerschmitts are flown at night, presumably owing to this defect.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 121, 18 November 1939, Page 13
Word Count
140DEFECTS REVEALED Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 121, 18 November 1939, Page 13
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