Hello DerAdler and Cheddar!
Yes. The dogfighting variants of the Bf109 G and K were in equal terms with the P-51.
The Fw190 D "Dora" was perhaps superior to the P51, and not to mention the Ta152. Yes, the latest variants of the Fw190´s saw service in small numbers, but they had striking performance records and a certain number of P-51 pilots did not live to tell the story when they encountered some of those few German machines.
Now, regarding the IL-2M, I do think I have sound arguments to affirm it was a piece of crap.
I do not think comparing the Shturmovik with the Stuka will bring clear conclusions. When you affirm the two aircraft had the same speed (which is correct) you are not taking into account one important fact: the IL-2 had a retractable undercarriage while the Stuka´s was a fixed one.
A non-retractable undercarriage will cause drag, so a bad point for the IL-2 in the speed department.
The IL-2 indeed caused important damage to the German ground positions, and perhaps that sole fact makes it a succesful ground attack machine, yet I do not think it achieved the magnitude of destruction the Stuka did during the glorious days of Barbarossa.
The swarms of IL-2´s perhaps killed as much of their fellow soldier comrades than they killed German troops, especially during Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944.
I do think its battle record was more the product of very high numbers sent to the battle rather than quality of the machine.
I have several hours on video showing Luftwaffe guncamera footage in the eastern front.
I assume most of the German kills shown came from a wide variety of German fighters: Bf109 F´s, G´s and K´s, Bf110, Fw190´s...
You can not understand the word clumsy until you see the IL-2M in the air.
Its maneuverability was virtually zero. The USAAF´s B-26 is a hummingbird compared to the IL-2.
In several shots, the Germans score some hits in certain parts of the plane which appear to absorb some level of damage. But in many many others, the view is even disturbing: the IL-2M´s getting virtually pulverized by the German guns, you can clearly see the bodies of the rear gunners falling down with limbs horribly twisted like rag dolls.
It appears like the first target was the rear gunner, which could be taken out without extreme trouble, then the German fighter would virtually place itself a few dozens of meters away from the IL-2 tail and then proceed to chew it.
That the IL-2M included a rear gunner as new feature has been totally overrated. The defensive machine gun doctrine practiced by all air forces during WWII proved to be a failure.
While all planes, you name it, fighters and bombers (Stuka, Bf110, IL-2M, B-17, B-24, Lancaster, Stirling, He111, Do17, Do217, Pe-2, etc.) which carried defensive machine guns would eventually shoot down a certain number of enemy interceptors, the concept itself was proved wrong.
No matter how heavily packed with defensive machine gun fire your plane is if it can not manouver with ease. Your less armed, but very fast and manouverable enemy will bring you down in bigger numbers.
From some conversation I have had with Russian veterans: the vast majority of the IL-2 crews were hastily trained, and there were many many cases when the rear gunners could hardly operate de 12.7 machine gun.
The high command of the VVS couldn´t care less: their sole concern was to push the German west as fast as possible with utter disregard of human cost.
They told me the IL-2 was the aerial version of the soviet infantry, pressed into service to endure frightful losses yet managing to achieve the task.
I was also told, Germans captured intact IL-2M´s by the hundreds, and sent them back to Germany for further testing, and their conclusion was they could not believe such a piece of crap had been put into massive production.
The Germans were very objective about soviet armament and when they liked some of the soviet toys, they said it crystal clear and even pressed such captured weaponry into service in the German army.
The funny thing here is that only soviet airplane of the war which is famous and considered a brilliant machine for western guys happenes to be a armored flying turkey, while many of the indeed excellent planes such as the La-7 are frequently underrated.
Cheers!