Playing with various scenarios recently, i just realized this: if the germans somehow don't get into the whole destroyer thing and drift toward a more soviet style rationalization of aircraft production (concentrating on fewer and most useful types), which destroyer obsession overall did a lot more harm than good (even if the Me-110 was a fairly useful night-fighter), and use those resources to just build more Bf-109s instead, and assuming engine production is similar, replacing the over 6000 Me-110, 700 Me-210 (but the whole debacle cost another potential 1500 airframes) and 1200 Me-410 will give us no less than roughly 15,000 (!) Bf-109s and roughly 2500 FW-190C normaljagers (which is an ATL in itself, as i understand the FW-190C could face the P-51 and P-47 at least on equal terms). PLUS if those 1500 potential zestrorers production is not lost, we have ANOTHER 3000 Bf-109s.
And if we really go the whole hog, scrapping the He-177 debacle gives us enough engines for another say 4500 Bf-109s easily.
Yes, they need more nightfighters to cover for the lack of Me-110s, but building more Ju-88s for instance instead of the He-177 (remember the overproduction of Jumo-211, with 7000 engines sitting around in depots) gives us about 2500 Ju-88. And if for instance they don't mess about Henschel and they let them keep building Ju-88s (and just forget about Hs-129 too), probably number wise the lack of Me-110s is almost covered.
The Me-109 of course has shorter range, which can be partly compensated by putting drop tanks on the 109 before the war. But whereas the Me-110 proved unable to cope with opposing fighters except early in the war and mostly against obsolete opponents, the Bf-109 was deadly all the way to 1945, especially so until 1943. One 110 actually consumes more fuel than two 109s.
So, how this affects the airwar? More Bf-109s means daylight bomber or Stuka attacks are better protected so there will somewhat fewer losses, and with drop tanks the 109 can fight over London for another 20 minutes or so. RAF will be more hard pressed as the 109 had a positive kill ratio against the RAF fighters, unlike the lumbering 110.. There would be more 109s over places like Malta, or Crete, North Africa, the Channel or in the east where the Bf-109 was always deadly against contemporary british, US or soviet fighters. There could be more exports to Italy, Hungary, Romania or Finland, which would be absolutely thrilled to exchange the obsolete motley collection of machines they were using all the way into 1944 for the deadly 109s. There were a lot of very experienced pilots in those countries flying obsolete planes, with Bf-109s they would be far more effective and deadly to the opposition, be it british, american or soviet.
What you make of this? Could those 20,000 Bf-109s actually tip the balance in some crucial battles/campaigns?
And if we really go the whole hog, scrapping the He-177 debacle gives us enough engines for another say 4500 Bf-109s easily.
Yes, they need more nightfighters to cover for the lack of Me-110s, but building more Ju-88s for instance instead of the He-177 (remember the overproduction of Jumo-211, with 7000 engines sitting around in depots) gives us about 2500 Ju-88. And if for instance they don't mess about Henschel and they let them keep building Ju-88s (and just forget about Hs-129 too), probably number wise the lack of Me-110s is almost covered.
The Me-109 of course has shorter range, which can be partly compensated by putting drop tanks on the 109 before the war. But whereas the Me-110 proved unable to cope with opposing fighters except early in the war and mostly against obsolete opponents, the Bf-109 was deadly all the way to 1945, especially so until 1943. One 110 actually consumes more fuel than two 109s.
So, how this affects the airwar? More Bf-109s means daylight bomber or Stuka attacks are better protected so there will somewhat fewer losses, and with drop tanks the 109 can fight over London for another 20 minutes or so. RAF will be more hard pressed as the 109 had a positive kill ratio against the RAF fighters, unlike the lumbering 110.. There would be more 109s over places like Malta, or Crete, North Africa, the Channel or in the east where the Bf-109 was always deadly against contemporary british, US or soviet fighters. There could be more exports to Italy, Hungary, Romania or Finland, which would be absolutely thrilled to exchange the obsolete motley collection of machines they were using all the way into 1944 for the deadly 109s. There were a lot of very experienced pilots in those countries flying obsolete planes, with Bf-109s they would be far more effective and deadly to the opposition, be it british, american or soviet.
What you make of this? Could those 20,000 Bf-109s actually tip the balance in some crucial battles/campaigns?
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