Bf109-G14
Variant
of Bf 109
Type Fighter/attacker
Crew One
Aces High II loadout
options
Package 1
2x 13 mm
MG 131 300 rpg
1x 20 mm MG 151/20 150 rpg
1x 20 mm MG 151/20 150 rpg
Package 2
2x 13 mm
MG 131 300 rpg
1x 30 mm MK 108 65 rpg
1x 30 mm MK 108 65 rpg
Options
2x 20 mm MG 151/20
150 Gondolas 125 rpg
1x 300 liter drop tank
1x 250kg bomb
Aces High II Main Arenas
Typical perk cost 0
ENY value 20
Available on carrier no
Overview
There is only one real term I'd use to describe the Bf109G-14, rocketsled. I think that is appropriate too, for the 109G14 is very fast, and can be about as dangerous if it gets out of control. Packing a heavy punch with the 30mm as the typical weapon of choice, the G14 has all the power and climb rate you could need to get you into position for a shot. Often used in a more interceptor role the G14 is also not bad as a fighter simply because almost nothing else can catch it. Still, the G14 is a plane were skill and smart flying are key, and the average pilot may become frustrated and move on to another ride.
People often ask about the "best" plane, and that's all a matter of perspective about what makes up "best". Typically people are looking for speed, and firepower, which the G14 has in spades. The problem arises when you explain that each of those comes with a penalty, the speed is dangerously close to out-of-control and the firepower, well, don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. Still, when used properly, it is one of the few planes capable of the instant knockout blow.
Engine Power
The 109G14 was a serious upgrade in engine power over previous 109's, which tended not to really lack power in the first place. The G14 is the 3rd fastest non-perk plane at sea-level, improving to the number 1 position as altitude increases over 10K. At sea-level it is capable of 337mph (366 with WEP), which like planes like the 190D9 makes it only average until you factor in the 29mph extra WEP buys you. Climb rate from sea-level is over 4,600ft/minute, #1 overall, and retaining that crown all the way to 25K or more. Short of something like the Me163, a lawn-dart with a rocket attached, the G14 is gives you the highest climb rate of anything. The speed just keeps coming too, at only 5K it cruises at 365mph (400mph with WEP), by 10K it's 380mph (410mph with WEP). You get the idea I'm sure, while all this time the climb rate has never fallen below 4,500ft/minute (it doesn't until 15K). Top speed for cruise is around 430mph @ 25.5K, while if you really want to show off, WEP at 22K will give you 450mph. Speaking of WEP, the burn time on it is over 9 minutes of constant use, typically not leaving you short when you need it unless you've grossly abused your usage up to that point. Range on full internal fuel is a little short at 25minute on full internal fuel, with up to 18 minutes more in a drop tank. Typically you should always take the drop tank and at least 75% internal fuel as extensive WEP use will make the drop tank appear like a thimble, sucking it dry in not time. Fighting in the 109G14 with full internal fuel can be a problem as the aircraft will struggle under the load, so burning at least 25% of the internal fuel can help. Acceleration is outstanding, if a little harsh because of the huge torque created from the powerful engine. The torque is no bad, that at altitude and high power settings, even maximum trim settings are unable to deal with torque and the aircraft will slowly change heading, even under autopilot.
Weapons
The 109G14 has a lot of options, but they all start with a pair of cowl mounted 13mm MG 131's with 300 rounds/gun (which arrived in the 109 when the G6 arrived). These are decent weapons, and the close pairing, along with setting the convergence out to D650, gives a relatively long reach to keep targets honest. The 13mm are decent close in weapons, plus should cause concern to anyone getting pinged by them even at range. The next decision is usually not tough, but it really should be, the spinner cannon. You can mount either a 20mm or a 30mm spinner cannon (150 rounds or 60 rounds respectively) which fires straight off your viewline from the cockpit. While the 30mm is vastly more effective, in my experience it also has some drawbacks. Specifically, it is tough to aim, has a short firing duration (only 60 rounds), and it seems to add some weight to the front of the aircraft which changes the handling a bit. That said, the average fighter cannot survive even a single 30mm, so it's usually a one hit, one kill, type weapon. Most people choose the 30mm for this reason, and in the hands of an experience pilot and with some practice, it is brutally effective.
In addition to the standard armament, you have some additional options with bombs, air-to-air rockets, and 20mm gun pods. The bomb really isn't a great idea since it takes up the valuable drop tank position and it is of relatively small size (250kg ~ 510lbs). Leave it in the hanger and get someone else to bring bombs if you need them (or pick another plane). The air-to-air rockets are neat, but I don't know of anyone who has really had a whole lot of success with them. They seem to have impact or time-delay fuzes, but getting into the proper position to use them is rather tough, and puts you in poor position if you want to follow up that attack with guns (since you need to be trailing the target which is suicidal when you close for guns attacks). The last option, Gondolas, is likely to stir some argument as some people are practitioners of using them, while others avoid them like the plague. Here's what I think, once you load gondolas you've given up on maneuvering and have gone for the "interceptor" package. The gondolas strip off speed, and handling, but add a pair of wing mounted 20mm cannons with 125 rounds/gun for when you really need to bring all the firepower you can. Typically, this would be for attacking bombers, where losing a little speed is less serious than gaining one-pass-one-kill type firepower from the combination of 30mm spinner, twin 20mm, and twin 13mm. A half second shot with that firepower at D200 will knock anything from the air from pretty much any angle. The gondolas also offer a better snap-shot, something the 30mm doesn't as it fires too slowly, thus the reason some people take the gondolas all the time. It's your choice.
Maneuverability
All 109 versions had a problem as they grew heavier and heavier with each release without a basic addition of larger wings or more lift.Even in a lightly loaded configuration, the G14 is not very maneuverable under most conditions. It is heavy, often overloaded with the 30mm cannon, drop tank, and maybe even gondolas. The wingloading of the 109 simply grew worse and worse as subsequent models were released. The 109E4 started at ~5,900lbs, the F4 at ~6,400lbs, G2 at ~6850lbs, G6 at ~6900, and G10 at a whopping 7400lbs. That made for a plane that increased weight over 25%, significantly hurting the performance, and this doesn't account for adding the likes of gondolas which must add at least another 300 pounds. This lead to a plane that typically has great difficulty turning and should never be used as a turn-fighter against anything, even some light bombers which can likely out-turn it. Roll rate is also poor, made all that much worse with heavy gondolas mounted on the wings.
Another problem aspect of 109 handling is high speed compression, which was likely never really anticipated in the original design. The 109E4 was a 340mph fighter while the 109G14 is a 450mph fighter. By 400mph, the effective of high speed are already showing on the 109G14, with decreased roll rate, heavy stick forces, and some lack of turn authority. By 450mph the effects are dramatic, which is almost unexcusable on something that can cruise at 430mph, clean. Notch that up only a little bit, and by 470mph you are in serious trouble, the controls being dangerously unresponsive. Add that to the horsepower to quickly smash through 470mph if even in a shallow dive and you have a recipie for disaster. Complete loss of control in a 109G14 because of excess speed is very common and regaining control may be difficult or impossible before the plane accelerates further out of control and structurally fails, or meets the ground. Enemies know this too, and will attempt to suck you into high speed dives, knowing you can not follow without walking an incredibly dangerous line between marginal control and lawn-dart.
Flying the 109G14
Reading my previous sections you may be thinking the 109G10 is a death-trap, well, it can be if you let it get away from you for even a second. You must always watch yourself in the G14, realizing when is time to slow down a bit and when it is better to break off and look for something better. All the tools are there to get yourself in deep trouble, a high climb rate that is bound to get you into position to dive on people, and a cruise speed than can put you within only a couple of mph of total loss of control.
Offensively, the G14 is a pure BnZ'r, slash-attacker, or energy fighter when light. When heavy with gondolas I'd always think "interceptor" is a better term though it can still be pretty decent as a fighter with some practice. Try and get slightly above any likely opponents, cruising in at top speed and watching for targets. Before committing to an attack, slow down slightly, cutting your engine and maybe maneuvering a bit to scrub of some speed (with rudder often). This is mostly for safety reasons because as soon as you enter the BnZ phase you don't want to have to watch your speedometer to ensure overspeed. Never dive at full throttle, it's not usually necessary to actually have any throttle opened until you bottom out and start your climb again. Take your shot, then climb back up and turn, looking for your next target. Never follow a diving opponent as you are unlikely to catch him while retaining enough control to actually aim your guns. In a slashing style attack, dive earlier, coming into a pile of enemies Co-alt but with maximum speed. Look for aircraft that will present a shot without having to maneuver much, either as an aircraft crosses infront of you, or as you sneak up on one from behind. Fire at short ranges, not bothering to fire the 13mm as it can confuse the situation about which weapon is hitting (you want the 30mm to land hits, not the 13mm).
Defensively, the G14 is pretty hard pressed to do anything except try and run or climb away. Climbing is not often an option if the enemy has superior energy though if you are both slow you may be able to initiate a spiral climb, turning just enough to deny a gun shot while climbing out of trouble. If you are that slow though, you are in trouble, so any defensive is almost a last ditch thing. Usually, the G14's main defense is a combination of speed and climb, staying fast enough that an enemy can not catch you, then initiating a climb to build more energy so he won't considered coming back (and will likely break off knowing he's in trouble of you getting above him if he stays). Natural reaction in most planes is to dive away from trouble, but in the 109 that can be deadly. The best maneuvering speed for the G14 appears to be between 375-425mph, a fairly narrow range, but within that it can usually hold it's own, at least for a while against an average opponent. Packing gondolas is going to reduce your top speed by more than 10mph, which may not sound like much, but might make it impossible to run from some opponents at low altitudes.
A couple of final G14 thoughts, it really is an excellent aircraft, but another example of a plane that deserves an veteran pilot. It can quickly make an excellent pilot out of you because it tends to have a lot of maintenance to perform while in combat, watching your speed, trimming, getting close to shoot, etc. Once you learn to handle the variety of issues it presents, it makes flying almost anything else easy. It also offers the capability to remove yourself from trouble even if you get a late start and is fairly survivable.
Fighting the Bf109G14
Most G14 pilots simply don't know how to handle the aircraft. It's like issuing a Ferrari to someone who just got their licence, it's way over their heads and they are as much a danger to themselves as anyone else. Most G14 pilots then load up gondolas, full internal fuel, drop tanks, and the 30mm cannon, climb to 25K and decide to dive to 10K to attack a low enemy. Either that or they bump into someone Co-alt and decide to try and turn-fight a P-51 instead of simply blowing by and leading the P-51 in a hopeless chase.
When attacking the G14, it's best to get above them, or hope you come in above them. Usually this is only the case if the G14 has been around a while and hasn't quite left yet when you arrive. If he's already there, then you are unlikely to put on altitude faster than he can. Try and slow him down, or force him to turn to avoid you attacks. Even his turns may not be very tight so you may have a chance to take a snapshot as you pass. If the G10 can get even one opportunity at escape he is likely to take it and you are unlikely to be able to follow. Long chases on a G14 are near hopeless unless you know you can catch him with pure speed (which is unlikely unless he's still got lots of drag from stuff on his aircraft). If you initiate a long chase and can't catch him, he'll likely start a climb at high speed and you will not be able to follow for long, falling back and below him... which is a very dangerous place to be when he reverses to come back. Almost everything can out-turn a G14, so if you can force a G14 into a turn-fight you likely have him, as long as he can't eventually escape because of climb/acceleration.
If a 109G14 bounces you from above, decide if you have enough speed and altitude to avoid him. If the G14 seems intent on picking on you, and you have some altitude to work with, wait till the G14 dives and then initiate your own dive, attempting to get him to either break off (knowing he has high speed handling problems), or even better, to follow you down, losing control and handing the initative back to you. Once out of control, the G14 is in serious trouble, possibly unable to regain control or may suffer structural failures. You can use this time to either change direction and escape, or maneuver to turn the tables and get behind him. I've had frequent success with both tactics, often following a G14 straight to the ground for a auger kill, while I easily pull out and zoom back up, no ammunition expended. Break turns can be effective, but don't allow anything that might represent a decent shot for his 30mm cannon. Always assume the G14 has a 30mm, and for that matter always assume that the 109 you are fighting, for terms of speed and climb, is a 109G10. Never Head-On a G14 since that is almost certainly fatal and you likely always have the excess maneuvering potential to spoil the shot.
A couple of last notes, the G14 is a premium aircraft and in the hands of a veteran pilot is nearly untouchable. If you find someone who flies a strict routine of BnZ's and never gives any chance of you counter attacking then you should try and make yourself a un-welcome target. If you have altitude below you, dive away and head for friends. Targets that are 3K or more lower than a G14 are not potential targets as the dive would build too much speed in the G14 to handle. He will either try and step down to your altitude, scrubbing speed, or look for someone else to pick on. Either way, you've likely bought yourself time to to leave or better pick the conditions of your fight.