Yeah, it was ze eff. They made a tropical model as well for better performance in Africa. Engine tweaks mostly. That was part of Germany's problem overall and one the US got right. Germany kept modifying their vehicles to the point nothing was standardized. Our Shermans were a bunch of "good enough" vehicles that had surprising survivability. Granted, most of the US citizenry is descended from Germans so I would argue it's just one philosophy of German engineering vs. another. With that said, Germany wasn't wrong in continuous modifications to their vehicles. They didn't have the industrial capacity that we had, so every piece of equipment manufactured mattered. Unless you were Porsche... Porsche was filled with dumbasses. The Ferdinand, Porsche Tiger... Bad. Bad bad bad. >Energy fighting is for the white man. True, but turn fighting is key at low altitudes. That was a problem Horton tried to solve with the 229. It was a giant wing, giving it a great surface area, which in turn allowed it to perform stupid maneuvers that was as close to a UFO as we could get without antigrav tech courtesy of Die Glocke and the Haunebu program (which is my personal theory... Die Glocke was an engine. An antigrav engine. That's why they had it chained for testing at the "Nazi Stonehenge". And 190's.... Fat pigs indeed. It's funny how alike the P-47 and 190 aircraft were though. As far as I understand it, they were designed independently (not as a counter to the other) and reached the same "big nigger with many boombooms" conclusion. I'd call them "medium fighters". Not heavy like a P-38 Lightning or a Bf-110, but not light like a Spitfire or a 109. What's funny about the 190 and the 109 is you would *think* the 109 would have better visibility for the pilot, particularly with how the nose of the aircraft sits in relation to the cockpit. The 190, it looks like you'd be trying to look over the engine the whole time. It's hilarious because it's flipped. The 109's sucked visibility-wise. Sucked is a bit intense, but checking your rear was practically impossible. Part of it is likely due to air doctrine of the 109. Nobody should be on your rear because you're either higher up or zipping so fast anyone on your tail won't get any good shots off. The Brits at least added a top mirror for their pilots. I think in a 109 that had to be a custom modification you made. They didn't come standard. 190 cockpits were fucking awesome with visibility though. If you have a VR headset and Il-2 Sturmovik or War Thunder, fly around in one. It's a blast. And no, I don't get all my information from muh vidya. Though they do provide useful insights, particularly when you can literally fly them yourself just by sitting with a TV strapped to your face and a joystick in your hand.