Yeah Robyn me too...would be really interesting to compare the Spitfire with the German ME 109...would it not? I think the Spitfire was lighter and stronger but not sure.
I seem to remember from Len Deighton's 'Fighter', that Bf109 pilot's would avoid direct high 'G' manoeuvres against the Spitfire because although the 109 could,
aerodynamically, out turn its rival, Luftwaffe pilots were reluctant to press on that hard. This was because - however well the 109 was designed - the wings were removable at the roots; the undercarriage is fixed to the fuselage, not the wing as the Spitfire. And they would often demonstrate this weak point - dramatically.
The main advantage the 109 had over the Spitfire was the fuel injection/carburetter issue, allowing the Messerschmidt to
push over into the dive, where the Spitfire had to half roll and
pull.
Roger.