Why was the 1943 Bf 109G a step backward from the F model?

Short answer

The G wasn't a step back in every way: it was built around the DB 605, heavier than earlier engines but the same size, resulting in a fighter heavier than the 109F but faster. What it lost was maneuverability, and many experts still preferred the F. In early 1943 the Gustav also started getting slower.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Why was the 1943 Bf 109G a step backward from the F model?

F4U at 2023 Oshkosh

A heavier engine in the same airframe

The 109G was designed around the DB 605, an engine heavier than the ones it replaced but of the same size, so it fit into the same fuselages. The resulting aircraft was heavier than the 109F, though faster. The empty-flying-weight difference between an F-4 and a G-1 was 142 kg. This version, moreover, had not been planned: it had been expected that the 109F would be replaced by an entirely new fighter.

What the Gustav lost

The new machine was less maneuverable than the 109F, the model preferred by many fighter experts. By early 1943 the Gustav had begun to get slower. The G-5 and G-6, in which all those changes were standardized, averaged a top speed of barely 387 mph. It remained inferior to its main opponents in overall maneuverability. The ailerons were light up to 180 mph. At low altitude its handling was compared to that of a canal barge. Climbing at full power demanded strong right-foot pressure on the rudder.

A troublesome DB 605

Early versions were prone to engine fires caused by oil overheating, and the engine type suffered from low oil pressure, a problem that was never satisfactorily resolved.