Zero V Me109

[DarrenP]

I do wonder what the outcomes would have been had the Zero come up against the ME109 in the far east say the NEIAF had had 2-3 Sqns of ME109's.

[jcf]

I do wonder what the outcomes would have been had the Zero come up against the ME109 in the far east say the NEIAF had had 2-3 Sqns of ME109's.

Probably little different than what happened in reality, the Japanese victory in the air had as much, if not more, to do with training,
experience and tactics as it did with hardware. IJN pilots of the period were among the best trained and most experienced in the world.

[Joe C-P]

Change the history of the British-Japanese alliance between the wars. Maybe a less militaristic government takes hold in Japan, and it chooses a path of economic conquest for Asia, rather than warfare.
Then, as in WW1, Japanese forces come to the Med to help Great Britain in 1939 or 1940.

German aircraft carried cannons, the 20mm MG, which would have done great damage to the unprotected Zekes.
Remember that some Germans had also fought in the Spanish Civil War, so they also had combat experience. And the later the Japanese arrive in Europe, the more training and further combat experience the Luftwaffe gain.