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press another button guns go bang bang bang..
all you need to know for that plane.
109Fs are strong in terms of guns, and starting at the Fs is where they start to shine. The F1 gets an MG FF/M instead of the MG151s seen later on. My recommendation would be to get belts with the most minengeschoß rounds regardless on the 20mm. These things are usually grenades that tear apart the target aircraft.
Also, I would recommend firing within 400m, even better if closer. Many people people try to spray and pray from a distance, but you end up wasting ammo on shots that miss, not to mention armor piercing rounds may not be as effective due to energy loss.
You do not get the minengeschoß rounds with the 15mm version. It does have an armored target belt though with AP-I(c) that looks like it could be useful for setting things on fire, as well as penetrating some armored targets (light pillboxes, medium tanks, etc.) Been a while since I touched the F2, so may need to take it out again.
What are the "best" round to take down fighters ?
With german 20mm, anything that has minengeschoß rounds is typically preferred against planes.
The 15mm, looks like there is a split there between the Armored Targets belt with the AP-I(c) rounds (does great for killing engines and pilotsnipes) and the Air Targets belt (which may work well against control surfaces.)
The F4 series is really fun when you get to it. Ended up nearly spading one of these things fresh out of the box with a near ace match.
While it is pretty agile, many planes are at least as maneuverable around it's BR, so try to focus on boom and zoom tactics. If an enemy in a lower energy state is running without trying to turn and fight, don't fly directly onto their tail or pass right next to them; pull up and climb for several hundred meters (don't lose all of your speed) before rolling back down in another short dive for the next attack. Don't let Spitfires, Yaks, I-16s, or most Japanese planes trick you into staying in an extended dogfight; if they do a hard dodge, do not follow.
Attacking from above make them a larger target than attacking from directly behind, and it's easier to do critical damage. If you are certain you can out-turn an opponent, then hitting them in the middle of a turn also achieves the same effect. Because of the limited ammo on the cannon, but plentiful 7mm ammo, don't be afraid to spray the MGs whenever you think your aim is pretty close and save the 20mm ammo for when you are very confident it will hit. Even then, fire it in short bursts, because either you hit and kill with only a couple shots, or you miss and waste all of that ammo. Don't underestimate the 7mm MGs' ability to make an enemy panic and dump more speed into crazy maneuvers, or its ability to chip away at your opponent's top speed, maneuverability, and mental state.
I repeat, the F1 is one of many fighters where you need to fire your guns separately, due to having lots of weak bullets paired with a few, powerful cannon rounds. Well, you need to be able to fire the MGs separately, but it's fine if firing the cannon also fires the MGs.
Kinda depends on the MGs; Soviet 7mm guns shred just about anything at 3-400m, even if you are flying a 2.7 plane facing 3.whatever planes. There's been times where I was literally trying to get a little assist with a short burst and instead outright killed them.
But, even German LMGs, heck, even the terrible Japanese LMGs, can cause critical damage, such as to the engine. Not sure how often I've gotten a kill off of that alone, but the more damaged your enemy is, the harder it is for them to dodge your limited cannon ammo, or turn the tables. I didn't say anything about trying to get kills with the MGs alone, did I? It's a way to harass and weaken your opponent when you don't have cannon ammo to spare on wild, half-aimed shots. A lot of opponents will panic and react to MG fire the same way as they would cannon or .50 cal fire, which is useful in it's own right.
I suppose I should have pointed out that if you have the drop on someone who hasn't reacted to your presence, you should hold fire and wait for a good shot with the cannons, rather than spooking them into defensive maneuvers with the MGs.
My observations of the plane after what may as well be years of sitting pretty as a hangar queen (I remember I particularly didn't enjoy the F2 as much as the other planes in the series, even the early late 30s A variant.)
Aerodynamic properties itself:
The plane feels quite sluggish compared to the Emils before it, and to other Friedrich variants seen later. By the time the Emils on the team took off from a similar starting point, they were 250m, maybe more ahead ahead (meanwhile I likely just passed 110 km/h).
This also is reflected in the climb rate not being the best out there, but still respectable compared with most of it's US and Soviet competition and can stay at a good angle climbing at around 275 km/h. Like most other 109s with the DB-601 engine, it's not advised to sit on the WEP as it's a little prone to overheat fairly quick when you need it most.
It seems to perform well at various altitudes (as do most 109 variants) once speed is built up. It seems not to suffer from too severe of control stiffening at high speeds (675 km/h+) and found it can easily hit 825 km/h before the wings start to flutter heavily. With proper speed and flap management, I found that it can also keep up with Spitfires Mk I and IIbs without too much issue, and the flaps are pretty generous allowing for decent deployment at around 500 km/h without too much of an issue.
Energy retention is also excellent too, allowing for some good hit and runs, and baiting lower energy opponents to try chasing you down as you gently climb away.
Armor:
Likely the reason the plane feels sluggish really. I had a few matches where it had managed to have taken a beating, including a Spit Mk IIb I really couldn't shake off too well and had blown off my wingtip. Managed to return from that one. Could help it in approaching some bombers too I would say.
Guns and Ammo:
Compared to others guns, I still find the MG151/15 to be quite lackluster. I tested both Armored targets and Air Targets, seemingly favorites from what I can find around.
Getting good chances where I could get some clear shots without risk of half of the team shouldershooting me (German teams fly well together) or putting me in a TK position, I found that there wasn't much of a magic bullet (pun fully intended) to either of the MG151/15 belts. It comes down to what damage you think you can more confidently pull off better.
The Armored target belts seem to to do a good job at causing leaks and engine fires, and pilot snipes. I found that something may have happened to the round's penetration ability or the armor found on AI ground vehicles, as it could not do much useful damage against medium ground tanks as I remember it could have. Likewise, it does feel like it dispatches other lighter armored ground targets far quicker, allowing for a good multistrike against certain targets if you line yourself up well.
Air Target belts had a similar feeling to the the Armored Targets against air targets to me with one slight difference being it seemed more useful for damaging control surfaces a little better.
Conclusion
109F2 isn't necessarily too bad, I would say it is okay where it is at 3.0 right now. It isn't the worst plane in that BR range, but it does seem to struggle a little more compared to the MG FF/M and MG151/20 equipped planes, both of which get minengeschoß (aka HEI) rounds which absolutely tear apart fighters without much issue for these specific guns. I would say like most 109s, it does great as an energy fighter that excels in hit and run tactics, but I would not count on it being a one pass wonder in most cases except for when the enemy is too distracted and at a very low energy state. A more experienced player may find it a fine plane that has some satisfying challenges to flying it, but someone less experienced to it will likely find the lower firing rate compared to the MG FF/M found on the F1 and inferior rounds to be quite hard to used to.
If you get used to the F2's quirks, I feel all other 109Fs and maybe even Gs should be child's play from there Especially as the MG151/20s and MG FF/M get a minengeschoß round on the default belt (though move onto the one with the most of those shells when you can.)
F1 doesnt have a lot off guns, but they are good enough.
The small guns are good enough to get some pilot kills and make planes burn.
Its part of my favourite german line-up: Bf 109E-3, E-4, F-1 and F-2 with a Ju 88 A4 as bomber. Its fun to play.
Try it and have some fun.