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Started By
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As a WWII fighter pilot, if you could pick your plane...
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:19 am
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:19 am
Axis or Allied...?
My arse is in a Supermarine Spitfire, hands down. 6 cannons, plate reinforced wings withstood dive-shear @ 470mph +, and The Rolls Royce Merlin V-12
Remained unmatched throughout the war, until the P-51D appeared in 1944.
(With it's Packard V-12...which was really a licensed RR Merlin)
After losing the Battle of Britain, when asked what he needed to win the war:
"Spitfires."
-Hermann Göring, Reichsmarschall (1933-1945)
"Never before in the field of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few."
-(obviously)
Churchill, (1940) on the RAF pilots and the nearly canceled Spitfire program.
Hon. Mention to ME 109 and F4U Corsair.
Whatcha got?
My arse is in a Supermarine Spitfire, hands down. 6 cannons, plate reinforced wings withstood dive-shear @ 470mph +, and The Rolls Royce Merlin V-12
Remained unmatched throughout the war, until the P-51D appeared in 1944.
(With it's Packard V-12...which was really a licensed RR Merlin)
After losing the Battle of Britain, when asked what he needed to win the war:
"Spitfires."
-Hermann Göring, Reichsmarschall (1933-1945)
"Never before in the field of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few."
-(obviously)
Churchill, (1940) on the RAF pilots and the nearly canceled Spitfire program.
Hon. Mention to ME 109 and F4U Corsair.
Whatcha got?
This post was edited on 2/18/18 at 5:15 pm
52
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:22 am to 19
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Length: 37 ft. 10 in.
Wingspan: 52 ft.
Height: 9 ft. 10 in.
Wing Area: 327.5 sq. ft.
Empty Weight: 12,780 lbs.
Loaded Weight: 17,500 lbs.
Crew: 1
Performance
Power Plant: 2 x Allison V-1710-111/113 liquid-cooled turbo-supercharged V-12, 1,725 hp
Range: 1,300 miles (combat)
Max Speed: 443 mph
Ceiling: 44,000 ft.
Armament
Guns: 1 x Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon, 4 x Colt-Browning MG53-2 0.50 in. machine guns
Bombs/Rockets: 10 x 5 in. High Velocity Aircraft Rocket OR 4 x M10 three-tube 4.5 in OR up to 4,000 lbs. in bombs
Length: 37 ft. 10 in.
Wingspan: 52 ft.
Height: 9 ft. 10 in.
Wing Area: 327.5 sq. ft.
Empty Weight: 12,780 lbs.
Loaded Weight: 17,500 lbs.
Crew: 1
Performance
Power Plant: 2 x Allison V-1710-111/113 liquid-cooled turbo-supercharged V-12, 1,725 hp
Range: 1,300 miles (combat)
Max Speed: 443 mph
Ceiling: 44,000 ft.
Armament
Guns: 1 x Hispano M2(C) 20 mm cannon, 4 x Colt-Browning MG53-2 0.50 in. machine guns
Bombs/Rockets: 10 x 5 in. High Velocity Aircraft Rocket OR 4 x M10 three-tube 4.5 in OR up to 4,000 lbs. in bombs
This post was edited on 2/18/18 at 11:26 am
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:26 am to keakar
P-38...Pops' 19 taught flight in those out of Luke AAFB 44-45. His choice for best fighter in the USAAF. Took out more Zeros than the F6F Hellcat.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:27 am to 19
Junkers Ju 87- Stuka dive bomber
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:28 am to 19
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:28 am to Mike da Tigah
quote:
P-51, and it’s not even close
This. P-51 is objectively the best plane of the war.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:29 am to deathvalleyfreak43
quote:
Junkers Ju 87- Stuka dive bomber
You have a death wish?
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:31 am to 19
Me 109 or fw 190. The Germans built a damn fine plane.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:32 am to 19
P-51 Mustang. Cadillac of the Sky.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:34 am to beerJeep
I don't know crap about airplanes, but I do like history/movies. Every movie/show about Pearl Harbor, says we didn't have a plane that could match the Japs.
So where would Mitsubishi Zero rank?
So where would Mitsubishi Zero rank?
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:37 am to blueridgeTiger
Ruled the sky early in the war. Would not be so much fun later on
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:41 am to deathvalleyfreak43
Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank)
As good if not better then the P-51. But by the time of it's service too many Japanese experienced pilots were dead so it was in the hands of amateurs.
As good if not better then the P-51. But by the time of it's service too many Japanese experienced pilots were dead so it was in the hands of amateurs.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:41 am to TigerintheNO
My understanding is that at the outset in the pacific the zero was better armed, better powered and far more maneuverable than anything we had out there.
Over a few years however our rate of production, improved models of the Hellcat and the death of most of the trained Japanese pilots resulted in our carrier based planes flying circles around theirs.
All that said, the plane of WWII was the P-51D, period.
Over a few years however our rate of production, improved models of the Hellcat and the death of most of the trained Japanese pilots resulted in our carrier based planes flying circles around theirs.
All that said, the plane of WWII was the P-51D, period.
This post was edited on 2/18/18 at 11:43 am
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:44 am to TigerintheNO
The Zero would rank way up there...early in the war. Downhill for it after late 42 or early 43.
The movies are right- our Curtiss P-40s were TOTALLYA out-classed by the Mitsubishi.
The movies are right- our Curtiss P-40s were TOTALLYA out-classed by the Mitsubishi.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:46 am to TigerintheNO
quote:
Every movie/show about Pearl Harbor, says we didn't have a plane that could match the Japs.
True, best we could put in the air at that time was the P-40 and the F4F Wildcat, neither of which had the performance of the Zero. US pilots developed tactics to fight the Zero and had some success while awaiting the Hellcat and Corsair. The Zero was lightly armored and did not have self sealing gas tanks.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:52 am to 19
This plus an AR. Unstoppable.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:53 am to 19
P-51 hands down.
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:55 am to 19
I've always had a love affair with the Spitfire due to a fascination with the Battle of Britain. Then again, the P-51 is bad-arse so it's a toughie.
This post was edited on 2/18/18 at 11:56 am
Posted on 2/18/18 at 11:55 am to 19
quote:
our Curtiss P-40s were TOTALLYA out-classed by the Mitsubishi.
The AVG (Flying Tigers) had some success against the Zero flying the P-40, primarily by not engaging on the Japanese terms. The P-40 had a higher dive speed and could hit and run against the Japanese formations. The P-40 was a rugged plane and could take a lot of hits and still return to base to fight again. Zeros could be knocked out of the skies with a few hits from the P-40s weapons.
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