All-rounders.

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I would concede the Mossie was a better bomber, I would adimately deny that it was a better fighter, and strongly argue against it being a better fighter.
 
The Mosquito was a brilliant bomber that could defend itself, the Lightning was a high altitude interceptor that could bomb.
The Mosquito was probably better at destroying bombers because of its much stronger armament.
 
The Mossie carried a heavier weight of fire, but the guns on the Lightning were still more concentrated (though the Mossie's were grouped very tightly). The Lightning was more than capable of taking down a bomber. The Italians used a captured Lightning to attack B-17 stragglers and managed to shoot down several.
 
Don't get me wrong, the Lightning was very good at taking down bombers. I still believe the Mosquito would have been better.
 
But less climb and would have been a bigger target for enemy gunners. I think it would have been effective, but in my opinion (and that's all this discussion can be) the P-38 would have been more effective.
 
It will be an opinion based discussion, but the Mosquitos less climb rate is not a huge disadvantage because it can still get up to the bombers. Being a bigger target, again it's not really that much bigger.
I think that the Mosquito would have been a better interceptor.
 
The climb thing becomes a problem depending on the warning radar or (in the Pacfic) coast watchers can provide. In the BoB, faster climbing Spits and Hurricanes often found themselves getting pounced by the higher flying 109s. The problem for the Mossie would have been magnified. In the Pacific, coast watchers were not always reliable and warning might be barely a matter of minutes. In that instance the Mossie would have had little chance of making an interception before the bombers had hit their target.
 
The P-38 would have had the same problem in both circumstances. In the BoB you could not have avoided the high flying 109s, no matter how quick you got up. The Mosquito can handle itself in a dog fight, and even then the tactics of the RAF were for the Hurricanes to take the bombers, the Spitfires to take the fighters, this would be the same wiht the Mosquito only the Mossie would be on the bombers.

In the Pacific, the Mosquito would still be able to get up. You make out as if the Mosquito climbs like a WW1 Gotha bomber or something.
 
No, but the climb rate of the FB.VI was 1,870fpm which is only about half the P-38's climb rate. And the P-38 could hold a sustained climb (hitting altitude about twice as fast as a P-51 for example). The point is that the Mossie would probably still be climbing when it got bounced while the P-38 could already be at the bomber level.
 
I'm not saying it couldn't do it, just that it would be at a disadvantage to the P-38. During the BoB the Germans typically bombed from 20,000 feet or so. It will take the Mossie a little over 10 min to get there, the Lighting is there in 5. (A follow loaded Lightning, from a dead stop could hit 20,000ft in only 7 min). Advantage Ligtning.
 
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