Monkeysee1
Airman
- 25
- Jul 18, 2005
I thought this was a best fighter thread? It comes out as a Mossie vs P38 thread?...
Anyway- ETO- best fighter based on the effect it had during the war.
US- (unfortunately) P51. Long range. Pretty good at everything. Air superiority through loiter time and range. Excellent bomber escort for mid altitude fighting which is where the bombers flew. The P38 suffered too many mechanical problems. The P47 (my favorite) was a better high altitude fighter and ground attack but even steven at mid altitudes and not as much range.
UK - Spitfire. Simply put this plane put the Brits into the airsuperiorty regime. Fast, great turn radius, the airframe was sucessfully modified into several marks, including a carrier borne fighter! (think about the reengineering to turn a land bird into a sea bird). Sure the mossie had great range and amazing payload abilities but fighters don't carry payloads (bombs/ cookies), just fuel and ammo... and one on one, a Spit would eat a mossie. Unfortunately a relatively short range.
German - FW190. When it began to see service it changed the way air combat would be for the rest of time. Incredibly nimble, it had the fastest roll rates out of any other ETO fighter with its superbly balanced ailerons. It solidified the changing tactics from turning fights (stall fighting) to zoom and boom. It had embarrassing tendicies, like snapping into a high G stall during tight turns but its heavy armament, sleek frame, and good speed made it one of the outstanding fighters of WWII. The 262 was better in almost every department but its effect on the war was little. Too few to late. So I don't think it shouldn't be the 262. Plus the FW190 was flexible enough to eventually adapt into the D9 series and then the Ta152.
So... how'd I do... after of course I qualified my statement by saying that I based it on effect in the war and purely as fighters, not bombers.
Anyway- ETO- best fighter based on the effect it had during the war.
US- (unfortunately) P51. Long range. Pretty good at everything. Air superiority through loiter time and range. Excellent bomber escort for mid altitude fighting which is where the bombers flew. The P38 suffered too many mechanical problems. The P47 (my favorite) was a better high altitude fighter and ground attack but even steven at mid altitudes and not as much range.
UK - Spitfire. Simply put this plane put the Brits into the airsuperiorty regime. Fast, great turn radius, the airframe was sucessfully modified into several marks, including a carrier borne fighter! (think about the reengineering to turn a land bird into a sea bird). Sure the mossie had great range and amazing payload abilities but fighters don't carry payloads (bombs/ cookies), just fuel and ammo... and one on one, a Spit would eat a mossie. Unfortunately a relatively short range.
German - FW190. When it began to see service it changed the way air combat would be for the rest of time. Incredibly nimble, it had the fastest roll rates out of any other ETO fighter with its superbly balanced ailerons. It solidified the changing tactics from turning fights (stall fighting) to zoom and boom. It had embarrassing tendicies, like snapping into a high G stall during tight turns but its heavy armament, sleek frame, and good speed made it one of the outstanding fighters of WWII. The 262 was better in almost every department but its effect on the war was little. Too few to late. So I don't think it shouldn't be the 262. Plus the FW190 was flexible enough to eventually adapt into the D9 series and then the Ta152.
So... how'd I do... after of course I qualified my statement by saying that I based it on effect in the war and purely as fighters, not bombers.
