Best Fighter

• May 30, 2004

• #121

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

What's this? We had a Geography project about Italy but that was the current situation, and there was no acting or anything.

We had a decent project in History though, when I was in year 8. We split the class into American, British, French and German governments. And each one had a prime minister or president, and it was the Treaty of Versailles. I was the German prime minister, and I had to argue things off the Treaty, like their restrictions.
That was fun, but completely off topic, so I'll stop.

 

• May 31, 2004

• #122

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

19,937

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Dec 20, 2003

i'm trying to come up with a best fighter topic we haven't covered already................

 

• May 31, 2004

• Thread starter
• #123

cheddar cheese

Major General

20,265

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Jan 9, 2004

WSM, England

what about fiat G.50 vs Breda 65?

 

• May 31, 2004

• #124

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

19,937

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Dec 20, 2003

no i mean like "what was the best escort fighter?" or something like that, i tend not to focus on just two aircraft.........................

 

• May 31, 2004

• #125

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

Probably only two contendors there, the P-51 and the P-38. Three guesses where I stand . . .

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #126

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

P-47 did a good job escorting as far as it could go, and weren't the P-47Ns just damn good...

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #127

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

P-47N was only ever used in the Pacific though. And the P-47s going as far as they could wasn't very far.

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #128

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

Things still need escorting in the Pacific, and the P-47N had a ferry range of 2350 miles. Not that bad...

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #129

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

19,937

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Dec 20, 2003

one question, could the P-38 make it all the way to berlin??

because i always thought the only one to make it all the way was the P-51 with jugs................

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #130

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

The P-38 was more than capable of making it to Berlin. As a matter of fact P-38s were the first Allied fighters to fly over Berlin. As another matter of fact, P-38s in the Pacific flew combat missions of 2,300 miles or the ferry range of a P-47N.

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #131

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

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Dec 20, 2003

but wasn't it suiside fighting in a P-38 with the tanks on??

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #132

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

It was suicide fighting in anything with tanks on. The J and L Lightnings carried as much as 424 gallons of internal fuel (typical external load was 330 gallons) so they had plenty of fuel to make it back on.

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #133

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

Again the P-38 is twin engined a great increase in range. The P-47N was still a great fighter, as it was escort with 1000 miles combat radius it still proved a huge worth to the forces there.

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #134

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

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Dec 20, 2003

i better be getting E-cards from you guys on thursday...............

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• Thread starter
• #135

cheddar cheese

Major General

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Jan 9, 2004

WSM, England

you doing anything for you birthday lanc? if not, we'll take you bowling 8)

 

• Jun 1, 2004

• #136

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

The P-47N was the only fighter than could seriously challenge the range of the P-38. Still, it was far too-late coming in the war to make much of an impact and probably shouldn't be compared to the P-51 and the P-38 as an escort fighter.

 

• Jun 2, 2004

• #137

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

It still saw service even if it was only in the PTO. That's a good way to knock out the competition, and the Mustang could get the bombers to Berlin and back so they could match the P-38.

I've got the P-38L ranged at 2,260 miles on maximum fuel. P-51D to dry tanks 2,080. P-47D on tanks 1,900 miles, P-47N on tanks 2,350 miles. These are all ferry ranges.

 

• Jun 2, 2004

• #138

L

Lightning Guy

Master Sergeant

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Apr 29, 2004

The 2,260 mile range is a common figure, however it is incorrect. On August 27th, 1942, Milo Burcham flew a P-38F for 2,907 miles over 13 and a half hours. Calculations revealed that if he had absolutely drained the tanks and jettisoned the external tanks when empty that could have been stretched to 3,167 miles. And that was a P-38F, the L model carried 124 gallons of additional fuel.

 

• Jun 2, 2004

• #139

the lancaster kicks ass

Major General

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Dec 20, 2003

but that's an extreme case, i'm sure they couldn't all do that...................

 

• Jun 2, 2004

• #140

plan_D

Lieutenant Colonel

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Apr 1, 2004

How do they know he flew this far? Calculations of range are most of the time wrong but never 1000 miles off.