Best Fighter (1 Viewer)

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Well the A-10 Warthog now, if it could fire it's gatling gun for any longer than 8 seconds it'd be flying backwards and stall. That's why you don't fire it like that, German pilots weren't stupid, and it's not as if you need to hit a tank from on high many times with a 75mm cannon, they only had 12 ammo.
 
My name reveals my bias but my vote goes to the P-38. When discussing the best fighter of the war it's important to consider an aircraft that was involved in the war from start to finish. I may be mistaken but I believe that limits us to the Bf-109, the Spitfire, the Zero, and the Lightning. The Lightning was by far the most versitale of any of these remaining contenders and so it gets my vote.

I also think that the P-38L has to be considered one of the best period. It had range, speed, climb, killer firepower, and the versatility to fly any mission a fighter might be asked to fly. I've read comments from both German and Japanese pilots that a P-38 would turn a lot better that people would admit and the L with it's boosted controls would outroll a FW-190 at high speeds! I've got tons more I could say, but I'll leave it at that.
 
YP-38 service delivery was 16th September 1940, and the USAAC P-38s didn't start delivery until 8 June 1941. So as you can see, the Lightning wasn't from start to finish because the war started 3rd September 1939, one year before delivery for combat tests.
So that negates the P-38 if you want to be picky.
 
And you've also missed off the Soviet fighters of the Lagg, Yak and Mig series.
 
Well, if we are going to be ultra picky on the start point, you are limited to aircraft of either Germany or Poland. My point on that was that the Lightning was in service for the entire period the US was in the war.

For the Soviets, the LaGGs and MiGs were NEVER the best fighters. The Yak-1 held its own, but it wasn't til the Yak-3 and -9 and the La-5 and -7 that the Russians had anything really capable of bettering a 109 or 190.

With regard to the P-51, I am new to the discussion so I may have missed what defined "best." It was a great fighter, but Merlin engined Mustangs didn't come around until late '43 or so and the D didn't get into the mix really until roughly mid-'44. It may well have been the best fighter of that PERIOD but it clearly wasn't the best fighter or '41 or '42 since it wasn't there. That was my point.
 
i'm just trying to say that just because it wasn't there for the whole war, it doesn't make it a poor fighter, but my fave fighter has to be the meteor..........
 
I wouldn't claim that it was a poor fighter either. But the Germans had fighters in development that the P-51 couldn't have touched. Fortunately they were to late to have an impact and it is that lack of impact that prevents them from featuring in most "best fighter" discussions. The P-51 had tremendous impact, but later in the war. The Spit, the Zero, the 109, and the P-38 were making an impact the moment their respective countries entered the war and continued through to the end.
 
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