Best Piston Engined Fighter Ever

[Jabberwocky]

Ermmm...was it the Spitfire that bore the brunt of the aerial combat during 1944?

Did I say ANYTHING about "bore the brunt"? No.

I was refering to its continued competitiveness, and that continued state over the course of the war, from Oct 1939 to Aug 1945.

We all know that the USAAF took over the primary role against the Luftwaffe in late 1943/early 1944 with the arrival of the P-51 and long range capabilities for the P-47. Why did you feel the need to bring it up?



PS, as for seeing action:

Spitfires lost in operations 01-Jan-1944 to 31-Dec-1944, ETO:

Jan: 28
Feb: 12
Mar:16
Apr: 29
May: 69
Jun: 159
Jul: 96
Aug: 119
Sep: 92
Oct: 62
Nov: 53
Dec: 62

The Spitfire remained the primary RAF fighter type throughout the war, and saw more combat sorties than any other Allied fighter type.

At all times during the war the Spitfire was as dangerous an adversay for its opponents as any other fighter type. In interrogations conducted by Allied intelligence of captured LuftWaffe and Reggia Aeronautica fighter pilots, the Spitfire remained at the top of the list of fighters they least liked to encounter. That says enough to convince me it remained competitive throughout the war.

 

[ohka345]

I have my own top 10 list:
1.Mitsubishi A6M Reisen
2.Kyushu J7W Shinden
3.Kawasaki Ki-61
4.Nakajima Ki-27
5.Messershmitt Bf109G-14
6.Fiat G-55 Centauro
7.Reggiane Re.2005
8.Mitsubishi A5M Claude
9.Kawasaki Ki-45
10.Supermarine Spitfure

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Are you serious?

Can you please explain why you ranked those planes in that order as you did, and why you left out aircraft such as Fw-190A and D, Typhoon, P-51D, P-38 Lightning and P-47. Again it is your opinion and you are allowed but I would just like to know your opinion.

 

[ohka345]

Well...I do like fws and i have a Fw 190 model kit!
sorry...but I don't like planes that shot down japanese ones

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That makes them bad aircraft? I would say that many of those aircraft were better than Zeros. The Zero is a myth my friend. It had great range and was a good aircraft at the beginning of the war and was left in the dust by Corsairs, Hellcats and Wildcats.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

And even P-40s....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Ive sent him a pm about some of this stuff.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Ive sent him a pm about some of this stuff.

Good - reminds me of P-38 on acid.

 

[ohka345]

It doesn't make them bad aircraft,theyr'e actually pretty good.It's just that I don't really like to see a Zero get blown out of the sky BY one of these aircraft.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

It doesn't make them bad aircraft,theyr'e actually pretty good.It's just that I don't really like to see a Zero get blown out of the sky BY one of these aircraft.

Well it was reality kid - the Zero preformed well in the early stages of the war because allied pilots tried to dogfight with it at under 300 mph. Over that speed she did not maneuver well and at real high speeds even the P-40, yes, the P-40 could out turn her....

 

[ohka345]

I know.The Zero really did get whipped at the last years of the war.So they used it for KAMIKAZE!!!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I know.The Zero really did get whipped at the last years of the war.So they used it for KAMIKAZE!!!

Actally the whipping started in the late summer of 1942...

 

[Gnomey]

LOL! Ki-27 in 4th place, it was almost as bad as the Gladiator and was shot down in droves.....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Ohka - I just removed your siggy - if you post another enormous one I will remove as well....

 

[mkloby]

ohka - why do you think that kamikaze attacks are funny or entertaining? You have some growing up to do, my friend. These are attacks that killed many allied personnel, not to mention the japanese "pilots."

Then there's your TORA TORA TORA sig

 

[davparlr]

ohka - why do you think that kamikaze attacks are funny or entertaining? You have some growing up to do, my friend. These are attacks that killed many allied personnel, not to mention the japanese "pilots."

Then there's your TORA TORA TORA sig

That was a desperate times fought by desperate men. Nothing entertaining there.

When I was a kid I got to hear Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida give a talk at my church in Pensacola. He was the man who gave the call, TORA TORA TORA.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Interesting. Do you recall what he said?

 

[davparlr]

Interesting. Do you recall what he said?

Not much, it was a long time ago and I was not so much into WWII history. It was mostly religious. He did say something like he was the only war survivor of the unit he was in. He felt it was so he could be a Christian missonary. He had become a Christian after the war. What was really interesting was that I was watching a History Channel special on the Tokyo B-25 raid. They interviewed one of the crewmen who was captured but not killed. He said he asked for a Bible and they gave it to him. He became a Christian while a prisoner of war and stayed in Japan after the war. They had a picture of him standing next to Cmdr. Fuchido. Amazing.

How I wish I could relive that presentation and was able to ask him questions. Too many things slip through our hands and we never know it till it is too late.

 

[lesofprimus]

How I wish I could relive that presentation and was able to ask him questions. Too many things slip through our hands and we never know it till it is too late.

Man I'll tell ya, I feel that way all the time.... I've met Joe Foss twice and now after all these years, those conversations are all but forgotten....