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I would bet that the vast majority of ACM took place below 25000 feet. It might have started higher than that but it would most likely end up lower.
Good info, thanks HoHun! Even in aviation, there is no free lunch. Thanks also to KK, I bet the U2 had a horrible roll rate. Of course, if you can't roll pretty fast, you can't start turning very fast. I wonder what the roll rate of the P47N was compared to P47D. By the way, speaking of high altitude performance, in the period after WW2, the SecDef under Truman(I think his name was Denfield) had been convinced by the Air Force that no new carriers need be built because the B36 with it's high altitude performance could not be intercepted and dropping nukes was all the deterrent we needed in the air. The USN countered by saying that their F4U5 could get up there and intercept the B36. I don't know if there was a demonstration or not but the Korea thing came along and there suddenly seemed to be a need for more carriers.
And in the Pacific?????????And the early P-38's had serious cocpit heating problems as well, and some engine problems at high altitude. Most with the ineffective intercooler, but also sometimes due to overcooling of the engines crusing at engine temps below safe limits without warning due to over-effective radiators (and sometimes problems with the rasiator flaps) poor coolant/oil circulation at those temps resulting in false temp readings. When rapidly throttling up for combat in such cool operating levels the engines would fail.
All this is excellent stuff, and helps a lot in understanding how the battles panned out. Something I dont understand though, whereas the germans could co-ordinate thair CAP to attack at certain points and in certain strengths, due to the GCI control, how did the bomber groups, and escorting fighters cordinate and concentrate their efforts. Was it all determined by a predetermined plan, or was there some sort of aerial Command Control going on????