If you were a pilot in ww2 which plane would you want to fly

What plane woul you want to use going into combat

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Not quite sure why it's not on the list, but i've always had a soft spot for the Hurricane. I would have liked to have piloted a Hurri during the bob. But for the ultimate thrill i'd have to say a Tempest V or a Mossie FB. Flying intruder missions across the channel 50 feet above the water at 300+ knots. What an experience that must have been.....
 
Smokey Stover said:
Not quite sure why it's not on the list, but i've always had a soft spot for the Hurricane. I would have liked to have piloted a Hurri during the bob. But for the ultimate thrill i'd have to say a Tempest V or a Mossie FB. Flying intruder missions across the channel 50 feet above the water at 300+ knots. What an experience that must have been.....
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Ron Pottinger, A Soldier in the Cockpit, has some harrowing tales of flying low over water in Typhoons. Not much room for recovery if your engine quits.
I read an article by a RAF Marauder squadron CO, who related that a lot of Marauders were going missing on routine sea patrols. Then one came back with bent props. Apparently the pilots liked to get right down on the deck, and some got too low.
 
Greg Boeser said:
Ron Pottinger, A Soldier in the Cockpit, has some harrowing tales of flying low over water in Typhoons. Not much room for recovery if your engine quits.
I read an article by a RAF Marauder squadron CO, who related that a lot of Marauders were going missing on routine sea patrols. Then one came back with bent props. Apparently the pilots liked to get right down on the deck, and some got too low.
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Yes quite. I've heard accounts of Mosquito pilots that brought back tree branches attached to their aircraft that were not planted in England. One fb pilot described hitting the French coast as "going over the top". I guess you cant blame them for wanting to avoid radar until the very last minute by flying "on the deck". Unfortunately mistakes were made and men/machines were lost. But those low level daylight intruder missions were a constant thorn in the side of the German armed forces, especially the luftwaffe. And once the reputation and problems had been resolved with the B-26, it became a very effective fast bomber. But the Mossie was born for combat/intruder and night fighter missions right from day one. Everyone talks about the Spitfire, P-51 and Fw -190 to name just a few. But the Mosquito was simply a design genuis. A wooden airframe with two merlin engines slung underneath each wing meant it could really get up and go. Especially at full throttle. And right up until late 42, early 43 there was nothing in the air fast enough to catch it. And with x4 20mm cannon and x4 .303's all in or around the nose meant just a short burst on the trigger and the enemy is going down in flames.
 
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While far up the stream for this thread, I selected the Bearcat -- a selection which I won't change (I'm about 30 years too young to have been involved in WW2 ;)) -- I do have a question.

Why are so many people picking the aircraft of the losers? While the Luftwaffe fielded some fine aircraft, many of the "advantages" held by the Luftwaffe, especially in the early stages of the war, were because of better fighter tactics and training and because they were dictating the time and place of the engagements, not because of the superiority of their hardware.
 
swampyankee said:
Why are so many people picking the aircraft of the losers? While the Luftwaffe fielded some fine aircraft, many of the "advantages" held by the Luftwaffe, especially in the early stages of the war, were because of better fighter tactics and training and because they were dictating the time and place of the engagements, not because of the superiority of their hardware.
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I don't care about winner or loser, but rather about the aesthetics of the aeroplane. To me, they are better looking, so I chose them. I've had the pleasure of sitting in the seats of a Spitfire, Mustang, Vampire, Messerschmitt 109 F, Focke-Wulf 190 A, Messerschmitt 262 B-1a/U1, Fieseler Storch, Harvard, DC-3, Shackleton MR3, Viscount, Tiger Moth, Aermacchi MB-326, Aermacchi AM.3, Aermacchi AL-60, and a few more. Each has its own attraction, but, to me, the German aircraft are just more interesting, aesthetically. They look menacing, designed for combat.
 
This is a thread title I was just thinking about starting but obviously it's already been done. If I had my choice of which plane to fly there are several that stand out for me, the F6f,p47, Hurricane, and SBD,all for the same reason. That reason being good handling characteristics.
Realistically if I get to choose I'm going to be at least as worried about being a danger to myself in a touchy plane that will turn around and " bite" if not handled just right than I am about being shot down be the enemy.
If I could choose to be one of the few USMC pilots that flew the F6f from land bases I think that would be my first choice.
 
swampyankee said:
because of better fighter tactics and training and because they were dictating the time and place of the engagements, not because of the superiority of their hardware.
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Aww, c'mon man, you know in your heart, (even if you won't admit it) any product of the master race has to be better! 😉
 
Mustang would be first choice.
Did everything very well.
Second equal between all these planes
Late Model P-38, P-40 Prefer Late Model, Hellcat, Corsair land based only, P-47 Top Cover Only..
 
Smokey Stover said:
Flying intruder missions across the channel 50 feet above the water at 300+ knots. What an experience that must have been.....
Click to expand...

I think it was Kieth Miller, a Mozzie intruder pilot that played cricket for Australia that is best remembered when he withstood the English bowling attack for a full day allowing us to keep the ashes that said it best when the English presenters asked how he handled the pressure from the day long bowling assault, ''pressure pressure, pressure is doing 300 on the deck with a Messerschmitt up your arse''
 
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