Most "Bad Ass" looking Aircraft of WW2

[Tkdog]

The flak suppression was for inbound on a skip-bombing run. Pretty effective against lackluster Japanese flak, as the Japanese disregard for defensive measures left their gunners poorly shielded.
Against emplaced 88s in the ETO, I suspect they wouldn't have fared so well.

I have walked around at Peleliu and looked at the Japanese defenses, granted decades later. It would have been extremely difficult for them to have gotten 88s there to emplace if they had had them. I think it is worth remembering that the physical environment was dramatically different between theaters and that drove the weapon selection.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

I have walked around at Peleliu and looked at the Japanese defenses, granted decades later. It would have been extremely difficult for them to have gotten 88s there to emplace if they had had them. I think it is worth remembering that the physical environment was dramatically different between theaters and that drove the weapon selection.

I agree. And that's why the gun nose B25s and their skip bombing tactics were much better suited to the PTO than the ETO. German flak was much more potent and the gunners better protected.

 

[Elmas]

Probably more deadly than 88s for a low flyng plane.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

View attachment 582151

Probably more deadly than 88s for a low flyng plane.

And I thought the ZSU23 was a badass looking weapon! Do you know what caliber these are? Looks deadly, but where are the armored shields these kinds of weapons usually have? A couple of B25Js in a scissors attack would wipe these guys out.

 

[Peter Gunn]

Y'know, scrolling down, yes, those might be some rather badass flying machines, however, for pure badassery from both an offensive as well as for aircrew, my vote would have to be the Flying Prostitute herself, the B-26, so called because she seemed to have no visible means of support, a point that was reinforced by one of her other names, One a Day in Tampa Bay. She was so hot that she looked like she truly was flying at high speed just sitting on the ground. After all, "badass" can be looked at both ways. This bird had to be flown all the way, from taxying, to landing, no gentle flaring before touchdown here. View attachment 574236

Good shot of the Baltimore Whore, this one looks to be a test bed aircraft. Wonder what the scoop at the rear fuselage was attached to.

 

[SaparotRob]

Poor old Aurora, back in the 1950s and early 60s when I built a lot of models they were worse out there.
I remember a Bf-109E I built from a Aurora kit, it came in dark maroon plastic.
It had 2 little bombs you hung out near each wing tip.
Seems like about every Aurora model you got in that era had those 4 little bombs for the outer wings.
Zero, Avenger, P-47, even a very inaccurate copy of what was supposed to be a Mig 19 had those 4 little bombs.

I had that same weird color ME-109 too! I believe Lindbergh and Aurora were tied for worst.

 

[Hardlydank]

And I thought the ZSU23 was a badass looking weapon! Do you know what caliber these are? Looks deadly, but where are the armored shields these kinds of weapons usually have? A couple of B25Js in a scissors attack would wipe these guys out.

They're 2cm (0.79 in). Most flak batteries I've seen only have frontal armor, I assume because of weight, cost, and/or production time.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

I had that same weird color ME-109 too! I believe Lindbergh and Aurora were tied for worst.

I had that Emil, too! And the yellow Zero and the OD P40E, and the black (or almost black) FW190. Aurora was rugged as hell, but poorly detailed, and Lindbergh was fairly well detailed, but kind of flimsy. I would rate Lindbergh ahead by a nose, if handled carefully. I liked Monogram if I couldn't afford Revell, which was most of the time.
What a blast!
Cheers,
Wes

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Most flak batteries I've seen only have frontal armor, I assume because of weight, cost, and/or production time.

Ditto, although in most cases it's not really armor, more like frontal deflection shielding.

 

[NevadaK]

I had that Emil, too! And the yellow Zero and the OD P40E, and the black (or almost black) FW190. Aurora was rugged as hell, but poorly detailed, and Lindbergh was fairly well detailed, but kind of flimsy. I would rate Lindbergh ahead by a nose, if handled carefully. I liked Monogram if I couldn't afford Revell, which was most of the time.
What a blast!
Cheers,
Wes

I recall building the FW 190, but mostly had the same impression of the Aurora models and tried to save my money a little longer for something nicer. I was fortunate that I lived close enough to Detroit in the 70's that I could convince my step-father, who also built models, to take me to the Squadron Shop about once a month on a shopping trip.

 

[Greg Boeser]

Good shot of the Baltimore Whore, this one looks to be a test bed aircraft. Wonder what the scoop at the rear fuselage was attached to.

Westinghouse 19-B axial flow turbojet.

 

[SaparotRob]

I had that Emil, too! And the yellow Zero and the OD P40E, and the black (or almost black) FW190. Aurora was rugged as hell, but poorly detailed, and Lindbergh was fairly well detailed, but kind of flimsy. I would rate Lindbergh ahead by a nose, if handled carefully. I liked Monogram if I couldn't afford Revell, which was most of the time.
What a blast!
Cheers,
Wes

After all these years I finally find out that was an actual me-109 type. I thought they just came up with something "Messerschmidtish". After all, it wasn't from Monogram or Revell. And now, back to our thread......

 

[RagTag]

Westinghouse 19-B axial flow turbojet.

OK, the door has been opened. Here is a woulda, shoulda, coulda. I nominate this as the most badass looking B-26, anyway. Note the French roundels. I was going to call this the french version of "B- - - - W- - - -", but it sounds a little too nasty. Note the F-84. This aircraft probably served in ww2 so It should count. Although this Marauder likely was still giving useful service into the 50's! Wonder what the top end was?

 

[RagTag]

Confirmed! 20 missions. Official Badass nominee.

 

[Darth Sarcastis]

F7F tigercat, this cat doesn't play well with others, pity it didn't get the chance.

D/S

 

[Elmas]

And I thought the ZSU23 was a badass looking weapon! Do you know what caliber these are? Looks deadly, but where are the armored shields these kinds of weapons usually have? A couple of B25Js in a scissors attack would wipe these guys out.

Not so sure. There were a number protecting a potential target, always well camouflaged, so when a plane shoot at a particular one another Vierling would nail it easily.

 

[XBe02Drvr]

OK, the door has been opened. Here is a woulda, shoulda, coulda. I nominate this as the most badass looking B-26, anyway.

That inlet duct has a very P80-ish look to it, don't you think?

 

[XBe02Drvr]

Not so sure. There were a number protecting a potential target, always well camouflaged, so when a plane shoot at a particular one another Vierling would nail it easily.

Gee, I think I'll go back to the Pacific and skip bombing the Nippon Maru.
More conducive to health and long life.

 

[SaparotRob]

Confirmed! 20 missions. Official Badass nominee.View attachment 582296

This might not be the most badass plane but perhaps "Most Badass Emeritus"?

 

[swampyankee]

Not so sure. There were a number protecting a potential target, always well camouflaged, so when a plane shoot at a particular one another Vierling would nail it easily.

This is why cluster bombs were invented: just fly over them. When they light up at the first bomber (who will have the worst job ever), the other ones know have a better idea of where to drop stuff.

As an aside, according to Keegan in Six Armies in Normandy, at least one German armored unit officer committed suicide after a bombing attack (the attack also left the tank unit he was in incapable of combat for some time). Aerial (and artillery) bombardments are highly stressful (and I'm very glad I've been nowhere near either)