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and heres its brotherWell I can't honestly agree with you on the P-38 bringing the LW to its knees.
Yes the P-51 squadron was from Winnipeg, I found it and used the photo. I rather like the black and white image.
Classic feel to me.
Greg, in fact I know you. Of course not personally but you're quite a personality to me. I've read numerous posts of you at the GreatPlanesCommunity and I consider you an expert on WW2 aviation and I've learned heaps of your posts.Actually, I am a lifelong fan of WWII aviation, have a VERY detailed database of WWII aircraft to include over 1500 different aircraft types, and have read and written extensively on WWII aviation (as well as Naval history).
I am 56 years old and volunteer at an active WWII aviation museum where were fly WWII warbirds every weekend inluding Mustangs, Spitfires, a Zero with a still-running Sakae engine, Bearcat, B-25, P-40, P-38, P-47, F4F, SBD, Hurricane, T-6s, and Hellcat.
I have met Hartmann and Rall, and many US "Aces," including Parr, Boyington, Blesse, and others.
And I have never heard of "Big Week." Maybe it was simply described elsewhere as a series of bombing raids, but I own over 500 volumes on WWII aviation and still never heard of Big Week. Maybe I just missed the name in my readings ... could be.
My choice of Wikipedia was deliberate. When something is very well known, and you need just one link, wikipedia is always a good starting point.Until I see it somewhere beisides "Wikipedia," I'll assume it is a bogus label for an operation otherwise known as something else ... I don't believe a thing I read in Wikipedia and you shouldn't either, unless you can independently verify it.
does this count by searching big week ww2"Until I see it somewhere beisides "Wikipedia," I'll assume it is a bogus label for an operation otherwise known as something else ... I don't believe a thing I read in Wikipedia and you shouldn't either, unless you can independently verify it."
I'm going to ask you to help yourself here Mr. Independent Verification. I assume you are sitting at a computer with access to the WWW right now.
Try typing in "big week" and "air force" into your search engine.
Enjoy.
I believe the reason many people on this forum(including myself) believe the P51 is overrated is because the general consensus of the uninformed is that the P51 was the "greatest" fighter of WW2. If that could modified to "the best escort fighter in Europe in WW2" then the P51 would win hands down. Was it the best interceptor of WW2? I don't believe so. Was it the best air superiority fighter of WW2. I don't think so. The Hellcat and Corsair could do almost anything a Mustang could(some things a lot better) and operate off a carrier. The Mustang was not near the fighter bomber the Jug was. Should not that mission be considered in the comparison of fighters. I think that the problem for the P51 as far as I am concerned is that not particularly authoritative books and TV shows constantly state the P51 was the be all end all fighter of WW2. I don't think so.
Exactly when in the war do you think any other Allied fighter could have taken over from the P-51, and in what numbers? If the late-model, longer-range Spitfires are suggested by someone, how many were available? And were sufficient drop tanks available for them to allow the replacement of the P-51s? If you say "Yes," were sufficient drop tanks available even after several missions where the tanks were actually dropped?
Cheers.
An American initiative if I'm not mistaken, undertaken by the USAAF to prove the range potential of the Spitfire to the British. I'd forgotten which mark they'd used.I was the one who suggested that late model Spits could hae been developed into long range fighters because two MkIXc flew from St Johns Newfoundland to Northern ireland without stopping. Range enough for anyone.
The best fighters I met in combat were the P-51 Mustang, Russian Yak-9U. Both obviously exceeded all Bf109s in performance, including the K. The 51 was unmatched at altitude, while the Yak was champion in climb and maneuvering. Walter Wolfrum 137 kills