(REVISED) Most Formidable Low-Med Altitude Fighter Aircraft

Juha2 · Apr 8, 2018

drewwizard said:
I did a little lookup on aircraft production. Aircraft reported losses are much debated in the way of accuracy. The production data can sometimes give a more accurate picture of aircraft losses. You don't build combat aircraft to populate museums after a war.

Lend lease warplanes delivered to Russia during the war total 17,821. Russia produced 158,220 Warplanes during the war. Of these losses from the above spread sheet are (all losses) 102,600. That means Russia ended the war with 55,620 warplanes. (about the same amount as Japan produced during WWII). Either the numbers of losses were reported very low, or after the war the Russian airforce would be massive. The excess outnumbered the aircraft produced by Germany during the best production year (1944) by 20% The numbers don't jive.
according to the chart presented.
Two German pilots were responsible for 3% of the Russian combat losses in the last two years of the war? Hartman and Barkhorn. The top 10 German aces (essentially all Russian kills) were responsible for 9.5% of all the Russian losses in the last three years of the war. Now I am really impressed.

Drew

Oh, have you ever think how many planes US or UK produced during the WWII and how many planes USAAF/USN/USMC or RAF/FAA had at the end of the war? Do you really believe at all the P-39 Ds, P-40 Bs, B-18s, Spitfire Is, Hurricane Is, AW Whitley Vs etc. were lost in combat because none of them were in service in combat units at the end of the war. No, weary planes were scrapped. And even accepted claims were only accepted claims, not necessary real kills.

On Fw 190 D-9, to Soviets the real nemesis was "Messer" not "Fokker". The thought that 190 was very robuss and had excellent firepower but too heavy, so not too good in vertical or even horizontal fight. See how the Soviets saw the things, a bit different from how the Western Allies or Germans saw it. The 1st, max level speeds km/h, the 2nd rate of climb, m/s.

Hansie Bloeckmann · Apr 8, 2018

Juha2 said:
Oh, have you ever think how many planes US or UK produced during the WWII and how many planes USAAF/USN/USMC or RAF/FAA had at the end of the war? Do you really believe at all the P-39 Ds, P-40 Bs, B-18s, Spitfire Is, Hurricane Is, AW Whitley Vs etc. were lost in combat because none of them were in service in combat units at the end of the war. No, weary planes were scrapped. And even accepted claims were only accepted claims, not necessary real kills.

On Fw 190 D-9, to Soviets the real nemesis was "Messer" not "Fokker". The thought that 190 was very robuss and had excellent firepower but too heavy, so not too good in vertical or even horizontal fight. See how the Soviets saw the things, a bit different from how the Western Allies or Germans saw it. The 1st, max level speeds km/h, the 2nd rate of climb, m/s.View attachment 488970 View attachment 488971

"Ja, Franz, dem Fokkers vere flying Messerschmitts up dere!"

J.A.W. · Apr 13, 2018

Here's the RAF's pick, in 1944 Tempest V Performance Data

Note: The RAF really valued their Mustangs, & solely of their Lend-Lease US fighters,
- used them extensively in the ETO,
but once the V1 cruise-missile mass-assault on London was defeated, they duly sent their new Tempests
( of the improved performance 'Series II' type) - to replace the Mustang III's of 122 Wing based in liberated Europe,
- in the role of the 2nd TAF's 'prestige' A2A/air superiority fighter.

& the RAF did have P-47's - but sent them out to Burma instead, to replace the obsolescent Hurricanes on ops, there.

(REVISED) Most Formidable Low-Med Altitude Fighter Aircraft

Which operationally active World War Two fighter was best at low to medium altitudes?

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVI

Republic P-47D

Messerschmitt Bf-109K-4

Lavochkin La-7

Hawker Tempest V

North American P-51D

Chance Vaught F4U-4

Fiat G.55

Focke Wulf Fw-190D-13

Messerschmitt Bf-109G-10

Macchi C.205

Nakajima Ki-84-I

Yakovlev Yak-3

Spitfire Mk. XIV

Focke Wulf Fw-190A-8

Grumman F6F-5

Kawanishi N1K2-J

Lockheed P-38L

Bell P-63C

Kawasaki Ki-100

More options

Juha2

Airman 1st Class

Hansie Bloeckmann

Senior Airman

J.A.W.

Banned

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