The best fighter of the 1930s

INTX7568 · Sep 22, 2023

fannum said:
As mentioned, I don't think there's any value in arguing about "BEST" but am enjoying the listing and discussing of the important fighters of the 30s.
Did anyone mention the Gladiator biplane? Remember that it was the foundation of the RAF home defense in September, '39, and remained in service through '44.
It was an effective fighter for not only the Brits, but Finns, Norwegians, Chinese, Iraqi's, and Greeks, not only gaining credit for many kills, but a bunch of aces, downing Me109s, Zeros, as well as the lesser adversaries.
It served in all theaters from Arctic to Equator, Europe to Far East, and kept Malta in Allied hands with Faith, Hope and Charity.
Remarkably, RAF Gladiators engaged in dogfights with Iraqi Gladiators.
Did any other biplane fighter stay in service longer?

I think you're right, arguing about the "best" is the wrong way to look at it, it's better to discuss the important aircraft of the period. I really like the Gladiator, while it's hardly superior against other aircraft in any way, it's a beautiful design that far outperformed what anyone would expect from something in its place.

bf109xxl · Sep 22, 2023

INTX7568 said:
while it's hardly superior against other aircraft in any way

It was not superior against contemporary aircraft in any way that was clearly demonstrated during the Winter war.

Shortround6 · Sep 22, 2023

INTX7568 said:
it's a beautiful design that far outperformed what anyone would expect from something in its place.

Problem was that it wasn't as good as a Hurricane with wooden prop. And they knew it when they ordered it. Yes it was great, IF you could not get a fixed propeller fabric winged Hurricane at the same time. IF the British would sell you the basic Hurricane and you had the money you were foolish to take the Gladiator.

The Gladiators main advantage was it was available for export.

INTX7568 · Sep 22, 2023

bf109xxl said:
It was not superior against contemporary aircraft in any way that was clearly demonstrated during the Winter war.

I'm not familiar with the Gladiator's service during the Winter War. I assume it would have mainly faced against I-15s and I-16s? I have seen photos of them modified with skis in place of traditional gear which does look cool, though.

bf109xxl · Sep 23, 2023

INTX7568 said:
I'm not familiar with the Gladiator's service during the Winter War. I assume it would have mainly faced against I-15s and I-16s? I have seen photos of them modified with skis in place of traditional gear which does look cool, though.

Mainly against I-153 and I-16. High maneuverability of the Gladiator could not compensate other characteristics, first of all, maximum speed and climb rate, which were insufficient against Polikarpov's fighters (and even against the SB and DB-3 bombers!). Only the poor training of some of the Soviet pilots gave the Gladiators a chance. A dogfight with Japanese Ki-27s (with well-trained pilots) should be even more lose-lose for the Gladiator.

The best fighter of the 1930s

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