The best fighterplane in that year

[Grampa]

Hi There has been a lot of suggestion and argument of whitch is the best fighterplane in WW2 like What i have seen here has been lot of suggestion of plane that came Late in the war, those that came in service at the end of the war and so missed the chance to do some combatservice and some that has only been far as a prototype. Well the laitest one is often the best natural, but why dont we try make a another discussion of whitch plane that are the best and deserve to symbolise that year. remember they must have been in combat in that year, not at the first flight or so.

Nakajima Ki 27 for year 39.
Spitfire Mk1 for year 40.
Mitsubishi A6M2 for year 41.
Focke Wulf 190 A-3 for year 42.
Macchi MC 205 for year 43.
Nakajima Ki 84 for year 44.
Messershmitt Me 262 for year 45.

Any comment or suggestion?

 

[lesofprimus]

U left out the Bf 109, which at the start of its long career, dominated and baffled the rest of the world...

 

[Kurfürst]

If the criteria is to 'plane that are the best and deserve to symbolise that year.', especially by the latter...

1940 : Bf 109E
1941 : Mitsubishi A6M2
1942 : FW 190A
1943 : F6F Hellcat
1944 : P-51D
1945 : Me 262

 

[Civettone]

If the criteria is to 'plane that are the best and deserve to symbolise that year.', especially by the latter...

1940 : Bf 109E
1941 : Mitsubishi A6M2
1942 : FW 190A
1943 : F6F Hellcat
1944 : P-51D
1945 : Me 262

Mine is similar but I'll go for the Bf 109F in 1941 and the F-4U in 1943.

Kris

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

1939 - Bf-109E
1940 - Bf-109E/Spitfire (I truely believe they were more even than people tihnk)
1941 - Bf-109F/Spitfire
1942 - Fw-190
1943 - F-4U
1944 - P-51D
1945 - Ta-152 (yeah I know there were not a lot of them but this is my opinion and I am entitled to it )

 

[Gnomey]

1939 - BF-109E
1940 - Spitfire
1941 - Spitfire MkV/BF-109F
1942 - FW-190A
1943 - FW-190A
1944 - FW-190D
1945 - Ta-152/Me-262

 

[Glider]

1939 - BF-109E
1940 - Spitfire
1941 - Spitfire MkV/BF-109F
1942 - FW-190A
1943 - FW-190A
1944 - FW-190D
1945 - Ta-152/Me-262

Thats good enough for me

 

[Rapecq]

Well

Like for me Me 262 isn't typical fighterplane it's rather bombers-killer aircraft, not created to engane P51 D, but to shoot down B-17 and B-24.

My list is:
1939 - Me 109E
1940- Spitfire
1941- Bf 109F/Spitfire
1942- Fw 190A
1943-I have no idea
1944 - P47D or Fw 190 D9
and 1945 - Ta 152H

Regards

 

[Civettone]

This cannot be as there were no B-17s or B-24s flying over Germany when the Me 262 was created...

Also, the Spitfire I of 1940 was also operational in 1939 so I don't see why it suddenly was better than the Me 109 which was substantially improved in 1940.

Kris

 

[Rapecq]

Hi

Sorry, I expressed wrongly - I meant that Me 262 isn't (for me) the best choice if we want to stand against enemy fighters. Schwalbe was quite effective weapon against bombers and of course if we select appropriate tactic (for example based on speed) we could also engage enemy fighters as well.

Regards

 

[Juha]

Hello
mine is:
1939 - Bf-109E
1940 - Bf-109E/Spitfire I/II (with constant speed propellor and 100 oct. fuel)
1941 - Bf-109F
1942 - Fw-190A/Spitfire IX
1943 - F-4U/P-51B/C
1944 - P-51D/Spitfire XIV/Bf 109G-10/Fw 190D-9
1945 - Ta-152/Me 262

Juha

 

[NeilStirling]

Best fighter/s by year.

Piston engine.

1939 109 E.
1940 Spit 1/II.
1941 109 F-4.
1942 Fw 190 A-4, Spit IX, 109 G-2.
1943 Fw 190 A-5, Spit LF IX. La 5FN.
1944 Spit XIV, Fw 190 D-9, Tempest V, 109 K, P-51D, La 7.
1945 As for 1944 plus Tempest II, F4U-4, F8F-1, P-47N.

Me 262 best fighter from its introduction in mid 1944 through to at least the end of 1945.

Neil. WWII Aircraft Performance

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

Hmm....as Gnomey put it the Germans had the best all through the war years, except for the Spitfire!

I think I'll list the best AMERICAN Fighters of the wars years, not the best plane of all the nations combined. I may be wrong, of course, showing off and duh............

1939: P-36 (France)

1940: Brewster Buffalo (Wonderful Peacetime Fighter)

1941: P-40 (Pacific) and P-40 (Africa)

1942: F4F Wildcat (Pacific) and P-39 (Russia)

1943: P-38J (Pacific) and P-47D (Europe)

1944: P-51D (Europe) and Hellcat (Pacific)

1945: F4U Corsair (Pacific) and nothing to do in Europe. (Just Kidding!)

I would say Shooting Star (Europe) in 1945, even though it hardly flew at all.


And now for best fighter from everywhere, based on some knowledgeble opinions on here.

1939: Bf 109

1940: Bf 109 (Europe) and Spitfire Mk I (England)

1941: Bf 109 and Zero (Pacific)

1942: FW 190A and Yak 9 (Russia)

1943: FW 190A and Spitfire Mk IX

1944: FW 190D (?)

1945: Me 262 and Ta 152


Now Bombers! (Too many, I know.)

1939: Stuka
1940: Heinkel 111
1941: Sturmovik and B5N Kate
1942: Lancaster
1943: Lancaster and B-24
1944: B-17 and Lancaster
1945: B-29 and Ar-234

 

[Civettone]

It doesn't make much sense to have the Corsair for 45 and the Hellcat for 44 as they were around at the same time.

Kris

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

Yeah, but I was trying to keep the numbers down.

The Corsair did play a bigger ground attack role than the Hellcat in taking Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945.

And the Hellcat did some of it's best feats in 1944, taking down the Japanese in the wild Turkey Shoot.

In the Pacific, I guess I could have put the P-47M down as being the best escort fighter for the B-29's in 1945. It could go even farther than the Mustang could.

And even though it did poorly, the 163 Komet was one of the coolest things to fly in 1945 too. So tiny.

 

[Civettone]

You mean the P-47N.
Sorry for the hairsplitting. But it's rather important to get that cleared up as the P-47M was also a damn good fighter.

Kris

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

Thanks for the correction.

There was a good model from academy of the p-47n i never got.

 

[Hop]

1939 - Bf 109E
1940 - Spitfire I/II
1941 - Zero
1942 - Fw 190A3/4
1943 - Spitfire IX
1944 - Tempest V
1945 - F4U-4

 

[lesofprimus]

Guys are losing ur focus up there.... It is ONE (1) plane per year, not multiples or Pacific and ETO....

One per year....

(1)

 

[Thorlifter]

Ok, I'll play......

1939 - Me-109E
1940 - Spitfire Mk.II
1941 - Bf-109F
1942 - Fw-190A
1943 - F4U
1944 - P47D
1945 - Ta-152H