The Forum's Favorite WW2 Aircraft? (1 Viewer)

What is it?

  • Curtis P-36 Hawk

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Martin PBM Mariner

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Vought OS2U Kingfisher

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Douglas C-54 Skymaster

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sikorsky R-4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Avia B-135

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Avia B.534

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Amiot 143

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Amiot 354

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bloch MB.131

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bloch MB.210

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bloch MB.200

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Breguet 693

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Potez 630

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Potez 540

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bloch MB.150

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Caudron C.714

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Morane-Saulnier M.S.406

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Morane-Saulnier MS.230

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Henschel Hs 129

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dornier Do 17

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dornier Do 215

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Heinkel He 111

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Heinkel He 115

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Messerschmitt Bf 110

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dornier Do 18

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Dornier Do 24

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Arado Ar 196

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Blohm Voss BV 138

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Focke-Wulf Fw 189

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Junkers Ju 52

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Junkers Ju 90

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Heinkel He 177 Greif

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Junkers Ju 188

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Junkers Ju 288

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Junkers Ju 390

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Heinkel He 219 Uhu

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Arado Ar 232

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Blohm Voss BV 222

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Breda Ba.88

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Caproni Ca.135

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Fiat BR.20

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Fiat CR.25

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Piaggio P.108

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Savoia-Marchetti SM.81

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Savoia-Marchetti SM.82

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • FIAT G.50 Freccia

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Macchi C.200 Saetta

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Caproni-Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Reggiane Re.2002 Ariete

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • CANT Z.501 Gabbiano

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Marsupiale

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nakajima B5N

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Aichi D3A

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mitsubishi G3M

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mitsubishi G4M

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nakajima Ki-49

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mitsubishi A5M

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nakajima J1N Irving

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nakajima Ki-44 Shōki

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nakajima B6N Tenzan

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yokosuka D4Y Suisei

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ilyushin Il-4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ilyushin DB-3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Petlyakov Pe-2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Polikarpov I-15

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yakovlev Yak-1

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yakovlev Yak-9

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Tupolev Tu-2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Armstrong Whitworth Whitley

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bristol Beaufort

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bristol Blenheim

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Fairey Battle

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Handley Page Halifax

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Handley Page Hampden

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Gloster Meteor

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Avro Lincoln

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    396

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So as of now, it's........

5 votes - Corsair, Mustang, and Lightning
4 votes - Bf109 and Spitfire

Then..........everything else.
 
Second favorite (and 1st favorite fighter).....

P-38

Top two American aces flew the Lightning, and you gotta love the four .50s and the 20mm in the nose.

TO
 
Big surprise here, but I had to go with the P-61. Just think they look cool as hell in black with red writing. Second would go to either the P-38 which really got me interested in WW2 aircraft, or the Bearcat.

Also like the looks of the Hawker Sea Fury!
 

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I find beauty in many planes from World War 2, those are just my favorites. I guess I like the P-61 and P-38 just because they are so different looking from most aircraft from that time period.
 
I find it interesting that in this poll, the P-51 just took the lead with six votes, but in another poll, the P-51 was generally considered overrated.

Of course, this poll isn't arguing stats. It's simply "your favorite" airplane.
 
The Germans never called the P-38 the "Forked Tailed Devil." That was a myth made up by the author Martin Cadin.

I cringe every time I hear that phrase on a documentary. It is often used. I've read a couple accounts of German pilots who thought the P-38 was meat on the table but I cannot produce the authors.

I love the P-38 though...

.
 
after a lot of thought i voted for the dora, i think it was one of the best all roung fighters of the era and might be leading the poll if it was put in with the fw-190
 
If memory serves (which it probably doesn't) didn't the P-38 have a very poor 1:1 kill ratio in the ETO? Where it successful was in the MTO and PTO, right?

Simple answer - yes the ratio of air awards to probable air losses was about 1.3:1 for 8th AF. I don't have the statistics for 9th AF and would note that the 479th with the late J and L models did some serious damage in July -September before they converted to 51's their air to air ration (awards to probable air losses) was in the 12:1 range. Their average BTW brought UP the other low P-38 air to air ratios in ETO

That would reflect lower general skills of Luftwaffe pilots, much better high altitude performance for the 479th P-38Ls.. while the 20th, 55th and 364th still had the F and early J high altitude/ETO winter issues.

The Africa/MTO/PTO had far more fighter bomber ops and medium altitude escort sorties than their high altitude ETO counterparts.

The P-38 was still a wonderful airplane - that could have had an even better record had they not been set back a yesr by the YP-38 publicity stunt crash.
 
I'd take the two if they would of ever had combat with themselves though there is a strange report of 1 Mustang shot down in spring of 45, trying to confirm that, it may have been a P-47.

the Ta 152H-1 and the P-51D

the P-38 equipped 367th and 474th were moderate in their success's in the ETO with :

82 air kills and 113 air kills respectively. the P-38 though seemed to be the better ground attack crate.

the 9th AF 354th Pioneer Mustang Group led all fighter groups of all A/F's with some 715 plus air kills. My they were pissed when they had to turn their Stangs into the 8th AF in the November 44 to get the Jug and then wait till February 45 for new Stang mounts
 
The P-38 was still a wonderful airplane - that could have had an even better record had they not been set back a yesr by the YP-38 publicity stunt crash.

Bill that would be the XP-38 that crashed with the YP-38's coming out after that delay.
 
FW 190 A almost all variants. Absolutely the most beautiful and "elegant" of all WW2 birds. Just look at her lines.
 
Actually, it was the Japanese that referred to the P-38 as the "fork-tailed-devil" and the Corsair as the "whistling death".

Not sure how that Martin person could get something like that mixed up...
 

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