Oreo
Senior Airman
Which fighter that didn't quite make it into combat, or more specifically, wide-spread use, woulda-coulda-shoulda made a huge difference if the war had lasted a few months longer?
The greatest fighter that never made it
- Thread starter Oreo
- Start date
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JugBR
Staff Sergeant
he 162, no doubt, another great project of germans.
Sorry, have to go with my favorite, the Ta152....
seesul
Senior Master Sergeant
second that!Sorry, have to go with my favorite, the Ta152....
renrich
Chief Master Sergeant
The F8F would have been a significant player in the Pacific or Europe if needed.
I am going to go with the Ta 152.
drgondog
Major
I would be split on this. Depends on when introduced. At end of the war I go as follows
The Ta 152 would have been conterbalanced by the P-80. The 162 was introduced but not clear that it was a difference maker over the Me 262 although it was as good as the P-80. P-51H would have been a worthy adversary to the Ta 152 and would have been able to engage more Me 262's than the P-51D but still at a disadvantage.
The F8F had awesome performance but not a quantum leap forward and not s difference maker.
I lump the Hornet and F7F in same pot - great potential and versatility but not up to a me 262 or P-80.
For me, the P-80 to restore parity against the 162 and the 262 and counter the Ta 152 as an escort fighter.
If introduced at earliest possible date based on protoype - the P-38M would have been very important in late 1943/early 1944.
The Ta 152 would have been conterbalanced by the P-80. The 162 was introduced but not clear that it was a difference maker over the Me 262 although it was as good as the P-80. P-51H would have been a worthy adversary to the Ta 152 and would have been able to engage more Me 262's than the P-51D but still at a disadvantage.
The F8F had awesome performance but not a quantum leap forward and not s difference maker.
I lump the Hornet and F7F in same pot - great potential and versatility but not up to a me 262 or P-80.
For me, the P-80 to restore parity against the 162 and the 262 and counter the Ta 152 as an escort fighter.
If introduced at earliest possible date based on protoype - the P-38M would have been very important in late 1943/early 1944.
Thorlifter
Captain
Piston I go with the Ta-152. From your list, I'd have to say the P-80. It would have equaled (or got close to) the Ta-152, Me-262, and He-162, which would have kept things balanced. Plus given the manufacturing capabilities of the U.S., it could have filled the sky while Germany was still producing planes in bunkers and caves.
Sorry, would like to call a Fokker again, maybe not the best, but one which belongs to the list: Fokker G.I. Would have made quite a mess with the Germans if being deployed in larger amounts. As a proof, see the attack on Waalhaven, where they still had to take off while the Germans were already bombing, then shooting down 12 germans while loosing only one to enemy fire (one that took of without the tail gunner). With a hundred of these planes in the LVA, the Germans would have had a big problem.
KrazyKraut
Banned
- 337
- Apr 21, 2008
I vote for the He-162 due to its mix of performance, low costs, use of non-critical resources and optimiziation for distributed production. It adressed a lot of the problems the Luftwaffe was facing in '44 but was simply too late.
Personally, I doubt the Ta 152 would've kept enough of a lead over Allied piston fighters like the P-51 for more than a few months. So I don't think it would've made that great a difference overall.
Personally, I doubt the Ta 152 would've kept enough of a lead over Allied piston fighters like the P-51 for more than a few months. So I don't think it would've made that great a difference overall.
Problem with this poll is the major difference a fighter can cause given that all them are late war types. Allies are still going to win with or without the P-80. The best the Axis can hope for is an extension. Perhaps a few thousand D520's might have made more of a difference in blunting the Blitzkrieg?
But from the list I will go with the unproven Horton and some sort of 152 cover it as my knowledge of Japans arsenal is not too great.
But from the list I will go with the unproven Horton and some sort of 152 cover it as my knowledge of Japans arsenal is not too great.
kool kitty89
Senior Master Sergeant
Or if the VG-33 had come in time. (an aircraft which fits very well for this topic, though not late war as seems to be implied)
Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
split between the 152 and the F8F - went with the TA.
B-17engineer
Colonel
Dornier Do-335
eddie_brunette
Senior Airman
Im going for the ME262, if this plane was used for what it was intended to do.
It could have been in active service since 1942.
If it was in the skies at the end of '42 and the whole of '43, things might have been very different today.
edd
It could have been in active service since 1942.
If it was in the skies at the end of '42 and the whole of '43, things might have been very different today.
edd
Now Allied won anyway so DH Vampire or Martin-Baker M.B. 5 would not have changed anything. If possible I might have voted for M.B. 5, IIRC test-pilots regarded it very highly and it was a dream of maintenance personel because its excellent accessibility. Maybe time to dig up the old AI where there is E. Brown's assestment on the plane.
In the end, Vampire was way to future, so if possible I would have voted it.
Juha
ADDITION: One more point for Vampire, it was perfectly able to land to and to take-off from carrier, as E. Brown showed on 4th Dec 44. It wasn't put in carrier use because of the slow acceleration from which all early jets suffered and lack of range. But that was in peacetime, if the war had continued, who knows. Vampire F. 3 at least partially solved the range problem.
In the end, Vampire was way to future, so if possible I would have voted it.
Juha
ADDITION: One more point for Vampire, it was perfectly able to land to and to take-off from carrier, as E. Brown showed on 4th Dec 44. It wasn't put in carrier use because of the slow acceleration from which all early jets suffered and lack of range. But that was in peacetime, if the war had continued, who knows. Vampire F. 3 at least partially solved the range problem.
Kurfürst
Staff Sergeant
I voted P-80, it would have been a great equaliser in this what if scenario: it would give the Allies a jet that could compete and successfully combat the Me 262.
None of the others gave a particularly substantial increase in combat capability, nor they could really serve as an equaliser - on the Axis side, they could not balance out Allied superirity in numbers, and on the Allied side, they could not hope to be a cure for the German jet menace.
None of the others gave a particularly substantial increase in combat capability, nor they could really serve as an equaliser - on the Axis side, they could not balance out Allied superirity in numbers, and on the Allied side, they could not hope to be a cure for the German jet menace.
For me it is a toss up between the P80 and the TaA152. It all depends on which side you look at it from, the Ta was the pinnacle of piston engined fighters whilst the P80 was the beginning of the jets. I went for the Ta though because it would of been more well known as the greatest piston fighter if deployed in more numbers.
