What was the most versatile plane of ww2?

[GrauGeist]

Well, ok...so let's give all the Mosquito fans a big pat on the back for being able to point out (exhaustively) how an aircraft designed to be a fighter was not able to measure up against an aircraft that was designed to be a bomber.

So now that we are passed that long-drawn out debate (hopefully), let's ask why the illustrious and most magnificent Mosquito wasn't able to do as many things as the Ju88 did?

Or would that be too soon?

 

[michael rauls]

Even if the fighter role was the most important role, the fact that the P-38 was quite versatile and also better at the fighter role than the Mosquito does not make it more versatile than the Mosquito.

The Mosquito did more things well. Therefore it is more versatile.

Yes if the mosquito did more things better enough to make up for and surpass a percentage gap in effectiveness in the fighter role than yes it would be the most versatile. The impression I have gotten from what I have read over the years is that they were both good to verry good at just about everything but that the 38 was better in the fighter role which would seem to be the most important because of its imediate bleed over affect on other roles.
That's my pick and reason for it although I am certainly open minded enough to reconsider if I see stats that indicate that's warranted as I have done several other times just (a )haven't seen those yet
and(b) not sure this is really that important to me. It was more of a heres my pick and reasons for it. Not sure theres really a right or wrong answer here as the the ju 88, mosquito, and p38 were obviously all quite versatile and each persons pick pick I suppose would depend on how much weight the give to each role. So if you feel the skeeter was most versitile, hey nothing wrong with that. Im not going to try and change your mind.

 

[parsifal]

The following is an extract from the book "Voices In the Air"

 

[GrauGeist]

Michael, nothing wrong with feeling that the P-38 was versatile. It was originally designed as a fighter. The fact that it was pressed into service in other roles is typical of any aircraft during the war. It did perform it's alternative roles well, especially as a high-speed recon platform.

The Mosquito was originally intended to be a light bomber, the fact that it was able to perform so many roles beyond it's original design is a true testament to it's design.

Different military ideologies and circumstances can certainly create some unusual outcomes, but trying to compare the two on the same level is not giving credit to either aircraft.

A far more accurate and fair comparison would be the Mosquito to the Ju88 as both were designed as bombers from the start. And in that light, the Mosquito falls short of the Ju88 in the range of applications that were applied to either aircraft during the war.

 

[parsifal]

GG, you did everything right in your post except the last paragraph.......

What roles do you assign to the Ju88?

 

[wuzak]

A far more accurate and fair comparison would be the Mosquito to the Ju88 as both were designed as bombers from the start. And in that light, the Mosquito falls short of the Ju88 in the range of applications that were applied to either aircraft during the war.

Could you give a list of the range of applications of the Ju 88 so we can see why it would be considered more versatile?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I'll get the list started, please add to it if you see fit...

Bomber
Zerstörer (Heavy Fighter)
Night Fighter
Dive Bomber
Ground Attack
Torpedo Bomber
Reconnaissance
Anti-Tank
Unmanned Aircraft used as a guided bomb
Guided missile controller

 

[pbehn]

Versatility is frequently forced upon a nation, the USA produced a lot of very specialised aircraft and so didn't need one that was very versatile. For example they produced three of the best heavy bombers of the war. Almost any aircraft can be used to do something badly, the difference with the Mosquito is that in the three roles of light precision bomber, night fighter and air recon it was as good as it got in WW2.

 

[buffnut453]

I'll chime in on the zerstorer concept. From what I can gather (I'm no Ju-88 expert so happy to be proven wrong), there were only 164 C-1 thru C-5 heavy fighter variant Ju-88s built (the C-6 was the nightfighter). Those heavy fighter airframes had poorer armament than the Mosquito: only one 20mm MG FF cannon and 3 MG17 machine guns.

Rather than being true heavy fighters, they were more commonly deployed against Allied anti-submarine aircraft but even there the results weren't great: between July 1942 and July 1944, the Ju 88s of KG 40 and ZG 1 were credited with 109 confirmed air-to-air victories at a cost of 117 losses. Most non-nightfighter C-variants were more commonly employed in the fighter bomber role.

I think it's a stretch to say the Ju-88 was a success as a zerstorer, and I certainly don't think that role does much to tip the odds in favour of the Ju-88 when compared to the Mosquito.

In other areas, I think the comparisons are much more relevant...and much closer. Over to others to discuss those.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Versatility is frequently forced upon a nation, the USA produced a lot of very specialised aircraft and so didn't need one that was very versatile. For example they produced three of the best heavy bombers of the war. Almost any aircraft can be used to do something badly, the difference with the Mosquito is that in the three roles of light precision bomber, night fighter and air recon it was as good as it got in WW2.

One could say the very same thing of the Ju 88...

I'm not saying the 88 was better than a Mossie, it was a damn fine aircraft though. It was very good in any role it took upon as well. In the context of versatility though, I think it can be debated as to which was more versatile.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I'll chime in on the zerstorer concept. From what I can gather (I'm no Ju-88 expert so happy to be proven wrong), there were only 164 C-1 thru C-5 heavy fighter variant Ju-88s built (the C-6 was the nightfighter). Those heavy fighter airframes had poorer armament than the Mosquito: only one 20mm MG FF cannon and 3 MG17 machine guns.

Rather than being true heavy fighters, they were more commonly deployed against Allied anti-submarine aircraft but even there the results weren't great: between July 1942 and July 1944, the Ju 88s of KG 40 and ZG 1 were credited with 109 confirmed air-to-air victories at a cost of 117 losses. Most non-nightfighter C-variants were more commonly employed in the fighter bomber role.

I think it's a stretch to say the Ju-88 was a success as a zerstorer, and I certainly don't think that role does much to tip the odds in favour of the Ju-88 when compared to the Mosquito.

In other areas, I think the comparisons are much more relevant...and much closer. Over to others to discuss those.

The debate is not what about what is best, but rather what is more versatile. It was used as a heavy fighter, therefore it had that role.

 

[pbehn]

One could say the very same thing of the Ju 88...

I'm not saying the 88 was better than a Mossie, it was a damn fine aircraft though. It was very good in any role it took upon as well. In the context of versatility though, I think it can be debated as to which was more versatile.

Another thing is opportunity, would a Mosquito be able to enter UK airspace on Air recon if in German hands, I doubt it.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Another thing is opportunity, would a Mosquito be able to enter UK airspace on Air recon if in German hands, I doubt it.

Why not?

 

[pbehn]

Why not?

More available aircraft defending a smaller space.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

More available aircraft defending a smaller space.

Good point...

 

[pbehn]

Good point...

In 1944 massive resources were put into making sure the LW only got the information that the allies wanted them to get. One aircraft over flying parts of the UK would be too many.

 

[swampyankee]

The Ju88 was probably the best two-engined combat aircraft Germany had in WWII. Whether it was as versatile as the Mosquito is somewhat subjective, but it never, so far as I'm aware, was used as an aerial blockade runner.

 

[Shortround6]

didn't need to be a blockade runner or the situation was near impossible.

A Mosquito could not fly the distances needed by the Germans to reach friendly allies(Japan) or friendly neutrals (South America).

FW 200s could barely do it on a very occasional basis? Prototypes trip to Japan required 3 refueling stops?

 

[GrauGeist]

The Ju88 wore many hats.
Fast bomber
Dive bomber
Torpedo bomber
Ground attack
Tank buster
Heavy fighter
Night fighter
Anti-shipping
Anti-submarine
Target tug
Glider tug
Flying bomb (mistel component)
High-speed recon
Pathfinder
Supply drops
Transport
Trainer
Equipment testing platform

I know I'm forgetting some...

From earlier in this thread.

 

[GrauGeist]

The Ju88 was probably the best two-engined combat aircraft Germany had in WWII. Whether it was as versatile as the Mosquito is somewhat subjective, but it never, so far as I'm aware, was used as an aerial blockade runner.

It was employed, along with other bombers (like the He111, etc.) during the Stalingrad airlift.