Which fighter brought the biggest new advantage when introduced?

[pbfoot]

I don't think the 262 had the same effect on the western allies as did the introduction of the 190 whwn flying missions over the channel took on a whole new meaning the Spit MK V which was the mainstay of the allied effort at that time were confronted with the 190 which was a better aircraft then the MK v in all aspects it wasn'y until the Mk IX that the war became more equal . When the 262 came out I don't think it had at all the same effect , yes it was fast but there were very few of them .
The comment that nothing was in the pipeline the equal of the 262 all you have to do is look at the P80 . The 262 was in production Czechoslavakia post war and really had a very short career compared to the P80

 

[Soren]

Pbfoot the first Avia S-92 to roll off the production line did so in 1948, and with the then old and outdated Jumo 004B engine, yet it stayed in service until later in the 50's where the Czechs were becoming interested in the MIG-15 as their main fighter.

The P-80 on the other hand benefitted from being produced by the side who won the war, and so could continually be fitted with new engines and equipment, yet its career wasn't any longer as it got phased out as a fighter already in 1948 by the F-86 Sabre. So the Me-262 actually stayed in service as a fighter longer, and that was eventhough it used the outdated by postwar standards Jumo 004B.

Note: By 1945 the Germans already had available the improved Jumo 004E, which was a lot more fuel efficient than the B engine and featured a 25% increase in thrust. Furthermore a new fuel injection system came along in 45 which virtually eliminated the danger of flame outs. Now had the Czech had avaiable the blueprints for both the engine new fuel injection system, plus been able to produce this engine, then the S-92 would've undoubtedly stayed in service for longer.

So like I said, the Me-262 is superior to any a/c the Allies had in the works during WW2, which includes the P-80 Meteor. And the USAAF concluded the same in postwar comparative trials between a captured Me-262 P-80A, in which the Me-262 proved superior.

 

[pbfoot]

yes I 'm aware of forthcoming projects but it still was not as desirable as the P80 it had no ceiling which is paramount according to most pilots and the P80 as fighter was around until the mid seventies with some south American air arms.
I voted for the 190 if any fighter gave pause for thought that was it as overnight the Spit Mk V was outclassed and for a period until the Mk IX came along the LW could've owned the channel and North Sea if they had enough units

 

[Soren]

The Jumo 004E would've solved the powerloss by altitude problem Pbfoot.

 

[pbfoot]

The Jumo 004E would've solved the powerloss by altitude problem Pbfoot.

so would've winning the war but there was no need to push allied jets when you own the air

 

[kool kitty89]

It would also need a pressurized cockpit. (which the 262 was designed for but afik was never implimented)

 

[Soren]

Regarding the Me-262's service ceiling; According to the official performance chart with test flight figures it is in the area of 12.5 km (41,000 ft) or higher, which isn't bad.

 

[kool kitty89]

Is that at 6400 kg?

 

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

I voted for the F6F Hellcat. It brought a tremendous boost to the American Navy in the Pacific, to finally have a carrier fighter that could go one on one with the Japanese and win. True, it didn't outperform the Zero, but it could take a lot more hits to it and still survive, and it had excellent firepower to bring down the flimsy Zeros.

So it really made a differance. By the time the even better Corsair came on the scene the Japanese were already being beaten, also by the P-38 Lightning over the islands.

 

[Soren]

Is that at 6400 kg?

Actually it's at a starting weight of 7,000 kg, so it must have been completely loaded up with extra fuel. The empty weight with weapons and all is 3,900 kg. Those Jumo 004B's really guzzled some fuel!

Imagine the range of the Me-262 on internal fuel with the Jumo 004E engine, it would've been very long.

 

[carbonlifeform]

Gotta be the Mighty Mouse (Mustang). While the LW had been used to seeing the P-47 being used as bomber escort after the US got involved, the Mustang had to come as quite a shock to them. Sleek, agile and able to escort bombers to the deepest parts of Germany, the Mustang was a true air superiority fighter.
The ability to escort the bombers all the way to their targets had to be the biggest advantage in the air war.

Altho the Me 262 had the potential to be a huge advantage, it did nothing to alter the course of the air war over Germany.

 

[Clay_Allison]

The extraordinary range of the P-51, giving the fighter the ability to take the fight to the enemy either alone or escorting bomber formations was the single greatest blow that any major Air Force was dealt in the war.

 

[michaelmaltby]

I've got to agree with PB Foot - the Fw-190A. The Me 262 was the most advanced and perhaps technically innovative but in real operational terms the 190A and then the P-51B. Both were game changers that continuously evolved. Think 190A to 190D to Ta 149 ... huge evolution.

MM

 

[syscom3]

The extraordinary range of the P-51, giving the fighter the ability to take the fight to the enemy either alone or escorting bomber formations was the single greatest blow that any major Air Force was dealt in the war.

The P38 gave the AAF its first long range fighter that had a chance to maintain air superiority

 

[Glider]

This was a difficult choice, top marks for the idea and selection. I have put a one line description in so that you can follow the reasoning, feel free to disagree, but at least you can see the thinking behind the choice.

Personally I had to choose between the
FW190 - Because it really put everything else in the air at the time in the shade and gave the RAF had a real shock.
Me262 - For the obvious reason that it was so far ahead of the rest of the world at the time
P51B - Its range totally changed the air war in the West and its performace was such that it could take on any defending fighteron equal terms.

In the end I went for the P51 because once the advantage was gained it was never lost and it made a fundamental difference on the war.
Time caught up with the FW190 with the Spit 9 and other modern fighters. The Me262 could have had a huge impact but they lacked the numbers and time to make that impact.

 

[parsifal]

my opinion is that the zero had the greatest effect of any aircraft. This is a rather strange choice, I know, but consider this.

That someone could produce a fighter with performance greater than its land based opponents in 1941 was astounding. That it was an Asian nation that did this was earth shattering for many.

The Zero was the single weapon system that influenced the war in the Pacific in its early days more than any other single system. The successes of the Japanese in those early days inspired the development of post war independance movements across the asia pacific rim, and in a sense brought colonialism to an end.....and all of this can in part be traced back to the stunning successes enjoyed by the zero in its early days

 

[syscom3]

my opinion is that the zero had the greatest effect of any aircraft. This is a rather strange choice, I know, but consider this.

That someone could produce a fighter with performance greater than its land based opponents in 1941 was astounding. That it was an Asian nation that did this was earth shattering for many.

The Zero was the single weapon system that influenced the war in the Pacific in its early days more than any other single system. The successes of the Japanese in those early days inspired the development of post war independance movements across the asia pacific rim, and in a sense brought colonialism to an end.....and all of this can in part be traced back to the stunning successes enjoyed by the zero in its early days

Interesting perspective.

 

[Maximowitz]

Me 262. The future beckoned.

 

[davparlr]

Techically the Me-262. Affect on the war, P-51B. The P-51 is known for its escort efforts, but its long range interdiction efforts against the Luftwaffe and other targets must have been immensely annoying to German logistics and manufacturing. As a results, I would select the P-51B.

 

[Clay_Allison]

The P38 gave the AAF its first long range fighter that had a chance to maintain air superiority

They never could get the engines to work the way they wanted to in the ETO, the P-38 also was a VERY expensive and slow plane to mass-produce, they never had enough of them to really make that impact.