Worst aircraft of WW2?

[FLYBOYJ]

Correct - some RAF Squadrons in the Pacific didn't do too badly - there's some info in earlier threads.

The Finns loved the aircraft and made great use of it...

 

[DamoSanchez]

the Aussie WirraWay, only shot down like 1 zero in the entire war

 

[rochie]

dunno if anyone else has mentioned this but what about the He-177, overley complicated engines a problem that never got fixed, they even tried to make it a dive bomber ! so it probabley never had a chance anyway

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree that it was a terrible aircraft but it did not get a chance to really prove that. I think the He-177 was a promising design just plagued by the stupid coupled engines.

 

[GANJIRO]

Honorable (dishonorable?) mention should go to the Chance Vought SB2U Vindicator (aka "Vibrator").
No SB2U survived the war; approximately 30 percent were lost in combat while 50 percent were lost due to accidents and attrition.

 

[plan_D]

I agree, I mentioned it earlier:

"I don't know if it could be considered the worst but it's certainly one for the running. The Vought-Sikorsky SB2U Vindicator (Chesapeake in RN service).

It achieved nothing. For 1937 it was a modern aircraft for USN standards but with the inclusion of modern military equipment it was under-powered and obselete by the start of the war. Those in FAA service were replaced by Swordfish Mk.IIs.

It was supposed to be carrier capable but it turned out to have too long of a take-off length to take off from a carrier. 50% of the casualties in them were due to carrier training accidents upon it's introduction. 30% of all built were lost to the enemy."

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Honorable (dishonorable?) mention should go to the Chance Vought SB2U Vindicator (aka "Vibrator").
No SB2U survived the war; approximately 30 percent were lost in combat while 50 percent were lost due to accidents and attrition.

While not the best in its class the Vindicator did inflict damage when used in combat - I don't know where you got the 50% attrition rate but after Pearl Harbor many obsolete combat aircraft were used as advanced trainers and in those early years of the war many aircraft had high attrition rates because of the amounts of new pilots being trained, especially those being carrier qualified...

 

[ndicki]

the Aussie WirraWay, only shot down like 1 zero in the entire war

Mind you, it's not as though Wirraways were really MEANT to get stuck into the Japs. Advanced operational trainer rather than a fully-fledged combat aircraft.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Oh come on there ndicki, Id take on a Zero with a Fiesler Storch! Id probably win too because the Jap would be laughing so hard, I could shoot him down with my pistol.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Something else about the Vindicator - A high accident rate in the late 30s? Prior to that we saw bi-planes with approach speeds under 100 kts. The Vindicator, a modern monoplane for it's time would probably have a way higher approach speed, the high attrition rate and longer take off roll explained - I would not call this aircraft a crown gem by any means, but there were many a lot more dismal than this guy!

Vindicators mauled the Mikuma during Midway....

 

[GANJIRO]

Yup, deffinately alot worse planes than the "Vibrator" thus just worthy of dishonorable mention, maybe on the top ten worst of U.S. planes at U.S. entry into war.
Good Vindicator info here:
Chance-Vought SB2U Vindicator, by Jack McKillop

 

[ndicki]

Yup, deffinately alot worse planes than the "Vibrator" thus just worthy of dishonorable mention, maybe on the top ten worst of U.S. planes at U.S. entry into war.

Which is most of them!

NO! PEACE! I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING! NO! MERCY!

(You see what it's like in an American-dominated forum!)

 

[Wildcat]

Mind you, it's not as though Wirraways were really MEANT to get stuck into the Japs. Advanced operational trainer rather than a fully-fledged combat aircraft.

True and therefore the role the Wirraway played in successfully training thousands of pilots for the EATS to fly in combat in every theater of WWII cannot be over looked. On these grounds alone, I believe it shouldn't be ranked in the worst a/c category.
Saying that however, when used in the role of a fighter it was totally outclassed, but what do you expect from an a/c that was designed as a general purpose trainer? It was only out of sheer desperation that the Wirraway was used as a fighter to defend Malaya and Rabaul in the first place. The RAAF simply had no other a/c at the time. On the 20th of January 1942, 8 Wirraway's took of to intercept over 100 Japanese a/c over Rabaul, the zero's got stuck in and decimated them. Brave men indeed!
In New Guniea and Bougainville the Wirraway was used for Tac Recce, Arty Observation, target marking and Army Co-op to great effect and was ideal for these jobs.
Not the worlds greatest a/c of WWII but definately not the worst.

 

[plan_D]

The Blenheim didn't suffer that high an attrition rate, Flyboy, and it was an advance from Hawker Hind! Over 100 MPH faster, landing flaps and twin engine!

 

[rochie]

agreed it might have been a great bomber (the he-177) with a normal engine layout, but was seen as twin engined and hitler insisted it be capable of dive bombing

 

[ndicki]

Wildcat, you're dead right. An aiorcraft is a bad one when it fails to do the job it was intended for. The Wirraway was not a fighter - so it shouldn't be judged as one.

What about the Boomer?

 

[Wildcat]

Wildcat, you're dead right. An aiorcraft is a bad one when it fails to do the job it was intended for. The Wirraway was not a fighter - so it shouldn't be judged as one.

What about the Boomer?

As much as I love the Boomerang it was a very mediocre fighter. It wasn't called the panic fighter for nothing, when the RAAF was caught with its pants down with no modern fighters and very few a/c from Britain or the US(hence the use of Wirraways), the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) quickly made plans to produce a fighter a/c using readily available components. The powerplant was the P&W 1200hp Twin Wasp which was being built here for Australian made Beauforts and most of the other components were from the Wirraway. the Boomerang went from drawing board to first flight in only 14 weeks!
The faults of the Boomer was it's slow speed and bad performance over 15 000ft. Many times the Boomerangs couldn't close with Japanese a/c to engage them.
Its good points was it good armament (2x20mm cannon and 4x.303machine guns) and great manoeuvrability at low levels, apparently it was a great a/c to fly and its pilots loved them.
Although a dud as an interceptor, it excelled in the ground attack role in which it was used to great success in New Guinea, the Solomons and Borneo. The Boomerangs were famous for zipping in and out of valleys to draw enemy ground fire which they would either strafe or mark with smoke for other allied a/c. They were paticularly successfull with RNZAF corsairs.
So I guess in the fighter role it is a candidate for the worst a/c but it more then proved it's worth it the ground attack role for which it is best known for.

 

[mkloby]

Are there boomerangs that hit the air show scene over yonder??

 

[Seawitch]

The Boomerang was the plane that never shot down another plane isn't it?
I still give the Boulton Paul Defiant my vote as the lemon of the War though.
Why did they not give it guns up front? I can't answer that but it wouldn't have turned it into anything worth carrying on with.
Built with first world war attitude!

 

[Wildcat]

Are there boomerangs that hit the air show scene over yonder??

Yup, two so far but hopefully more to come..