Greatest WWII Fighter Plane

[Jagger69]

Ok, my aviation brethren, your opinions please. What was the greatest fighter plane of World War II? If I left one off, please make a case.

 

[Skyraider22]

Well I must say the P-51 Mustang and the F6 Hellcat what about you:thumbsup:

 

[JustAGuy85]

I don't know about plane, but Red Baron was the best pilot, right?

 

[Vanilla Bear]

I don't know about plane, but Red Baron was the best pilot, right?

He sure was, but in WWI.

 

[Skyraider22]

I don't know about plane, but Red Baron was the best pilot, right?

He was good but I think Eddie Rickenbacker was better,but it is hard to leave out the P-47 Thunderbolt and the BF-109

 

[Jagger69]

As for me, I say the Spitfire. Not for its performance ability but due strictly to the influence it had on the outcome of the war. The Battle of Britain would likely have gone the other way without this incredible aircraft.

 

[Darzan]

If were talking of WWII fighter planes you can't forget the Spitfire either. One of the best planes to fly and was produced right the way through the war in one variant or another.

 

[Facetious]

"Greatest" in terms of a pilots' ability to bring it back down to the ground after taking hits ? I would have to select an air cooled Navy variant that I'd have to think about and submit later. Remember, the radials are air cooled and you know what that means . . Staying Power Baby !!

Then there's the greatest in terms of aesthetics, the greatest in terms of speed performance, gotta love the 12 Cyl Allison, Packard or Rolls Royce powerplanted North American P - 51 Mustang or the Supermarine Spitfire. :hatsoff:

Lots of pros & cons here to consider, good query ! :hatsoff:

 

[Skyraider22]

You have a lot of great selections on there and I forgot about the Spitfire shame on me one hell of a:wave2: fighter

 

[Vanilla Bear]

Added the Poll for you Jagger. :hatsoff:

 

[Jagger69]

Added the Poll for you Jagger. :hatsoff:

Thanks M12....I didn't know there was a 5 minute time limit.

What about the P-40 Warhawk it was pretty rough or the Hawker Hurricane it could hold it on

I thought about both of them. Only 10 choices possible for a poll. Excellent additions to the lineup, Skyraider!

 

[Skyraider22]

What about the P-40 Warhawk it was pretty rough or the Hawker Hurricane it could hold it on

 

[Shindekudasai]

Hm, it's not exactly my field of expertise, but counting out the new technological innovations of 1944/45 (turbojet- or rocket-powered fighters like the Messerschmidt ME 262), I'd say the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a pretty dangerous and effective fighter plane. If the Japanese would have had the same amount of "human resources" and material as the US, the Pacific war would have been very different, as the Zero was faster than almost every other fighter plane and the pilot training of the Japanese was superior. But the reality turned out to be different.

If bombers of any kind weren't excluded (even the smaller ones and the dive-bombers), I'd probably choose the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. By the end of the war it was outdated, as the "age of the dive-bombers" only lasted from about 1930 to 1945, but when it comes to the "greatest" plane of WWII besides the Superfortress and the Zero, I'd choose the Stuka. It was used as a dive-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and tank hunter. With it's countless merciless attacks in the first two years of the war especially against Poland and France it became the symbol of the Blitzkrieg. The effectiveness and relentlessness of these machines was legendary. The fight logs of the Luftwaffe show, that just one of the Ju 87G of the famous Rudel-unit destroyed 519 allied tanks and armored tracked vehicles. The Stuka's trademark, the "Jericho-Trompete" (the "Jericho Trumpet", a kind of air-propeller attached to the plane's hull making a siren-like sound), became a source and symbol of sheer terror. The Stuka was Germany's WWII-version of shock and awe, so to speak. I read a lot of eyewitness accounts from people who survived Stuka attacks and it seems that it must have been horrible. I recall, there was one very sweet old lady from the Netherlands who still today wets herself if she hears a sound resembling that of a Jericho-Trompete. I cannot imagine the horror these poor people must have lived through. The grandfather of my fiancée flew Stuka a couple of times before he started flying fighter planes. According to him, these things were pure death machines.

 

[Facetious]

Hm, it's not exactly my field of expertise, but counting out the new technological innovations of 1944/45 (turbojet- or rocket-powered fighters like the Messerschmidt ME 262), I'd say the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a pretty dangerous and effective fighter plane. If the Japanese would have had the same amount of "human resources" and material as the US, the Pacific war would have been very different, as the Zero was faster than almost every other fighter plane and the pilot training of the Japanese was superior. But the reality turned out to be different.

If bombers of any kind weren't excluded (even the smaller ones and the dive-bombers), I'd probably choose the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. By the end of the war it was outdated, as the "age of the dive-bombers" only lasted from about 1930 to 1945, but when it comes to the "greatest" plane of WWII besides the Superfortress and the Zero, I'd choose the Stuka. It was used as a dive-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and tank hunter. With it's countless merciless attacks in the first two years of the war especially against Poland and France it became the symbol of the Blitzkrieg. The effectiveness and relentlessness of these machines was legendary. The fight logs of the Luftwaffe show, that just one of the Ju 87G of the famous Rudel-unit destroyed 519 allied tanks and armored tracked vehicles. The Stuka's trademark, the "Jericho-Trompete" (the "Jericho Trumpet", a kind of air-propeller attached to the plane's hull making a siren-like sound), became a source and symbol of sheer terror. The Stuka was Germany's WWII-version of shock and awe, so to speak. I read a lot of eyewitness accounts from people who survived Stuka attacks and it seems that it must have been horrible. I recall, there was one very sweet old lady from the Netherlands who still today wets herself if she hears a sound resembling that of a Jericho-Trompete. I cannot imagine the horror these poor people must have lived through. The grandfather of my fiancée flew Stuka a couple of times before he started flying fighter planes. According to him, these things were pure death machines.

Yeah, those fuckin God Damn Americans with too many resources !, a little contrarian are we ? I agree with you on your selection of the zero but after that it was all :spin:

I get the contempt for America part



Aside :
And here I had thought that I've heard of them all

it says here, a "Brewster Buffalo"

 

[The Paulinator]

I voted for the P-38 lightning based on the terror-factor to the German ground troops. They sure feared the "Jabos" as well (P-47s)

 

[Skyraider22]

Hm, it's not exactly my field of expertise, but counting out the new technological innovations of 1944/45 (turbojet- or rocket-powered fighters like the Messerschmidt ME 262), I'd say the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a pretty dangerous and effective fighter plane. If the Japanese would have had the same amount of "human resources" and material as the US, the Pacific war would have been very different, as the Zero was faster than almost every other fighter plane and the pilot training of the Japanese was superior. But the reality turned out to be different.

If bombers of any kind weren't excluded (even the smaller ones and the dive-bombers), I'd probably choose the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. By the end of the war it was outdated, as the "age of the dive-bombers" only lasted from about 1930 to 1945, but when it comes to the "greatest" plane of WWII besides the Superfortress and the Zero, I'd choose the Stuka. It was used as a dive-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and tank hunter. With it's countless merciless attacks in the first two years of the war especially against Poland and France it became the symbol of the Blitzkrieg. The effectiveness and relentlessness of these machines was legendary. The fight logs of the Luftwaffe show, that just one of the Ju 87G of the famous Rudel-unit destroyed 519 allied tanks and armored tracked vehicles. The Stuka's trademark, the "Jericho-Trompete" (the "Jericho Trumpet", a kind of air-propeller attached to the plane's hull making a siren-like sound), became a source and symbol of sheer terror. The Stuka was Germany's WWII-version of shock and awe, so to speak. I read a lot of eyewitness accounts from people who survived Stuka attacks and it seems that it must have been horrible. I recall, there was one very sweet old lady from the Netherlands who still today wets herself if she hears a sound resembling that of a Jericho-Trompete. I cannot imagine the horror these poor people must have lived through. The grandfather of my fiancée flew Stuka a couple of times before he started flying fighter planes. According to him, these things were pure death machines.

You got a lot of good stuff in your post and I'm a big fan of the JU-87 one of my favorites but the Battle of Britian showed the Stuka just could not do it and the Zero had speed for days but when it came to slugging it out not enough armor I think the Zero was great for hit and runs with very skilled pilots.:2 cents:

 

[Skyraider22]

And here I had thought that I've heard of them all

it says here, a "Brewster Buffalo"

That wa not a bad plane the Zero could run circle around it.:glugglug:

 

[Shindekudasai]

I'm a big fan of the JU-87 one of my favorites but the Battle of Britian showed the Stuka just could not do it

You're right about that. But that wasn't exactly the Stuka's fault. The Stukas weren't fighter planes, but nonetheless the Stuka units had to fight off a lot of British fighter planes before they could reach mainland Britain. For that, the Stuka was simply not agile, maneuverable and defendable enough. Even the best diving mechanism of the time won't help, if one doesn't have air superiority against fast and well-organised fighter units like the British ones.
That was because of very poor planning by the leadership of the German Luftwaffe, especially Göring, who was as incompetent as one could get. From 1940 on he was probably the official of the Nazi regime that was mocked the most by the German public. The Battle of Britain was a desaster for the Luftwaffe and the German dive-bomber and bomber units were thinned out pretty bad afterwards. If these mistakes hadn't been made, the scenarios against Russia and in Northern Africa would have probably taken a different course.

Ok, ehm, I think we were supposed to talk about fighter planes...

 

[Skyraider22]

You're right about that. But that wasn't exactly the Stuka's fault. The Stukas weren't fighter planes, but nonetheless the Stuka units had to fight off a lot of British fighter planes before they could reach mainland Britain. For that, the Stuka was simply not agile, maneuverable and defendable enough. Even the best diving mechanism of the time won't help, if one doesn't have air superiority against fast and well-organised fighter units like the British ones.
That was because of very poor planning by the leadership of the German Luftwaffe, especially Göring, who was as incompetent as one could get. From 1940 on he was probably the official of the Nazi regime that was mocked the most by the German public. The Battle of Britain was a desaster for the Luftwaffe and the German dive-bomber and bomber units were thinned out pretty bad afterwards. If these mistakes hadn't been made, the scenarios against Russia and in Northern Africa would have probably taken a different course.

Ok, ehm, I think we were supposed to talk about fighter planes...

Very good point and lets not forget about the Wildcat

 

[STDiva]

This is a sweet thread. Cool idea. I just wish I knew something about planes