Greatest Fighter of WWII?

RadiO · Post by **RadiO** » 2003-06-04 07:47am

Boba Fett wrote: Can you say: Lucky shot?

Truly, some allied veteran pilot who has managed to shot down a Me-262, admitted that they were incredible lucky...not as skillfull.

With its high speed, greater turning circle and tempramental engines, fighting in the Me-262 required a different set of skills to fighting in a prop aircraft and, for consistant success, perhaps a better class of pilot altogether. With the war the way it was by the time the 262 entered the scene, such pilots were in short supply for Germany. So it all probably balances out.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-06-04 09:12am

RadiO wrote:
Boba Fett wrote: Can you say: Lucky shot?

Truly, some allied veteran pilot who has managed to shot down a Me-262, admitted that they were incredible lucky...not as skillfull.
With its high speed, greater turning circle and tempramental engines, fighting in the Me-262 required a different set of skills to fighting in a prop aircraft and, for consistant success, perhaps a better class of pilot altogether. With the war the way it was by the time the 262 entered the scene, such pilots were in short supply for Germany. So it all probably balances out.

Me-262s were not given too rookie pilots.

Galland chose the best pilots.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-06-04 09:24am

Thunderfire wrote:
The P-51 performance wasn't as good as most people think. The best mustang
unit in europe had a kills / dead-mia ratio of 4:1 AFAIK. The death rate of
allied pilots was around 50% this turns this into a 2:1 kill/loss ratio. Subtract
false kills and you get pretty close to a 1:1 kill/loss ratio.

That’s because the aircraft spent so much time down low strafing. If you hit at 100 feet you can’t bail out and your not going to survive the crash. Mustang units suffered around 80% of there combat losses to Flak with only 20% to other fighters.

Thunderfire · Post by **Thunderfire** » 2003-06-04 09:24am

Yes only experten used the 262 but some jets were planed for
rookie pilots. The He162 should be flown by HJ pilots.

Boba Fett · Post by **Boba Fett** » 2003-06-04 09:29am

Thunderfire wrote:Yes only experten used the 262 but some jets were planed for
rookie pilots. The He162 should be flown by HJ pilots.

He-163 the "Kraftei" and the Volksjager...

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-06-04 10:16am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
That’s because the aircraft spent so much time down low strafing. If you hit at 100 feet you can’t bail out and your not going to survive the crash. Mustang units suffered around 80% of there combat losses to Flak with only 20% to other fighters.

Using P-51s for strafing- that should've been solely the domain of a dedicated ground attack fighter with the armor to take the flak. (Il-2! Il-2! Il-2!)

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2003-06-04 12:56pm

Or at least a fighter with a radial engine that wouldn't be disabled by a hit to the radiator. Can we say 'P-47 Thunderbolt'?

I knew we could

One of the deadliest ground-attack platforms of the Second World War, the P-47 Thunderbolt saw extensive action in the European, Pacific and China-Burma-India theaters of operation.

With an empty weight of nearly 10,000 pounds, the P-47 was the largest and heaviest single-engine fighter of World War II. the aircraft's weight, combined with its mighty 2,000 horsepower engine, gave the P-47 an extraordinary dive speed exceeding 525 mph. Its robust construction and lethal firepower made it not only a devastating ground-attack platform, but also a superb fighter.

History of LSFM Aircraft
This Thunderbolt, specifically a P-47D-RA-40, was manufactured by the Indiana Division of Republic Aviation in Evansville, Indiana and was accepted by the Army Air Force on 7 May 1945.

W00T! A hometown built Tbolt!