What Is Your All Time Favorite WW II Airplane.
11-04-2012, 10:19 PM
#151
Super Contributor
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,241
Originally Posted by bmrmiller
Well looks like I may be in the minority here but,
Focke Wulf TA152H is a sweet plane, then Heinkel 219 Owl
Focke Wulf TA152H is a sweet plane, then Heinkel 219 Owl
. The Ta 152 was superior to all allied types over 30,000ft, and the the he219 was the most advanced night fighter of WW2. It was faster than the jet powered gloster Meteor, the only allied jet to actually fire a shot (the p80 achieved nothing).. Being on the wrong side means that history often gets written in the victors favour, regardless of the facts
12-19-2012, 11:07 PM
#152
Flying Fish
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Bloomfield, Indiana
Posts: 1,995
As a kid at the end of the war I spent a lot of my time drawing pictures of the F6F Hellcat. It was my farvorite plane of the war but the most thrill I got was one day a P38 flew over our house. You could buy small toy planes. Probably got 4 on a card for a nickle. The reason I am guessing a nickle when we went to town I was given a nickle to buy something with. I remember having the Hellcat and P38 but don't remember the other planes.
12-21-2012, 03:35 AM
#154
Super Contributor
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DeLand, FL
Posts: 1,883
Originally Posted by degreen60
As a kid at the end of the war I spent a lot of my time drawing pictures of the F6F Hellcat. It was my farvorite plane of the war but the most thrill I got was one day a P38 flew over our house. You could buy small toy planes. Probably got 4 on a card for a nickle. The reason I am guessing a nickle when we went to town I was given a nickle to buy something with. I remember having the Hellcat and P38 but don't remember the other planes.
12-24-2012, 05:22 AM
#156
Luftwaffe Ace
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 307
Bf-109. Best fighter of the war. I mean just look at all the things it did. It survived the entire war. More were produced than any other fighter. American history is biased against it simply because we were the victors.
Also, Imagine if there had been enough HE-219's to make a difference.
Also, Imagine if there had been enough HE-219's to make a difference.
12-24-2012, 08:26 AM
#157
Ya got any Beeman's?
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 3,100
Originally Posted by mattman0182
Bf-109. Best fighter of the war. I mean just look at all the things it did. It survived the entire war. More were produced than any other fighter. American history is biased against it simply because we were the victors.
Also, Imagine if there had been enough HE-219's to make a difference.
Also, Imagine if there had been enough HE-219's to make a difference.
For a really good insight into WWII German fighters, pick up Adolph Galland's The First and the Last. At one point he told Hitler that only the FW-190 should be continued in production. That the 109 was outdated.
Anyways, this still doesn't take away from the fact that for a while, yes, the Bf-109 was on top of the fighter world. A beautiful plane, in the sense of power and for it's unfortunate purpose, like all these cool warplanes.
12-24-2012, 02:53 PM
#158
Luftwaffe Ace
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 307
Originally Posted by xmech2k
Best fighter of the war? Based on??? And what part of American history is against the 109? Is it a lie that the canopy restricted vision? That the cockpit was cramped? That it had limited range? That the narrow track landing gear killed many of it's own pilots? It had it's day where it was superior, but also like any combat plane it eventually became obsolete due to the advancements of design and technology. In it's day, it was made as good as they could, but technology keeps advancing. I'm not going on a rant here, just saying that's a big statement to call it the best fighter of the war. You don't think the FW-190 was better? Any others that came along later?
For a really good insight into WWII German fighters, pick up Adolph Galland's The First and the Last. At one point he told Hitler that only the FW-190 should be continued in production. That the 109 was outdated.
Anyways, this still doesn't take away from the fact that for a while, yes, the Bf-109 was on top of the fighter world. A beautiful plane, in the sense of power and for it's unfortunate purpose, like all these cool warplanes.
For a really good insight into WWII German fighters, pick up Adolph Galland's The First and the Last. At one point he told Hitler that only the FW-190 should be continued in production. That the 109 was outdated.
Anyways, this still doesn't take away from the fact that for a while, yes, the Bf-109 was on top of the fighter world. A beautiful plane, in the sense of power and for it's unfortunate purpose, like all these cool warplanes.
About American history being biased. Yes, it is very biased on many things. I mean just look at the show "dogfights". Or even worse, the show "great planes". One would be led to believe the Mustang is some UFO that could do anything and had no faults. In reality, the 109-F through the 109-G2 could pretty much dogfight just as well as any allied fighter. Yes, id even give those variations the edge over the beloved P-51 and middle and lower altitudes. The G6-K14 were almost primarily interceptors, with the exception of the G10, which was the last version set up for strictly dogfighting.
Towards the end of the war, of course there were more advanced fighters than the 109. But if you look at the war as a whole, from start to end, yes the 109 was the best. This was the plane that all the other designers were gunning for. Almost all of the fighters from that point on were designed using principles borrowed from the 109. Also people seem to under appreciate the DB600 series engines found in these birds. All the 109 pilot had to do early on in the war was point his nose down and the allied plane would sputter out because it would lose its fuel supply thanks to not having fuel injection.
Also, yes the 109 had faults, mainly it's landing gear setup. But how about the allied pilots killed by the Mustang's unstable tendencies?
01-22-2014, 04:45 PM
#160
Super Contributor
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 1,533
The P-51 is king in so many ways but sans graphics and morality I've always thought some of the FW-190's where some of the most beautiful planes ever built. There are many close rivals though.
01-22-2014, 04:55 PM
#162
Super Contributor
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Keller, TX
Posts: 5,019
Best fighter? How does one rate them? Number of kills? Probably a tie amongst some really great airplanes.
What were the real game changers ? P-51 clearly was a game changer after D-day as an escort fighter to and from Germany. The P-47 posed a great threat to the German fighters. But what about the Spitfire and Mossy ? The Spitfire prevailing in the Battle for Britain. The nearly all-wood DH Mosquito ranking as the fastest fighter/ bomber throughout the war. Certainly the Hellcat was a game changer in the Pacific but early on , the Mitsubishi Zero deserves some credit .
To state that the BF 109 or for that matter the FW-190 Butcher Bird were the best is a stretch. Both outstanding airplanes. But give me a 12 cyl Merlin anyday .
The debate could go on and on. Same debate goes on for WW-II Bombers. The B-17 received all the accolades and glory but there were far more Libs built and it carried a larger payload. Just that the lazy American Press corps didn't want to travel to N. England from London where the mainstay of B-24 squadrons were based. The ale and women kept them busy down South.
In the Pacific, look at the track record for the Dauntless Dive Bomber. Might still be some Japanese carriers afloat without its contribution. The P-38? A screamer in the Pacific , but a bust in Europe due to cold weather ops. B-25? The retaliation Strike by Doolittle's squadron could not have happened without it.
Just my 2 cent rant for the day.
-Hawk
What were the real game changers ? P-51 clearly was a game changer after D-day as an escort fighter to and from Germany. The P-47 posed a great threat to the German fighters. But what about the Spitfire and Mossy ? The Spitfire prevailing in the Battle for Britain. The nearly all-wood DH Mosquito ranking as the fastest fighter/ bomber throughout the war. Certainly the Hellcat was a game changer in the Pacific but early on , the Mitsubishi Zero deserves some credit .
To state that the BF 109 or for that matter the FW-190 Butcher Bird were the best is a stretch. Both outstanding airplanes. But give me a 12 cyl Merlin anyday .
The debate could go on and on. Same debate goes on for WW-II Bombers. The B-17 received all the accolades and glory but there were far more Libs built and it carried a larger payload. Just that the lazy American Press corps didn't want to travel to N. England from London where the mainstay of B-24 squadrons were based. The ale and women kept them busy down South.
In the Pacific, look at the track record for the Dauntless Dive Bomber. Might still be some Japanese carriers afloat without its contribution. The P-38? A screamer in the Pacific , but a bust in Europe due to cold weather ops. B-25? The retaliation Strike by Doolittle's squadron could not have happened without it.
Just my 2 cent rant for the day.
-Hawk
01-27-2014, 03:07 AM
#164
Super Contributor
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,957
Toss up
P-61 Black widow
British Mosquito
More cannons are better, in a head on or tail shot.
Both were really oversized fighters with great turning rates.
Also very easy to speed by them when they deployed all their brakes.
Then pick cannon shells out of your flaming tail.
British Mosquito
More cannons are better, in a head on or tail shot.
Both were really oversized fighters with great turning rates.
Also very easy to speed by them when they deployed all their brakes.
Then pick cannon shells out of your flaming tail.
02-03-2017, 08:27 PM
#166
New Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 11
Originally Posted by mattman0182
Well, the quickest point of yours for me to counter is that he FW-190 was better. There are reasons other than Hitler as to why it never truly replaced the 109. The biggest reason being that the 190 just never really matched the 109 at higher altitudes. Also, Erich Hartmann, the leading ace of all time refused to fly any other plane during his career. To me, this is a pretty credible endorsement of the 109. He could easily have gone to the 190 and later 262 if he had wanted to.
About American history being biased. Yes, it is very biased on many things. I mean just look at the show "dogfights". Or even worse, the show "great planes". One would be led to believe the Mustang is some UFO that could do anything and had no faults. In reality, the 109-F through the 109-G2 could pretty much dogfight just as well as any allied fighter. Yes, id even give those variations the edge over the beloved P-51 and middle and lower altitudes. The G6-K14 were almost primarily interceptors, with the exception of the G10, which was the last version set up for strictly dogfighting.
Towards the end of the war, of course there were more advanced fighters than the 109. But if you look at the war as a whole, from start to end, yes the 109 was the best. This was the plane that all the other designers were gunning for. Almost all of the fighters from that point on were designed using principles borrowed from the 109. Also people seem to under appreciate the DB600 series engines found in these birds. All the 109 pilot had to do early on in the war was point his nose down and the allied plane would sputter out because it would lose its fuel supply thanks to not having fuel injection.
Also, yes the 109 had faults, mainly it's landing gear setup. But how about the allied pilots killed by the Mustang's unstable tendencies?
About American history being biased. Yes, it is very biased on many things. I mean just look at the show "dogfights". Or even worse, the show "great planes". One would be led to believe the Mustang is some UFO that could do anything and had no faults. In reality, the 109-F through the 109-G2 could pretty much dogfight just as well as any allied fighter. Yes, id even give those variations the edge over the beloved P-51 and middle and lower altitudes. The G6-K14 were almost primarily interceptors, with the exception of the G10, which was the last version set up for strictly dogfighting.
Towards the end of the war, of course there were more advanced fighters than the 109. But if you look at the war as a whole, from start to end, yes the 109 was the best. This was the plane that all the other designers were gunning for. Almost all of the fighters from that point on were designed using principles borrowed from the 109. Also people seem to under appreciate the DB600 series engines found in these birds. All the 109 pilot had to do early on in the war was point his nose down and the allied plane would sputter out because it would lose its fuel supply thanks to not having fuel injection.
Also, yes the 109 had faults, mainly it's landing gear setup. But how about the allied pilots killed by the Mustang's unstable tendencies?
02-03-2017, 09:00 PM
#167
New Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 11
Originally Posted by pattern14
Being the minority does not make you wrong. The Ta 152 was superior to all allied types over 30,000ft, and the the he219 was the most advanced night fighter of WW2. It was faster than the jet powered gloster Meteor, the only allied jet to actually fire a shot (the p80 achieved nothing).. Being on the wrong side means that history often gets written in the victors favour, regardless of the facts
. The Ta 152 was superior to all allied types over 30,000ft, and the the he219 was the most advanced night fighter of WW2. It was faster than the jet powered gloster Meteor, the only allied jet to actually fire a shot (the p80 achieved nothing).. Being on the wrong side means that history often gets written in the victors favour, regardless of the facts
08-16-2017, 01:55 PM
#171
Super Contributor
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Ex UK Brit now in Latvia west coast - Ventspils
Posts: 12,597
I may have answered this before but two aircraft are particularly close to my favs ...
My Father flew Wellingtons
My Mother worked on Lancasters.
Those two aircraft together caused some of the most devastating awful carnage ever seen in war ... blanket bombing creating the dreaded Firestorms.
The Lancaster carried the largest bombs of the war ... survived incredible damage to get home.
Wellington along with Mosquito's led pathfinder missions to mark the targets. Without which many of the missions would have failed.
Fighters ? I have to say that I have a Love for the dear old Hurricane ... the forgotten Hero of BoB ... and then for me comes the FW190 ...
The Spitfire in its 'highback' form before the later Griffon versions and streamlined after fuselage ...
There are so many iconic from that era ... but I have to say that in terms of aesthetics ... many of the USA craft were not as pretty to look at ... but they had a job to do.
Nigel
My Father flew Wellingtons
My Mother worked on Lancasters.
Those two aircraft together caused some of the most devastating awful carnage ever seen in war ... blanket bombing creating the dreaded Firestorms.
The Lancaster carried the largest bombs of the war ... survived incredible damage to get home.
Wellington along with Mosquito's led pathfinder missions to mark the targets. Without which many of the missions would have failed.
Fighters ? I have to say that I have a Love for the dear old Hurricane ... the forgotten Hero of BoB ... and then for me comes the FW190 ...
The Spitfire in its 'highback' form before the later Griffon versions and streamlined after fuselage ...
There are so many iconic from that era ... but I have to say that in terms of aesthetics ... many of the USA craft were not as pretty to look at ... but they had a job to do.
Nigel
12-27-2017, 05:49 PM
#172
Curse you, Red Baron!
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 3
The personal favorites here:
Allied
P-47 (me)
P-38 (GF)
Axis
A6M (me)
FW-190 (GF)
The allied birds we have already in multiple scales; we have one FW-190 micro. I have my eyes out for 1/10 scale Zeros and Butcher Birds to add to the hangar.
Allied
P-47 (me)
P-38 (GF)
Axis
A6M (me)
FW-190 (GF)
The allied birds we have already in multiple scales; we have one FW-190 micro. I have my eyes out for 1/10 scale Zeros and Butcher Birds to add to the hangar.
