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Is it possible to declare a best fighter aircraft of WW2?
Or are there too many variables to have just one?
12 Answers
- Mark FLv 71 decade agoFavourite answer
Too many variables.
I am sure for example that in the time it has taken me to write this 3 or 4 people will have already blurted out "P-51 Mustang", and that seems like an obvious choice. And if all you want in a fighter in WW2 is an aircraft that works best flying from well-established fixed airfields to operate at high altitudes (18-24k feet) and long range to escort bomber raids in daylight, that is your aircraft.
But if you need a low-medium altitude interceptor there wasn't any other aircraft I can think of that could outperform the Hawker Tempest II between 4,000-20,000 ft. Unfortunately it would have been quite useless at the bomber escort role mentioned above.
If you need a high-altitude (20-30,000 ft) interceptor they don't get any better than the Focke Wolf TA-152.
For a low-level tactical fighter bomber there are excellent choices in the FW-190A and P-47D, either of which would be much better than the more glamorous Spitfires and Mustang's for this particular mission.
What if you need a night fighter to intercept bombers or low-level intruders. Here you have several good candidates including the Mosquito and P-61C.
If you need to operate from an aircraft carrier all of the above are useless. A Corsair might be a good choice but it has issues so some might argue for the F6F. However, both of these were too large to operate effectively from escort carriers so there is still a case for the FM2 Wildcat for that sub-specialty.
The list goes on and on...
- RufusLv 71 decade ago
No, that isn't possible since fighters played many roles. A long distance escort fighter like the P-51 Mustang would have certain characteristics. The P-47 Thunderbolt was a good ground attack aircraft.
My favorite fighter of WWII is the F-4U Corsair. It was called Whispering Death by the Japanese and they rated it as the best fighter they met. It was a good ground attack aircraft due to its payload. At more than 400 mph its speed was among the top.
- ?Lv 45 years ago
The Battle of Britain was purely aerial battle between the German Luftwaffe and British RAF. There were no ground troops involved whatsoever, and therefore no Blitzkrieg. The battle was in fact a stalemate, and neither side won. The Germans lost more aircrafts than the British (because it was an offensive battle for the Germans and a defensive one for the British, which was entirely fought above British skies). Hitler simply became impatient by the lack of progress of his aerial attacks over Britain, and so he ordered the Luftwaffe to stop the air war. But Germany was far from being weakened at this point (in fact, it still had dominant military power and resources which enabled Hitler to subsequently launch an invasion against Russia many months later). In short, it was the English Channel that hindered Hitler from launching a massive invasion on Britain (the enormous logistics required for the German forces to cross the Channel onto the British Isle, which Hitler wasn't prepared to do). If there were no English Channel, Hitler could have easily marched into Britain.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
P-51 Mustang.
- 鬼Lv 61 decade ago
Well the best one was definatly the German HO 229. it was just an prototype but il let the details speak for itself
Range 1000Km
Speed 1000km/h
Payload 1000 kg
Thats not enough? the 229 also was the first stealth aircraft it had 2 machine cannons and was highly agile. So technicly speaking it was the best Fighter and Bomber at that time. (in test flights it outperformed ANYTHING the Luftwaffe had to offer by generations)
Since ur question is about the Best, and not the most successfull one
- 1 decade ago
You would have to state your question better and define "best" better. Fastest? Most kills? Fewest shot down? There are records of all these out there floating around the internet.
I still have to go with the Cadillac of the sky the P51D.
- 1 decade ago
The ME-262 was the most advanced, but it didn't perform up to it's level. It couldn't turn fast enough to dogfight and burned fuel to fast to stay up long enough to do much.
There were a lot of planes with a lot of different strong points, but if you had to pick just 1 for everything it has to go to the Mustang.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
The Mustang.
- BruceNLv 71 decade ago
It is no different from choosing a 'best restaurant.' Some will disagree, but Zagat does it every year anyway. I am no expert, but I say ME-109. Check IHS Jane's to see the ratings.