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Quoted:
my grandfather was a crew chief on P-38's in the Pacific. One of the brightest men I've ever known and if he had to work on them for years - and loved them the rest of his life - then that's plenty endorsement for me. Plus I always appreciated the concentrated firepower and twin-engines! ETA - my next two choices are Hellcat and Corsair, respectively. Just felt like adding that. View Quote I think my poll choice is obvious. |
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the 1945 /post war versions of these aircraft were pretty serious compared to the mass produced wartime models.
I'm talking better everything look up the pics of the Korean model corsair vs. the early models I'm thinking P47N or later model Corsair with cannons |
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I can't fault you for those choices, but mine Would be the f4u hands down. Fasterer than the hellcat, and more importantly, faster than most 109s. Not to mention faster than almost every IJN aircraft it would face. built to fight japs, so not quite as maneuverable as the the hellcat but much more maneuverable than a mustang or a high. plenty maneuverable for killin germans and Japs. Better read vicibility than the hellcat (admittedly not as much as some of the other options) late war, I would try to get in a -1c variant... because quad AN/m2 20mm cannons... Also, a little known fact. The brits fixed the corsairs carrier problems by fitting them with solid rubber wheels instead of normal inflated wheels. This was done quite by accedent when they ran out of corsair wheels and had to improvise with what they had on board for one of their bombers. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Hellcat, or Jugg 8 50 cals are better than 6 Fasterer than the hellcat, and more importantly, faster than most 109s. Not to mention faster than almost every IJN aircraft it would face. built to fight japs, so not quite as maneuverable as the the hellcat but much more maneuverable than a mustang or a high. plenty maneuverable for killin germans and Japs. Better read vicibility than the hellcat (admittedly not as much as some of the other options) late war, I would try to get in a -1c variant... because quad AN/m2 20mm cannons... Also, a little known fact. The brits fixed the corsairs carrier problems by fitting them with solid rubber wheels instead of normal inflated wheels. This was done quite by accedent when they ran out of corsair wheels and had to improvise with what they had on board for one of their bombers. F4U has always been my favorite |
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I cast a vote in for the P38 in honor of my wife's later uncle Art He flew them towards the end of WWII. He was USAAC and then USAF. Retired with the rank of Lt. Col. after serving 29 years when they wanted him to fly a desk for his last year. Of all the planes he learned to fly, the P38 was his all time favorite aircraft to fly. Just loved the things. One of the really cool people I have met in my life. Had some interesting UFO stories too. They never officially reported them because you would be grounded for psyche evaluation if you did. One of his buddies was one of the founders of the Confederate Air Force. Art died a few years ago.
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P38 is one of the coolest looking aircraft of all time.
I pick that, and dive in from above to avoid getting caught in a dogfight. |
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America's top ace, Richard Bong, flew a P-38. I'll go with his choice. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
P38 is one of the coolest looking aircraft of all time. |
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Poll fail. Correct answer is All of the Above. I think I had models of each plane listed in the poll when I was a kid.
I love the Corsair (Black Sheep Squadron FTW!) and the Mustang is a beautiful aircraft and excellent dogfighter. P-47 would be awesome for survivability (radial engine, armor) and eight .50 calibers. The P-40 is a sentimental favorite of mine, even if it wasn't the best fighter of the bunch (shark mouth Flying Tigers hell yeah). In the end, I went with the P-38. Fast, sexy, lots of power, and having the guns mounted in the nose vs. the wings means much better accuracy. I think I read someplace the top ace of the war, Richard Bong, loved the P-38 because he could easily engage targets at 1000 yards in his P-38 with its nose mounted .50s, because wing mounted guns had to be angled toward the centerline of the plane, usually crossing at about 400 yards. |
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You guys are being such a bunch of hipsters. P-51D is the only right answer.
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I voted, Corsair, out of pure ignorance. My pure ignorance tells me I'd vote, Mustang if missions were strictly air to air. Thunderbolt if missions were air to surface.
I did some work for a Thunderbolt pilot one time. Cool dude. He drove a chopped 40 Merc. He said he strafed trains and convoys mostly. I've seen footage of trains getting strafed. I always wondered if the footage was from his camera. |
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F4U-1D or -4. The -1C with the 20mm's had issues. I believed they switched manufacturers for the cannons they put in the -4B and the later versions. But, the -4 was the last variant to see action in WWII.
Second choice would be P-47N. Eight 50's and fuel for all week! |
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I like to hunt and drink beer at night with my friends.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_P-61_Black_Widow ![]() The Northrop P-61 Black Widow, named for the American spider, was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed to use radar.[2][3] The P-61 had a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 forward-firing cannons mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns mounted in a remote-controlled dorsal gun turret. Sensors, gotta see em to hit em. ![]() |
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The poll results is how I would have ranked them. I always have a hard time between the P-51 and the P-38 though.
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You guys are being such a bunch of hipsters. P-51D is the only right answer. View Quote No. You haven't heard that story because the American was flying a P-47 Thunderbolt, his name was Robert Johnson, and he went on to kill 28 German aircraft. The P-51 is among the most beautiful aircraft ever flown, but if my ass was going into harm's way, I'd choose the P-47 first. |
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P-47 all day long. A great fighter as well as fighter-bomber when needed. None of the vulnerabiliy of the inline engine. Catch the enemy on the ground and in the air.
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F4U followed closely by F6F.
Water cooling is STUPID in a fighter aircraft. |
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I always liked the F4U, so I chose that. The P-51 is the best looking though.
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I like to hunt and drink beer at night with my friends. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_P-61_Black_Widow http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/p-61-black-widow-caught-in-the-web-stu-shepherd.jpg View Quote |
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Guess I'm the only person that likes the p-40
It's my favorite plane ![]() |
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The only piston engined plane to shoot down a MiG jet. Developed during WW2 so it counts. Its not it's fault if the war ended early. ![]() http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/7/3/7/0306737.jpg?v=v40 View Quote And folks should remember, the Hellcat, while a badass fighter, was built to fight pretty much one single fighter, the A6M Zero. The Aleutian Zero was used to iron out the Hellcat. Not the BF-109, not the FW-190, or God forbid the ME-262. It was getting outclassed by the later Japanese designs, who's only downfall was too few, too late. Had the war gone another year, with a Japan capable of sustained secret manufacturing, (and we found caves full of stuff after the war) the Hellcat likely would have been regulated to attack only missions or sent back home as advanced trainers. Or, as they were in Korea, flying bombs. Drones controlled by Skyraiders. The Corsair though, soldiered on, killing piston engine and jet engine aircraft and being the Angel on a Marines (and plenty of dogfaces too) shoulder. Corsair all the way. -1D or -4D. Or be naughty and give me an AU-1. |
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Historically accurate: P38
Not historically accurate: Corsair all day all night, baby! |
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Years ago we had a P-47 at our little airshow. I was surprised how big that machine was......and was even moar surprised how fast and nimble it was, for its size. Amazing monster of a machine.
P-47 hands down......and hope i have enuf gas to get home. *_* |
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The P-47 was the WWII version of the A-10. Tough as nails for sure but I would still choose the Merlin engine in the P-51 frame.
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I've always loved the F6F Hellcat. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/96423/F6F-warbirds-tw-256235.JPG View Quote |
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The only piston engined plane to shoot down a MiG jet. Developed during WW2 so it counts. Its not it's fault if the war ended early. ![]() http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/7/3/7/0306737.jpg?v=v40 View Quote ![]() EDIT: I should post this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Carmichael |
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Count me in as a member of the F6F cult. :) View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I've always loved the F6F Hellcat. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/96423/F6F-warbirds-tw-256235.JPG |
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The F4U. It beat p-51s in air to air combat and itself.
The Last Dogfight "The Last Dogfight Ironically, history’s last known piston-engine dogfight was between two legendary American warbirds from the Second World War – the P-51 Mustang and the Corsair. When a brief shooting war broke out in July of 1969 between estranged neighbours El Salvador and Honduras following a series of bitterly contested World Cup qualifying-round soccer matches, both countries’ antiquated air forces took to the skies. On July 17, Honduran Vought F4U Corsairs engaged a flight of Salvadorian Goodyear FG-1D Corsairs and Cavalier Mustangs — militarized versions of civilian air racing P-51s. During the duel, a Honduran pilot named Fernando Soto shot down two of the Salvadorian planes. El Salvador continued to fly its surviving Corsairs into 1975; Honduras didn’t retire its fleet until 1979." |
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P38
Fast, turned, climbed, flew like a jet before it's time because of to counter rotating props. Had there been more they would have been the fighter with the most kills. For panache the P51. |
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F4U-4.
Or if we're letting it slide by allowing planes that were built but didn't actually see combat action before the war ended, F2G-1 or AU-1. ![]() |
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My real answer, if I got to pick...
![]() Give me operations, Oscar Brand |
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Quoted:
I voted, Corsair, out of pure ignorance. My pure ignorance tells me I'd vote, Mustang if missions were strictly air to air. Thunderbolt if missions were air to surface. I did some work for a Thunderbolt pilot one time. Cool dude. He drove a chopped 40 Merc. He said he strafed trains and convoys mostly. I've seen footage of trains getting strafed. I always wondered if the footage was from his camera. View Quote Also the Spitfire. P51 was a very capable high altitude fighter with excellent range. But 1v1 is was better then a number of others. |
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Um, not even close dude. Maj. Jesse Fulmar downed a Mig-15 in his Corsair. He nailed it with his 20mm Cannon flying off the USS Bataan, a light carrier. His was the first ever jet kill by a piston engined fighter. And folks should remember, the Hellcat, while a badass fighter, was built to fight pretty much one single fighter, the A6M Zero. The Aleutian Zero was used to iron out the Hellcat. Not the BF-109, not the FW-190, or God forbid the ME-262. It was getting outclassed by the later Japanese designs, who's only downfall was too few, too late. Had the war gone another year, with a Japan capable of sustained secret manufacturing, (and we found caves full of stuff after the war) the Hellcat likely would have been regulated to attack only missions or sent back home as advanced trainers. Or, as they were in Korea, flying bombs. Drones controlled by Skyraiders. The Corsair though, soldiered on, killing piston engine and jet engine aircraft and being the Angel on a Marines (and plenty of dogfaces too) shoulder. Corsair all the way. -1D or -4D. Or be naughty and give me an AU-1. View Quote The Japs had no chance. Their problem wasn't simply manufacturing but pilots. Considering the context of WW2 combat the F6F would probably be the fighter to be in. It was the one that stomped the Japs. I believe F6Fs had by far the most kills of any allied fighter. |
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