Quoted:
I'll play:  P-47 Thunderbolt, specifically the D model.  Why?  Eight .50s good armor and overall survivability, long legged, and very fast at altitude.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/P-47D-40_Thunderbolt_44-95471_side.jpg/1200px-P-47D-40_Thunderbolt_44-95471_side.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBm50UPDeoM/maxresdefault.jpg

https://external-preview.redd.it/I7X2ZTinukf0RKqmI-043cF8XUfXVquDG8T6RPEGvDU.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2479ce7bc0e0e291d01d8d2f192a1cf32e03d5cb


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/P-47_gun_harmonization_1945_page_35.jpg

Quoted:
I'll play:  P-47 Thunderbolt, specifically the D model.  Why?  Eight .50s good armor and overall survivability, long legged, and very fast at altitude.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/P-47D-40_Thunderbolt_44-95471_side.jpg/1200px-P-47D-40_Thunderbolt_44-95471_side.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iBm50UPDeoM/maxresdefault.jpg

https://external-preview.redd.it/I7X2ZTinukf0RKqmI-043cF8XUfXVquDG8T6RPEGvDU.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2479ce7bc0e0e291d01d8d2f192a1cf32e03d5cb


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/P-47_gun_harmonization_1945_page_35.jpg

Quoted:
I cannot imagine there being any more fun possible in the world than rolling in on trains and tanks and buildings and cows and everything else in a P-47 and opening up with all eight .50 cals. Those gun films of them strafing trains and watching them blow up is satisfying beyond words.

Quoted:
P-47, any one with a bubble canopy.  The US could have built nothing but jugs for the air force fighter squadrons and still dominated the skies.  They were without a doubt the toughest fighter flying.  They could take an insane beating and still keep flying. The mustang could be downed with a single bullet to the radiator.  Jugs got home with entire cylinders shot away and the pilot had armor around him for safety.   At least once a german in a focke wulf emptied his entire magazine into the tail end of a wounded jug and STILL didn't shoot him down.  The german, recognizing the superiority of this American monster, was forced by his code of honor to escort the jug home because he knew the better plane when he saw it.

It was huge, like the brass balls of the heroes that flew them.  It had to be huge because you couldn't pack all that awesomeness into a small package.

That big double wasp engine was tweaked to eventually put out something like 2400hp. They used every trick in the book.  A supercharger alone wasn't enough.  They also put on a turbo charger too because yo dawg we heard u like chargers so we put a turbocharger on your super charger!   They gave it things like water injection, intercoolers, high octane fuels, new propeller and all it ever did was go faster to the point where it's earlier deficiencies in climbing were reversed to become excellent at climbing so poor jerry couldn't run away anymore.   Those pussy merlin engines never even came close to matching the horsepower of this monster.   The brits had to go invent a new engine and steal all of the improvements the jug pioneered just to come close.

They were one of the fastest fighters in the sky and NOTHING could out dive it. If a german tried diving after them in an ME 109 they would literally  rip their wings off.  Nothing the germans made in any real quantity could really match it up high where the bombers worked.  The germans mopped the floor down low vs the russians but their little planes would gasp for air  where the Jugs held court.  

With drop tanks they had plenty of gas to get to berlin, say fuck you to hitler and get back with gas to spare.  And of course 8 x .50 cal mgs would shred anything unfortunate enough to cross their sights, like the 20 or so ME 262 JETS they shot down.  Because fuck your jet, jugs rule.  They could also carry a couple of bombs if they wanted to because fuck you down on the ground, too.  

An all American, heavily armed muscle car of the sky.   Face it, it's fucking sexy in that special way only something huge, powerful and dangerous is sexy.   There is no other choice.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9a/f0/92/9af092336e137ca0bdc5b324e435fa24--cutaway-vintage-travel.jpg



https://media.defense.gov/2006/Aug/11/2000574561/-1/-1/0/050317-F-1234P-004.JPG

Quoted:


Tough bastards too. Can you imagine a today's 20-something explaining how he made it home in this?
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/202842/cE4hbmc_jpg-1512387.JPG
https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/202842/55c8a69f23518cad69759da00df6ed88_jpg-1512392.JPG

Quoted:
My answer would hands down be the Corsair, but If you are going to include the Skyraider which was post WW2 I will include the Hawker Sea Fury.....which went up against MiG's in Korea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Sea_Fury


https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/66241/C60B0661-1C4B-444A-BD2D-233E18B972E4-1512403.jpg

Quoted:
I would agree with the P38. It didn't have the highest top speed, but it did have a much higher rate of climb of any other (piston or jet) fighter of WW2, including the me262. The only thing I'm aware of that could beat it's rate of climb was the me 163, which was rocket powered. Also, the gun placement made it easier to hit your targets since the guns were directly in front of the pilot, not out on the wings. It also had an incredible record for getting pilots home. The p38's incredible climb performance made it a great energy fighter.

Quoted:
The P47 would have been my pick.


The P39 Aircobra should have been a hot ship as designed.  It was designed with a turbo charger unit but it was deleted because the turbocharger production was insufficient for the P38 and the P39.  

Much as the P40 suffered forhorsepower.  

I want to say in the Pacific theater the P39 had more kills than other aircraft.

Quoted:
Always liked the Dornier Do 335 Pfiel

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/43372/2584312605_58bb4d174b_z_jpg-1512525.JPG

Quoted:



P-38's drawback to being an Energy Fighter "Boom & Zoom" was the dive speed cased compressibility issues making a very high speed something that a pilot could not pull out off.  The very late model P-38s finally included "Dive flaps" to assist with.

The P-47 & P-51 could both dive faster than the P-38.

I have been digging the Naval Aviation of WWII.  

What huge clanking Balls you had to fly off a straight deck carrier in those days.  

There was no angled flight deck to allow for a "Bolter / Go Around" - if you didn't catch the 4 wires on your landing, you went into a crash barrier or over the side.  

Really dig the F6F Hellcat.  The Plane that wracked up incredible kill numbers & Destroyed Japan in the air.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/20/01/8c2001dc0ae29963132546e0b068fa2a.jpg


https://conceptbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Grumman_F6F.gif

Quoted:

The P-38 was also overly complicated for your average WW2 fighter pilot. Even someone as capable as Robin Olds found it to be a handful:

https://www.historynet.com/p-38-flunked-europe.htm

I still think it's an awesome plane, though. And there's no denying what Richard Bong and Thomas McGuire were able to do with it.

Quoted:

That big double wasp engine was tweaked to eventually put out something like 2400hp. They used every trick in the book.  A supercharger alone wasn't enough.  They also put on a turbo charger too because yo dawg we heard u like chargers so we put a turbocharger on your super charger!  

Quoted:
Grumman F7F Tigercat. It had range: 1181mi. and speed: 460mph but was unfortunately a little late to the ballgame.


http://shutterspeedaero.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/2013-dsc_9415_d300_tonemapped.jpg

Quoted:
Dec 7th 1941...it did exist for a few hours

https://i2.wp.com/cms.sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/f-14-tomcat.jpg?fit=800%2C420&ssl=1

https://conceptbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat.jpg

Quoted:
<<<- I'll let you guess

Quoted:
I am no wordsmith/typer or collector of pics of stuff like @Miami_JBT  but

here I go

This isn't the which was the best fighter of WW2 thread.


And yes I know most would probably pick what they thought was the best.



I don't provide a list because there were sooooo many from every combatant country.

The question is, which one would YOU have wanted to fly and why?  Provide and label pics please.




mine would be the P38


https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/152525/p-38-lighning-in-flight_jpg_pc-adaptive_-1512017.JPG


bonus points if you can find cutaway pics of your plane as well----I had books growing up that had the pic of the plane, then the cutaway with specs and explanations of what was what---always mesmerized me

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/152525/P38_1920_BG_png-1512015.JPG


why? because I fit in one.   And two engine.  Over the pacific?  I'll take two engine please.   And they could get at least the air over the wings close to the speed of sound.


oh

and because guns are icky


https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/152525/nose-art_jpg-1512026.JPG




2nd place
Douglas A-1 Skyraider----I know----wasn't IN ww2----but it was made during WW2---and this is my thread

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/152525/1024px-A-1J_Skyraider_VA-176_Vietnam_196-1512030.JPG


Why?


Because it is just huge!


https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/152525/s-l1600_jpg-1512040.JPG

Quoted:


Guessing the Skyraider is a repurposed F8F Bearcat, which was denied its rite of passage when Eisenhower green lit using the atom bomb.  But it took that much to overshadow it.

Quoted:


Guessing the Skyraider is a repurposed F8F Bearcat, which was denied its rite of passage when Eisenhower green lit using the atom bomb.  But it took that much to overshadow it.

Quoted:



Our planes ran 100 octane on the low end and 150 on the high end.  

The Germans ran on 89 octane (if you convert the german gas octane rating over).  

Right there their engines weren't that competitive.  

Quoted:
Dec 7th 1941...it did exist for a few hours

Quoted:

An all American, heavily armed muscle car of the sky.   Face it, it's fucking sexy in that special way only something huge, powerful and dangerous is sexy.   There is no other choice.

Quoted:
Tigercat and Bearcat - of course neither should really count.  So must make it a Corsair and be done with it.

For just looks, I also liked the King Cobra - but it is really a precursor to the A10, definitely not a fighter.
http://www.aviation-history.com/bell/p63-22a.jpg

Quoted:

I have been digging the Naval Aviation of WWII.  

What huge clanking Balls you had to fly off a straight deck carrier in those days.  

There was no angled flight deck to allow for a "Bolter / Go Around" - if you didn't catch the 4 wires on your landing, you went into a crash barrier or over the side.  

Quoted:
Dec 7th 1941...it did exist for a few hours

https://i2.wp.com/cms.sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/f-14-tomcat.jpg?fit=800%2C420&ssl=1

https://conceptbunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Grumman_F-14_Tomcat.jpg

Quoted:
P-47, any one with a bubble canopy.  The US could have built nothing but jugs for the air force fighter squadrons and still dominated the skies.  They were without a doubt the toughest fighter flying.  They could take an insane beating and still keep flying. The mustang could be downed with a single bullet to the radiator.  Jugs got home with entire cylinders shot away and the pilot had armor around him for safety.   At least once a german in a focke wulf emptied his entire magazine into the tail end of a wounded jug and STILL didn't shoot him down.  The german, recognizing the superiority of this American monster, was forced by his code of honor to escort the jug home because he knew the better plane when he saw it.

It was huge, like the brass balls of the heroes that flew them.  It had to be huge because you couldn't pack all that awesomeness into a small package.

That big double wasp engine was tweaked to eventually put out something like 2400hp. They used every trick in the book.  A supercharger alone wasn't enough.  They also put on a turbo charger too because yo dawg we heard u like chargers so we put a turbocharger on your super charger!   They gave it things like water injection, intercoolers, high octane fuels, new propeller and all it ever did was go faster to the point where it's earlier deficiencies in climbing were reversed to become excellent at climbing so poor jerry couldn't run away anymore.   Those pussy merlin engines never even came close to matching the horsepower of this monster.   The brits had to go invent a new engine and steal all of the improvements the jug pioneered just to come close.

They were one of the fastest fighters in the sky and NOTHING could out dive it. If a german tried diving after them in an ME 109 they would literally  rip their wings off.  Nothing the germans made in any real quantity could really match it up high where the bombers worked.  The germans mopped the floor down low vs the russians but their little planes would gasp for air  where the Jugs held court.  

With drop tanks they had plenty of gas to get to berlin, say fuck you to hitler and get back with gas to spare.  And of course 8 x .50 cal mgs would shred anything unfortunate enough to cross their sights, like the 20 or so ME 262 JETS they shot down.  Because fuck your jet, jugs rule.  They could also carry a couple of bombs if they wanted to because fuck you down on the ground, too.  

An all American, heavily armed muscle car of the sky.   Face it, it's fucking sexy in that special way only something huge, powerful and dangerous is sexy.   There is no other choice.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9a/f0/92/9af092336e137ca0bdc5b324e435fa24--cutaway-vintage-travel.jpg



https://media.defense.gov/2006/Aug/11/2000574561/-1/-1/0/050317-F-1234P-004.JPG