Quote:
Originally Posted by NitrousG35
Yeah, I agree that the Ta-152 was an incredible plane, but I don't think it would have been superior to either the P51H or the Spitfire Mk 22. At the end of the war, all the major combatants were turning out some incredible piston engined fighters. Germany, Japan, the US, England and Russia all had super high perfomance fighters that came out a liitle too late to see much action in the war.
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I think the P51H is superior to the Ta-152 as a high-speed interceptor, but I don't consider the P51H as being part of the war since AFAIK it never actually saw combat, whereas the Ta-152 actually did (albiet very little). As far as overall performance F8F Bearcat imo is the best.
Breaking down into theaters the best fighter in terms of wartime effectiveness (and not performance) I think it's:
European: P51 Mustang--they were a God-send for the B17s and B24s that escorted them. Prior to that US fighters didn't have the range to escort bombing runs, and many a bomber was downed. The great range of P51 made it an awesome escort.
Pacific: F6F Hellcat--sure the P51 was invaluable in its B29 escorts from Iwo Jima/Saipan to Tokyo, but most of the key conflicts involved carrier battles. And to that end it was the F6F that was pivotal. Good range, maneuverability, speed--top it off it was easy to fly, so green pilots had a surviving chance when faced against veteran pilots in Rabaul. The F4U by contrast was unforgiving to fly (hence the term Ensign Eliminator), and was a clumsy adaptation into carrier-based duty... snap stalls made them a handful in hands of inexperienced pilots. I think F6Fs are ugly as sin though
As far as aesthetics, I've always preferred radial engines over inline. Another plane I think is cool is the Lavochkin La-7:
One of the most graceful planes (and an exception to my disdain for inline engines) is the late-war Spitfire w/ bubble canopy. So nice.
