Poll...

[-ammo-]

 

Originally posted by Nath-BDP:
I thought we were talking about AH...

We got a P-47M in AH now? Woohoo!! Im loggin in to fly

[maik]

I wonder why stupid german mechanics never made field modifications on their planes and stupid german pilots still thought they had good mechanics.

Oh, well americans are usually better in everything, I gotta accept that  .

Maik

[Sancho]

P-47M for all the reasons others have stated above.  To paraphrase Zemke (paraphrase poorly I might add), if you want to look good in a picture you send home to your girlfriend, hop in a P-51.  If you want to get the job done in combat and come home alive fly a P-47.

--
Sancho
http://www.jump.net/~cs3" TARGET=_blank>63rd FS, 56th FG
"Zemke's Wolfpack"
 
Aerial combat isn't half of what it is shown to be in the movies... the combat usually takes place at a hell of a speed - the enemy aeroplane is only seen for a few seconds.--Bud Mahurin

[Widewing]

 

Originally posted by maik:
I wonder why stupid german mechanics never made field modifications on their planes and stupid german pilots still thought they had good mechanics.

Oh, well americans are usually better in everything, I gotta accept that   .

Maik

I'm sure some German mechanics found ways to improve performance in the field. No one has implied otherwise. In the case of the P-47, these mods were introduced by factory representatives from Republic and Pratt& Whitney.

One other factor that goes overlooked is that America was nation of mechanics and tinkerers. I don't recall the specific numbers, but I believe that there were more automobiles in the United States in 1939 than in all of Europe combined. Likewise, the same goes for privately owned aircraft and power boats. Americans did most of their own vehicle maintenence. They still do. Indeed, there were tens of thousands of young American men who had extensive skills at hotrodding large displacement V8 engines. When those men entered military service, what do you think they did with those skills?

My regards,

Widewing

[maik]

Viva A...., nahh.

no comment!

[Glunz]

While they were tinkering, the real engineers made the 262.

[Wingnut_0]

1 life to live eh?  I'd still stick with either a 190A5 or 109F.  Call me old fashioned  


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Wingnut
Luftjagerkorps

 

The quality of the box matters little.  Success depends upon the man who sits in it  -  Baron Manfred von Richthofen

[This message has been edited by Wingnut_0 (edited 03-24-2001).]

[Major Tom]

Amateurs!

My ride would be the Lockheed P-80.  Now that’s a real aircraft.

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Hey, and it’s a WWII aircraft to  

Oh well, in reality I would have flown...
P-47: ETO
P-38: PTO

[qts]

I'd probably go for the Arado with the ventral and rear guns.


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qts

[Wotan]

109f

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  Pray not for an end to the slaughter...but for VICTORY!!!

[Westy]

While they were tinkering, the real engineers made the 262.

 Yeah, Hitler's work on the 262 was superb!

 Oh!    New signiature line.

  -Westy

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"Above 30,000 ft there's two types of aircraft: P-47Ms and targets."

[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 03-25-2001).]

[-tronski-]

Spitfire IXc

 or

 P-40E/N/M

 

 -Tronski-

[This message has been edited by -tronski- (edited 03-25-2001).]

[pzvg]

P-40, in AVG colors
Only ONE life, might as well have style.

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pzvg- "5 years and I still can't shoot"

[Sundog]

PTO: P-38
ETO: P-47 or Dora

FYI-According to the latest four part series on the Me-262 by J.Richard Smith and Eddie J. Creek the main reason the Me-262 was never produced in larger numbers earlier, wasn't because of Hitler. It was because Willy Messerschmitt didn't want to close the 109 production line down. He thought the 109 would be sufficient to win the war. After all, it would have cost him money and time to switch production over to the 262. Which he eventually did, however, it was too late by then.

I won't argue U.S. Engineers vs German Engineers. Being an Engineer myself, both sides had very talented engineers. To even begin to understand the argument, you would have to look at politics, requirements, etc. I won't argue that in terms of pure R&D the Germans seemed to be fearless (Of course their backs were against the wall, which can be a hell of a motivator).

Another interesting comment about this thread. I spoke with a WW2 Fighter pilot at the Dayton airshow last year. He was with the Confederate air force and was collecting the money for the B-29 cockpit tour. I asked him what he flew in WW2. He joined the RAF in 1940 where he flew:

Hurricane Mk. Ia's and IIa's
Spitfire Mk. I's, III's, V's, IX's

In 43 he was transferred to the USAAF (56th FG)

He flew P-47D's (Obviously)
He also flew P-51D's for awhile and the P-47N. He said he didn't like the P-47N. He told me it was a dog (I was surprised at hearing that). So I asked him, which was his favorite of all of them to fly. He said the Spitfire Mk. V. Just thought you would like to hear that. I know I wrote his name down somewhere, I will try to find it. I keep thinking his first name was Jack, but I will have to look.

Edit:
I think he also said that he flew the P-47N in the PTO (He was transferred there after VE). Also, he said the one thing you had to be careful of when flying the P-47 was how it would 'Mush out' at the bottom of a dive. He said you usually had to pull it out about 50 ft higher then where you wanted to be because of that. He said his wingman went down because he didn't adjust for that on a straffing run. The wingman flew into a static He-177...and lived! (his plane went down, but he survived).

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Sundog
VMF-111 Devildogs
MAG-33

'Criticism is always easier than craftmanship.'


[This message has been edited by Sundog (edited 03-25-2001).]

[GRUNHERZ]

109G