Spitfire XVIs in wartime air combat

[Guppy35]

I saw another comment in the wishlist forum suggesting the Spit XVI had maybe 5-6 total kills in the war.  This has come up often and is not accurate.

To set the record straight using 403 Squadron RCAF as an example:

Transitioned to XVIs in early December.  First sweep was December 8, 1944.  The XVIs engaged 109s and shot down one.  They continued to fly support ops during the Battle of the Bulge.  Christmas day was memorable as the CO S/L Collier shot down a 262.  Bodenplatte on New Years morning was the next big day for the 403 16s as they were just getting airborne as 30 109s and 190s were hitting the field. 4 403 pilots managed to shoot down 6 E/A without a loss.  Spit 16s upping into a horde and coming out alive on the other end while taking the bad guys down.  Sounds familiar

After Bodenplatte the LW was hard to find, and 403 did most of it's work flying ground attack in support of Allied ground forces.  In the last two weeks of the war, 403 squadron claimed 12 E/A destroyed.  The squadron lost one pilot in the process.

So basically it came down to this particular Spit 16 squadron destroying 20 E/A in air combat including a 262.

Consider that there were other squadrons operating the XVI as well and they too claimed kills in air combat.

So please don't used the argument that the Spit XVI didn't shoot anything down as part of the anti 16 talk.  That would just not be true.

[BillyD]

 anti 16 talk. 

^ needs its own forum section

[guncrasher]

seriously? who cares, we got it and it's fun to kill it.  that's all.  you cant change what other people think. or we wouldnt have lancstukas in the game.

semp

[Tyrannis]

seriously? who cares, we got it and it's fun to kill it.  that's all.  you cant change what other people think. or we wouldnt have lancstukas in the game.

semp

you think that, until your stuck in the DA with 40 ppl all flying in spit16s. totally ruins the atmosphere of fun in there.

[zack1234]

ban the Brewster then.263,262,p51 etc etc lol

Can't say i have seen any more 16's then LA7, Spit 8 is a much better plane than 16 anyway

[Furball]

People seem to think that because 16 is a higher number than 14, that it was some late war uber ride.

[jocrp6]

   It's the roll rate of the 16 is what every body loves bout it!  what else has a roll rate other than 190's?  but thats all they can do!  I like the spit I, but the roll rate sux's way more than the carb doe's!

[Krusty]

I saw another comment in the wishlist forum suggesting the Spit XVI had maybe 5-6 total kills in the war.  This has come up often and is not accurate.

Nice info and all, but perhaps the best counter to the spit16-no-kills-crowd is to list how many air combat kills the Spitfire Mk.IX LFe claimed. Surely it ranks up in the many hundreds?

[Changeup]

   It's the roll rate of the 16 is what every body loves bout it!  what else has a roll rate other than 190's?  but thats all they can do!  I like the spit I, but the roll rate sux's way more than the carb doe's!

Not-so-much.  The roll rate is only a little of the equation.  The 16 can outturn most of the a/c ingame...notice I said most all you Brew, Zeke and F4U-1A guys.  A 16 and 190 can "roll" around all they want to but in the end, the 16 will hammer it if the 190 tries to turn with it or slows down at alts that are in the 16's fight radius.

Changeup

[JOACH1M]

you think that, until your stuck in the DA with 40 ppl all flying in spit16s. totally ruins the atmosphere of fun in there.

Nobody gives two deuces about the DA and what planes fly in there

[vafiii]

It seems that the guys who complain about the Spit 16 are the same guys who fly the P-51D. If I'm not mistaken, the P-51 D was introduced very late in the war. As long as the P-51D stays in the game then the Spit 16 should stay.

[Guppy35]

seriously? who cares, we got it and it's fun to kill it.  that's all.  you cant change what other people think. or we wouldnt have lancstukas in the game.

semp

Clearly someone cares as what was initially posted as an incorrect 'fact' is now one of those deals where folks are using it as truth.  I don't fly 16s, but I hate when people get the history wrong

[Bruv119]

Clearly someone cares as what was initially posted as an incorrect 'fact' is now one of those deals where folks are using it as truth.  I don't fly 16s, but I hate when people get the history wrong

I don't fly 16's either but everytime I feel the whining has picked up I will fly it solid for a week or two and add fuel to the fire   

Give them something more substantial to complain about   

[SunBat]

who cares

+1

[Rino]

   It's the roll rate of the 16 is what every body loves bout it!  what else has a roll rate other than 190's?  but thats all they can do!  I like the spit I, but the roll rate sux's way more than the carb doe's!

     F4Us and even P-47s can roll pretty well also.