Best Planes of WWII

[LilMak]

The C-47/DC-3 is among the greatest aircraft EVER built. Certainly in the top 5 of any aviation historians list. After 75 years this plane is still in service. None of the aircraft mentioned above can even come close. It's not even a contest.

[BuckShot]

B-29

[Widewing]

If we're talking about all aircraft, it gets really tough to pick just one. You can't, really. You'd have to break it into categories.

[LilMak]

If we're talking about all aircraft, it gets really tough to pick just one. You can't, really. You'd have to break it into categories.

Topic is best planes of WWII. There was no criteria other than that which I saw. So my answer is the C-47. Far and away did more for the war effort than any other plane. Was used by every Allied nation in every single part of the world doing the real work of any large scale war. The existence of the Goon and its versatility probably shortend the war by a year or more.

[Karnak]

Heh no.

Except that it factually was.  In service a week prior to the Me262.

[MiloMorai]

Topic is best planes of WWII. There was no criteria other than that which I saw. So my answer is the C-47. Far and away did more for the war effort than any other plane. Was used by every Allied nation in every single part of the world doing the real work of any large scale war. The existence of the Goon and its versatility probably shortend the war by a year or more.

The Japanese had there own version of the C-47.

[Widewing]

Topic is best planes of WWII. There was no criteria other than that which I saw. So my answer is the C-47. Far and away did more for the war effort than any other plane. Was used by every Allied nation in every single part of the world doing the real work of any large scale war. The existence of the Goon and its versatility probably shortend the war by a year or more.

Not discounting the value of the C-47, but how does that make it the best? How long would the war have lasted if there was no B-29, No SBD, No P-51, no Hellcat or no B-24? The B-24 was very important to closing the Atlantic gap, pivotal to winning the Battle of the Atlantic. There were several critical aircraft that made a huge difference in the war. If there were no C-47, there was the C-46 and C-60. Versatile cargo aircraft were very important, but could not survive in a combat zone without complete air superiority. How does one gain that, with transports?

Best implies that it was superior to all others. Who is the best QB in the NFL? Who is the best starting pitcher in MLB? those can be more easily quantified, but still there will be no universal agreement. Want to argue most important? That's where the C-47 is a competitor.

[darkzking]

The P39 was hands down the best plane of ww2

[WaffenVW]

Except that it factually was.  In service a week prior to the Me262.

It just wasn't and you'd be hard pressed to find any serious historian claiming it was. 616 Sqd. got their first Meteors on 12 July and started converting their pilots on it, which they had completed by the end of the month. For the next several months they went on to test the Meteor under operational conditions and develop operational tactics for the new jet. The exact same job EKdo 262 started four months earlier in April when they received their first 262s. By the time 616 Sqd, got their Meteors on July 12 the 262 was already being delivered to other units of the Luftwaffe like Kdo Schenk with trained pilots who had flown the jet for months. Even to bomber units like KG51 which got its first 262s in June with trained pilots arriving on July 10.

The ME 262 became operational in April 1944. The Meteor became operational in July 1944. Both spent several months exploring and developing operational tactics under heavy secrecy and were forbidden to engage the enemy. The Meteor was tested against the buzz bombs over Allied territory since they were unmanned and couldn't report any sightings of the top-secret Meteor. The 262 became a front line fighter in June/July 1944 scoring its first kill on July 26. In October 616 Sqd. was still developing operational tactics, now with the USAAF in joint exercises. In December 616 Sqd., still the only Meteor squadron in service retired their Meteor Is having never flown a single sortie against the Luftwaffe. In January 1945 four Meteor IIIs from 616 Sqd. were finally assigned to front line service with the 2nd TAF, half a year after the 262. The Meteor finished the war with no aerial victories.

[Latrobe]

The 109F4 was hands down the best plane of ww2

Fixed.


Thread over.

[LilMak]

Not discounting the value of the C-47, but how does that make it the best? How long would the war have lasted if there was no B-29, No SBD, No P-51, no Hellcat or no B-24? The B-24 was very important to closing the Atlantic gap, pivotal to winning the Battle of the Atlantic. There were several critical aircraft that made a huge difference in the war. If there were no C-47, there was the C-46 and C-60. Versatile cargo aircraft were very important, but could not survive in a combat zone without complete air superiority. How does one gain that, with transports?

Best implies that it was superior to all others. Who is the best QB in the NFL? Who is the best starting pitcher in MLB? those can be more easily quantified, but still there will be no universal agreement. Want to argue most important? That's where the C-47 is a competitor.

All true. However, war is largely a battle of logistics and without food, ammunition, personnel,  and all manner of supplies. It doesn't matter if you have the best weapons if you can't supply them. The goon did the heavy lifting all the way into Vietnam where it became a gunship too. its versatility, rugged construction, and service life have made it a legend. A quarterback is useless without his center to hike the ball. A pitcher is just a scarecrow without a ball and a mitt. The DC-3 was the first aircraft to generate a profit for its owners without mail contracts. It still is used for its intended purpose to this day. Don't think any other aircraft can claim that. Until a few years ago, I believe a DC-3 held the record for the most flight hours on an airframe. Meaning it had spent more time in the air than any other aircraft in history. We can get into the nuances of a particular type of aircraft and their roles as dogfighters or bombers or their effect on future aviation but the lowley goon is the greatest aircraft of WWII IMO.

[WaffenVW]

And what made the Goon better than the myriad of other military transports in service at the time?

[MiloMorai]

And what made the Goon better than the myriad of other military transports in service at the time?

Over 10,000 built.

[WaffenVW]

So if they had built over 10,000 of another contemporary transport instead of the C-47 we would have lost the war? Say for example the Douglas DC-5/R3D.



A U.S. Marine Corps Douglas R3D-2 from Marine Transport Squadron VMJ-152 dropping Marine paratroopers in 1941.

[Zimme83]

US, GB and Russia had C-47:s and they won, Germany, Italy, Japan hadnt and they lost. So its well proven that the C-47 won the war.