Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: ZeroPing on May 13, 2002, 01:57:51 AM
-
Well..??? ;)
-
In WWII, or in the context of AH?
In WWII I'd say it was the F4U-4, P-47M or N (I get those confused), P-51D or B-29A.
In the context of AH the Ki-84 could be added to the list.
-
F4U3 or Ki84
-
b29
it ended the war
-
Hellcat.
The Zero and the Corsair are contenders, the Zero being used from beginning to end and the Corsair being a better fighter than the Hellcat.
But it was the Hellcat that cleared the skys of enemy planes.
P.S. I didn't consider army planes because the Pacific was primarily a naval war.
-
The F8F would have been! :p
-
The Hellcat by far, 75% of all Navy Kills (I thought i read that one some where).
Jay
-
Niki :D
Now seriously, probably the F4U in all its versions. But it still is one of the ugliest planes built.
-
Originally posted by Citabria
b29
it ended the war
War had already ended when it was used, only up to stubborn japanese by the time.
it just gave the final blow which made the emperor to realise it could mean destruction of all what he believed and fought for, if more of such bombs would drop in the mainland.
Planes before had more impact, which made it possible to concentrate on the mainland of japan.
-
Best Japanese plane is...Ki-84-I-Ko, 47th Sentai. :)
The operation rate of Ki-84 was always 100% in this squadron...
-
Originally posted by Fishu
War had already ended when it was used, only up to stubborn japanese by the time.
it just gave the final blow which made the emperor to realise it could mean destruction of all what he believed and fought for, if more of such bombs would drop in the mainland.
Planes before had more impact, which made it possible to concentrate on the mainland of japan.
B-29 went active in 1944. Prior to that Japan had not suffered bombing by long-range heavy bombers. Until factories were destroyed, Japan still maintained the ability to wage war. However, U.S. submarine operations had reduced importation of raw materials to a trickle.
The best fighter (in terms of performance) in the Pacific was the F4U-4. Second best was probably the P-47N. The most "effective" fighters were the F6F Hellcat and P-38 Lightning, especially prior to 1945. These two were doing everything, everywhere, right up until VJ day. Indeed, the F6F and P-38 were clearly the most important fighters in the Pacific, dominating the Japanese from the moment of their respective deployments.
My regards,
Widewing
-
Kyushu J7W Shinden
-
B29 without question . Of course the B29 wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the zero fighter .
-
B29 was being designed in 1940.
-
Northop P-61 Black Widow
Armed with four 20mm cannon & four turret-mounted .50cal mg
With those full-span spoilers, which are swifter and more efficent than ailerons.
There can be only one!
-
KI84 and NIKI..
-
I personally think that the F6F was the best PTO plane of the war. It may not have had the performance of the later F4U-4, and it may not have been as maneuverable as some of the Japanese planes. However, it was close to perfect for the situation it served in. It was easy to learn to fly (compared to other fighters of the time). It had ample armament and ordnance carrying capacity. Was incredibly survivable. Had enough performance to provide its pilot the ability to defeat contemporary Japanese planes.
The F6F was rugged, hard-hitting and perfectly suited for a carrier offensive almost from the moment the first one was produced.
If you are talking about performance, then obviously, the F6F is not the best. If you are talking about impact on a war, there are very few planes that you can mention along with it (SBD and B-29 could be argued about as well) in the same context.
-math
-
Tough call here. Many of the fliers in AH are fixated on pure permormance. But it takes more than high speed to make a successful combat aircraft.
I would disqualify most late war aircraft, of all combatants, for the simple reason that by the time they were deployed the war had already been won (or lost...depending on which side you were on) and their contribution had little effect on the war's outcome.
The criteria which I shall use to pick the greatest aircraft of the Pacific are these:
1. Performance
2. Availability
3. Maintainability
4. Ruggedness
5. Range
6. Firepower
7. Manuverability
Army and Navy fighters of the U.S. that were in action in the period from late 1942 through late 1944 score high in all categories. In each design were rated on a scale of 1 to 10 in each category listed, none would score lower than a five in any of them.
Because of the differing nature of the war fought by Army and Navy aircraft, I will pick a winner from each area. While the aerial war against the Japanese was mainly a carrier war, the contribution of Army aircraft was substantial and cannot be ignored.
In air-to-air combat against the Japanese, the winner has to be the P-38. It's combination of performance, manuverability, firepower, and range were well-nigh perfect for the Pacific Theater. If the ground attack role is considered then a case could be made for the P-47 being the most important army fighter. But the P-47 falls short of being ideal for the Pacific because of its lack of range, at least until late 1944.
For the Navy, there is really no contest. It has to be the F6F. No other fighter during World War II so dominated a combat arena as did Roy Grumman's portly creation. The Hellcat destroyed over 5,000 enemy aircraft while losing less than 300 of its own number to enemy action. The official kill to loss ratio was 19 to 1, a figure not within the reach of any other fighter of that period, nor of any since. In terms of sheer performance, the F4U was faster, but it's treacherous low-speed handling characteristics kept it from carrier qualifying until early 1945, by which time the F6F had devastated Japanese airpower. Perhaps the Hellcat's greatest asset was it's vice-free handling, which allowed it's pilots to squeeze every last ounce of performance and manuverability from it. Hellcat serviceability rates were consistently about 90 percent, another figure that was not within the reach of any other aircraft of that period.
For the Japanese, only one aircraft was produced in enough numbers to have a significant impact on the war. That was, of course, the ubiquitous Zero. No other Japanese aircraft was ever produce in anywhere near the same numbers as the Zero, with over 10,000 being turned out before the war ended. But it's low score in several of the above categories precludes it from being considered as the overall winner.
So there you have it. For the Army, the winner is the P-38. For the Navy, the F6F.
Regards, Shuckins.
P.S. By the way, it would be interesting to see how other readers would rate these fighters in each of the categories that I listed on a scale of 1 to 10. What are your thoughts?
-
Originally posted by Widewing
B-29 went active in 1944. Prior to that Japan had not suffered bombing by long-range heavy bombers. Until factories were destroyed, Japan still maintained the ability to wage war. However, U.S. submarine operations had reduced importation of raw materials to a trickle.
The best fighter (in terms of performance) in the Pacific was the F4U-4. Second best was probably the P-47N. The most "effective" fighters were the F6F Hellcat and P-38 Lightning, especially prior to 1945. These two were doing everything, everywhere, right up until VJ day. Indeed, the F6F and P-38 were clearly the most important fighters in the Pacific, dominating the Japanese from the moment of their respective deployments.
My regards,
Widewing
Not only was the P-38, along with the Hellcat, the work horse of the PTO but the two U.S. all time aces flew P-38's in the Pacific.
Ack-Ack
-
I would also like to argue that the Wildcat and Dauntless had a great impact on the course of the war. The Wildcat soldiered alone for the USN during the dark days of the Pacific War and was responsible for the deaths of countless irreplacible experienced Japanese pilots. When the Hellcat and Corsair enter the war, the arena is already turning, in my opinion.
The Dauntless is responsible for sending many enemy aircraft carriers, experienced enemy pilots and scores of enemy aircraft to the bottom of the sea. Once again, many experienced enemy pilots are lost due directly to the Dauntless which soon forces lesser-trained enemy pilots into the war. Since the Pacific is famous for its CV battles, the Dauntless has to be considered in any accolades given.
I can't really choose. I agree with them all.. Zeke, B-29, Hellcat, Corsair, P-38, Dauntless and Wildcat. But fighters don't win wars, right? I'll go with the underdog here and choose the Dauntless.
-
Steven,
I've heard that the Dauntless had the lowest loss rate per sortie of any aircraft of the early war period. That is astounding, if true, for one of it's principal opponents during that period was the Zero, which usually made mincemeat of aircraft like the SBD.
The SBD's most significant success was during the Battle of Midway, where it sank four Japanese carriers. Had the Japanese carrier's fighter cover not been busy slaughtering low-level torpedo attacks by B-26s and Vindicators then the SBDs might have had a much hotter reception, and the Battle of Midway might have turned out a lot differently.
SBDs were a good workhorse, but could not have survived for long without fighter cover.
An unexpected choice, but one that does have a certain appeal.
Regards, Shuckins
-
That's why I selected the Dauntless, it's an underdog deserving of some recognition. However, without bombers, fighters aren't much good as an offensive weapon. Bombers and fighters really go hand-in-hand. Everybody picks the late-war stuff, and as you hinted at, the question originally posed may relate to the overall affect an aircraft had on the course of the war. I think the F4F and SBD had a significant affect on the course of the war.
Did you see the Val screenshot as posted by Natedog? I'm guessing we'll be getting a Dauntless in the upcoming planeset too. :)
-
Remember the question is which one is best not most significant .
-
F8F Bearcat then. Even though it didn't see the enemy, it was in the combat theater.
-
Dauntless dive bomber and Hellcat
-
You guys are all wrong . The question is; Best Pafic WarPlane !