Ground Attack Plane P38L or P47D-40?

[Wiley]

'Nancy' is a very unmanly name for such an awesome plane....'November' far more fitting.....been using it as primary fighter ride for years, never tire of it

"Nancy" and "Mary".  Real men fly D's.

Wiley.

[LilMak]

If you goal is purely get away speed, the N is your bird. But if you waste your WEP on the climb, you've wasted that advantage. The N is great till the WEP runs out. Once the WEP is gone, it's the worst jug of the bunch.

[SmokinLoon]

Threads like these are fun to watch develop.  Just remember there is no "best", only "better for X situation".   

 

[bj229r]

If you goal is purely get away speed, the N is your bird. But if you waste your WEP on the climb, you've wasted that advantage. The N is great till the WEP runs out. Once the WEP is gone, it's the worst jug of the bunch.

uup....N can do some cool stuff on the edge of stall speed, but it needs wep to do it

[LilMak]

uup....N can do some cool stuff on the edge of stall speed, but it needs wep to do it

Exactly.

[Randy1]

The D40 is no slouch that is for sure.  I had sworn I would never take it out of the hanger again but there are times you can get rhythm  going with it in continuous high yo-yo's that is just plain fun.  Well fun  till the pickers get over your head.

I keep leaning toward the D40 if nothing else for its climbing in an air to air.  It still has that escape speed it just can't hold it as fast if the N has WEP.

The M with ords, now that would be interesting.

[LilMak]

The D-40 is the best all around jug of the bunch IMO. I flew it exclusively before the N was released and had much more success in it as a fighter then because no one ever expected a dogfight out of a 47 and almost always underestimated it. Since the N and M were released, people take Thunderbolts more seriously.

[Letalis]

The D-40 is the best all around jug of the bunch IMO. I flew it exclusively before the N was released and had much more success in it as a fighter then because no one ever expected a dogfight out of a 47 and almost always underestimated it. Since the N and M were released, people take Thunderbolts more seriously.

The N has moments of brilliance, but if I had to choose which single model of Jug my own personal Aces High air force would buy, it'd be the D40.

When it comes to D-40 vs 38L in the Jabo role, the D-40 wins.
-Yes it is slower getting to the target, but it's not like you'd dogfight an LA in a heavy 38L.  End result is the most important factor here.
-In terms of total ord, the D-40 has an edge in the centerline 500lb bomb.  Jugs also do 2500+ damage w full ammo vs ~2000 for the 38
-For strafing the 38L is a more stable platform with better convergence and more total firing time, but the 20mm goes fast leaving you with around 20 seconds of just 4x50 cals. 
-Given the longer time needed to keep the nose on a ground target, larger target profile and  inferior toughness, the 38 is vastly inferior in the strafing role.
-When it comes to capping a field and fighting low, pilot skill is the single most important factor. 
-Asking the 38's acceleration to get you out of trouble is a better proposition than asking the jug to do same, but still a bad question.
-The 38 cannot turn, run, climb, accelerate or roll (low speed) than the Spit16.  The Jug can outdive and outrun 16 or at least shrug off enough hits to make slow scissors a semi-palatable prospect.

Best (non-perked) Jabos in game IMHO: 
1. F6F-5   --It's not only a competitive all-rounder, it's THERE.
2. P-47D-40  --  Best overall performance in A-G role once at target.
3. P-38L  --  Gets there quick, but packs less than D40 and fragile.
4. F4U-1D  --Might score higher if not for the single fuel tank
5. P-47N  --Would score higher if not so dependent on WEP to shine...
6. Typhoon  --Mixed bag.  Good snapshot firepower, short clip, decent ord, but fragile.  Perhaps the best for running after "the deed"
7.  P-51D  --Same fragility issue as 38 minus redundancy, slower "luggi'n speed"
8. N1K  --Heavy firepower, big clip, good low.
9. P-47D25  --Same general traits as D40 minus rocket and a little climb
10. FW190A8  --Best point attack aircraft due to heavy FP, small profile but limited ord, poor in a turning fight.

The heavy stuff-A-20, Mossie and 110/410 are all good, but I don't consider them fighters unless Razor, Cobia or Widewing is in the cockpit

[bj229r]

D40 outrun spixteen?

[Letalis]

D40 outrun spixteen?

Yes.  But not in the 150-> 345 KIAS "drag race sense", I'm talking "escape."  Given equal WEP, equal initial speed of 300+ (eliminates Spit low-end accel advantage) at an initial alt of ~8k, Spit16 ~1.0 out, a dive to deck will open dist slightly.  WEP on, Spit will barely creep back when on deck.  By the time Spit is 800 out, you'll both be low/out of WEP half a sector or more toward toward friendlies.  After WEP runs out, Jug has a tangible advantage over S16 below 5k.  The 38 on the other hand can't open up as big a gap in such a small dive space.  The Spits are spraying and praying from 800 well before the WEP runs out and much more likely to get lucky damaging the 38  than the Jug.

http://www.gonzoville.com/charts/index.php

Done it many a time, just have to keep the alt as insurance, dive saves the F6F (short term) much of time too.  I'd rather be in a Jug getting chased by a Spit than a Spit being chased by a Jug any day.  A smart Spit driver would...nevermind...  

[LilMak]

D40 outrun spixteen?

Nope. Same speed @ MA alts. M and N are faster but you better have a head start.

[Debrody]

The heavy stuff-A-20, Mossie and 110/410 are all good, but I don't consider them fighters unless Razor, Cobia or Widewing is in the cockpit

The A20 has great flaps, a light 110 is actually a monster turner in downhill mode, but the 410 is truly horrible.

[Torquila]

Just to throw it out there;

410 is the best de-acker in the game cause of the 50mm high rate of fire/range and multile attack options (added dive bomb approach with dive flaps).

410 50mm can kill most tanks from the right attack angle as well as being able to hit flakkers and other lighter vehicles from very long ranges. Albiet the accuracy sucks. You can theoretically get 22 heavy armour kills alone in a sortie.

A few 50mm does the radar in with 3-4 shots easy from good distance.

50mm is ok against town buildings, but does lack ammo.

410 takes a beating and is fairly low profile for a plane of its weight.

[Randy1]

I find myself looking for the attribute of escape speed because of those times you end up on a field attack just as the reds start lifting off in large numbers or you end are out of sequence with all the green guys going down or out of fuel.  You might get just one pass on a hanger before you get swarmed.  A P38 just can't escape but the 47s have a chance. 

Not only that but I don't care how many targets are available for the reds a P38 will get the most attention.  I had a film of 10 reds chasing my 38  on the deck halfway across the sector.  It emptied the base.  The remaining green guys had a free hand with the field.  My squad mates look forward to my selecting a 38.  It is like bait.

[bj229r]

Yes.  But not in the 150-> 345 KIAS "drag race sense", I'm talking "escape."  Given equal WEP, equal initial speed of 300+ (eliminates Spit low-end accel advantage) at an initial alt of ~8k, Spit16 ~1.0 out, a dive to deck will open dist slightly.  WEP on, Spit will barely creep back when on deck.  By the time Spit is 800 out, you'll both be low/out of WEP half a sector or more toward toward friendlies.  After WEP runs out, Jug has a tangible advantage over S16 below 5k.  The 38 on the other hand can't open up as big a gap in such a small dive space.  The Spits are spraying and praying from 800 well before the WEP runs out and much more likely to get lucky damaging the 38  than the Jug.

http://www.gonzoville.com/charts/index.php

Done it many a time, just have to keep the alt as insurance, dive saves the F6F (short term) much of time too.  I'd rather be in a Jug getting chased by a Spit than a Spit being chased by a Jug any day.  A smart Spit driver would...nevermind...  

that was pretty much my thoughts....except the pursuit typically STARTS at our near deck, and the guy in the D40 is eventually is forced to begin a fight with a spit on his 6