Best Fighter Aircraft of WW2?

[HyperSniper999]

Did I start this monster of "Best of" threads?

[Seeme]

Well there fun.

[Newbie.]

Did I start this monster of "Best of" threads?

Looks ;ike it,.

[Akalonor]

sis you make a best SMG thread yet , I cant find one.

[Newbie.]

sis you make a best SMG thread yet , I cant find one.

Theres a Best SMG of Ww2 Thread

[Panzer4life]

IT has to be the Me-262.
-One: It had jet technology, which made it a driving force in today's modern fighter craft. Also, it could simply run away from the enemy if it needed to.
-two: Armaments: It had 4 30mm cannons, could carry 24 55mm rockets, which made it very effective against bombers, as it was designed to do.
-three: It was well armored as it was with most German jets.
And finally, there is nothing better than to hear aces from both sides saying it flew really smooth and was like an angel in the air.

[Zerstörer]

P51 Mustang by far. It changed the course of the Air War and won it for the allies. It featured the best combination of reliability/speed/manuverability/firepower/range/operational ceiling/payload/visibility/sturdiness

And the Hellcat if we're talking pacific.

Both of the above achieved the highest kill ratio of any other WW2 airplane and won both air wars.That's what makes them the best, undeniably the best combat records. No point having a flying saucer if doesn't win the war for you or talking about what could have happened, but didn't happen.
You can either judge a war machine on its contribution to the war, or by its technical merits.

[Desert_Fox]

And the Hellcat if we're talking pacific.

Yes, very good fighter, I saw many videos and documentaries about it.

[redtail666]

ME262 is hands down.  Designed at the same time as the other top vote getters(P-51, Spitfire, FW-190, Meteor, Etc...) under constant bombardment which interupted production of all material.  The quality of their jet engine technology was lacking due to metal failures in the hot section.  That Jumo design is the basis for modern aircraft engines of today.  It would have been in production sooner, but Hitler wanted it used as a bomber(dumb idea, imo), then changed his mind again to finally use it as a fighter.  P-51 was excellent, but simple advantage of overwhelming numbers made it unstoppable.  Brits won battle of Britain because the Germans quit bombing their airfields, they where within a couple weeks of knocking the RAF out, even with obsolete aircraft like JU-87, HE-111.  They had numbers on their side early in the war.  Hitler changed strategy to bomb London(stupid).  In combat the only good fighter aircraft is the one with the good wingman.  Fly alone, die alone.

[Zerstörer]

If we're talking just about the machines themselves, from those that were actually built and tested Horten Ho229 was by far the best as far as jets go

Also, everyone knows about the German jest...but few about the soviet jets!
1/3- Secret Russian Aircraft of WWII

[redtail666]

The flying wing design is the future, but the problem they all(Northrup's also) had early on was vertical instability.  All modern fighters use some of the aspects of the flying wing.  Most built in the last 40 years have some form of blended wing/fuselage design.  They are un-flyable without modern computer control systems. None of the many great fighters from WW2 are worth a dime if there are no pilots available.  If the Me262 would have been produced as originally scheduled, when Germany still had some of their experienced pilots alive the carnage would have been bad for allied bombers, even with escorts.  However, the end result of the war would be the same(imho).  Industrial capacity trumps everything in conflict.

[Paciat]

The flying wing design is the future, but the problem they all (Northrup's also) had early on was vertical instability.

A lot fo German fanboys mention Ho229. Nice to see someone that understands that most wunderwaffe (including V-2 rockets and super heavy tanks) was crap.

[Analpirat]

That's bullshit, the Ho 229 proved to be very maneuverable and stable on the few flights it had. Comparing it with modern fighter jet designs is also very naive. They are designed to be unstable to improve their maneuverability and they can because we now have the computer and engine power to level that out. That's simply bias you're displaying (Paciat) and that when you're decrying it in others...

But for the record, I'm not saying the Ho 229 was the be all and end all of WW2 jets as there's no data to justify that. What can be said however is that it was a groundbreaking and revolutionary design, regardless of whether or not it was actually a workable solution. And the V1 and 2, whether you like it or not were also huge leaps in their respective fields and the V2 especially proved to be a priceless source of information for the allies. But if you're saying they were a strategic blunder, then yes you're right. They are great inventions, but for winning or fighting a war they were useless and the resources used in producing them could have better been used elsewhere.

[redtail666]

Test flights of a protype dont prove it's abilities.  The Ho 229 concept was the foundation for the future of aviation, that's a fact.  You wouldn't consider the Arado 234 the best bomber of WW2 just because it had many good ideas in it's design.  The Me 262 incorporated conventional and new design ideas for the time, got it produced and into the fight.  Showed what I could do against the enemy if placed in the hands of veteran pilots.  The design was just a baby step in the evolution of the warplane(20% increase in speed), but it seemed like a quantum leap at the time.   Politics play a bigger role in delivery of most concept weaponry than we realize.  If those who write the check for it dont understand it, it can be delayed forever.  Especially during wartime.

[Pauly3]

actually i am an avid fan of IL-2 1946
it is an awesome WW2 flightsimulator.
I  know how to handle most planes in it and i am very good with the german Messerschmitt-109 which is a good allround plane with fearsome armaments (MK-108 ftw)
but i never understood the stupid jet planes...what is so good about them? yeah they kill Bombers in nothing flat but they have such a low turning rate and maneuvrability. Besides the engine goes up in flames for no reason in mid-air...
I am usually not such a fanboy of Nazi-tech (cause i hate them) but my vote goes to the BF-109 G version introduced late 1943
i blazed all my mates with it in the same LAN game about  a dozen times in a row...made myself a multiple ACE
they flew far more modern planes by all acounts like the MIG-9 or the later Mustangs but i still won cause the BF-109 is such a beauty

PS: Paciat you should underestimate the I-16, it sure was outdated in 1941 but in the spanish civil war it was feared by the legion condor (the nazi support troops germany send there) they nicknamed it Fliege (fly) cause it was so nimble. it has weak armaments and bad diving capabilities but if you are in for a recon mission or a litte strafing run its low speed becomes an advantage and it can even carry a few heavy bombs. with its sound maneuvrability you can dodge the Messerschmitts and hopefully make it away...well hopefully
Epic long post...