The ETO's finest single engined ground attack aircraft

[Erich]

back on toipic

Ju 87D-5

[DAVIDICUS]

The Topic was:

Which country fielded the best single engined ground attack plane* (that saw at least 6 months of significant combat before the end of the war) and what was that plane?

*This question is not of which aircraft had the most significant impact on the war but of which aircraft that saw at least 6 months of significant combat was the hands down best ground pounder.
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You are nominating a Stuka?

[the lancaster kicks ass]

yes he is, the D-5 if i know erich as well as i do..........

[Erich]

go check the listings of Stuka units just operating on the Ost front.....yes the D-5

[DAVIDICUS]

So, in your learned opinion, no better aircraft used in a ground attack role saw at least 6 mos. of combat service during the entire war?

[Erich]

geez man how many times do I have to post it..... ?

you obviously want a very detailed explanation. nearly all of you have said a fighter going over to the ground attack role. The Ju 87D's were destined to be front line ground attack units with SG units until some replacement by Fw 190F's. The Ju 87's fitted with a montage of bombs, anti-personell bomblets and the D-5 armed with two 2cm firing M and AP{ rounds enough to do quite a bit of heavy damge to any existing MT column west or ost front. the Ju 87D-3 and D-5 had the proven record. although an old design with revmaped wing and engine it stills erved a needed purpose and was not the easiest thing to to takae down especially in the night roles. Something the Tiffy and Jug were not suited for.....

Klar ? maybe not.........

[DAVIDICUS]

Are you sure you're not responding to a thread about which single engined aircraft would make the best mail delivery plane?

[the lancaster kicks ass]

he has a point thouhgh, combat record and how it matched up to it's contemparies has a large part to play in deciding the "finest"...........

[DAVIDICUS]

The Topic was:

Which country fielded the best single engined ground attack plane* (that saw at least 6 months of significant combat before the end of the war) and what was that plane?

*This question is not of which aircraft had the most significant impact on the war but of which aircraft that saw at least 6 months of significant combat was the hands down best ground pounder.

[Erich]

your on drugs right ?

what isn't clear to you in my statements.... ? Your favourite runs from Normandie onward while mine is from the spring of 1943 till wars end with a farther reaching track record, offering it's services on boths sides of the conflict, west and ost. many more missions than the jug and the tiffy until the Stuka was run into the ground and left off the tarmac or grass strip rotting. The allied fighter bombers never flew at night but the Stuka Ju 87D's did whcih is another plus going for it...............

and this is hard to understand....geez man

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Erich is making very good points here..........

[Udet]

Erich is very correct, making a more straight approach to the matter.

Stukas have a record that to a very important extent is PROVED in the ground attack role.

It appears to me some of you do not give any weight to my comments on this thread regarding the failure of the RAF and USAAF fighter squadrons deployed as ground attack planes to destroy German panzer and mechanized columns over Normandy.

You also discard my comment allied pilots over Normandy went mad filing claims of alleged destroyed panzers due to their rockets and bombs. Panzers did not even exist in the German OB for that particular campaign.

You rather resorted to chitchatting/chin-wagging and other silly remarkings.

You asked for a source and i gave it: NIKLAS ZETTERLING, which happens to be a noted researcher, but it seems you did not even bother to consult any books, nor to conduct a web search -i was told some of Mr. Zetterling´s articles on Normandy are available on the net, something i do not know for i hate PC reading-.

Other than the big delays, or even the non-arrival of some German units to the frontlines, the RAF and USAAF planes failed while the Stuka, in the east, proved to be a far more efficient and accurate platform to hit enemy armor.

[DAVIDICUS]

Let's try one more time.

The Topic was:

Which country fielded the best single engined ground attack plane* (that saw at least 6 months of significant combat before the end of the war) and what was that plane?

*This question is not of which aircraft had the most significant impact on the war but of which aircraft that saw at least 6 months of significant combat was the hands down best ground pounder.
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The topic is not interested in which aircraft gave more significant service as a result of a "farther reaching track record" or by whether an aircraft flew "many more missions than the jug and the tiffy."

Why and under what circumstances would a Stuka be a better ground pounder than a P-47? I understand trhat the Stuka's record was quite exaggerated as well. Especially against the Russians. It did not have pinpoint accuracy as a dive bomber. That's a myth. Additionally, we are not just talking about killing tanks.

Let's say you are a commander. You want to inflict the greatest amount of damage on enemy troops, vehicles, armor and fortified positions for supplies. You can choose waves of attacks by equal numbers of either Stukas or Thunderbolts. You would choose Stukas?

Alternatively, if you were an enemy commander wishing to advance your troops, vehicles, armor and supplies, would you rather be harassed by Stukas or Thunderbolts?

To quote a noted member of this forum, "and this is hard to understand....geez man"

[the lancaster kicks ass]

no now you're talking which is the best, as in the original question, however in the threat title you are asking for the finest, it's one or the other as there are differnces between the best and finest..............

[DAVIDICUS]

Huh? The first post clearly explained and clarified the question. The title is just that, a catchy title. The best. The finest. The most excellent. The very most fabulous. The most awesome.