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04-16-2007, 05:28 PM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 7,393
Country:  |  Most Overrated aircraft of WWII.....?
Which, in your honest opinion, aircraft achieved a popular reputation that far exceeded their actual performance or capability in combat?
I think that this might be interesting.....  
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JAN
"I´m going back to the front to relax"
"THE BLACK CATS FLIES TONIGHT"
"Find your enemy and shoot him down - everything else is unimportant!"
"When you're out of F-8's... You're out of fighters!" | 
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04-16-2007, 05:40 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 681
| P-51 Mustang.
__________________ August 12, 1944 - In an armor cover mission at the Falaise track, Charlie Rife, 368th FG, 395th FS, takes 37mm fllak rounds to both wings. His wingman, Richard Kik, takes a 20mm round to the engine that knocks out two cylinders. Both make it back.   | |
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04-16-2007, 06:03 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 2,286
Country:  | Early in the war the P39 was supposed to be hot stuff and it certainly looked the part. Operationally it was a real dud. | |
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04-16-2007, 06:09 PM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Fresno, CA
Posts: 2,562
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by renrich  Early in the war the P39 was supposed to be hot stuff and it certainly looked the part. Operationally it was a real dud. | Don't tell that to the Russians!
I think the PBY Catalina was one of the most overrated planes.
It was reliable, beautiful and sturdy but does not deserve all the acclaim it receives.
Don't get me wrong it was (is) an awesome plane but to often that is the ONLY image that is conjured when thinking of WW2 seaplanes or flying boats.
I love the Cat but she is overrated.
__________________ “Despite the threat of SAMs and increasing visibility on 31 January 1991, one gunship opted to stay and continue to protect the Marines. A SAM subsequently shot down this AC-130H, call sign Spirit 03. All 14 crew members of Spirit 03 perished."  www.NewMediaPerspective.com 
Last edited by comiso90 : 04-16-2007 at 06:14 PM.
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04-16-2007, 06:10 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 2,286
Country: | Another aircraft that was a dud as far as it's intended role was the BF110. Jank, I tend to agree with you on the P51 in that it's reputation has far exceeded it's capabilities and conversely the P47 is probably the most underappreciated fighter in the European Theater. | |
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04-16-2007, 06:17 PM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 181
| Super Marine Spitfire
After the battle of Britania the Spit got the honor of the plane that did the most of saving britania from german invasion but in fact it whas the Hawker Hurricane who did the most work because by it whas more than twice faster to manucacture than the Spit and so become in greate number so the Hurricane should stand as symbol over battle of Brittania whit the Me 109 instead of the Spit.
sorry for my bad spelling. | |
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04-16-2007, 06:29 PM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 8,478
| The P47 didnt have the range necessary to escort the bombers to their targets, therefore it cant be under appreciated.
The P51 was in on most of the destruction of the LW, so it cant be over rated.
The PBY did what it was supposed to do. It was never thought of being the best, so it cant be over rated,
The P40 was a good performer in the first couple of years in the PTO... cant be that.
The P39, quite possibly the most over rated. And that goes for the Me-110.
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"Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?" | |
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04-16-2007, 06:38 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Fresno, CA
Posts: 2,562
Country: | Quote:
Originally Posted by syscom3 The P47 didnt have the range necessary to escort the bombers to their targets, therefore it cant be under appreciated.
The P51 was in on most of the destruction of the LW, so it cant be over rated.
The PBY did what it was supposed to do. It was never thought of being the best, so it cant be over rated,
The P40 was a good performer in the first couple of years in the PTO... cant be that.
The P39, quite possibly the most over rated. And that goes for the Me-110. | The question was "What is the most over rated" not, "What was considered the best but really not"
>> The PBY did what it was supposed to do t was never thought of being the best, so it cant be over rated
That is a government worker mentality. You can only be over rated if you are thought of as the best? If you do what u are supposed to do then u are immune to criticism?
I believe the PBY does not live up to many peoples lofty assesments... the same goes for the B-17.
__________________ “Despite the threat of SAMs and increasing visibility on 31 January 1991, one gunship opted to stay and continue to protect the Marines. A SAM subsequently shot down this AC-130H, call sign Spirit 03. All 14 crew members of Spirit 03 perished." www.NewMediaPerspective.com
Last edited by comiso90 : 04-16-2007 at 06:51 PM.
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04-16-2007, 06:38 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London
Posts: 2,885
| Zero It had a reputation of being unbeatable but it never was and in the early days when it gained the reputation, it often fought second string fighters, not the latest. Hurricanes and P39's in particular. | |
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04-16-2007, 06:42 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 194
Country:  | Ahh, Glider beat me to it. Yep the A6M Zero. No armour or self-sealing tanks!! Range and agility weren't everything - just sneeze on it and it fell down | |
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04-16-2007, 06:51 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,218
Country: | Like the Bf-110, the Stuka was considered a first string tool of the Luftwaffe, only to quickly be given second string status. | |
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04-16-2007, 07:14 PM
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#12 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Limburg
Posts: 871
Country:  | The first one that comes to mind ... the Fw 190. No better than the Bf 109 was twice as expensive to build.
Kris
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04-16-2007, 07:24 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 2,971
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Originally Posted by Civettone The first one that comes to mind ... the Fw 190. No better than the Bf 109 was twice as expensive to build.
Kris | ????HUH????
The FW-190 is often in arguments as one of the finest piston planes ever produced.
Just because it was expensive to build doesn't mean it didn't live up to the hype.
And while the P-39 didn't perform up to American standards in the PTO or ETO, it did very well in India/Burma and I think the Russian kills in it showed what it could do when given to a determined force.
I would have to go with Jank and pick the P-51. It's given all the glory, it's the cadillac of the sky, etc. Well you know what?????? I wouldn't have a cadillac. Comfy car for sure. But Lord help your wallet when it breaks. And if you shot it with anything bigger than a .22, it was going down. | |
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04-16-2007, 07:24 PM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Fresno, CA
Posts: 2,562
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Originally Posted by Civettone The first one that comes to mind ... the Fw 190. No better than the Bf 109 was twice as expensive to build.
Kris | Why did FW get the contract then? TWICE is a lot for little/no pay off.
The relationship between the German military and the contractors always seemed odd to me.
The tanks, self propelled guns and recon vehicles all had so many different chassis and suspension systems. If they would have realized the power of standardization, combined with German quality, their industry would have been a huge impact on the war.
__________________ “Despite the threat of SAMs and increasing visibility on 31 January 1991, one gunship opted to stay and continue to protect the Marines. A SAM subsequently shot down this AC-130H, call sign Spirit 03. All 14 crew members of Spirit 03 perished." www.NewMediaPerspective.com | |
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04-16-2007, 07:42 PM
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#15 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 194
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Originally Posted by Thorlifter And while the P-39 didn't perform up to American standards in the PTO or ETO, it did very well in India/Burma and I think the Russian kills in it showed what it could do when given to a determined force. | My turn to go HUH???
Firstly, the P-39 didn't perform to RAF standards either (without the turbocharger).
And who flew the P-39 in Burma/India? It's news to me. I'm not aware of any USAAF squadrons operating it over India?burma - and only 601 had it in the RAF (didn't operate there).
Last edited by amrit : 04-16-2007 at 08:01 PM.
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