Best ETO fighter from 1939-1942

[carpenoctem1689]

I would vote for the 190-A. The spit V and the 109E were good aircraft yes, but the -190 was just all around great, and not as heavy on the stick as the -109. And it just kept on getting better to meet the needs of the reich.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I dont think anything was able to meet the needs of the Reich. The Fw-190 was though the better of the ones though.

[syscom3]

Id give the P38 and -190 bonus points for at least being usefull in a fighter bomber role.

[carpenoctem1689]

Yes, they were multi roles, and later on, both became even better fighters, evolving into better aircraft...the later war models of the P-38 making a name for itself in the PTO, and the Ta-152h showing what could be done with Kurt Tanks airframe. A testament to both aircraft.

[plan_D]

D-Day for "Torch" was November, 1942? No, it was in November, 1942. See, it refers to the DAY not MONTH.

The RAF didn't actually redesign the Spitfire due to the Fw-190. Supermarine was already in the process with organising an upgrade which would become the Spitfire Mk.VIII. However, what the Fw-190A did do was make Supermarine get it's V airframes and slam a two-stage Merlin 70 engine in 'em. So...the Fw-190 rushed the improvement of the Spitfire.

I'd say the Spitfire IX because it was out in 1942.

[lesofprimus]

The point of the D-Day comment was for P-38s referral to the Normandy Beach Landings, that didnt happen for 2 more years....

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by Gnomey

I would say the Defiant.

Seriously though I would say that it would be between the Spitfire and the FW190. The MKV was a counter to the FW190 and was in some ways superior. This all comes down to the skill of the pilot and personal preference as the main fighters (Spitfire, 190 and 109) are all fairly equal. Being a Spitfire fan though I will say the Spitfire with the FW190 and BF109 a close second and third with the P-38 fourth.

The Mk IX was a counter to the 190A, not the Mk V.

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by plan_D

D-Day for "Torch" was November, 1942? No, it was in November, 1942. See, it refers to the DAY not MONTH.

D-Day occured in the early hours of November 8, 1942.

If I remember correctly, the US and French forces actually fought it out for a bit. (and guess who lost yet again, hehehehehehhe)

Back to topic. I think the FW was the best throughout 1942. The Spitfire was still an excellent machine, but needed upgrades. The P38 was on the upward slope of greatness, but because it had only seen limited combat, we cant say it was great.

The 109/Hurricane/P40 were all 1939-1940 planes, getting past their prime.

[plan_D]

Well done. The Vichy French hardly fought. But there's some interesting combat between the Vichy French Airforce and USN. By the way, the "Torch" landings were Anglo-American.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I believe there is a thread dedicated to the whole "Anglo-American" and other countries contributed the WW2 topic. Just wanted to throw that out there for the people that did not know that there were many nations in WW2.

[cheddar cheese]

Has to be the 190A...P-38 wasnt at its best yet...

[Udet]

I´ll clearly go for the German fighters.

I see both the E´s and F´s versions of the 109 slightly superior to their contemporary Spitfires; the arrival of the Butcher Bird to units such as the Richtofen and Schlageter geschwadern in the west made the situation only more dramatical for the RAF.

Even though the Home RAF managed to win the Battle of Britain in 1940, it was not due to any technical superiority of their hardware.

Just follow the calendar after the cancellation of Luftwaffe´s major operations over England in late 1940, and you will see the RAF´s performance during 1941 and 1942 showed they were going nowhere in fighting the Luftwaffe.

Pounded to hell over the Channel and France, also in North Africa upon the arrival of I./JG 27 in 1941; uncapable of providing proper air cover to British forces in some regions (i.e. may 1941, operation Merkur: the Luftwaffe had an orgy with the Royal Navy off the coasts of Crete) i do think the superiority of the Jagdwaffe over the RAF is clear.

[MacArther]

Yeah, the P-38 was very usefull in the the early stages of the war, and the Germans ended up naming it "the Fork-tailed Devil" because of the devastation it could cause. Personally, between this and the rough and tumble P-40 I don't know which I could chose. P.S. the defiant was a turreted fighter that was hated by its crews, so I don't know how it could counter the Fw-190.

[syscom3]

The P38 was showing lots of promise, but it was also showing some issues (like compressability) that needed a solution. I think one of the problems the Luftwaffe had upon its first encounters with the P38, was that it was similar to the -110, and would be meat on the table. Of course they learned quickly about it.

I put the P38 above the P40 cause its high altitude performance made it more usefull.

[evangilder]

I would certainly take a P-38 over a P-40. The "fork tailed devil" nickname is a myth though.