Best Nightfighter of WW2

Erich · 06-01-2004, 05:07 PM

rchristi why the Uhu ? given the reasons on other pages why this a/c was insufficient as a nf.

CC the Hs 129 was a ground attack a/c not a nf

cheddar cheese · 06-01-2004, 05:22 PM

my mistake

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheddar cheese

ive just realised that. or even the Hs129?

You're kiddin' right? Hs 129?

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheddar cheese

ive just realised that. or even the Hs129?

You're kiddin' right? Hs 129?

Erich · 06-01-2004, 05:33 PM

why the UHU please........ ? or do you know ?

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 06:41 PM

Hmm, lets try to make a point. He 219 was a capable night fighter who suffered from misjudgments by senior members of the government and the Luftwaffe high command (Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch). Josef Kammhuber (General of the Night Fighters) was so impressed after he saw the prototype that he immediately ordered it into production over Milch's objections. On its very first use in combat Werner Streib flew the V9 and shot down five bombers in a single mission. On top of that it was the first aircraft equiped with an ejection seat, it was also the first aircraft with tricycle landing gear to achieve operational status with the Luftwaffe.
Maybe it wasn't the best but had the potential to become the best.

Cheers

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 06:48 PM

As a side story, Milch repeatedly tried to have the He 219 program killed (for no reason I must say), and in the process Kammhuber was shoved from his office. He actualy stopped the production for a time, but luckly Milch was sacked and Albert Speer put he thing back into prodcution. Anyway it was already too late, till the end only 268 were produced.

Best regards

Erich · 06-01-2004, 07:07 PM

again like another poster you are stating what-ifs. maybe you and others need to seriously look as to what was built in numbers and used in succeding operations. True the poor little or should say too big Uhu was shoved into the trash, but it already had a crappy track record. There is some serious doubt that Werner shot down as many RAF a/c as is claimed. It was a poor choice to begin with as I stated without sufficient engine power, weak linings along the wing spars, no rear armament and no rear warning radar. Most crews in I./NJg 1 operating the machine were scared to death of the ejection seat config.......yes in another 1-2 years maybe the a/c could of been something but it would of been still in the trashbin as the Me 262 and variants plus new AR 234 nf's would of taken to the scene to chase-down all Allied bombers, fighters and you name it..........

two cents

GermansRGeniuses · 06-01-2004, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GermansRGeniuses

Quote:

The Uhu was grossly underpowered

yea and im an albino pigmy monkey!
the thing was bloody faster than a Fw-190!!!!! how is it underpowered!??!! Two Engines=DRAG! TWO BIG ENGINES=MORE DRAG! Skinny Body=LITTLE DRAG! Skinny Body+2 1,900HP(!!!) Engines=Less Drag Than Mossie's smei-fat body+less powerful engines=FAST! even with 8(!!!!!) cannons of differing sizes, it hauled more ass than the mossie (and looked better too) dont mess with the Uhu mate! Two Mk108s(30mm) firing ahead from the wingroots, two of the same firing upwards ala Schrage Muzik, and two Mg151/20s(20mm) and two Mk103s(30mm) in the ventral tray firing forward! and it did 416mph! how can you call that underpowered?!?!??!?!? neither in gunpower NOR engine power!!

Reichsmarschall Batista

There's my old rant about the Uhu and I still stand by it.

Erich · 06-01-2004, 07:38 PM

where the heck are you guyz getting some of this info from ? Suggest that all of you update your German a/c data as you are quoting old bloody news. I've got a lot of data over the last 35 years. The a/c was a slow mover off the landing field and was not as fast as hoped. The armament of the Shrag waffen was sometimes the 2cm and also not even fitted to many a/c. The wing guns were 2cm and the under tray was either 2cm and Mk 108 3cm. The 103's were never fitted.

Erich · 06-01-2004, 07:40 PM

416 mph ! nice try but wrong............

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 07:48 PM

He 219 underpowered? With two DB 603G (1900hp) He 219 was underpowered and Ju 88 G with 2 Jumo 212 (1880hp) was not... considering that these two planes had almost the same weights empty or loaded. And were not talking about "what if's" Uhu was first flown in '42. I agree that Ju 88 was the best multirole aircraft of WW2 and very succesufull as a nightfighter but I think it was a mistake on RLM behalf for not producing a dedicated nightfighter (be it He 219, Me 262 or Arado 234 - you choose) and leave the Ju 88 on his fast bomber role. Also I tend to agree that Me 262 could've been the perfect nightfighter but it appeared to late to count.

Best regards

rcristi · 06-01-2004, 07:54 PM

Regarding the speed of Uhu, I have too many contradicting sources starting with the lowest of 585 km/h to the fastest of 670 km/h. Maybe the truth lies as usual in the middle, probably 620 km/h? Even so, more than enough for nightfighting.

Cheers

Erich · 06-01-2004, 07:56 PM

I will gladly accept your last statement. One thing is that the nose of the He 219 would have had to be thouroughly redisinged to take on the room for the AI as well as a larger compartment for the radar operator since there would of been the addtion of the tele-type printer used in spring of 45. A third crew-member would of been standard but the prototype of the version with the 3rd crewmemeber in the back of the fuselage stayed on the drawing board. The jets would of taken over for all the prop driven a/c in 1946, but we will rightly never know what may have been ........

Erich · 06-01-2004, 07:58 PM

what references rcristi ?

The Ju 88G-6 topped out at 400mph on occassion. this was as a result of a flat out 'get away' from the Mossie intruder.