Best Pacific Fighter?

[parsifal]

Just joking, was all in fun.

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by Bigxiko

Sorry about that, don't need to mark that much
I like aviation, but i still have much to learn
i'll try to prevent that kind of mistakes

You have to have some thick skin to survive here.

[Bigxiko]

thanks for the advice syscom
i'll keep alert

[JugBR]

i vote for P-40, the fighter of fliyng tigers

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by JugBR

i vote for P-40, the fighter of fliyng tigers

Why is it the best?

BTW, nice pic of the P47's belonging to the Brazilian AF

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by Bigxiko

Sorry about that, don't need to mark that much
I like aviation, but i still have much to learn
i'll try to prevent that kind of mistakes

You do not need to apologize. Everyone makes mistakes. This place is a place to learn, and as long as you are learning you do not need to apologize.

[<simon>]

Hang on.... No Bearcat??
I thought the Bearcat would be a worthy contender
-Carrier operable
-Climbs like a bitch (best piston in WW2 in fact!)
-Carries damn good armament
-Friggin' manouverable!

Otherwise, i'd be leaning towards the Corsair.
How many other single piston aircraft have been known to fly sorties carrying TWO 2,000 pound bombs??
Plus the Corsairs look real nice!

[renrich]

Bearcat did not fight in WW2

[Jerry W. Loper]

If "best" refers to performance specifications, the choice might be between the P-51 Mustang, which isn't on the list, and the F4U Corsair, which is. IMO, the poll should be about what's the most important Pacific fighter, and have two selections, a most important Allied fighter and a most important Japanese fighter. In that case, I'd pick the P-38 (although personally I'm a P-40 fan) and for the Japanese the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by Jerry W. Loper

If "best" refers to performance specifications, the choice might be between the P-51 Mustang, which isn't on the list, and the F4U Corsair, which is. IMO, the poll should be about what's the most important Pacific fighter, and have two selections, a most important Allied fighter and a most important Japanese fighter. In that case, I'd pick the P-38 (although personally I'm a P-40 fan) and for the Japanese the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

The P51 didnt enter combat in the PTO untill well into late 1944 when the Japanese AF's were a spent force.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by syscom3

The P51 didnt enter combat in the PTO untill well into late 1944 when the Japanese AF's were a spent force.

The Packard-Merlin Version - but Allison P-51A was in Indo China in late summer 1943, and first B's were in ops in Feb 1944

Having said that the Mustang was not a factor in PTO to same level as the P-38 or F4U or F6F

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by drgondog

The Packard-Merlin Version - but Allison P-51A was in Indo China in late summer 1943, and first B's were in ops in Feb 1944

Having said that the Mustang was not a factor in PTO to same level as the P-38 or F4U or F6F

Comparing the Allison P51's to the Merlin P51's is like comparing apples to oranges. Two different airplanes.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by syscom3

Comparing the Allison P51's to the Merlin P51's is like comparing apples to oranges. Two different airplanes.

"P51 didn't enter combat until late 1944" is what I was replying to Syscom..did I misread the above statement?

The early Allison engined a/c was designated "P51" and it did get to CBI in Sept 1943 and did fly against JAF in Burma. The B model reached China in Feb, ops in spring, 1944 and the D got there in November?

I, in fact, distingusihed the difference between A and B as well the times they entered combat ops in my comments.

If we want to get technical, the P-51A had a lot more in common with the B/C/D than the H... which REALLY was a different airplane in reality... having the same engine but nothing else airframe wise from its predecessors? Before taking me to task, on that statement I do think it had like 13 parts in common with the D..

[kool kitty89]

And at medium altitudes (up to ~17,000 ft for speed, climb got better for the P-51B at ~8,000 ft) performance of the P-51A was similar to the P-51B (somewhat better in some respects at low alt, due to lighter weight and roughly equal engine performance up to ~10,500 ft). (note the P-51A had a defferent engine than the A-36 or Mustang I/IA, with a higher supercharger ratio with a significantly higher critical altitude -though a lower max manifold limit of 57" Hg producing 1,480 hp at 10,400 ft)

Particularly useful in the PTO where much combat took place at medium to low altitudes, and most japanese a/c had poor high alt performance.


http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.o...51a-1-6007.jpg

[JoeB]

Originally Posted by Jerry W. Loper

If "best" refers to performance specifications, the choice might be between the P-51 Mustang, which isn't on the list, and the F4U Corsair, which is. IMO, the poll should be about what's the most important Pacific fighter, and have two selections, a most important Allied fighter and a most important Japanese fighter. In that case, I'd pick the P-38 (although personally I'm a P-40 fan) and for the Japanese the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

I agree, 'best' always turns into comparisons of 1945 planes, either whole new ones or advanced models of older ones, that hardly affected the war. And planes are included or not because they barely managed to fly a few combat missions or just missed doing so. Its' not too meaningful IMO.

For most important, it's certainly the Zero for the Japanese. For the Allies I'd say F6F, since carrier fighter superiority was a key element of the US victory. Carrier superiority was key to the drive across the Central Pacific, MacArthur's drive would have dead ended in the Philippines. You can't get to Okinawa or Japan itself under landbased fighter cover without an American land campaign in China. It's not the P-38's fault, landbased fighters were just less important in the Pacific. And as in 1st paragraph, the F4U-4 was a superior a/c to the F6F-5 but even the F4U-1 wasn't widely used on carriers until 1945. And since the Japanese lost, I'd say F6F was the most important fighter in the Pacific overall.

Re: P-51A, 10th AF P-51A's escorting B-24's into Burma from India in a series of raids in late November 1943, claimed a low ratio of Japanese fighters compared to their own losses, and actually apparently downed fewer of the defending JAAF Type 1 ('Oscar') and Type 2 2-seaters ('Nicks') encountered than P-51's lost. The raids were discontinued. The P-51B/C however made a serious impression on the JAAF in China in 1944. They first sent the Type 4 ('Frank') into combat there in part to try to counter the P-51.

Joe