Which fighter brought the biggest new advantage when introduced?

[kool kitty89]

It would also need a pressurized cockpit. (which the 262 was designed for but afik was never implimented)

[Soren]

Regarding the Me-262's service ceiling; According to the official performance chart with test flight figures it is in the area of 12.5 km (41,000 ft) or higher, which isn't bad.

[kool kitty89]

Is that at 6400 kg?

[Soundbreaker Welch?]

I voted for the F6F Hellcat. It brought a tremendous boost to the American Navy in the Pacific, to finally have a carrier fighter that could go one on one with the Japanese and win. True, it didn't outperform the Zero, but it could take a lot more hits to it and still survive, and it had excellent firepower to bring down the flimsy Zeros.

So it really made a differance. By the time the even better Corsair came on the scene the Japanese were already being beaten, also by the P-38 Lightning over the islands.

[Soren]

Originally Posted by kool kitty89

Is that at 6400 kg?

Actually it's at a starting weight of 7,000 kg, so it must have been completely loaded up with extra fuel. The empty weight with weapons and all is 3,900 kg. Those Jumo 004B's really guzzled some fuel!

Imagine the range of the Me-262 on internal fuel with the Jumo 004E engine, it would've been very long.

[carbonlifeform]

Gotta be the Mighty Mouse (Mustang). While the LW had been used to seeing the P-47 being used as bomber escort after the US got involved, the Mustang had to come as quite a shock to them. Sleek, agile and able to escort bombers to the deepest parts of Germany, the Mustang was a true air superiority fighter.
The ability to escort the bombers all the way to their targets had to be the biggest advantage in the air war.

Altho the Me 262 had the potential to be a huge advantage, it did nothing to alter the course of the air war over Germany.

[Clay_Allison]

The extraordinary range of the P-51, giving the fighter the ability to take the fight to the enemy either alone or escorting bomber formations was the single greatest blow that any major Air Force was dealt in the war.

[michaelmaltby]

I've got to agree with PB Foot - the Fw-190A. The Me 262 was the most advanced and perhaps technically innovative but in real operational terms the 190A and then the P-51B. Both were game changers that continuously evolved. Think 190A to 190D to Ta 149 ... huge evolution.

MM

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by Clay_Allison

The extraordinary range of the P-51, giving the fighter the ability to take the fight to the enemy either alone or escorting bomber formations was the single greatest blow that any major Air Force was dealt in the war.

The P38 gave the AAF its first long range fighter that had a chance to maintain air superiority

[Glider]

This was a difficult choice, top marks for the idea and selection. I have put a one line description in so that you can follow the reasoning, feel free to disagree, but at least you can see the thinking behind the choice.

Personally I had to choose between the
FW190 - Because it really put everything else in the air at the time in the shade and gave the RAF had a real shock.
Me262 - For the obvious reason that it was so far ahead of the rest of the world at the time
P51B - Its range totally changed the air war in the West and its performace was such that it could take on any defending fighteron equal terms.

In the end I went for the P51 because once the advantage was gained it was never lost and it made a fundamental difference on the war.
Time caught up with the FW190 with the Spit 9 and other modern fighters. The Me262 could have had a huge impact but they lacked the numbers and time to make that impact.

[parsifal]

my opinion is that the zero had the greatest effect of any aircraft. This is a rather strange choice, I know, but consider this.

That someone could produce a fighter with performance greater than its land based opponents in 1941 was astounding. That it was an Asian nation that did this was earth shattering for many.

The Zero was the single weapon system that influenced the war in the Pacific in its early days more than any other single system. The successes of the Japanese in those early days inspired the development of post war independance movements across the asia pacific rim, and in a sense brought colonialism to an end.....and all of this can in part be traced back to the stunning successes enjoyed by the zero in its early days

[syscom3]

Originally Posted by parsifal

my opinion is that the zero had the greatest effect of any aircraft. This is a rather strange choice, I know, but consider this.

That someone could produce a fighter with performance greater than its land based opponents in 1941 was astounding. That it was an Asian nation that did this was earth shattering for many.

The Zero was the single weapon system that influenced the war in the Pacific in its early days more than any other single system. The successes of the Japanese in those early days inspired the development of post war independance movements across the asia pacific rim, and in a sense brought colonialism to an end.....and all of this can in part be traced back to the stunning successes enjoyed by the zero in its early days

Interesting perspective.

[Maximowitz]

Me 262. The future beckoned.

[davparlr]

Techically the Me-262. Affect on the war, P-51B. The P-51 is known for its escort efforts, but its long range interdiction efforts against the Luftwaffe and other targets must have been immensely annoying to German logistics and manufacturing. As a results, I would select the P-51B.

[Clay_Allison]

Originally Posted by syscom3

The P38 gave the AAF its first long range fighter that had a chance to maintain air superiority

They never could get the engines to work the way they wanted to in the ETO, the P-38 also was a VERY expensive and slow plane to mass-produce, they never had enough of them to really make that impact.