Which fighter brought the biggest new advantage when introduced?

[Oreo]

Think in terms of the time when each plane came on the scene-- which fighter really threw its opposition for a loop the most?

[magnocain]

The Me262 by far.

[JugBR]

dificul pool, because me 262 was the first jet fighter but there was so few, and when germany was almost falling... it didnt brought some real advantege for germany that time.

also there the yaks, the mustangs, the spitfires, the fw 190, etc.. all great machines...

but i believe the bf 109, by its big superiority over the planes that fought in spain at that time brought a real adavantage for that war.

[machine shop tom]

The FW-190 was a nasty surprise for the British and they were even more surprised when one was landed by mistake in England and they got a GOOD look at it.

tom

[drgondog]

Im'm torn beteeen P-51B, Fw 190A and Me 262. From my perspective it was the P-51 B

It took on and defeated the best fighters the LW had to defend aginst the B-17 and B-24 - and did it over Berlin when it was 200 miles farther into Germany than any other fighter except the P-38. It saved Strategic Daylight Bombardment

Most of the LW pilots that I have talked with siad it was a 'major agent of change' to put it lightly.

Having said that, the Fw 190 was a major shock to the RAF Spitfire - and obviously the Me 262 was the best of the war.

Take your pick - but Spit got control of air over Britain and P-51B did it over Berlin, and the 262 didn't.

[parsifal]

It would be intersting to include the meteor, and perhaps the P-80 in the list. Whilst the 262 was superior to the Meteor, the contest becomes intersting because the Meteor was the first to enter squadron service, also the later marks of the Meteor reportedly started to close the performance gap

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

From a technical point of view it is the Me 262. It just was too late and too little.

[Wayne Little]

I'm gonna go with the Me262,...but I have to agree with drgondog about the P51! It certainly improved the odds of more bombers hitting the target and getting home to fight another day.....and it got better with the P51D..

[Oreo]

that's the sort of discussion I like to see! Good job, y'all!

[Thorlifter]

I'm torn between the 262 and 109, but I'm going to eliminate the 262 because I feel the 262 ushered in a new era. So I'll go with the 109.

[Soren]

The Me-262 no doubt.

[timshatz]

Technically, the Me262. But it didn't affect the war. The airwar went on, much as it had before the introduction.

P51 showed up and did what other fighters could do over their home airdromes. But it could do it 300 miles away. Pretty much the end of the luftwaffe at that point. It was a long range air supremecy fighter. The airplane everyone was looking for since the late 30s.

Technically, it was not a great advancement. Strategically, it marked the begining of the end for the Luftwaffe.

Gets my vote.

[FLYBOYJ]

Tim you nailed it - the 262? Greatest innovation but its advantage was never fully exploited. The P-51, its strengths were exploited to the fullest and the proof is in the end result.

[Jerry W. Loper]

The Zero swept the skies clear of Chinese aircraft during the period before Pearl Harbor, and outperformed European-flown fighters for several months after Pearl Harbor, before Allied airmen discovered its weak points.

[Erich]

me 262 without a doubt, every US bomber crewmen from the 8th and 15th swore they saw them and those that did wish to God they never met them.

sure the thing was in the infant stage but it was just the start of something so much bigger everyone can attest to that - the impression it gave the Allies was one of fear until they met up with it and could combat it