Me-262

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Cos if it was around in the BoB I reckon we'd have been trounced

CC think of it this way, it's range would have been even worse than the Bf-109....................

It would have made no difference if Hitler had not delayed the jet program. German industry still would not have been able to mass produce the jet engines.

The special weapons programs were all based upon maximizing the final technical development. But the technical capability of a nation is a pyramid, the point can only be a certain hight based upon the width of the base. The German base was limited, so while they could produce some impressive weapons at the very point, they were unable to mass produce them. For that you have to go down to a wider point lower on the pyramid.

Germany needed a wider base to their industrial machine if they were going to produce things like jet engines in sufficient quantity to effect the war, and widening the base takes years (10+). With the level of tooling they had, they just could not do it.

=S=

Lunatic

[cheddar cheese]

But if it could at least make it there it could take out a few planes, making it easier for the 109's...itd be a huge waste of planes and pilots but it might have worked.

What, in 1941 or even 1942? They simply could not produce combat worthy jet engines until 1944. If they'd have sent jets over Britian for the BoB, they'd have been staying in Britain. The german jet engines were never reliable, but until about the end of 1943, they were hardly airworthy.

What Germany needed for the BoB was the A6M2 Zero!

[Nonskimmer]

Originally Posted by RG_Lunatic

What Germany needed for the BoB was the A6M2 Zero!

Saburo Sakai would certainly have agreed with you.
It's range was many times that of any Messerschmitt, thus greatly increasing the potential loitering time over British targets.

Not to mention it's low speed agility, should the Luftwaffe pilots have exploited it.

Originally Posted by Nonskimmer

Saburo Sakai would certainly have agreed with you.
It's range was many times that of any Messerschmitt, thus greatly increasing the potential loitering time over British targets.

Not to mention it's low speed agility, should the Luftwaffe pilots have exploited it.

It was sufficient to beat the BoB Spitfire. It had almost identical armament to the Bf-109E4, with range exceeding that of the P-51. Thus I believe that had Germany had the A6M2 Zero instead of the Bf-109 in 1940 and 41, they'd likely have won the BoB.

[cheddar cheese]

Good point, I agree.


Im thinking of making a poll about the BoB to see which was the most effective plane. Should I do just British planes, Just German planes or all of them together?

[Nonskimmer]

Why not all of them? It'd be interesting!

[cheddar cheese]

Ok guv'

Lunchtime now, I'll do it this afternoon

[Nonskimmer]

Cool.

[cheddar cheese]

Ok, so far I got:

Supermarine Spitfire
Hawker Hurricane
Messerschmitt Bf-109
Dornier Do-17
Bolton-Paul Defiant
Heinkel He-111
Messerschmitt Me-110
Junkers Ju-87
~Junkers Ju-88
~Bristol Beaufighter

I think thats covers them all doesnt it?

[Nonskimmer]

Were there no Ju-88s in the BoB?

[cheddar cheese]

Knew id forgotten somthing!

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Thus I believe that had Germany had the A6M2 Zero instead of the Bf-109 in 1940 and 41, they'd likely have won the BoB.

i'm not sure, they would have won it anyway if Hitler hadn't ordered the atacks on london..................

[the lancaster kicks ass]

you missed the beaufighter...............