The Japanese called it "The Fork-Tailed Devil" for a reason.

This one.

Quoted: You're all wrong, This was the most badass fighter from WWII. 8thmp.korea.army.mil/audiemurphy1.jpg

+1  

What a great American.

I always liked the FW-190 (Focke Wolf)

Quoted: You're all wrong, This was the most badass fighter from WWII. 8thmp.korea.army.mil/audiemurphy1.jpg

AMEN!

Quoted: Quoted: You're all wrong, This was the most badass fighter from WWII. 8thmp.korea.army.mil/audiemurphy1.jpg +1   What a great American.

+2

Quoted: www.pilotfriend.com/century-of-flight/Aviation%20history/new_ww2_aircraft/p38.jpg The Japanese called it "The Fork-Tailed Devil" for a reason.

+1

I have always been enthralled by the British Mosquito Fighter/bomber of W.W. II. One variation, used for shipping raids, had a 6 pound (57mm) anti-tank gun mounted beneath the nose. If I am not mistaken a few German U-boats ended up going down because of this particular configuration.

The Navy F-6f Hellcat in terms of kills percapita and ratio Kills/Losses.  The top scoring ace flew mostly the P-38.  The P-51 was notable because it was the first plane that could fly from england to germany and back with the bombers.  All these planes could theoretically outclass tthe British Supermarine Spifire, depends on the pilot!!!!!  Which brings me to the Messershmidt 262 When it was in working order and with an EXPERIENCED PILOT something the Germans had few of ( by the end of the war teenagers were flying ) it could easily outclass any american plane during the war.  It all boils down to circumstances!!!!!!!!  The ME-262 never engaged the British jet the Gloster Meteor in air-to-air combat, and the F-80 was post war technology probably based on British and German technology, as america had no jet during the war!!!!!!!!!!

Quoted: the F-80 was post war technology probably based on British and German technology, as america had no jet during the war!!!!!!!!!!

Rubbish!!!!!!!!… The P80 WAS wartime technology! It was an American development… you 'may' have heard of the designer… one Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson…

Quote…

"The airplane had its origin in June 1943, when Lockheed was requested to design a fighter around the De Havilland turbojet engine developed in England in response to Germany's twin-engine jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262. The XP-80 was designed and built in the amazing period of only 143 days--37 days less than the original schedule. It was flown for the first time on January 8, 1944, and its performance was considered sensational.

"It was a magnificent demonstration," said Clarence Johnson, Lockheed's chief research engineer. "our plane was a success -- such a complete success that it had overcome the temporary advantage the Germans had gained from years of preliminary development on jet planes."……

BTW… the first P80's were deployed to Italy the month before the War ended in Europe. In subsequent testing against a captured ME 262 at Wright Field in 1945, the P80 was found to be superior in all aspects except diving speed, where the 262 was slightly faster. However, the P80 was much more agile and was able to fly rings around a 262

www.aviation-history.com/lockheed/p80.html

Andy

I did not know we had jet fighters that actually saw combat in WWII.

THIS is the most badass fighter of WWII.....



Apologies, I should have read through the whole thread to see someone had already said this, but it was the first thought to come to mind.

I guess great minds think alike.

Quoted: I did not know we had jet fighters that actually saw combat in WWII.

The USAAF could have had combat jet aircraft from mid 1944!!  The Bell P-59 Airacomet was delivered in 1944, but it was decided the performance did not warrant combat service. Interestingly, it's performance was much the same as the British Meteor Mk1 Jet fighter (415mph) that entered front line service in mid 1944!

Bell P-59 "Airacomet"

Development of the P-59, America's first jet-propelled airplane, was ordered personally by General H. H. Arnold on September 4, 1941. The project was conducted under the utmost secrecy, with Bell building the airplane and General Electric the engine. The first P-59 was completed in mid-1942 and on October 1, 1942, it made its initial flight at Muroc Dry Lake (now Edwards Air Force Base), California. One year later, the airplane was ordered into production, to be powered by I-14 and I-16 engines, improved versions of the original I-A.

Bell produced 66 P-59s. Although the airplane's performance was not spectacular and it never got into combat, the P-59 provided training for AAF personnel and invaluable data for subsequent development of higher performance jet airplanes.

SPECIFICATIONS (P-59B)
Span: 45 ft. 6 in.
Length: 38 ft. 10 in.
Height: 11 ft. 11 3/4 in.
Weight: 10,532 lbs. loaded
Armament: One 37mm cannon and three .50-cal machine guns
Engines: Two General Electric I-16s of 1,650 lbs. thrust each

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 420 mph.
Cruising speed: 320 mph.
Range: 440 miles
Service Ceiling: 43,400 ft.



Andy

Quoted: Quoted: www.pilotfriend.com/century-of-flight/Aviation%20history/new_ww2_aircraft/p38.jpg The Japanese called it "The Fork-Tailed Devil" for a reason. That would have been the Germans.

D'oh! Brain fart.

Germans is correct.

Quoted: You're all wrong, This was the most badass fighter from WWII. 8thmp.korea.army.mil/audiemurphy1.jpg

+1!

I'd say the USAAF had got a handle on the german jets by April 1945… losing 30 out of 50 attacking fighters is a loss rate that will put you out of business very quickly…

"April 10, 1945. Thirty of 50 German Me-262 jet fighters  are shot down by US bombers and their P-51 escorts.  The German fighters shoot down 10 bombers—the  largest loss of the war in a single mission covered  by jets."

www.afa.org/magazine/KittyHawkNew/1944_1953.asp

Andy