Favourite Plane of WW2

[Crimson Castle]

Yeah so whats your fav aircraft of WWII? I used to have different favs. But my biggest all time favourite machine would have to be the Spitfire. Its simply one of the most beautiful and elegant flying machines. Not to mention the fact that it was one of the most important weapons Britain had during The Battle of Britain. (Yes, I know the Hurricane scored more kills lol)

[Spino]

Focke Wulfe FW-190A4

Last decent 'pure fighter' variant of Germany's best mass produced fighter plane of WWII. Excellent speed and maneuverability (one of the best roll rates of any fighter in WWII) coupled with a small, rugged airframe and sporting an astounding four 20mmm cannons and two 7.92 machine guns made the FW-190 particularly deserving of its nickname 'the Butcher Bird'. When it first appeared in 1941 the FW-190A gave Spitfire V pilots such a rude shock that it forced the RAF to rush the Spitfire IX variant into production. A brief burst from all 6 guns would annihilate most fighters of the time and a ~2 second burst could take down a B-17. No surprise that US bomber crews had fits when this plane appeared on the scene.

Later variants of the FW-190A series took away some of the Butcher Bird's grace as Germany needed to stem the tide of allied heavy and medium bombers penetrating its airspace. The FW-190's two 7.92mm machine guns were replaced with two 13mm heavy machine guns and lots of armor were added to enable it to better survive the dense formations of B-17s and B-24s. It wasn't until the FW-190D that the Butcher Bird regained some of its edge in air to air prowess.

After his beloved P-51 Mustang General Chuck Yeager thought the FW-190 was the second best fighter of WWII.

[PanzerJaeger]

Oh man, where are the German fighters?

BF- 109 for early and FW-190 for later

[spmetla]

Me-262A1 for me.

[Crash]

P38 was an interesting plane because it was so versatile and rugged. Lot's of firepower and range, and a good payload. It was good at every kind of mission.

[Crimson Castle]

Sorry lads - no space for more planes. I would have loved to include the ME109, Focke-Wulf FW190, ME262, IJN "George", IJA "Frank", etc.. but there was no space left.

Please note that its suppose to be about "your favourite plane" - not the best plane.

[Leo]

Favourite plane:
That's a tie between the Me 163 (Just a man and his rocket) and the Go 229. Ok the latter one i was only a prototype, but a flying wing half a century before the B-2 should be remembered.

Best plane:
I'd also say the FW-190 followed by the P-51.

[Sulla]

The FW190A for all mentioned reasons ;), allthough I think the earlier versions used only 2 20 mm canons and 2 7.92 mm machineguns, not 4 20 mm. Those were added later on to turn it into a bomber buster. Imagine yourself in a B-17 and you see a pair of those coming in from the front.... War sux

The Spitfire for it's elegance in the air

The Mustang for its beautifull looks :P

The B-17 for it's ability to bring its crew home.

hmmm what more?

P47 for it's 8 .50 Machineguns and ground attack capabilities.

[Norseman]

Hawker Tempest, fighter/fighter bomber.
Powerful, versatile and very fast at not so high altitudes, excellent firepower with 4x20mm.

And what about the Russian Yak-3? Fast, nimble and elegant fighter, more than a match for the Germans.

Among the german planes I favor the FW190 D-versions, the so called "long nose" as it was nicknamed by allied pilots. A good plane for any combat situation.

[Rosacrux]

Me-109 for me. Sweetest flying machine of the early years of war. My definite favorite, along with Spitfire. I did voted "other", though

[Tribesman]

Though not an armed aircraft (until much later gunships) , the C-47 deserves a mention as a vital aircraft on all fronts during WW II .

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Focke Wulf Ta-152. The final variant of the FW-190. I know you only have so much room but to totally leave out any German planes seems a bit off to me.

P-40s were not flying tigers but called Warhawks or Tomahawks

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Gawain of Orkeny @ May 04 2004,10:04)]P-40s were not flying tigers but called Warhawks or Tomahawks
The "Flying Tigers" were a group of volunteeres that fought in Asia in the beggining of the war - with P40s.



As for the prefered ones: So many of them...

The most important: Messerschmitt Me-262

The perfect tank buster: Il-2 Sturmovik and Il-10 variant

The most bold interceptor project: Bachem Ba-349 "Natter"

The most efficient interceptor: Messerschmitt Me-163 "Comet" and Me-263 variant

The most efficient German escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke"

The most efficient night fighter (low production): Heinkel He-219 "Uhu"

The blood of the Luftwaffe: Messerschmitt Bf-109

The best multirole fighter: Focke-Wulf Fw-190 and variants (including Ta152C and Ta152H)

The "Angels" of the bomber groups: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 mustang

The true winner of the Battle of Britain: Hawker Hurricane

The most pure fighter: Supermarine Spitfire

And the list goes on and on...

[Tribesman]

Quote[/b] ]The most efficient escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke
Though it was faster and slightly more maneuverable than the 110 it would have had the same problems when faced by single seat fighters .

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Quote[/b] ]Quote
The most efficient escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke


How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production? The most efficient and effective escort by far was the P-51.


[/QUOTE]The most efficient interceptor: Messerschmitt Me-163 "Comet" and Me-263 variant

[QUOTE]

On what do you base this claim?

[Hetman]

I just love Mitsubishi A6M2 Raisen ( and other Japanese planes) so even I don't think it was all that important I vote for this plane.

Cegorach/Hetman http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Cazbol]

IL2 Stormovik is my favourite. Ground attack is my kind of thing and this plane excelled at it.

[Alrowan]

ME 262 is the best :p
ran rings arround the allies late in the war. a shame hitler listened to goering though

[Tribesman]

Quote[/b] ]How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production?
Many superior models lost out on production contracts to inferior aircraft due to politics , economics and intransigence amongst the military .

Quote[/b] ]The most efficient interceptor: Messerschmitt Me-163 "Comet" and Me-263 variant
[/QUOTE]
while its speed and climb rate were oustanding its endurance and accident rate knock its efficiency .

[Norseman]

Quote[/b] ]
Quote
The most efficient escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke

How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production? The most efficient and effective escort by far was the P-51.



Quote[/b] ]
How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production?

Many superior models lost out on production contracts to inferior aircraft due to politics , economics and intransigence amongst the military .


Although the 3 prototypes of the Falke was much preferred over the bf110 by the pilots, they shared the same basic design and many performance characteristics: Big fighter with two engines and long range.

The bf110 was never a success as escort fighter, as it was unable to hold its own against single engined interceptors. In the Battle of Britain bf110 actually needed escort by bf109 I find it hard to believe that the Falke would have performed much better.

The P-51 on the other hand combined the combat qualities of a single engined fighter with the range of a double engined. This made the P-51 capable of escorting the bombers far into German heartland, and still fight on equal terms with German interceptors. Now that I think is quite a unique quality among WW2 escort fighters.

[Crimson Castle]

Quote[/b] (Alrowan @ May 06 2004,00:50)]ME 262 is the best :p
ran rings arround the allies late in the war. a shame hitler listened to goering though
Problem was that German technology still had not perfected it by 1945. They had to rebuild the engines after each mission. Moreover the Germans did not streamline their production of weapon systems - and so they wasted time on stuff like the Komet and the Maus tank.

[Auxilia]

I voted for 'other'. For me, the part played by RAF Coastal Command in combatting the U-Boat menace remains scandalously unsung. So take a bow;

Short Sunderland
B24 Liberator
Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley
PBY Catalina
Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufort
Handley Page Halifax
B17 Flying Fortress

Did I miss any? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-builder.gif

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Some of my favourite planes-

Spitfire Vb-no clippped wings, original cockpit. Most beautiful aircraft ever produced.

The p-47 Thunderbolt-it's like a tank with wings

P-39 Airacobra-It's just cool, plus it had a whopping 30mm cannon in the nose.

Vaught Corsair-the wings are awesome.

[Tribesman]

Auxilia ;
Quote[/b] ]Did I miss any?
just a few ,
good choice though http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Gawain of Orkeny @ May 04 2004,20:38)]
Quote[/b] ]Quote
The most efficient escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke


How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production? The most efficient and effective escort by far was the P-51.
I should have said German Escort. I've corrected it.

But it's availability was a factor. It was available long before the P-51. In 1939.



Quote[/b] ]
Quote[/b] ]The most efficient interceptor: Messerschmitt Me-163 "Comet" and Me-263 variant

On what do you base this claim?
Rate of climb, firepower (30mm guns) and speed (near Mach 0.9).

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Tribesman @ May 05 2004,10:03)]
Quote[/b] ]How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production?
Many superior models lost out on production contracts to inferior aircraft due to politics , economics and intransigence amongst the military.
So true.



Quote[/b] ]
Quote[/b] ]The most efficient interceptor: Messerschmitt Me-163 "Comet" and Me-263 variant

while its speed and climb rate were oustanding its endurance and accident rate knock its efficiency .
The Me-263 had a larger, safer fuel tank and a two stage engine that allowed it to cruise spending much, much less fuel. Never reached production on time, though.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Norseman @ May 05 2004,12:48)]
Quote[/b] ]
Quote
The most efficient escort (never went into production): Focke-Wulf Fw-187 "Falke

How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production? The most efficient and effective escort by far was the P-51.



Quote[/b] ]
How can it be the most efficient if it never went into production?

Many superior models lost out on production contracts to inferior aircraft due to politics , economics and intransigence amongst the military .


Although the 3 prototypes of the Falke was much preferred over the bf110 by the pilots, they shared the same basic design and many performance characteristics: Big fighter with two engines and long range.

The bf110 was never a success as escort fighter, as it was unable to hold its own against single engined interceptors. In the Battle of Britain bf110 actually needed escort by bf109 I find it hard to believe that the Falke would have performed much better.

The P-51 on the other hand combined the combat qualities of a single engined fighter with the range of a double engined. This made the P-51 capable of escorting the bombers far into German heartland, and still fight on equal terms with German interceptors. Now that I think is quite a unique quality among WW2 escort fighters.
I've answered your question before this post.

The Falke was far better than the slow Bf-110.

[Kalle]

Quote[/b] ]The true winner of the Battle of Britain: Hawker Hurricane

I have to agree with this as the "Battle of Britain" was the most important "airfront" of the war. I think the spitfires were involved aswell. The Hurricanes may have been outclassed by other types of fighters later in the war but together with the spitfires, the royal navy and Churchill they made sure Hitler couldnt invade or subdue England.

Kalle

[ROCKHAMMER]

I voted for the Corsair becuse it is my favorite one listed, but I also want to cast a vote for the P-38 Lightning. It was one of the best planes of the war and even though it made a late appearance, it definetly helped to win the air war in the Pacific. It could fly rings around Zeros. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-glasses2.gif

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (ROCKHAMMER @ May 20 2004,09:23)]I voted for the Corsair becuse it is my favorite one listed, but I also want to cast a vote for the P-38 Lightning. It was one of the best planes of the war and even though it made a late appearance, it definetly helped to win the air war in the Pacific. It could fly rings around Zeros. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-glasses2.gif
Sorry, but no. The Zero was more manouvrable. The P-38's qualities weren't dogfighting, but firepower, range and fighter-bomber habilities...

[Divine Wind]

The Supermarine Spitfire would have to be my first choice, after playing with all those airfix models as a boy, and regularly watching them fly around gracefully at airshows where i live.

As others have mentioned the early german planes really set the standard for air aviation at the start of the war and the ME 109 still gives me a buzz when i fly it in WW2 simulations.

[Auxilia]

Quote[/b] (Tribesman @ May 19 2004,15:38)]just a few ,
good choice though http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif
Oh OK then, here's a few more:

Lockheed Hudson
Saro London
Handley Page Halifax
Handley Page Hampden

- c'mon Tribesman, help me out here http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif

[Auxilia]

Quote[/b] (Big King Sanctaphrax @ May 19 2004,15:08)]P-39 Airacobra-It's just cool, plus it had a whopping 30mm cannon in the nose.
Indeed it is. Chuck Yeager's favourite prop fighter according to his autobiography. The Russians loved it too - they nicknamed it the 'little razor' owing to it's excellent strafing capabilities...

[Auxilia]

Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ May 04 2004,16:57)]The true winner of the Battle of Britain: Hawker Hurricane
Yes I agree - as you will have seen elsewhere I'm big into unsung heroes, in whose ranks the Hurri undeservedly is found. The IIC version truly kicked ass, and the tank busting variant played a key role in stopping Rommel's tanks in North Africa.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Auxilia @ May 20 2004,15:13)]
Quote[/b] (Aymar de Bois Mauri @ May 04 2004,16:57)]The true winner of the Battle of Britain: Hawker Hurricane
Yes I agree - as you will have seen elsewhere I'm big into unsung heroes, in whose ranks the Hurri undeservedly is found. The IIC version truly kicked ass, and the tank busting variant played a key role in stopping Rommel's tanks in North Africa.
Yes, I agree. In Africa, 1941-1942 it was the best Allied atack fighter bomber. It was a robust firing platform. It could hold heavier armament than comparable sized planes. Remember the 40mm version? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif

[Cazbol]

Quote[/b] (Auxilia @ May 20 2004,15:07)]
Quote[/b] (Big King Sanctaphrax @ May 19 2004,15:08)]P-39 Airacobra-It's just cool, plus it had a whopping 30mm cannon in the nose.
Indeed it is. Chuck Yeager's favourite prop fighter according to his autobiography. The Russians loved it too - they nicknamed it the 'little razor' owing to it's excellent strafing capabilities...
After the Stormovik, the P-39 and the Hurricane are my favourites. I have a WW2 introductory video for the P-39 for pilots new to the plane that I can watch over and over again. A truly graceful plane. Flying it in the IL2 simulator and using the cannon on bombers is a really satisfying experience.

[Nowake]

Spitfire. Best plane from what I've read.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Quote[/b] (Cazbol @ May 21 2004,09:17)]
Quote[/b] (Auxilia @ May 20 2004,15:07)]
Quote[/b] (Big King Sanctaphrax @ May 19 2004,15:08)]P-39 Airacobra-It's just cool, plus it had a whopping 30mm cannon in the nose.
Indeed it is. Chuck Yeager's favourite prop fighter according to his autobiography. The Russians loved it too - they nicknamed it the 'little razor' owing to it's excellent strafing capabilities...
After the Stormovik, the P-39 and the Hurricane are my favourites. I have a WW2 introductory video for the P-39 for pilots new to the plane that I can watch over and over again. A truly graceful plane. Flying it in the IL2 simulator and using the cannon on bombers is a really satisfying experience.
Heh heh. Yes, in IL2 the cannon makes a fantastic noise. Was it really Yeager's favourite aircraft, though? I thought he adored his P-51?

[Tribesman]

Auxilia ; a few more , Anson ,Walrus, Ventura , Warwick , Wellington , B-18 , Mosquito plus many single engine types for short range patrols (did coastal command operate Saro Londons during the war in the Atlantic ? )

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Heres one of my favorites the P-61 black widow. This site has 100s of good pics of all kinds of planes.

http://www.photovault.com/Link....ow.html (http://www.photovault.com/Link/Military/AirForce/Aircraft/P-61BlackWidow.html)

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Heres another one with lots of videos

[url]http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/P-61.html[url/]

[Crimson Castle]

Yeah the rear turret version of the black widow looked very cool. Reminded me of the Defiant. But of course the BW had more firepower and horsepower.

[Ragss]

I said the p38, though I also love the corsair and the Stuka (gotta love the whining air brake)

[Auxilia]

Quote[/b] (Tribesman @ May 22 2004,18:33)]Auxilia ; a few more , Anson ,Walrus, Ventura , Warwick , Wellington , B-18 , Mosquito plus many single engine types for short range patrols (did coastal command operate Saro Londons during the war in the Atlantic ? )
Good call http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

All I know about the Londons is that they were about the only machines CC had on establishment at the beginning of the war that was capable of dropping anything near a decent size bomb. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif

[Tribesman]

Auxilia , you are right . I thought they went out of service after the neutrality patrols , but they were retained in Malta and Gibralter before final retirement in June '41 . One even bombed a submarine to the surface http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

[Auxilia]

Quote[/b] (Big King Sanctaphrax @ May 21 2004,17:00)]Was it really Yeager's favourite aircraft, though? I thought he adored his P-51?
IIRC yes it was. True enough he thought the P51 was superb but he always had greater affection for the Airacobra and felt frustrated at the establishment's antipathy towards it owing to its several unconventional features (tricycle undercarraige, engine behind the pilot etc).

[Cazbol]

Quote[/b] (Ragss @ May 22 2004,22:58)][Snip].... the Stuka (gotta love the whining air brake)
If I'm not mistaken it wasn't the airbake that did the whining. It was dedicated siren installed only for the psychological effect it had.

[Sjakihata]

yeah, that is what I heard as well.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Quote[/b] (Cazbol @ May 25 2004,05:05)]
Quote[/b] (Ragss @ May 22 2004,22:58)][Snip].... the Stuka (gotta love the whining air brake)
If I'm not mistaken it wasn't the airbake that did the whining. It was dedicated siren installed only for the psychological effect it had.
You're right.