WWII Airplanes

[Flavius Clemens]

The Spitfire is part of British national mythology and it's no surprise that it is now an official icon http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/spitfire (why icon of England rather than Britain I don't know!), not least because it's drop dead gorgeous. So don't try and convince anyone brought up on British war comics and films that anything else deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as a fighter.

Of course in reality it's often said that in the Battle of Britain the Spit and 109 were very well matched. One big difference - said to epitomise our national characteristics - is that the Spitfire was a craftsman built work of art , the 109 was a mass produced machine. An exageration no doubt, but ease of production is one of those unglamerous things that can make all the difference in the real world.

And to bring in a class of aircraft we haven't discussed yet - Sunderland or Catalina?

In general it's so difficult to single out one best. e.g. how do you compare heavy bombers - bombload, range, armament? What's best for night raids over Europe may not be as good at covering huge distances over the Pacific.