Warbird Information Exchange

Bill-

I looked around for some 'results' statistics.... couldn't easily find actual numbers for the RAF fighters

Hurricane 55% of all RAF/RN/Commonwealth Kills
Spitfire 33%

F6F Hellcat 5,171 Kills (A/A)
P-51 4,950 Kills (A/A... 48.9% of total USAAF Kills)
P-47 3,752 Kills (A/A... in late 44 it was primarily a ground attack)

So, if it's results that count it looks like the Hellcat was the best overall...

gunny

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Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
www.flyAMT.com
www.scottperdue.com

but...but...it LOOKS like a mud hen

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

Scott, the Hellcat was certainly very successful WHEN and WHERE it fought. But where was it over Malta when the RAF was heavily outnumbered and living in primitive conditions both as for a food for crews and service for the planes. Or when RAF fighters first started to penetrate France and Germany and they were facing pilots like Galland, and Molders. By the time the Hellcat went into combat ( anybody have the date?) the Japanese had many inferior and poorly trained pilots, and their planes and support was not at the level of the start of the war. So trying to judge their quality only by this situation is not fully valid. The Hellcat, very good at low level in the Pacific might not have the same success as Spitfires above 25,000 feet in Europe. You prefer 6 machine guns to a cannon/machine gun combo or 4 cannons. Even so, my specs show a top speed of 375mph for F6F. If so, a Spit IX has a 41mph speed advantage, a P-51 B or Spit XIV has 65mph speed advantage over the Hellcat. That is a lot to make up. I don't believe the Cat could have done the long range high altitude escort as well as the Mustang.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

If you want to look at Statistics... the Brewster Buffalo was the best fighter ever, in the hands of the Finns against the Russians it has the best kill ratio of the period!

So, all round all the issues taken into context it looks like the P-51 was the best<g>......

gunny

_________________
Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
www.flyAMT.com
www.scottperdue.com

Harumph! sayeth the grunt.

_________________
"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."