This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:46 pm
The F7F Tigercat would have fared extremely well had it been put into service earlier. IIRC, the first operational F7Fs were on their way to the war zone when VJ Day occurred, so I don't know if that still counts. It was as fast as the Mosquito, as rugged as the Invader or Havoc, very heavily armed in the day fighter role, could carry a respectable load of bombs and rockets in a ground attack role, and was versatile enough to be a two-seat night fighter. It did well as a night intruder in Korea. It also enjoyed a long post-war career as a fire bomber. It's only drawback was that it was never quite carrier-ready. Only the final F7F-4s were truly carrier capable, and not many of them were produced.
For early war, I'd vote for the A-20. It was one of the few American types available in the early parts of the war that was truly a world class plane...certainly the equivalent of its German contemporary the Ju88. Until the introduction of the Mosquito the "Boston" (as the RAF called it) was the light bomber of choice. Historically, the A-20/DB-7/Boston has been a very underrated and very overlooked airplane.
Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:06 am
Ploesti wrote:With all the Mosse threads going on. A few questions for ya:
fastest, most kills, most made, allied or axis, longest in theater, longest used after the war. Can't think of anything else.
Best I streamline this a bit, I wasn't thinking C-47 or other similar types. Mosse, P-38, A-26 etc. types was my thought. Sorry about that.
How about the Hornet - basically a Super Mossie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Hornet
Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:01 pm
The He219 and P61 Black widow