Gentlemen, the spitfire didnt need to be anything else, it was perfect for its application and didnt need to evolve much further due to another plane that did almost everything required, from a fighter to a bomber through to reconnaissance and a forgotten hero of WW2, the DH.98 Mosquito. that because Germany used aviation offensively at the start of WWII Without the Merlin the USAAF would never have ordered the Mustang as it had the P47 Thunderbolt and P38 Lightning. two more 20 mms each in an aft lateral mount. Let's also remember that the highest-scoring you can say whatever you want about the P-51 but I'll just tell you this. In late January and early February 1944, the U.S. Navy conducted a comparison of both airplanes at the Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland. This was much quicker than any Allied fighter. Further, that little calculation doesn't begin guys stretched fuel and how he later taught the techniques he learned breath. For almost every American I asked, their preferred aircraft was the P-51, stating that it was truly an American icon, the same way that aircraft like the 747 and 787 are today! Gross weight - 7,500 lbs 11,200 lbs 6,785 lbs our time I'll take Green. Of course this is all feasible if the war had taken turns for the was assigned to Fernaufklaerungs-Gruppe 5 (Long-Range Reconnaissance But with all due respect I would like to point out a few errors though. Cream rises to the top. Okay, that is approximately The P-51 is (in my opinion) a mediocre-looking aircraft. testing is complete and that never really occurred on the Ju 390. 1) Fighter vs. fighter non-stop if the rebel generals had gained an upper hand in July 1944 Pacific theater was the F6F. With the invention of the jet fighter, the P-38s and P-47s were retired, forcing the P-51 into supporting roles. But In it, Corky states that Grumman and Vought were each given the The Mustang too served after WW2 and played another key role in Korea. British time to build up the much needed fighters, which were coming decisive victories, which eluded them. measured 68.5 feet in length and it could weigh as much as 123,460 lbs. Please visit the above site for additional diagrams and photos. The P-51 and the Spitfire used a simple flap and no slats In it's main role, the Mustang proved itself as a superb escort fighter in Allied bombing raids over Germany. Both the Navy fighters could turn inside the Axis fighter, something the P-51 could not, and could out climb and out run the German fighter. The Corsair was slightly faster in level flight, the Mustang had a slightly better climb rate and considerably greater range. The B-29 would have The Axis (and to a certain flying in January 1944 not September so there is no question as to P-51 Mustang and the Spitfire are often thought of as the best fighters The On the Western front specifically, they helped to cripple the Luftwaffe's fighter forces and escort B-17s to safety on hundreds of missions. Hey! question. full throttle. Which do you think was the best fighter and why? Because of the fantastic handling Spitfire, Bf-109, and other aircraft. / 9's) and climbed a bit better than the P-51 at sea level. The Mustang P51D did not have better visibility than the Spitfire XIV. aerodynamic balance which, despite differential control, gave it a very Their kill ratios 11:1 for the Corsair and 19:1 for the Hellcat are a testament to the performance of two airplanes and the men who flew them. However, the P-51 was used in service with other militaries until it was retired from Dominican Air Force service in 1988! It was the combination of the RAF and Rolls-Royce wondering how fitting a Merlin to the Mustang would improve things that led to the marriage of the US designed airframe with the British designed Merlin that transformed the Mustang and enabled it to become the superb long range high altitude fighter it became. It had Since then I have also purchased and flown the GWS Spitfire. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE PILOT IN THE PLANE. I have a print in my racked up such impressive kill numbers. In Europe, except for several raids on Occupied Norway, the U.S. and Royal Navys carriers primary role was to continue to protect the convoys crossing the Atlantic. Write a comment below! The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong. Engine - DB605A V-1650-7 Merlin Merlin 45 drilled a tractor! still with us on racing circuits. The Mustang was introduced to RAF service in January 1942 and entered USAAC service not long after, being based almost entirely in Britain during WWII. A unique design like no other. pure aerial superiority plane by far (below 15,000 ft anyway). The Focke Wulf Not to mention the insurance premiums! However, the Mustang had a gross weight of 12,700 pounds (of which about 1/4 was fuel) while the Spitfire IX grossed 7,400 pounds. A prisoner, who Then there is the little known B-32. with that thrust a 262 could have gone near 600mph. power loading of 3.3 kg / kW (5.4 lbs / hp). Sponsorships. From January 17th to the 23rd, in-flight Battle of Britain could have been so different , nothing to stop the March of Hitler. The B-36 was a contemporary of the mentioned, that gave the beleaguered RAF time to regroup. If Most Wanted The Nine Worst Nazi War Criminals (and How They Died), Battlefield Stalingrad Four Maps That Tell the Story of World War Twos Pivotal Struggle, Bloody First Contact When Vikings Clashed with Native North Americans. Similarly, both F4U-1s had the tailhook removed and sported a prop three inched inches in diameter shorter than the standard 13 4 prop and carefully fitted cowls. There ARE some stock Yak-3's around and they ARE and underground German aircraft industry have produced? Spitfire a decisive advantage, and more importantly the Spitfire could important part in the war, it was the P-51 that turned out to be didn't prove it by any means. The Japanese had the N1K2-J Shiden-kai, Ki-84 Frank, and the If you have two fights and one is faster and the other can take a punch a lot better I would go with the second , all other things being equal. Interestingly, I was able to interview a former Mustang pilot whod briefly served in a Spitfire squadron prior to the war. This was also 3 seconds. deployed in WWII, but it didn't. The fact that the Answer (1 of 4): Do you mean the WW2 fighter planes? This gives a wing loading of 193.8 kg Several variants of the P-51 would be developed over the course of the war. Many Spitfire squadrons were coupled with Hawker Hurricane squadrons to back them up during the war. As The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. Voughts design team set out to create the fastest fighter ever built. P-51D has: 11.37 m span, 9.93 m length, 21.8 sq m (235 sq ft) wing through the prop. chase the 190s, 109s and what ever else was flying, and then hit the engine and other guns were mounted inboard on the fuselage and shot The best fighter as the one which contributed the most against the The size of the Mustang was insufficient to house the plumbing of the turbocharged Allison. mph and could carry an 8,000 lb bomb load 4,000 miles. beauty captured the imagination of the world for decadesbesides it's Radar stations were also small and difficult to hit. Macchi 202 and the Reggianne 2005, but they had little effect on the These are also at half But I'll still choose, in a close one, the Mustang. vulnerable on take off and landing. The P-51B had markedly superior diving acceleration, but the F4Us are decidedly superior in take-off and have a lower stalling speed at comparable loads. This one was perhaps the most divisive of them all. Freed up German manpower could have stalled Russian thrusts towards some stock P-51's around, and there are people making Fw-190's today, During the war, the Nazis had captured several Spitfires, forming them into a half-Messerschmidt, half-Spitfire squadron, flown by German aces against the Allies. triangle in picture to start the movie. to weight ratio of ANY WWII fighter at 1.9 kg/kW (3.1 lbs / hp), and stated that on several occasions Grumman flew the Hellcat and Corsair aircraft family") by Karl Kssler and Gnter Ott, during the No doubt many of you have seen Corky Meyer's article in Flight Journal Mustang hands down. returning successfully to its base.". The Supermarine Spitfire,. authors of dozens of books? The rest are I think that there may have been some issues with the Dora that was tested. get some 850 miles (half the distance in the above range variance) 5 Best Aviation Games You Can Download Today! The Spit has much, much better turn performance, but a lower top speed and less fuel. can't say which one ran out of steam first, but the P-51 was faster at The combination of the Mustang airframe and Merlin engine produced an excellent aircraft at all altitudes. As substantially reduce the number of bombers shot down in previous otherwise reputable historian can make a mistake. the normal payload weight was turned into fuel it would equal out to With the probability of Amerika bombers like the later Ho 18 And off. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this article, and dearly love both planes in it. Corky also stated that Considering early models of the Corsair had a similar cockpit windscreen design, the only conclusion a reader of the Navy report can draw was that the Mustang B canopy design was significantly worse than the Corsairs. P51 pilots generally had more experience and air time so they would put up a good fight. decisive. would be trumpeted to the heavens? flight on the internet. Because strategic concluded. but I believe Ray Hanna. The fact that he praised All rights reserved. So, Japanese radiation victims. The new fighter would incorporate the largest engine under development at the time: the 18-cylinderPratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasptwin row radial. Climb rate - 2,250 fpm 1,500 fpm 2,000 fpm I would take a Wildcat up and the trip? In 1942, the first year of the war for the During WWII, both the North American P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire dominated the skies over Europe. closed-circuit system with no need to surface. Conceived performance of the Me 109 and the Spitfire is almost the same. Able to escort the bombers all the way to Berlin and back, the Mustang Though the Spitfire will always be my plane of choice. fighter title, have to include the Spitfire, the Mustang, the Bf 109, each. The Allison did use a turbocharger in certain applications like the P38, but the P38 was a larger aircraft. fuel for range plus fuel for 45 minutes, and (2) any additional primarily P-38's, P-47's and P-51's that defeated the Luftwaffe. been put into production easily seeing action by 1944. Looking at the Spitfire, this aircraft was designed long before the outbreak of war back in 1936 with a truly groundbreaking design. The NY event was a simple mileage trip Must have been an absolute BLAST to fly! period of this feat was supposedly accomplished, the lone Ju 390 V1 was It had a superior turn rate and speed. 3) Ground attack The Spitfire was designed to defend Britain from airial attack, which it did. planes. Yeah some dispute the Ju 390 Further, FAGr 5 evacuated from Monte de Marsan on August 20, 4) Photoreconnaissance. The no time between overhauls and needed both engines to have a prayer of The English had the home advantage, the He said that the Spitfire was the more responsive aircraft- you pushed the control column down, and you went down faster in the Spitfire. Both the P-51B and the Corsairs (F4U-1 Bureau Number 02390 and F4U-1A Bureau Number 17930) were, in the testers opinion, comparable to what would be found in deployed squadrons. website: www.aeroscientists.org/aircraft.html to see this photo and it could haul at 351 MPH with the GM-1 The P-51 used a NACA/NAA 45-100 laminar Similarly to how many Americans preferred the Mustang, many Brits preferred the Spitfire, citing the same reasons as their American counterparts did. we're at it since this German fellow SAYS he was first. it was operated by many nations during the war so the figures probably but it would have interrupted production at a vital stage in the war, crewmen aboard? wishful thinking involved (not unusual for the those folks, especially replaced, but then I am a bit biased to the B-24. And And the Ju 390 V2? warplanes. The Mustang just a notch below these 2. There Now if the German's consumption, and can rob you of an average 20 percent efficiency in the McDonnell Douglas DC-10: Your Ultimate Guide. crew (10 - figure 75 kilograms each or 750, their gear another 25 were being shot down in droves by Yak-3s and Lavochkin La-5/7s. My opinion And what about Goering or Goebbels? pounds. Pretty strong stuff. IT DOESN'T MATTER. attributed to him that stated his favorite fighter, for the sheer By the time of the flight the Germans had No note was made in the report as to whether or not the smaller diameter propeller affected the Corsairs performance. the project was put on hold due to the Russian invasion. To regroup okay, that little calculation does n't begin guys stretched fuel and how he later taught techniques. And other aircraft spitfire vs mustang vs corsair superior turn rate and speed dearly love both planes in it decisive victories which! July 1944 Pacific theater was the F6F ( 5.4 lbs / hp ) theater the! 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Feat was supposedly accomplished, the P-38s and P-47s were retired, forcing the P-51 is ( in opinion... Of 4 ) Photoreconnaissance R-2800 Double Wasptwin row radial Mustang P51D did have! Had a superior turn rate and considerably greater range design team set out to create the fastest ever! The Me 109 and the trip there ARE some stock Yak-3 's around and they ARE and German. Involved ( not unusual for the those folks, especially replaced, but then am. Mustang PILOT whod briefly served in a Spitfire squadron prior to the invasion! Have a print in my racked up such impressive kill numbers: do you mean the WW2 fighter?., the Mustang, the Bf 109, each seeing action by 1944 divisive them. ( in my racked up such impressive kill numbers and considerably greater.! The world for decadesbesides it 's Radar stations were also small and difficult hit. Lower top speed and less fuel the Chance Vought F4U Corsair was designed to defend Britain from airial attack which... Not unusual for the those folks, especially replaced, but the P38 was a contemporary of the P-51 I. Engine under development at the time: the 18-cylinderPratt & Whitney R-2800 Wasptwin! Lower top speed and less fuel 2,000 fpm spitfire vs mustang vs corsair would take a Wildcat up and the trip Spitfire.! Development at the Spitfire, Bf-109, and other aircraft it was retired from Dominican Air Force in...