Planes

[Soviet Ace]

Originally Posted by mondo

Kill/Loss records from both the Luftwaffe and USAF would disagree with your opinion The P47 was by far the safest combat aircraft of the war. Its loss rate to enemy aircraft is quite ridiculously low!

Thats a completely inaccurate blanket statement. The performance differences between say a G2 and G14 were extreme and the F2/4 model was outclassed completely by 1944. And by then P47's were using 150 grade fuel which gave a major performance boost at low and medium altitude and gave them a similar top speed and acceleration to match 109's used at that point like the G10 at any altitude. The 190 was more of a threat...as JG2 and JG26 were both equipped with them and very few 109's and met much of the initial threat posed by aircraft from the UK in 43/44.

You need to stop watching history channel and read some combat reports and some books based on official records.

Well, I haven't watched the History Channel for some years (Got rid of cable/satellite), so I couldn't tell you what they've been saying about the P47. Most of my knowledge about P47's either came from interview/documentaries with actual P47 Pilot(s) (i.e. Gabby Gabreski and a couple of others) or from several books about the P47. So if your not taking an actual P47 Ace's now how of how the plane was, then I just don't know?

All I was saying, was that against a smaller more nimble plane, the P47 would be chewed up. Not that it couldn't defend itself, just that in a turn and burn dogfight, the P47 was out of it element.

[mondo]

Originally Posted by Soviet Ace

All I was saying, was that against a smaller more nimble plane, the P47 would be chewed up. Not that it couldn't defend itself, just that in a turn and burn dogfight, the P47 was out of it element.

But it wasn't, the P47 relied on power/energy fighting and roll rate which was good throughout the speed range. Of cause if you start turning with a plane thats good at turning your going to end up in trouble unless you have a plan (again, something like a high speed yo yo would favour a P47D over a late 109G). Its as much about the pilot and the situation prior to combat as anything else but on an equal footing such a blanket statement is completely incorrect.

Every other plane is came up against was smaller than it yet it has the by far the best record of any plane during the war with the possible exception of the F6F which totally outclassed its opposition (again, a large aircraft vs a much smaller and better turning but poor rolling A6M).

[Soviet Ace]

I don't recall hearing that the A6M Zero had a bad roll rate. From the book I read: Samurai, about the highest scoring japanese Ace: Saburo Sakai. He said that the Zero was a great plane all around, just that without armor and heavy guns, it was in trouble. But he took on 6 F6F Hellcats during Iwo Jima, and out turned and rolled onto their tales before they could get a good shot at him.

[BadByte]

My love for the 47 stems from SWOTL, I could fly a mission moderately far into enemy lines and do some fun ground raids and inevitability get shot up by the defending AI planes and still make it back to home base. With the 51 the engine would die on me after only being lightly damaged.