MovieChat Forums > The Dam Busters (1955) Discussion > ...what are aeroplanes made of...?

...what are aeroplanes made of...?

posted 13 years ago by jkholman
3 replies | jump to latest

A list of the best aircraft of World War II would not be overly difficult to drum up (best fighter: P-51 Mustang; best torpedo bomber: Savoia SM-79; best medium bomber: Junkers 88 - you get the idea), but how about something different.

A while back I came up with a list of aeroplanes from WWII, and where they found their places in the annals of military history. More importantly, these are the battles where these planes manifested their character and where their hearts were found by the men who flew them. Here goes:

Hawk III - - skies over China
Polikarpov I-16 - - Spain
Fokker D XXI - - Karelian Isthmus
Gloster Gladiator - - Malta
Hawker Hurricane - - Battle of Britain
Fairey Swordfish - - Taranto
Brewster Buffalo - - Malay Peninsula
Mitchell B-25 - - Doolittle Raid
SBD Douglas Dauntless - - Midway (5 minutes)
C-47 Gooney Bird - - over the Hump
Martin B-26 (the Baltimore Whore)- - the "other" Midway
Grumman Wildcat - - Guadalcanal
Bell P-39 Airacobra - - New Guinea
Avro Lancaster - - Ruhr Valley
Consolidated B-24 Liberator - - Ploesti
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - - Black Thursday
Focke Wulf 190 - - over the beaches of Normandy

What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice,
And everything nice,
That's what little girls are made of.

-JKHolman

[–] joegerardi-1 12 years ago

However... I would strongly contest the P-51 as the best fighter of WWII. That honor can just as easily be bestowed upon the Grumman F6F Hellcat: it shot down the most planes of any in the war (>5100 at a loss of only 270; a kill ratio of 19:1) was hardy and reliable, (something the Mustang wasn't- the inline engine could be put out of commission with only 1 or 2 hits) and was far easier to fly than the Mustang.

Many state that the Grumman had an easier time of it because the quality of Japanese pilot was diminished over time due to attrition, but the same argument can easily be made about the Luftwaffe: With the losses in the Battle of Britain, the Eastern Front, and by the Allies, the quality of German pilot was equally diminished by time the Mustang was operational. In fact, during the Normandy Invasion, only 2 German planes were able to respond, and strafed the beach.

A similar argument could be made for the Spitfire: Once 100-octane gasoline started arriving from America, the Spit really came into its own (as did the Hurricane.)

There's a lot of romance and very good things about the Mustang, but much of it is indeed hype.

..Joe

[–] jkholman 12 years ago

I think you missed the entire point of the thread.

[–] Reephaman 11 years ago

How can your list omit the Spitfire? I know the Hurricane famously shot down two thirds of EA during the Battle of Briitain, but that was largely because there were more of them operated and they largely took on the slower bombers in a target rich environment. it is still the Spitfire that was immortalised in the conflict and holds the public imagination following its role in the battle. The Hurricane forged its reputation in the Battle of France.

Otherwise a good list, though.