Best WWII prop plane

[New Kilballyowen]

DeHavilland Mosquito, a twin-engine bomber with bigger bomb capacity than a 4-engine B-17, faster than the fighters for a time, unarmed except for the bombs, made out of non-strategically limited resource (wood), having a reduced radar signature (being mostly wood). A real paradigm-busting concept plane. And it looked pretty, with gentle tapers and curves. Well, pretty for a lethal military killing machine intended to drop flaming death and destruction on cities, towns and targets of oppportunity. My dad flew them after the war, converted for high altitude photo-mapping. Not the most comfortable of aircraft, and the finicky Merlin engines needed replacing quite often, operating at high power levels burned them out fast.

All aircraft are designed around a certain purpose, good for some tasks and useless for others. Some designs are very good in multiple roles outside the original boundaries, like the Mosquito. Pretty cool machine. Caused Hitler and Goering to blow a gasket, for sure, when they bombed Berlin and no German fighter planes could catch them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the heaviest bomb loads Mosquitoes could carry was 4,000lb (the B.XVI and a small number of modified B.IVs). 4,000lb was the standard load for B-17s for long-range missions, but for shorter-range work (like bombing targets in France), they could carry up to 8,000lb. It should also be noted that many variants of Mosquite were quite heavily armed with guns and cannon (most notably the F Mk. II with 4 20mm cannon and 4 .303 machine guns).

[Soviet Haaregrad]

Spitfire, Yak-3, Fw-190, F-4U.

[The Western Reaches]

Spitfire Mark IX because it owns up in Combat Flight Simulator.

[Lowell Leber]

Fighter, Spitfire.
Light bomber, Mosquito
or b 26 Maurader.
Heavy bomber, b 29.

[Cannot think of a name]

I like the P-38 a lot. A lot a lot. I also like the Hellcat, but that's mostly because of this dork moment I had playing a game (Mustangs & Messerschmidts) at a convention with a bunch of historical sticklers. I like the idea so to speak of the Flying Tigers, the sort of heroic mythology more than anything actual or historical, so that then makes me like the P-40.

And because of Baa Baa Blacksheep I like the Corsair. And Tales of the Golden Monkey made me like the Grumman Goose.

And the 'Cadillac of the sky'...the P-51.

Clearly, I like planes that make good drama. As actual weapons, I'm not as interested.

[Bikethage]

DeHavilland Mosquito, a twin-engine bomber with bigger bomb capacity than a 4-engine B-17, faster than the fighters for a time, unarmed except for the bombs, made out of non-strategically limited resource (wood), having a reduced radar signature (being mostly wood). A real paradigm-busting concept plane. And it looked pretty, with gentle tapers and curves. Well, pretty for a lethal military killing machine intended to drop flaming death and destruction on cities, towns and targets of oppportunity. My dad flew them after the war, converted for high altitude photo-mapping. Not the most comfortable of aircraft, and the finicky Merlin engines needed replacing quite often, operating at high power levels burned them out fast.

All aircraft are designed around a certain purpose, good for some tasks and useless for others. Some designs are very good in multiple roles outside the original boundaries, like the Mosquito. Pretty cool machine. Caused Hitler and Goering to blow a gasket, for sure, when they bombed Berlin and no German fighter planes could catch them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the heaviest bomb loads Mosquitoes could carry was 4,000lb (the B.XVI and a small number of modified B.IVs). 4,000lb was the standard load for B-17s for long-range missions, but for shorter-range work (like bombing targets in France), they could carry up to 8,000lb. It should also be noted that many variants of Mosquite were quite heavily armed with guns and cannon (most notably the F Mk. II with 4 20mm cannon and 4 .303 machine guns).

You're right, the fighter model had a lot of firepower. You could also be right about the bomb loads, but the Mosquito could carry more bombs proportional to its size because it had no defensive guns or even armour, the opposite of the B17 concept with guns everywhere and crewmen to operate them and armour plates where practical, to shield the crew.

[New Kilballyowen]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the heaviest bomb loads Mosquitoes could carry was 4,000lb (the B.XVI and a small number of modified B.IVs). 4,000lb was the standard load for B-17s for long-range missions, but for shorter-range work (like bombing targets in France), they could carry up to 8,000lb. It should also be noted that many variants of Mosquite were quite heavily armed with guns and cannon (most notably the F Mk. II with 4 20mm cannon and 4 .303 machine guns).

You're right, the fighter model had a lot of firepower. You could also be right about the bomb loads, but the Mosquito could carry more bombs proportional to its size because it had no defensive guns or even armour, the opposite of the B17 concept with guns everywhere and crewmen to operate them and armour plates where practical, to shield the crew.

Proportionally yeah, but if we're talking bomb capacity (which you cited in your first post, not proportional bomb load), the B-17 clearly beats out the Mosquito.

[Munathanura]

I see your Ilyushin Il-2 and raise you a CAC Boomerang.

...What do you mean that you've never heard of it? You mean, people in other countries don't know about obscure Australian frankenplanes? Unbelievable! You should be ashamed.

[New Kilballyowen]

I see your Ilyushin Il-2 and raise you a CAC Boomerang.

...What do you mean that you've never heard of it? You mean, people in other countries don't know about obscure Australian frankenplanes? Unbelievable! You should be ashamed.

No, I've heard of the Boomerang. And the Wirraway.

[Munathanura]

I see your Ilyushin Il-2 and raise you a CAC Boomerang.

...What do you mean that you've never heard of it? You mean, people in other countries don't know about obscure Australian frankenplanes? Unbelievable! You should be ashamed.

No, I've heard of the Boomerang. And the Wirraway.

Good to know that someone has. Unfortunately, that ruins my joke somewhat XD.

[Gethi]

I see your Ilyushin Il-2 and raise you a CAC Boomerang.

...What do you mean that you've never heard of it? You mean, people in other countries don't know about obscure Australian frankenplanes? Unbelievable! You should be ashamed.

that unholy contraption?! but in all seriousness, wasn't it underpowered? IIRC it didn't have too high of a flight ceiling

[Morrdh]

DeHavilland Mosquito, a twin-engine bomber with bigger bomb capacity than a 4-engine B-17, faster than the fighters for a time, unarmed except for the bombs, made out of non-strategically limited resource (wood), having a reduced radar signature (being mostly wood). A real paradigm-busting concept plane. And it looked pretty, with gentle tapers and curves. Well, pretty for a lethal military killing machine intended to drop flaming death and destruction on cities, towns and targets of oppportunity. My dad flew them after the war, converted for high altitude photo-mapping. Not the most comfortable of aircraft, and the finicky Merlin engines needed replacing quite often, operating at high power levels burned them out fast.

All aircraft are designed around a certain purpose, good for some tasks and useless for others. Some designs are very good in multiple roles outside the original boundaries, like the Mosquito. Pretty cool machine. Caused Hitler and Goering to blow a gasket, for sure, when they bombed Berlin and no German fighter planes could catch them.

The fighter versions were really good as night fighters, long range and endurance, high speed and ability to carry the radar and heavy guns and ammunition. Four .303 machine guns plus 4 20mm cannons were the main armament, which was a lot compared to most other fighters of the time. Messerschmitt Bf 110s had 4 machine guns and two cannons as standard equipment, before they got Jazz Music - upward-shooting cannons right in the cocpit with the crew - and rockets. I don't know the specs on Beauforts and Beaufighters but the Mosquito had higher performance (speed, climb).

^This.

Beauforts and Beaufighters were more dedicated strike aircraft, Torpedo Leader by Wing Commander Patrick Gibbs DSO, DFC and BAR would be a good book to read about 'em.

[Katonazag]

Well, speaking from flight simulator experience only, I like the P-51D for it's "winning" combination of speed and agility. The Spitfire felt comparable, and maybe a touch more sensitive on the controls. The F-4U was also a great machine, but it had a different feel in rolls, dives, and high-g turns than the P-51 and Spitfire. Probably due to the differences in engines, weight balance, and aerodynamics. But if I wanted any WWII era plane for a casual fly on the weekend, I would love a P-38.

[Munathanura]

I see your Ilyushin Il-2 and raise you a CAC Boomerang.

...What do you mean that you've never heard of it? You mean, people in other countries don't know about obscure Australian frankenplanes? Unbelievable! You should be ashamed.

that unholy contraption?! but in all seriousness, wasn't it underpowered? IIRC it didn't have too high of a flight ceiling

Beats the Il-2 in just about everything bar the rear gunner and armour. The CA-12 (the most common variant), was about 80 km/h faster, had twice the range, and had a ceiling 3 km higher than the Il-2. Of course, it generally didn't carry any bombs or rockets and was half the weight, but I'll over look that because of my patriotism .

And, actually, it was very manoeuvrable. At low altitudes, the Kittyhawk simple could not touch it and, I believe, it was more manoeuvrable than the Zero as well. Now, at higher altitudes, it simply sucked. It was, however, a brilliant ground attack aircraft.

Now, if the CA-14A variant had been produced, then it would totally have blown the Kittyhawk out of the water (having a higher service ceiling and max speed). Unfortunately, that was not to be.

[Alien Space Bats]

Since people have added bombers to the list, I think I need to expand our horizons further. I therefore nominate...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain!

Developed from the Douglas DC-3, the C-47 was the Anglo-American air transport, moving troops, arms, and supplies around the world and - in the process- playing a decisive role in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.

C-47's brought supplies into Guadalcanal, the battle that broke the back of the Japanese military in the Pacific (never mind Midway: The Solomon Islands Campaign devastated the rest of the Japanese navy and ended Japan's offensive operations in the Pacific altogether), as well as almost every Pacific operation that followed. C-47's brought supplies into Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge - and the C-47's cousin, the C-53 Skytrooper, was the prime lifter for every Anglo-American parachute drop throughout the war, including Normandy and Arnhem.

And then there was "the Hump": C-47's carried supplies over the Himalayas into China, keeping the Chinese armies supplied with arms after the Japanese cut the Burma Road. What the Murmansk convoys were the Soviet war effort (and, as courageous as Soviet forces were, they could not have turned the tide and begun offensive operations in earnest, becoming the juggernaut they became, without lots and lots and lots and lots of trucks [or, for that matter, enough machinery, courtesy the Ford Motor Company, to build a massive truck plant of their own along the Kara River]; tanks, after all, are wonderful things, but they need infantry support, and it's trucks that gave WW2 infantry the mobility to keep up with armored spearheads once they broke through), the Trans-Himalayan flights were to the Chinese war effort. C-47's played a crucial role in keeping constant Chinese pressure on the Japanese, pinning down over 90% of the Japanese Army on the Asian continent.

But the glorious thing about the C-47 was that its service didn't end with WW2, the way so many of the other aircraft we've mentioned did. Or with the Korean War that followed. C-47's continued serving for decades after the war.

C-47's helped supply Berlin in the face of Soviet efforts to starve the city out in the late 50's and early 60's, making them a decisive weapon in the Cold War as well. C-47's were the mainstay of a great many of the CIA's covert operations, via its cover airline, "Air America", serving in this capacity well into the 80's.

And then there was the AC-47 "Spooky" variant, nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon": The world's first fixed-wing gunship and forebear of the terrifying Lockheed AC-130 "Spectre". AC-47 variants remain in operation today, in places like Colombia, where they are used for counter-insurgency operations and actions against the drug cartels.

Beat that!

[OMGeverynameistaken]

that unholy contraption?! but in all seriousness, wasn't it underpowered? IIRC it didn't have too high of a flight ceiling

Beats the Il-2 in just about everything bar the rear gunner and armour. The CA-12 (the most common variant), was about 80 km/h faster, had twice the range, and had a ceiling 3 km higher than the Il-2. Of course, it generally didn't carry any bombs or rockets and was half the weight, but I'll over look that because of my patriotism .

So basically it beats the Il-2 in every aspect that is more or less irrelevant to the Il-2's role?

[Munathanura]

Beats the Il-2 in just about everything bar the rear gunner and armour. The CA-12 (the most common variant), was about 80 km/h faster, had twice the range, and had a ceiling 3 km higher than the Il-2. Of course, it generally didn't carry any bombs or rockets and was half the weight, but I'll over look that because of my patriotism .

So basically it beats the Il-2 in every aspect that is more or less irrelevant to the Il-2's role?

More like beats the Il-2 in some aspects relevant to their roles as ground attack aircraft (speed, range manoeuvrability), while loosing out in other areas (bomb/missiles and armour). Of, considering that it's basically the engine from a bomber and the fuselage from an outdated trainer strapped together with reverse engineered 20 mm cannons (requisitioned from an airman who had "acquired" one from the Middle-East) it does pretty well.

EDIT: Also, it was quite heavily armoured compared to most other fighters, it just didn't have the 700 kgs that the Il-2 had.

[Neu Leonstein]

The Il-2 was the A-10's granddaddy.

The A-10 came mostly from principles, not particular planes. So the Il-2, the Stuka, the Hs 129, stuff like that.

[Licana]

No Spitfire? No Fw-190? No F4U? No F6F? I am disappoint.

I'm actually in a bit of a toss up. I want to say the Fw-190 D9, but the F6F does boast one of the most successful combat records of any fighter ever.

[Rambhutan]

De Havilland Mosquito - though I am biased as along with Short Sunderlands they were the planes my dad was assigned to when he was in the RAF.

I also have a soft spot for the Dakota - it has such quintessential planeness about it.

[SaintB]

I'm not a fan of the Zero, it was very easy to take down, was prone to engine malfunctions, and could not roll as quickly to the left as it could the right; once that major flaw was discovered Allied pilots simply forced them into situations where they had to go left and shot them out of the air like clay pigeons.

[SaintB]

I like the Hawker Hurricane, it wasn't the shiniest or newest fighter plane of the war but it was the biggest reason Germany never saw British shores. I dunno if I would call it the best though.

[British Prussia]

Don't forget the Focke-Wulf 190.

[Tahar Joblis]

the Polikarpov Po-2, an aircraft so utterly dire you could find most of the parts in today Ikea catalogue but yet had a production history spanning 31 years in which time it managed to be used to great effect in Korea due to the low radar properties of a deckchair

I'm sold!

Wiki sez:

Luftwaffe fighters found it extremely hard to shoot down the Kukuruznik because of three main factors: the rudimentary aircraft could take an enormous amount of damage and stay in the air, the pilots used the defensive tactic of flying at treetop level, and the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was similar to the Soviet craft's maximum cruise speed, making it difficult for the newer aircraft to keep a Po-2 in weapons range for an adequate period of time.

Oooooooh. I'm really sold now!

[Dododecapod]

I'm not a fan of the Zero, it was very easy to take down, was prone to engine malfunctions, and could not roll as quickly to the left as it could the right; once that major flaw was discovered Allied pilots simply forced them into situations where they had to go left and shot them out of the air like clay pigeons.

The Zero's sole redeeming feature was it's insane maneuverability. Even rolling left, they could out roll and out turn virtually every other plane in the air.
Unfortunately for the Japanese, that advantage was eliminated by simply changing tactics. American and Australian planes (the two Air Forces that primarily engaged them) would fly above the Zero's ceiling until they saw a Japanese formation, then dove through it, relying on their greater speed to allow them a single, sweeping attack pass while the Zeros were simply incapable of pursuing.