Best WWII prop plane

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Wasn't the La-7 pretty terrible at low altitudes? It was a real beast at high altitude, but as I recall it was supposed to be a bit of a cow below 3,000 feet or something.

Or was that the La-5?

Neither. The La-5/La-5FN and La-7 were terrific below 20,000 feet. There was also a supercharged version of the La-7 near the end of the war that was as capable at altitudes above 20,000 feet as it was below. I think the aircraft you're thinking of is the MiG-3, which was a bit of a cow below 10,000 feet. Above 10,000 feet, however, it really shined. Incidentally, about 90% or more of the air combat on the Eastern Front occurred below 10,000 feet, so the Lavochkins were king.

Ah, I knew it was something. I tend to get my WWII soviet fighters mixed up

[Potarius]

Always was a fan of the BF-109.

Tremendous power-to-weight ratios in the later versions (G-2, G-10, G-14, K-4) allowed for fantastic acceleration and climb rates. And the weapons packages were nothing short of fantastic.

[Potarius]

Neither. The La-5/La-5FN and La-7 were terrific below 20,000 feet. There was also a supercharged version of the La-7 near the end of the war that was as capable at altitudes above 20,000 feet as it was below. I think the aircraft you're thinking of is the MiG-3, which was a bit of a cow below 10,000 feet. Above 10,000 feet, however, it really shined. Incidentally, about 90% or more of the air combat on the Eastern Front occurred below 10,000 feet, so the Lavochkins were king.

Ah, I knew it was something. I tend to get my WWII soviet fighters mixed up

Oddly enough, Ivan Kozhedub tallied a substantial amount of air-to-air victories in the MiG-3. It wasn't terrible at all at any altitude when the 12mm gun pods under each wing weren't added (by default they were off --- it was a field modification). At low altitude, its turning radius was about that of the Bf-109F-4, which was very, very good; above 10,000 feet, its radius was better than that of the Friedrich. However, the La-5FN turned quite a bit better than the Friedrich "on the deck" (below 10,000 feet), and its roll rate was significantly better, so it overshadowed the MiG on the front.

[Globexanter]

You missed one of the most Winning planes of WWII: The Spitfire.

[Saurisisia]

The P-51 Mustang, obviously. A combination of extremely long range, heavy firepower, and blistering speed ensured that the Mustang dominated its Axis opponents.

[Potarius]

You missed one of the most Winning planes of WWII: The Spitfire.

The poll missed a shit ton of outstanding aircraft from the war.

Which version of the Spitfire comes immediately to mind in your case?

[Globexanter]

You missed one of the most Winning planes of WWII: The Spitfire.

The poll missed a shit ton of outstanding aircraft from the war.

Which version of the Spitfire comes immediately to mind in your case?

Yeah, loads missing up there.
Well, they are nearly all as good as each over, so hard to say which is best :L

[Ottomark]

At the time the P-51 was the fastest prop plane in the world.

[Potarius]

The P-51 Mustang, obviously. A combination of extremely long range, heavy firepower, and blistering speed ensured that the Mustang dominated its Axis opponents.

Uh, no, not really.

1: Yes, the extremely long range is correct. No change necessary here.

2: Not heavy at all. 6x M2 .50cal machine guns does not equal "heavy firepower". Compare that to the Bf-109G-14 with a 30mm Mk.108 machine gun in the nose, 2x 13mm machine guns in the cowl, and 2x 20mm MG-131/20 gun pods under the wings. That is heavy firepower that could rip a plane to shreds in a couple of seconds.

3: Er, blistering? Its top speed was 436mph at about 22,000 feet, and its high altitude acceleration were quite good, but below 10,000 feet it was blatantly average.

4: It really didn't "dominate its Axis opponents", since it was mainly a bomber wing support fighter. The quality of pilots who flew them as well as their tactics was the determining factor, not the airframe itself. If you want an aircraft that "dominated" the Axis, either the Spitfire LF Mk.IXe or the La-5FN/La-7 are what you're looking for.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

The P-51 Mustang, obviously. A combination of extremely long range, heavy firepower, and blistering speed ensured that the Mustang dominated its Axis opponents.

Uh, no, not really.

1: Yes, the extremely long range is correct. No change necessary here.

2: Not heavy at all. 6x M2 .50cal machine guns does not equal "heavy firepower". Compare that to the Bf-109G-14 with a 30mm Mk.108 machine gun in the nose, 2x 13mm machine guns in the cowl, and 2x 20mm MG-131/20 gun pods under the wings. That is heavy firepower that could rip a plane to shreds in a couple of seconds.

3: Er, blistering? Its top speed was 436mph at about 22,000 feet, and its high altitude acceleration were quite good, but below 10,000 feet it was blatantly average.

4: It really didn't "dominate its Axis opponents", since it was mainly a bomber wing support fighter. The quality of pilots who flew them as well as their tactics was the determining factor, not the airframe itself. If you want an aircraft that "dominated" the Axis, either the Spitfire LF Mk.IXe or the La-5FN/La-7 are what you're looking for.

Silly Potarius. The US was the only allied state that had a REAL airforce in WWII. Sure, the British had a couple of planes, but nobody else did. Especially the Soviets. They were too busy retreating and being communist to have things like an air force or a navy.

[Britcan]

Polish pilot + Spitfire = WIN

[Potarius]

At the time the P-51 was the fastest prop plane in the world.

No, it wasn't. Where did you get that idea?

The Spitfire Mk.XIV entered service in January 1944 (its first flight being in 1943) with a top speed of 446mph, 10mph faster than the P-51D. It could also climb almost twice as fast under the same loading conditions, and it had much faster acceleration at all altitudes.

[Arkinesia]

Uh, no, not really.

1: Yes, the extremely long range is correct. No change necessary here.

2: Not heavy at all. 6x M2 .50cal machine guns does not equal "heavy firepower". Compare that to the Bf-109G-14 with a 30mm Mk.108 machine gun in the nose, 2x 13mm machine guns in the cowl, and 2x 20mm MG-131/20 gun pods under the wings. That is heavy firepower that could rip a plane to shreds in a couple of seconds.

3: Er, blistering? Its top speed was 436mph at about 22,000 feet, and its high altitude acceleration were quite good, but below 10,000 feet it was blatantly average.

4: It really didn't "dominate its Axis opponents", since it was mainly a bomber wing support fighter. The quality of pilots who flew them as well as their tactics was the determining factor, not the airframe itself. If you want an aircraft that "dominated" the Axis, either the Spitfire LF Mk.IXe or the La-5FN/La-7 are what you're looking for.

Silly Potarius. The US was the only allied state that had a REAL airforce in WWII. Sure, the British had a couple of planes, but nobody else did. Especially the Soviets. They were too busy retreating and being communist to have things like an air force or a navy.

[iL-2 Sturmoviks] are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread.

[St George of England]

Spitfire. End of. You can bring anything, a Jupers, a Hurricane, a Mustang, whatever. The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time.

You can quote stats, kill to loss ratios, but you're wrong. You just are.

[Britcan]

Spitfire. End of. You can bring anything, a Jupers, a Hurricane, a Mustang, whatever. The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time.

You can quote stats, kill to loss ratios, but you're wrong. You just are.

Harrier.
Nuff said.

[Globexanter]

Spitfire. End of. You can bring anything, a Jupers, a Hurricane, a Mustang, whatever. The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time.

You can quote stats, kill to loss ratios, but you're wrong. You just are.

Harrier.
Nuff said.

This is about prop planes, the Harrier (believe it or not), is a jet plane.

[Britcan]

This is about prop planes, the Harrier (believe it or not), is a jet plane.

I was responding to the fact that he said that: "The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time."

[Globexanter]

This is about prop planes, the Harrier (believe it or not), is a jet plane.

I was responding to the fact that he said that: "The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time."

Which it is.

[Britcan]

I was responding to the fact that he said that: "The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time."

Which it is.

That's you opinion not a fact.

[St George of England]

Spitfire. End of. You can bring anything, a Jupers, a Hurricane, a Mustang, whatever. The Spit is just about the greatest plane of all time.

You can quote stats, kill to loss ratios, but you're wrong. You just are.

Harrier.
Nuff said.

I've got much respect for the Harrier, but the Spit, simply due to the morale benefit to those at home, is better.

You had Churchill on the wireless saying we would fight them on the beaches, your towns local Home Guard unit parading and a Spit flying overhead. Who wouldn't think 'yes, we can do this.'?

[Globexanter]

Which it is.

That's you opinion not a fact.

You thinking the Harrier is the greatest plane of all time isn't a fact either.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Silly Potarius. The US was the only allied state that had a REAL airforce in WWII. Sure, the British had a couple of planes, but nobody else did. Especially the Soviets. They were too busy retreating and being communist to have things like an air force or a navy.

[iL-2 Sturmoviks] are as essential to the Red Army as air and bread.

Indeed. I was making a joke in regards to the History Channel version of WWII that so many people seem to believe in around here.

There is no God but the USAF and the P-51 is its prophet.

[Britcan]

Harrier.
Nuff said.

I've got much respect for the Harrier, but the Spit, simply due to the morale benefit to those at home, is better.

You had Churchill on the wireless saying we would fight them on the beaches, your towns local Home Guard unit parading and a Spit flying overhead. Who wouldn't think 'yes, we can do this.'?

I agree, it did help with moral quite a lot.

That's you opinion not a fact.

You thinking the Harrier is the greatest plane of all time isn't a fact either.

I know, I was just saying what my opinion is.

[Partybus]

I loved the show Baa Baa Blacksheep, so I must go with the F4U Corsair, not only an 11 to 1 kill ratio, but carrier ready, and if you remove the 4 from the name, well, nuff said...

[Alterrea]

The Spitfire, of course.