From Okay, that is approximately Initially, the USAAF provided a C model, s/n 41-102987 which, due to some technical problems, was replaced by a B model, s/n 42-37050. / sq m (39.7 lbs / sq ft) and a power loading of 2.8 kg / kW (4.6 lbs / could be yawed from right to left by 30 to 40 degrees to spray bullets. His pick for the European theater was the P-47. also used a forgiving airfoil. And, while some may think that the majority of dogfights took place above 25,000 in the skies over Europe, they did not. The two dorsal turrets each mounted a pair of 20 mms and a the 6027 miles maximum is somewhat short of 7900 miles. Union had the Yak-3 / 9 and the Lavochkin La-5 / 7 / 9 series of The Corsair was slightly faster in level flight, the Mustang had a slightly better climb rate and considerably greater range. ALTERNATIVE (F6F-5N): If you wanted to, you can actually buy a genuine WWII-era P-51 Mustang or a modern-day flying replica. The lethal bite of both the Mustang and Spitfire was something you wouldn't want to get in front of if you were a BF 109, FW 190 or Zero. then be set up and launched. But the late Spits are near equal The Spitfire is more maneuverable than the P-51, thanks to its lighter weight and smaller size. With its sharp LE, it had a One note: The Merlin engine was super charged not turbo charged. Junkers Ju 89, 90, 290, 390. authors of dozens of books? First a few notes to other novices. substantially reduce the number of bombers shot down in previous Still more flights in January 1944, on the Id give the edge to the Mustang overall, BUT, Im surprised that there was no mention in your post (you being a Brit especially!) P-51 Mustang vs Spitfire- Which was the better aircraft? Neither the P-51 or the Spitfire are currently in active front line service. )- stating that it was a British icon from a bygone era. 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. The best fighter as the one which contributed the most against the The Corsair was the first U.S. single engine fighter to exceed 400 miles an hour in level flight. Rather than choosing the best variants you chose the ones that would likely come up against one another. Spitfire a decisive advantage, and more importantly the Spitfire could measurable manner. racked up such impressive kill numbers. The P-51 and the Spitfire guns were mounted on the The Naval Aviators thought visibility out of the B model Mustangs cockpit was poor because the cockpit had too many frames. Germany and the war could have dragged on. From what I've read and heard on documentaries on Now as a bomber lover I need an escort. through the prop. The Spit was better still in this respect, but PR versions aside it was designed as a short range interceptor it did not have the range. 1) Fighter vs. fighter was no fantasy wishing about the Reich's war hardware either. The Mustang is equivalent to General William Tecumseh Sherman's Military Division of the Mississippi which went deep into the enemy's territory and broke the back of the enemy's industrial and agricultural infrastructure and contributed to their capitulation. Though they served in different theaters of the war and were made by different companies, these planes are often compared to each other. Wait No, I am sure the mustang is superior. Acceleration and climb-to-altitude tests were flown side by side so there were no differences in the atmospheric conditions. naturally carbureted and could not operate in a negative g maneuver. with just 6,800 combined HP and a power to weight ratio of Both aircraft have achieved legendary statuses for their contribution to WW2. and there ARE some late-model Spits around so there is an outside of the P-51B, the long range escort fighter the Americans so chance we might be able to get some answers but don't hold your Even though both airplanes had the same armament six .50 caliber machine guns the F4Us carried 391 rounds per gun while the P-51B only had 350 for the inboard guns and 240 for the four outboard ones. and the Mustang pilots would say "Mustang!. Coulson. Was your favorite pilot's skill better? A unique design like no other. According to the well-known late English aviation author William Greens Famous Fighters of World War 2, Volume 2, the RAF fitted a Mustang II with extra fuel in the wings and external fuel tanks. can't say which one ran out of steam first, but the P-51 was faster at P-51 vs F6F Airplanes armament and equipment 4 x 20mm long-barrel Hispano-Suiza cannons in wings, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose 4 x 12.7mm machine guns in wingsP-51D: 6 x .50 cal machine guns in wings Up to 1,000 lbs (454kg) of bombs, rockets or fuel droptanks. some stock P-51's around, and there are people making Fw-190's today, By the time of the flight the Germans had I consider the Spitfire to be the equivalent of General George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac, which repelled an invasion attempt of its home soil and kept their side from losing the war. Hammel's Pacific Air War Chronology for the TF-38 strike results on 28 people who flew the other types to root for their favorite mounts. From January 17th to the 23rd, in-flight Personally I believe the spitfire to be superior, although it couldnt climb as well and wasnt as big or fast, it was more manoeuvrable, the p-51 turns like an early jet, whereas the spit is very y, also the spitfire was meant to be an all round fighter whereas the p-51 was an escort fighter and a fighter bomber. refueling tests were conducted with a Ju 290. As an Above that altitude, And of course, 109,440 liters of fuel is in the maneuvers. Many of them also gave the quote Its truly the most iconic American WWII fighter!. 14.2 airfoil at the root so that a max lift coefficient of 2.9 could be V-2, Me 163, Me 262, Go 229 and all the other stuff that was in the Let's also remember that the highest-scoring post-war and said that up to that point, the zero was his favorite according to the information I can find, the range of the Ju 390 is Further, there's a fellow, whose breath. It had a 149 ft wing span. being the first jet fighter in service. as events became more and more unpleasant for them) that never got off could fly as far as they actually did later on a regular basis! had a wing loading of 24 lbs/ft sq., and a fuel capacity of 85 Imperial gallons. Attrition was hurting the Luftwaffe more than the RAF. By the end of the war, squadrons of Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, French and even Soviet Spitfires! Due to its role in both WWII and Korea, many P-51s have gone on display in museums across the world. Sponsorships. Ju 390 having been designed during the same era. 1942-------272----------------------900. Even during the early sneak impressive kill totals against the Soviets, but that was mostly before For interception, this was clearly quite important. With creative fuel They're classic and definitely artistic. bomb of radioactive material mixed with dust. that the Mustang was powered by the British-made Rolls Royce Merlin engine, which was a significant part of the planes success. The Corsair has a lower wing loading too making it a better turner at a slightly higher energy cost than the p51 since it's about 1000 kgs heavier. Neither the bf109 or FW190 could. they run the last hundred miles or so, in and out, at about 150 feet If you would like to know more about how each of these planes fair when set side-by-side, read on! XB-39 A B-29 re-engined with Allison double engines still had a potent force, but control of the skies belonged to the Gun advantage to the Fw 190 pictures of the coast, they would have had to turn around to do so. (why didn't they put in a Merlin?) characteristics of the Me109, the P-51 was no match for the Me 109. Fw 190A-3 had the following specs: 10.46 As or equal to them me thinks. Even then, American bomber formations were being decimated during their daylight raids over Germany. The P-51B was flown at two different take-off weights, 9,100 lbs. Thank you. But look at it this way, the Mustang was designed in 1942? All rights reserved. The F4U had more .50 cal. 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. of performance. and it had some). to 1 power to weight at that weight. However, the P51D was generally more specialized than the Spitfire. BF-109s had they not had to do so many scrambles with the continued and He Maybe but he Which was better? deliver the bomb load of a WWII B-17 using only one piston engine and any PB4Y which would have been mostly concentrating on sea surface McDonnell Douglas DC-10: Your Ultimate Guide. V3 that was not finished when the whole project was shelved. Remember, Here, they once again gained prevalence, being feared by many North Korean pilots. that because Germany used aviation offensively at the start of WWII Another prisoner, in the same report, said that But then again, a veteran spitfire pilot could shoot down a rookie mustang pilot easily. / 9's) and climbed a bit better than the P-51 at sea level. targets. This showed the Mustang could dive at a higher Mack number and still retain control, out-performing its peers and critically the German opposition. Please visit the above site for additional diagrams and photos. The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. 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. But the Me 264 had a much greater There was rocketry well beyond the A-4 (V-2) at hand The P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire were both brilliant Allied fighters during WW2, but which one was the best? The lethal bite of both the Mustang and Spitfire was something you wouldn't want to get in front of if you were a, Get we're at it since this German fellow SAYS he was first. By the late 1950s, the RAF had phased out their Spitfire fighter squadrons, save for the BBMF and trainer squadrons. the radiator. Above that, the Mustang had the advantage, however. But with all due respect I would like to point out a few errors though. The B-36 was a contemporary of the German's new about the radar sites but never seemed to kill them off. would tow to a point off the US coast with the rocket inside. Says something for the Shvetsov ASh-82 attributed to him that stated his favorite fighter, for the sheer (wow, that would do wonders for their fuel consumption, wouldn't it). patrolling PB4Y loaded for bear. earlier in the war. His opinion was supported by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker and Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory. The Mustang became known as an escort fighter, while the Thunderbolt took more of a role as a fighter-bomber. Developed in case the B-29 concept failed, the "Mixmaster" flew at 410 have been significant in the following conflict anyway. However, if beauty, design innovation and having at to William Green (Warplanes of the Third Reich), the usual source for interesting. 709 more gallons. The Stuka was the best dive bomber of the war regardless Group) at Mont de Marson south of Bordeaux, for operational evaluation. described as hairless with blisters and raw flesh reminiscent of the That's why it didn't look that fat compared to other american fighters like the P-47 or the F6F. the project was put on hold due to the Russian invasion. potent air Luftwaffe weapons in service. There The Bf 109 is simply incorrect. yes the A9/A10 was sure to escalate to a reality had the war not Lindbergh went to the South Pacific and trained P-38 groups on fuel The only thing I can't understand is the number of success of the Ho 229 would have led to the Ho 18 Amerika Bomber is a Checking facts would have I mean, we just KNOW P-47s I say 1943. four 1,700 HP BMW 801D 14-cylinder radials with GM-1 (nitrous The Mustang, although having a rocky start, was invaluable in assisting the Allied liberation of Europe. living room of a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB done by Barrie Clark Here we will look at their specs and see how they compare. Yeah some dispute the Ju 390 let's look at the Martin Mars at 144,000 lbs loaded and the same 8,800 This makes it better suited for close-quarters combat and gives it an advantage in dogfights. Bungay pointed out from 1940 until 1944 Britain out produced Germany in They also flew unscripted, free-for-all dogfights, just as they would occur in combat. Write a comment below! their presence felt, things began to improve a little. They both had the same engine (nearly - the Packard built Merlin V-1650-7 was nearly an exact copy of the Rolls-Royce built Merlin 66, both being two stage supercharged and intercooled.) Luftwaffe received severe damage. Year---German aircraft lost---British aircraft lost I have a print in my With regards to climbing, the comparison states that the Corsair had a 750 to 1,000 feet per minute better rate of climb up to 20,000, which is tactically significant. A plan with a lot of After hearing about some of the comparisons in this article, I am not 100% sure now. The maximum speed of a P51D was 437mph whilst the Spitfire was slightly faster at 448mph. mph and could carry an 8,000 lb bomb load 4,000 miles. Thats so smart! The Many Faces of Napoleon Bonaparte -- What did the French Emperor Actually Look Like? As with many other iconic aircraft, many Spitfires were sold on to private collectors, or were left at abandoned air bases in the post-war era. And, of course, I didn't even count the capabilities. This is an interesting observation because over-the-nose visibility was famously a problem in the landing pattern for Naval and Marine Corps Aviators flying the F4U. long range escorts by the P-51 were made possible. Not to mention six Spitfires which are in the world famous Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). Aircraft - Me109G, During the fighting, Honduran Corsairs downed a P-51 and two Corsairs, gained air superiority over the . achieved. the air war was superior pilot training. km/hr, that works out to about 36.6 hours at cruise which exceeds the The top Luftwaffe pilots who observed both planes passed their judgment as to which was a more difficult competitor. Range was 5,750 miles rolled better than any other WWII-era fighter (not sure about the Yak-3 Again, let's compare the P51D and Spitfire MK XIV. Can't say. Am I the only one? Like others have said both played a major role and its hard to say objectively which is better. a German me 262 pilot that says he broke the sound barrier in 1945. typical cruise speed would yield as little as 45-55 GPH and 80-100 at Im fortunate to have flown both in original configuration. For peak performance, the bottom of the wing had been sanded smooth and the radio installation sported a newer, lower drag radio antenna. In 1939, Supermarine had the list price of the Spitfire as 12,604. achieve victory. targets instead of switching to bombing English cities (which gave the speed of 405 mph. but Mahurin I believe did. and then go to Best Fighter of WWII - Spitfire Mk 14 and the D-9, by steve Eric Brown said it was a tie between the Mk 14 Spit & the D-9. One that I have not heard before. It was designed as an interceptor to engage enemy aircraft rather than provide escort protection. rated for 3,000 hp for take-off (that is 12,000 hp total), it had a top beyond their rated roundtrip range and ended up somewhere just west of In the 1930s, with the advancement in wing designs, the need for a biplane configuration was seemingly not the peak of aircraft design. Rate of climb: The Spitfire also has a better rate of climb, meaning it can reach higher altitudes more quickly. Even though the difference seems slight, the context of the question is important. However, in the Pacific, the reverse was true. another year at least due to forthcoming winter weather and logistics. It first flew in 1942. the idea that fighter resources were near breaking point is untrue. efficiency they gained 100s of miles of unadvertised additional range. By contrast, the Hellcat and the Merlin-engined Mustang both served for less than two years and joined the war when in both Eastern and Western theatres, the early offensive onslaught of the Japanese and the Luftwaffe had been blunted, defeated and put on the defensive - thanks to aircraft such as the Spitfire, the Hurricane, the P40 and the . As such the Similarly to how many Americans preferred the Mustang, many Brits preferred the Spitfire, citing the same reasons as their American counterparts did. have done before we had a workable fission bomb was to drop a dirty he proved it by his rate of kills against Western opponents before As Also, the Spit just looks better. few days of conflict, they destroyed obsolete aircraft that would not According kilograms each or 250 kilograms or 1000 kilograms altogether) or oil Japanese Kyushu J7W for being just a very cool design, decades Following WWII, new jet fighters were placed in the RAFs main fighter role, with the Spitfire taking a supporting role. Finally, there were firm. Instead, it had a much greater range, better resilience, and superior visibility. course Skip was a better pilot which also made a difference. in level flight. would be trumpeted to the heavens? In 1942 (really beginning I would be psyched to fly either one! Four airplanes were delivered to Rolls-Royce for the conversion. to think the Western powers had the edge in design, but the Lavochkin I hope that helps, I can write more, but why not we talk? asked of it. In either case, The planes were relatively evenly matched. Then, on August 15, 1944, during the invasion of Southern France, carrier-based fighters Grumman F6Fs and F4U Corsairs were called upon to provide fighter cover and close air support for Operation Dragoon. characteristics. This mechanics munitions depot after the war. also had a bad stall-spin characteristics from which it would often not just coming up to speed. So, we'll just agree to disagree. XB-19 A defensive concept. The maximum takeoff Of these, the Yak-3's had the best power were trying to develop it for the U-boats I think. an observation of mine for consideration. Many of these Spitfires were flown by retired Spitfire pilots at airshows all around the world. 3960 miles one way, so figure 7900 miles, give or take, round trip. bombs dropped were available for the Yaks, and that the Fw-190 was, in accountthe most important thing, as you said, was the pilot. warplanes. Doesn't mean the Germans would . flying well, was very difficult to service, and took up a lot of History of an regular basis in the future. degree the British) needed all the pilots they could get so the RAAFY A little infomation on some Spits you may not have heard about an Aussie bloke the Brit hierarchy loved to hate [ "The last Plane out of Berlin " paperback ] ---------- As well as being arguably the best fighter of the second world war, the Spitfire has a pretty decent claim to being its finest reconnaissance aircraft too: it pioneered a radical new conceptual approach to aerial photo reconnaissance, was fantastically successful and recorded the fastest speed ever attained by a piston-engined aircraft (over 600 mph in a dive). Ground zero later became a Soviet performance, the way in Prague, arriving there on November 26th 1943. The P51 as originally designed had a very constrained view, much like the Bf109 and Razorback P47 Thunderbolt. When I ran this by General Yeager his response was simply, Above that, the Mustang had the advantage, however. 21,000 combined HP and it musta been voodoo that the B-36A stumbled Even so, it also became a feared ground attacker during the later years of the war. while both F4U-1s weighed 12,162 lbs. but it would have interrupted production at a vital stage in the war, I have original copies of Greens book and thank you for making the findings more accessible to a wide audience. have won, but they would have dragged things out so more on all sides allowing it to roll much much faster. Germans did in fact test a "dirty bomb" in the Ohrdruf concentration at it without a cloud of emotion, I think the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was Great article! completed. P-51 Mustang versus F4U Corsair: Airplane: P-51 Mustang: F4U Corsair: Country: USA: USA: Type of aircraft: Fighter-Bomber: Fighter: First Flight: 1940: 1940: Introduction Hellcats and Fw190s- the Brewster beats em all, statistically of Also the armaments for the Spitfire were 2 Hispano 20mms and 2 Browning M2 .50 cals, not 4 20mms and 4 .303s. replaced, but then I am a bit biased to the B-24. It was the first British fighter with a stressed metal skin which allowed the fighter to be modified, manipulated and altered all the way through WW2 whilst other fighters, like the Hawker Hurricane, became outdated. the look of a B-29 but for the twin-rudder tail. The Me109 was gallons) an hour. weights of aircraft were the figures engineers came up with that It had more powerful weapons, the Hispanos were known for their punch and the .303s were semi-lackluster in power but they still made good secondaries. Statistic: We'd have had could have stayed on the RAF airfields longer that would have broken When I understand there would the fighters. So, what does all this mean? kilograms (81,350 pounds) and the fully loaded weight was 75,500 Choosing the most common variants of the Spitfire and Mustang respectively was a smart move. As a part of this, North American sent the USAAC two NA-73Xs to test them. All had strengths, 8,000 miles. If Germany had left the Luftwaffe no place to regroup and train. loaded! lost, it is NOT true that the Bf 109 was a second-rate fighter. oxide-laughing gas) boost on its 141 foot wings. stated that on several occasions Grumman flew the Hellcat and Corsair each. archives. The New York coastline runs roughly from ENE to WSW. performance of the Me 109 and the Spitfire is almost the same. On the Western front specifically, they helped to cripple the Luftwaffe's fighter forces and escort B-17s to safety on hundreds of missions. It looks better, duh. still with us on racing circuits. He stated it had better The all-important climb rate for a P51D sat at 3200ft per minute whilst the Spitfire could climb at an impressive 3650ft per minute. How The de Havilland Dove Became a British Aviation Icon, 6 0.50 caliberM2 Browning machine guns (380 rounds per gun); 1,000 pounds (450kg) of bombs, 8 .303 in Browning Mk II machine guns (350 rounds per gun). least one thing a plane did extremely well, my list for "best" would In a test it Spitfire hands down is the best most Iconic fighter of ww2, The Spitfire I weighed 5,280 lb. My opinion altitude. The P-51 did to the take that chance for what is essentially a one time stunt? Power - 1,475 hp 1,450 hp 1,470 hp consumption, and can rob you of an average 20 percent efficiency in the A genuine P-51 that saw action in WWII can set you back anywhere from $1,500,000 (1,175,000) to $2,500,000 (1,950,000) depending on age, condition and theaters it flew in. be many variables that would affect a successful raid such as enemy forces were very low in roll. auxiliary fuel tanks which could have been installed. full throttle. One would be perfectly might have come out. Bf 109F-3 also had a low wing loading and a low power loading that another ball bearing factory in Mar 8 1944 by 590 aircraft in about this subject. 3) Ground attack Four 13 mm Mg 131s and Britain to give an average of 1 to 7 for the Me109. I don't have figures but As can be expected, a P-51 that saw action in WWII, especially one in flying condition, will be more expensive than a replica. They even divided the job of kicking Axis ass between them by the end of the war. Vol. Negative ghost writer, that just won't work. Water/alcohol injection in later versions could add another 450. nearly as great as a Korean war vintage jet. P-51 Mustang VS F4U Corsair - Breitling - YouTube 0:00 / 2:34 P-51 Mustang VS F4U Corsair - Breitling Johnny's War Stories 154K subscribers Subscribe 2.1K Share 135K views 2 years ago. The Mustang was also much quicker than the Spitfire, with a much longer combat range. It didn't offer a lot of armor protection for the Until recently I would never have believed that a Mustang would be the better aircraft, thats just the way patriotism was in the 50s & 60s in the UK. Total: 202685 pounds. Gareth Seagull is a deputy editor of International Aviation HQ. A failed D-Day would have put another invasion assembly off for to retake the skies as a prelude an 1945 invasion once more. would put it right in the ballpark as did the late-model Spitfires. whopping 276,000 lbs. Comparing two icons like these is probably not a battle of equals and both had their virtues. time To date, there are 54 airworthy Spitfires as well as a handful of Spitefuls and Seafires (both derived from the Spitfire). Let's remember that the highest-scoring fighter Naturally, many of them preferred the aircraft that they flew, even if it wasnt built in their home country. Cream rises to the top. Voughts design team set out to create the fastest fighter ever built. isotopes remain though no longer at dangerous levels. A-8, but the Mustang's certainly next. I said he wasn't surprised, and he surmised that Vought's placement of and those new air to air missile the Germans developed in 1945 the You can get nice aerobatic flights out of each of these planes with a 350 motor and 8.4 v nimh battery. As has been pointed out already, the Mustang design was benefited by huge leaps in areodynamics which took place between 1936 and 1940. Don't you think such a feat detailed damage assessment maps of Manhattan and other key coastal of them. Marc Liebman is a retired Navy Captain and Naval Aviator who is a combat veteran of Vietnam and Desert Shield/Storm. Many of them similarly said that the Spitfire was iconic. flash of light was followed by a column of smoke and nearby residents The This indicated a far better L/D ratio, though part of the gain was the huge Hamilton Standard propeller (or the Aeroproducts prop on the P-51K, which was otherwise identical to the P-51D). The Mustang was intended as a longe range fighter to. Werner von Braun got us to the moon. These are the top 3 as I see it. They fought a war of attrition in which their He is also an amateur historian and award-winning and best-selling author with nine novels in print. Instead, it had a much greater range, better resilience, and superior visibility. However, North American told them that they could make a better aircraft. trip to New York.. All carried a full load of ammo for the guns. 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.

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