Thread: What's the best end-of-WW2 propeller fighter?

Originally Posted by avon1944

In late 1944 P-51's entered combat in the PTO in large numbers. P-51's were also used to escort B29's after Iwo Jima was taken. They were a large part of the USAAF's efforts in the western Pacific.


The P-51 was chosen because of its record of being able to range far and wide yet fight effectively at any altitude. The P-38 was a good fighter but, it tended to use a lot space during its fights. A problem that was illustrated when it was the bomber escort over Europe. Initially, the bombers wanted an escort that stayed with them. To kill the Luftwaffe within sight of the bombers. To remain close to the bombers throughout the mission.


You have overlooked the portion of the War in The Pacific, the conflict in the southwest Pacific, starting New Guinea and driving westward under Gen. MacArthur. It didn't recieve the press Nimitz's forces did. It kept the Japanese back on their heels on the defensive.
America beat Japan using only twenty percent of its manufacturing capability. The US Government felt Hitler was the greatest threat and that whatever Japan could do would not affect America as much as the loss of Europe.


That was a sticky problem the US Military was having to face.... the transfer troops & equipment from ETO to PTO. The troops in Europe felt they had fought and won their war, that the troops in the PTO should win 'their' war without the troops of the ETO!


True but, the Me-262 had problems in the dive compared to the American fighters.
I know one tactic the Tuskegee Airmen used was to let the Me-262 set up its approach to the bombers then place themselves in a position to take a shot at the Me-262 as it approached the bombers. In an effort to survive the '262' would have to alter its attack making that run on the bombers ineffective.
The "beam defense" or better known as "The Thatch Weave" did a good job of protecting the F-4F but, it did not allow the F-4F's to protect escorted aircraft. In that I mean the F-4F's could tie up some interceptor, while the attack aircraft do their job. In a situation where there are more interceptors on a one for one basis. the additional interceptors are free to intercept the attack aircraft. The weave allowed a kill ratio of 1.5:1 Wildcats over the Zero during the Battle of Midway.
Being 'tied up' doing the weave, Thatch's squadron Fighting Three did not lose a plane to the Zeros at Midway but, as escorts they were totally ineffective at protecting the torpedo bombers, losing twelve of the fifthteen TBD's.


No, there were only few ways to counter this was with several fighters attacking each of the two 'weaving' F-4F's and, I don't think the Japanese pilots ever figured out to attack 'the weavers' by placing themselves between the two weavers.
The Zero could out turn the Corsair but, the Corsair had many performance parameters that greatly exceeded the Zero the weave wasn't needed.

Adrian

"The P-51 was chosen because of its record of being able to range far and wide yet fight effectively at any altitude. The P-38 was a good fighter but, it tended to use a lot space during its fights."

Also, the P-38 lacked high-altitude performance, was maintainance heavy, was not a very good turner, and was slower than the P-51. The P-51s were sent in with the B-29s to destroy attacking J2M Raiden interceptors, which they did. The Ki-84 Hayate 'Frank', N1K2-J Shiden-Kai 'George' and Ki-100(a radial engined Ki-61 Hien "Tony") managed to equal the F6F Hellcat and put up some fight against the P-51D, but they didn't have the high altitude performance or climb rate to effectively intercept the B-29s, and constant bombing of factories meant that they were in short supply.

"America beat Japan using only twenty percent of its manufacturing capability. The US Government felt Hitler was the greatest threat and that whatever Japan could do would not affect America as much as the loss of Europe."

Yes, but Germany only had 20% of its own forces fighting against the British and Americans. The remaining 80% was fighting the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. So the U.S was using the majority of its warfighting capability to defeat 20% of Germany's forces while it was using only 20% of its own forces to defeat the whole Japanese Empire.

"The "beam defense" or better known as "The Thatch Weave" did a good job of protecting the F-4F but, it did not allow the F-4F's to protect escorted aircraft. In that I mean the F-4F's could tie up some interceptor, while the attack aircraft do their job. In a situation where there are more interceptors on a one for one basis. the additional interceptors are free to intercept the attack aircraft. The weave allowed a kill ratio of 1.5:1 Wildcats over the Zero during the Battle of Midway. "

Couldn't the SBD Dauntless/SB2C Helldiver do the Thatch Weave themselves? I'm sure they were maneuverable enough to keep turning into each other, and their rear gunners would help them even more in a Weave. It wouldn't be too smart before they dropped their bombs, but after their bombing run was over, it would probably be more effective.

The Weave was about numerical superiority. If in an escort, there are more Wildcats then there are interceptors, the Weave will work, and in an interception, if there are more Wildcats then there are Zeros, most of them could tie up the Zero escorts while the remaining Wildcats attack the bombers.