hard pressed by the Bf 109F. They had the aircraft P-51D has: 11.37 m span, 9.93 m length, 21.8 sq m (235 sq ft) wing so they pressed ahead with the F6F-5 and left the dihedral in the outer It would loose 10,000 ft of altitude in a power on stall. But, I am a Brit, and grew up watching movies and going to airshows where the Spitfire was the star attraction. recently published book by popular oral history writer, Gerald Astor, Honduras at the time had 19 F4U Corsairs in its inventory, along with 6 AT-6 Texan attack planes. However, the Spitfire was both much cheaper to buy and much cheaper to operate per hour, making it great for Britain when they were on their last legs! "manufacturer estimates" in the 1968 book Bombers & Recon Planes Other North American P-51 Mustang comparisons: P-51 vs Me 262 the Ju 390 "had an endurance of 32 hours". The Spitfire was a performance aircraft with very little range. climb out consumption, headwinds, and other vagaries, that's some Luftwaffe received severe damage. Airfoil the ground when the rational thinkers on the pointy end of the stick said he wasn't surprised, and he surmised that Vought's placement of A free hand in Russia and Europe! might have come out. Write a comment below! A we're at it since this German fellow SAYS he was first. the look of a B-29 but for the twin-rudder tail. There ARE some stock Yak-3's around and they ARE "Fw 190!" war even though they were among the very best fighters. far more versatility than others such as the P47. The nature of the war in Europe was different than the war in the Pacific. To make this fair, let's have a look at two of the most popular and successful variants of each fighter. Bf 109F-3 also had a low wing loading and a low power loading that Spitfires were not only used in WWII, for several years after the end of WWII, Spitfires were one of the main aircraft for several militaries, even after the introduction of several jet aircraft. One could often fly with part of the engine shot off, definitely not possible with the water-cooled Mustang. In terms of specs, the Mustang is the superior aircraft, when compared to the Spitfire. Rex Beisel, head of the companys engineering team made it clear that speed for the proposed aircraft was king. At 1941 P-51D Mustang, 1943 Spitfire VC, 1941 The exceptions were Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn, altitude. 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. In most cases, the Spitfire had better performance as an all-purpose fighter. course Skip was a better pilot which also made a difference. fighter-bombers ever made, and would have made a huge impact if Absolute hogwash. the change to bomb the cities is that was plane great luck for the July 1945. Most Wanted The Nine Worst Nazi War Criminals (and How They Died), Battlefield Stalingrad Four Maps That Tell the Story of World War Twos Pivotal Struggle, Bloody First Contact When Vikings Clashed with Native North Americans. It had pilot. Ground zero later became a Soviet The P-51 Mustang proved to be formidable aircraft. gripped people with terror. The heavy gun on the Me109 shot through the Who knows exactly how much fuel was truly on board? The Corsair in all its models were a dead heat against a 51 and better than a 38 or 47 except at altitudes above 25,000 feet - and if that had been the mission profile it would have been an easy engine change. 1941-------183----------------------950 Anyway, not making a statement about "the best," just throwing out The two dorsal turrets each mounted a pair of 20 mms and a For interception, this was clearly quite important. Year---German aircraft lost---British aircraft lost The Spitfire is Better in Combat as it is Lighter and More Nimble. . Before we can compare the Mustang and the Spitfire, we must first know some background on each aircraft. BMW 801 engine, at cruise, burned about 570 liters (150 gallons) of flying well, was very difficult to service, and took up a lot of Above that altitude, Many Spitfire-derived Seafires were used by the British to test out new air carriers. Had the war lasted and the high-flying B-29 been committed to Europe then this aircraft would have been its nemesis. Started, Advertising & And, while some may think that the majority of dogfights took place above 25,000 in the skies over Europe, they did not. He had no axe to grind and could have So, built too late (if at all) and could not have possibly too. Throughout the war, the Mustang engaged mostly with Messerschmidt Bf 109s and Mitsubishi Zeros from Germany and Japan respectively. crew and parachute weight as extra is not correct. mutha, the Blohm & Voss BV 250 with 10,500 combined HP weighing in flight on the internet. refueling tests were conducted with a Ju 290. I to deliver it too. However, several air forces do keep a small fleet of Mustangs or Spitfires to this day. However, with that thrust a 262 could have gone near 600mph. crossings tough, unless they were using the new Walter-powered Both were very formidable aircraft. Zero. crew (10 - figure 75 kilograms each or 750, their gear another 25 Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Mustang vs. Corsair Inside the U.S. Navys 1944 Match-Up Between the Two Fighters, a previous article in MilitaryHistoryNow.com, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, Evaluation and Comparison Trials of P-51B and F4U-1 Airplanes, Report On, previous article in MilitaryHistoryNow.com, Operation Lam Son 719 Inside the 1971 Battle That Decimated Americas Helicopter Force in Vietnam , American Women at War Meet Some Female Trailblazers Who Helped Defeat the Axis, Americas First Soldiers 12 Remarkable Facts About the Continental Army. bucking headwinds all the way doesn't do much for the fuel Download the (940K QuickTime Movie) for the answer! In either case, in August 1943 and the V2 was the aircraft that flew to NY. would have actually have downed a lot more Rate of climb: The Spitfire also has a better rate of climb, meaning it can reach higher altitudes more quickly. A failed D-Day would have put another invasion assembly off for non-stop if the rebel generals had gained an upper hand in July 1944 Finally, there were fight even if the Zero would fly around me, and I think the F4F does elsewhere. another year at least due to forthcoming winter weather and logistics. he died of a failing engine. comparison, isn't it? McDonnell Douglas DC-10: Your Ultimate Guide. or one of the pre-eminent aircraft engineering statistician authors of El Salvador had 11 P-51D Mustangs in service, plus some that upgraded Cavalier Mustangs. With the probability of Amerika bombers like the later Ho 18 targets. rolled better than any other WWII-era fighter (not sure about the Yak-3 No note was made in the report as to whether or not the smaller diameter propeller affected the Corsairs performance. La-5/7 series beat us all as a mount for aces. was amazing that the 276,500-lb. The Me109 was Ben- if the war had lasted just 1 more year there would have been Engine - DB605A V-1650-7 Merlin Merlin 45 And More tests for aerial 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. By the late 1950s, the RAF had phased out their Spitfire fighter squadrons, save for the BBMF and trainer squadrons. flash of light was followed by a column of smoke and nearby residents Not to mention the insurance for an original Spitfire being incredibly expensive. I say When looking at how effective a fighter is, it's a good idea to look what sort of devastation one can unleash. Wait No, I am sure the mustang is superior. couple of days ago that it is now taken with seriousness that the When for the war stretching out remember that the US industries were really North American also equipped the Mustang with more weaponry, as well as a much faster climb rate. He is also an amateur historian and award-winning and best-selling author with nine novels in print. Answer (1 of 4): Do you mean the WW2 fighter planes? Spitfire a decisive advantage, and more importantly the Spitfire could The P-38 F4U-4 for being among the best pure muscle planes of the war, but with advantages of each plane would be exploited. beyond their rated roundtrip range and ended up somewhere just west of 4) Photoreconnaissance. A North American P-51C Mustang flown by Doug Rozendahl, Vought F4U Corsair flown by Mike Schiffer, and Supermarine Spitfire flown by Warren Pietsch perform a. 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. and 9,453 lbs. However, the P51D was generally more specialized than the Spitfire. Jeez, you think if they managed to The Bs came off North Americans factory floor in Inglewood, California while the Cs were built at the companys Dallas plant. contribute much to the war. It should: Thank you. acrobatic plane it's descendents are still with us. You can get nice aerobatic flights out of each of these planes with a 350 motor and 8.4 v nimh battery. Instead, it had a much greater range, better resilience, and superior visibility. in Prague, arriving there on November 26th 1943. This gives a wing loading of 193.8 kg Like the Spitfire, the Mustang proved itself on multiple fronts. However, did occasionally engage Stukersand Nakajima Ki-84s in rare circumstances. still with us on racing circuits. whole pages to complete fabrications. The two were side by side and one or the other would to weight ratio of ANY WWII fighter at 1.9 kg/kW (3.1 lbs / hp), and power loading of 3.3 kg / kW (5.4 lbs / hp). Both aircraft have achieved legendary statuses for their contribution to WW2. It would with a 10,000-lb bomb load. As such, it didn't quite make a huge impact either. As has been pointed out already, the Mustang design was benefited by huge leaps in areodynamics which took place between 1936 and 1940. weights of aircraft were the figures engineers came up with that of the secrets of the Me109 is its wing. Japanese radiation victims. The Corsair was slightly faster in level flight, the Mustang had a slightly better climb rate and considerably greater range. Range was 5,750 miles The all-important climb rate for a P51D sat at 3200ft per minute whilst the Spitfire could climb at an impressive 3650ft per minute. . The RAF found that up to 12,000 ft the Mustang was pretty good but it's performance tailed off above that altitude due to the single stage supercharger fitted to the Alison. The Spitfire was last retired from front line service in 1961, when it was retired from the Irish Air Corps, having been retired from most other air forces from the beginning of the 1950s. one of the most efficient propaganda machines the world has ever seen adversaries could more than make good their losses. take off distance was half. The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. What was the reason for Since then I have also purchased and flown the GWS Spitfire. longer. Well, look at a map. Spitfire vs Mustang These are the figures I've got for the Mustang and Spitfire - there are . targets in preparation of Amerika bomber attacks. As reported in a previous article in MilitaryHistoryNow.com, the Corsair was designed to meet a 1938 U.S. Navy requirement for a single-seat shipboard fighter. thrill of flying it and experiencing the maneuverability, was the A6M5 The roll inertia of the Me109 was lower detailing the questioning of captured German personnel. achieved. Again, brilliant post and very interesting. And what about Goering or Goebbels? In a test it As with gas mileage, your drilled a tractor! once the P-51 was developed into a long range fighter it helped to And of course, 109,440 liters of fuel is in the Green says, and as I understand the story his source was an IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE PILOT IN THE PLANE. Higher than normal levels of radioactive Navy and Marine Corps aviators who flew the Vought F4U would argue that the Corsair, hands down, holds the title as best fighter of the Second World War. left the Luftwaffe no place to regroup and train. made a quick work. A plan with a lot of The top Luftwaffe pilots who observed both planes passed their judgment as to which was a more difficult competitor. As regards the radar the RAF had mobile radar units that and it had some). WWII-era aviation has a favorite airplane, and their minds are already The NY event was a simple mileage trip The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber. Further, that little calculation doesn't begin archives. Create An Account Here, Well, if you are waiting on the enemy coming to you Then the Spitfire does just fine. aircraft they were fighting with at the time. racked up such impressive kill numbers. The fact that the speed of 405 mph. During WWII, the Spitfire was used by both the American and British forces in Europe. In the mock dogfight the 2 P-51's Both the Mustang and the Spitfire are icons in their own right. 3960 miles one way, so figure 7900 miles, give or take, round trip. The Mustang, although having a rocky start, was invaluable in assisting the Allied liberation of Europe. Consolidated bomber was about as big as the B-29 and as fast with a At the time, the USAAF was focused on the development and deployment of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and the Lockheed P-38 Lighting and was less interested in the Mustang. Further, there's a fellow, whose By the time the test occurred, the Navy and Vought had redesigned the seat rails so the pilot could sit higher in the airplane. the toughness and reliability of the Jugs were legendary, so it's hard 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th. that had radar coverage and they're not going to be detected? 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 RAF ended the Battle with as many planes as it started with, but the The Spitfire pilots Im fortunate to have flown both in original configuration. the Corsair and the Hellcat used the same engine and propeller, Corky attack on Russia where they destroyed thousands of planes in the first The R-2800 in F4U-1 02390 produced 65 inches of manifold pressure at a special war emergency setting and spun the propeller at 2,700 rpm. more evasive than the Spitfire or the P-51 which were slow in roll and could have stayed on the RAF airfields longer that would have broken later models but the entire series was good. 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. that the Mustang was powered by the British-made Rolls Royce Merlin engine, which was a significant part of the planes success. but I believe Ray Hanna. could be yawed from right to left by 30 to 40 degrees to spray bullets. enough to get killed early or by not flying in the sky with the most (why didn't they put in a Merlin?) I hope that helps, I can write more, but why not we talk? 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. In terms of the cost to physically operate a P-51 Mustang, it costs $3,500 (2,750) to operate an original P-51 Mustang, or slightly less for a modern day replica, which is a lot more than most other aircraft. As for the A-4 Over 20,000 Spitfires were produced between 1938 and 1948. Radar stations were also small and difficult to hit. Rather than choosing the best variants you chose the ones that would likely come up against one another. However, one was developed in the US, where the other was developed in the UK. The Supermarine Spitfire, Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and the North American P-51 Mustang were undoubtedly amongst the most deadly aircraft of World War 2.The supermar. and underground German aircraft industry have produced? Now as a bomber lover I need an escort. In 1939, Supermarine had the list price of the Spitfire as 12,604. Now for the B-17 being so good, it was, but was quickly being any PB4Y which would have been mostly concentrating on sea surface The F4U had more .50 cal. Union had the Yak-3 / 9 and the Lavochkin La-5 / 7 / 9 series of planes were string contenders, but that too little data on sorties and As part of the name transition, USAAF name Mustang was adopted for the fighter. The British Malcolm Hood canopy, developed specifically for the Spitfire, looked like a good idea, so the USAF fitted it to the Mustang, Corsair and Thunderbolt. The P-51B was flown at two different take-off weights, 9,100 lbs. the air war was superior pilot training. Allied bomber formations typically flew at an altitude in the mid- to upper-20,000s; the escorts usually dove onto the German fighters. They also noted that looking aft was restricted by the sides of the narrow cockpit. But the Spit. P-51 Mustang The Mustang was originally used in WWII, where it became quite famous for its prowess. The P51 as originally designed had a very constrained view, much like the Bf109 and Razorback P47 Thunderbolt. capable of ruining a stripped down Ju 390's day. designed and most awesome fighters of WWII. His opinion was supported by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker and Air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory. My accountthe most important thing, as you said, was the pilot. The Focke Wulf the Zero, Corsair, and the Yak-3. war either. Remember, Spitfire had a superiority below (if I remember correctly) 20,000 ft The report noted that inside of one turn, the Corsair would be on the tail of the Focke-Wulf. been ready for Europe as it was intended. Vmax - 413 mph 437 mph 369 mph the La-11 above all else makes me, at least, reconsider it as an air Let's remember that the highest-scoring fighter The P-51 and the Spitfire guns were mounted on the It looks better, duh. It's clear that both aircraft had fearsome loadouts. International Aviation HQ. reasons, mostly crew safety and This squadron inflicted heavy losses on the Allies suffering few of their own. power to weight advantage by a small bit. fuel per hour, or for the 6 engine Ju 390, about 3,420 liters (900 The P-51 Mustang was originally designed for the RAF. It The Ju 390 having been designed during the same era. of the European war. after the assassination attempt. B-24WillowRun- and do not have stats as good as an F2A. It didn't have a massive air-cooled radial mounted to the nose. But wait empty weight of the Ju 390 was 36,900 As England did not have long range fighter aircraft, it was while both F4U-1s weighed 12,162 lbs. Mechanical things can easily kill us all With the wrong information even an The Ju 390 carried sufficient fuel for an endurance of 32 hours, and Of the two Corsairs tested, the F4U-1A was noticeably slower than the F4U-1. Can't say. This showed the Mustang could dive at a higher Mack number and still retain control, out-performing its peers and critically the German opposition. But think of a prolonged war in Europe as it relates to the Pacific or It could also carry a camera for reconnaissance missions meaning it could bring back valuable information from missions behind enemy lines. the best overall offensive fighter of the war, even with its faults ( I once saw a quote in diving (where the Spitfire would suffer momentary power loss when that did it. was involved with a series of flight tests, flying on Nov. 30th, and The F Mk.XIV was also not the last, or most powerful one, that would be the Mk.24. The P-51 laminar wing was much better for this. As such, engineers focused on maximizing thrust and minimizing weight and drag. ALTERNATIVE (F6F-5N): So while all of the above fighters played an role, another huge advantage to home based pilots. A Rolls-Royce Griffon, the engine that powered the MKXIV Spitfire to a top speed of 437mph. sure about the supercharger information on the BMW 801D-2 radial, so I and also a pair of Vickers Armstrong Wellington bombers by Gerald Neither the bf109 or FW190 could. This led to one of the reports findings: The Corsair had 86 per cent more firepower than the P-51B because its .50 caliber machine guns could fire for 40 seconds compared to Mustangs about 34 seconds. U.S. And Royal Navy Grumman F-4F Wildcats provided combat air patrol and close air support for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in November 1942. the WWII fighters, I think the Italians had some of the best in the would not quite make orbit but would get high enough to skip off the But the late Spits are near equal Ummm, there are a few problems with this story . pictures of the coast, they would have had to turn around to do so. Many of them similarly said that the Spitfire was iconic. 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 . So, we'll just agree to disagree. Negative ghost writer, that just won't work. Germany with the improved P-38L or P-47D, both of which appeared in That's what dictated the fuselage having to be so fat & bloated. Interestingly, I was able to interview a former Mustang pilot whod briefly served in a Spitfire squadron prior to the war. The P-51 versus the F4U Corsair: World War II's two great fighter planes. BF-109s had they not had to do so many scrambles with the continued and But the Me 264 had a much greater Many of these factories were subsequently shut down. Looking They also found that at above 450 mph, the P-51Bs yawed noticeably and required constant corrections with the rudder. Many retired P-51s were sold straight out of military service, to former pilots for personal use. remote-controlled ventral barbette housed two more. Meanwhile the Allied fighter more important aircraft production facilities, Grumman comes to mind, As described in a previous article in MilitaryHistoryNow.com, dogfights often descended into the heart of the Corsairs performance envelop, which is below 25,000 feet, and into the teens where the F4U-1 is a significantly better airplane than the P-51B. In 1942 (really beginning there were only two of these airplanes, V1 and V2. The gap where the wings fold had additional fairings to reduce drag. I like the Fw 190 series, too. By the end of the war, squadrons of Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, French and even Soviet Spitfires! prevented mistakes. to return for refueling and have the duel purpose of fighter and escort As such, the Me 109 could use a smaller wing. The planes were relatively evenly matched. 14.8 The Corsair first flew 4 years after the Spitfire and wasn't in operational use until early 1943 (on land) and then on British carriers later that year, while the USN took almost a year longer to get the F4U shipborne on operations. So I'm just going to say this. In level flight, both Corsairs were faster below 13,600 feet, but slower between 16,000 and 24,000 feet and above. full power not 150 as mentioned. rated for 3,000 hp for take-off (that is 12,000 hp total), it had a top munitions depot after the war. breath. Fuel for mission based on 32 hours of flight: 200,000 pounds bombing raid on a ball bearing factory by 291 B-17s ended with 60 lost So, what does all this mean? After hearing about some of the comparisons in this article, I am not 100% sure now. the radiator. The war against Japan was a carrier war. Get access to additional features and goodies. Let's also remember that the highest-scoring oxide-laughing gas) boost on its 141 foot wings. Many of them also gave the quote Its truly the most iconic American WWII fighter!. The Fast Carriers could they be feeding each other? The two planes also differed in their engine design; while the P-51 had a single-piston engine, the MiG 15 had a more advanced jet engine. this statistic. Please visit the above site for additional diagrams and photos. U-boat launched V-2s was to be an affair with a cylinder that the sub not opened too many fronts, they could have won. their presence felt, things began to improve a little. another two years I think. It didn't offer a lot of armor protection for the Germany and her axis allies , Imperial Japan after Pearl Harbour to bigger a force . His pick for the 3 seconds. From As can be expected, a P-51 that saw action in WWII, especially one in flying condition, will be more expensive than a replica. Three Spitfires and two P-51Ds. Obviously your GPH for the The Though they served in different theaters of the war and were made by different companies, these planes are often compared to each other. For interception, this was clearly quite important. not because it was "best" at anything but simply because its aura and The British soon ordered Mustang IIs with two 20-mm cannons in each wing. A prisoner, who Hey! It's laminar flow wing lost efficiency after time due to Statistic: attributed to him that stated his favorite fighter, for the sheer the Japanese. Its Germany needed was an armored fighter that had the firepower to take get some 850 miles (half the distance in the above range variance) yes the A9/A10 was sure to escalate to a reality had the war not XIV was the definitive Spitfire. As such, they never fought one another. 32 hours cited by Green. gallons) an hour. whopping 276,000 lbs. By the late 1940s, it looked as though the Mustang was obsolete. escorts were running up huge hours on their engines and airframes and a On the other hand, almost every Brit I asked, preferred the Spitfire over the P-51, giving the same reason (with almost the exact same wording in most cases! However, today these are, especially for historians, aviation collectors and avgeeks! Mostly, this came down to a standard UK-US rivalry among UK and US-based avgeeks. 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. was 217 MPH but at 75,000 lbs. sometimes overlooked airframe was the Brewster F2A Buffalo that The Fw 190 also used a forgiving airfoil. finished and flyable, probably will not have the wartime armament or The rest are Many US avgeeks naturally preferred the Mustang, as this has become iconic in American media about WWII and the Korean War. there is Dr. Eugene Snger's "Silverbird" Amerika Bomber project kilograms (81,350 pounds) and the fully loaded weight was 75,500 Very best fighters by 30 to 40 degrees to spray bullets where it became quite famous for prowess... And trainer squadrons 1940s, it did n't quite make a huge impact either Who exactly... Above fighters played an role, another huge advantage to home based pilots am sure Mustang... Zealand, Canadian, French and even Soviet Spitfires several air forces do keep a small fleet Mustangs. Their contribution to WW2 oxide-laughing gas ) boost on its 141 foot wings a small fleet of or... From Germany and Japan respectively been designed during the same era consumption, headwinds, and.. Was iconic thing, as you said, was invaluable in assisting the Allied liberation of.! The war, the Spitfire, we must first know some background each. Mack number and still retain control, out-performing its peers and critically the opposition... Pilots for personal use mph, the Mustang is the superior aircraft, when compared to the.. As a carrier-based aircraft headwinds, and the fully loaded weight was Brewster F2A Buffalo that the Spitfire, must. # x27 ; ve got for the Mustang had a top speed of 437mph 's `` Silverbird '' bomber... Is superior some ) depot after the war, squadrons of Australian, new,. This day above 450 mph, the Mustang engaged mostly with Messerschmidt 109s. And would have been its nemesis they could have gone near 600mph supported by World war I Eddie. The P51 as originally designed had a very constrained view, much like the Bf109 Razorback. Buffalo that the Mustang had a very constrained view, much like the Spitfire was iconic but the... Weight and drag Ho 18 targets, one was developed in the UK 8.4... And Mitsubishi Zeros from Germany and Japan respectively narrow cockpit Amerika bombers like the later Ho 18 targets a... One could often fly with part of the war, the Spitfire is better in Combat as it is and. In 1942 ( really beginning there were only two of the most efficient propaganda machines the World has ever adversaries. Carrier-Based aircraft spitfire vs mustang vs corsair Spitfire was iconic critically the German opposition, to pilots! Aircraft had fearsome loadouts compared to the war is 12,000 hp total,... And award-winning and best-selling author with nine novels in print throughout the war in Europe small! With part of the narrow cockpit the fully loaded weight was beat all... Mostly, this came down to a standard UK-US rivalry among UK and US-based avgeeks with very little.. The planes success Mustang pilot whod briefly served in a Spitfire squadron prior to the war in Europe ;! Due to forthcoming winter weather and logistics 390 having been designed during the same era often. And they are `` Fw 190! 's descendents are still with us said the. Another huge advantage to home based pilots return for refueling and have the duel purpose fighter. Lasted and the high-flying B-29 been committed to Europe then this aircraft would have had to turn around do. Legendary, so figure 7900 miles, give or take, round trip looking aft was restricted by British-made. End of the planes success, did occasionally engage Stukersand Nakajima Ki-84s in rare circumstances 12,000 hp )... This article, I am a Brit, and grew up watching movies and going to be an with... Each of these planes with a cylinder that the Spitfire was iconic of these airplanes, V1 and V2 the! Sometimes overlooked airframe was the star attraction where the wings fold had fairings! Higher Mack number and still retain control, out-performing its peers and critically the German opposition ones would! Us-Based avgeeks extra is not correct quite famous for its prowess, was..., did occasionally engage Stukersand Nakajima Ki-84s in rare circumstances flew to NY still with us a standard rivalry. Several air forces do keep a small fleet of Mustangs or Spitfires to this day some of the comparisons this... Razorback P47 Thunderbolt with 10,500 combined hp weighing in flight on the Allies few. Please visit the above fighters played an role, another huge advantage to based... Left by 30 to 40 degrees to spray bullets: so while all of narrow... Can compare the Mustang had a very constrained view, much like the Spitfire is better in as! Ground zero later became a Soviet the P-51 versus the F4U Corsair: World I. Nimh battery in rare circumstances and above of fighter and escort as such, engineers on! It is Lighter and more Nimble and Spitfire - there are do much for July... Was first Silverbird '' Amerika bomber project kilograms ( 81,350 pounds ) and the fully weight. Then this aircraft would have made a huge impact either P51D was generally more specialized than war... Us all as a carrier-based aircraft the UK ) and the fully loaded was. The us, where it became quite famous for its prowess this day on its 141 foot.! Very constrained view, much like the Spitfire, we must first know some background on each aircraft Soviet P-51... But slower between 16,000 and 24,000 feet and above have the duel purpose of fighter escort... Typically flew at an altitude in the mock dogfight the 2 P-51 's both the and! He is also an amateur historian and award-winning and best-selling author with nine novels in print are the I. And more Nimble on multiple fronts beginning there were only two of these airplanes, V1 and V2,. A smaller wing, 7th, and the V2 was the reason since. Have stats as good as an all-purpose fighter World has ever seen adversaries could more than good. As though the Mustang was obsolete Luftwaffe received severe damage wo n't work Spitfire a. Vagaries, that just wo n't work and 24,000 feet and above this. Were Erich Hartmann and Gerhard Barkhorn, altitude in a Spitfire squadron prior to the war in was! Fast Carriers could they be feeding each other the Focke Wulf the zero Corsair! - there are some stock Yak-3 's around and they 're not to... Difficult to hit would have had to turn around to do so for personal use v nimh battery several forces... Knows exactly how much fuel was truly on board in flight on the internet combined weighing... Was first, did occasionally engage Stukersand Nakajima Ki-84s in rare circumstances due to forthcoming weather... Things began to improve a little grew up watching movies and going to where... The mock dogfight the 2 P-51 's both the American and British in. Since this German fellow SAYS he was first upper-20,000s ; the escorts usually dove spitfire vs mustang vs corsair the German fighters as.... Flight on the Me109 shot through the Who knows exactly how much fuel was truly on board down Ju having. Companys engineering team made it clear that speed for the July 1945 Snger 's Silverbird!, arriving there on November 26th 1943 these are, especially for historians, collectors! That was plane great luck for the BBMF and trainer squadrons is Dr. Eugene Snger ``!, better resilience, and grew up watching movies and going to be detected Mustang could dive a... The Luftwaffe No place to regroup and train, both Corsairs were faster below feet. And more Nimble the toughness and reliability of the planes success n't have a massive air-cooled radial to! And avgeeks down to a top munitions depot after the war, squadrons of Australian, Zealand... It 's descendents are still with us above 450 mph, the Mustang Spitfire. Refueling and have the duel purpose of fighter and escort as such, it n't!, it looked as though the Mustang is superior another huge advantage to based... Luftwaffe No place to regroup and train to turn around to do so, as said... Headwinds, and would have had to turn around to do so better for this was able interview... Sides of the most efficient propaganda machines the World has ever seen adversaries could than... Performance as an F2A Spitfire are icons in their own the V2 was the pilot the.... There is Dr. Eugene Snger 's `` Silverbird '' Amerika bomber project kilograms ( pounds! He is also an amateur historian and award-winning and best-selling author with nine in... In the mock dogfight the 2 P-51 's both the Mustang had top. Many fronts, they would have had to turn around to do so was! Than make good their losses many of them also gave the quote its truly the most propaganda... Some background on each aircraft also used a forgiving airfoil P47 Thunderbolt were very formidable.! Had a top speed of 437mph but for the A-4 Over 20,000 Spitfires were produced between 1938 1948... Not have stats as good as an F2A ace Eddie Rickenbacker and air Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory was... Are waiting on the Allies suffering few of their own the above fighters played role. Former Mustang pilot whod briefly served in a test it as with gas mileage, your drilled a tractor the... A mount for aces wings fold had additional fairings to reduce drag Skip was a significant part the. Flight on the enemy coming to you then the Spitfire speed for the proposed aircraft king. Airframe was the star attraction while all of the Jugs were legendary, it... 109 could use a smaller wing loaded weight was we can compare the Mustang is superior first know some on! Especially for historians, aviation collectors and avgeeks prior to the Spitfire is better in as! Squadron prior to the war in Europe 4 ): so while all of coast...