Your favorite WWII Aircraft

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by mako88sb

Just a couple versions developed to allow the B-25 to contribute to the ground attack role. The bottom one is a B-25H which includes a 75mm cannon but it was manually loaded and found to have too low a rate of fire so was sometimes removed and replaced with 2 more .50 cal. The "J" model could have up to 18 .50 cals. A couple great examples of how versatile the B-25 could be.

That's what it was. The H version.

[CaptainHaplo]

No fair - you can't just ask us to pick 1!

Fighter - toss up between the FW 190 and F4U. The only problem with the F4U was the long nose and radial engine that took out many a pilot. It wasn't known as the "Ensign Eliminator" for nothing!
The P-61 was a night fighters dream. The P-47 deserves mention.
What suprises me most - folks mentioned the Mosquito - but no Beaufighter? A beauty of a bird with a long and distinguished history...

The P-51? Most over-rated warbird by those that don't know any better. Yes - by the time the war ended it had matured into a decent fighter, but its history of design errors (like wings that were too thin so the guns had to be installed at an angle - leading to major jams) and simple lack of common sense (Look on the bottom - the big radiator - one bullet and your streaming Glycol and overheating before you get home...). Honestly ... UGH!

My favorite Axis fighters in the Pacific - again not even mentioned - were probably the Ki61 Swallow (or "Tony" to the Allies) and the K1N1 Shinden (George). The Tony wins on looks, the George on performance.

In Axis Europe - if I can't have the FW190, the FW192/194's were amazing planes. Then again - so was the DO335, though it never saw combat (it fled the only possible engagement). The HE-162 and ME163 also do not escape my list of "fav's", though I would never want to land on a skid or sit beside 2 extremely combustible fuel tanks....

Attack Aircraft - I can't believe no one even mentioned the A-20 Havoc. Maneuverable, tough and packing a punch, it was a true ground attack monster for its day.

Bombers - Yes, I love the B-17. But my favorite was the B-26 Maurader. A medium bomber with great speed and good maneuverability along with a respectable bomb load, she was a true beauty in the sky. A little unstable (thus her nickname that can't be repeated here), she is simply top of my list when it comes to this category.

Just my $0.02....

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by August

But truth be told they just don't come any cockier than fighter pilots. Good thing egos don't have physical weight or they'd never get their birds off the ground!

You can say that again and Navy fighter pilots are the most cocky of all.

Truth be told cockiness is also a sign of aggressiveness and if you are going to be a paratrooper or a fighter pilot you had better have some.Of course not to the point that it hinders your ability to work as a cohesive unit.It has to be cockiness that is backed by fact.


@mako88sb that B-25 nose is a B-25G configuration it is a 75mm cannon they used it to punch holes into sides of enemy ships. The cannon was found not to be very useful in its intended role so they stopped mounting them. There where several different configurations of .50 cals in the nose some where factory others where Jerry rigged in the field.

The G model was the first to have factory designed nose kits they could be installed in the factory and had no option for a plexiglass nose.The H and J models filled up the nose space that the 75mm cannon took up with more .50.cals and allowed the plane to be configured with a plexiglass nose or the gun nose this could be configured in the feild.B-25G have a more stubby nose H and J models have a longer nose.The middle two photos are J or H models the RAF one is missing the top turret though and the blue one is a navy or Marnie Corps PBJ-1 they used the same model letters (G,H,J) though.

[mako88sb]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

I've seen that gun configuration before...there was a British model that had a cannon or something like that IIRC...

And the Missouri Commemorative Air Force has a B-25, Avenger Torpedo Bomber and an L-3...and they are all coming to the local air show this year. Normally, you can pay 400$ and they will take you on a ride from their airfield near St. Louis. I think it's closer to St. Charles actually. I forget...but I'm excited for this June.

We had one of the only two flying Avro Lancasters come to Calgary back in 2010. Quite a sight and pretty hefty price to take a flight in it. One guy here who last flew in a Lancaster back in 1957 got the surprise of his life when his son payed for him to take a flight. It was one heck of a great story.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo

No fair - you can't just ask us to pick 1

That's how I am on this subject. It's impossible to pick one...so i have like 50.

Originally Posted by mako88sb

We had one of the only two flying Avro Lancasters come to Calgary back in 2010. Quite a sight and pretty hefty price to take a flight in it. One guy here who last flew in a Lancaster back in 1957 got the surprise of his life when his son payed for him to take a flight. It was one heck of a great story.

That's amazing...

[mako88sb]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

You can say that again and Navy fighter pilots are the most cocky of all.

@mako88sb that B-25 nose is a B-25G configuration it is a 75mm cannon they used it to punch holes into sides of enemy ships. The cannon was found not to be very useful in its intended role so they stopped mounting them. There where several different configurations of .50 cals in the nose some where factory others where Jerry rigged in the field.

The G model was the first to have factory designed nose kits they could be installed in the factory and had no option for a plexiglass nose.The H and J models filled up the nose space that the 75mm cannon took up with more .50.cals and allowed the plane to be configured with a plexiglass nose or the gun nose this could be configured in the feild.B-25G have a more stubby nose H and J models have a longer nose.The middle two photos are J or H models the RAF one is missing the top turret though and the blue one is a navy or Marnie Corps PBJ-1 they used the same model letters (G,H,J) though.

Thanks for the info. The photo caption says it's an "H" but I know they can be wrong sometimes and I certainly can't say for sure which one it is. Either way, it looks like a formidable aircraft.

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Truth be told cockiness is also a sign of aggressiveness and if you are going to be a paratrooper or a fighter pilot you had better have some.

Well. I've been told I'm pretty confident in nearly anything I do or attempt to do. But I've never been called cocky.

I've been called alot worse though.


Yes. I'm a ParaTrooper. I'm no longer in the Armed Forces but as We say.
"Once a ParaTrooper? Always a ParaTrooper!"

All The Way And Then Some!

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by privateer

Well. I've been told I'm pretty confident in nearly anything I do or attempt to do. But I've never been called cocky.

I've been called alot worse though.


Yes. I'm a ParaTrooper. I'm no longer in the Armed Forces but as We say.
"Once a ParaTrooper? Always a ParaTrooper!"

All The Way And Then Some!

Paratroopers may go "All The Way And Then Some!" but just remember....

"Rangers Lead The Way"

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by privateer

Well. I've been told I'm pretty confident in nearly anything I do or attempt to do. But I've never been called cocky.

I've been called alot worse though.


Yes. I'm a ParaTrooper. I'm no longer in the Armed Forces but as We say.
"Once a ParaTrooper? Always a ParaTrooper!"

All The Way And Then Some!

My father was a Ranger LRRP in Vietnam he did have some jump training but he never did any jumps in Vietnam and he left the Army after Vietnam.I think the 173rd did one airdrop in Vietnam but he was not assigned to the 173rd.I would say that his mentality spread to his children.

I have two brothers one is a Major in the Marine Infantry some people in a place called Fallujah learned not to mess with him and his fellow Marines.My other brother just retired form the US Army as a SFC he was regular infantry.I was always more into mechanical things so I joined the Air Force because I wanted to help maintain the most deadly pencil sharpeners in the world. No seriously I wanted to maintain aircraft so that was my choice.Even my kid sister who was never in the military has my dads determination she is a tiny thing and teaches in one of the tougher high schools in Louisiana yet the kids respect her.Of course you can never judge a person by size my sister could easily bring down a 250 pound man and not with a gun in her hands either.i piity the man that would make the mistake of trying to mug her.

@mako88sb It is an H I mixed things up in that post.The G had the same 75mm cannon as the H but had the turret set up of the A,B,C,D Mitchel's the H was the first to have the dorsal turret moved forwards and to have a true tail turret.On the earlier models the dorsal turret was more aft to also try and cover a portion of the rear quarter.

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Heres another somewhat forgotten plane of WW2
The North American T-6 Texan advanced trainer. I got to see this one at the Stuart Airshow here in Florida in 2011. This plane was one of the most popular trainers of the war, has seen service since the first prototype flew on April 1, 1935 up until as late as 1995 when it was retired by the SAAF. It has been and in some still used by over 50 nations, and has been used in movies like Tora,Tora,Tora as Japanese Zeros, in A Bridge Too Far in the guise of P-47 Thunderbolts, and even in the Dutch film Soldaat van Oranje dressed up to look like Fokker D.XXI fighters.

[BossMark]

Vickers Wellington

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

They never issue me enough of the stuff! I have to carry the spares somewhere.

Well perhaps they should learn you how to aim better
when did this spray and pray ever help you guys?



HunterICX

[MH]

xp 55 swept wing design that puts somehow to question the German innovation in the field.
Not that i question German ingenuity but not everything was copied as it seems.
Same goes for some original Northrop designs.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Kptlt. Hellmut Neuerburg

Heres another somewhat forgotten plane of WW2
The North American T-6 Texan advanced trainer. I got to see this one at the Stuart Airshow here in Florida in 2011. This plane was one of the most popular trainers of the war, has seen service since the first prototype flew on April 1, 1935 up until as late as 1995 when it was retired by the SAAF. It has been and in some still used by over 50 nations, and has been used in movies like Tora,Tora,Tora as Japanese Zeros, in A Bridge Too Far in the guise of P-47 Thunderbolts, and even in the Dutch film Soldaat van Oranje dressed up to look like Fokker D.XXI fighters.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by August

Well excuuuuuuuuse me!

Really though the only thing that aircraft are good for is getting the real warriors to the battlefield. In that they're sorta like the Navy.

Yep. We sat in our comfy quarters eating steaks and reading all the thank-you letters from the real warriors we gave fire support to.