tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post3380186080600769093..comments2024-03-29T08:09:40.730-04:00Comments on Borepatch: The most cost-effective fighter of World War IIBorepatchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029434172945099693noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-34834654884204690952013-03-10T18:32:46.118-04:002013-03-10T18:32:46.118-04:00Chris C wins the Internets!Chris C wins the Internets!Borepatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029434172945099693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-57418668360872242882013-03-10T14:59:10.161-04:002013-03-10T14:59:10.161-04:00Corsair:
Corsair
$75000/plane.Corsair:<br /><a href="http://vmf224cenpac.homestead.com/VMF224F4UCorsairPage.html" rel="nofollow"> Corsair</a><br /><br />$75000/plane.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621758799500986497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-57539817743211508902013-03-10T09:41:15.567-04:002013-03-10T09:41:15.567-04:00Martin Caidin was always a big P-38 fan. I've ...Martin Caidin was always a big P-38 fan. I've always been partial to the P-40, but it's not a patch on the late war hot rods.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780425923108876647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-23651447335514662182013-03-09T23:06:07.727-05:002013-03-09T23:06:07.727-05:00Still gotta say the Lightning is my fav. That bad...Still gotta say the Lightning is my fav. That bad boy was a workhorse, and saw action pretty much from start to finish, if I recall my dates semi-correctly. Engine probs aside, its the only one listed that could lose an engine and still make it back home. Lot of the pilot memoirs I've read mention that fact! Although, I did read one ("Last Great Ace" by Charles A. Martin or Bruning's "Jungle Ace") had a story about the AAF wanting to switch from P38 to P47 for some squadrons in the Pacific. Opinions were high, tempers were higher, and Maj. Thomas McGuire and another hot ace decided to settle which was the better plane by setting up a mock dogfight between the two (McGuire, of course, flew the Lightning). As it was, when both planes had to set down to refuel, observers on the ground were unanimous...it was a draw. Great planes, both of them, and flown by top pilots, they could both fly circles around pretty much anything the Japanese could throw at them.RabidAlienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035887632706442114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-70722847352259652512013-03-09T22:33:45.023-05:002013-03-09T22:33:45.023-05:00I can't find actual cost numbers on the Corsai...I can't find actual cost numbers on the Corsair, but there's a hint here that it was almost three times as expensive as a Mustang.<br /><br />http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/6-64012.aspx#startofcomments<br /><br />I like the Whistling Death but not in a trade for 3 Mustangs.<br /><br />Glen, yours is a great point. I know that the pilots loved the Hellcat's toughness and armor plate.Borepatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029434172945099693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-10456573370711460072013-03-09T20:56:52.494-05:002013-03-09T20:56:52.494-05:00The biggest cost is also ignored: the pilot. In fa...The biggest cost is also ignored: the pilot. In fact he may be the biggest financial loss if he is lost with the bird.<br /><br />The chubby Hellcat may not have been the flashiest bird out there but he WAS the most heavily armoured and he could take a beating that would sent the rest of them down in flames. I suspect he would have done well in the euro theatre too with the proper mods.Glen Filthiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03256741311142364722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-7464933661111561422013-03-09T20:15:07.758-05:002013-03-09T20:15:07.758-05:00The P-39 was a mean SOB in the hands of the Russia...The P-39 was a mean SOB in the hands of the Russians...Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04606827418733095619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-90060875847511813282013-03-09T19:08:10.290-05:002013-03-09T19:08:10.290-05:00Mustang FTW!Mustang FTW!kx59https://www.blogger.com/profile/04145047517803465867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-37896961787332901742013-03-09T19:05:32.578-05:002013-03-09T19:05:32.578-05:00Yep, P-51 wins, hands down...Yep, P-51 wins, hands down...Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-26271828418322894262013-03-09T17:53:48.171-05:002013-03-09T17:53:48.171-05:00Need to add the Corsair, as stated above. Also no ...Need to add the Corsair, as stated above. Also no factoring of operational cost per hour. P-38 had two trouble-prone Allison engines which had to be worked on constantly and replaced frequently. The P-51's Rolls Royce/Packard power plants were reliable but had short lives. The Pratt and Whitney radials would run for freaking ever, by contrast, and needed far less maintenance. <br /><br />I love the P-51 but think that it benefited from a target-rich environment over Europe that the fighters in the Pacific just never got because the Japs ran low on fighters and pilots fairly early on and tended to send them out in smaller batches. You can't kill what doesn't come up to fight.Murphy's Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164780742334950772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-47436787083977697282013-03-09T17:17:58.202-05:002013-03-09T17:17:58.202-05:00One thing to remember was the change in tactics af...One thing to remember was the change in tactics after the P-51 was introduced, and when it achieved sufficient numbers to allow the change - up to that point fighters were assigned to protect the bombers, going after German fighters only when they attacked the bombers; the new tactic was to attack the German fighters when they came up to attack the bombers. The P-51 mission became "destroy the fighter arm of the Luftwaffe" and P-51 pilots were quite successful at it. First, Luftwaffe pilots couldn't effectively attack the bombers when they were fighting for their lives against P-51s, and pretty soon attrition reduced the number of experienced Luftwaffe pilots, leaving the "FNGs" who were much easier pickings for experienced, well-trained P-51 pilots, accelerating the rate of attrition, which was exacerbated by the fuel shortages caused by bombing, preventing the new Luftwaffe pilots from getting sufficient flying time during training to learn how not to be P-51 fodder.<br /><br />The same thing showed up in 1944 with the Marianas Turkey Shoot, where experienced, well-trained Hellcat pilots shredded rookie Japanese pilots.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-87780685755741288682013-03-09T16:22:36.551-05:002013-03-09T16:22:36.551-05:00I love the F-4 but that kill number on the P-51 ta...I love the F-4 but that kill number on the P-51 takes the cake. I agree with you.<br /><br />Also, P-51s would strafe on the way back home. orbituphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08688882620359865414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-32693085886189654492013-03-09T16:05:44.152-05:002013-03-09T16:05:44.152-05:00Without accounting for the ground attack role, the...Without accounting for the ground attack role, the figures are not relevant to their overall effectiveness or efficiency as to cost/kill. It only applies to plane to plane kills. The P-47 as you say, had a huge ground attack role. This was a very effective fighter. Kansas Scouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744438882831933314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-46687088968314483682013-03-09T15:40:53.277-05:002013-03-09T15:40:53.277-05:00Ya... the P51 and the pilots who flew them did an ...Ya... the P51 and the pilots who flew them did an awesome job. In the matter of Luftewaffe pilot attrition ... I'm pretty sure they did a lot to cut down the numbers of experienced German pilots.OMMAGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05475151103850378778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322916946732811685.post-16129288856291475302013-03-09T15:09:26.701-05:002013-03-09T15:09:26.701-05:00No inverted gull wings. Not awesome enough. Cors...No inverted gull wings. Not awesome enough. Corsair wins!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com