On the Internet, you can find the most incredible and even absurd selections of "the best fighters of the Second World War." Recently, one (by the way, very respected in the world) publication brought up one of them to the public. According to its author, among such machines are Supermarine Spitfire, Bf.109, P-51, Yak-9 and … Zero. And if the first three could still be effectively used with some reservations in 44-45, then the "Japanese" by 1943 was almost hopelessly outdated. Its speed was incomparably lower than that of the deck Corsairs and Hellcats. And by what criteria this plane is the best - it is not clear. At the same time, most versions of the Yak-9 had a very low mass of a second salvo. This fact alone does not allow putting this aircraft on a par with the best Soviet, German, American or British aircraft. In view of the above, we decided to make an alternative assessment of the best fighters of the Second World War. We hope you enjoy it.
Hawker tempest
Great Britain can rightfully be proud of its WWII fighters. It can be said that its aircraft surpassed the fighters of other countries of the same period in terms of the sum of qualities. Judge for yourself: British aircraft could confidently fight the enemy both at low and medium, and at high altitudes (the latter, by the way, is very characteristic of the Western Front). Other countries had many successful cars. However, for example, the best Soviet fighters, such as the Yak-3, with all their merits at a low altitude, “gave up” very much at altitudes of more than four to five thousand meters.
In 1942-43, the British realized that the Spitfire was beginning to become obsolete and at high altitude the FW-190 could become an almost invincible enemy. A new Hawker Typhoon aircraft began to be used to combat it, but it had sensitive disadvantages, such as the destruction of the machine during overloads. Errors were accounted for, and a deeply modernized version of this aircraft, called the Hawker Tempest, became one of the most formidable aircraft of its era. Engine with a capacity of 2180 hp with. accelerated the car at an altitude of up to 700 kilometers per hour, which allowed it to destroy even the fastest targets. By September 1944, the Hawker Tempest had 600-800 downed V-1 missiles. Fortunately, the powerful armament, consisting of four 20 mm Hispano cannons, made it possible to "send to the forefathers" any enemy from one salvo. Add in good maneuverability and the ability to carry two 450 kg bombs and you have arguably the best propeller-driven fighter of the day.
North American P-51D Mustang
It might seem that respect for the Mustang is a tribute to popular culture and the cult of American weapons. But this is not the case. This aircraft not only played one of the most important roles in the war, but also had outstanding characteristics, which, even at the end of the war, made it the best of the best. The P-51D fighter could not boast of very powerful weapons, outstanding survivability, stunning maneuverability, or a huge combat load. Its main qualities were its large combat radius. The aircraft's combat range was 1,500 kilometers! Together with its excellent flight performance at high altitude, this made it the best choice for missions related to escorting heavy bombers: Mustangs saved many lives of the B-17, B-24 and B-29 crews. In addition, the P-51D could carry two 450 kg bombs or unguided rockets, which allowed the aircraft to be used as a fighter-bomber with a certain amount of luck. The car, as already mentioned, did not have much survivability. Therefore, losses in the execution of such missions were high.
Focke-Wulf FW-190D
The German aircraft industry in the second half of the war faced incredible difficulties. One of them is conflicting requirements for a new car. The Western Front needed a well-armed high-altitude fighter, while the East needed a cheap, unpretentious front-line vehicle with good maneuverability at low and medium altitudes. This affected the quality of the aircraft, which in many respects began to lose to the best enemy aircraft. Bf.109 was quickly outdated. The FW-190A aircraft also did not become a salvation (it was more difficult for Soviet pilots to fight with Messers than with them).
Nevertheless, by 1944 Germany had managed to create a very successful aircraft for its time - the FW-190D, nicknamed "Dora". The pilots' first impression of him was rather bad, because in comparison with the earlier versions of the Focke-Wulf, the plane became even less maneuverable. But then the pilots saw good qualities: high dive speed, good controllability and rate of climb, as well as powerful weapons with large ammunition. "Dora" at altitude could reach speeds of up to 700 km / h and was able to fight almost on equal terms with the "Mustangs". True, the car felt best at medium altitudes. It could also carry bombs weighing up to 500 kilograms, making the FW-190D a potentially good fighter-bomber.
Lavochkin La-7
The legendary machine, on which the famous Soviet ace Ivan Kozhedub fought at the end of the war - the most productive pilot of the anti-Hitler coalition, who had 64 air victories on his account. La-7 appeared at the front in 1944 and thus marked the final loss of the Luftwaffe of any illusion about dominance in the skies in the East. It is believed that the La-7 had a significant superiority over all enemy propeller-driven fighters at low and medium altitudes in such significant characteristics as maneuverability and speed. At an altitude, the car could accelerate to 680 km / h.
The aircraft had powerful armament by Soviet standards - a 20-mm ShVAK cannon with good ammunition. This circumstance allows us to state that conceptually the "shop" has become a more successful aircraft than the other Soviet fighter, the Yak-3, which has a lower mass of a second salvo. However, the Yak, so beloved by many, could boast of the best build quality, so the choice of the most perfect Soviet fighter during the war is traditionally subjective.
Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate
There was also a place in our rating for a Japanese car. Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate - the pinnacle of the aircraft industry in the country of the Rising Sun during the Second World War. He was almost in no way inferior to the best American cars and could reach speeds of almost 700 km / h. At the same time, it had very good maneuverability and powerful weapons. A later version - "4-2" - could carry armament, consisting of two machine guns of 12, 7-mm caliber and two 30-mm cannons. With such weapons, one salvo was enough to destroy a heavy bomber. By the way, the Japanese were able to produce more than three thousand Ki-84s by the end of the war, which certainly had their say. At the same time, difficult production conditions and a chronic shortage of fuel and materials led to the fact that it did not work out to the full potential of the machine.
Separately, it should be said about jet fighters, which at the time of the war were just taking their first steps. The famous German Messerschmitt Me.262 had very significant drawbacks that greatly complicated its operation. For example, the low service life of the engines, which was 25 flight hours. The first British jet Meteors were also problematic, with their weapons jammed while hunting the Fau, and many other problems were observed. In general, neither the Me.262 nor the Gloster Meteor have become "miracle weapons", although from a purely technical point of view they can be considered revolutionary.
