Best Fighter (1939)!

I forgot to tell that I DID think about the Zero but I was immediately atracted by the 109s speed and because this forum is in an 90% European WWII Forums...

 

P-51D...oh yeah...

In that case, the Zero is my choice, with the BF-109 in second.

Does anyone know what kind of French fighters were in service in 1939?

 

Interested on that Japanes zero ace:

Japan's ace-of-aces, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, was tall and lanky for a Japanese, nearly five feet eight inches in height. He had a gaunt look about him; he weighed only 140 pounds, and his ribs protruded sharply through his skin." Although Nishizawa was accomplished in both judo and sumo, Sakai noted that his comrade "suffered almost constantly from malaria and tropical skin disease. He was pale most of the time."

Nishizawa underwent a remarkable metamorphosis in the cockpit of his Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. "To all who flew with him," wrote Sakai, "he became 'the Devil'....Never have I seen a man with a fighter plane do what Nishizawa would do with his Zero.

The Japanese did not encourage the tallying of individual scores, being more inclined toward honoring a team effort by units. As with the French and Italians, Japanese victories were officially counted for the air group, not for individuals. Generally, attempts to verify personal claims by Japanese airmen can only be conducted from postwar examinations of their letters and diaries, or those of their comrades.

Nishizawa and his escorts claimed two of the Americans, bringing his personal score up to 87.

Nishizawa and several other pilots left Mabalacat that morning aboard a bomber to pick up some replacement Zeros at Clark Field on Luzon. Over Calapan on Mindoro Island, the bomber transport was attacked by two Hellcats of VF-14 from the carrier Wasp and was shot down in flames
( October 26th 1944 ). Nishizawa, who had believed that he could never be shot down in aerial combat, died a helpless passenger--probably the victim of Lt. j.g. Harold P. Newell, who was credited with a "Helen" (Allied code name for the Nakajima Ki.49 Donryu army bomber) northeast of Mindoro that morning.

Because of the confusion toward the end of the war, the publication of the bulletin was delayed and funeral services for Japan's greatest fighter pilot were not held until December 2, 1947. Nishizawa was also given the posthumous name Bukai-in Kohan Giko Kyoshi, a Zen Buddhist phrase that translates: "In the ocean of the military, reflective of all distinguished pilots, an honored Buddhist person."

http://usfighter.tripod.com/hiroyoshi_nishizawa2.htm

 

The prototype Zero first flew on April 1, 1939, and was updated to correct a few teething troubles. Thus modified, it was accepted by the Japanese Navy as the A6M1 on September 14, 1939.

The second prototype A6M1 completed flight testing in October 1939. Its top speed was 305 mph at 12,470 feet - over 40 mph slower than the top speeds of the Spitfire Mk1 and Bf109E-3 at that time, although its rate of climb and turn rate was better than either European fighter. This aircraft later exploded in flight.

The A6M1 was underpowered and so a better engine was fitted to the prototype A6M2. This aircraft first flew on December 28, 1939. The first 15 pre-production A6M2s completed flight testing in July 1940, and were then sent to China. The A6M2 could reach 331 mph at 14,930 feet.

The main drawback of the A6M1 and A6M2 was total lack of any protection whatever - no self sealing fuel tanks. One hit on a fuel tank could turn a Zero into a flaming torch - if you could hit it.

I don't really count the Zero as a 1939 fighter, it was only a prototype at that time. The A6M1 was too slow, but the A6M2 had sufficient speed.

My view is, like the Spitfire Mk1, the A6M1 Zero simply wasn't good enough to beat the Bf109E-3 in September 1939, but a year later it was a different story - the A6M2 outflew a Bf109E sent to Japan in 1940.

[ 23 October 2002, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: vonManstein39 ]

 

That is ironic that Japans' top ace was shot down while a passenger on a bomber. The same thing happened to one of Germanies greatest aces "Werner Molders". He was in a transport plane (ju52 I believe), flying back to Germany from Russian to the "Wolfs' Lair" when the plane crashed (or was shot down?). The irony is sickening!
Also the top American ace was killed while testing the new American jet fighter! The irony here is sickening because the US Army pulled him out of combat duties so that they would loose thier top ace!

Matt

 

The transport Molders was on crashed into a smokestack because of weather.

 

That's what I thought!

It was a very sad day for the Luftwaffe.

I wonder what would've happened had Molders not died? How many kills would he have? Would the Me262 been available earlier? Intersting?

Matt