Nothing like a good duel, and I found to my surprise that we haven´t done this one yet. Note that this is the inline-engined version of the Fw 190, we´ll leave the short-nosed one out of the debate this time.
This is a ticky one because the two were designed with such different roles in mind. Overall I'd hand the edge to the Dora-9, if I remember correctly it had the edge in speed and if the two were to have met in larger numbers it would have been at altitudes better suited to the Focke Wulf, having said that I would expect the P-51D to do better at lower levels were the Fw-190 did not excell. Finally of course it must be remembered that the Dora-9 could only ever have appeared in numbers at a point where the Luftwaffe had exceeded its own ability to produce pilots who could even fly straight, so in that most crucial respect the P-51s would be at an advantage.
Fuel Not to mention fuel - was it a D-9 unit that took delivery of a mass of aircraft but could only fly 4 at a time due to lack of fuel thanks to the Allied (mainly US) attacks on the synthetic fuel plants - see 'the Allied Bomber Offensive' post
Erm, Skua says in the title :-? . There was only one version of the "D" series which was anything other than a prototype, and that was the Fw-190D-9, also known as the Dora-9, Lange Nase Dora (Apologees for any erors in spelling there!) and Long Nose Dora. Despite the engine appearing externally to be radial, this was infact an inline engine rather than a radial (As on the earlier A series and ground attack F). The Dora-9 is externally very similar to the Ta-152H, so much so that some contemporary authors and many since regard the latter as merely another version of the Fw-190 rather than a separate design.
Oh, sorry, maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the first message. I thought he has meantioned that "D" the Mustang.
The issue is one of "pilots", not of planes. The better pilot or shall we say the luckiest, wins, period.
Eric Brown (the WW2 FAA fighter/test pilot, who flew everything he could) ranked the three best fighters of WW2 as follows: 1. Spitfire XIV 2. Fw 190D-9 3. Mustang IV (P-51D) There wasn't much between them, though - all were excellent fighters. Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and Discussion forum
The best or luckiest pilot does not always win. The pilot belonging to the largest side with reasonably modern aircraft has the most significant advantage over either the lucky or skilled pilot. Luck runs out, skill can be diluted and negated by fatigue, and even the best pilot in the best aircraft would be hard pushed to win against ten average pilots in ten average planes. If that were not true Walter Nowotny would not have been shot down and killed. I guess that really sums up why Germany lost the airwar in the west. The Western allies were able to produce planes and pilots at a faster rate than the Luftwaffe could shoot them down, and the Allies were able to shoot down Luftwaffe planes and most crucially pilots, at a faster rate than the Luftwaffe could replace them. Numbers proved far more crucial than skill and technology. The question was not about pilots, but as with most "Duel" type questions about the relative merits of each type. Assuming roughly equal positioning and cloned pilots of equal skill, which would prove the better machine in a pure one on one dogfight. These engagements of course never happened, but are interesting to consider for comparison. It has to be remembered that they will always be purely theoretical though.
FW190VP51 To start with it - it is a matter of who sees who first from which position and what condition the planes and pilots are in.After all that it would be a matter of luck and skill.
Yes positioning is a factor, however I simply do not accept that position, luck and skill are the be all and end all of any aerial engagement, yes they are important factors however, if that were true a skilled, lucky pilot flying high in a Sopwith Camel would win every time versus an average pilot in a MiG-29... Like I said in any kind of "Duel" discussion you have to assume that the aircraft have neutral positions (i.e neither has an advantage over the other) and the pilots are of equal skill and "luck". In that respect I think this would be a pretty even engagement with the edge going to the Fw-190D-9 on account of its superior performance.
FW190VP51 There have been very strange situations in war. there was a case of a Wirraway(light trainer/bomber) diving from the hights shooting at and downing a Zero fighter killing the pilot(his very bad day) Shouldnt have happened but did. Just plain dumb luck I suppose plus a fair amount of fear and desperation.
Re: FW190VP51 Indeed. Wars abound with many such stories in one form or another. I know of a story where a Japanese company commander on an island had all of his men fire their rifles simultaneously at some American Corsairs that were flying an air strike against them. One of the bullets killed the pilot of one of the fighters and down it went.
