Simon Darkshade
Mysterious City of Gold
I have no pretty pictures to post, just opinion based upon intense research. Although other fighters may have had better performances in one way or another, the P51 and the Hurricane stand above the other contenders.
The Hurricane won the Battle of Britain, with almost double the kills of the Spitfire, including far more German fighters. However, the Spitfire looked sexier and had the potential for future development, so was lauded more. It also saw extremely effective service in North Africa and Burma, among other theatres.
In the P-51, the USAAF had a war winning weapon, which could fly with the bombers to Berlin, and back again, engaging the enemy fighters with ease. Because of this, the Luftwaffe had to concentrate production upon interceptor fighters, rather than ground support bombers that could have been of use over Russia, and later in Normandy. Control of the air was the key factor for Overlord, and the strategic bombing campaign, in conjunction with P-51 escorts. They also served extremely well as jabos after the Second Front expanded.
Out of the two, however, one leans towards the Hurricane, for the simple reason that without it, Operation Eagle may have had a different outcome, and the P-51 would not have come into play.
OK, now you can go back to boosting your post counts by showing pictures
The Hurricane won the Battle of Britain, with almost double the kills of the Spitfire, including far more German fighters. However, the Spitfire looked sexier and had the potential for future development, so was lauded more. It also saw extremely effective service in North Africa and Burma, among other theatres.
In the P-51, the USAAF had a war winning weapon, which could fly with the bombers to Berlin, and back again, engaging the enemy fighters with ease. Because of this, the Luftwaffe had to concentrate production upon interceptor fighters, rather than ground support bombers that could have been of use over Russia, and later in Normandy. Control of the air was the key factor for Overlord, and the strategic bombing campaign, in conjunction with P-51 escorts. They also served extremely well as jabos after the Second Front expanded.
Out of the two, however, one leans towards the Hurricane, for the simple reason that without it, Operation Eagle may have had a different outcome, and the P-51 would not have come into play.
OK, now you can go back to boosting your post counts by showing pictures
A swiss Mustang!
