It was faster than the Spitfire at high altitude , could dive more rapidly and carried a more effective armament of two cannon and two machine guns. ... However, the Messerschmitt did not have the range to fly beyond London and carried only seven seconds worth of cannon ammunition, which limited its operational usefulness.
Was the Spitfire better than the Messerschmitt?
Similar to the case of the Hurricane the Spitfire was superior to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter in a dogfight, since it had considerably better turning ability than its German arch rival. Example: ... The Spitfire turns as tightly to the left as possible which is more tightly, than the German Me 109 is able to do.
Are German planes better than Spitfires?
In 1940 Hitler sent 2,600 Luftwaffe fighters and bombers to destroy the Royal Air Force. ... The Mark I Spitfires, with their superior speed and agility, were sent up to shoot down German fighters. By the end of the battle the better organised RAF had defeated the Luftwaffe and downed 1,887 German planes.
Was the Spitfire the best plane in ww2?
The Spitfire is most likely the most famous aircraft from the World War II era. It was the king of low-altitudes, it will be known forever as the plane that turned the tide in the Battle of Britain. ... In the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire gained fame by having the highest victory-to-loss ratio among British aircraft.
Was the Messerschmitt a good plane?
The Messerschmitt Me 262 was clearly the best fighter plane of World War II , bristling with firepower and capable of flying 120 miles per hour faster than America’s outstanding P-51 Mustang. However, it is important to put a myth to rest about this classic airplane.
Is Spitfire better than Bf 109?
The Bf 109 was arguably the best fighter in the world in 1940. It was faster than the Spitfire at high altitude , could dive more rapidly and carried a more effective armament of two cannon and two machine guns. ... The Luftwaffe started the Battle with about 1,100 Bf 109s and 906 pilots available.
Was the Spitfire better than 109?
The Bf 109, in its initial avatars, was generally regarded as marginally superior to contemporaneous variants of the Spitfire. At low to medium altitudes, where much of the air combat in the early war occurred, the Bf 109 had the upper hand. However, the Spitfire was superior at higher altitudes .
Why is Spitfire called Spitfire?
It was named after the daughter of the manufacturer’s chairman . The Spitfire’s name is often assumed to derive from its ferocious firing capabilities. But it likely owes just as much to Sir Robert McLean’s pet name for his young daughter, Ann, who he called “the little spitfire”.
Was the Spitfire a good plane?
Commonly referred to as the plane that won the Battle and Britain, the Spitfire has earned itself, and their pilots, masses of respect. ... The Spitfire’s original design made it incredibly adaptable which meant there were constant alterations and changes to make it the most successful fighter in the sky .
Which was faster Spitfire or mosquito?
The first flights of the Mosquito confirmed what the design team had hoped for – the fastest operational plane of its day. The Mks II, III ands IV could fly at 380 mph – 19 mph faster than the Battle of Britain Spitfire and 50 mph faster than the Hawker Hurricane. ... The Mosquito was used for a variety of tasks.
What was the most feared plane in WW2?
This plane came too late to have any effect on the outcome of the war. Junkers Ju87 Widely known as the “Stuka”, the Ju87 was one of the most feared aircraft during World War Two. It had a fearsome siren which terrified those who heard it.
Which plane shot down the most planes in WW2?
The number 1 is no surprise: the North American P-51 Mustang . Often and usually considered the best fighter of the war, the P-51 was a game-changer for Allied forces. Employed as a long-range bomber escort, the P-51 was unmatched by German planes, especially at high altitudes.
What was the worst plane in WW2?
According to the Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine, the worst plane of the Second World War was a piloted rocket made of wood, that did not have any landing gear. Yep, it’s already sounding bad. The plane was the Bachem Ba 349 . The year was 1944, and the Second World War was going badly for the Nazis.
What is the BF 109 good at?
Because of its smaller, lighter airframe, the Bf 109 was 30 km/h (20 mph) faster than the He 112 in level flight, and superior in climbing and diving .
Is it me 109 or BF 109?
Bf 109 , in full Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109, also called Me 109, Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft, both in operational importance and in numbers produced. It was commonly referred to as the Me 109 after its designer, Willy Messerschmitt.
Which was the better plane Spitfire or Hurricane?
The Spitfire and Bf 109E were well-matched in speed and agility, and both were somewhat faster than the Hurricane . However, the slightly larger Hurricane was regarded as an easier aircraft to fly and was effective against Luftwaffe bombers.
What was the fastest WW2 plane?
With a top speed of 540 mph, Germany’s Messerschmitt Me 262 was by far the fastest fighter of World War II. It was powered by jet engines, a new technology that was not always reliable. Still, the streamlined Me 262 looked—and behaved—unlike anything else in the skies over Europe, and Allied pilots initially feared it.
Who has the best aircraft in WW2?
- 6 Focke-Wulf FW-190 – Best Fighter. ...
- 5 Boeing B29 Superfortress – Best Long-Range Bomber. ...
- 4 Supermarine Spitfire – Best British Fighter. ...
- 3 Avro Lancaster – Best Heavy Bomber. ...
- 2 North American P51 Mustang – Best Allied Fighter. ...
- 1 De Havilland Mosquito – Ultimate Multi-Role Aircraft.
Was the FW 190 better than the Spitfire?
The new fighter outperformed the Spitfire Mk. V, the then top-of-the-line RAF fighter, in all aspects except turning radius. The Fw 190 was considerably better in firepower , rate of roll, and straight-line speed at low altitude.
What engine did the Messerschmitt BF 109?
Developed from the DB-600 engine first produced in November 1937, the DB-600 series was used primarily in Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters. In 1939, a Messerschmitt 209V1, using a DB-605ARJ engine, set a world’s record of 755 km/hr (469.22 mph) which was not broken by a propeller driven aircraft until 1969.
Did the US use Spitfires?
The American Spitfires mostly saw service in North Africa and Italy , according to SpitfireSite.com, until they were replaced by P-51s. United States Army Air Force Spitfires scored almost 350 kills during World War II. The Spitfire is also notable for being the plane that got Jimmy Doolittle chewed out by Eisenhower.
How far could a Spitfire Glide?
The Spitfire has a “clean” glide ratio of about 13:1, so it could glide around 13 miles if it started gliding at around 1 mile (5280 feet) high. That’s only whilst the airframe is clean, and only at its best glide speed – at a guess about 120–150 knots.
Why are elliptical wings better?
The elliptical wing is aerodynamically most efficient because elliptical spanwise lift distribution induces the lowest possible drag.
How much did a Spitfire cost?
Back when production of the Spitfire was underway it cost an average of £12,604 for each aircraft. Today that would equate to just under £800,000 for each Spitfire produced . This is more expensive than the RAF’s other high-performance fighter – the Hurricane.
How long could a Spitfire glide without fuel?
That means that a Spitfire at low altitude, ie, a km or three high, could glide for 10, 20, 30km before landing.
Was there a real 633 Squadron?
633 Squadron. THIS HISTORY IS FICTITIOUS , AS THE SQUADRON WAS NEVER FORMED. However it appeared in at least two films and the Museum receives requests for a history of this unit every time they are shown on television.
What was the worst fighter plane?
- Here’s What You Need to Know: Some planes just weren’t meant to make history in a good way.
- Royal B.E.2 (3500)
- Brewster Buffalo (509)
- Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 (6528)
- Century Series (F-101 (807), F-102 (1000), F-104 (2578), F-105 (833))
Which plane is called the flying coffin?
In the last few decades, the image of MiG-21 fighter jets has received a lot of shock due to its accidents and the casualties of pilots. This is the reason why it is being called “Flying Coffin”, ie a coffin floating in the air.
Why was the b24 called the flying coffin?
The four-engine aircraft was notorious among aircrews. Officially designated the “Liberator,” the square shaped B-24 could easily turn into a death trap. It was hard to fly with its stiff and heavy controls , and so earned its name by its crews as the “Flying Coffin.”
What was the fastest propeller plane of ww2?
The German Dornier DO-335 was unique in having a tractive (pulling) propeller in its nose and a propulsive (pushing) motor behind its cockpit, technology that at the time was totally new. It had a maximum sustained speed of 665 km/h (413 mph), increasing to 765 km/h (477 mph) with emergency boost.
What happened to Havilland?
De Havilland was purchased by Hawker Siddeley in 1960 and merged into British Aerospace in 1978 . The BAE site then closed in 1993, and the University of Hertfordshire purchased part of the site for the de Havilland Campus.
Can a Spitfire fly upside down?
The Spitfire’s original engine couldn’t handle barrel rolls. The throttle valve would get flooded with fuel as the plane turned upside -down. German pilots quickly caught on to this particular flaw because black smoke would puff out of the Spitfire whenever it flipped over.
What is the most famous military plane?
- F-16 Fighting Falcon (United States) ...
- MiG-21 fighter (Soviet Union) ...
- Tupolev Tu-95 bomber (Soviet Union/Russia) ...
- Bf 109 fighter (Germany) ...
- P-51 Mustang (United States) ...
- Dassault-Breguet Mirage (France) ...
- Mitsubishi Zero (Empire of Japan) ...
- A-10 Thunderbolt II (United States)
Are there any Spitfire pilots still alive?
Flight Lieutenant William Clark, 100 , and Flying Officer John Hemingway, 100, are now the only surviving members of The Few.
How long did it take to build a Spitfire in the war?
The complexity of the Spitfire’s design translated into its production time. The Spitfire took 13,000 man-hours to produce, 1 two-and-a-half times as long to make as a Hurricane. It took the Germans 4,000 man-hours to make the equivalent Messerschmitt Bf 109.
Which was the best Spitfire?
Johnnie Johnson, the top scoring RAF fighter pilot of WW2, thought that, the Spitfire Mk. IX was the best version. It retained the sweet handling of the earlier versions, while having performance to match contemporary Luftwaffe fighters. Although the later Griffon engined versions were faster (the Mk.
Which WW2 fighter had the most kills?
While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills.
What does Messerschmitt mean in English?
Messerschmitt in American English
(ˈmesərˌʃmɪt) noun. any of several types of fighter aircraft extensively used by the German air force in World War II , esp. the ME-109.
What was the most common Bf 109 variant?
Model G . The model F was followed in 1942 by the model G. This became the standard version in use by the Luftwaffe and so the most common Bf109. It was a well-armed plane that could be used as an interceptor, ground-attack plane, or fighter-bomber.
Why did the BF 109 have a yellow nose?
The yellow nose paint was first introduced on 109’s during the Polish campaign as a recognition marking to avoid ”friendly” fire from the Wehrmacht when operating on ground strafing missions ; I have read that the Luftwaffe lost more 109’s this way in Poland than were actually lost in combat, and hence the yellow became ...
