Your Most Liked

[Notta Brit]

This is the sister page to Your Most Disliked. The plane doesn't have to be good. Type what you like. Corsairius will like you if you put down the Me-163.;) Like Away!

My Most Liked:

1: North American P-51D Mustang
2: Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
3: Bell P-63 Kingcobra
4: Macchi Mc-205 Veltro
5: Supermarine Spitfire
6: Fokker G-1
7: PZL P-37 L<s>o</s>s
8: Henschel Hs-129
9: Heinkel He-112
10: Heinkel He-100
11: Focke Wulf Fw-189
12: Boulton Paul Defiant

[robert]

Well, if you're looking just for WW2 airplanes I like, for no logical reason (looks may be a major one), off the top of my head...

1. Supermarine Spitfire
2. PZL P.37 Los
3. Kawanishi Ki-61 Hien
4. Beech C-43 (Model 17 Staggerwing)
5. Blohm & Voss BV 141
6. Vickers Wellington
7. Macchi C.202
8. Rikugun Ki-93
9. Fairey Fulmar
10. Commonwealth Boomerang

[Notta Brit]

I have more. The Boomerang is really cool, I agree.

14&15: Hawker Tempest and Hurricane
16,17,18&19: Messerschmitt Bf-109, Me-262, Me-210/410, Me-163, even though it's the size of a couch and runs on bleach and booze.:D
20: Northrop P-61 Black Widow
21&22: Boeing B-17, B-29

[GregP]

1. Beech A-38 Grizzly
2. Amiot 351
3. Aeronautica Unbra A.U.T. 18
4. Bugatti R-100
5. Commonwealth Ca-15 Kangaroo
6. Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcon (to see it makes you want to fly in it)
7. FFVS J22
8. Fiat G.55
9. FMA I.Ae.30 Namcu
10. Heinkel He.100
11. Heinkel He.119
12. Hughes XF-11
13. Kawasaki Ki-100
14. Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah (either version)
15. Myasishev DVB-102
16. PZL P-50 (looks like a Spartan Executive)
17. Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario
18. Republic XF-12

That's enough!

[Ricky]

To be honest, I can't think of a WW2 plane that I don't like!
Even the ugly / dangerous / obsolete / useless ones I feel a kind of affection for.

[simon]

I'll try and limit it to ten choices, but here goes my selection:

1) Spitfire (Clean looks, potent armament, good performance, excellent fighter),
2) Lancaster (Looks good, excellent bombload and range),
3) Focke-Wulf FW190A Series (BMW radial makes it look like they mean business, and with Rutstatz armament one of the heaviest armed planes of the war).
4) Hurricane (I actually prefer the looks of the Hurri to the Spit, and one of the most important aircraft of the war)
5) Vickers Wellington (Tubby looking and tough, one of the best of the pre-war "Heavies").
6) Kawanishi Ki100 (Clean looking and good performance, probably the best Japanese fighters of the war).
7) P-51D Mustang (Good performace, good range, another of the most important fighters of the war)
8) B-17 (I just like the looks of them, I'd say the B-17E/F without the chin turrets look the best)
9) Mosquito (looks, performance, an excellent aircraft)
10) Douglas SBD Dauntless (I don't know why, I just really like these)

Well that's my top ten for no better reason than they were the ones that sprung to my mind as the ones I liked best.

[Notta Brit]

23: Gloster Meteor
24: Potez 63 Series
25: Vickers Wellesley
26: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
27: Yakolvev Yak-9
28: Vought F4U1 Corsair
29: Focke Wulf Fw-187
30: Focke Wulf Fw-200 Condor

[Corsarius]

Am I being deliberately provoked? Ah well, what he says is true enough....:P

I'll see how I can limit my selections:

1) Me-163c/263 reasons previously described
2) He-162 Volksjaeger. I just like the look of the thing. Looks like it comes from 'buck rodgers'
3) Me-323 Gigant. The Hercules transport of WWII
4) Go-229 because it's stylish and attempted to use radar absorbant material in it's construction making it (sort-of) the first "stealth fighter"
5) Commonwealth Boomerang
6) Commonwealth Woomera
7) Focke-Archgelis FA-223
8) Avro Lancaster
9) Supermarine Spitfire (all marks)
10) Ki-56 Dinah with the sleek glasshouse over the nose

[GregP]

Hey Corsarius,

Don't you mean Ki-46? It wasa twin-engine recon plane with very pleasing lines and two noses, a conventional one and a streamlined glass nose.

[meister]

I find all aircraft, from the Wright brothers to the present day, interesting.
To choose only ten as favorites is not easy.
My 10 most favorite WW2 airplanes listed are:

1. The Blohm und Voss BV 141. It’s asymmetrical design is fascinating, It is proof that an engineer is able to think outside the box and still make things work. To me this aircraft symbolizes freedom of thought and that nothing is impossible.

2. The Messerschmitt Me 261, along with the Me 264, are extremely long range aircraft that remained in an experimental stage for almost all of their existence, yet they did perform a few operational missions that are mostly unknown and are destined to remain a secret forever. It leaves these Aircraft shrouded in mystery.

3. The RAF Lancaster. To me it epitomizes an opportunity lost for the Germans. The British Air Force had a twin engine Bomber, the Manchester, with a lackluster performance. It was developed into a four-engine bomber. the Lancaster. What an awesome aircraft this was. It would carry the heaviest payload (Bomb Load) of any of the production bombers in Europe. The progressive modernization allowed it to serve on for decades in the RAF until a few years ago ending it career as the Shackleton. What seems somewhat perplexing to me is that the German Air Industry did not copy this phenomena that occurred in front of their eyes. Especially since they were in desperate need of an operational four-engine long-range bomber. They could have taken the HE 111 and extended the wing sections between the fuselage and the engine sufficiently enough to accommodate another engine. Then stretch the fuselage and it would have been…….well we will never know. Making a HE 111/4m ( see the drawing) could have been accomplished with minimal retooling. That the Heinkel HE 111 airframe was suitable for adaptations was demonstrated when they made an interesting, highly unconventional, questionably pragmatic He111Z
http://img46.photobucket.com/albums/v141/meister111/Heinkel111-4mSmall.gif
4. Marchetti S.M. 79 It was the most leathal and versatile Tri-motor Aircraft in operational use during WW2 It was the best torpedo bomber of the war. For a Tri-Motor it had an appearance of speed. It was also produced as an interesting twin engine Aircraft.

5. He 119 It looks like the ultimate modern sleek design for a propeller aircraft. Especially for its size, being substantially larger than the fighters of the day. It also incorporated some daring engineering concepts. Its powerplants, two engines coupled via a transmission to drive one propeller worked remarkably well. The success of this concept was not repeated when used on the Heinkel He 177, much to the misfortune for the Luftwaffe.

6. Ar 232 Here is a modern transport. Again the German Air industry failed to learn from what presented itself to their observation. The landing Gear arrangement pioneered and used on the Messerschmitt 323 should have been used on the Ar 232. In later years the designers of almost every larger transport did so. The best example is the C-130 Hercules. It almost looks, at least in concept, like a Ar 232 with Me 323 type landing gear arrangement

7. Ju 287 This airplane in many ways is my favorite. An aviation enthusiast must feel like having spotted a mythical creature, such as the “Smallygaster” in the Appalachian Mountains, or its German counterpart the “Elwetritsch “ suspected to reside in the Palatine forest. This huge jet bomber had forward swept wings when almost no swept wing aircraft existed, swept forward or backward. It had wing mounted jets and fuselage mounted jets on the forward part of the fuselage. I think it remains to this day the only aircraft ever having had this engine mounting arrangement. The future aircraft were to have jets mounted in the rear of the fuselage. To add to its oddity, for expedience sake to get this aircraft airborne for tests, it had a fixed landing gear with fairing. For anyone interested in odd aircraft, it doesn’t get much better than this one.

8. Martin B-10 This was the USA’s first modern bomber. I like the way it looks and the nice early paint schemes that it carried. It fought valiantly in WW2 being used by the Dutch Air force in the far east against the Japanese. Its fighting days were short lived and its numbers were quickly reduced, for it was at that time obsolete and no match for the JAF.

9. Ki 77 This is perhaps the aircraft with the longest range that was build in WW2, It remained as an experimental plane the entire war. One was lost while enroute to Berlin, and not unlike the German counterparts, the Me 261 and Me 264 , the complete history will remain a mystery.

10. FW 58, This is a simple inexpensive airplane, made from metal tubes a little wood and a lot of canvas. It was stitched and glued together. It was very versatile and served in many different air forces, It was very well liked and the only surviving example is in a museum in Brazil .

[Corsarius]

quote:Originally posted by GregP

Hey Corsarius,

Don't you mean Ki-46? It wasa twin-engine recon plane with very pleasing lines and two noses, a conventional one and a streamlined glass nose.


Oopsie.. Typo.

Ki-46-III

[Notta Brit]

31: Junkers Ju-248
32: Westland Whirlwind
33: Yakolvev Yak-1
34: Yakolvev Yak-3
35: Lavochkin LaGG-3
36: Junkers Ju-88
37: Junkers Ju-87 Stuka

[Romantic Technofreak]

Hi Helmut (Meister), and welcome here. Reading the names of so many fine airplanes here, I thought to myself about choosing an outsider and hoped nobody already mentioned it, but you did. Here is my choice:

http://iquebec.ifrance.com/2iemeguerre/avions/images/sm79.jpg

Outside Italian discussions, the SM 79 surely is the most underestimated one among all good WWII bombers. It looks unique, was feared (called "damned hunchback" by the British), had considerable success as bomber and torpedo bomber, ousted its provided successor, the SM 84 (this airplane showed itself unstable and inferior in speed) and flew attacks for the RSI airforce even in 1944, when it was already obviously obsolete.
I really have a heart for things that look odd but perform well, and the SM 79 surely is one of them!

[meister]

Thank You "Romantic Technofreak", Happy to be here, Yes Italy did build several nice aircraft, I agree with You about the SM 79. It does stand out and overshadows all the others. Another Italien Aircraft that was excellent was the The Piaggio P.108, as a bomber and as a Transport. Had Germany contracted and bought this aircraft form Italy, it would have had a nice 4 engine long range bomber at their disposal.Pride probably did not even allow them to consider this workable option. Yet in the last year of the war, Germany was the sole operator of the Piaggio P.108 C and T Transports. They served the Luftwaffe remarkably well.
What did you think of the computer sketch that I pieced together on the paint software, creating what a Heinkel 111/4m would or could have looked like. Does it not give the appearence of a functional aircraft?

[Romantic Technofreak]

Helmut, your drawing is so fine that I really thought it was authentic! Simon often mentioned a 4-engined version of the He 111, but I never heared about it. By the way, I give a short explanation about the omission of the development of an appropriate German 4-engined bomber in the "Your most hated" thread. I am also not the biggest friend of the P.108 and write about this in the "Favourite Bomber" thread, page 11. The right decision would have been to complete the development of the Ju 89 and the He 177 B-series rsp. He 277.

If you know something about secret missions of the Me 261 and 264, let us hear about it!

[OHIOMAN]

quote:Originally posted by Romantic Technofreak

Hi Helmut (Meister), and welcome here. Reading the names of so many fine airplanes here, I thought to myself about choosing an outsider and hoped nobody already mentioned it, but you did. Here is my choice:

http://iquebec.ifrance.com/2iemeguerre/avions/images/sm79.jpg

Outside Italian discussions, the SM 79 surely is the most underestimated one among all good WWII bombers. It looks unique, was feared (called "damned hunchback" by the British), had considerable success as bomber and torpedo bomber, ousted its provided successor, the SM 84 (this airplane showed itself unstable and inferior in speed) and flew attacks for the RSI airforce even in 1944, when it was already obviously obsolete.
I really have a heart for things that look odd but perform well, and the SM 79 surely is one of them!

[OHIOMAN]

Sorry, technofreak, the SM79 was not called the damned hunchback by the British (your words : "called "damned hunchback" by the British.")but by the Italians themselves (il gobbo maledetto). This nickname was probably given by the mechanics, because it was a nightmare to work on. But I agree with you about all the rest!

[Romantic Technofreak]

Welcome here, Ohioman. Sorry, but I insist that this nickname is of British origin. The website where I have that from does not longer exist. But also this modeler´s link allows to conclude that it were the British who invented it:

http://www.us-aircraft.com/IPMS/Kitreviews/Savoia%20Marchetti%20S.htm

Otherwise, it would not have caused this kind of respect. I also cannot believe it was a mechanical nightmare, just because of its comparedly primitive technical standard.

Ohioman, could you tell us a little about yourself (origin in Ohio, residence in Malta)?

[simon]

"Throughout the conflict, the British navy had a begrudging respect for Il Gobbo or “The Damned Hunchback”."

Sorry Romantic Technofreak, but this does not infer that the British came up with the nickname, infact if anything it does the opposite as I cannot imagine any British serviceman coming up with the nickname "il Gobbo". All this statement infers is that the Royal Navy were respectful of the type, which is quite well known, although it could be as much down to the skill and bravery of the crews as the capabilities of the type.

Welcome onboard Ohioman.

[OHIOMAN]

Hi Technofreak, Simon and all the rest. Thanks for your welcome. I am not from the U.S.; I chose Ohioman as my username because an American tanker of that name (OHIO) saved Malta in its most terrible hour in 1942. It formed part of Operation Pedestal, but the few surviving ships entered Malta's Grand Harbour on the feast of St Mary, to whom the islanders are devoted, so it is known locally as the 'Santa Maria Convoy'. The Ohio's is an epic story. It limped into harbour strapped -yes, strapped- to two navy ships, its decks awash, full of bodies and the remains of a Stuka which actually crashed on it! Gallant Captain Mason received, I believe, the George Cross for his feat. I believe the hulk of the Ohio, which was later scuttled, could tell a tale or two about the damned hunchback and the Stuka. As regards the origin of the nickname, I'm going to give you a link which probably will settle the matter:

http://www.aviation-history.com/savoia-marchetti/sm79.html

I wish I knew how to insert images, because I do have some people might find interesting. Any help, advice, tips, etc., would be appreciated. Cheers!

[OHIOMAN]

Since logging off, I've found a truly amazing site about the August convoy. Do visit it and enjoy the videos. You've got about 20 mins of war footage! Couldn't resist sharing it with whoever's out there.


http://www.maltaconvoyaug42.freewebspace.com/

[Romantic Technofreak]

The nickname "damned hunchback" is not a very charming one. Do you really believe it was invented by the Italians to call one of their few successful airplanes this way? I can´t believe that! For me, it is much more probable that British soldiers, on ships in the Mediterranean or in the Western Desert, asked what they saw that attacked them, answered "The damned hunchback again, Sir!", and that "gobbo maledetto" is a post-war translation. Or do you have any problem with this interpretation?;)[}:)]

[simon]

Yes I do, the nickname is given in Italian and the Translation in quotation marks in English. The implication is that the nickname is Italian and the Postwar translation English, rather than the other way round.

As for the Italians coming up with an uncomplimentary nickname for an aircraft, why shouldn't they? The British nicknamed the Wellington the "Wimpy" after a cartoon character from Pop-eye the sailor-man, the US nicknamed the Liberator the "Banana-boat", both successful aircraft, neither complimentary nicknames, so the trait is hardly unique to the Regia Aeronautica.

[OHIOMAN]

An excellent reply, as I've come to expect from Simon. What about 'Stringbag' for the Swordfish, or 'Shagbat' for the Walrus? What about 'logic' or 'common sense' for 'R.T.' (romantic....)?

[robert]

From Savoia Marchetti S.79 In Action, by Roberto Gentilli:

"The fuselage...was grafted with a long streamlined dorsal hump that was to be the trademark of the S.79 throughout its long life, earning it the name of Gobbo (Hunchback) in the contemporary press, but that the British called it the "damned Hunchback" was only wartime propaganda."

From The Savoia Marchetti S.M.79, by Giorgio Apostolo:

"...the dorsal gunner's fairing gave rise to the sobriquet il Gobbo (the hunchback), a nickname which persisted even after the adoption of the official designation Sparviero (Sparrow)."

Since these are both from books specifically about the S.79, written by Italians, I think they probably have their facts straight. The nickname was of Italian origin, not British, and the supposed use of the nickname by the British is simply wartime propaganda - just as the Japanese never actually called the Corsair "Whistling Death" or the Beaufighter "Whispering Death".

[robert]

quote:Originally posted by simon
As for the Italians coming up with an uncomplimentary nickname for an aircraft, why shouldn't they? The British nicknamed the Wellington the "Wimpy" after a cartoon character from Pop-eye the sailor-man, the US nicknamed the Liberator the "Banana-boat", both successful aircraft, neither complimentary nicknames, so the trait is hardly unique to the Regia Aeronautica.


A few more: USN crews nicknamed the S2BC Helldiver "Son of a Bitch, Second Class", not to mention the modern-day USAF name for the B-52, the BUFF, or Big Ugly Fat F______! My favorite uncomplimentary nickname, by far, has to be the Soviet name for the Lavochkin LaGG-3. The LaGG-3 was made largely out of wood, and pilots less than impressed with the aircraft reinterpreted the initials as "Lakirovanniy Garantirovanniy Grob" - Varnished Guaranteed Coffin!

[simon]

I read a more politically correct version of the BUFF's nickname which the author interpretted as meaning Big Ugly Fat Fella (Mmmm, I'm sure!). The Helldiver should be the SB2C, BTW ;), the nickname makes more sense that way as well.:D

Thanks for the clarification about the "damned Hunchback"! :)

[Romantic Technofreak]

O.K., gentlemen, I see. [8D] My problem is that I have it black on white and ususally I believe what I read (same problem with the Doolittle Raid).
Your argument with the uncomplimentary nickname is of course correct, Simon. I don´t want to repeat how the B-26 was called after it caused some casualties during the initial tests...[:I](see discussion on Historychannel some months ago).

[B-24WillowRun]

Ten best, I would have to say that is hard, but here we go!
1. B-24- name says it all, Liberator! Produced in numbers not rivaled by any other airframe and in veriants from LB-30 (Land Bomber modle 30) to the monotail B-24M! Also C-87 and 109. The airframe was great! [:p]

2. Halifax, as versital as B-24 but with a shorter range. It too was over shadowed by another bomber, though the Lanks were more desurving then the B-17

3. B-25, fly off a carrier[8D]

4. P.108 Guns, bombs and a 102mm cannon!

5. P-61 The Blackwiddow was a true night fighter!

6.He-111, the airframe was rock sollid and the thought of it being treched and tweeked for a 4 engine Heavy, I think might have worked.

7. F4UF Coirsair (The designation is slipping my mind), but the Leatherneck airman could fly at treetop hight to help cover the dogface rifleman who truely won the war.

8. PBY Cantalina ;) what a plane and it could do or try to do almost anything. Made the first patrols out of Pearl on 7 december 41 and surved until the 1960s with some countrys.

9. SM.79 & 81, they did everything and seemed to be one of the few Italian aircraft that really did work.

10. A tie of a lot of aircraft, but to say the war would have gone any better with out her is a lie, the C-47, halled dropped and moved everything needed for the war and the Berlin Airlift!

[robert]

quote:Originally posted by simon

The Helldiver should be the SB2C, BTW ;), the nickname makes more sense that way as well.:D



Absolutely! My typo. [:I]

[simon]

"4. P.108 Guns, bombs and a 102mm cannon!"

Only one was modified to carry a cannon, and no source I've seen makes it clear whether this was capable of carrying bombs as well. My guess is probably, by it must have been a significantly reduced bombload.

The 10 plane limitation was not requirement of the original poster, just something I imposed on myself to stop myself from posting a list that would probably have been at least 300 aircraft long.

Try Corsarius's "Ultimate Competition" thread as well, this was a sort of "Fantasy Football" airforce idea, and some of us have posted our "Play to Lose" airforces on there as well.

[lucycat11758]

O.K BOYS, LUCYCATT IS BACK!! So from a gal's perspective here are my top ten choices.

1. The Vought F4U CORSAIR- O.k well I'm a little partial to this one because it's my favorite of all time! So it wasn't too great at carrier operations but you have to admit it's a beauty and it highly contributed to the U.S. victory in the pacific.

2. The GRUMMAN HELLCAT- It has like over 5,000 enemy kills. Small, fast and can be based on land or carrier. Can't argue with that.

3. THE LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING- The first twin engine fighter to be put into service by the USAAC.Can you imagine the thrust on that baby! Pretty cool looking too.

4. THE MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109- Great fighter! A worthy adversary.

5. P-51 MUSTANG- Argued by many to be the best, I can see why.

6. THE REPUBLIC P-47 THUNDERBOLT- fast with massive firepower and made the bombers happy by escorting and defending them.

7. THE MITSUBISHI ZERO- I hate to admit it but it was a damn good plane.

8. THE B-25 MITCHELL- Great bomber and cool looking.

9. THE B-17
10. THE B-29

[Notta Brit]

38: Blohm und Voss Bv-141. Don't have a picture but I believe one of technofreak's forums does.[:p]
39: Blackburn Firebrand. Looks like a Britanized P-47.[8]
40: Tupolev Tu-2. No good reason.

[Notta Brit]

41: F+W D-3802. Looks sort of like a Spit.
42: F+W C-3605. Looks like a single-engined Whitley/Hailfax cross.
43: FFVS J22. Like the designation.
44: Fisher P-75 Eagle. Looks awesome.
45: Northrop XP-56
46: Northrop N-1M
47: Petlyakov Pe-2
48: Petlyakov Pe-8
49: Piaggio P.108
50: Polikarpov I-17
The others are all for no good reason that I can think of offhand.:D

[Notta Brit]

Feel Free to name more than just ten or 15 planes. I've named 50 so far, and i'm not done.