Most Badass Plane of WW2

MattII

Redbeard said:
You talk about specifications/capacity, I talk about perception (how much was it seen by contemporaries as "Badass").
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And this is all about our perception, not that of someone of the era.

Insider said:
11k of Pe-8 was heavy load with reduced range. Lancaster should be compared with B29 rather than with B17 as it was much later construction. By Condor you mean Fw200?
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8k for the B-17 was for reduced-range missions too, the Lanc might have been a later plane, but it was of a similar size, with a similar top speed, and comparable with period B-17s (the D-models onwards) it had a better bomb-load, and yes, by the Condor I do mean the FW-200.
 
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Insider

Insider

Banned
IMHO it mostly suits P47. Little on finesse, but full on power.
Come on! Mosquito was made of plywood. It had more to do with a Stradivarius than with sledgehammer. :p
 

Deleted member 1487

Not sure if the Skyraider counts, because it first fly during the war, but entered service after. That wins IMHO. Otherwise the Sturmovik probably wins the badass title because of its combat role and huge loss rates; it was just a savage bit of equipment that got deep and dirty and took a beating.
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Peabody-Martini

Peabody-Martini

Beyond the obvious choices here. There is a converted airliner that played the role of cargo, transport and bomber. A bit of everything except that of a fighter. Eventually becoming one of the most awesome ground attack airc
Z
raft. The humble Douglas C-47 Dakota.
 

Just Leo

When WWI aerophiliac cogniscenti gather round the hot stove to reminisce about the badass airplanes of the WWII era, the first topic must be the mighty Whitley. Designed by one of the truly most incompetent designers of history, the Whitley went on to cut a swathe through the dreaded land of the Hun, under cover of darkness, the hardest way. Capable of carrying 7,000 lb of bombs, much more than the much later Mossie, on earlier models of the same engines, it could do so at half the speed, half the altitude and half the range, and was much easier for ill-trained pilots to fly. It was designed with the ability to operate from short grass airfields, per specification, since good airfields were expensive. It could carry 10 paratroops, or tow a glider. It could also look for subs. Truly the most badass of the asses.

armstrong-whitworth-whitley-bomber-05.png
 

jahenders

Banned
My definition of the term would be that it strikes fear of enemy combatants seeing it like, "Oh crap, no -- it's them." I think with that definition, you probably wind up with:
- Stuka
- IL-2
- Zero
- P-47

- B-25 (mainly because you're more likely to see it's actually targeting YOU that with, say, a B-17 or B-29)
 

mack8

I agree with nominating the Me-262, 10 years ahead of everyone else, armed to the teeth (four 30mm guns, rockets) and able to easily destroy anything the opposition had. That the history followed the course we all know is another matter, the aircraft was trully a killer shark.
 
Dalekiller

Dalekiller

Tom Colton said:
The Brewster Buffalo.






......Okay, I'll just leave now. :eek::p
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The Finnish government shall give you your award now for recognizing Brewster Superiority. :D

Seriously, most badass would be the Hawker Hurricane. The little loved badass who served through the war and was far easier to repair than the queen of drama Spitfires and also helped the ground forces through the war.

Suck on that Johnny come lately P-47's, Mosquitos, and FW-190's
 

MattII

Peabody-Martini said:
Beyond the obvious choices here. There is a converted airliner that played the role of cargo, transport and bomber. A bit of everything except that of a fighter. Eventually becoming one of the most awesome ground attack airc
Z
raft. The humble Douglas C-47 Dakota.
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I can find no reference for its use as a bomber, and indeed it wouldn't make a terribly useful one, its low-winged design limiting the ability to fit a bomb-bay thus any weapons would need to be carried externally, increasing drag.

mack8 said:
I agree with nominating the Me-262, 10 years ahead of everyone else, armed to the teeth (four 30mm guns, rockets) and able to easily destroy anything the opposition had. That the history followed the course we all know is another matter, the aircraft was trully a killer shark.
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Except it was so vulnerable on take-off and landing that they had to absolutely swathe their bases in AA to prevent the allied fighters 'bouncing' them. Also, the tendency of the engines to last but a few flights didn't help.
 
Peabody-Martini

Peabody-Martini

MattII said:
I can find no reference for its use as a bomber, and indeed it wouldn't make a terribly useful one, its low-winged design limiting the ability to fit a bomb-bay thus any weapons would need to be carried externally, increasing drag.
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The Russians, Australians and the AVG used it as such in secondary theaters with improvised gun positions and bomb bays. Albeit when nothing better was available. Later the USAF used them to deliver Daisy Cutters until they were supplanted by C-130s.
 

AdA

Peabody-Martini said:
The Russians, Australians and the AVG used it as such in secondary theaters with improvised gun positions and bomb bays. Albeit when nothing better was available. Later the USAF used them to deliver Daisy Cutters until they were supplanted by C-130s.
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The C47 was to gain attack fame later on.

image.jpg
 

Lost Freeway

Banned
MattII said:
Except it was so vulnerable on take-off and landing that they had to absolutely swathe their bases in AA to prevent the allied fighters 'bouncing' them. Also, the tendency of the engines to last but a few flights didn't help.
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The fact that the Allies had to attack the Me-262 during takeoff and landing to stand a chance against it is further proof of its awesomeness.:rolleyes::p
 

Just Leo

Peabody-Martini said:
The Russians, Australians and the AVG used it as such in secondary theaters with improvised gun positions and bomb bays. Albeit when nothing better was available. Later the USAF used them to deliver Daisy Cutters until they were supplanted by C-130s.
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I'd like to hear more. The Russians certainly used Li-2s as night bombers, with external shackles for 1000 kg of bombs, eventually changed a door to glass, for use of the bombsight (Li-2NB), and constructed one example with 2500 kg of internal bomb stowage (Li-2VB). The Aussies may have kicked a bomb out the door once or twice, but the AVG never owned a C-47. The only daisy-cutter I know weighed 15000 lb and was dragged out a Herc's rear end by a parachute.
 

iddt3

Donor
mack8 said:
I agree with nominating the Me-262, 10 years ahead of everyone else, armed to the teeth (four 30mm guns, rockets) and able to easily destroy anything the opposition had. That the history followed the course we all know is another matter, the aircraft was trully a killer shark.
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Given that the allies had jets around the same point that didn't die after three flights, "Ahead of it's time" might be overstating it a bit. Early jets had very short range, so they of course got used in the interceptor role first.
 
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