[timbo]

Yep - I'd agree in the Zero. The war passed it by and made it obsolete very fast.

When pushed it really was a POS, but growing up reading all those fabulous (now completely un-PC) comics it always had the invincible aura over it. Definitely a reputation it did not deserve.

[Old Crow]

Was the B17 overrated?

How can it be overrated, by what criteria ?

Great analysis of the B-17, Jim. My criteria is based on the recognitionfactor/iconic status of the B-17 compared to other bombers. The B-24, for example, was the most produced (almost 20,000 units compared to less than 13,000 for the Fort and under 12,000 for the Wellington and under 10,000 for other British bombers, including the Mosquito), carried the largest payload (6 tons) and had the longest range for most of the war while serving on all fronts in numerous roles. In my heart, the Flying Fortress is the bomber of World war 2 but, when compared to other planes and their performance, I also have to say it is overrated.

[MoMo]

Re: Most Overrated Aircraft of WWII

---

Mo - I take it you are including the P40 in that "crocks in the far east" statement

Timbo

Everything sent East by the Brits, or stationed in the Pacific by the Yanks was in the third division of the League before it got there. Anything British which was up to date was retained for home defence. I guess that the P40 was really a second-rate design when compared to the types deployed by the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army. it's debatable though, because the Japanese pilots involved in the initial stages of the Pacific war and the assault on the Far East were battle-hardened, full of confidence and trained well, so they had the edge in men and weapons.

[david cotton]

I don't think you can class the Zero as over-rated. When it got into service, it was the best in its class. The Japanese failed to develop a good replacement and this kept the zero in front line service to long. The Zero could take down Hurricanes and Spitfires in its zenith. To call the Zero over-rated is like saying the Hurricane was over rated. Both were top fighters for a time, and then things moved on.


Should the war of gone on for 2 more years, the Mustang would of become out dated, but it would not of been over rated. I think the right word would be obsolete.>>


A true over-rated fighter would be the Me110. This was hyped at the time and its short comings were not recognised until it was found wanting in the very roll its was designed for. However, this is an example of an aircraft recognised as over-rated by history

I think "over-rated" really applies to the mind set of the uniformed masses of today, who get most of their information from news papers or TV, rather than reference books. That is not to say these people are stupid, they just don't have a deep interest in the subject and just pick up on information they come across.>>


For example, the BoB film tells of 180 German aircraft being shot down in a day. A lot of people, not interested in the BoB, still think this is fact. As a result, the Spitfire is very over rated by them, as they think a Spitfire was far superior to the Me109 than it really was . If you tell people that in 1941 the Luftwaffe was hacking down 3 to 4 Spitfires for every FW190 they lost, they would never believe you.>>

[jim]

Another contender for the short list, the Me110. Good suggestion David Cotton.

[jim]

Originally Posted by MoMo

. it's debatable though, because the Japanese pilots involved in the initial stages of the Pacific war and the assault on the Far East were battle-hardened, full of confidence and trained well, so they had the edge in men and weapons.

Which makes the performance of the AVG in their P40s truely awsome.

[flyXwire]

Originally Posted by david cotton

I think "over-rated" really applies to the mind set of the uniformed masses of today, who get most of their information from news papers or TV, rather than reference books. That is not to say these people are stupid, they just don't have a deep interest in the subject and just pick up on information they come across.

I couldn't have stated this any better, and I totally agree 100%.

[timbo]

Originally Posted by david cotton

I think "over-rated" really applies to the mind set of the uniformed masses of today, who get most of their information from news papers or TV, rather than reference books. That is not to say these people are stupid, they just don't have a deep interest in the subject and just pick up on information they come across.

Which is exactly the point I made ealier. It was always protrayed as this invicible machine in the kids comics, and only defeted by sheer determination. It was not until I got some serious books that I leaned of it's major short commings.

It these sort of kids comics/ popular fiction/movies that influence and properganderise these and the zero was a prime example of this.

[timbo]

The only thing the 110 has been seen as (in my eyes) is "Achtung Spitfire" fodder. I would not say at all that it has been overrated by popular culture (ie kids commics, fiction,movies) I would say this was true also even when I was a kid.

[Epapazian]

I recall reading about the RAF's introduction of Spitfires during the Japanese conquest of Burma in early 1942, since the Hurricanes had proved so disappointing in combat with Japanese Oscars and even their Nates. So the Spits flew off to battle full of confidence after their BOB experiences and were mauled by the Japanese. The reason: the Spit pilots tried to dogfight the Japanese, who were masters of this tactic and had more maneuverable planes, so they were outclassed. Once again, the outcome was due to the way the planes were utilized, not their inherent capabilities.