That was a really interesting read! I wonder if he flew any Russian aircraft? Perhaps they weren't a joy to fly, but rugged. Although by 1943 Russian numbers probably made up for all else.

If you're talking about Corky's list Seeker, it was for the European theatre only. He did make a short list for the Pacific too;

1. Hellcat
2. Corsair
3. Zero

He said that if the war had ended when the Japanese intended it to then the Zero would of been number 1, it didn't so it only made it to number 3 on his list.

Ilyushin 2
Ilyushin 4
Lacochkin 7
Karnov 26
MiG-3
MiG-15
Mil-1
Mil-2
Mil-4
Petlyakov Pe-2
Polikarpov I-15
Polikarpov I-16
Yakolev-1
Yakolev-9
Yakolev-11

All in his book 'Wimgs on my Sleeve'. Worth reading.

He was astonished by some of the Zero's features: no bullet proof windscreen; no pilot seat armour; no self sealing tanks; cockpit hood could not be jettisoned.
"Obviously, Japanese combat philosophy for the fighter pilot was to fight to the death"
No surpise there then.

I've read: Good food for Finnish Me 109 G-2 and G-6s. Those weren't no match for Finnish aviation combat skills. Those guys were simply wizards of air dogfighting odds 10:1 and always prevail. Simply astonishing!

While this estimation is usefully informative, we really cant take it in absolute degree due to the lack of inclusion of the Yak-9 or La-7, the latter of which was said to be directly comparable in performance to the D9, and the former has been reported by both Western and Eastern sources to have possibly been the best fighter of the war. Certainly they at least deserve a place in the top ten.