Unlikely Matchups: Mosquito VS. P-38
 

Well, inspired by a previous thread, I thought it would be cool to start a thread every few days comparing planes that would probably never face eachother. The previous thread was talking about who would win between a BF109 vs Zero.

You can use simple stats, or make a little anectdote.

Between these two, I think it would be hard to tell which would win 9 times out of 10. To be honest I dont know, what do you guys think?

mosquito would win hands down.

It was fast, well armoured, manouverable, a joy to see. The P38 or the fork tailed devil as the luftwaffe called it was a beast to though. Get into a dive with it an nothing the luftwaffe has will keep up.

To be honest, they both have two engines, nose mounted weaponry, but i would have to take the wooden wonder everytime.

I think maneuverability wise, a Yak-3 against a A6M2 Zero would be a good match up. It would have to be a A6M2-21, but none the less both planes would be interesting to see in a TnB dogfight.

Maybe even an American F8F Bearcat against a Yak-3 would be cool? The Bearcat would probably win depending on the circumstances, but it's kinda hard to tell with either of them?

i like the sound of this thread.

Interesting to give it a thought.

How about a sopwith camel vs Eurofighter typhoon?

In all seriousness though i really like to think of the Mosquito vs p-38

id say Mozzie but its hard to say

It's hard to say for sure, the pilot is just as big a factor as the plane.If one pilot has the element of suprise the fight could end prematurely.I'm going to go with the YAK though.

This is the reason we could never know for sure

we can only go from statistics

That's true. But that's why I'm not sure, and it would be interesting in a mock dogfight?

Also, between a Mosquito and Lightning? It depends once again on who got the jump first? The Mosquito could turn, and the Lightning more than none would have to use BnZ tactics against the Mosquito, unless it was at a higher altitude; where the possibility of a Lightning turning with a Mosquito would be possibly more equal.

I thought it was the Japanese who called the P-38 "forked-tailed devil"... ?

EASY!!

Sopwith camel.

For a start, heat seeking missiles wouldnt work, you have no big heat source to lock onto. And the camel is that slow that the typhoon would have a nightmare trying to keep him in his sights etc.

Just look at the swordfish - "obsolete" during WW2 yet comes out smelling of roses attacking the bismark and the italian fleet at taranto.


In all seriousness though, dont write off the sopwith camel ;) it might sound like a david and goliath set up but you never know. Anything is possible

Anything is possible. But not that scenario.