Originally posted by ORC-r0x0r-ROC
"North American Aviation originally designed the Mustang in response to a British specification. They agreed to produce the first prototype only 4 months after signing the contract in April 1940. By the end of 1941 North American had delivered the first Mustang to England for test flights. These first Mustangs were powered by the Allison V-1710 engine, a ok engine, but one which didn't operate well at high altitudes.
In April, 1942, a British test pilot, Ronald Harker, flew the Mustang and was quite impressed by it. He suggested that the new plane would be a natural fit with the Rolls Royce Merlin 60-series engine, well-suited to high altitudes. At the prodding of Major Thomas Hitchco.ck, the Americans began working along the same lines (using the Packard license-built version of the Merlin), and the first Merlin-equipped Mustang, the P-51B, flew in November, 1942. The results were impressive, to say the least. At 30,000 feet, the improved Mustang reached 440 MPH, 100 MPH faster than the Allison-equipped Mustang. "
oh look here..BRITISH DESIGN, BRITISH ENGINE (when the alison was in the mustang it was a bag of shit) it got sent to BRITAIN.. (because britain knows what its doing with spitfires..) BRITISH test pilot.. btw guru how can it go faster?? when its heavier and got the same engine as the spitfire???? The british stopped making them and sold most of them to spain and starting making jets.heres more quotes...
"They are roughly the same size, although the Spitfires were significantly thinner in the body and harder to hit. Both were made of metals. As far as I can tell it was fuel tanks and performance requirements. The Spitfire was signficantly lighter than the Mustang despite similar dimensions.Both were well armoured. The Spitfires had something unique starting the ‘strike aircraft’ theory we use in jet-fighters today. They had ‘Universal Wings’, meaning the wings were ingeniously designed to be able to be modified not only for different roles and weaponry but effectiveness at different altitudes, something no other fighter could do." heres yet another..
"The Mustang could outclimb the Spitfire, but not with fully loaded fuel tanks oddly enough. It was also vulnerable for the first legs of its flight. Both were buggers to take off with, the Spitfire because of its narrow based landing gear(like the Me109) and the Mustang because of the weight and bulk of the huge extra-fuel belly or heavy wing tanks it carried(without which its range was far less). The Mustang pilots had to start drawing from the extra fuel tanks immediately which sometimes cause problems. For the first while all this weight and mass made the P51s very sluggish to handle and Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tempests and P47 Thunderbolts were often assigned in the air over their take-off bases to protect them from enemy air raids in which the Mustangs were highly vulnerable when loaded for escort missions just like the Me262s were vulnerable taking off.
The Spitfire’s firepower was generall better than the Mustang. Being built as an interceptor more it was more agile than the Mustang. The Spitfire could accelerate faster, turn, bank and roll faster and climb higher.Both later versions had the British idea for a more vulnerable but better visibility bubble canopy for the ****pit, and advantage over the Me109 for example. The Spitfire could perform better at various altitudes than the Mustang which was best suited to high altitude dog-fighting. This was just as well as the original use of the American engined P51 was as ground support in which its scoop belly cowling proved too vulnerable." BRITISH BETTER visibility bubble canopy
"The British Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most recognized planes of all time, and for good reason. When Britain was on its knees and vulnerable against the relentlessly pounding Luftwaffe attacks, the Spitfire saved the day. In the Battle of Britain, a battle to last the ages, the Spitfire held off the German air force, including its Messerchmitts, from attaining air superiority, making it the best defensive weapon of the war. The Spitfire could outrun the BF-109 with a top speed of 416 mile per hour.The Spitfire was superior to every other German aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The Supermarine had eight .303 caliber machine guns, or four .303 caliber machine guns and two 20 mm Hispano cannons. It could make for an effective dive bomber, carrying either 1000 pounds of bombs, or eight rockets. "It was effective against small targets such as tanks, and enemy troops." The Spitfire was also the first aircraft to shoot down a jet fighter in combat. It shot down the Messerchmitt Me262, while diving from a high altitude (Sundsig-Hansen)."
"The pride and power of the Royal Air Force, the Spitfire led Britain through the Second World War with gallant victories. Its superb performance never faltered. With the help of aircraft designers and many improvements, it was able to keep up with the best of the German fighters, and it was well equipped defend its nation. At first designed with less than adequate armament, the Spitfire was quickly modified and became the perfect aircraft. It was a favorite among many, and not just the pilots. The fighter was the "jewel of the people," and symbolized Britain's refusal to give up, and their unending strength."btw i couldnt care less where you live yank = american north or south well lets move on now what do u think about the M4 Sherman? was it a great tank? and maybe to go far as to win the war?
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