Is the spitfire the best plane in world war 2?

Answer 1

No, not at all. In fact it was slightly slower than its main opposition, the Me109. However, the Spitfire was more maneuverable and had other features which its pilots appreciated to compensate for its slower speed.

Note: Although the Spitfire is most famous for the Battle of Britain, improved models of it were introduced which were faster and better; allowing the Spitfire to serve until the end of the war, and after the war in Korea and Malaysia.

Answer 2

That question is debatable. The U.K. certainly would not have won the Battle of Britain without it and the Hurricane. Many experts believe it was the most beautiful propeller driven fighter of the war, however, it did not have the range to reach Germany. Most experts believe the P-51 Mustang, when mated to the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, was the best propeller driven fighter ever manufactured. When equipped with drop tanks, it was also the only fighter that could escort bombers to Germany and back.

Answer 3

There were so many variations in military aircraft that this is very difficult to say. For instance, Spitfires had over 60 variations of the famous Merlin engine, ranging in horsepower from 980 to over 2,000. They had at least 5 different propellers of 3 to 6 blades. Final models of the Spitfire used an even more powerful engine, the Rolls-Royce Griffon. The famous P-51 Mustang was very similar with early versions flying at about 360 mph and later versions doing over 430. Special versions of other fighters were also extremely fast but were not often in mass production or squadron service.
I personally think the fastest production piston engine fighter was the Spitfire XIV most of which could do over 450 in Squadron service.

Answer 4

Every aircraft is built for a specific role, so it's very hard to say "best" in such a range. The Spitfire X was possibly the best short range interceptor, but the P-51D Mustang was possibly the best long range patrol fighter. The British' Tempest' was possibly the best ground attack fighter. The Hurricane and P-47 Thunderbolt were both renowned for their durability and toughness when shot up, does that make them a "best".