el cid again
Posts: 16922
Joined: 10/10/2005 Status: offline
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quote:
The Corsair is really ridiculous! I do not have any "great data" to provide...but i've played online matches several times with the best sim out there ( pacific fighters) and there's no way the F4Us can have those ratios against higly experienced A6Ms... Yes, the corsair is a better plane, but a ratio of 14 to 1?!?!?! I bet neither the Me109 obtained such ratios against the russian I-15 and I-16 in the first days of Barbarossa...and those ruski pilots were surely below of 65 exp... I respectfully disagree. I think that the game model is quite correct: in 1945 an A6M is wholly outclassed and, in the hands of the pilots generally available, not likely to get on the scoreboard at all. A notable exception is Saburo Sakai. He went back up in 1945, with only one eye, and he needed a special plane because he lacked the feet for regular controls - and became an ace all over again (barely - 5 claimed victories). This is something akin to our Eddie Rickenbacker who forced his way back into air combat in WWII (because he had too much political clout) and, in spite of being overage, managed to become a successful combat pilot all over again. But in 1945 Japan was fielding mainly very green pilots, and in their hands A6Ms - or even much better planes - were meat for Corsairs. There is a serious question to this day - is the F4U or the P-51 the best propeller fighter plane of all time - in a technical sense? [The Me-109 has more kills, but it doesn't fare well against either in matches, real or simulated.] I have lots of other fighter planes I like - and might buy too in some circumstances - but I admit these are the Champions - and they are the only contenders for the world speed record - taking it away from each other regularly. I am not sure why it is controversial at all? I think Japan fielded fighters that WERE competative - see the Ki-84 - but the A6M? Not hardly - in 1945 (Sakai notwithstanding). If you simulate with a pilot pool that is not depleted, and especially if you can give Japan some better planes, you might have something to complain about. But to expect A6Ms to compete is unrealistic. Read the books or speeches by Sakai himself, who tells you why.
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