The “just sit and wait for the Phony War to end in April 1940” option is a bit perplexing as an answer to “You are the German High Command! What is your next Combat Movement?” because it seems to imply that the Phony War was operating on a fixed timetable, and that this timetable was in someone else’s hands. The lack of action on land on the Western Front is certainly due in part to inaction by France and Britain (whose strategy was basically to sit around for a couple of years to built up their strength for a showdown, while simultaneously hoping that the Nazi regime would be overthrown by a coup), but it was also very much a deliberate choice by Germany. The Wehrmacht needed to analyze the Polish Campaign, fix the tactical and operational elements that hadn’t worked as well as expected, plan the upcoming campaign against France and the Low Countries, rest and replenish its forces, give them more training, provide them with additional equipment, and redeploy them to the west. Doing this properly took time, but Germany could afford to take the time to do the job right because of the lack of Anglo-French pressure on the western front. ( In other words, by sitting on their collective hindquarters France and Britain surrendered the strategic initiative to Germany, which gave the Wehrmacht the luxury of attacking at the time and place of its own choosing.) Moreover, the time period during which these activities took place were the fall of 1939 and the winter of 1939-1940, which was conveniently timed because this meant that the Wehrmacht wouldn’t have to fight in the fall (manageable, but rainy and muddy) or in the winter (far less harsh in the West than in Russia, but still potentially nasty as veterans of the Battle of the Bulge will recall). The late spring / early summer period chosen for the offensive in the West was much more congenial for military operations.
Favourite WW2 Aircraft?
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The Me262
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IL-2 Sturmovic
“…the single most produced military aircraft design in all of aviation history.” according to wikipedia
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The Junkers 87 better known as STUKA
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Stuka. (I love the tank busting G2 version: bye bye T34s.)
ME262 a close second. -
Mitsubishi Zero
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Ju-88- the plane that could do everything.
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0 killer!
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B-17 hands down. could take an extraordinary amount of damage and still bring its crews home safely. plus with later models having 13 browning .50 cal machine guns, could deal a good amount of damage as well.
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Hey Guys,
There are so many VARIABLES,…So many ANSWERS. May I ask what qualities we are basing our opinions on?
Beauty
Operational capabilities
Rugedness
Dependability
Most/Least produced
Most advanced technology
By country
By Theater
By Campaign
By Type
Best “fit” for the situationI’m NOT trying to be a “fun-killer” here,…but there isn’t just ONE, because the answer changes whenever you modify the question.
“Tall Paul”
p.s.—My Dad was wounded by a 500 lb. bomb dropped by a flying ME-262 he was trying to point out to his buddies. He really respects the ME-262.
His favorite aircraft is undoubtably the P-47 Thunderbolt. He once saw one attacking a German flak-tower. After taking a direct hit the P-47 staggered, then flew away. My Dad and his buddies saw something fall off of the Thunderbolt, so they went over and found two complete cylinders from the P-47’s radial engine,…yet the “Jug” still flew home. Wow!, Impressive. Dad said the XIX Air Force P-47’s saved his as* on numerous occasions. It was without a doubt, the BEST ground attack aircraft in WW2, possibly of all time.
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Liquid cooled= P-51
Air cooled= F4U
The P-38 is purdy, my avitar was found on a P-38
Alot of B-17’s took a pounding and made it home….there all good!!! -
I said Zero because while its not visually cool, it was extremly cheap AND efficent (very light and fast)
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Ciao Noll. Are you sure you didn’t say Zero, because you like to be different!
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@wittmann:
Ciao Noll. Are you sure you didn’t say Zero, because you like to be different!
LoL
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Spitfire for me. Early in the war things were going poorly for the allies. At a point in time when France fell, it was uncertain if the US would enter the war and save Britain, London was being pounded and it seems like nothing was going to stop the Nazis….a few brave men in a few airplanes seemed to save the world. In retrospect it was many things on many fronts and levels that won the war and even had Britain fallen the end of civilization was not at hand. But the emotions of a commonwealth were transfixed on that event and the echos of it reverberate throughout the generations. Many of my teachers were English x-pats, with a last name of Churchill, I was educated early and often about he battle of Britain!
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Probably the P-51D. Most beautiful WWII aircraft by far… but good looks are only the start.
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Hmmm,
First off, I must have at least twenty different answers to the many variations of this question!
After giving the matter some serious thought, as a military historian, I would have to say, my favorite WW2 aircraft would be the Douglas C-47 Skytrain that hauled the beans, bullets, & bast*rds w/parachutes that made everything else possible.
I kind of surprised myself with this answer after reading so many books about the “Jugernaught” P-47 Thunderbolts and “Whistling Death” F-4U Corsairs.
I’m certain that this isn’t the sexiest answer, and a lot of people here might be groaning now, but I feel that the C-47 in doing it’s job, made more of an impact than any other aircraft in WW2 for the allies.
And remember, General George S. Patton, a serious TANK expert, said the same thing about the 2-1/2 ton truck!
I’d love to “discuss” all of the different variables included in this question. Such as Fighter, Bomber, American, German, most effective, most feared, fastest, etc., etc, etc.
“Tall Paul”
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Well, as far as favorite goes… it is a matter of opinion and really not based on any particular set of variables.
Paul: Is the C-47 your favorite plane? Disregarding what you think of its historical impact… is it your favorite?
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LHoffman.
NO!
The C-47 is definately not my favorite WW2 aircraft. I simply answered the question using ONE of the many variables available,…HISTORICAL IMPACT.
The P-51 Mustang was a beautiful aircraft, the P-47 Thunderbolt was a rugged and destructive S.O.B., the F-4U Corsair was a Zero-shredder, the ME-262 was a fearsome-looking design, etc., etc. Another “pretty” design that comes to mind is the Japanese Dinah. Very sleek and pretty lines on this aircraft. Somewhat reminiscent of the HE-111’s clean-flowing design, only better.
Having read and studied some 4,000+ books on WW2 I must admit to having SEVERAL FAVORITES.
I ententionally hoped to provoke some intelligent and interesting discussion on this far-ranging topic. We can all learn from others that may have experinced or read something we have yet to do.
“Tall Paul”
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Oh, okay. I just thought I’d ask because 99.9% of people would name a plane that is considered a combat/attack aircraft, as opposed to an air transport. I won’t judge your choice… just making sure it is your favorite.
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Oh, okay. I just thought I’d ask because 99.9% of people would name a plane that is considered a combat/attack aircraft, as opposed to an air transport. I won’t judge your choice… just making sure it is your favorite.
My friend Tall Paul is a philoslopher.
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