How could you possibly forget the P-47!?  It had the most kills of any American fighter, and more were produced than any other American fighter.  ( I only say 'American' because I don't know how many Spits or Hurris were built or how many planes they shot down, though I can imagine it was a lot!   )  They flew on every front!  The western front, the eastern front, in the Pacific, in India and Asia, North Africa, and Italy!  It was also big, heavy, hard to shot down, and had amazing firepower.  This aircraft should be on your list.

It's difficult to choose because each plane has it's plus points and it's weak points. The P-47 was a superb ground attack aircraft and could also hold its own in a fight, the Mustang was the finest long range fighter of the war. The 109 probibly shot down more aircraft than any other type and the Hurricane just about won the Battle of Britain.
However a choise needs to be made so, because of the fact that it stayed in production for the whole of WW2 and beyond and was developed cotinuously throughout, serving in all theaters, I voted for the immortal Vickers Supermarine Spitfire.

All the planes were good. but only in the right hands!

The planes that were successful tended to be the easier to fly planes.
In the early Pacific war the Zero was king because the best Japanese pilots were flying them. As the war progressed the pilots had  less and less training. Therefore the Zero that required great skills to fly successfully became in easy target due to untrained air crew.

Perhaps in your list you should have the 4 engined bombers - B17, Lancaster, B25

How about the Dakota. It was in service before the war and is still flying now. Many have been airworthy for 50 years without restoration!

Lastly, this will come down largely to nationality. Personally, prior to buying CFS2 I, in the UK, had never heard of the Hellcat!

I am from the UK, so spit on looks and airpower. Hurricane because without it the war would have ended in 1941 with a very different outcome.

The Zero, because in the right hands, it could, and did, take out much more powerful opponents.

ME109 becasue it got the most kills, although mostly against inferior Russian planes/pilots.

B17, because it could fly with only half of it left! Therefore getting many an aircrew home and 'always getting through'.

Where do I stop?

How about the Swordfish?
If a dozen biplanes can sink the biggest battleship, it must be worth a mention!

This isn't really helping much is it?

???
Gosh!

I don't know which to put in and which ones to take out for space... ???

I suppose when I created the poll I subconciously narrowed it down to fighters... Anyway, keep voting!!

P.S. I am from the UK too.

Woodlouse, how many did the Hurri shoot down?  And how many were built?  What about the Spit, how many did she shoot down?  I won't ask you how many were built, I know that.  Over 22,000.   

14,533 Hurricanes were produced of various models.  Approximately 3000 were sent to russia.

Will

My personal favorite is the 109 but for no better reason then  I always just loved it's looks.  Also I got to sit in one in a farmer's field in Mundeline, IL back in the '70s. You don't realize how little these planes were until you sit in one. My shoulders rubed both sides of the cockpit.

One objective argument can be made for it noting that it has been observed by more then one top historian that  " it was the single seat fighter which all others were measured by."

As much as we all no doubt love the Mosquito, it probably doesn't belong on this list. This is a list of fighters and no matter what kind of titles they may have givin the A/C at the time, the Mosquito was not a fighter. It was a bomber that simply didn't need an escort because it was fast enough to out run an opponent, not turn and fight it.

As for Jugs shooting Zeros, Yes, there were kills recorded mostly late in the war because the Pacific didn't get them until later.  I don't think "turning with the Zero" was a requirement.   I'm sure they just kind'a plowed through then. 

L. J. Over...