Hi Kraftwerk. This argument will still be going on long after I've departed this mortal coil. Everyone has their favourites but I think the best all-round land-based fighter of WWII would be the P-51D Mustang. I believe the Hellcat had the best kill ratio of any fighter in WWII, 50% better than the Corsair. Remarkable when you consider that much of this was over the ocean. Legendary RN test pilot Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown probably still holds the world record for the number of different types flown & evaluated, 487 including captured German & Italian aircraft. He was the only Allied pilot to fly the Me 163 & also carried out the first jet landing on an aircraft carrier. I can't find the quote but I heard his favourite WWII fighter was the little Grumman Wildcat.

I am shocked that nobody has mentioned the Spitfire-since thats seems to be the overwelming favorite on this board.

My personal favorite of the war is either the P-51D or the P-38, but I would image that the P-47 was probably superior to both in many ways. 

But again, this is all a personal opinion thing-so I guess there is no right answer.   

I got hooked into plastic modeling of WW2 acft when I read "The Hurricane Story" (until @9 yrs old, I primarily read midieval stories) and also took particular interest in their characteristics and whatever facts I could glean from WW2 veterans who knew anything about them.
As each of these responses indicates, everyone has their own opinion, including the veterans that flew them. Obviously, each acft is better for certain operations than for others. It may be neat to think about a dogfight between a B-17 and a Heinkel 111 but in reality it would probably be quite boring to an observer. My point is that the P-38 and, especially, the P-47 hit the scene in large numbers sooner than the P-51, were fast for their time but not as manouverable in a dogfight as were many contemporaries -- if they got their guns on you, however -- yet this was true for most! The P-47, in particular, was very durable and could carry a substantial payload; although the P-51 (or even a Spitfire) could definately do the job, I'd agree with many that the P-47 was the better choice for a ground attack -- but I'd certainly vie for the P-51, Spitfire or even a Hurricane (a bit slower but very manueverable) for a tight-in dogfight.
Then you have the fact that many designs would have been more proficient had a better power plant -- or other factors -- been applied to them (the first P-51s did not perform so well with the Allison engine). For some, looks seem more important than performance: good and bad are not necessarily stand alone adjectives when both looks and performance are considered.
My overall opinion is that, when it comes to flight, any operable plane is much better than flapping your arms real fast at 3000 feet without one .

The Spitfire doesn't come into it. This was the question.
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I think my answer would be to consider WHICH WERE GOOD ENOUGH TO CARRY OVER TO THE KOREAN CONFLICT... that brings in the p-(nowF)51, AND the Navy original piston CORSAIR.
BTW the '51 actually killed a few MIGS.
papa-metro USAF 1953-57

It's hard to say.  All of these were superior:

Early war:
BF-109 - manuverable but with limited range
Mitsubishi Zero - manuverability, but no armor or ss tanks
Supermarine Spitfire - manuverability, higher celing than BF109
F4 Wildcat - limited manuverability but good firepower and rugged

Late war:
P39 Thunderbolt - can outdive a rock, and rugged and firepower
FW-190 - manuverability
ME-262 - can you say, speed?
P51 Mustang - fast, manuverable, long range
F4U1 Corsair - rugged, firepower, speed
F6F Hellcat - rugged, firepower, speed

Honerable mention
Mosquito - not a fighter, but what a FAST!!! attack plane

The Soviet Union made good use of the P-39 Airacobra; a comparitively small plane, it was a bit underpowered but still served in ground attack.

Guys guys guys

You are forgetting the Hawker Tempest, which out performed the current Spitfires, everthing the luftewaffe could chuck at them and the stang.

But I am biased of course, that saying it was a credible air superiooty fighter and fast. It Tempset's knocked down more V1's, which is why they were held back for UK ops to counter the doddle bugs, instead of Rangers and rodeos over Europe.

Kernow

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The Tempest was an outstanding fighter that had it not been for the fact it was held in ADGB untill September '44 would have had a bigger impact on the air war over mainland Europe no doubt. BUT, the Tempest was best at low to medium altitude and could not out perform the Mustang or Spitfire at higher altitudes. The Tempest was complemented by the Spitfire XIV that arrived at about the same time and together they gave Second Tactical Air Force a real cutting edge with the Spitfire taking on the role of medium to hight altitude air superiority fighter and the Tempest in the medium to low level role.

Ohhh, 3 AMERICAN fighters?

My bad.  It's still kinda hard.  I'd say these are my picks:

P47 Thunderbolt - nothing better for ground attack
P51 Mustang - Air superiority
F4U Corsair - Can you say, Whistling Death?

Also the same for the Corsair... flown by the Fleet Air Arm, and New Zealand

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Sorry, I wasn't so explicit in my July 21st mini-booklet with the following reference, "Then you have the fact that many designs would have been more proficient had a better power plant -- or other factors -- been applied to them (the first P-51s did not perform so well with the Allison engine)."
It was reiterated by dcunning30, particularly in relation to the P39, that many acft weren't given the most effective power plant. This was rectified for some, the P51* with a Merlin refit. Now, how many of these engines were actually made in Britain rather than under license Stateside? And does the "British design" affect the "American made" aspect?
*It was flown by many of the Allied air forces (many more nations used it well past the Korean War), as were many others flown by pilots foreign to a plane's manufacture; General Thyng, who died in New Hampshire last year, flew a Spitfire V with U.S. insignia.

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I think this is being unecessarily pedantic. Most Mustangs were fitted with the Packard Merlin that was produced under licence in the US. Packard Merlins were also fitted to some marks of Spitfire (Mk XVI), the Avro Lancaster B Mk III & some Canadian-built Mosquitos. (I believe a derated version was also used to power boats & tanks.) Like most people I've always regarded the Mustang as being 'as American as apple pie'. It was originally rejected for front-line service with the RAF because it was not required for its original purpose. The foreseen shortage of home-produced fighters had not happened & in late 1940 the shortage was of experienced pilots rather than aircraft. The BoB was over by the time the P-51 would have been ready for delivery. (The prototype first flew on 26 October 1940). Its high altitude performance did not compare with the Hurricane & Spitfire mainly because of the unsupercharged Allison engine. I'm sure it would still have come in very handy in different circumstances. A supercharged version of the Allison was available but all production was diverted to the P-38 throughout WWII.

The P-38 was also rejected by the RAF. Some say they lost out on one of the best fighters produced during WWII. The version tested by the RAF was an "export model" with unsupercharged engines & both props rotating in the same direction. This obviously affected its performance & it was nothing like the same aircraft that served with the USAAF.

In my opinion the best amarican fighter was the P51, the best british fighter the Spitfire and the best german fighter the FW190. This opinion is based not just on the combat records of these fighters but also on their ground handling.  An important factor for novice pilots or even tired pilots returning from a sortie. That is why I've ruled out such excelent planes as the Corsair or the BF109.

??? With all due respect, the heading of the topic was 'What are the top three fighters of WWII?'  By narrowing it down to just American fighters you are taking a lot of the fun out of the disscusion.  And since so many people have replied on the wider issue, what say we continue to do so?

Ooops - shot down in flames!


CFS1 Forever!!!

     It all depends on your personal preferances really.  If you prefer fast planes with average or better fire power thats relatively easy to fly, and don't care about how well they turn, how much damage it can take, then planes like the Fw 190A. 
     If you like planes that have great performance at the risk of suddenly spiraling out of the sky, then the P-51, which requires a certin finesse to fly, is your plane. 
     Picking the best plane is like picking the best woman, you can't honestly say that there is one.  I ought to write that down...
     This doesn't really answer your question but General  Eisenhower once said that "thee vehicles had been instumental in achieving Allied victory:  the Douglas DC-3 (better known as the C47), the landing craft, and the Jeep."  I find this last one funny for some reason...

I love the P40 series (Warhawk, Tomahawk & Kittyhawk)  They were used to great effect by the Flying Tigers in China against Japenes fighters, but that was mostly due to the tactics they used.   

While very rugged and very manouverable, they were out performed by top line Axis fighters. I think it had to do with rate of climb and acceleration but they did extremly well as close support.

P40's I've used in CFS1 do perform very well and they do look very good. I like them but they were not the best. 

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  Not to split hairs, buth the P-38 was built by Lockheed.

Good one H!

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Ever heard of the NFII? Mossie night fighter!
Yes it was immensly fast!
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Ahem, it was actually designed by a German and was manufactured by North American Aviation.

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Yes, the Merlin was a Packard Merlin.

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Unless you want a night fighter, long-distance plane or good ground attack plane I don't recommend the P38. Why didn't they use it for a night fighter? As for a fleet defense fighter, I think it is better for the US Army just like that good ol' P40 Kittyhawk. Go 75 Squadron!

My fave US fighters of WW2:

Chance Vought F4U Corsair
North American P-51 Mustang
Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Warhawk/Kittyhawk

Happy flying,



Bombardier

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Now, which is the best American fighter of the time?

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There may yet be some online alternatives even should the MsZone not relent so it remains to be seen.
I've been playing around 8) with WW1 planes for the past year. Most of the retexturing I did of WW2 planes (most of it before knowing about anything online) was for my own storyline although I did redo a Spitfire to approximate U.S. Gen. Thyng's WW2 Spitfire MkV (flown for the U.S. with applicable insignia). There are still a few CFS1 loyalists out there and there has been a slight increase of users with Atari's licensed re-issue of CFS1 on the bargain shelves. I'm not sure what the MsZone shutdown will cause since the CD, itself, includes what would then be a dead Multiplayer link; wouldn't say that's a good thing.

I spoke with DieStaffel in RidgeRunners yesterday where he said that giving them all to Simviation is something he is seriously considering.
This would be very decent of him, allowing FREE access to his CFS1 add-on aircraft for everyone who requires it.