# P-51 best Us fighter in WW2?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 24, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686 "2004-07-24T14:06:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686/21 "2004-07-24T23:40:57Z")

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Don’t give me a P-39, with the engine mounted behind. It will tumble and roll, and dig a big hole, don’t give me a P-39. So we gave them to the Russians.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686/22 "2004-07-24T23:54:13Z")

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Another pair of Bob Stevens cartoons. The first shows a P-39 in a flat spin, for which it was apparently notorious. The cynical pilot is saying, “Twenty years from now they’ll call this a Frisbee.”

The counterpoint to that cartoon shows a Russian P-39 blowing apart of Panzer. The dialog balloon is in Russian, but the footnote says the pilot is saying, “Man, what a can opener!”

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**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686/23 "2004-07-26T04:00:02Z")

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> [@Icerigger](#):
>
> Don’t give me a P-39, with the engine mounted behind. It will tumble and roll, and dig a big hole, don’t give me a P-39. So we gave them to the Russians.

FWIW, Chuck Yeager liked the P-39…'course he never flew it in combat.

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686/24 "2004-07-26T05:00:56Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> He said the Spit was a nicer plane to fly, but would rather have the Mustang in a fight.

I’m not qualified to compare the two, since my experience extends only to 45 minutes in a P-51. But I can say that it’s a great plane to fly - superb handling and balance and (of course) gobs of power. It sure is hot and noisy, but would anyone want it not to be?

(I know a guy with over 6000 [!] hours in a P-51.)

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**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p-51-best-us-fighter-in-ww2/256686/25 "2004-07-26T08:17:58Z")

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> [@Little Nemo](#):
>
> IANAWW2FP

I dare you to use that in another context 🙂 sig line perhaps?

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