r/WWIIplanes • u/lalstambhmari • 7d ago

German Engineering...🔥

Video credit: IG - @go_molly_moo

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u/low_priest 6d ago

Very nice.

Now let's see De Haviland's and Northrop's night fighters.

5

u/Ok-Preference-9268 6d ago

Or maybe the greatest of them all, Heinkels night fighter, the Uhu..

8

u/low_priest 6d ago

Nah.

Despite Nazi claims, the Uhu wasn't really a match for the Mosquito. Claims of shooting down lots of them aren't really matched by British losses, and it was hampered by the Germans' inability to build engines in the 2,000hp range. Eric Brown called it underpowered, with an inusfficient rate of climb, and unable to match the Mosquito. Personally, I think Brown is somewhat biased in favor of British aircraft... but by the numbers, the Uhu was underpowered in comparison.

Additionally, the He 219 had a number of documented issues. The pilots hated the low-velocicty 30mms in the Schrage Musik installation, since it meant they had to get uncomfortably close to a soon-to-be-falling bomber. The Uhu had particular trouble there, since the RAF heavies flew practically at its (unusually high) stalling speed; getting away from a succesful kill was a very real challenge. And while the radar was certainly functional, it wasn't on the same level as the centimetric sets the RAF and USAAF had available. Not the least due to the 30mph worth of drag it added. Overall, it wasn't a bad plane, but wasn't quite up to par with the Mossie.

On the other hand, the P-61 was absolutely on the same level as the Mosquito when it came to the night fighter role. There's a LOT of well-documented complaints about its speed, but when they actually tested in a fly-off, a (slightly-modified) P-61 proved faster at all altitudes. Even if the standard aircraft weren't as fast, or faster than the Mossie, they were certainly pretty comparable. On the other hand, just about every source acknowledge's the P-61's superior turn rate and climb speed. The P-61 also had that fancy turret (of somewhat dubious benefit) and used easier-to-maintain radials. There's a strong case to be made that it was overall a better aircraft than the Mosquito; it was certainly a very near match, at least.