What was the best fighter plane during World War II?
You need to refine it further, such as which fighter had the longest effective range, which was the best high alltitude fighter, which fighter was the most durable damage resistant aircraft, which fighter was the fastest at all altitudes, which fighter had the best climb rate, which fighter had the most effective guns. The answer to each is different, the best compromise between them all was the one you exculde. The P47 was well liked had the speed at low to mid altitudes was an effective gun platform but since the P51 was a better dogfighter the P47 was given ground attack and close air support duties. The RAF’s Spitfire was more maneuverable then it’s German foes but had lousy small caliber guns for most of the war. The P38 was hated in the European theater but it was well liked in the Pacfic theater, one thing most people don’t know about the P38 is that on a medium range misdion it could carry almost as large a bomb load as a B17 so it could have been the best figther bomber of the
