The Nuking of Japan

[A Theist]

The Me-262 was a hell of a piece of engineering but sadly it was TOO much of a hell of a piece of engineering. They were constantly down for maintenance which meant that while they were effective once in the air, it was a pain in the ass getting them into the air to become effective. Ultimately, the Me-262's is a legacy as to Germany's position in the war at that time; great technology but no know-how on how to use it properly. After all, P-51d Mustang pilots shot a number of them down...but then, the Mustang was a fighter that slapped every other fighter onto its knees and demand to be called "mistress." They didn't fly; they danced in the air. Then you had the P-47 Thunderbolt...the big galumphing elephant in the sky, but it was as hard to take down as an elephant, too. There's a reason the impossible-to-kill A-10 was named after them.

The Hellcat, meanwhile? Once again a terrific example of American aviation design being superior to Japanese aviation. The heavier weight and more powerful engine basically had it outrunning everything and the Zeroes, as usual, couldn't bring enough firepower to bear to really take them down. It was basically a more agile version of the P-47, I think, with a relatively similar design. Ultimately its kill record speaks for itself loud and clear. Most kills of any other allied craft in WWII. They were powerhouses...and honestly I think a modern aircraft needs to be named after them. The Lightning and Thunderbolt have legacy fighters, why not the Hellcat??

EDIT: Oh shit you were talking about the 163 not the 262. XD I actually don't know much about the 163, I admit...though if you want a bad-ass German jet craft...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horten_Ho_229

Look no further. The Ho 229. Batwing jet fighter-bomber. Never saw combat but according to all specifications if it had, it would've been impossible to match.

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Well, you've seen it at work. How impressed are you?

About as impressed as I would be if I were presented with an avocado and told it was an apple.

[The disappointment becomes even more obvious when I remember to inform everyone that I dislike apples and I love avocados.]

"EDIT: Oh shit you were talking about the 163 not the 262. XD I actually don't know much about the 163, I admit...though if you want a bad-ass German jet craft..."
The Me 163 was actually a rocket powered fighter. I believe the Me 163 was also the one that German pilots would fly into a group of oncoming bombers, then collide with them in a way that would shear off the bombers' wings. The hope was that after the German pilot collided with the bomber he would then eject from his plane and parachute to safety.

The batwing was way ahead of its time and is the forerunner of today's stealth fighters and bombers...like you said, it never saw combat and it would have been impossible to match.....I definitely miss History channel's 'Dog Fights'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_163