But they were different airplanes. The P-47 was almost a single-engine bomber with an incredible munitions load. The P-51 was a pure fighter. While both of them were capable of ground support and attack as well as dogfights, it’s a bit like comparing pickup trucks with 2-seat sport cars. They’ll both get you there, it’s what you want to do along the way.

From a few thousand feet, aircraft could be discerned across great distances, by such markers as glint and stream, but IDing the ship to be enemy implies he was likely flying through enemy air space.

In the waning years of WWII, the question was asked why American fighters, now at the top of their game, seemed so much better than German fighters. The answer was top secret, a brand new little gadget called radar. …Well — not so little…

Deciding it would be best to divert attention with a slight joke, the Military PR reply was that the American fighter pilots were kept on a diet based on carrots to improve their eye-sight. This was not at all true, but the media took the ball and ran. Even Bugs Bunny agreed with the myth.

While carrots are indeed good for you, their effect on eye-sight is negligible — unlike veggies high in vitamin K, like leaf salads and Popeye’s choice of intake, spinach.

And many still praise their carrot-diets for their good eye-sight.

Just a thought.

They each have their proponents. I suspect the P47 would win out among the pilots.

Interesting that many loved the huge P47 cockpit, and many others, including German pilots thought it was too large and inconveniently arranged