Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Gaemperle
It is new to me that a piston engined fighter had a higher performance in terms of speed than the Me 262, but then again, I am no Spitfire expert. But I do have one question if the Spitfire indeed had a higher performance: how many Me 262 did the superior Spitfire XIX (pressurized) shot down? Must have been a lot if it had a higher performance and less engine
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The Spitfire PR XIX would have shot down far more if it had carried any armament!
The point is
not just which aircraft had the higher top speed, it's any interceptor's ability from a standing (i.e. when first alerted to the approaching hostile aircraft) to gain the necessary altitude, spot its target, get into an attacking position and open fire - and all before its fuel falls below a safe limit for getting home. So it's not "can you catch him" but "can you catch him
in time."