However it makes more sense to me to compare aircraft of the same type and produced during the same time period.As a day fighter then the choice has to be the P38. Not to mention things like boosted ailerons and dive recovery flaps that were included on late model P-38s.I admire the Mosquito for an entirely different reason. "When do we start comparing the P-38 vs other long range day fighters rather then night fighters.."In typical daylight conditions, each starting at same altitude I would favor the P-38 all day long, at the end of the respective life cycles the P-38L is Of course not. It had float bowl type carburetors which would malfunction during evasive aerobatic maneuvers, causing unrecoverable stalls. Dave: The Mosquito was a heavy fighter as well as a light bomber, but more in the sense of being a bomber destroyer/night fighter. In the latter sense, the Mossie may have been a superior solution for very specific bombing missions, but was inferior in every other performance metric. etc.

Wood still returns a radar signature, the shape was not stealthy, and those big spinny things called props all ensured it was seen on radar. He considered it inferior to single engine fighters, saying it suffered the same drawbacks as the 110. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Interestingly the mosquito only weighs a couple of hundred kilos more but carried less. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Disagree: 1 Apr 19, … If you want any other role then the Mosquito wins the day, but as a day fighter, its the P38The mosquito is simalar the the Bf-109 except for its higher speed. Compression problems in dives were resolved by the installation of five flaps (speed brakes) on the versions following the initial production model. And the Mossie was not even close to being invisible to German radar. Structurally, I believe the Mosquito is tougher than the P-38 and is trading 4x20mm cannon fire for 1x20 + 4x50's. The P-38 is an awesome aircraft no doubt but you have to be careful in a full all out steep dive. I was intending the P38 Model J for the fight. Mosquito production kept a large number of piano shops gainfully employed making something other than pianos. choose which ever one fits the bill. And the Mossie was not even close to being invisible to German radar. surely the Mosquito was the better bomber and the P38 the better fighter. Having encountered them in actual combat gives him a unique perspective I suppose.I absolutely adore both aircraft, but in terms of pure performance, the late model P-38s for sure. Wood still returns a radar signature, the shape was not stealthy, and those big spinny things called props all ensured it was seen on radar. My understanding is that those were not made of wood, but of metal. Compression problems in dives were resolved by the installation of five flaps (speed brakes) on the versions following the initial production model. Reliability plagued the Mossie. ?Parsifal, one of the reasons I posed this question was to discover more of their characteristics. The only advantages of the Mosquito were lower manufacturing cost and practical invisibility to the German radars of the time. It had a small signature, but it was not practically invisible. Reliability plagued the Mossie. And I think we can all agree that a piano shortage is a good thing. Having said that the mosquito was the better night fighter of the two and the Mosquito was a more versatile and unique weapon.I tend to dislike these "which is better" threads. 2 x Allison V-1710-111 water-cooled inline piston engines developing 1,425 horsepower driving three-bladed propeller units. A unique site to see these two rare fighter/bombers flying together. There are pilots and then there are fighter pilots what were the turn characteristics of the two aircraft??? By the early to mid-1930s, de Havilland had a reputation for innovative high-speed aircraft with the DH.88 Comet racer. Comparing the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito Multirole Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft against the Lockheed P-38 Lightning Single-Seat, Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. From what I read German RADAR could find them easily enough but their speed and height made vectoring an interception very difficult in daylight more so at night. There was also the FXVIII "Tsetse" Mosquito which was fitted with a 57mm 6 pounder for anti submarine patrols. The P-38 was an all-metal single seat day fighter designed to a 1937 requirement for an interceptor to work at high altitude.

Considering it's advantages (twin engines, concentrated firepower, and range) I don't think it did as well in the ETO as it should have. as well as the Mossie Night Fighter (NF MK. We will ignore the unfortunate incident which nearly killed Niels Bohr world famous Physicist.I was reading Adolf Gallands book, 'The first and the last", and he put the P38 in the same category as the Bf 110. The mossie was a far better design than the P38. I have a slightly different take on the whole thing (though I must say I gave up on reading every post after say the twenty page mark) 4X 50 cal, 1 X 20mm Cannon a top speed of 414 MPH and a ceiling of 44,000 feet. In the night fighter role I think the Mosquito would have it all over the P-38. It had a small signature, but it was not practically invisible. The P38 was faster, had 60% greater range, superior firepower, and better maneuverability. NF only though. Both the P-38 and Lightning were used as Pathfinders, both had quite a respectable bomb load