A6M2 Model 21 vis a vis F4F-4 and P-39D

[Boom]

Put any two or three air enthusiasts in a room and there's always so much discussion and conjecture about the relative performance of the above aircraft that the mind aches.

And looking at the official figures often quoted in books and tests only promotes such confusion.

Happy to say though I have finally found an intelligent, clear and concise analysis of available information. It draws on a wide range of official data, published material and first hand comments on relative performance.  I found the final analysis quite surprising. Certainly worth factoring in by the game developers when designing the game FM.

And it is written by a foremost author on the Pacific air war, namely Richard L. Dunn.

Here's the link:  https://rldunn.com/mitsubishi-zero-21/

[javelina]

16 minutes ago, Boom said:

Put any two or three air enthusiasts in a room and there's always so much discussion and conjecture about the relative performance of the above aircraft that the mind aches.

And looking at the official figures often quoted in books and tests only promotes such confusion.

Happy to say though I have finally found an intelligent, clear and concise analysis of available information. It draws on a wide range of official data, published material and first hand comments on relative performance.  I found the final analysis quite surprising. Certainly worth factoring in by the game developers when designing the game FM.

And it is written by a foremost author on the Pacific air war, namely Richard L. Dunn.

Here's the link:  https://rldunn.com/mitsubishi-zero-21/

a great read, thank you for posting!

[BlitzPig_EL]

I'll second javelina on this, fascinating.

[Chief_Mouser]

Excellent. Thanks Boom. 👍

[Feldgrün]

"Zeros are faster than the F4F-4’s at all altitudes and more maneuverable…” 

The fact that the F4Fs were victorious in many exchanges is impressive given the disparity in performance. I can hardly wait to fly them (especially the Zero).

[ZachariasX]

1 hour ago, Feldgrün said:

The fact that the F4Fs were victorious in many exchanges is impressive given the disparity in performance.

The F4F has a second stage blower vs. the zeor has none IIRC. So it would be dependent on altitude. That the Zero is doing *relatively* well at altitude is that this light crate featuring a huge wing preforms adequately already at a power setting corresponding to your average lawn mower.