Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Zardnaar" data-source="post: 7491680" data-attributes="member: 6716779">It was also because the Japanese were not very good at aero engines. Western designs would use armor and a more powerful engine and the best at engines were the British and Germans (the Mustang became good with a UK engine the Rolls Royce).&nbsp;Later on the US for example made planes with better performance+ armor and it turned into a turkey shoot. For the same reason Japan struggled to make high performance fighters and high altitude interceptors. Its another reason Japan basically cloned the ME 262 off German blueprints delivered via subs. &nbsp;The Zero's reputation is basically over rated much like the T-34 tank. It sacrificed everything and had a weak engine by western standards. Japan was also having massive resource problems, oil being the main one but even the puppet state of Manchukuo out produced Japan proper in steel one year and they were also short of Aluminium another reason the Zero was so light. Japan went to war with an 18 month oil reserve, German wartime oil production was less than prone year of UK oil imports. &nbsp;The Zeros kill ratio was vs obsolete planes at the war start where the USA was not prepared. Much like the eastern front bloated German kill ratios they were shooting down late 20's and early to mid 30's designed planes. The Axis made a lot of mistakes allot of them were not because they were stupid but because they were desperate (Operation Blue comes to mind).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Zardnaar, post: 7491680, member: 6716779"] It was also because the Japanese were not very good at aero engines. Western designs would use armor and a more powerful engine and the best at engines were the British and Germans (the Mustang became good with a UK engine the Rolls Royce). Later on the US for example made planes with better performance+ armor and it turned into a turkey shoot. For the same reason Japan struggled to make high performance fighters and high altitude interceptors. Its another reason Japan basically cloned the ME 262 off German blueprints delivered via subs. The Zero's reputation is basically over rated much like the T-34 tank. It sacrificed everything and had a weak engine by western standards. Japan was also having massive resource problems, oil being the main one but even the puppet state of Manchukuo out produced Japan proper in steel one year and they were also short of Aluminium another reason the Zero was so light. Japan went to war with an 18 month oil reserve, German wartime oil production was less than prone year of UK oil imports. The Zeros kill ratio was vs obsolete planes at the war start where the USA was not prepared. Much like the eastern front bloated German kill ratios they were shooting down late 20's and early to mid 30's designed planes. The Axis made a lot of mistakes allot of them were not because they were stupid but because they were desperate (Operation Blue comes to mind). [/QUOTE]

Verification