What was the fastest propeller driven fighter aircraft during WW2?

Question

I think I know but I'll wait to see what you say

Answer 1

Here is a rare bird that fits into a WWII aircraft.  Prototype first flew 28 July 1944.  Easily joined the plus 400 mile per hour club with a speed of 485 mph.  Did not enter service until after the war.  Sadly there are no surviving examples.

Answer 2

P-51 mustang

Answer 3

Are we counting flights of a prototype or only flights of a production version.

Straight and level, or in a dive? I'd say straight and level only.

My bet would be for a prototype Sea Fury at 460 mph in February 1945.

Answer 4

Definitely the Dornier DO-335 with the two Griffon engines.

Much faster than anything else flown at the time.

There is only one example left - and it's in a museum somewhere.

Look for a Lear Solution coming soon - that is a nostalgic nod to the Dornier.

Answer 5

P51 Mustang powered by Rolls Royce Merlin engine. One broke the sound barrier in a powered dive !

Answer 6

yes, astrobuf is right. it was the Dornier Arrow Do-335. The P-51 Mustang was a very good fighter and was very fast but it was not the fastest.

Answer 7

Actually, it's called the Focke Wulf, not Fock Wolf, but I doubt the authenticity of the speed you quote if it's for sustained speed.

Answer 8

Dornier Do-335

Answer 9

Do-335

Answer 10

There seems to be a lot of contention about this. Overwhelmingly Grumman bearcat comes up. But do you include prototypes? or planes that saw service?

Answer 11

I am pretty sure it was the rare Dornier Arrow Do-335 at 474 mph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_...

The fastest US plane was the P-38 @ 443 mph at Standard War Emergency Power levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_Lightn...

The P-51 was rated at 441 mph or less in these conditions.

Astrobuf

Answer 12

By the end of the war the Griffon Engined Spitfires were said to be the fastest piston engined aircraft around

Answer 13

there is a lot of debate and it depends if you mean in operational conditions or test conditions

the p-51 never served

but the p47 thunderbold was eledged to be the fasted at test

the tempest comes in at 435mph

the mig-3 400mph

shinden 465mph

russian la-7 425mph

spitfire 1x 415mph

it's all a bit confusing,

the Spitfire had the best operational statistics.

Answer 14

The P51 was fastest on the level but the Spitfire XX was clocked just below Mach 1 in a full power dive, which the P51 could not do due to its construction.

Answer 15

P-51 mustang 445mph

Answer 16

Well..................... a Hawker Typhoon allegedly broke the sound barrier in a dive but  the damage received from the dive made the plane unusable after landing as the fuselage had stretched 3 feet.

Probably not the usual answer I know but still........................