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[Wing Walker]

This was asked by someone somewhere else: "What is the worst aircraft of WW2?"

I feel our perspective in this game gives us a richer understanding of the aircraft of WW2 than a "normal" airplane geek (if thats a thing)...

Most said the Brewster, or the Defiant...

I told them there has to be a context to the question though, for instance you can't have the TBD-1 in the same category as the P-47M... With everything advancing so fast you would have to go by year at least.

Thought there would be more interesting answers here... 

So...
By year, what is the worst A/C of WW2?

[larschance]

This is an individual choice. You ask any pilot and they will tell you whatever they flew and survived in was the best aircraft ever, even a Buffalo at Singapore. The latter was successful in the Finnish AF. It is also a better performer in game than in RL.

I would start the debate with

1939 Fairey Battle or Polikarpov I153 (according to recently issued research the latter cost many more lives in training than in combat)

1940 Blackburn Roc or Breda 88.

1941 TBD1 or Lagg3

1942 Caproni VZ5 or Blackburn Botha

1943 D3A2 Val

1944 Fairey Barracuda

1945 He162

[Dimlee]

Polikarpov I-153 is an interesting example. Probably, in 1939 it killed more pilots in training than in battle, after all, there was not much battle for them in 1939 (even the Winter War included).
But in the German-Soviet war in the CAS function, its survivability was (allegedly) better than that of Il-2.

[Dimlee]

By the way, it would be good to define "worst". Most dangerous to the crew? Most difficult to fly? The worst efficiency of operations overall, including the maintenance? The highest loss/sortie ratio? The worst performance compared to other aircraft that did the same job? Etc...

[Esv_Pato]

Douglas TBD Devastator ,but not because it was a bad plane. It was obsolete when the war started. Surviving this plane was a feat.

[UberDemon]

Well, I hate having to think for myself... fortunately Bill Yenne wrote a book called "The World's Worst Aircraft" that let's us know the answer to this non-controversial question.  Here are the worst offenders from WW2-ish... from the book...

* Kalinin K-7 & Tupolev Ant-20
* Brewster F2A Buffalo
* Bell P-39 Airacobra
* Blohm & Voss Bv-141
* GM P-75 Eagle
* Hughes F-11
* Messerschmitt Me-321/323 Gigant
* Mitsubishi G4M Betty
* Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka Baka
* Bachem Ba-349 Natter
* Douglas XSB2D-1 Turkey
* Douglas BTD-1 Destroyer
* Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate
* Douglas XA2D Skyshark
* Hughes-Kaiser HK-1/H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose)

... get the popcorn...

[UberDemon]

Martin J. Dougherty's "The World's Worst Weapons From Exploding Guns to Malfunctioning Missiles" also include some aircraft... here are the worst offenders from WW2-ish era...

* Handley-Page Heyford
* Junkers Ju-87 Stuka
* Farey Swordfish
* Farey Battle
* Heinkel He-177 Greif (HOW DARE THEM CRITICIZE THE MIGHTY GREIF!?!?!?!?!?   )
* Vickers Wellington
* Blackburn Skua
* Heinkel He-111
* Messerschmitt Bf-209
* Bolton-Paul Defiant
* Blackburn Roc
* Messerschmitt Bf-110
* Brewster Buffalo
* Northrop XP-56
* Bell P-39 Airacobra
* Messerschmit Me-163 Komet
* Saunders-Roe SARO SR.A/1
* Mistel Composite Aircraft
* Fiesler Fe-103 Reichenberg IV Piloted Missile
* Heinkel He-162 Salamender
* Bachem Natter

[Dimlee]

A beautiful and elegant Handley-Page Heyford is there but no French interwar bombers? Anti-British conspiracy. 

And Bf 110... this is a blasphemy. My Sunday is ruined. Gone drinking.

[UberDemon]

Dimlee,

Your sadness makes me even sadder.  I am drinking now even more than ever!

[The-frenchsistance]

I think it's Lagg 3

[BalDaddy]

One could cite anything manufactured by Blackburn throughout their long history as far as British aircraft are concerned. How did this company get so many contracts, which would be laughable if those contracts didn't result in injury and loss of life? However this company did eventually produce an outstanding airframe, the 'Buccaneer'.
So overall worst aircraft in WW2 of the Allies has to be (for me) the Blackburn Botha, having many problems, the worst of which it couldn't get off the ground carrying more than a fraction of it's payload!

I was surprised to see the Ju87 and Swordfish in the last list posted, considering the success they had in their roles throughout the conflict.

As to the Defiant, due to the unimagined quick defeat of France, it was forced into a combat role it was not designed for, causing great attrition of the courageous crews that continued to fly it in the Battle of Britain, until it was withdrawn from that conflict.

[Frankiek]

I partially agree on the defiant however the turret for the gunner was a real deathtrap by design