So, how come the Hurricane gets all it's variant weapon layouts listed, but the Spit doesn't? Rather than separate marks having separate weapons, the Spit was designed with different wings - literally. The same mark could have one of a selection of wing types fitted, with different weapons.

So... to make an attempt at this...
Mark I to V
a wing: 8 .303 MGs
b wing: 2 20 mm cannon, 4 MGs
From Mk V on the a wing was dropped, and another added
c or Universal wing: interchangeable weapon fit, either
8 .303 MGs
2 20mm cannon & 4 .303 MGs
or 4 20mm cannon
From the Mk IX on there was generally only one fit
e wing: 2 20mm cannon and 2 .50 MGs

So you have Mk 1a and Mk1b, Mk Vb and MkVc, but usually the Mk IX was just the Mk IX...

Now I see why you didn't list them...

This design was saved by the Merlin engine clones. Originally its power plant was pretty weak.

I love this plane! Perfect in its roll as an attack aircraft, and much unloved by the uninitiated.


-M

"One of the 56th's worst setbacks occurred on June 26, 1943, when 48 P-47Cs left a forward operating base at RAF Manston late in the afternoon to provide escort for B-17 Flying Fortress bombers returning from a mission against Villacoublay airfield in the Paris suburbs. As the P-47s approached the rendezvous point near Forges-les-Eaux, they were jumped from above and behind by 16 Focke-Wulf Fw 190s of II Gruppe, JG 26. The first pass scattered the Thunderbolts, and Johnson's aircraft, flying at the rear of the 61st Squadron's formation, was seriously damaged by a 20mm shell that exploded in his cockpit and ruptured his hydraulic system. Burned and blinded by hydraulic fluid, Johnson elected to bail out but could not open his shattered canopy.

After disengaging from the fight and re-orienting himself, Johnson dove for the Channel but was intercepted by a single Fw 190. Unable to fight back, he maneuvered violently while under attack, and although sustaining heavy damage, managed to survive until the German ran out of ammunition, at which point it turned back. This latter opponent has never been identified, but Johnson could have been one of three victories claimed that day by the commander of III/JG 2, Oberst Egon Mayer.[1] After landing, Johnson tried to count the bullet holes in his airplane, but when he passed 200 without even moving around the plane, he gave up."

The episode of Dogfights showed a simulation of the fight and it showed the German plane flying back and forth, raking the thunderbolt with gunfire from behind, but the Thunderbolt kept on flying and Johnson was unharmed.

An amazing plane for sure!

The Lightning went through about a bazillion different versions and really only came into it's own near the end of it's lifespan. After the war, you could buy a surplused/decommissioned Lightning for about $800.

Painful, huh?

The Twin-engine Lightning was the plane of American Ace Of Aces Richard I. Bong, with 40 kills, and the second highest scoring american ace, Thomas McGuire, with 38 kills.

Ultimately for all you Mustang, Hellcat, FW and other fans remember that when all the other WW2 prop fighters were rusting in boneyards or being destroyed for parts the Corsair was still flying. in Korea Corsairs even managed to shoot down jets. Several countries still used Corsairs up until the '70s. The Soccer War being a good example of that.

Following the development line of it's little brother, the Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat shared the Carrier Borne Fighter roll with the Corsair. Nimble and fast, but able to take a real beating and stay in the air, it served as an excellent attack aircraft and air combat fighter, and was one of the first American fighters that could take on the dreaded Zero on equal terms.

The rare ME 109T Carrier Fighter made for the CV Graf Zeppelin:

Enjoying early success in China and against american F4F Wildcat fighters, the highly maneuverable and blazing fast Zero met it's match in the American F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat.

I Love the zerro (in online sims, etc) but I have never heard it described as "blazingly fast" except in relation to the ealiert of early war planes like the Brewster Buffalo. The A6M5 version did pick it up a bit, but that was later and still not up to 1943+ snuff.

Indeed, when i refer to the Zero as blazing fast here, I mean in relation to it's early-war contemporaries.

And as for the Wildcat, I had the impression many years ago that the Zero simply pwn3d the Wildcat...Now I know the Wildcat wasn't quite as good as the Zero, but they are on equal footing. I stand rightly accused of not giving the ol' Wildcat it's due.