F-104 Starfighter:
The Starfighter probably killed more Luftwaffe pilots than did the gunners in B-17s. To be fair, though, the Starfighter was designed to be a VFR fighter/interceptor. The Germans were using it for all-weather combat, including ground attack. Those were tough missions for an airplane with twitchy handling and a need to go fast or fall out of the sky.
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4 comments:
Dear Miss Fit:
Old joke...definition of an optimist...Luftwaffe Starfighter pilot who quits smoking.
Best,
Frank
Robert Calvert put out an album in 1974 called "Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters". The spoken sections between the songs are hilarious, and can be found on Youtube.
-Doug in Oakland
Thanks! One helluva bird!
Erich Hartmann was forced to retire from the German Air Force due to his strong opposition to acquiring the F-104. Considering the high loss rate, he probably knew what he was talking about.
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