[GonzoGOP]

Actually the ME 163 was a rocket. My late uncle who flew B-17s in the ETO described them as 0 - Oh Wow in three seconds when you hit the ignition, Oh Wow to Oh S#!t in 60 seconds when you ran out of fuel and a P-51 flamed you as you glided back. And even if you got back the landing (the wheels were ejected to save weight) killed more pilots than did our fighters. Oh and if the fuel leaked it dissolved the pilot.

[rmlew]

The only thing more suicidal than ME 163 was using a Soviet Polikarpov I-16 to ram German bombers after running out of ammo or flying the biplane Polikarpov I-15. Of course, if I remember correctly, at one point the entire RAF force defending Malta was 3 biplanes, Gloster Gladiators.

As for the best fighters to actually partipate?
Single Engine:
US Navy- Corsair
USAAF- P-47. Anyone who thinks it was too short range should look up the N model.
RAF- Spitfire. While individual models may have been outmatched, the iterations were beautiful from 1937-1952. The Hawker Tempest was also a beuaty.
Luftwaffe- F-190 and its evolution the Ta152 Japanese Navy- Mitsubishi J2M Raiden/Jack.
Japanese Army- Kawasaki Ki-100 with props to the Nakajima Ki-84