We arm chair generals perhaps should try on a WW2 flight helmet and listen to our thoughts OF THE TIME ....The P51 Mustang came near the end of the war and without it, Germany was nanoseconds away from jet fighters and the Zero WAS superior in a lot of areas
A PILOT, a flight afficionado ... wants to FLY .... and he'll fly anything he's capable of handling and willing to at least try something he's not
WW2 WarBirds have a special place in the hearts of the aviator/historian
and if you'll pursue the subject, a LOT of what we enjoy today had it's start, or maturation because of WW2 endeavors
I believe that many American fighters get a bad rap from WWII for being sub optimal dogfighters. E.G. The P-40 should be compared to the Hawker Hurricane not the Spitfire. American fighters tended to be bigger and more heavily armed (and armored) that those they fought against. The size and weight works against turning radius, but allows much larger fuel tanks (increasing range). The Allison Engine used in the P-40, P-38, and P-39 had equal or better performance than the Merlin at med to low elevation, but the Merlin was much better over 20,000 FT.
The Japanese got very impressive performance out of the Zero, but only by removing all possible weight.