Given much of the film is inspired by dambusters and that Lucas used WWII pilot/cockpit camera footage to mock up early takes of ANH....

Just for fun what ships in star wars equate to what WWII fighters in role or style

For a starter

x-wing - spitfire

z 95 - hurricane

TIE/ln - meshcesmrit

Tie/int - Fokker Wulf long nose D

Y wing - Mosquito

as suggestions....

what do you think?

Normal TIEs would probably be better described as a Zero, as German aircraft was not necessarily known as being the most manoeuvrable.

The Defender would without a doubt be the ME-262 and the Bomber would be the JU-87 Stuka.

good point 'smits were faster than spitfires in dive but less manouverable

i suppose you're right the TIE'ln has to be equated for a cheap but manouverable dangerous to fly mass produced item.

Tie Bomber- Junkers JU 88

Maybe

I'm not good at this I fear.

It's not as easy as i at first thought to be honest as 'star wars' bombers are usually similar in size to fighter and more like 'fighter bombers'

And the big stuff acts more like a fighter (falcon) than a big thing in real life which is usually a bomber...

Might be a bit of a fail of a thread on my part

This is tough, because so many fighter advantages have to do with range and altitude performance, not necessarily represented stats in a tabletop game.

That being said.

P-38 Lightning = TIE Advanced

Long range / Hyperdrive

Two-Engines make it hard to kill / Shields, Good AGI

Not super maneuverable

The only thing is the P-38 had a hefty chunk of firepower, the Advanced, not so much. Maybe if we get an Avenger title...

Y-wing is more like the Boulton-Paul Defiant, or even something like the Fairey Swordfish?

B-wing is clearly the Beaufighter!

The X-Wing is certainly not at all like the Spirfire, except insofar as both are iconic types. The Spitfire was known for being extremely agile and the X-Wing is...not exactly that. I guess you could say that the Battle of Britain is like the Rebels, numerically inferior, technologically superior...eh.

I don't like these types of comparisons because it always devolves into, "Well, Rebels = Good Guys, Empire = Bad Guys, that means X-Wing = Spitfire and TIE = bf 109..."

Kind of lazy, isn't it?

Closest thing I could Imagine the A-wing being is the Me 163 Komet.

The X-Wing is certainly not at all like the Spirfire, except insofar as both are iconic types. The Spitfire was known for being extremely agile and the X-Wing is...not exactly that. I guess you could say that the Battle of Britain is like the Rebels, numerically inferior, technologically superior...eh.

I don't like these types of comparisons because it always devolves into, "Well, Rebels = Good Guys, Empire = Bad Guys, that means X-Wing = Spitfire and TIE = bf 109..."

Kind of lazy, isn't it?

I second that, X-wing and Spitfire are not similar in that sense. I'd rather say the P-51 in that case.

Oh and on second thought the Spitfire could perhaps be the A-wing, but I'm no expert in WWII-aircraft

The original designers considered the X Wing and Y Wing to be equal to each other but it wasnt long before it became the Y was the slower fighter bomber and the X the nimble fighter in peoples minds.

If one has seen 633 Squadron it makes the Y Wing look like a good fit for the Mosquito role but personally i prefer to think of the Y as the late model Hurricane and the X as the early model Spit.

The description of the Z-95 in the source novel complicates matter as it is described even in a stripped down version as being quite powerful with three blasters on each wing and multiple hardpoints for missiles (ignoring the swing wing for now) which at the time it was written was very heavy for a SW fighter before the days of EU expansion and overpowered ships.
I would probably use the Gloster Gladiator. Outdated but agile and with bomb carrying capacity. Still able to serve a purpose even with the newer models. Stubborn as i am i prefer to think the WEG Z-95 doesnt exist *L*

I'd use the B25 Miitchell as the B Wing Armed to the teeth and capable of dogfighting even if that wasn't its focus. Although i like the B-25 and think the B Wing is a dubious design at best

As for the Imp Ships i have never really found an alternative i like. The 109 would be the logical choice for the TIE or maybe the Zero. But i think the European theatre was a bigger influence. The 262 would be a decent choice for the Intereptor.

"don't like these types of comparisons because it always devolves into, "Well, Rebels = Good Guys, Empire = Bad Guys, that means X-Wing = Spitfire and TIE = bf 109..."

Kind of lazy, isn't it?"

Probably is lazy. But a fun debate. For me i am trying to get into what Cantwell McQuarrie and the gang where thinking of when they designed the ships rather than absolute comprisons.

Closest thing I could Imagine the A-wing being is the Me 163 Komet.

The A-wing is perhaps closer to the Mosquito.

Back when I did my first XWMG paintjobs, I made the X-Wing into a Corsair, and the A-Wing into a Zero. I figured it fit.

I kinda like the Y-wing as the Dauntless dive-bomber.

I kinda like the Y-wing as the Dauntless dive-bomber.

Have to agree with you on this....especially after watching this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZTc5Z4fsPs

Start the video at 1:00 and see what I mean.

P51 Mustang = Tie Interceptor

P38 Lightning = Tie Defender

B17 = Millenium Falcon

IL2 Sturmovik = Firespray

TIE Phantom - Focke Wulf Fw190

Small, withering firepower with four 20mm cannon, and could appear where you least wanted it to.

TIE Advanced - P-40A Warhawk

Reasonably fast and manoeuvrable, but lacking enough firepower.

E-Wing - F4U Corsair

Good firepower and manoeuvrable and able to carry a good range of ordnance.

Here is my take on how X Wing match ups could be used to refight classic WW2 dogfights.

Battle of Britain

Spitfire Mk I = Z-95 (good all rounder)
Hurricane Mk I = Y Wing (tough workhorse)

Me110 = TIE Advanced (could be used as a light bomber)
Me109 = TIE Fighter (has advantage over Hurricane and Spitfire due to better dive and climb rates)
Ju88 = Slave 1 (tough, maneuverable for it's size as was used as a dive bomber too)
He111 = Shuttle (slow but tough)

Ju87 = TIE Bomber

All fighters have similar firepower (2 Attack)

Later European Theatre (1943 +)

FW190A = TIE Interceptor
FW190 Sturmbock variant = TIE Defender (uparmored version of FW190)

Me262 = TIE Phantom (hard to hit but fragile)

B-17 = YT-1300

Spitfire Mk V-IX = X Wing (good all rounder)

P-51B Mustang = A Wing (fast but lacks firepower)
P-51D Mustang = E Wing (great at everything)
P-47 Thunderbolt = B Wing (strong, heavy hitter, good handling)

I wouldn't call this a Failed Thread, there was another one just like it last year, heated arguments.. lol

It's always interesting to see what people think of the space ships and what they would compare them too in the real world.

Here is my take on how X Wing match ups could be used to refight classic WW2 dogfights.

Battle of Britain

Spitfire Mk I = Z-95 (good all rounder)

Hurricane Mk I = Y Wing (tough workhorse)

Me110 = TIE Advanced (could be used as a light bomber)

Me109 = TIE Fighter (has advantage over Hurricane and Spitfire due to better dive and climb rates)

Ju88 = Slave 1 (tough, maneuverable for it's size as was used as a dive bomber too)

He111 = Shuttle (slow but tough)

Ju87 = TIE Bomber

All fighters have similar firepower (2 Attack)

Later European Theatre (1943 +)

FW190A = TIE Interceptor

FW190 Sturmbock variant = TIE Defender (uparmored version of FW190)

Me262 = TIE Phantom (hard to hit but fragile)

B-17 = YT-1300

Spitfire Mk V-IX = X Wing (good all rounder)

P-51B Mustang = A Wing (fast but lacks firepower)

P-51D Mustang = E Wing (great at everything)

P-47 Thunderbolt = B Wing (strong, heavy hitter, good handling)

i really like those two at the end. Somone else suggested the p38 as the tie advanced I thought that was fantastic as well, I might also offer the grumman f6 as the advanced. I can't decide if the zero is the A wing or Tie interceptor but both of those are pretty solid comparisons.

TIE Phantom - Focke Wulf Fw190

Small, withering firepower with four 20mm cannon, and could appear where you least wanted it to.

TIE Advanced - P-40A Warhawk

Reasonably fast and manoeuvrable, but lacking enough firepower.

E-Wing - F4U Corsair

Good firepower and manoeuvrable and able to carry a good range of ordnance.

EXCELLENT examples!

Here is my take on how X Wing match ups could be used to refight classic WW2 dogfights.

Battle of Britain

Spitfire Mk I = Z-95 (good all rounder)Hurricane Mk I = Y Wing (tough workhorse)

Me110 = TIE Advanced (could be used as a light bomber)Me109 = TIE Fighter (has advantage over Hurricane and Spitfire due to better dive and climb rates)Ju88 = Slave 1 (tough, maneuverable for it's size as was used as a dive bomber too)He111 = Shuttle (slow but tough)

Ju87 = TIE Bomber

All fighters have similar firepower (2 Attack)

Later European Theatre (1943 +)

FW190A = TIE InterceptorFW190 Sturmbock variant = TIE Defender (uparmored version of FW190)

Me262 = TIE Phantom (hard to hit but fragile)

B-17 = YT-1300

Spitfire Mk V-IX = X Wing (good all rounder)

P-51B Mustang = A Wing (fast but lacks firepower)P-51D Mustang = E Wing (great at everything)P-47 Thunderbolt = B Wing (strong, heavy hitter, good handling)

AWESOME analysis!

The TIE/LN is closer to the Ki-43 Oscar than the 109 or A6M fighters. Extremely maneuverable but lightly armed (2 x 7.7mm MGs)

The Interceptor's WW2 equivalent is the A6M series of fighters....just as fragile and maneuverable as the Oscar but more heavily armed (2 x 7.7mm MGs & 2 x 20mm cannons)