After doing a bunch more reading since I started this thread I’ve come to a conclusion of sorts. This is still my opinion of course and have decided that I’m choosing a fighter plane for the European theater and one for the Pacific theater. My European choice is the P-47 Thunderbolt and my Pacific choice is the P-38 Lightning. Both planes were introduced early in each theater and were flown in combat missions until the end of the war(s). The P-47, with it’s size and huge radial engine protecting the pilot, proved time after time that the plane could take damage and still bring the pilot home. It was a good bomber escort fighter and may have been the best fighter at high altitude dog fighting. In the ground attack role, it may have been the best single engine fighter in both theaters. With it’s 8 50cal machine guns, its ability to carry bombs and/or rockets, it was feared and hated by the Germans. The P-38 was wanted and requested throughout the Pacific theater war by General George Kenny, commander of the 5th US Air Force. His argument was always that it had two engines and had the best chance of bringing “his kids” back from a mission. Most, or pretty much all combat mission were flown over water and a single engine fighter had zero chance of getting home when the engine was shot out. The P-38, with it’s two engines, could still bring the pilot home with an engine shot out. They were also very well armed with 4 50cal machine guns and one 20mm cannon all concentrated in the nose giving withering fire to the “Nip” or “Jap” planes that got in their way. As you may remember, it was P-38s that intercepted and shot down the Betty bomber carrying Admiral Yamamoto.
Yes, there were a lot of other excellent fighter planes in WWII and many arguments could be made for one of those being the best. From what I’ve read and in my mind, these are the two best of WWII.
Thank you all for the great discussion, I really appreciated it as it helped pass my boring healing time. I hope, when I get back on a normal schedule, (and this covid shutdown goes away) to start a local WWII discussion group to talk with others that have a similar interest in the war that I do. Maybe it will be like a book club, not sure yet but I want to come up with something. My son was taking a course in WWII history at a local college, I‘m going to reach out to that professor and see if he’s interested. Hope so, my son loved his class and was really disappointed when covid shut it down and made in online.