Fav WW2 equipment.

[crazy canuck]

My faves:

1. Fighter- Tie:

Tie fighters were not used in WWII

[Caliga]

Brewster Buffalos had swastikas in Finnish Service.  I think that's what he talking about.

I'm not good with planes.

Brewster Aeronautical used to have a factory like a mile from where I grew up.  I don't think the Buffalo was made there... I think they manufactured another failed design there (a light bomber IIRC).

[Barrister]

My favourite WWII plane was any RCAF plane that my grandfather flew in (he was a wireless operator).

[11B4V]

Small arms is next category

1. Pistol- M1911
2. Submachines Gun- PPSh
3. Battle Rifle- M1 Garand
4. Light MG- BAR
5. Med MG- MG34/42
6. Heavy MG- Ma Deuce

[Caliga]

My favourite WWII plane was any RCAF plane that my grandfather flew in (he was a wireless operator).

My grandfather did the same for the USAAF.

[derspiess]

1. Pistol- M1911
2. Submachine Gun- MP40 (PPSh-41 close second)
3. Battle Rifle- M1 Garand
4. Light MG- Bren
5. Med MG- MG42
6. Heavy MG- MG42

7. Sniper rifle- K98k

[dps]

1. Fighter:  P-40
2. Fighter Bomber:  P-47   
3. Dive Bomber:  Ju-87
4. Ground Attack:  Hs-123
5. Med Bomber:  Wellington
6. Heavy Bomber- B-17

[The Minsky Moment]

On planes I'm partial to the P-39, as an example of how even a flawed design can be used to effect by employing it to maximize its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.
Also the Corsair, for versatility and sheer longevity.

[The Brain]

Yes?

Brewster Buffalos had swastikas in Finnish Service.  I think that's what he talking about.

I'm not good with planes.

Sure you are.

[11B4V]

Warships

1. Patrol Boats- US PT Boats
2. Frigate-??
3- Destroyers-??
4- Cruiser- Gneisenau
5- Battleships- Any Iowa Class
6- Aircraft Carrier- USS Enterprise
7. Subs- ??

[Razgovory]

Small arms is next category

1. Pistol- M1911
2. Submachines Gun- PPSh
3. Battle Rifle- M1 Garand
4. Light MG- BAR
5. Med MG- MG34/42
6. Heavy MG- Ma Deuce

I don't think BAR was a light machine gun.  It was sometimes used as one, but it never really worked well.  The best light machine gun was Type 99 in Japanese service.  You could put a bayonet on it!

[Maladict]

Hood
Vittorio Veneto
Prinz Eugen
Nagato
Richelieu
KGV

[derspiess]

I don't think BAR was a light machine gun.  It was sometimes used as one, but it never really worked well. 

I agree up to a point.  It was the first squad automatic weapon, and doesn't fit your traditional definition of a machinegun.  But it was pretty effective in many situations.  It was reliable & dead-accurate-- you could put all 20 rounds from a magazine into a small target.  And being .30-06 rounds they penetrated well.  It had its limitations (small magazine size & non-changeable barrel) but it was a very valuable squad weapon for its time.

According to vets, having a BAR in your squad and hearing it firing was a morale-booster, so there's that.

[dps]

1. Patrol Boats:  US PT Boats
2. Frigate:  US Cannon class
3- Destroyers:  US Fletcher class
4- Cruiser:  USS Pensacola
5- Battleship:  USS West Virginia
6- Aircraft Carrier:  HMS Eagle
7. Sub:  Surcouf 

[Razgovory]

Eh, it wasn't first squad automatic weapon.  It was made in 1918.  There were several weapons before.  Some of them better.  The US didn't adopt the excellent Lewis gun because head of the ordinance board didn't like the inventor.  There was a Danish gun, the Madsen, but it was too complicated mechanically.  The French had a Chauchat but it had the disadvantage of not actually working.  The BAR was a strange weapon.  To heavy to be a rifle, it fired to slow and and had to small a magazine to be a good SAW or light machine gun.  Soldiers liked it because they didn't have anything else.  Clearly the army was dissatisfied with it, (they had some strange notions on how it was to be used, soldier were to hip fire it while walking toward the enemy), and late in the war the army tried to convert the 1919 Machine guns into SAWs.