My father flew in Halifax,s with 6 Group and his comment on Lancaster and Mosquito and B17 are quite intresting talking to crews in Germay after they had been shot down.
Mosquito
Fantastic aircraft but he was told by a crew who had flown them that they were tricky too fly as has been said earlier, and also IF caught 20mm cannon shells made short work of them. The "IF" comment is the important one as he only talked to 4nr Mosquito pilots during his time behind the wire.
Lancaster
Very good aircraft but survival rate for crew was poor in comparison with Halifax due inpart to the wing spar position. The vast majority of bomber command crews he was inside with were Lancaster men due in part to the numbers flying. The aircraft performance was better than the Halifax and all other RAF heavy bomber types as is well documented. The comments of the crews, bearing in mind what had recently happened to them was more how difficult it was to get out of the thing after being hit rather than its flying ability or bomb load.
B17
Bomb loads were small in comparrison but missions were at high altitude and in daylight as we are all aware. B17 crew always said their aircraft were tough and well built. There was much talk about diffrent tactics ie night / day with one B17 pilot saying to my father "I do not know how you guys fly at night, I like to see where I am going, even if its down !!". Also the moral boost you used to get as a "Kreigie" he said when you looked up to view an 8th Air Force mission on a sunny day was quite somthing.
There has been comments about German nightfighters on this thread and my father met a few as he was taken to a nightfighter base after being shot down. His comment was they were just "like us in age and manerisams" and he met no hostilaty during his time there or indeed during his time inside. Indeed in 2003 with the help of German crash investigators I took him back to the village where he was shot down, and he was introduced to a then young boy who had held his hand back in 1943 to stop him walking back into his burning aircraft as he was blinded by shock for 24hrs after the crash.
In closing I think the planes are not as important as the men who flew them as no matter what side you are on in the Lanc/ Fortress debate the courage required to face a determined and resolute foe can only be admired.