WWII was the first conflict that saw mass uses of aircraft. As such, it should stand to reason that there are a lot of WWII aircraft, all of whom played their part during the war. But which played the most significant role?
Over the course of the war, a staggering 750,000 aircraft were built. The vast majority of these saw conflict, as fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft etc. However, a large minority were prototypes for new aircraft as well!
15. Supermarine Spitfire
For most Brits, the Supermarine Spitfire has been engrained into them as one of the best WWII aircraft. Indeed, for many in Britain, the only reason they weren’t conquered by Germany was because of the Spitfire!
In 1936, Supermarine were contracted by the RAF to produce a fighter that was far superior than any fighter currently in production. Supermarine gave the RAF the K5054 prototype, which had a revolutionary design.
The K5054 exceeded all RAF expectations, and the K5054 prototype was soon entered into production as the Spitfire. During the interwar years, production of the Spitfire would stop and start, but the RAF had a large number of Spitfires by 1939.
Over the course of the war, Supermarine pumped out over 20,000 Spitfires for every Allied nation to use. Perhaps the most famous use of the Spitfire was during the Battle of Britain in 1940, where the Spitfire played an instrumental role.
14. Yakovlev Yak-3
By 1942, the Soviet Union had officially joined the Allies. With this, Soviet Yak fighters were fighting the far superior Stukas and Bf 109s, and were losing drastically. As such, Stalin demanded a superior fighter.
Alexander Yakovlev, the chief of the Yakovlev Design Bureau, tasked his engineers with designing an improved version of his initial I-30 prototype. The aircraft they came up with was the Yak-3.
Upon their entry into service in June 1944, they became the pride of Stalin’s air force. They led the vast majority of the aerial combat missions against the Germans in the last year of the war.
The Yak-3 was so formidable, that the Luftwaffe top brass issued a warning in early 1945, that if they encountered a Yak-3, they were to disengage the Yak-3. On top of that, they were supposed to retreat when it was safe to do so!
13. Messerschmitt Bf 109
With that being said, the Bf 109 was similarly one of the more important WWII aircraft, even if they were on the wrong side of history. Throughout the entirety of the war, the Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe’s pride and joy.
The Bf 109 was designed deliberately to go against the Treaty of Versailles. It was also designed to give Germany a fighter that could contend with new monoplane fighters then in production in the UK, France and US.
During the war, the Bf 109 was Germany’s primary fighter, often engaging the P-51 and Spitfire (and later the Yak-3!) In total, roughly 35,000 Bf 109s were built, including variants, and were used by all of Germany’s allies during the war.
Upon Nazi Germany’s defeat in May 1945, all of its aircraft were retired and sold. Many other countries bought these Bf 109s, with many of them remaining in service until well into the 1960’s!
12. North American P-51 Mustang
To most Americans, the P-51 Mustang was America’s best WWII aircraft. Although it was initially designed for the RAF, the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) were the largest operator of the Mustang.
Among the Allied air forces, the Mustang was one of the only aircraft they all operated. The Mustang was also one of only a handful of aircraft to have seen action in all five major theaters of the war.
In total, the P-51 produced the most fighter aces of any WWII aircraft (followed closely behind the Spitfire and Bf 109). Over the course of the war, more than 15,000 were built, becoming feared by all Axis pilots.
The Mustang was so good, that it was stored until the Korean War. Here, the Americans would use it once again, this time against superior jet aircraft. North American would also develop the Twin Mustang from the P-51 too.
11. Mitsubishi A6M “Zero”
For the entire duration of the war, the Mitsubishi Zero was the pride of Imperial Japan’s naval air arm. It is perhaps one of the most famous Japanese WWII aircraft, mostly for the role it played following Pearl Harbor.
Prior to Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Navy was looking for a new naval fighter that could outperform the fighters then in service with the Japanese Navy (as well as those fielded by China, who Japan was then at war with!)
Once Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, the Zero made up a large portion of the Japanese naval air fleet. As such, they often fought against American P-51s and British Spitfires, gaining a rather formidable reputation.
The Zero was the deadliest aircraft Japan used during the Pacific Theater. At its height, the Zero had a kill to loss ratio of 12 to 1, the most of any WWII aircraft, both Allied or Axis!
10. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
The P-40 can trace its origins to the P-36 Hawk. By the late 1930’s, the P-36’s design had become obsolete, as it was too slow to effectively compete with the much faster and more maneuverable Axis aircraft.
As such, the USAAC ordered Curtiss to modernize the P-36’s design. As such, Curtiss redesigned the P-36 almost in its entirety, developing the much faster and more maneuverable P-40 Warhawk.
In total, not as many P-40s were developed as the P-47 and P-51. However, when it entered service in 1939, it was among the most advanced aircraft of its day. Upon entering WWII in 1941, the P-40 scored many early US kills.
Despite initially entering service as a fighter, newer Axis aircraft soon made the P-40 obsolete. As such, the P-40 was soon redesignated as a ground attack aircraft, a role the aircraft was particularly suited to, helping US troops in Europe and the Pacific.
9. Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
Whilst the Spitfire and Mustang often get the credit for being the Allies deadliest aircraft during WWII, most Axis pilots regarded the P-47 as the backbone of the Allies air forces.
Early on in the war, the P-47 served as one of the USAAC’s primary fighters. For many of the Commonwealth forces, the P-47 was also used throughout the war, however, this was mostly in a support role.
As the war progressed, the USAAC and Commonwealth forces received newer aircraft, such as the P-51 Mustang. With this, the P-47 became a fighter-bomber, often bombing Axis airfields to prevent counterattacks.
Over the course of the war, Republic Aviation produced a grand total of 15,000 P-47s, many of which were used well into the 1960’s. Many P-47s are still operated today, albeit as warbirds, rather than military aircraft.
8. Focke Wulf Fw 190
Sadly history has preferred to remember the Bf 109 over the Fw 190, when both were equally as instrumental to the war for the Germans. However, for most Allied pilots, the Fw 190 was just as scary as the Bf 109!
The Fw 190 was similarly built by Germany as a way to deliberately work around the Treaty of Versailles. When it entered service in 1940, alongside the Bf 109, the Fw 190 made up the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fleet.
During the war, more Bf 109s were built and deployed, which helped it to quickly gain a reputation of being formidable in the air. However, once the Fw 190 entered service en masse, it gained a much more fearsome reputation.
Although the Bf 109 had more confirmed kills, the Fw 190 produced more fighter aces than any other aircraft. In fact, Luftwaffe higher ups, and pilots alike viewed the Fw 190 as the superior aircraft!
7. North American P-38 Lightning
The P-38 was regarded by most pilots as the most versatile WWII aircraft. At different points in the war, it served as a fighter, fighter bomber and as an aerial reconnaissance aircraft. A small minority actually performed all three roles!
In 1939, the USAAC contacted Lockheed about producing a high-altitude interceptor. Lockheed responded with the P-38, designed by their chief engineer, Kelly Johnson. The P-38 interested the USAAC, who bought it that year.
When the US entered WWII in 1941, the P-38 was among the first fighters it sent. The US would also sell P-38’s to the RAF, who bought a large amount of them. The RAF would subsequently use them as fighter-bombers and for reconnaissance.
During the Southeast Asian Theater, the P-38 would produce the most fighter aces of any aircraft, many of whom are still alive today. Partly due to this, well over 10,000 P-38s were built by Lockheed!
6. North American T-6 Texan
For many of the WWII fighter aircraft, they would’ve likely never been as formidable or as important without the T-6 Texan. After all, the best aircraft is only as good as the pilot who flies it.
The Texan was developed in the early 1930’s to replace many of the biplane trainers from the WWI and interwar periods. Before the war, the USAAC had purchased the aircraft, as had many US allies, such as the UK, Canada and Australia among others.
Both prior and during the war, the Texan trained pilots for combat. Pilots would go from barely being able to fly, to becoming fighter aces in a matter of weeks, thanks in large part to the Texan.
Despite being an early 1930’s design, the Texan has proved to be one of the most useful WWII aircraft. The Texan remained as a basic trainer with the USAF even after the introduction of jet trainers. The Texan was still being used in the 1990’s by some militaries!
5. Boeing PT-17 Stearman
During the war, the USAAC used the T-6 Texan, the US Navy on the other hand, did not. Instead, they still used biplane trainers, with the best one being the Boeing PT-17 Stearman.
In the early 1930’s, the US Navy had begun looking for a new basic trainer. Here, Stearman offered an all-new trainer, which the US Navy was interested in. However, in 1934, Stearman was bought out by Boeing.
Regardless, Boeing/Stearman manufactured the PT-17 at its Wichita, Kansas plant. From 1934 until 1945 over 10,000 PT-17s were produced making it one of the most produced WWII aircraft in history!
For the most part, the PT-17 was the Navy’s premier trainer. However, the PT-17 was also incredibly versatile, with it also acting as one of the first MediEvac aircraft, during the entirety of WWII.
4. Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Technically speaking, the C-47 wasn’t a WWII aircraft. Originally, the C-47 was the Douglas DC-3 airliner, which entered service in 1935. The DC-3 itself was developed from the DC-2 airliner and DC-1 prototype, which was developed in 1933.
Regardless, with the onset of the war in 1939, the British knew that it would need more troop transport aircraft than it currently had. As such, they requisitioned all airliners used by British airlines, including the DC-3.
Here, they converted them into troop transporters or cargo aircraft. The RAF designated their DC-3s as Dakotas. Once the US entered the war, the USAAC did the same, as well as buying DC-3s directly from Douglas, calling theirs Skytrains.
The C-47 transported most of the Allied troops and supplies during the war, playing a particularly large role in D-Day. The C-47 did such a good job that both sides kept many of the C-47s until well into the Cold War-era 1970’s!
3. Douglas C-54 Skymaster
As early as 1941, the US airlines began to realize that whilst a rugged, versatile and economical aircraft, the DC-3 (C-47) couldn’t transport as many passengers as they’d have liked. As such, they reached out to Douglas.
Douglas responded with a much larger, four-engine aircraft that could carry almost double the amount of people that the DC-3 could. This aircraft would be named the Douglas DC-4.
However, the war saw the USAAC take possession of all new aircraft coming off the production line, including the DC-4. Here, they designated it as the C-54 Skymaster, and would often serve alongside the C-47.
As with the C-47, the C-54 would be instrumental in transporting US troops to England, and from England to France on D-Day. The C-54 was so good, it would still be used after WWII, especially as FDR’s presidential aircraft!
2. Avro Lancaster
In the early 1930’s, the RAF’s WWI-era heavy bombers had become too old and ineffective to operate. As such, the RAF issued Specification P.13/36, which set out to find a suitable replacement heavy bomber.
Avro responded with the Avro 679 Manchester bomber. The RAF liked the concept of the Manchester, although it needed a few adjustments. Once these modifications had been made, the Manchester entered service as the Avro Lancaster.
Throughout the war, the Lancaster would serve as the RAF’s main bomber. During the war, Spitfires and Hurricanes would protect the Lancasters, as they performed the majority of the RAF’s bombing missions during the war.
Perhaps the most famous mission that the Lancaster was involved in was Operation Chastise. Here, Lancaster bombers bombed a series of dams in the Ruhr Valley in Germany, using the bouncing bomb designed by Barnes Wallis.
1. Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Prior to the war, Boeing had produced the B-17 Flying Fortress, which was later used in the war as a highly successful strategic bomber. However, the onset of the war saw the need for more modern, larger bombers.
As such, Boeing developed a larger and more modern aircraft from the original B-17. Boeing designated this new aircraft the B-29 Superfortress, when it entered service with the USAAC in May 1944.
Despite entering the war so late, the B-29 led the bulk of the bombing campaigns against the Japanese and German forces until the end of the war.
In August 1945, the B-29 made history for being the first aircraft to drop an atomic weapon during war. As of the time of writing, the B-29 is also the only aircraft to have ever dropped an atomic weapon during war!
The B-29 was so good it was developed into the Boeing 377 airliner and KC-97 freighter.
Which was the most important WWII aircraft? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Jez via Flickr.