First flown in 1942, the American Douglas A-26 Invader (from 1948, the B-26, although the designation A-26 was also in use again from 1965) was a twin-engined light attack bomber aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II and seeing service during the Cold War's major conflicts. ...

The Mitsubishi A5M was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'. The Allied code-name was Claude; the Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter"

Designed to a 1934 specification, the plane first flew on February 4, 1...

The Mitsubishi A5M was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6 'Zero''. The Allied code-name was Claude; the Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" Designed to a 1934 specification, the plane first flew on February 4, 1...

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("A" for fighter, 6th model, "M" for Mitsubishi) was a lightweight, carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. Its history mirrored the fortunes of Imperial Japan in World War II. At the time it was introduced, the Mit...

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero ("A" for fighter, 6th model, "M" for Mitsubishi) was a lightweight, carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. Its history mirrored the fortunes of Imperial Japan in World War II. At the time it was introduced, the Mit...

The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force (RAF). It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley-Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF and squadrons from oth...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectation...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectation...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectation...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectation...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expect...

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectation...

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a four-engine American heavy bomber that was built by Consolidated Aircraft Company. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced US aircraft. It was used by every br...

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a four-engine American heavy bomber that was built by Consolidated Aircraft Company. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced US aircraft. It was used by every br...

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a four-engine American heavy bomber that was built by Consolidated Aircraft Company. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced US aircraft. It was used by every br...

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a four-engine American heavy bomber that was built by Consolidated Aircraft Company. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced US aircraft. It was used by every br...

The North American B-25 Mitchell (NA-62) was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used with devastating effect against German and Japanese targets in every combat theater of World War II. The aircraft was named the "Mitchell" in honor of General Bill...

The North American B-25 Mitchell (NA-62) was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used with devastating effect against German and Japanese targets in every combat theater of World War II. The aircraft was named the "Mitchell" in honor of General Bill...

The North American B-25 Mitchell (NA-62) was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used with devastating effect against German and Japanese targets in every combat theater of World War II. The aircraft was named the "Mitchell" in honor of General Bill...

The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company.

The first medium bomber in the Pacific theater and Aleutian Islands in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and the European Theater of Operati...

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. The name "Superfortress" was derived from its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

The B-29 Boeing Model...

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. The name "Superfortress" was derived from its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

The B-29 Boeing Model...

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. The name "Superfortress" was derived from its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

The B-29 Boeing Model...

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. The name "Superfortress" was derived from its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

The B-29 Boeing Model...

The Convair B-36 was a strategic bomber built by Convair for the United States Air Force, the first operational bomber to truly have intercontinental range. Unofficially nicknamed the A “Peacemaker, A” the B-36 was the first thermonuclear weapon delivery vehicle. It was the largest piston engined ai...

The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was an American transport aircraft originally designed for commercial use although it was primarily used during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces; the Navy/Marine Corps version was known as the R5C. Also known to the men who flew them as "The Whale," ...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950's with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the arm...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950's with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the arm...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950's with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the arm...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950's with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the arm...

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950's with a few remaining in operation to this day.

During World War II, the arm...

The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth was a 1930s biplane designed by de Havilland and operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until 1952 when many of the surplus aircraft entered civil operation. Many other nations used the Tiger ...

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British combat aircraft that excelled in a number of roles during the Second World War. It served with the RAF and many other air forces both in the Second World War and postwar (see Operators below). The Mosquito was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews....

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter that began service with both the United States Navy and the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. Although first used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat would become the primary carrier fighter for the first year and a half of the United St...

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts).Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longes...

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts).Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longes...

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts).Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longes...

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts).Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longes...

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War (and in isolated local conflicts).Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. The Corsair served in some air forces until the 1960s, following the longes...

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a fighter plane descended from the earlierF4F Wildcat, but was a completely new design sharing only a familial resemblance to the Wildcat. Some tagged it as "Wildcat's big brother". The Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were the primary United States Navy carrier fi...

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a fighter plane descended from the earlierF4F Wildcat, but was a completely new design sharing only a familial resemblance to the Wildcat. Some tagged it as "Wildcat's big brother". The Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were the primary United States Navy carrier fi...

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a fighter plane descended from the earlierF4F Wildcat, but was a completely new design sharing only a familial resemblance to the Wildcat. Some tagged it as "Wildcat's big brother". The Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair were the primary United States Navy carrier fi...

The Grumman F8F Bearcat (affectionately called "Bear") was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th Century in the United States Navy and ot...

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 WÃrger ("shrike"), often called Butcher-bird, was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of Germany's Luftwaffe, and one of the best fighters of its generation. Used extensively during the Second World War, over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bo...

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 WÃrger ("shrike"), often called Butcher-bird, was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of Germany's Luftwaffe, and one of the best fighters of its generation. Used extensively during the Second World War, over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bo...

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 WÃrger ("shrike"), often called Butcher-bird, was a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft of Germany's Luftwaffe, and one of the best fighters of its generation. Used extensively during the Second World War, over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bo...

The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing. The ...

The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some versions were built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foudry Co Ltd.

The first Mk I production machines were ready fairly quickly, with deliveries starting in December 1937. The...

The Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft starting in 1941. Although it was intended to be a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane in the interceptor role, the Typhoon underwent a long gestation period, eventually evolving into one of the Second World War's mos...

The Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin) was a long-range twin engined bomber of the Luftwaffe. The troubled aircraft was the only heavy bomber built in large numbers by Germany during World War II. Aircrews nicknamed it the Reichsfeuerzeug (Cigarette Lighter of the Reich) due to the engines' tendency to ...

The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War Ii Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. It was one of the most versatile planes of the war, used as a bomber, close-support aircraft, nightfighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, dive-bomber, heavy figher, and even as a giant flying bomb in the Mist...

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka as it became universally known (from Sturzkampfflugzeug or German: dive bomber - literally plunging combat aircraft) was a German combat aircraft operational from 1937 and throughout World War II, and easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings, fixed undercarriage and ...

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka as it became universally known (from Sturzkampfflugzeug or German: dive bomber - literally plunging combat aircraft) was a German combat aircraft operational from 1937 and throughout World War II, and easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings, fixed undercarriage and ...

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien ("flying swallow") was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The Allied code name assigned by the United States War Department was "Tony". The Japanese Army designation was "Army Type 3 Fighter" . It was the only mass-produced ...

The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter. The Hudson was the first significant aircraft construction contract for...

The Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Martin Lippisch, was the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft during the Second World War. Although revolutionary and capable of performance unrivalled at the time, it proved dangerous to operate and resulted in the destruction of very few Allied a...

The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe (German: "Swallow") was the world's first operational turbojet fighter aircraft. It was produced in World War II and saw action starting in 1944 as a multi-role fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, interceptor warplane for the Luftwaffe. It was officially named Schwalbe...

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. The Bf 109 w...

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. The Bf 109 w...

The Bell P-39 Aircobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service at the start of World War II. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the lack of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work, although the type was...

The first land-based aircraft designed specifically for the long-range maritime reconnaissance role, the Lockheed P2V Neptune was destined to be one of the longest-serving military aircraft ever built. The first of two prototypes flew on May 17, 1945.

The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (until 1963 the P2V Nept...

The first land-based aircraft designed specifically for the long-range maritime reconnaissance role, the Lockheed P2V Neptune was destined to be one of the longest-serving military aircraft ever built. The first of two prototypes flew on May 17, 1945.

The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (until 1963 the P2V Nept...

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The aircraft was used in a number of different roles, including dive...

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The aircraft was used in a number of different roles, including dive...

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The aircraft was used in a number of different roles, including dive...

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The aircraft was used in a number of different roles, including dive...

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the pilot and armament. The aircraft was used in a number of different roles, including dive...

The Curtiss P-40 was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. It was used in great numbers in World War II. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous P-36; this reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into produ...

The Curtiss P-40 was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. It was used in great numbers in World War II. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous P-36; this reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into produ...

The American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the Jug, was the largest single-engined fighter of its day. It was one of the main United States Ary Air Force fighters of the Second World War. The P-47 was effective in air combat but proved especially adept in the ground-attack role. Its ...

The American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the Jug, was the largest single-engined fighter of its day. It was one of the main United States Ary Air Force fighters of the Second World War. The P-47 was effective in air combat but proved especially adept in the ground-attack role. Its ...

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II. The P-51 became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.

The P-51 flew most of its wartime mis...

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II. The P-51 became one of the conflict's most successful and recognizable aircraft.

The P-51 flew most of its wartime mis...