Written by: Shreyash Vaidhya - 23042, Grade XII
Posted on: 12 September, 2022
The Second World War is considered to be the deadliest war in human history. The war was fought against the axis powers by the allied forces. Over 90 million people which includes both civilians and soldiers lost their lives to the war. There was a revolutionary technological change in military vehicles during the war. One of them was aircraft. In WW2 aircrafts were categorized into different sections which included fighters, bombers, dive bombers, naval aircraft and torpedo bombers. The following aircrafts described below are renowned across the globe, for their design, ferocity and killing ratio during dogfights.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German single seater fighter aircraft which was the backbone of the Luftwaffe. It was first used during the Spanish Civil War and was one the most advanced fighter aircraft during that time. During the Second World War , it was used during the Battle of Britain to fight against British fighter aircrafts. It was also used in the Eastern Front to fight against Soviet fighter aircrafts. With 928 kills, this aircraft was one of the deadliest during the war. For its arsenal, it had 72 caliber machine guns and cannons.
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka is a German dive bomber which was another aircraft that served the Luftwaffe. It was first used in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War along with the Messerschimitt. It was recognized by its inverted gull wings and a fixed landing gear. During the Second World War, It was used during the Invasion of Poland and Blitzkrieg attacks. It was also used during the Battle of Britain to bomb the radar masts and air bases but failed as numerous stukas were shot down by British fighter planes. This aircraft was famously known for its high pitched wail that was heard before the aircraft appeared to attack. It was known as the Jericho Trumpet or the Stuka Siren. It had machine guns and bombs for it’s arsenal.
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero is a Japanese fighter aircraft which served the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. It fought against the US planes in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War . It was used in every major battle in the Pacific Theater which included the Pearl Harbor attack and the Battle of Midway. It had achieved its reputation as a dogfighter with an outstanding kill ratio of 12 to 1. The zero was the most produced aircraft by the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was also used for Kamikaze attacks. It has machine gun, bombs and torpedoes in it’s arsenal.
The Yakovlev Yak-9 is a Soviet single seater fighter aircraft that served the soviet air force during the Second World War and the Cold War. It was first used in 1942 during the Battle of Kursk where it retook air superiority from the Luftwaffe. The Yak-9 was maneuverable at high speeds when flying at low and medium altitudes and was also easy to control, qualities that allowed it to be one of most produced Soviet fighters of the Second World War. With these attributes, they were able to shoot down most of the Luftwaffe fighter planes and achieve victory in Kursk. It’s arsenal includes bombs, 76 mm machine guns and cannons.
The Supermarine Spitfire is a single seater British fighter aircraft that served the RAF(Royal Air Force) during the Second World War . It was first used in 1936 but became famous in 1940 during the Battle of Britain. During that time, it along with the Hawker Hurricane, were the primary aircraft used for combat against the Luftwaffe. It was known for its high speed and high maneuverability and was capable of shooting down deadly German aircrafts like the messerschmitt. This aircraft was also mentioned in Sir Winston Churchill’s speech, “The Few”. It’s arsenal includes a 47 mm machine gun.
The P-51 Mustang is a single seater American fighter-bomber aircraft that served the US Airforce during the Second World War and the Korean War. It was first used in 1942 where they fought fighter planes from the Luftwaffe and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the European and Pacific theaters. In 1944, they were used as bomber escorts during the Dresden Bombings and as fighters in the Invasion of Normandy. In the Pacific, these aircrafts were used during the Battle of Iwo Jima as Fighter-bombers. This aircraft was remarkable even to the enemy that when Hermann Goering saw them flying over Berlin, he said that the war was over and Germany had lost. During the war, they had destroyed over 4950 enemy aircrafts. It’s arsenal includes rockets, bombs, cannons and machine guns.
The Vought F4U Corsair is a single seater American naval fighter-bomber aircraft that served the US Airforce in the Pacific theater of the Second World War . Like the stuka, the corsair also had inverted gull wings but the inverted wings of the plane can be folded and unfolded. It was used for fighting against the Japanese zeros and bombing enemy destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers. This aircraft was first used in 1940 and participated in major Pacific battles including the Battle of Saipan, Battle of Guadalcanal, Battle of Midway, Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa. It’s arsenal includes bombs, rockets and machine guns.
References:
https://airandspace.si.edu/topics/aircraft
