2007-08-19 10:05:08 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Thats a very vague question. Are you looking for bombers, fighters, cargo...each catagory has planes that excelled in what they did, but you cant say that one plane truly stood out.
Bombers: I would say the B-17(F or G model). This was called the flying fortress, had 10 men per plane with up to 13 .50 cal machine guns as armament. It wasnt the fastest bomber and it couldnt carry the heaviest loads (the B-29 took that honor), it was the main bomber that was responsible for bringing Germany to industrial ruin, which paved the way for the eventual Allied victory.
Fighters - I would say that it it would be the P-51 Mustang. Although this plane showed up later in the war, it excelled as a fighter interceptor and racked up more kills than other fighters. It was not as fast as the Me262 (first jet engine fighter) but could almost out perform the faster German fighter. There were many different fighters throughout the war, some good designs, others not so good. Some excelled at ground attack (P 47 for example) while others like the P51 were better at interception.
Cargo - Easy one. The C47 Skytrain. It ferred soldiers to the pre Dday airborne jump in Normandy and then again in Market Garden. It served in all theaters of the war and for many many years afterwards, in numerous countries around the world.
2007-08-19 10:49:34 · answer #1 · answered by sixtymm 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God, I love WWII era planes, especially the fighters. My Dad trained for WWII, but it ended just as he finished flight school. He later flew Corsairs, F4's and many other planes. My favorite WWII plane has got to be a P-40, since I built a really cool model of one as a kid, and it always stuck in my head (wasn't that the one they called "the hog"?)
2007-08-19 10:11:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Me262. First and only operational jet fighter of WWII. It went about 100 miles per hour faster than any competing design.
Contemporary Allied pilots commented that the only way to deal with it was to wait till it landed and shoot it on the airfield.
It was also the prototype for the first Soviet MiG fighter that gave the US so much trouble in the Korean War.
2007-08-19 10:17:14 · answer #3 · answered by xaviar_onasis 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
P-38 Lightening. The Forked Tail Devil
2007-08-19 10:14:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Messersm. Bf 109.... 6 of their aces had over 200 kills. One of them, Erich Hartmann, destroyed 352 Russian planes. They flew, and racked up staggeringly high scores over North Africa, France, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Poland, and, in the end, Germany itself. Two hundred aerial victories each. By comparison, the top U.S. aces of World War Two achieved twenty or more.
2007-08-19 12:36:20 · answer #5 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In terms of longevity, it has to be the Douglas C-47. The plane served in every theater of the war and is still flying in several parts of the world.
PS. The B-52 did not enter service until the 1950s
2007-08-19 10:17:57 · answer #6 · answered by wichitaor1 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
BF-109
It was the most produced fighter of the war ( and all time ).
Had more kills than any other fighter of the war ( and all time ).
Was in active service during the entire war, and was still a competitive fighter at the end.
2007-08-19 11:37:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the DE haviland DH98 mosquito
and for the last time the B52 is NOT a SECOND WAR airplane the first one took off in 1954
This is a mistake that is come back again, again and again so that's said
2007-08-20 07:06:34 · answer #8 · answered by general De Witte 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The B-17, unquestionably. Two words: Strategic bombing.
2007-08-19 10:10:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
B29
self explanatory
2007-08-19 10:09:13 · answer #10 · answered by borkman8 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋