U.S. WW2 Aircraft
U.S. WW2 Aircraft
Overview
Picture: P1
The United States produced more than 300,000 airplanes in World War II.[2] World War II marked the maturity of aerial warfare. Planes had advanced enough since WWI to be able to fill specific niches. During WW2, the primary missions fulfilled by airplanes were air-to-air combat, bombing, aerial reconnaissance, and troop and supply transportation. Since many designs were based on pre-war civilian aircraft, many similar airplanes filled multiple roles.[3]
>> Light fighters and fighter bombers (single-engined, single-seat)
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Picture: P3
Aviation-history.com states “Although it was on hand in greater quantities than any other US Army airplane from 1941 to 1943, the Curtiss P-40 was obsolete by European standards, even before the prototype flew. In spite of it’s shortcomings, it was an effective fighting machine when used properly. New techniques evolved to great success and it also proved very useful in close ground support.” [101]
| Name | Curtiss P-40 Warhawk |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss-Wright |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Produced | 1939–1944 |
| Number built | 13,738 |
Grumman F4F Wildcat
Picture: P4
The Grumman Wildcat was the principal American carrier fighter from the time war broke out until it was replaced with the Hellcat in mid-1943.(110) The Wildcat was generally outperformed by the Mitsubishi Zero, its major opponent in the early part of the Pacific Theater but held its own partly because, with relatively heavy armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, the Grumman airframe could survive far more damage than its lightweight, unarmored Japanese rival (111)
| Name | Grumman F4F Wildcat |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Role | Carrier Based Fighter |
| Produced | 1939–1945 |
| Number built | 7,885 |
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Picture: P6
The Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA). This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft.[121]
| Name | Grumman F6F Hellcat |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Role | Carrier Based Fighter |
| Produced | 1942–45 |
| Number built | 12,275 |
Vought F4U Corsair
Picture: P8
From Wikipedia “The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio.”[131]
| Name | Vought F4U Corsair |
| Manufacturer | Chance Vought |
| Role | Carrier Based Fighter Bomber |
| Produced | 1942–1953 |
| Number built | 12,571 |
>> Heavy fighters (multi-engined or multi-seat)
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Picture : P18
The P-38 Lightning was the Army’s fastest and most heavily armed fighter. The concentration of firepower in the Lightning’s nose was so effective that a one-second burst could destroy an enemy plane.[201] The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in large-scale production throughout American involvement in the war, from the Attack on Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day. [205]
| Name | Lockheed P-38 Lightning |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Role | Fighter-bomber |
| Produced | 1941–45 |
| Number built | 10,037 |
>>Carrier-based naval bombers
Douglas SBD Dauntless
Picture : P301
The SBD (“Scout Bomber Douglas”) was the United States Navy’s main carrier-based scout/dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. (302)
As stated by acepilots.com “Being fairly maneuverable, the SBD was occasionally pressed into service as an anti-torpedo bomber interceptor. It played this role well at Coral Sea. The SBD was the Navy’s most successful dive bomber, and was preferred by pilots over its successor, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.” [304]
| Name | Douglas SBD Dauntless |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft |
| Role | Dive bomber |
| Produced | 1940–1944 |
| Number built | 5,936 |
Douglas TBD Devastator
Picture : P312
The Devastator performed well in early battles, most notably in the Battle of Coral Sea, but earned notoriety for a catastrophic performance during the Battle of Midway in which 41 Devastators recorded zero torpedo hits with only six surviving to return to their carriers (311)
| Name | Douglas TBD Devastator |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft |
| Role | Dive bomber |
| Produced | 1937–1939 |
| Number built | 130 |
Grumman TBF Avenger
Picture : P321
The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. It would become the most effective and widely-used torpedo bomber of World War II, sharing credit for sinking the super-battleships Yamato and Musashi (the only ships of that type sunk exclusively by American aircraft while under way) and being credited for sinking 30 submarines. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s (322)
| Name | Grumman TBF Avenger |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Role | Torpedo bomber |
| Produced | 1942–1960 |
| Number built | 9,839 |
>>Medium and heavy bombers,
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Picture : P401
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 were the United States’ two standard heavy bombers until the arrival of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1944. The B-17 served in almost every theater of World War II, but it was used mostly by the US Eighth Air Force, based in the UK, to bombard German targets. (402)
| Name | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| Produced | 1936–1945 |
| Number built | 12,731 |
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Picture : P410
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia states “The B-29 Superfortress is usually regarded as the ultimate strategic bomber of World War II. It saw service only in the Pacific theater. It was also the world’s first nuclear-capable bomber (in its Silverplate variant) and dropped the two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that contributed to ending the war. It was a very sophisticated aircraft for its day, having fully pressurized crew compartments, sophisticated bombing radar, and remote-controlled gun turrets with computing sights.” (411)
| Name | Boeing B-29 Superfortresss |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| Produced | 1943–1946 |
| Number built | 3,970 |
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Picture : P421
From Wikipedia “The B-24 was used extensively in World War II. It served in every branch of the American armed forces as well as several Allied air forces and navies. It saw use in every theater of operations. Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, including the bombing of Japan.” (422) The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was the most produced military plane in the USA. (424)
| Name | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| Produced | 1940–1945 |
| Number built | 18,188 |
REFERENCES
Picture Credits:
- *Top Pictures: By Unknown author – http://www.bands.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/040607-F-0000S-004.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5723323
- (P1) By United States Army Air Forces – Thompson, Scott (2011), Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors (4th Edition), Pictorial Histories & Aero Vintage Books ISBN-10: 1575101564, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20649668
- (P3) By United States Army Air Forces – Thompson, Scott (2011), Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors (4th Edition), Pictorial Histories & Aero Vintage Books ISBN-10: 1575101564, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20649668
- (P4) By U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 2011.003.270.026, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24589126
- (P6) By U.S. Navy photo 80-G-K-605, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6926087
- (P8) By Gerry Metzler – https://www.flickr.com/photos/flyguy71/7427977930/sizes/l/in/photostream/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20571543
- (P18) By U.S. Air Force – http://www.ww2incolor.com/gallery/U-S-Air-Force/ace, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1736257
- (P301) By U.S. Navy photo – http://www.nasascale.org/museum_pensacola.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2795662
- (P312) By U.S. Navy photo 80-CF-1071-1, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13300882
- (P321) By USN, from en.wikipedia, by uploader Felix c – www.daveswarbirds.com, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1646339
- (P401) By U.S. Air Force – https://media.defense.gov/2006/Jun/01/2000554879/-1/-1/0/060512-F-1234S-008.JPG at gallery page, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4502337
- (P410) By a U.S. Air Force Airman – http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/020903-o-9999b-042.jpg (dead link as of 17 February 2017) https://media.defense.gov/2004/Jan/20/2000595348/-1/-1/0/020903-O-9999B-042.JPG (current as of 17 February 2017), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1487194
- (P421) By Unknown, U.S. Air Force archived photograph – http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/040315-F-9999G-002.jpgOriginally uploaded to EN Wikipedia as en:Image:Maxwell B-24.jpg by Signaleer 8 December 2006. (dead link as of 17 February 2017) https://media.defense.gov/2004/Mar/15/2000593857/-1/-1/0/040315-F-9999G-002.JPG (current as of 17 February 2017), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3128714
Text Credits:
- ** Top Image: The USS Yorktown is hit on the port side by a torpedo launched from a plane off the Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. (Image: National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-414423.)
- (2) https://www.si.edu/spotlight/wwii-aircraft
- (3)https://aerocorner.com/blog/airplanes-in-ww2/#:~:text=During%20WW2%2C%20the%20primary%20missions,similar%20airplanes%20filled%20multiple%20roles.
- (101) http://www.aviation-history.com/curtiss/p40.htm
- (110) http://www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com/F/4/F4F_Wildcat.htm — accessed: 02-12-2022
- (111) http://acepilots.com/planes/f4f_wildcat.html — accessed: 02-12-2022
- (121) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F6F_Hellcat
- (131) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F4U_Corsair
- (201) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning
- (205) Bodie, Warren M. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning: The Definitive Story of Lockheed’s P-38 Fighter. Hayesville, North Carolina: Widewing Publications, 2001 [1991]. ISBN 0-9629359-5-6. p. 44
- (12)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_history_of_World_War_II#United_States
- (302) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_SBD_Dauntless
- (304) http://acepilots.com/pto/douglas-dauntless.html
- (311) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_TBD_Devastator
- (322) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_TBF_Avenger
- (402) http://www.aviation- history.com/boeing/b17.html — accessed: 02-12-2022
- (411) http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/b29.html — accessed: 02-12-2022
- (422) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator
- (424) http://www.aviation-history.com/consolidated/b24.htm — accessed: 02-12-2022
Resources / Websites
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_World_War_II
- https://www.militaryfactory.com/
- http://acepilots.com/planes
- The Pacific War Online — http://www.pwencycl.kgbudge.com/F/4/F4F_Wildcat.htm
- Smithsonian Museum — https://www.si.edu/spotlight/wwii-aircraft
- https://www.warhistoryonline.com
- http://www.aviation-history.com/