1000 results found for “warplanes*”

The Fairey Swordfish, by some accounts, was one of the finest warplanes of all World War II. It was highly reliable, capable of launching from carriers in most weather conditions. This was in spite of its anachronistic biplane frame. The Swordfish served in spotter,...

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a fast, modern fighter, but had no armour for the pilot. When the Zero was in the hands of aggressive and well-trained pilots this weakness was rarely apparent. Fast and manoeuvrable, and with an extremely long range, it proved...

The Horsa is perhaps the best known glider of WWII. Able to transport more than 25 troops or a large amount of essential equipment and supplies in its large fuselage. It took part in the main airborne landings of WWII but its name is...

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. Used by most Allied powers during World War II, it would see service throughout the war. It was the third most-produced of US aircraft of...

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger, also abbreviated as Fw 190, is a single-seat, single-engine fighter used by the German forces after 1941. Alongside its counterpart, Messerschmitt Bf 109, it became the backbone for the Luftwaffe's Jagdwaffe. On its debut combat, the Focke-Wulf was superior...

The Ki45 Toryu (Dragon slayer, Allied reporting name Nick) was a twin-engine heavy fighter patterned after the Me110 and its contemporaries, becoming one of the most important of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force’s warplanes. Initially deployed in bomber escort roles, it soon became...

Lawrence F. Steffenhagen was born in Minnesota in 1912 and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1936. Steffenhagen shipped out with the USS Lexington as a member of the United States Naval Reserve and flew a TBD-1 Devastator as part of VT-2, the...

Richard Halsey ‘Dick’ Best graduated with honours from the United States Naval Academy in 1932 and transferred to naval aviation in 1934. He joined the USS Lexington in 1936, later taking an instructor role before moving to dive bombers. He was assigned to USS...

When the US Navy and Marine Corps entered the Second World War, they had only one effective fighter aircraft available to them: the F4F Wildcat. Fortunately, the Wildcat proved more than equal to the task of holding the line. The Wildcat was outperformed by...

The F4U Corsair was an American fighter, of which, was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft. It quickly emplaced itself as one of the more capable fighter-bombers of the second world war. It had such a reputation that some Japanese pilots referred the...

The F4U Corsair was an American fighter, of which, was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft. It quickly emplaced itself as one of the more capable fighter-bombers of the second world war. It had such a reputation that some Japanese pilots referred the...

Otto Kittel flew first in Yugoslavia and then on the Eastern Front from June 1941 at the very outset of Operation Barbarossa. He claimed his 100th aerial victory in September of 1943, his 150th in April of 1944 and his 200th in August the...

First flying in 1935 when Germany was banned from building bombers under the Treaty of Versailles, the Heinkel He111 was at first disguised as a fast transport plane. However its real purpose soon became clear when it was used as a bomber during the...

The British air raid on the Italian port of Taranto demonstrated to the world the vulnerability of ships against attacks from the air. The planes of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy proved a scourge to Axis forces throughout every theatre of...

The P-40 Warhawk was employed over most theatres by most Allied Nations in WW2. The "Flying Tigers" enjoyed considerable success with the aircraft... Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Vital Statistics Crew: 1 Length: 9.665m Wingspan: 11.367m Max Speed: 538kph Combat Range: 1152km Armament: 6 × 0.50...