Category Archives: Fighter

Dewoitine D.520

A nice looking little fighter, that could have been among the world’s best and most important types summer of 1940. But it was just too late.  After the jump, one of the near great stories of World War II.

Posted in Fighter, France | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Dornier Do 335A-1 Pfeil

Before World War II the concept of the “heavy fighter” was popular with many air forces.  But wartime experience mostly discredited the idea.  Yet the German Dornier Company felt they could still do something with the type. After the jump, … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, Germany, Hypothetical | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Seversky J9

No doubt this would count as a minor type.  But that doesn’t mean unimportant!  This small fighter would be used by Sweden and The United States, and is an early step in the lineage of one of the truly important … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, Sweden, USA | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Hawker Hurricane Mk I

One of the cutting edge aircraft of the late 1930s, The Hawker Hurricane was the first British monoplane with semi-monocoque construction (All the structural strength was carried internally.  That means no external bracing wires.), retractable landing gear and fully enclosed … Continue reading

Posted in Britain, Fighter | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat

The Grumman Hellcat was the most successful Naval fighter of World War II.  This really isn’t even close. Yet ironically it seems to be less well known than other late war US types.  So let’s take a look at an … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Nakajima Ki-43-I “Oscar”

The Japanese Army “Oscar” is far less known than the Navy’s Zero. Yet it has many similarities, and also served from the start to the end of the Pacific War.   So let’s take a look at an important, but … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, Japan | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Vought F4U-1d Corsair

Another of the best known aircraft of World War II, the Corsair was a powerful and effective fighter, used mostly by the US Marine Corps. So let’s take a look at this American Fighter.

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3

Another well known German type, the Fw 190 is on anyone’s list of the very best fighters of World War II. So let’s look at an early version of this well known fighter.

Posted in Fighter, Germany | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Bell P-400 Airacobra

The very stylish, but underachieving Airacobra was the second most numerous American fighter at the start of the war. Let’s look at what was right, and what was wrong with the little Bell.

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a

This is another of those iconic aircraft. The Me 262 was the first operational jet fighter in the world. It was a design of great, if ultimately unrealized potential. Let’s look at one of the revolutionary aircraft of World War … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, Germany | Tagged , , | 12 Comments