The use and performance of newly-developed weapons was one of the most critical factors at play in the Second World War. Of course, military tactics and intelligence agencies played a significant role, but in raw battle, the things that mattered the most were the quality and quantity of equipment. That's why the most powerful countries were developing and producing weapon systems and platforms on a crazy scale.
The planet hadn't seen such an amount of weapons before. Some of the most formidable vehicles of the war, fighter aircraft, changed the battlefield once and forever. Fighters may have appeared years before, but there were not even close as advanced as the ones used in WWII. With these new aircraft, skillful pilots could be a very dangerous issue to whole enemy units or fleets. Let's see which are the ten most capable and successful fighters of WWII.
10 Supermarine MKs 24 Spitfire
The Spitfire was the most strategically important British single-seat fighter of the war and the one that was produced in the biggest quantity. Except for the crazy production numbers, the aircraft achieved to receive more variants than any other fighter. The aircraft was a symbol of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom and was operated by other Allies too.
Its first flight took place in 1936, and the aircraft was being produced from 1938 to 1948. Until then, more than 20,300 units were manufactured in total. The Spitfire was retired in 1952 after a very successful career. R.J. Mitchell designed the aircraft with elliptical wings that helped it achieve greater speeds than its rival, like Hawker Hurricane. Its top speed was 378 mph, and it was armed with six cannons and two 250-lb bombs.
9 Soviet Yakovlev Yak-3
The Soviet Yak-3 did amazing things with only one engine and one pilot. The French, Polish and Yugoslav Air Forces, which were the primary users along with the Soviet Air Force, loved the aircraft due to its excellent design. A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau built the fighter as a robust aircraft that was easy to be maintained.
More than 4,800 units were built between 1944 and 1946, while 1952 was the last year of its career. The first Yak-3 was armed with a 20 mm cannon, while and one 12.7 mm machine gun. After that, there were other versions of the Yak-3, like the VK-107A one that featured two Berezin B-20 20 mm cannons and the Yak-3K which was armed with a 45 mm cannon.
8 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
The U.S. Republic Aviation started producing the Thunderbolt in 1941. In the next four years, the American company achieved to built more than 15,000 units. The fighter was exported to the United Kingdom, France, Peru, and more. In 1966 the last operational Thunderbolts were retired from the Peruvian Air Force.
The P-47D Thunderbolt (which shares names with the legendary A-10 Thunderbolt) had a total range of 1,900 miles and a top speed of 400+ mph. The fighter, which often operated over the Pacific, was armed with 12.7 mm guns and bombs or rockets.
7 North American P-51D Mustang
North American Aviation designed the P-51D as a long-range fighter that had also the capabilities of a bomber. The aircraft lived long enough to participate in the Korean War. The Dominican Air Force only retired the aircraft in 1984, 44 years after its first flight.
During its production stage, more than 15,000 Mustangs were manufactured. The Royal Air Force initially deployed the aircraft as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. With six machine guns, great visibility, and a top speed of 437 mph, the P-51D Mustang was one of the best fighters of the war.
6 Mitsubishi A6M Zero
The Japanese fighter was specially designed and built to be deployed in aircraft carriers. One of the most important Japanese airplanes, A6M was produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries between 1939 and 1945. In that period almost 11,000 fighters were built.
When the Japanese A6M made its first appearance, it was for sure one of the most powerful and deadly fighters that were operated by carriers. At the final stages of the war, this masterpiece was also used in kamikaze missions.
5 Messerschmitt Bf 109K
The Bf 109K was a variant of the famous German Bf 109 fighter. Most of these aircraft, which were the last version of the Bf 109, had enough time to participate in dogfights. After so many modifications and new versions, the development and maintenance of the aircraft were expensive and complicated.
One interesting fact is that the K-4 model was the fastest 109 of the WWII, reaching a top speed of over 444 mph. It achieved such speed at an altitude of 24,600 feet.
4 Lockheed P-38J Lightning
The P-38 served in three different roles: it was deployed as a fighter, as a fighter-bomber, and as an aerial reconnaissance aircraft. Lockheed Corporation built more than 10,000 units for the United States, the French, and other Air Forces. From the USAF the fighter was retired in 1949, 8 years after its introduction.
The Lightning had a total range of 450 miles, while its armament consisted of two 12 mm MG 131 and three MG 151 20mm cannons.
3 Grumman F8F Bearcat
F8F Bearcat was a single-seat, single-engine fighter that was being deployed from aircraft carriers of the US Navy. Its redevelopment started in the middle stages of WWII, but the aircraft was only ready to perform in the latest scenes of the war.
In 1946, the fighter broke the record for the fastest climb, reaching 10,000 feet in only 94 seconds. When it comes to guns, it was armed with four Browning 12.7 mm cannons, but it could also carry bombs.
2 Focke-Wulf FW 190 D-9
The D-9 was one of the many versions that were produced for the FW 190 fighter. The specific model was designed for the operation against heavy-bomber raids, although it flew just a few times.
Despite its very rare appearance in the skies, the aircraft was very capable as it could fly with a maximum speed of 600 mph in a range of up to 395 miles. It also featured very good protection and a deadly set of weapons.
1 Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair
The most capable fighter of WWII was the American F4U-4 Corsair carrier-based fighter-bomber, designed and produced by Chance Vought. Between 1942 and 1953 more than 12,500 aircraft were manufactured.
The fighter combined good maneuverability, very dangerous armament (six .50 cal guns and bombs/rockets), and a very impressive range of flight of over 1,500 miles.