,
12 tweets,
5 min read
Read on Twitter
The 10 Most Significant US Aircraft of WW2
The Boeing B-29 Super Fortress takes the No. 1 spot because it was the aircraft that defeated Japan. A technological tour de force, it delivered the first atomic bomb. But its $3 billion cost was more than ‘the Manhattan Project.
1/
The Boeing B-29 Super Fortress takes the No. 1 spot because it was the aircraft that defeated Japan. A technological tour de force, it delivered the first atomic bomb. But its $3 billion cost was more than ‘the Manhattan Project.
1/
The North American P-51 Mustang takes 2nd place because it was the finest Allied fighter aircraft of the war. It overmatched all enemy piston-powered aircraft and had the longest range of any single-engined machine, enabling it to escort bombers all the way to their targets.
2/
2/
The Douglas DC-3 Dakota while not a combat aircraft takes 3rd place for its rugged versatility. Its logistic contribution to the Allied war-effort was without equal. Given the large number still flying long after the war ended, its utility went well beyond military service.
3/
3/
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress takes 4th place because of its astounding contribution to the USAAF’s daytime bombing campaign in Europe. It dropped 640,000 tonnes out of a total of 1,500,000 and was the most widely produced bomber of all time, with some 12,700 manufactured.
4/
4/
The North American B-25 Mitchell bomber earns 5th spot because it was a workhorse that was reliable, easy to fly and able to absorb significant punishment. It proved itself in every sphere of combat and even flew from the deck of a carrier for the Doolittle Raid in 1942.
5/
5/
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator takes 6th place for being another superb four-engined aircraft. It was capable not only as a bomber, but for maritime patrol and transport roles. Few other aircraft had better long-range reliability making it ideal as a transatlantic shuttle.
6/
6/
7th place belongs to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. This 8-tonne fighter weighed more than twice as much as a Spitfire. With eight .50 Cal machine guns, its sheer power, brute force and imposing presence made it a favourite with US air crews and a force to reckoned with.
7/
7/
In 8th place is the Grumman F6F Hellcat. With the highest kill ratio of any US aircraft, it was the single most important US Navy carrier plane. Replacing the F4F Wildcat, it also proved to be more dependable than the faster, more agile, but trouble-prone gull-wing Corsair.
8/
8/
9th place belongs to the twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning. An advanced and innovative aircraft that pushed design boundaries, it combined high-speed with long-range. Although only perfected near the end of the war, it provided invaluable service in all US combat theatres.
9/
9/
In 10th place is the Douglass SBD Dauntless carrier strike aircraft. Close to obsolescence by the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, Pilots described it as “Slow But Deadly”. As the US Navy’s primary dive bomber, it destroyed three enemy carriers at the Battle of Midway.
10/
10/
Five further aircraft are noteworthy, but didn’t make the top 10: North American Harvard trainer, Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber, Martin B-26 Marauder bomber, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighter, the Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat, and Grumman TBF-1 Avenger, torpedo bomber.
11/
11/
I will be publishing an article on this topic on UKLandPower.com In the meantime, if you think I have got the order wrong or that there are more deserving aircraft than the ones I have listed, please share your thoughts.
END/
END/
