We explain what German and American aircraft were used in World War II. Plus, we show you the production figures for aircraft from the Allies and the Axis powers.
The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka played a leading role in the German “blitzkrieg”.
What were the planes of World War II?
Aviation played a prominent role in World War II (1939-1945). Bombers, fighters, transport, reconnaissance, training and patrol aircraft were used by both the Allies and the Axis powers. Some of the most important battles in Europe and the Pacific were aerial combats or aeronavals (such as the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Midway) or involved aircraft (such as the German invasion of Poland and France or the Allied landing in Normandy).
The greatest production of aircraft during World War II was carried out by the major powers on both sides and was directed primarily at their air forces, but also at their navies:
- USA: United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy.
- United Kingdom: Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm.
- Soviet Union (USSR): Soviet Air Force, Air Defense Forces and Soviet Naval Aviation.
- Germany: Luftwaffe (“Air Weapon”) and Kriegsmarine (“Navy”).
- Japan: Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Imperial Japanese Navy.
Some notable aircraft were:
- Germany: Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
- USA: P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang, Boeing B-17, Boeing B-29 and Corsair F4U.
- United Kingdom: Hurricane, Spitfire, Avro Lancaster and De Havilland Mosquito.
- Japan: Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien.
- Soviet Union: Yakovlev Yak-3, Tupolev Tu-2 and Ilyushin Il-2.
German aircraft in World War II
The Heinkel He 111 was a very effective German medium bomber.
When Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he began a rearmament process that transgressed the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles (1919). This process included the financing of companies dedicated to the production of aircraft for military use, such as Junkers, Heinkel, Focke-Wulf and Messerschmitt.
When World War II began in 1939, Germany had the most advanced aircraft industry in the world. and its air force (the Luftwaffe) was especially powerful, used both in aerial battles and in the context of Blitzkrieg or “blitzkrieg” (the combined use of aircraft, tanks and artillery to ensure rapid advance over enemy territory).
Some companies specialized in the manufacture of bombers (Junkers, Dornier) and others in the manufacture of fighters (Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf). Some of the most used German aircraft in World War II were:
- Messerschmitt Bf 109a fighter aircraft that was first used in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and became the primary German fighter aircraft during World War II.
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190a fighter introduced in 1941 that could perform multiple tasks.
- Heinkel He 111a very effective medium bomber for attacking ground targets.
- Junkers Ju 87 Stukaa dive bomber (light and capable of bombing by approaching its target in a dive) that was introduced during the Spanish Civil War and played a leading role in the campaigns of the Blitzkrieg (“blitzkrieg”) of the first years of World War II, which is why it became a symbol of Luftwaffe.
American Aircraft in World War II
The American P-51 Mustang served as an escort fighter for Allied bombers.
Before the outbreak of World War II, American industry began supplying aircraft to the United Kingdom and France in the face of the growing German threat. When war broke out in 1939, and especially when the United States entered the conflict in 1941, American aircraft production grew significantly.
American aircraft were used not only by the United States military but also by other allied countries, primarily the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. American companies that specialized in manufacturing bombers included Boeing, Martin, and Douglas. Curtiss, Grumman, Lockheed and North American Aviation stood out in the manufacture of fighters.
Some of the most used American aircraft in World War II were:
- Republic P-47 Thunderboltone of the most widely used fighters by the United States, but also by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and even by Mexico’s 201st Squadron, which carried out missions alongside the Allies at the end of the war.
- North American P-51 Mustanga fighter and fighter-bomber far superior to previous Allied models and German fighters, which from 1943 was widely used by the United States Army Air Forces and the British Royal Air Force.
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortressa heavy bomber nicknamed the “Flying Fortress” that was deployed in both Europe and the Pacific.
- Boeing B-29 Superfortressa bomber derived from the B-17, introduced in 1944. The Enola Gay who dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and the Bockscar that launched the second over Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) belonged to this group of bombers.
- Vought Corsair F4Ua fighter primarily used by the United States Navy in the Pacific, deployed from aircraft carriers, which proved instrumental in countering the Japanese Zero fighters.
Aircraft production during World War II
Germany
When World War II began, the German aircraft industry was far superior to that of the Allies. In any case, shortly before the start of the conflict, the United States industry began to supply aircraft to the United Kingdom and France, which stimulated their industrial production.
German aircraft production increased throughout the war, but when the United States entered the conflict following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted an increase in aircraft manufacturing. By the end of the war, the United States had surpassed German industry in technology and quantity.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom increased its aircraft production from the start of the war and was dedicated to training crews in the countries of the British Commonwealth (such as Australia and Canada). The British Royal Air Force was successful in defending against Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and, from this event, British aircraft production increased.
The sovietic Union
The Soviet Union produced on a large scale because it had a large army and Joseph Stalin’s regime had encouraged a process of accelerated industrialization. However, once it entered the war in 1941, The Soviet Air Force had high loss rates due to the inexperience of some of its pilots and because it was facing a much more modern air force (the Luftwaffe).
Thanks to the US government’s Lend-Lease Act, it received American aircraft and fuel and also manufactured its own fighter planes and bombers.
Japan
For its part, The Empire of Japan emphasized the production of aircraft carriers and fighterswhich led in 1940 to the introduction of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which was very effective on the Pacific front.
However, by the end of the war, the growing fuel supply problems of the Imperial Japanese Navy combined with greater American industrial capacity to give the Allies the advantage.
Aircraft production of the powers (1939-1945)
The table indicates the number of aircraft manufactured by each power in each year of World War II and the totals for the Allies and Axis powers, respectively.
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
[1945
USA
5,856 12,804 26,277 47,836 85,898 96,318 49,761
USSR
10,382 10,565 15,735 25,436 34,900 40,300 20,900
United Kingdom
7,940 15,049 20,094 23,672 26,263 26,461 12,070
Total Allies
24.178
38,418
62.106
96.944
147,061
163,079
82,731
Germany
8,295 10,247 11,776 15,409 24,807 39,807 7,540
Japan
4,467 4,768 5,088 8,861 16,693 28,180 11,066
Italy
1,750 3,257 3,503 2,821 2,024 – –
Total Axis
14,512
18,272
20,367
27.091
43,524
67,987
18,606
Source: Overy, RJ (2011). The Air War 1939-1945. Potomac Books
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References
- Amir, AR & Weiss, SI (2023). aerospace industry. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Overy, R.J. (2011). The Air War 1939-1945. Potomac Books.
- Overy, RJ (2016). The Oxford History of the Second World War. Taylor & Francis.
- Stone, N. (2013). Brief history of World War II. Ariel.