In World War II, every type of aircraft was important in the war. The aircraft was important because each country would have area in the air to protect. If the United States allowed the Germans to gain control of the airspace, they could invade Britain with much force. The Germans couldn’t invade Britain without control of the airspace, because Britain had a powerful Navy that of course played key roles in assisting the Air force.ory.

P-51 D Mustang

The P-51 D Mustang Aircraft was originally built with Allison V-1710-39 engine, but after some tests it was proven to have problems in combat. After a great deal of research, the engineers decided to switch to the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The performance level met the air force expectations. The P-51 was used for very intense fighting. It was also used in the Battle of Britain.                          

Vought F4U Corsair

The F4U Corsair aircraft was a very successful fighter in the attack of Japan. The Corsairs were so deadly the Japanese had a name for it, "Whistling Death." They called it whistling death because it flew so fast and killed many people. In the Navy the aircraft had too long of a nose to use on the aircraft carriers, so whatever the Navy does not want will go to the Marines. This is where the highly trained team of pilots called the Black Sheep Squadron became successful. The demands for the Corsair were so great that other companies started to make them.

Bell P-59 Aircomet

The P-59 Aircomet was the United States’ first jet fighter. The British design gave the idea to the engineers to make the jet electric powered. The jet was not successful in battle due it being hard to handle. It also had the ability to reach 46,200 ft., which was very high for its time.

The P-38 D Lightning was a fighter plane that was used to fly long distances to attack other planes. It played a big role in the war over the Pacific Ocean. The Lightning attacked a plane carrying the Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Yamamoto was the Admiral that planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Lightning’s large nose and high speeds made it perfect for finding information about where things were in enemy territory.

All the aircraft used in World War II played a very important role in the war. They were also used to retrieve important information. The American pilots were trying to locate enemy troops, places where they were manufacturing weapons, and where they could strategically drop paratroopers behind enemy lines.

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