Most Beautiful Aircraft of WW2?

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Beautiful means, not about performance, only about looking good. Please choice only one aircraft you think beautiful.

I vote to Bf109. I think it has sharpe shape and beautility.8)8)


Vote finished!
They had awesome paint jobs. Tough looking canopy and head the silhouette is terrifying
 
I'm a bit of a sucker for the P-38, especially this one...

P-38 static-2

DSC_0559

Then again, can't go wrong with a Griffon engined Spitfire for sheer menace...

Spitfire static-8

Throw in a Castoldi fighter...

C.205

And a Fiat for good measure...

G.55

Add a dab of bent-wing bastardry...

Corsair -1

And a touch of Superfortress-ness (although the Chinese have done something hideous to its engine cowls)

DSC_1127

Plus a bit of British quirkiness.

1207 RAFM Cosford Defiant

And a spot of German ingenuity...

Me 262

Science Museum Komet

And some Japanese fastidiousness...

Ki-46 1

And some devillish French charm...

Europe 07

So much to choose from...
 
Great pictures but what's the story behind that B-29? Could it be a Tupelov?

Indeed it is. Tupolev Tu-4. The Chinese received a few for carrying out bombing raids on Taiwan - Mao wanted to nuke the island but Khruschev wouldn't give him any nuclear weapons, so the Chinese developed their own. The turboprops were AI-20 engines built under licence in China for Antonov An-12 transports. This is one of only three surviving complete Tu-4s. Here are the second and third, this one is in the same museum near Beijing as the one above and the third at Monino, near Moscow.

DSC_0548

Tupolev Tu-4 B-4 Bull 001
 
What was the time frame for the Chairman's wanting to use the bomb on Taiwan? Was it before or after General MacArthur's desire to use nukes on the PLA in Korea? Is this thread drift?
 
Last edited:
Great link, Admiral! I never knew the IJA had aircraft carriers.
I know, pretty cool.

Imagine the 15 knot Yamashio Maru and its eight Kokusai Ki-76 each armed with a single .303 mg in the rear seat vs. the 12 knot LST-906 and its six Piper Cubs, presumably someone hanging out the door with M3 grease gun. Not suggesting a what if scenario for discussion, just being silly.
 

Users who are viewing this thread