The six most famous aircrafts of the WWII majors?
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Thorlifter
Captain
If by famous you mean popular, then I submit this list in no particular order.
USA - C47, Corsair, Mustang, B17, Lightning, B24
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Halifax, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Me262, He111, Ju88, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-7, Mig-3, Yak-3, i-15
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France and Italy are not quite as easy since they were not in the war very long, so my list for them is half based on popularity and half on quality of the plane.
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Bloch MB 200 and 210, Loire 130
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108
USA - C47, Corsair, Mustang, B17, Lightning, B24
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Halifax, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Me262, He111, Ju88, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-7, Mig-3, Yak-3, i-15
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France and Italy are not quite as easy since they were not in the war very long, so my list for them is half based on popularity and half on quality of the plane.
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Bloch MB 200 and 210, Loire 130
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108
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- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks Thorlifter! I did mean famous as in popular. Like in popular history and by mainstream media.
I wrote France and Japan in the parantese but meant France and Italy. Suggestions regarding them are also appreciated. I mean, if it makes sense to say those countries had that number of aircrafts that can be said to be famous/popular.
I wrote France and Japan in the parantese but meant France and Italy. Suggestions regarding them are also appreciated. I mean, if it makes sense to say those countries had that number of aircrafts that can be said to be famous/popular.
drgondog
Major
I tried to rank most important
USA - C47, P-47, Mustang, F4U, B24, AT-6...I struggled over F4U vs F6F, P-38 vs P-47, B-24 vs B-17 and AT-6 vs B-25 and B-26..
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Beaufighter, Swordfish.. hard to leave Halifax out, ditto Typhoon.
Germany - Me 109, Ju 87, FW 190, Do 217, Ju 88, Ju 52 I debated the He 111 and Do 217 and Fw 200 but the others seemed clear.
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-7, MiG-1, Mig-3, Yak-3, Yak-9
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
I left France out because IMO nothing they had was adequate to achieve parity except perhaps the D.520 or MS 406
Italy - Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108, Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55
USA - C47, P-47, Mustang, F4U, B24, AT-6...I struggled over F4U vs F6F, P-38 vs P-47, B-24 vs B-17 and AT-6 vs B-25 and B-26..
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Beaufighter, Swordfish.. hard to leave Halifax out, ditto Typhoon.
Germany - Me 109, Ju 87, FW 190, Do 217, Ju 88, Ju 52 I debated the He 111 and Do 217 and Fw 200 but the others seemed clear.
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-7, MiG-1, Mig-3, Yak-3, Yak-9
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
I left France out because IMO nothing they had was adequate to achieve parity except perhaps the D.520 or MS 406
Italy - Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108, Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55
oldcrowcv63
Tech Sergeant
I'll try and rank in both importance and popularity (public media awareness) and use Thor's post as a template cause with only minor deviation I think he pretty much nailed it for me...
USA - P-47, B17, C47, P-51, P-40, (Tie between the F4F, F6F B24), (F4U, P-38 B-25 get an honorable mentions.)
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Halifax, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Ju88, Ju-52, Me262, He111
USSR - Il-2, Yak-1, La-7, Pe-2, i-16, Mig-3
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Bloch MB 150, BR-690, Amiot 354, Arsenal VG33
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108
I don't think much of the P-40, except it was what we had in quantity at the war's start and had a high public profile early on. It should have been better than it was especially if its armament had been reduced to 4 x .50's or 6 x .30s and of course given the Merlin, which finally happened, but too late for it to have an impact.
USA - P-47, B17, C47, P-51, P-40, (Tie between the F4F, F6F B24), (F4U, P-38 B-25 get an honorable mentions.)
England - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Halifax, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Ju88, Ju-52, Me262, He111
USSR - Il-2, Yak-1, La-7, Pe-2, i-16, Mig-3
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Bloch MB 150, BR-690, Amiot 354, Arsenal VG33
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, Piaggio P.108
I don't think much of the P-40, except it was what we had in quantity at the war's start and had a high public profile early on. It should have been better than it was especially if its armament had been reduced to 4 x .50's or 6 x .30s and of course given the Merlin, which finally happened, but too late for it to have an impact.
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Guys just a small point its not Englands airforce the RAF fought for England, Scotland, N Ireland, Wales, The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The English outnumber the rest of us in the British Isles by about 3 or 4 to 1 but we never let them forget that the rest of the country has a disproportionate number of fighting men. Please say Great Britain or UK so you dont leave us Vikings and Celts out.
Thorlifter
Captain
Thanks for the correction FastMongrel. No disrespect intended........
Mine is almost identical to that of Thorlifter
Hardiest was Germany, IMHO Ju 87 is a must, but what to left out, in the end I dropped Ju 88, as good it was.
1. USA - C47, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, B17, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk
GB - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Anson, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Me262, He111, Ju87, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-5, DB-3F/Il-4, Yak-3, I-16
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Potez 63.11, Breguet Br. 693, Bloch MB 210, Bloch MB 152
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, S.M. 79 Sparviero
Hardiest was Germany, IMHO Ju 87 is a must, but what to left out, in the end I dropped Ju 88, as good it was.
1. USA - C47, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, B17, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk
GB - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Anson, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, Me262, He111, Ju87, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-5, DB-3F/Il-4, Yak-3, I-16
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Potez 63.11, Breguet Br. 693, Bloch MB 210, Bloch MB 152
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, S.M. 79 Sparviero
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Same as Juha just swapped Anson for Sunderland and He111 for JU88
USA - C47, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, B17, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk
GB - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Sunderland, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, JU88, Me262, Ju87, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-5, DB-3F/Il-4, Yak-3, I-16
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Potez 63.11, Breguet Br. 693, Bloch MB 210, Bloch MB 152
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, S.M. 79 Sparviero
USA - C47, F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, B17, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk
GB - Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Lancaster, Sunderland, Swordfish
Germany - Bf109, Fw190, JU88, Me262, Ju87, Ju-52
USSR - Pe-2, Il-2, La-5, DB-3F/Il-4, Yak-3, I-16
Japan - A6M Zero, B5N Kate, D3A Val, G4M Betty, Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-84 Frank
France - Dewoitine D.520, Morane-Saulnier MS 406, Potez 63.11, Breguet Br. 693, Bloch MB 210, Bloch MB 152
Italy - Macchi C.200, Macchi C.202, Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat CR.42, S.M. 79 Sparviero
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drgondog
Major
No disrespect FM - it occurred to me when looking at Thor's list that every design was associated with a specific country and England was where all the designs I put up originated.. to me RAF is in fact a major distinction (including US fighter pilots early) as it was comprised of men from all over the Commonwealth as well as Poland, Czechs, etc.
The reason I went a different direction is that I was tring to eliminate different aircraft if there were two or more engaged primarily in the same mission. If I had to reduce to six that IMO the US had the highest priority for in 1944 it would be:
C-47, P-51B, B-24, AT-6/SNJ, F4U and TBF.. but that wouldn't reflect 'most pics of/most news about' as all the fighters and bombers would overwhelm the C-47 and AT-6.
The reason I went a different direction is that I was tring to eliminate different aircraft if there were two or more engaged primarily in the same mission. If I had to reduce to six that IMO the US had the highest priority for in 1944 it would be:
C-47, P-51B, B-24, AT-6/SNJ, F4U and TBF.. but that wouldn't reflect 'most pics of/most news about' as all the fighters and bombers would overwhelm the C-47 and AT-6.
Thorlifter
Captain
In regards to the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, there were many honorable mentions. But this thread isn't about the best plane, but the most popular. Could definitely have included the Stuka, Hellcat, AT-6, Ki-100, B-25, B-26, Sunderland, Tempest, Sterling, P-40, etc, etc, etc as very popular aircraft being in the public eye.
wuzak
Captain
The P-47 was mor important than the P-51?
Arossihman
Airman
I would say yes on survivability alone! Of course then theres firepower!
wuzak
Captain
That may make the P-47 more potent, but in no way makes it more important.
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
But this isnt about most important or best its about most famous. I would venture to say that the P51 is more famous whether that is deserved or not.
wuzak
Captain
drgondog
Major
I didn't rank my six by most important so the P-47 was not more important than the Mustang.
"USA - C47, P-47, Mustang, F4U, B24, AT-6...I struggled over F4U vs F6F, P-38 vs P-47, B-24 vs B-17 and AT-6 vs B-25 and B-26.. " was not in any particular order
I could argue that the B-24 (and B-17) was more important than the P-47 or the Mustang - the AT-6 while at the last was extremely important in transitioning from Primary Trainers to powerful, high torque/low forgiveness fighters and single engine bombers - for all the Allies
Thor is right, however - the post was for 'most popular' not 'most important'.. the above would be my list to take the US to war - from Day 1 - and I would probably drop the P-47 for either the TBF or SB2C (because it was a very versatile carrier bomber - and why have carriers unless they can also destroy the other guy's surface navy)
MikeGazdik
Senior Airman
Nice topic. I would like to see also the popularity of the aircraft in their own countries. I can sit and type the most popular German aircraft for example, but that's an American's view. We might be surprised in some answers.
As far as the U.S.A, and popular aircraft. Im going another direction. I'm going to put a bigger importance on the aircraft people recognize, when that person is not an aviation buff. Some of the airplanes will be known from history, but more than likely simply because the person has heard about them in regular news events, seen them on TV or movies, actually remember them from history class, etc.
My list is in order of which I think are most popular.
P-51 Mustang (many still flying, in the news in good and bad ways, and popular with aviation fans)
F-4U Corsair (easily recognized by the shape, usually the only blue fighter they know, old TV show that everyone knows)
B-17 Flying Fortress (just because of the history passed on by generations)
B-29 Superfortress (this I could swap with the B-17, but known from history/movies because of the atomic bombs)
P-40 Warhawk (ONLY if it has the sharkmouth of AVG fame in the U.S.A. )
Now the surprise, I have a hard time finding the sixth American plane, so Im am going to leave it with a tie between the Zero and Messerschmitt. If you say those words to an American, they know you are talking about Japanese or German aircraft. If they see a picture of a Japanese fighter they are going to assume it is a Zero. And if they see a German fighter they will first say, "is that a Messerschmitt?"
As far as the U.S.A, and popular aircraft. Im going another direction. I'm going to put a bigger importance on the aircraft people recognize, when that person is not an aviation buff. Some of the airplanes will be known from history, but more than likely simply because the person has heard about them in regular news events, seen them on TV or movies, actually remember them from history class, etc.
My list is in order of which I think are most popular.
P-51 Mustang (many still flying, in the news in good and bad ways, and popular with aviation fans)
F-4U Corsair (easily recognized by the shape, usually the only blue fighter they know, old TV show that everyone knows)
B-17 Flying Fortress (just because of the history passed on by generations)
B-29 Superfortress (this I could swap with the B-17, but known from history/movies because of the atomic bombs)
P-40 Warhawk (ONLY if it has the sharkmouth of AVG fame in the U.S.A. )
Now the surprise, I have a hard time finding the sixth American plane, so Im am going to leave it with a tie between the Zero and Messerschmitt. If you say those words to an American, they know you are talking about Japanese or German aircraft. If they see a picture of a Japanese fighter they are going to assume it is a Zero. And if they see a German fighter they will first say, "is that a Messerschmitt?"
Thorlifter
Captain
Not sure how you can question the 6th American plane is a tie between the Zero and Messerschmitt since neither were American planes. They should be first on your list for the German and Japanese planes.
I agree on the P-40, which is why I put the P-38 and Corsair in there due to their unique appearance and I only had room for 6. I also agree with you that most people, not just American's would assume that a Japanese fighter is a Zero. It didn't help that the Oscar and Frank had a very similar appearance.
I agree on the P-40, which is why I put the P-38 and Corsair in there due to their unique appearance and I only had room for 6. I also agree with you that most people, not just American's would assume that a Japanese fighter is a Zero. It didn't help that the Oscar and Frank had a very similar appearance.
MikeGazdik
Senior Airman
The point I was making was about the average American that knows little of aviation. All of us on here know one plane from another, but the uninformed isn't going to know a Wildcat from a Thunderbolt. The 5 planes I listed were airplanes that in my years, I have found most people somehow, someway know a little about , even if they do not have a passion for aviation. I have also found that most know of a Zero and Messerschmitt, so thats my thinking.
