Can You ID These WWII Planes in Under 7 Minutes?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You ID These WWII Planes in Under 7 Minutes?
Image: Wikicommons by U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker

About This Quiz

The number of aircraft used during the Second World War was staggering. The U.S. alone manufactured over 250,000 planes for use during wartime, not to mention what all the Allied and Axis forces put in the air. The Soviet Union alone produced 36,000 of its Ilyushin II-10 ground-attack fighters. Germany manufactured nearly 35,000 of its Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, and the UK had nearly 23,000 of its Spitfires in the air.

Every aspect of the war, every planned battle, featured a major aerial aspect. On D-Day alone, Allied forces flew more than 14,000 sorties against Axis forces. The Luftwaffe, the German aerial force, managed to counter with only 260. In the summer of 1944, American P-47 Thunderbolts were credited with firing over 135 million bullets and dropping 120,000 tons of bombs. There's no doubt that aerial combat became the dominant force of warfare during this time, far exceeding what had been seen in World War I. The stunning leaps in technology allowed for a much more robust and terrifying kind of air combat than the world had ever seen and made many of the aircraft used into legends. 

Now it's time to prove your mettle as a Top Gun of WWII aircraft and see how many you can identify. Think you have what it takes? Take the quiz!

Question 2 - Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
WIkicommons by US Air Force/US Army Air Forces
Which aircraft was the third most-produced American fighter during the war?
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Avro Lancaster
Messerschmitt BF 119
Junkers Ju 87
Question 3 - Fairchild PT-19
WIkicommons by Julian Herzog
This was the primary trainer aircraft during the war. What was it?
Bloch MB 150
Fairchild PT-19
Mitsubishi YYX
Hawker Hurricane
Question 4 - Hawker Demon
WIkicommons by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK
This was the fighter variant of a light bomber. Name it!
CAC Wackett
de Havilland Tiger Moth
Spartan NP-1
Hawker Demon

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Question 1 -  Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Wikicommons by Michael Barera
Which aircraft dropped the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima?
Ansaldo A. 120
Bristol Bulldog
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Gloster Meteor
Question 5 - Kawasaki Ki-10
WIkicommons by 撮影者不明
Which fighter was the final biplane fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army?
Kawasaki Ki-10
Gloster Gauntlet
Saro London
Lockheed Lodestar
Question 6 - Supermarine Spitfire
WIkicommons by ChowellsNoise reduction and shadows lifted by Diliff
No other British fighter was produced more than this one during the war. What was it?
Boeing Kestrel
Curtiss LV-12
Supermarine Spitfire
Avro Bullet

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Question 7 - Hawker Hurricane
WIkicommons by Steven Baltakatei Sandoval
This plane caused 60% of the losses inflicted on the German Luftwaffe during the "Battle of Britain." Name it!
Hawker Hurricane
Mitsubishi Knight
Short Stirling
Caudron C-635
Question 8 - Boulton Paul Defiant
WIkicommons by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK
Which of these fighters was designed without any forward-firing guns?
Breda BA-44
Farman F-190
Fleet Freighter
Boulton Paul Defiant
Question 9 - Messerschmitt BF 109
WIkicommons by Sandstein
Which fighter was flown by the most successful fighter ace in aerial combat history?
de Havilland Flamingo
Messerschmitt BF 109
Miles Monarch
Piper J-4

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Question 10 - Heinkel HE 111
WIkicommons by Paul Hermans
Tell us the name of this bomber that was developed in secret.
Heinkel HE 111
Northrop Delta
Bell XP
Avro 504
Question 11 - Dornier DO 17
WIkicommons by SA-kuva is a photograph archive site storing solely photographs from the 20th-century wartimes in Finland. As the last war ended in 1945, all photos from this period and the SA-kuva archive are in PD (use {{PD-Finland50}}) excluding the very few individual photos that can be considered works of art.As within PD, SA-kuva cannot limit the use of the photos in any way. Nevertheless the following is their request for file usage:LicensingTHE PHOTOGRAPHS TERMS OF USE FOR Finnish Army-PHOTOS (SA-KUVA)The downloadable photographs from the Wartime Photograph Archive can be used by anyone. When you publish a photograph from the archive, mention "SA-kuva" as the source. You may not use the photographs to mislead people. You may not use the photographs for unlawful or inappropriate purposes.
One of the nicknames for this plane was "flying pencil." What's the official name?
Whitten Hammerfall
Boeing V-88
Dornier DO 17
Lockheed C-23 Blaze
Question 12 - Junkers JU 88
WIkicommons by Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-417-1766-03A / Ellerbrock / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Which of these aircraft was one of the most versatile and widely used in the German arsenal?
Junkers JU 88
Blackburn B-2
Spartan NP-1
PWS-16

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Question 13 - Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
WIkicommons by Master Sgt. Michael A. Kaplan
Do you know which craft dropped more bombs than any other US plane in WWII?
Curtiss-Wright Falcon
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Koolhoven FK-56
Romano R-82
Question 14 - Ilyushin II-2 Shturmovik
WIkicommons by no info
Stalin called this plane as essential to the Red Army as air and bread. Name it!
SET 7
Kyushu K11-W
Ilyushin II-2 Shturmovik
Percival Proctor
Question 15 - P-51 Mustang
WIkicommons by Darkone
Which fighter was used by more than 25 nations after the war?
Fairey Gordy
Curtiss AT-9
VL Humu
P-51 Mustang

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Question 16 - Yakovlev Yak-3
WIkicommons by ERIC SALARD from PARIS, FRANCE
This was one of the smallest and lightest fighters in use during the war. Do you know it?
Gotha Go 145
Yakovlev Yak-3
Miles Magister
Dar 6 Siniger
Question 17 - Mitsubishi A6M Zero
WIkicommons by Kogo
Do you know which of these fighters was regarded as one of the best dogfighting aircraft in aviation history?
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
RWD 10
Porterfield 35
Kokusai Ki-47
Question 18 - Vought F4U Corsair
WIkicommons by Jakub Hałun
Which fighter-bomber was one of the Allied Forces' most prominent until the development of the Hellcat?
Hanriot H-182
Miles Merlin
Vought F4U Corsair
Boeing B-59

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Question 19 - Messerschmitt ME 262
WIkicommons by U.S. Air Force
This was the world's first jet-powered fighter aircraft. Do you know it?
Lublin R-XVI
Percival Gull
Messerschmitt ME 262
Stetson Kestrel
Question 20 - Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless
WIkicommons by USMC; The original uploader was Looper5920 at English Wikipedia.. Later version(s) were uploaded by Cobatfor at en.wikipedia, 11 May 2008 (first version); 12 January 2007 (last version)
US Navy and Marines both first used this aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Tell us what it is.
Interstate Cadet
Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless
Miles Whitney-Straight
Fairchild 24 Argus
Question 21 - Focke-Wulf Fw 190
WIkicommons by Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany, Germany
Which aircraft was considered one of the greatest German fighters of the war?
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Caudron C-635
Avro 652
DFS 230

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Question 22 - Avro Lancaster
WIkicommons by Kogo
Do you know which aircraft was modified to be able to carry massive 22,000 lb bombs?
Taylorcraft Auster
Tugan Gannet
Avro Lancaster
Maeda Ku-1
Question 23 - Consolidated B-24 Liberator
WIkicommons by Us Air Force
Which of these holds the record as the world's most-produced heavy bomber in history?
General Aircraft Hamilcar
Potez 56
Stinson Sentinel
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Question 24 - de Havilland Mosquito
WIkicommons by Us Air Force
The frame of this aircraft was made mostly of wood. What was it?
Percival Vega Gull
de Havilland Mosquito
Waco UC-72
Letov S-16

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Question 25 - B-25 Mitchell
WIkicommons by Gillfoto
Which of these aircraft was in use from 1941 to 1979?
Kawasaki Ki-32
Renard R-31
Boeing B-71 Supercruiser
B-25 Mitchell
Question 26 - Lockheed P-38 Lightning
WIkicommons by U.S. Air Force
Rumor has it that the German forces called this plane the "Fork-Tailed Devil." What was it actually called?
North American O-47
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Vultee A-31 Vengeance
Westland Wallace
Question 27 - Grumman F6F Hellcat
WIkicommons by Greg Goebel
Over 12,000 of these fighters were built in only two years. Name them!
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Brewster SB21 Buccaneer
Fairey Barracuda
Fieseler Fi 167

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Question 28 - Consolidated PBY Catalina
WIkicommons by U.S. Navy
Canadians called this aircraft the "Canso." What is it?
Grumman TBF Avenger
Nakajima B6N
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Fiat CR-25
Question 29 - Douglas C-47 Skytrain
WIkicommons by Acabashi
Which of these aircraft is still in frontline service in some countries?
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
Canadian Vickers Vancouver
Martin PBM Marner
Lockheed Leviathan
Question 30 - Grumman TBF Avenger
WIkicommons by ERIC SALARD from PARIS, FRANCE
This aircraft served until the 1960s. Do you know what it was?
Shavrov SH-2
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Grumman TBF Avenger
Vought F4U Corsair

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Question 31 - Nakajima B5N
WIkicommons by SDASM
Not a single one of these aircraft survived WWII intact. Name it!
Nakajima B5N
Douglas Corsican
Kawasaki Ki-99
Avro Bolt
Question 32 - Tupolev Tu-2
WIkicommons by Flavio Mucia (AMB Brescia)
Which of these bombers had the NATO codename "Bat?"
Ilyusha SV-2
Tupolev Tu-2
Martin JRM Mars
de Haviland Sea Thorn
Question 33 - Bristol Beaufighter
WIkicommons by United States Army Air Forces
The Royal Air Force used these planes as heavy fighters and also night fighters. What are they called?
Boeing B-11 Stinger
Lockheed LV-7
Macchi MC-100
Bristol Beaufighter

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Question 34 - Martin B-26 Marauder
WIkicommons by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives
Which of these aircraft were notorious for having failures on takeoff and landing?
Arado Ar-231
Fairey Seafox
Heinkel He-231
Martin B-26 Marauder
Question 35 - Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
WIkicommons by Kogo
Which aircraft earned the nickname "Big-Tailed beast" from pilots?
Fokker T-VIII
Watanabe WT9
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
Caproni Ca-111
Question 36 - Lavochkin La-5
WIkicommons by Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK
The Soviet Air Force built over 9,000 of these planes. Name it!
de Havilland Albatross
Lavochkin La-5
Curtiss L7 Mantaray
Fairchild C-82

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Question 37 - Mitsubishi Ki-46
WIkicommons by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK
Which plane was known by the Allied nickname "Dinah?"
Budd RB Conestoga
Kokusai Ki-59
Lockheed C-69 Constellation
Mitsubishi Ki-46
Question 38 - Bell P-39 Airacobra
WIkicommons by Bergfalke2
Do you know which fighter was America's main one in service at the start of WWII?
Grumman F6F Hellcat
Curtiss R-33
Bell P-39 Airacobra
Vultee BT-Thundra
Question 39 - Arado AR 196
WIkicommons by Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1977-108-21
Which plane was designed for shipboard reconnaissance?
Arado AR 196
Dornier Do 199
Tupolev Manx
Renier B-33

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Question 40 - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
WIkicommons by Gillfoto from Juneau, Alaska, United States
The United States built more of this fighter plane than any other. What is it?
Nakajima Ki-44
Boeing 733
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
Curtis X-17 Stinger