1. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
   Avro Lancaster
2. Messerschmitt BF 119
   Junkers Ju 87

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk could often be seen with the distinctive shark mouth logo on the front of the plane. While U.S. Forces called them Warhawks, different models used by British and Soviet forces were called Tomahawks, and there was a later model also known as the Kittyhawk.

1. Bloch MB 150
   Fairchild PT-19
2. Mitsubishi YYX
   Hawker Hurricane

The Fairchild PT-19 and later models were used throughout most of the 1940s. They were retired at the end of the decade but proved so popular that many private pilots ended up picking them for personal use.

1. CAC Wackett
   de Havilland Tiger Moth
2. Spartan NP-1
   Hawker Demon

Because many of the fighters already in service during the war were unable to keep up with Hawker Hart bombers, the Hawker Demon was created as the fighter variant so the pilots wouldn't have to restrict their speed or height.

1. Ansaldo A. 120
   Bristol Bulldog
2. Boeing B-29 Superfortress
   Gloster Meteor

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine bomber that was used during WWII as well as the Korean War. It was the most expensive aircraft designed during the war with a price tag of $3 billion, which, adjusted for inflation, would be over $50 billion today.

1. Kawasaki Ki-10
   Gloster Gauntlet
2. Saro London
   Lockheed Lodestar

The Kawasaki Ki-10 entered service in Japan in 1935. It was more maneuverable than alternative designs, which made it more favored by pilots even though it was slower than the more advanced Nakajima Ki-11.

1. Boeing Kestrel
   Curtiss LV-12
2. Supermarine Spitfire
   Avro Bullet

The Supermarine Spitfire is the most recognizable of all British fighters used during the war and, arguably, one of the most recognizable planes of all time. The Spitfire was so popular that some are still flown to this very day.

1. Hawker Hurricane
   Mitsubishi Knight
2. Short Stirling
   Caudron C-635

The Hawker Hurricane was probably Britain's second most popular fighter behind the Supermarine Spitfire. At the end of its production run in 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been produced for the war effort.

1. Breda BA-44
   Farman F-190
2. Fleet Freighter
   Boulton Paul Defiant

The Boulton Paul Defiant was a turret fighter, which made it exceptionally disadvantaged during daylight-hour dogfights against the more maneuverable German fighters. At night, however, it performed exceptionally well against bombers.

1. de Havilland Flamingo
   Messerschmitt BF 109
2. Miles Monarch
   Piper J-4

The Messerschmitt BF 109 was the most prominent fighter in the German arsenal. Erich Hartmann flew a BF 109 for1,404 combat missions. He's credited with destroying 352 Allied aircraft, making him the most successful fighter pilot of WWII.

1. Heinkel HE 111
   Northrop Delta
2. Bell XP
   Avro 504

The German Heinkel He 111 was designed in secret under the guise of being a civilian aircraft. Germany had been forbidden from forming an air force after the First World War, so their production of bombers like the He 111 was very cloak and dagger up until the war began.

1. Whitten Hammerfall
   Boeing V-88
2. Dornier DO 17
   Lockheed C-23 Blaze

The Dornier DO 17 was a German bomber that was designed to be fast where traditional bombers were often big, clunky things. The idea was that a light bomber could outrun a fighter. That wasn't necessarily always the case but they were sleeker and faster than traditional heavy bombers.

1. Junkers JU 88
   Blackburn B-2
2. Spartan NP-1
   PWS-16

The Junkers JU 88 was designed originally as a fast bomber but ended up having a multitude of uses. Not just a traditional bomber, the JU 88 was also a dive bomber, a torpedo bomber, a night fighter, a heavy fighter, a recon craft, and they even used them as unmanned bombs, released by struts from other aircraft to crash and explode on targets.

1. Curtiss-Wright Falcon
   Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
2. Koolhoven FK-56
   Romano R-82

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was living up to its name and then some. During the Second World War, the B-17 dropped over 640,000 tonnes of bombs on Germany and its allies out of a total of 1.5 million tonnes dropped.

1. SET 7
   Kyushu K11-W
2. Ilyushin II-2 Shturmovik
   Percival Proctor

The Ilyushin II-2 was the pinnacle of Soviet air combat design and, along with the follow-up version the II-10, over 42,000 of these planes were built, making it the most-produced military aircraft in the history of military aircraft.

1. Fairey Gordy
   Curtiss AT-9
2. VL Humu
   P-51 Mustang

North American P-51 Mustangs were exceptionally popular fighters and also quite the bargain after the war. During wartime, they cost $51,000 to produce. After the war, hundreds were sold off to the countries that signed the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance for only $1 each.

1. Gotha Go 145
   Yakovlev Yak-3
2. Miles Magister
   Dar 6 Siniger

The Soviet Yakovlev Yak-3 was such an accomplished dogfighter that, after several battles with extremely uneven outcomes in favor of the Soviets, German forces were ordered to avoid combat with Yak-3s below 5,000 meters because the odds greatly favored the Soviets.

1. Mitsubishi A6M Zero
   RWD 10
2. Porterfield 35
   Kokusai Ki-47

Mitsubishi's A6M Zero was the legendary dogfighter of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Feared for their speed and maneuverability, the Zero had a terrifying kill ratio of 12-1 when it was first introduced in the war.

1. Hanriot H-182
   Miles Merlin
2. Vought F4U Corsair
   Boeing B-59

The Vought F4U Corsair had an 11:1 kill ration in combat, eclipsed only slightly by the Mitsubishi Zero. However, because of some early issues with carrier landings, the Grumman Hellcat became the preferred aircraft.

1. Lublin R-XVI
   Percival Gull
2. Messerschmitt ME 262
   Stetson Kestrel

The Messerschmitt ME 262 was actually planned even before the war began. However, numerous issues with design and bureaucratic red tape kept it in the development stages well into the war. It didn't become a reality until midway through 1944.

1. Interstate Cadet
   Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless
2. Miles Whitney-Straight
   Fairchild 24 Argus

The "SBD" in Douglas SBD Dauntless stands for "Scout Bomber Douglas" but earned the alternate nickname of "Slow But Deadly" among pilots at the time. These bombers were the ones that helped destroy the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in 1942.

1. Focke-Wulf Fw 190
   Caudron C-635
2. Avro 652
   DFS 230

The Fock-Wulf Fw 190 was introduced in 1941 and proved a superior fighter to the Allied Spitfire at low altitudes. It wasn't until a later Supermarine Spitfire design that the Allies once again gained the upper hand, but during its time, the Fw 190 was favored by many fighting aces.

1. Taylorcraft Auster
   Tugan Gannet
2. Avro Lancaster
   Maeda Ku-1

The Avro Lancaster was a heavy bomber that was initially outfitted with 4,000 lb, 8,000 lb and 12,000 lb bombs. As if that wasn't enough, later models were modified by removing a lot of equipment inside to make room for 22,000 lb "Grand Slam" earthquake bombs.

1. General Aircraft Hamilcar
   Potez 56
2. Stinson Sentinel
   Consolidated B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an extremely popular aircraft, and 18,500 of them were produced. It was used by every branch of the military in WWII and was also used by Allied forces as well, but was quickly phased out by more advanced technology.

1. Percival Vega Gull
   de Havilland Mosquito
2. Waco UC-72
   Letov S-16

The de Havilland Mosquito was called the "Wooden Wonder" for its unusual wooden frame. The design choice, which some people criticized, proved to be a point int he Mosquito's favor. At the time it was in operation, it was one of the fastest aircraft in the sky.

1. Kawasaki Ki-32
   Renard R-31
2. Boeing B-71 Supercruiser
   B-25 Mitchell

The B-25 Mitchell and its variant models were used extensively by Allied Forces during and after the war. All told, over 10,000 of these aircraft were produced, and they were incredibly resilient. One Mitchell, nicknamed "Patches," was retired after 300 missions and had over 400 patched holes from enemy fire in it.

1. North American O-47
   Lockheed P-38 Lightning
2. Vultee A-31 Vengeance
   Westland Wallace

Lockheed's P-38 Lightning saw action in nearly every conceivable capacity during the war. From radar to recon to bombing to escort fighting and much more, there was little the Lightning couldn't do.

1. Grumman F6F Hellcat
   Brewster SB21 Buccaneer
2. Fairey Barracuda
   Fieseler Fi 167

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was designed to strike a blow against the Japanese A6M Zero. The Hellcats, which replaced the earlier Wildcats, proved extremely effective at that task and were able to outperform the Zeros during the second half of the war.

1. Grumman TBF Avenger
   Nakajima B6N
2. Consolidated PBY Catalina
   Fiat CR-25

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was a flying boat used for numerous missions at sea during the war. Catalinas saw action as anti-submarine craft, patrol bombing, and also search and rescue missions.

1. Douglas C-47 Skytrain
   Canadian Vickers Vancouver
2. Martin PBM Marner
   Lockheed Leviathan

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain was a military transport plane based on Douglas DC-3 civilian aircraft. The Allies used this extensively during wartime, and to this day, South Africa, Colombia and El Salvador still make use of this model.

1. Shavrov SH-2
   Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
2. Grumman TBF Avenger
   Vought F4U Corsair

The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber that entered the war in 1942. During their initial run, five of the six Avengers were actually shot down, but despite that performance, they continued to be used, proving themselves to be effective aircraft even beyond the war.

1. Nakajima B5N
   Douglas Corsican
2. Kawasaki Ki-99
   Avro Bolt

The Nakajima B5N bomber was used for nearly the whole duration of the war, and even though 1,150 of them were produced, not a single one actually survived the war. Two partially recovered B5Ns existing, but neither is in good enough condition to ever fly again.

1. Ilyusha SV-2
   Tupolev Tu-2
2. Martin JRM Mars
   de Haviland Sea Thorn

The Soviet Tupolev Tu-2 was designed to be a dive bomber and proved to be very effective in combat. Their design could handle harsh European winters, and the frame was resilient when it came to standing up to the enemy fire.

1. Boeing B-11 Stinger
   Lockheed LV-7
2. Macchi MC-100
   Bristol Beaufighter

Bristol Beaufighters were large aircraft that served both ground attack fighters and torpedo bombers. Because of their size, they were also effective at carrying large equipment like radar without suffering any performance issues.

1. Arado Ar-231
   Fairey Seafox
2. Heinkel He-231
   Martin B-26 Marauder

The Martin B-26 Marauder's early models were considered extremely dangerous due to numerous runway accidents. They needed to be landed at precise speeds, 150 mph for a final runway approach, which was faster than many pilots were comfortable with. If they slowed down, however, the plane would stall and crash.

1. Fokker T-VIII
   Watanabe WT9
2. Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
   Caproni Ca-111

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was not a well-liked plane that was apparently plagued by issues of poor handling. It was delayed during production, and both the British Royal Navy and Royal Australian Air Force canceled their orders, which ended up contributing to the end of Curtiss as a company.

1. de Havilland Albatross
   Lavochkin La-5
2. Curtiss L7 Mantaray
   Fairchild C-82

The Lavochkin La-5 became the Soviet's go-to fighter, replaced the earlier La-GG3 model, which was not nearly as capable as German fighters during the war. The improved engine in the La-5 allowed it to go toe-to-toe with German fighters.

1. Budd RB Conestoga
   Kokusai Ki-59
2. Lockheed C-69 Constellation
   Mitsubishi Ki-46

The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine recon plane used by the Japanese forces. When it first entered the war, it was almost uninterceptable due to its superior speed capabilities. However, as the Supermarine Spitfire and P-38 Lightning were improved, the Ki-46 had to be improved to compensate.

1. Grumman F6F Hellcat
   Curtiss R-33
2. Bell P-39 Airacobra
   Vultee BT-Thundra

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was very successfully used by the Soviet Red Air Force. They had an exceptional record against German fighters and apparently allowed the Soviets to gain the highest number of kills against Germans by any pilots flying U.S. aircraft.

1. Arado AR 196
   Dornier Do 199
2. Tupolev Manx
   Renier B-33

The Arado AR 196 was the standard aircraft for the German Navy starting in 1938 for the Second World War. It was not meant to be a fighter plane by any means, but compared to other craft of the same type on the Allied side, it outperformed and was even used by Finnish forces for transport and supply.

1. Nakajima Ki-44
   Boeing 733
2. Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
   Curtis X-17 Stinger

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt had 8 .50-caliber machine guns and a 2000-horsepower radial engine. It was able to outdrive all opposing fighters, but it did have issues when it came to the rate of climb and range. The range issue wasn't fixed until 1945 with the introduction of the P-47N.