1. M6A
   Ki-100
2. A6M Zero

They became icons of imperial Japan and its desire for conquest. Zeroes terrified American sailors and pilots, who knew that the planes were fast and well-armed.

1. Axis
   Allies
2. both

Germany's Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a versatile and powerful fighter-bomber that saw action all over Europe. It was so effective, the Axis used it for the duration of combat at a time when most planes became obsolete within just a year or two.

1. Spitfire
   B-24
2. P-47

America built more than 19,000 B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in WWII. It's still the most-produced warplane in U.S. history but aircrews actually preferred the more durable B-17.

1. Eagle
   Mustang
2. Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress was indeed a super plane. Part bomber, part flying arsenal, it was one of the most formidable warplanes of the entire era.

1. about 36,000
   nearly 420,000
2. about 210,000

The USSR desperately scrambled to build Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack planes to stop the German army. It made more than 36,000 of these planes in about four years.

1. two
   12
2. 90

Woe to the enemy fighter pilots tasked with engaging a B-29. These bombers were bristling with 12 .50-caliber machine guns -- and just one round could potentially destroy a small fighter.

1. Snakebiter
   Thunderbolt
2. Lightning Rod

American manufacturers built more than 15,000 P-47 Thunderbolt fighters throughout the war. It was a heavy plane, but it was also heavily-armed, thanks to its eight .50-caliber machine guns.

1. Earthquake
   Spitfire
2. Tornado

In the lore of warfare, the Supermarine Spitfire cemented its iconic legacy during the Battle of Britain. The Brits built more than 20,000 of these fighters, which were critical in fending off the Luftwaffe's ceaseless attacks.

1. fighter
   cargo transport
2. dive bomber

Germany's Junkers Ju 87 Stuka was a dive bomber that powered the blitzkrieg, particularly at the war's outset. But it was already obsolete halfway through the conflict.

1. They hated it.
   They loved it.
2. They considered it a death trap.

The Yakovlev Yak-3 was reliable and fast, one of the best dogfighters in WWII. It was introduced as the German army began to collapse.

1. Type 99 Carrier Bomber
   Yokosuka D4Y
2. female German spy

Japan built thousands of Yokosuka D4Ys, one of the fastest dive bombers in the entire conflict. Allies used the reporting name, "Judy," when they recognized the D4Y.

1. laser sights
   whole-plane parachute
2. remote-control machine guns

The B-29 was so advanced that it had remote-control machine guns. In some respects, the plane was several generations ahead of the war's other bombers.

1. "Death Spiral"
   "Flying Tank"
2. "Tiger of the Sky"

With its armored cockpit, the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 could absorb bullet after bullet and keep right on flying. It's was called the "Flying Tank."

1. B5N Kate
   A6M Zero
2. Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

Japanese Zero fighters were agile and fast, so the Allies designed the Hellcat to be even faster and more acrobatic … and it was. In the Pacific​ War, Hellcats tore through Zeroes.

1. bomber escort
   refueling other aircraft
2. strafing

The Allies loved the P-51 Mustangs for bomber escort missions, as these planes had the range and agility to ward off enemy fighters. Mustangs alone helped down thousands of Axis planes in WWII.

1. It was hard to fly.
   It had a small payload.
2. It had almost no defenses.

The B-24 was a beast to fly, particularly at low speeds. Most pilots and crews preferred the B-17.

1. long-range fighter
   heavy bomber
2. scouting

The Mitsubishi Ki-21 was a heavy bomber. It was widely used for Japan's attacks on China, and American forces also saw it in action.

1. P-51
   C-47
2. B-29

The B-29 Superfortress was the bomber to end all bombers -- faster, bigger, and deadlier than any other bomber. It was so expensive that it cost even more than the Manhattan Project, the operation that developed the first atomic bombs.

1. removed an engine
   added a flamethrower
2. added a gunner's seat

German fighters kept shooting down the Ilyushin Il-2, so the Soviets added a seat for a gunner. These gunners essentially sat in an exposed fuselage, but their bullets made Germany's fighter pilots much warier of attacking.

1. four
   12
2. 22

With its unusual design and four .50-caliber machine guns, the P-38 was loaded with lead. It also had one 20 mm cannon. It's no wonder the German's called it “The Fork-Tailed Devil.”

1. 180 mph
   250 mph
2. 400 mph

It was agile, reliable, and fast. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 could reach almost 400 mph, one of the reasons the Germans used it throughout the war.

1. B-29
   P-51
2. Zero

Modified B-29 bombers were the only planes big enough to carry the first nukes. A B-29 named the Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

1. Flying Fortress
   Helldiver
2. Hitler Hunter

Introduced just before the war broke out, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a backbone of the Allied strategic bombing campaigns. It traded potential bomb space for better armor, which kept its crews safer during long bombing runs over enemy territory.

1. P-47 Thunderbolt
   P-51 Mustang
2. Hawker Hurricane

Like the Spitfire, the Hawker Hurricane was a major player in the Battle of Britain. The Hurricane was a prevalent force throughout the European Theater of the war.

1. long range
   huge cargo capacity
2. four wings

The Zero was a fighter with a very long range. Launched from carrier decks, Zeroes could attack targets hundreds of miles away and then return to safety.

1. long-range scouting
   high-altitude bombing
2. ground attack

As WWII wound down, the Soviets kept cranking out the Ilyushin Il-10, a ground attack aircraft. It remained in service for about a decade after the war ended.

1. Spitfire
   B-17
2. P-51

In WWII, a group of African-American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen painted parts of the P-51 Mustangs a bright red. They became known as the "Red-Tail Angels," zooming into battle against Axis forces.

1. low-quality wings
   terrible payload
2. poor high-altitude performance

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was one of Germany's most important fighters of the war but it lost much of its power at high altitude. Engine upgrades came too late to change the Third Reich's fates.

1. Yak-3
   Fw 190
2. Bf 109

Erich Hartmann reportedly scored an incredible 352 air victories in WWII, mostly while flying his Messerschmitt Bf 109. He survived the war and lived until age 71.

1. It was very durable.
   It exploded in midair when struck by just a few bullets.
2. Sometimes the engines just fell off.

B-17s sometimes returned with gaping holes in the fuselage. They were renowned​ for absorbing blow after blow … and still they flew, returning their (terrified and bloodied) crews to safer skies.