World War II - Fighters of WWII | Full Movie (Feature Documentary)

[@doctorwoohoo1152]

Fighters covered in this video - German - 2:08 - Messerschmitt Bf109 6:00 - Focke-Wulf Fw 190 9:27 - Messerschmitt Me 262 Soviet - 11:48 - Polikarpov I-16 Italian - 13:29 - Fiat G.50 Freccia 14:14 - Macchi C.200 Saetta 16:24 - Macchi C.202 Folgore American - 18:11 - Curtiss P-36 Hawk (Hawk 75/Mohawk) 22:32 - Vought F4U Corsair "Whistling Death". 25:28 - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt "Juggernaut" 30:09 - Lockheed P-38 Lightning 33:51 - North American P-51 Mustang British - 37:24 - Hawker Hurricane 41:17 - de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito 45:35 - Supermarine Spitfire

[@YlmazDALKIRANscallion]

Your comment deserves more like.

[@Fergusius]

wish they also included Japanese designs

[@ohgosh5892]

@@Fergusius Yes, and the late UK designs, Tempest, Tornado, Spiteful, Hornet and Comet.

[@caesar4857]

Should have included some Japanese planes.

[@BruceWayne_213]

@@Fergusius Yeah it‘s kinda disrespectful not including the infamous A6M Zero.. smh!

[@jameslatham2655]

I love em all. The good, bad, and the ugly. I've never had a specific favorite per say, but rest assured, without all the allied fighters, bombers, etc. victory most likely would not have been attained. Now, for getting the most bang for you buck I tip my hat to the hawker hurricane. The materials used and design techniques, of an older but proven method, plus the ease of fixing it up and going back out and holding it's own, and better yet, scoring many many victories. Just freaking amazing. Maybe you could say it punched above it's weight class but it did it and did it quite well.

[@TheBaBaTV]

The Germans developed the best to be honest !

[@ricksturdevant2901]

I totally agree with Allen Hamilton's & Ender's assessment AND Ken Reeve got that right ! No stupid, crappy, bad music drowning out this documentary

[@michaelwiebers9656]

Amen!!!

[@jf7243]

What a quotable quote, “It is often said that a fighters acceptance for success is its suitability for development and adaption.” (And this was from memory without rewinding, but how very apt.

[@kenreeve6549]

Brilliant ! clear dialogue with no stupid over bearing "music"drowning it out no gimmicks just quality documentarys thank you Janson Media A refreshing change from the hyped up dramatized crap so much on the screens today 10/10

[@heyidiot]

Awww, don't you think that some distorted trap music would have rendered the presentation _au courant?_ It's what all the cool kids are doing!

[@cowgoesmoo3850]

In my area, we have a replica of Memphis Bell. It Flys over me, and when it does it just drones out evey other sound. I couldn't imagine how a whole sky of them would sound.

[@thespeeddemon7832]

*deafening droning sound*

[@j.d.schultzsr.9215]

CowGoesMoo, Our last few years in Detroit, Sunday afternoon, returning from her monthly tour missions the Yankee Lady, a B17G flew over our house @500ft. on her way back to her Yankee Air Force home at Willow Run. There was no mistaking the sound of her 4 Twin Whirlwinds as she flew over our driveway and faded into the sunsetting Western horizon. I heard the same sound as Aluminum Overcast, a B17G flew over our present home in Las Cruces. She flew over our city for several days B4 she was opened for ground tours at our local airport. The tour were curtailed B4 I could climb around inside, due to lightning within 15mi, but avery time I heard that unmistakable sound, I ran outside to witness that magnificent sight. Both of these legendary bombers were restored and are maintained and flown by volunteers. Yankee Lady by Yankee Air Force, Willow Run (Ypsilanti), Michigan, and Aluminum Overcast by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oskosh, Wisconsin. Yankee Lady has only done local touring missions, but Aluminum Overcast (before Covid) tours the U.S., as do several other warbird associations. You can see their schedules on-line.

[@JC-gw3yo]

Excellent footage of these terrific WW2 aircraft. I have seen a lot of documentaries of WW2 fighters, but this is one of the best. I don't know where you guys dug up all this fantastic footage, but you put it together just great !!

[@hughbo52]

Nice work. Great commentary. My heart still still races more for the Corsair. It's lines are just like pure speed and power.

[@wyominghorseman9172]

U.S. figures compiled at the end of the war indicate that the F4U and FG flew 64,051 operational sorties for the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy through the conflict (44% of total fighter sorties), with only 9,581 sorties (15%) flown from carrier decks. F4U and FG pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1. Against the best Japanese opponents, the aircraft claimed a 12:1 kill ratio against Mitsubishi A6M and 6:1 against the Nakajima Ki-84, Kawanishi N1K-J and Mitsubishi J2M combined during the last year of the war.

[@michaeldundee8300]

@@wyominghorseman9172 ty

[@tomnekuda3818]

In high school I spent every available bit of time I had, outside of studying and my job, to learn about the aircraft of WWII. I spent endless hours in the library either reading up on the fighters/bombers of WWII or avoiding clashes with gangs in my high school. I think the poor librarian got tired of me trying to get more books on aircraft and throwing me out at closing time. I'm 74 now and I've not lost one bit of my nearly fanatical interest in these warbirds. Thanks for a wonderful upload! Tom

[@caalcb7]

I'm always be dazzled and amazed by the bravery of a fighter pilots of the WW 2, it's just pure skills no technological aid's or whatsoever for them to do the dogfight. And those piston engined propeller will always have a place in my heart. Jet engine sounds great too but piston enginesd propeller is better sounded.

[@FreedomForAll2013]

This video is incredibly well done!! The info is perfect! And the footage!?!? Omg just seeing these individual decals on the 109s was awesome! Great video

[@robertascii5498]

A good video with excellent and amazing historical shots of beautiful and deadly aircraft, along with some even more amazing still working models. I love going to airshows for this very reason: The ability to stand close and touch WW2 aircraft that (yes, me too) I built as a boy. I actually paid to crawl inside a B17 at one of those shows...one of the most memorable times in my life!

[@mikeh7860]

These are excellent docs. Made just the way us war history nerds like them. Low in flash and action, high in detail and facts. The German war files docs are also really good

[@Glen.Danielsen]

Excellent, fair, balanced documentary. Outstanding! 💛🙏🏼

[@lfsm9380]

I understand the Brits' love for the Spitfire but the Mustang and the Corsair are also legendary airplanes. For me, the Mustang is the masterpiece of masterpieces.

[@jonnybeck6723]

"...Beaufighter, Typhoon, Defiant, Wildcat, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Hellcat, Zero" Conspicuous in their absence

[@mikeparkerson6492]

Beaufighter: prewar design relegated to night fighter, inferior to the Mossie. Defiant: grossly inadequate prewar design. Wildcat: inferior to the Zero, replaced by the Hellcat, the U.S. Navy's best Zero killer. Bf 110 Zerstorer: Good against biplanes; shot down by the score by Hurricanes and Spitfires. Zero: initially the greatest long range fighter plane in the Pacific; almost. helpless against the Hellcat, which was designed and built to outfly the Zero after the U.S. captured a flyable Zero sen in the Aleutians and designed the Hellcat to replace the Wildcat.

[@Starjumper2821]

@@mikeparkerson6492 Hey now, don't diss the Wildcat! Sure it fell short of the A6M, but many of the tactics that later saw the Japanese pilots decimated in the sky were pioneered by Wildcat pilots and it did well holding the line. They were also at Midway.

[@mikeparkerson6492]

@@Starjumper2821 Just don't forget it was the Hellcat (designed mid-war for the job) that destroyed more japanese aircraft than any other Allied fighter.

[@mikeparkerson6492]

But we're talking apples and oranges. I say hardware, you say tactics....

[@Starjumper2821]

@@mikeparkerson6492 Would never, I fly that dorky bird quite often in War Thunder. The Pacific theater was won with the Hellcat, but it's the Wildcat that didn't lose it.

[@gowithgroove]

Certainly far from perfect, but this film has some fantastic footage!

[@d.owczarzak6888]

Far, far from perfect.

[@simon_k4551]

If only it had been shown correctly - left hand salutes, tail numbers mirrored etc.

[@Wolfen443]

WWII Fighters are just classic design at their best, and it goes beyond just WWII Nostalgia. Modern war planes might faster, carry more advanced tech and be better armed but even they well come second to them in my opinion in how unique they were.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

Maybe so but I'm a builder, for a while I did a lot of renovations and pulled apart old homes. When people say "They don't build them like they used to." and I say "Thank god they don't.". I don't know if it's the same with planes but suspect it is.

[@veggieboyultimate]

So many amazing planes were made during ww2, no matter the nation.

[@camrenwick]

Great aircraft engineering. My personal favourite is the Mosquito, but the Corsair, P-51, Spitfire and Hurricane were also legends of WW2

[@fvtpstime5646]

Mine also remember, as a 12-year-old 1975 building my model airplanes in using thread to hang them at different angles from the ceiling. My favorite airplane was a B-17 flying Fortress. Remember meticulously painting with The fan paint brushes while using model paint. The decals are my favorite. I have an always been a world war two aircraft junkie

[@finalchapter24k]

The B-17 was my favorite as well. I love the sound of a engines of a B-17 wing.

[@gypsyknight9564]

A good documentary. But...maybe I missed it...where is the commentary regarding the Grumman F6F Hellcat? This plane shot down nearly 5000 Japanese planes and was said to be the U.S. Navy's most important fighter in World War II.

[@bigchef3394]

yeah it just about single handily destroyed the Japanese air force

[@5stardave]

@@bigchef3394 The Corsair had a part in that too.

[@timhouser]

I wonder the same thing. If I were going to be a pilot in WWII and I could pick my plane the Hellcat would be one of the top contenders.

[@grayeagle7007]

U are completely correct about the F6F!!!

[@marine4lyfe85]

@@timhouser P-51 Mustang for me.

[@coreyandnathanielchartier3749]

If you don't see your favorite here, read "Famous Fighters of WW2" by William Green. Most of this video's script is his writing, anyway, but I see no credit given for this. The book covers at least 3 Japanese types, 2 Russian fighters, the Macchi-Castoldi series, and a rare dissertation on the HE-219 night fighter, and even the BP Defiant. His 'Great Bombers of WW2" is a great book, also.

[@SamSurplusSales]

Your point is what ?

[@sarahhaugh7922]

Read his comment until you "get the point". Your lack of reading comprehension is not his problem!

[@timbaumann9046]

What an EXCELLENT documentary... Truly, this WAS a time when both man & machine became as ONE, and the world would be forever changed because of it!

[@Wil_Dasovich]

This was the best doc I’ve ever seen on WW2 aviation!

[@tomtimor9789]

You need to see a lot more, like "Clash of wings" on youtube. It is from the same period, but many levels better documentary. Than watch "Soviet Storm" and compare. You will see, that, what you call "best" is a disappointment really.

[@robertcauswell7630]

X xx x

[@vega973]

🔥👍 😎❤️❤️❤️ PPKI 0

[@ricksturdevant2901]

I agree with Will Dasovich, and I definitely will take Tom Timor's suggestion

[@arthurhunt642]

This video is very good and I will also try to see the recommendations for others from the comments here.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

50:50 Watch this to the End friends, Fantastic footage of Six aircraft together. A Historical moment.

[@chriskirkpatrick6097]

Of the six aircraft in that formation, for me it will be the MK IX Spitfire and the Hunter....... both iconic and beautiful

[@AaronHahnStudios]

@@chriskirkpatrick6097 Too right👍

[@danzervos7606]

The P-38 was the highest scoring Army Air Force Fighter in the Pacific but two US Navy Fighters (Corsair and Hellcat) had higher scores. On April 7th 1945, fourteen B-17s were lost on combat missions to all causes (so the Me-262s did not shoot down 25 that day). Of the B-17s lost that day, they belonged to 8 different combat groups. The 452nd lost four B-17s (the group with the highest losses, three other groups lost 2 B-17s and the rest were single group losses). On that day, the 452nd received a combat citation for bombing a jet aircraft base (they did not salvo their bombs and flee). With 8 groups they could have had over 500 bombers and losing 14 would hardly have been sufficient to drive them off their mission.

[@DM-qp7do]

I agree that no fighter plane had ever done more for their country than the spitfire, the battle of Britain alone should give it that title. Respect 🇺🇸

[@Jonno2summit]

Many say that the Hurricane takes that trophy DURING THE BoB, as it operated in greater numbers than the Spit during the BoB. The Spitfire can take that trophy for the rest of the war for sure.

[@michaelwiebers9656]

This movie is my introduction to Janson Media. I was enthralled by the movie footage pf them flying as a unit and also introduced to ground crews. i anticipate watching the other movies.

[@bamboosa]

I kept passing this video up in the recommendations because I thought "oh please I knew all of this stuff before 1963" because I was a Warbird fanatic. Then I was too lazy to stop the autoplay and I watched it. This is literally the best all-around documentary on WWII warbirds despite the lack of certain nation representations, like Japan. Very well written. Add a Japanese primer on WWII fighters and there ya go. Happy trails.

[@gedeon2696]

Regarding Hurricane vs Spitfire: 3 Hurricanes cost same as 1 Spitfire and could be built in same time. Also Hurricanes were far easier to repair, could handle rough field operation, and out-ranged the Spitfire.

[@capndad]

IMHO, the difference between them is the same as the difference between a saddle horse and a thoroughbred. Both are horses meant to be ridden, but you don't place a bet on the saddle horse.

[@uralbob1]

F4U Corsair! My favorite since I was a child!

[@chriskirkpatrick6097]

The fearsome F2G was even more potent!

[@H-cranky]

@@chriskirkpatrick6097 that thing is scary to fight against in war thunder

[@allenhamilton6688]

Janson Media's productions are consistently incorrect and often miss cogent points. But they do have great WWII war footage.

[@radzewicz]

The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, and the first practical jet aircraft. It was a private venture by the German Heinkel company in accordance with director Ernst Heinkel's emphasis on developing technology for high-speed flight. It first flew on 27 August 1939, piloted by Erich Warsitz. This flight had been preceded by a short hop three days earlier.

[@rickmaggie1]

Very good video. The one fighter I wish I could fly today is the German FW-190 but the one I would have loved to have flown in the war was the American P-47 where I could shoot up a bunch of trains, bridges, buildings, and trucks. I did get a chance to sit in a British Spitfire last year and it did seem to be the most comfortable. I finished up my career flying A-10s a few years ago and it was a sweet fighter to fly. So many great aircraft. My British wife of course loves the Spitfire so I took her to see one last summer and they let me sit in it and like I said, it was comfortable and almost as pretty as my wife.

[@cheswick617]

The A 10 is not a fighter. It's a ground support aircraft...the best in the world for what it does.

[@TheGuitarmanrh]

Great documentary, I'm a bit biased when it comes to WW2 fighters but the spitfire shall always reign supreme! Yes the Mustang was amazing but introduced too late to really mean anything to Britain, as we single handedly fought of the entire Luftwaffe at the hight of its power with just two little planes, the workhorse called the Hawker Hurricane and for the time, one of the most amazing fighting aircraft ever built, even being praised much to Goerrings utter disgust by his second in command, the Supermarine Spitfire, who's name even exudes it's class!! All of Europe was steamrollered by Germany's third Reich but they could not set one foot on this little island, because of three things, the two incredible pieces of engineering that I've already lauded and the best prime minister we have ever had, who gave the British people a resolve that was as hard as nails!!

[@bradboerst5861]

You seem to have forgotten that Germany had british fighter command down on its knees and on its way out ,germany didn't know this,but was saved when they switched from attacking the fighter bases to the bomber bases giving fighter command to recuperate and recover from the brink of losing. That's the biggest mistake Germany made in its attack on Britain and it cost Germany the Battle of Britain.

[@TheGuitarmanrh]

@@bradboerst5861 yep you lost! Sorry!

[@mraudio]

Yes, I agree... you're biased.

[@uni4rm]

Uh, wrong for several reasons. The Royal Navy kept Germany out of England, not fighter aircraft. The German Navy had no way to challenge it, so it was a lost cause from the start. The Spitfire was very easily the best interceptor of WW2, but that is all it was good for. Flying up, attacking enemy planes, then coming home after burning up all its gas and ammo. But during the BoB, there were only a few hundred Spitfires, and the British used mostly Hurricanes or foreign import aircraft. Also, there were Free French, Polish, American, and many other foreign nation pilots supplementing the British forces during the BoB. UK was NEVER alone.

[@userTJ39780]

Thorough, almost comprehensive review of the most important fighters of WW2. Just add the Zero, and it's complete.

[@d.owczarzak6888]

Wrong.

[@1212354a]

Bearfootbob I have flown an RC Zero. There is probably no more maneuverable plane to come out of WW2.

[@michaelcuff5780]

That was awesome! Thank you!

[@bobblehat6603]

No mention of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero or the Nakajima B5N????

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

too nice video with clear explaining of most powerful countries aircrafts (FIGHTERS ) producing progressing history

[@ernestreichardt3942]

The Pilots favorite planes were the ones they didn’t get shot down flying .

[@jimblouch4811]

Good information I assembled a Black Widow, a P51 Mustang, a P38 Lightening and several others

[@urushira]

your not going to find a lot of people who even know what a black widow is, and even fewer who care.. There seems to be an almost concerted effort too this day, to wipe this plane from the annals of history.. Amazing plane.. Also americas first storm chaser.. It was arguably the most devastating fighter of world war 2..

[@Booyaka9000]

Just throttle back the drama there, @@urushira. No one's trying to delete the Black Widow from history. And no, the government isn't listening to your thoughts via microwaves.

[@cheswick617]

@@Booyaka9000 Not only that but "the most devasting"? hardly...night fighters weren't exactly considered the most devastating, especially considering the kill rates of the corsair and P-51D.

[@splatoonistproductions5345]

Man I used to watch these documentaries as a kid, just loved that intro bit with all those fighters flying formations and found each plane so amazing in its own right, tho as a Brit my favourite has gotta be the spitfire.

[@gabrieljohannson6777]

Lol….fucking typical

[@splatoonistproductions5345]

@@gabrieljohannson6777 eh?

[@Hobgoblin1975]

Horst Petschler Loved the 190. It had more room for his tall frame and he preferred it, but like the 109 for what it was.

[@brufnus]

I'm a bit disappointed the Zero is not introduced. The Allies had serious challenges beating that thing during the first years of the war.

[@Mike-im5bo]

Agreed, the presenter does seem to have an ETO bias.

[@kovesp1]

Fascinating. And here I thought the Soviet Union participated in WW2. I also seem to remember that the Il-2 still holds the record of the most produced military aircraft in history (about 36,000). No mention of it, nor of the various Lavochkins (as well as LaGGs), Yakovlevs ... just to stick with the most important types.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

It's a British propaganda film. They are entitled to emphasis the British and to a lesser degree the US airplanes. If you look for Soviet (or American) propaganda you'll find equally as good and equally as biased films.

[@uni4rm]

@@buildmotosykletist1987 British propaganda about the Me/Bf 109? It was the most produced fighter aircraft. The Il-2 was a purpose built ground attack bomber. Yes, they actually did show a Russian plane, but not all the nice ones. The same with several American, Italian, and even less dominant countries with their own designs. Clearly if they had reviewed every fighter design the movie would be 10 hours long.

[@philodonoghue3062]

Agreed. The only lack in the otherwise perfect WWII military aircraft documentary. Not least because apart from the Sturmovik etc, the Allies gave hundreds of desperately needed aircraft - needed by the Red Air Force, and just as much if not more by the donating Powers especially Britain viz., Hurricanes. The Americans also provided the much maligned Aircobra, which the Soviets turned to great advantage as a low level ground attack platform for its tank busting cannon in the propeller nose cone

[@d.cypher2920]

Everyone has their favorites, just like this film, although the bf 109, and spitfire deserve there place here ... *the fw190 i believe designed and overseen by kürt tahnk, is far more "outstanding" than the other two, it simply doesn't get the attention it truely deserves. In my humble opinion.*

[@theflaver]

limited vocabulary...

[@catnapcatastrophic2136]

Dan... such arrogance.....

[@d.cypher2920]

Robert Ferguson well said, indeed. Most particularly...the politics part. I rarely speak of such things any longer (as my intense revulsion at the utter whoring these spineless parasites are become....😑😏) You are right on... it's reinforcing to piint out the soviet almost mirror image of how politrix [🤣] played a role in myasishchev's success/ignored in later years. He must be one of my fav designers. M4 was is a real nice design. Btw: my affiliations do not extend anywhere near the Russians. Lol. I'm from N. America

[@Mishn0]

Robert Ferguson - There were many Luftwaffe pilots who preferred the 109 over the 190. They even preferred the more lightly armed Fs over the Gs due to the performance. Hard to say which was better, but the user's opinions should be respected.

[@d.cypher2920]

Mishn0 in my humbled opinion... i concur... I'm not a pilot of any of these craft... but hear from some, it all really depends on the individual, the training, and that very moment in combat. Never know...like a sapper slicing the throat, of a general...

[@scottrichards2044]

There's a couple things that they forgot about the p-38 to say was that it was the best plane to be used as a reconnaissance roll. It was the recon plan because of its stibalty in the air because the pictures that where take where real clear and wasn't blurry at all where most of the other recon plans had some what. Blurryness to there photos. The a couple things other things they where used for are in p-38-j known as the droop shoot which is where the guns or cameras where. The nose was changed to am all clear plexie glass where a man would be. It was used as a bomber with the man in the nose as a bomber. A mother use with the man in the nose was where the man in the nose had a system he used to get the germans rayder frequency and would jam it so the Germans wouldn't detect Allie plans coming it was also used in a top secret mission called Aphrodites witch is one of the missions under those top secret missions that Joe Kennedy had died... Those top secret missions where also when the first drones where used. I know about this because my father was one of the recon pilots that flew on those top secret missions and was also the pilot that is said to have flown the most missions in the p-38j or the droop shoot as it was Nick named because of the way the nose looked. As a result he earned two or three distinguished flying crosses witch was the highest metal the air Corp had and he also earned our second highest metal in the USA witch is the distinguished service cross.

[@scottrichards2044]

@Hoa Tattis I agree about you saying the army air Corp using the British Spit my father also flew spit on some of his missions. Most of his top secret and low level missions where in the p-38 because of its speed and Range compared to the spit.. He loved flying both

[@scottrichards2044]

@Hoa Tattis the spit wasn't used by the Americans in the Pacific theater but in Europe against the Germans the Recon units did use the British spit : the spit XI.. Along with multi version's of the P-38 from like the one my dad flew on his top secret missions that they called the droop snoot it had an all glass nose with another guy riding in the nose.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

The Tsetse Mosquito did not get a mention. It carried a 6 pounder anti tank gun with Mohlins auto loader. Used to take out U-Boats and shipping, the pilots could get off four or five rounds in a dive. Shells punched through submarine hulls and out the other side causing seirous damage on the way through. One pilot shot down a Ju88 when one of his 6 pound shell ripped an engine off it's mountings.

[@uni4rm]

The Mosquito's advantage was it was wood and adapted for many roles. Other than that, it was a rather unremarkable aircraft.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

@@uni4rm : Obviously you mean "It was a remarkable aircraft."

[@agl1925]

@@uni4rm Mosquito an “Unremarkable aircraft” according to you? In late 1941 / 1942 (do or die years) Mosquito was THE FASTEST thing in the sky - no German fighter could touch it… How is this “unremarkable”?

[@worldtopgun-3525]

Missing. My favorite fighters of WW-2. Some of the best. Imperial Japanese Army fighters. Imperial Japanese Navy fighters. Soviet top of the line mid-late fighters. Soviet Yaks were the 2nd most produced aircraft of the Second world war. 35.000 were produced.

[@sirfer6969]

I live close to an airforce base where some collectable planes are brought into the country. I'll never forget the raw horsepower sound of a Corsair doing laps of the base, just phenomenal. But fyi when saying the number 0, the correct pronunciation is "zero". "Oh" for O is a letter of the alphabet ;) Sorry my grandma was an English teacher =P Great doco. Thanks for the upload.

[@theharper1]

Wrt "zero" do you mean saying "one oh nine"? I've never heard it called a "one zero nine". My guess is that your grandmother is not English?

[@Joze1090]

I mean, the narrator is British. I think he understands the English language. "Oh" and "zero" are interchangeable. That being said, oh point five caliber does sound a bit odd.

[@dennisleighton2812]

An excellent video, well presented. Of course, the subject will always generate some contrary opinions, so let me not be the exception. I do acknowledge that the aircraft covered represent those that actually took part in the war, and made major contributions. However, one aircraft I have become fascinated with I think deserved a mention. Although not deployed in active service by the end of the war, functioning examples were available and were evaluated. The famous Test Pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown wrote of this plane that it was by far the best piston-engined aircraft he had ever flown. It could even match most maneuvers of current fighters - with one of its engines feathered! I refer of course to the Dh103 Hornet, which had a short-lived career only because of the meteoric rise of the jet engine in the post-war period. Winkle was, incidentally, in a good position to make such a comparison as he, to this day, holds the record for having flown the most different makes, models and forms of aircraft! A record which still stands! The Hornet did serve briefly on active service post war and excelled, but the new jets sealed its fate, tragically! Even more tragically, not a single example of this magnificent plane survived! What an amazing and outstanding example of the art form!

[@d.cypher2920]

I really enjoy these videos... very much. 😁 💥💛😎💛💥

[@philodonoghue3062]

Best historical, military strategy and aerospace detail comprehensive documentary of all nations’ airforce ‘kites’ survey made. Love the RP voiceover. In other words, the best of WWII military aircraft is inevitably the best of British.

[@patreidcocolditzcastle632]

great footage at the end with all the gen of fighters together

[@fredahaynes8364]

I would like to have a shout out to night fighters, The P-61 Black Widow looked so cool when I was a kid.

[@hoangho6781]

But only a few were produce not few hundred a few

[@NicWalker627]

All of these war birds are beautiful, but I think my absolute favorite was the American P-51D Mustang. A very, very close second was the Supermarine Spitfire.

[@cleverusername9369]

Same, but for me i think my second place is a tie between the Spitfire and the P40.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@cleverusername9369 The Spitfire was better than either, faster, better acceleration, better climb, better maneuverability and the fighter that the Luftwaffe most feared.

[@russmarasheski7005]

Don't forget the Corsair....

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@russmarasheski7005 Still not close to the Spitfire.

[@freecypias3026]

p51 is a spifire variation.

[@chrisivanchev]

I love that Mustang! It's the grandfather of all modern fighters.

[@mitchelnorton2692]

I particularly liked the footage of old war birds.

[@paulbryson1692]

really enjoyed that

[@michaelwain7305]

last shot is amazing , , hurricane / spitfire / meteor / hunter / javelin / lightening , seen all those types fly but never toghther like that

[@soppdrake]

Indeed! Brought a tear to my eye!

[@timbaumann9046]

That final shot of those 6 INCREDIBLE planes would have made a GREAT wall poster for some kids wall to adorn, serving as a GREAT inspiration to become a flyer themselves when they grew up!

[@wotnotvintage7762]

Any Air Show Organiser would give their eye teeth to have a display like that these days!

[@hardyakka6200]

didn't mention the fact that ME 262 engines had a life of only 12 - 20 hours and had to be completely replaced not repaired.

[@leehansen4750]

The Germans needed chrome and titanium metals for the turbine blades in their engines. They didn't have the metals so the engines didn't last.

[@topivaltanen4432]

Thats about 5 times less than Me109 late versions.

[@leehansen4750]

The P 51 seemed to be the most modified, after market plane of WW2! They added the Merlin engine, then a fuel tank behind the pilots, seat and then two under wing exterior gas tanks to get the range to escort the bombers all the way into Berlin and back! The p 51 pilots had enough fuel left to dog fight &, strafe planes on the ground! The Army finally asked a scientist on how to shorten the war and he told them to destroy the supply lines and choke off the materials & supplies to the factories, & men. That's when the P40 & P51s started strafing the trains, truck convoys, & barges. As they say, the rest was history! Hitler, insisting the ME 262 be used as a bomber, helped the allies, and saved a lot of B17s and crews from being destroyed.

[@MisteriosGloriosos922]

amazing video!!

[@j.t.frompa5508]

At least unlike many war documentaries this vid correctly shows the aircraft being discussed but I agree with some of the comments about the missing Japanese and Soviet types being completely overlooked! One very interesting fact not mentioned was about the Mosquito being reverse lend leased to the U.S who used it for photo reconnaissance. The footage even showed Mosquitos with American insignia which I had never seen before. Not sure if its mainly wooden construction was mentioned either?

[@barryervin8536]

Extra points for not calling the Bf109 an Me109, penalty points for all the footage of post war Spanish Buchons as Bf109s.

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

It was designated the Bf109 initially but later during the war this was changed to Me109 ( by the Germans)

[@randykelso4079]

Great video, but I found it amusing that the film was flipped over, giving a mirror image of everything: engines being started backward, left-handed salutes, aircraft side letters and numbers written backward, etc.

[@lindamcentaffer5969]

P-40 "controversial?" How about Aces in Africa who flew P-40s against ME 109/? I read about an A.A.F unit in the ETO that had a rather shocking way of humbling new Mustang pilots, fresh from the U.S; they'd pit them & their brand new 'Stangs in practice Dog-Fights against a Veteran flying a War-Weary, beat up old P-40. The guy in the P-40 literally cleaned their clocks. That's akin to a Rambler beatin' a Chevelle at the Drags. Must've been real fun! Tactics, Tactics, Tactics. Ya might've added that the P- 47 pilots were in the majority of the top-ten scorers in the ETO, and could NOT be matched above 25,000 feet, according to Hub Zemke (who flew P-38s, P-47s, & P-51s) and Francis Gabreski, (our top- scoring Ace in the ETO,) which is exactly what they were designed for; high altitude combat. The M & N models were much hotter than the D models & were absolutely Awesome.

[@ixlr8677]

flying tigers

[@michaelburke5907]

All great points. We enjoyed a great diversity of types , always pushing design envelopes, didn't keep all our eggs in one basket. Also, dispersed manufacturing, all sections of the nation contributed. No single type could do every job, some did better than others. "Love them all, the great and the small" as the song went.

[@freemarketjoe9869]

Interesting note on the p38 lightning is Charles Lindbergh's part in use of the plane in fighting Japan. He showed up in the Paciic theater, asked to fly one, and made the stunning claim he could triple the planes distance by throttling back the engines 60% during long flights, going from 1200 to almost 3000 miles. The planes designers claimed the engine would not be lubricated enough and failure would result. Lindbergh offered to prove it. He got special permission by reputation to try. It worked, much to the shock of the planes maker. This trippling of the planes operational distance changed the course of war in the Pacific. Lindbergh asked as a return favor to go on an operational mission, shot down a Japanese plane....and was quickly shipped back to the U.S. when the military brass found out!

[@kennethdeanmiller7324]

Yeah, I remember seeing a video about that. They wanted Lindbergh to help sell war bonds and NOT fly & shoot down Japanese aircraft. What it was is they were TERRIFIED that if Lindbergh got shot down & killed that it would be a awesome political win for the Japanese. Which was a shame cuz Lindbergh was a helluva pilot & wanted to serve his country by flying just like a large # of other pilots.

[@spookyshadowhawk6776]

The German Bf-109 and British Spitfire and Hurricane and Japanese Zero deserve special attention because they fought through the entire War with many modifications and different types. To give full attention to the American, British, Italian, Japanese and Russian Aircraft types that fought, at least a hour should be dedicated to each Country, with only a hour, many that deserves to be mentioned are left out. For instance, many of the most interesting Japanese Aircraft came out too late in the war to make a difference, a amazing Accomplishment, considering how little they had to work with because of material shortages. This is a very good video, touching on as many of the major types as possible within the time limitations of the video. You can see how as the war went on, every Countries designs were influenced by those they fought against, if your compition was good, you had to design something even better to get ahead of them. If you failed to do this, you lost. Both the Germans and Japanese, depended too long on their original types, failing to update them enough to keep up with their opposite compition. In Germany, the 190 should have replaced the 109 in production, it was a much better Aircraft that lent itself to modification much better than the 109. In Japan, they held on to the Zero far longer than they should have, with Aircraft that equaled the American Fighters not being produced until the war was already lost, if these had come out in 1942, they would have made Victory much harder for the Americans.

[@ajknaup3530]

Didn't the P-40 also fight throughout the war?

[@spookyshadowhawk6776]

@@ajknaup3530 yes, in Africa, in Russia and the Pacific. In China it pioneered a favorite way of attacking the Zero, diving on them at high speed. The Zero couldn't catch it in a dive. The Flying Tigers were very successful with this. The best at this attack was the P-38, hitting 550 MPH in a dive.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

spooky so did the P38 P39 P40, F4F !!!!! Get it right !!!!

[@spookyshadowhawk6776]

@@wilburfinnigan2142 A P-38 could hit 560 MPH in a dive, quite capable of catching a ME 262 if they weren't paying attention, one of the more interesting aircraft of the second world war. The work Lockheed had to do on the wing design was used on the first jets built by the United States before they began to use the slanted wing like on the ME-262. It wasn't a dogfighter, but very good at killing enemy pilots if the person flying it knew how to use it's strong points.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

@@spookyshadowhawk6776 The P51 Mustang especially the D/K got near 600 MPH in a dive and was quite capable of catching a Me262 in a dive. See Bud Anderson's description of how he out dived a 262 and destroyed it. The mustang did not have as serious an issue with the boundary layer issues as the P38. Also the Me262 does not have a swept wing !!! It has a taper on the leading edge, to help balance the plane after the engine change !!! IF you are going to call that a swept wing then the Douglas DC3/C47 also is a swept wing and it was 10 years earlier as the 2 wings are within 1 degree of the same "Taper". Jack Northrop designed the wing on the DC3/C47 and he was noted for his work on the flying wings in the 1930' & 1940's. Check out his flying wings !!!

[@arodrigues2843]

At about 13:00, the CORRECT designation is Policarpov I-15/I-16 series.!!! NOT 116.!!! Its a capital "I", from "Istrabitel", meaning "Fighter"!!! And, BTW, the armament of the Me-262, besides the R4M RP's, (Rocket Projectiles), where 4x awesome 30mm Cannon.!!!!

[@Wolfsky9]

The P-51----------flown by both USAAF & RAF, was THE game-changer to the end of WW2 in both theaters. -----------It's range, speed, maneuverability, & lethality are without equal. ----------------------------WolfSky9, 73 y/o

[@alexanderh.5814]

Once they started escorting the bombers to Berlin, the war was over.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

The P 51 had no speed until late in the war, as for ,maneuverability which it was lacking. The P 51 B/C of 1944 could not match the Spitfire in anything except for range. Unlike the Spitfire the P 51 did little except escort USAAF bombers

[@alexanderh.5814]

@@barrierodliffe4155 Goering disagreed with you. “The day I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up.”... Hermann Goering, German Luftwaffe commander, WWII

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@alexanderh.5814 And some fools really believe that made up US propaganda. . Goring never said that about the Mustang, he had already said as much about the DH Mosquito long before then.

[@alexanderh.5814]

@@barrierodliffe4155 Your dislike for America has tainted your judgment. By 44 and 45 the most dominant prop fighters over Europe were the Fw 190 ( probably the best), the Yak 3 and the P 51. The P 51 was the game changer at the end of the war and no other fighter is close. The plane totally tipped air superiority over to the allies. To argue otherwise is to deny the truth.

[@growlkitty]

I was certain that the Tempest would have been included in this documentary! It certainly deserves to be in my opinion.

[@ElwoodPDowd-nz2si]

Agreed!

[@robertjohnson1973]

100%!

[@beaupeterson188]

The P-51 Mustang is definitely the coolest looking. That's a sexy aircraft.

[@shimshonbendan8730]

Corky Meyer, test pilot for Grumman during WW II, said that the FW 190 influenced the design of the F8F Bearcat. The head of Grumman went to England to fly a captured FW 190 and he was duly impressed. It was said that if a P&W R2800 could be installed in an FW 190, it would be a world beater. Well, the F8F might have been a remarkable fighter in combat if he had been able to enter the war before it ended.

[@ice484]

I know they were all killing machines but what beautifully engineered aircraft they all were and designed as a result of this dreadful war. In the summer we still get Spitfires & Hurricanes fly over our house ,the sound and speed is just awesome.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

We get P51's and Flying Fortresses... along with F16's... B1's... F22's...

[@Steve-nf4jx]

The hurricane was not that good. Between the battle a britan they got spitfires. Hurricanes lacked with speed and turn rate. The spitfire had all of that.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@Steve-nf4jx Actually the Hurricane was very good at the start of the war with a better turn than a Bf 109, it lacked the performance of a Spitfire but still served very well in Malta and North Africa, it made a great tank buster with 2 x 40 mm cannon.

[@Steve-nf4jx]

@@barrierodliffe4155 Oh, ok

[@markcatton1484]

I believe that the hurricane was a better bet than a spitfire against the 109. It could turn tighter and take punishment and be patched and flying in hours. Cloth covering is easier than sheet metal.

[@lordirish152]

No Hellcat. No Japanese fighters. No Yak-3. Too many mistakes and omissions for me.

[@MyAcer20]

cant include all ww2 planes in a 53 minute video

[@SharkInlay]

I have to agree. This was a major oversight. The Hellcat had a 19-1 kill ratio.

[@dinosoarmotorsports]

@@MyAcer20 but you can include the actual "finest Naval fighter" of the war...the Hellcat. Most kills, key air superiority role, and bombing. This acft cannot be ignored, yet it was in this video.

[@tomtimor9789]

Omissions are one thing. Misreadings and mispronunciations by the lector another. looks like there was no post production control. There was no Polikarpov 1-16, but for ignorant people I may look like 1. Polikarpov I16, I from "istriebitiel", Russian equivalent to English "fighter plane"..

[@brent1799]

They overrate the Spitfire a bit, claiming it was the only "legendary" aircraft of the war. I would say that the P-51 Mustang deserves that label as well. Also the Hellcat was pretty awesome. "Hellcats were credited with destroying a total of 5,223 enemy aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft."

[@maxanklowitz9888]

They for some reason do not mention how armored the p 47 was in one dog fight with fw 190 a p 47 took hundreds of hit and still made it back to base

[@barrierodliffe4155]

Probably because it was just USAAF propaganda, a couple of 20 mm would take a P 47 down.

[@sirbader1]

Yeah hundreds of 7.92mm hits is believable, but 20mm minengeschloss or 13.2mm machine gun fire would wreck a P47.

[@anarchyandempires5452]

That fight wasn't as impressive as you would think, the German pilot only had Two 20mm shells and ad about 30 rounds of 13mm when he intersepted the Jug, both shells missed as did almost all the 13mm only 6 of those round hit accomplishing absolutely nothing, the German then tried to use his 7.39s on the Jug but those were completely incapable of penetrating the Jug's thick skin specially considering how quickly the jug was outruning the German Fighter making every subsiquent shot much less effective than the last do to distance. The Jug ended up with 216 shots only 9 of em penetrating, the rest whent from half buried rounds to nearly invisible dents.

[@sirbader1]

@@anarchyandempires5452 they weren't equipped with 7.92mm and 13.2mm. The 13.2mm replaced the 7.92mm from the 109G5 and 190A7 on.

[@rearl1869]

Yea i can tell u people were there. U tube pros

[@williamsnellen4901]

Awesome!! Info thanks

[@koyotemark4664]

I USED TO BE AN RC NUT, AND KIT BUILT AND FLEW MOST OF THESE PLANES. I STARTED OFF WITH CONTROL LINE VERSIONS FIRST IN THE LATE 7'0S. IM RETIRED FROM EVERYTHING NOW. DISABLED AND OLDER THAN DIRT(almost as dusty) I HAD A BLAST.

[@erospawn]

I am an RC nut..and I still fly most of these planes... I have a giant scale Mustang that is probably one of the best flying planes I've got!

[@zapszapper9105]

Lightings were very manoverable, because of the big wing area giving a low wing loading like the spitfire. Especially at lower speeds as per a turning dog fight. As well as there high speed which enabled them to bounce on other aircraft and then climb away. And two engines one of which would get you home. What was responsible for the success in the battle of Britain was far more the radar based inter grated defence system. Hurricanes burnt their pilots. But hurricane is what they had. They could also out turn 109s but were 50 mph slower 330 vs 385 mph . I do agree about the mosquito, as Jack of all trades and master of all. Except perhaps it was only on par with later day fighters in the day fighter role, but the mosquito 1) could carry radar, 2) could and was directed by radar ships far out to sea in the interceptor role. And was a superior strategic bomber. It's won short coming is it couldn't carry the really heavy big bombs of the Lancaster. But it could still using two sorties and two crews get two 3000pound block busters to Berlin in one winters night. And it got its crews home, At shorter ranges like France or Essen it had a bomb load nearly as much as a b17. I think it's average loss rate was less than 1% vs around 8 -9% for other types, which gave you less than even chances if you were to fly 30 missions. But there were 7 air crew in a Lancaster and up to 10 or 11 in a B17 or Liberator vs 2 in a Mosquito, So for weight of bombs on target per airman lost and weight of bombs on target for aircraft lost made a Mosquito far more efficient, as well the Mosquito night fighters, dominated the German night fighters, the Mosquito pathfinders marked the targets, and Mosquito long range photo reconnaissance took a picture of the damage. And the wooden mosquito was far more stealthy than aluminium aircraft. I bet there were lots of arguments between Fleet air arm, bomber command and fighter command as to who got the mosquitos. A credited as 2 kills was given to the crew of a German aircraft if they managed to get a mosquito.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

The lightning had poor maneuverability and were never very fast, not even a great rate of climb. The Hurricane was slower than a Bf 109 but not that much, the Bf 109 top speed about 354 mph, also the RAF had the Spitfire which was faster than the Hurricane and could also out turn the Bf 109. the DH Mosquito could carry almost as much as a B 17 to Berlin, the Lancaster 3 or 4 times the bomb load. Spitfires were also used for photo reconnaissance, ranging far and wide at high speed they were almost immune from interception by the Luftwaffe.

[@georgefox4982]

The German Air force had a point system for aircraft downed 1 pt for a single engine 2 for a twin and 4 for a 4 engine aircraft. Points were accumulated for the awarding of merits and medals. All aircraft downed whether it had 1,2 or 4 engines was worth 1 victory.

[@mikebtrfld1705]

My uncle was flying P40's in Burma before Pearl Harbor. A captain at 19.

[@SamSurplusSales]

Really what was his name and what squadron was he in . All A.V.G. members are well documented .

[@jeffknapp9467]

What was your uncle's name?

[@hannecatton2179]

Hard to comprehend the responsibility young people had then ! Today if a mobile / cell phone loses power panic ensues. That´s progress !

[@JuergenGDB]

@@jeffknapp9467 LOL Silence....... Captain at 19 is unheard of.

[@d.owczarzak6888]

AVG ?

[@petedube9367]

This guy is a bit confused . The 109 came before the 190 .

[@realistic.optimist]

More than a pinch of salt needed with this commentary.

[@ant-1382]

Got to touch a real living Spitfire a couple years a go. Living next to an air base I'm used to big modern jets, I was surprized at how small it was. Small but with a big heart!

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

Have a look at the 109 ! Smaller still. There's a 109 on display in the US next to a huge early US fighter mentioned in this film. Makes the 109 look like a midget yet the 109 was possibly more deadly as the plaque put it. It is, so far the best air museum I've seen so should be easy to find info on it here on YT. If you are interested.

[@honahwikeepa2115]

FW 190 looks like a mini Fury. Beautiful plane.

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

Plus: A great overall compilation compressed in one review. Minus: Inexplicably omits a Japanese review.

[@andrewsunderlandbeauclair]

You could say that Japan had Zero fighters in ww2.😁

[@cbwelch4]

Saburo Sakai: “The P-40 was to be feared at low altitude. The P-38 was to be feared at high altitude. The Corsair was to be feared all around.”

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

@@cbwelch4 I'll take the F-86...oops, wrong war!

[@chopper2429]

Not even once did they mention that the Mosquito's outstanding performance allowing it to accomplish everything it did was entirely made possible (using only 2 Merlin v-12 engines) thanks to its exclusive wooden construction.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob Actually the Mosquito shot down over 400 V 1's, while the Tempest and Spitfire shot their down up to 1,000 during the day the Mosquito did so mostly at night.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob No problem, the night fighter Mosquito also shot down a lot of Luftwaffe aircraft and the NF Mk XV with nitrous oxide had a turn of speed which allowed it to catch Fw 190's. I also love the ones with the Molins gun which took out small ships and U boats or the unarmed bomber version which could drop a 4,000 lb bomb and outrun most fighters. There is also the Beaufighter which was a tough and good aircraft.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Sailor Bob The Spitfire also did some very accurate bombing of small targets like a house used by the Gestapo in France, I had heard about the Mosquito attacks on Gestapo but only recently came across the Spitfire being used for this too.

[@michaelburke5907]

Designed as a fast attack aircraft, not a fighter per se. Great airplane, most versatile.

[@TheDustysix]

At 20:46 the P-40 has Older listed as the pilot. CH Older was a US Marine whom flew with the Flying Tigers with 10 kills. Plus another 8 in the USAAC in the CBI. Flew A/B-26 Invaders in Korea. He then went into law and tried and convicted Charles Manson and his crew.

[@aceelectriccompany1181]

He was actually the judge who presided at the Manson trial. [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers] & [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles Older]

[@hans-1940]

Congratulations on your 100th birthday, Mr. Hugo Broch! 06.01.22 . He is the best fighter Pilot alive with 81 victorys. All the best and health! Or as we aviators say „Hals und Beinbruch " ! As far as I know, you are the last living fighter pilot with a knight's cross.

[@micheilduncan3234]

It was great low level fighter, and sexy, but the mustang was it plus High altitude, We can all argue about the Focke-Wulf 190D, The Corsair was a beast. The P-38 Lightning was kinda insane, it was a better Mosquito. Different theaters.

[@micheilduncan3234]

The Mustang brought a lot together

[@arodrigues2843]

Also to notice, that Merlin engines turn clockwise, (from the pilot point of view), and only the Griffon engined Spitfires, turn ANTI-CLOCKWISE.!!!

[@barrierodliffe4155]

Unless the footage is reversed as in this video of the Merlin engine Spitfire Mk IX.

[@xmo552]

Someone else noticed that all the footage is reversed. It's higher up in the comments.

[@xmo552]

@soaringtractor 🤷‍♂️

[@marcbrasse747]

A very nice documentary and reasonably comprehensive at first sight but the ommision of the Me 110, P39 Airacobra, the Russian Mig, Jakovlev and Lavochkin fighters and all the Japanese types is rather typical. Was there another part?

[@alanaflynn8878]

I'm glad you mentioned this! I'm very new to learning about aircraft and was wondering why, even though it's mentioned often in many videos, why the Japanese Zero wasn't talked about much here. Glad to have more aircraft to look into from your comment!

[@nilesfuller979]

My dad flew the P-39 and P-41 during WWII. His life expectancy was 1 week.

[@paulweston2267]

The most effective fighters of WW2: #1. P-40 warhawk/kittyhawk. #2. Hawker Hurricane. #3. A6M zero. #4. BF109 #5.F4F Wildcat. These are the aircraft of the first half of the war, these are the machines the pilots had to fly. By 1943, the p-40, the hurricane and the wildcat had pretty much won the war when better aircraft took their place.

[@edwardmyers8782]

Sorry Charlie the p38 had Americas top aces and pretty much ripped zeros to shreds with ease.

[@edwardmyers8782]

The p 47 thunderbolt was downright unbelievable. And you pick the zero please.

[@paulweston2267]

@@edwardmyers8782 My oversight, the p-38 played an integral part in the early war. It shot down Yamamoto, and countless zekes. But, you notice I also left out the Spitfire, I know the Spit was present during the battle of Britain, but the Hurricane played a bigger role, just as the P-40 played a bigger role than the P-38, as did the F4F.

[@paulweston2267]

@@edwardmyers8782 The P-47 was one of those "better aircraft" I mentioned. Personally, I think the F4U was the single best fighter aircraft of the war, better than even the vaunted Mustang. The "jug" was not far behind.

[@geoffhusband6594]

@@paulweston2267 The Spitfire shot down nearly as many aircraft as the Hurricane in the B of B (though numerically inferior) but from 1941 the Hurricane ceased to be a front-line fighter in Europe - the Spitfire totally replaced it even that early as it was dead meat against the 109F and 190. The Hurricane soldiered on in less important theatres until enough Spitfires were available but even there by 1942 it was relegated to ground attack.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Roll-Royce Hucknall had the first Mustang X flying with the Merlin 61 just 6 weeks after the aircraft were delivered. It had an large chin cowling very similar to a Lancaster bomber engine, but was just 4mph slower than the sleek looking production planes. RR later moved the engine intercooler to the main radiator pod with separate cooling systems for engine and charge cooling. For mass production, North American decided to use one cooling system for eveything.

[@markcatton1484]

Very interesting. Shame the Typhoon and Tempest didn't get a mention.

[@timothyphillips5043]

Two great planes, but how long did they serve in the war?

[@markcatton1484]

The Tempest came in Jan 44 but it's development from the Hurricane via Typhoon started before the war. Sydney Cam was a genius. Typhoon came in 41. It was the only fighter capable of catching an FW190 and this saved it and hence the Tempest.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@markcatton1484 There were very few F 190's in late 1941. The Typhoon had some problems which meant it was not a great fighter, fast at low level but when tested against an Fw 190 they asked Supermarine to send a Spitfire for comparison, the Typhoon pulled away from the Fw 190 and the Spitfire left them both, this was in 1942 and it was a Spitfire Mk XII.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@Gregory Dahl The Zero, sure it did give the US a hard time but it was obsolete by 1943, the Me 163 killed more German pilots than anyone else so why would that get a mention and the P 59 was a failure.

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

It's because the hurricane and typhoon won the air war!

[@rayward3630]

I think this documentary displays just how dominate the United States and its allies were in continually improving the quality of planes throughout the war and never settling for less than the best. The P51 and Hellcat ended up being the dominate aircraft in the war and played a huge role in providing victory over the Axis powers.

[@buildmotosykletist1987]

A very good point, tech development was very important. There is a very good tedX type video with a dozen pilots titled roughly 'The Pilots that won the war.' At the end one of the pilots, a British born American points out the importance of engineers designing the planes and how much more important they were. Also that rather than having one plane that is all things, having two planes was usually a better answer. He said the best fighter he flew in the Battle of Britain was two planes, the Hurricane and the Spitfire, the combination won that battle, not one single plane. He added that air crews, engineers, factory workers, coal miners and even cartographers won the war. All the people of all the allied nations were unified and worked together to win the war. He finished with his fear about the so called "Diversity" which is actually "Divisions" in American society today. Promoting "Diversity" promotes "Divisions". The Battle of Britain was fought by British, American, Polish, French, Australian, New Zealand, etc, pilots and crew. And that was two decades ago. I wonder what he'd think today? His point was amplified by the host jumping up and almost ripping the mic off him. The host did not like the truth. The Audience cheered him even louder. i wish I could find it now. If someone knows the video I'm referring to, please post a link.

[@bnipmnaa]

You people really do like to constantly overstate the importance of the USA, don't you?

[@drvonschwartz]

@@bnipmnaa Invent a time machine. Somehow prevent the Allies from gaining access to the US's vast economic resources and superb production quality of its many factories. Then prevent the US from entering the the European theater. Enjoy your modern fascist European State.

[@ice9snowflake187]

Much of the narrative text of this was lifted from William Greene's "Famous Fighters of the Second World War", published around 1958, and still authoritative.

[@jimsharpe8032]

Yeah, well spotted, your comment got me checking against the text of my old copies of the books. The definition of fame given at the start is a giveaway.

[@Baza1964]

the Mustang started its way to being a legend was after a British Airfields ground maintenance crew swapped in a Merlin , then told people to check fly it !

[@shimshonbendan8730]

You can't be serious. Do you really believe a ground maintenance crew just swapped in a Merlin? 4 Mustangs were sent to Rolls Royce. They had to work out the engine mount and all the ancillary hardware. This was no "shade tree" engine swap. This has to be one of the most profoundly ignorant posts I have ever read.

[@Baza1964]

@@shimshonbendan8730 read up about it , it was done at a British airfield first up.

[@jessfrankel5212]

Interesting video. The Polykarpov monoplane had a snubby nose, reminiscent of the Grumman F2F and F3f biplanes of that era, before the F4F was introduced. Maybe a Russian engineer saw the American design back then. Interesting history.