Deployed in both Europe and the Pacific, one in ten fighters built for the United States Airforce in World War II was a Lockheed P-38 "Lightning", the jet at the center of this first entry in the Famous Planes: WWII Fighters collection. Almost 10,000 P-38 Lightnings were built during World War II, roughly 10% of Americas fighter production during the war. With a wingspan of fifty-two feet, the P-38 was the biggest of the single-seat fighters.
Used by American, British and Soviet allied forces, the Curtiss P-40 "Warhawk" is the subject of this second volume of Famous Planes: WWII Fighters. The P-40 had a variety of versions during the war, appearing first as the Tomahawk, followed by the Kittihawk, and in 1941 as the Warhawk.
The most widely produced American fighter jet of the war, the single-engine Republic P-47 "Thunderbolt" is discussed in this entry in the Famous Planes: WWII Fighters collection. More than 15,000 P-47s were built during the war, more than any other US fighter. Nicknamed the "Jug" for Juggernaut, it was considered one of the three top fighter planes of the USAAF. It was also the largest of the single engine fighters built during the war.
The fourth volume of Famous Planes: WWII Fighters looks at the Grumman F6F "Hellcat", which was instrumental in winning the war in the Pacific. Designed for carrier operations, the Hellcat was one of the last fighter planes introduced during the war. It was considered a replacement for the Navy's F4F Wildcat.
The most famous fighter of WWII, the Mustang was also credited with the most "kills" of any US fighter produced during the war. Originally developed as a British ordered design, the Mustang was first deployed in the fall of 1940.
First deployed in March 1936, the Spitfire is justly famous as one of the most famous fighter planes ever developed. Continuously improved, between 1936 and 1944 there were some twenty-one different versions of the Spitfire developed.
The Mosquito was originally developed in 1938 as a small bomber. Built of wood, it was designed primarily for speed and economy of production.
First designed in 1935 and deployed in 1937, the Hurricane has the distinction of having served on seventeen different battlefronts. It was used in a variety of roles, from fighter-bomber to carrier-based fighter.
