World War II
      World War II (1939-1945) sped up the development of piston-engined aircraft and marked the first use of jet planes.
One of the most advanced fighters was the British Spitfire, which could fly faster than 350 mph (563 kph) and higher2,000 feet (12,000 meters).
      During World War II (1939-1945), Germany, Russia, Great Britain, Japan, the United States, and other countries turned out thousands of military planes.  As in World War I, engineers made great advances in the design of bombers and fighters.  Bombers developed during World War II could carry twice as heavy a load and travel nearly twice as far without refuelling as pre-war bombers could.  Early in the war, fighter planes could reach a top speed of 300 mph (480 kph) and climb to about 30,000 feet (9,100 meters).  By the end of the war, they were flying more than 400 mph (640 kph) and climbing over 40,000 feet (12,000 meters).  Jet fighters could fly even faster.  In 1939, Germany made the first successful jet plane flight.
The Messerschmitt Me 262 was the first jet to fly combat missions.  It flew them over Europe in 1944 and 1945.
The Messerschmitt Me 262 had a top speed of almost 550 mph (885 kph).

     The Bell Aircraft Company (now Bell Aerospace Textron) built the first U.S. jet plane in 1942.
     In the jet age Aircraft technology made further rapid progress during the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's.  For example, new types of wings and other structural improvements greatly increased the speed and manoeuvrability of jet planes.  The United States and the Russia developed jet bombers that could fly non-stop from their own country to the other country in only a couple of hours.
     At about the same time Military helicopters were used on a large scale in the Korean War (1950-1953), mainly for transporting supplies and wounded troops.  In the late 1950's, the use of jet engines increased the speed and lift of helicopters.
     German scientists had experimented with rocket planes as far back as 1928.  Early in World War II, they developed the prototype (full-sized test model) Messerschmitt Me 163.  This rocket-powered plane could fly at over 600 mph (970 kph).  German engineers used it as a model for a fighter, the Me 163 Komet, which flew combat missions late in the war.

From beginning to end, World War II was an air war. Germany started the conflict with a stunning advance across Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France during 1939 and 1940, demonstrating the power of a co-ordinated effort between land and air forces. Attempts to obtain air superiority over Great Britain in preparation for an invasion started with German attacks on ships in the English Channel in July 1940. It was followed by raids on British targets along the coast and Royal Air Force (RAF) bases, and day and night bombing attacks on London and other cities.  The fighter pilots of Britain's Royal Air Force won the Battle of Britain in 1940 by a narrow margin. The quality of their Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, the short range of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 escort fighters, and the vulnerability of other German aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 88, and Dornier Do 17 bombers were all parts of the victory. The British radar bases which detected the German raids which also helped a lot. Electronic weaponry had emerged as a major factor in war in the air. The high losses resulting from early attempts to bomb targets in Germany convinced the leaders of RAF Bomber Command to stop daylight raids on targets in favour of night area  raids conducted against entire cities. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) began a daylight precision bombing campaign from Great Britain against Germany with Boeing B-17 and Consolidated B-24 aircraft in 1943. The new long-range escort fighters like the Republic P-47, North American P-51, and Lockheed P-38 helped turn the tide of the great air battles over Germany in favour of the Allies. During 1944 and early 1945, the USAAF struck Germany during the day, while the RAF attacked at night. One by one, Germany's cities were reduced to rubble.

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