Top 10+ Cult American Warplanes of the Second World War

The United States created many famous and formidable warplanes in the second world war.

These included the B-17 Flying Fortress, P-47 Thunderbolt, B-29 Superfortress and Corsair. While hardly obscure, we’ve chosen a collection of 10 aeroplanes that are suitable for the more discerning connoisseur of aviation during the war:

10: Consolidated PBY Catalina

First flying in 1935 the Consolidated PBY was a flying boat designed for the US Navy to patrol the Pacific in the face of rising Japanese power. To minimise drag and keep it clear of spray the wing was mounted above the fuselage on a pylon. For improved aerodynamic efficiency the wing-tip floats were retractable.

Built for endurance, the PBY was neither fast, nor especially glamourous, it did though have an impressive range of over 2000 nautical miles allowing the crew of eight to cover a vast area in a single sortie. It could also carry up to 4,000lb of bombs, depth charges, or torpedoes.

The PBY first saw combat with the RAF, who named it Catalina, where aside from hunting U-Boats, it would also locate the battleship Bismarck on 26 May 1941, allowing the Royal Navy to destroy it before it could reach Brest in France.

In US service, a Catalina would score the US Navy’s first air-to-air kill of the war, shooting down a Zero over the Philippines. At the important Battle of Midway, Catalinas would locate the approaching Japanese fleet, and conduct the only successful torpedo attack of the Battle, sinking an oil tanker. Meanwhile, black-painted aircraft would engage in night bombing and strafing attacks throughout the Pacific Theatre.

9: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

Frequently overlooked in favour of the P-51 and P-47, the Curtiss P-40 was the third most-produced US fighter of the war. Based on the earlier radial engine P-36 Hawk, the P-40 aimed to get more performance out of the same basic airframe by using a more streamlined Allison V-12.

First flying in 1938 the prototype XP-40 failed to live up to expectations, only reaching 315mph. Using the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ wind tunnel, Curtiss evaluated a range of positions for the radiator, eventually moving it from just behind the wing to the very front of the aircraft. This modification enabled the P-40 to reach 366 mph.

First seeing combat with the RAF, P-40s were used by the Desert Air Force in North Africa from 1941. Here, they were able to meet German and Italian aircraft on broadly equal terms, with 46 pilots becoming aces on the type with five or more victories.

Shortly after the RAF received their aircraft, the American Volunteer Group in China received P-40Bs. There they proved to be a match for Japanese fighters, when flown by pilots trained to fully exploit the Warhawk’s advantages. With US entry to the war Warhawks would join the battle eventually claiming 973 victories in the China-Burma-India theatre with 40 more pilots becoming aces on the type.

8: Grumman F4F Wildcat

Post-war coverage of the Pacific theatre often focuses on the Vought Corsair and Grumman Hellcat, the latter of which accounted for around 75% of the US Navy’s victories. However, before either of these entered service in December 1942, the line was held by the diminutive Grumman F4F Wildcat.

Originally losing out to the Brewster Buffalo in the competition to supply the US Navy with a new fighter a comprehensive redesign was undertaken. The wings and tail were replaced, and a supercharged Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine fitted. This led to orders from the Americans, as well as France and Britain’s Royal Navy.

Learning from European combat experience, self-sealing fuel tanks and armour were added to the Wildcat. This meant it was suitably mature when war broke out in the Pacific. Although not as manoeuvrable as the Mitsubishi Zero, the Wildcat could absorb much more punishment, allowing its pilot to fight another day.

Even after the Hellcat was introduced, Wildcat production continued in order to equip the smaller Escort Carriers. This resulted in the General Motors-built FM-2 Wildcat with an extra 150hp, taller fin, and greater ammunition capacity. Despite these upgrades, like all other Wildcats, the undercarriage was retracted by the pilot cranking a handle in the cockpit.

7: Curtiss C-46 Commando

Overshadowed by the Douglas C-47, the Curtiss C-46 was a more advanced design. Work on the C-46 had begun in 1937, two years after the first civilian version of the C-47 flew.  Designed to be pressurised for flight at higher altitudes, the C-46 had a distinctive, streamlined, double-bubble fuselage with a crease running along its sides.

The first prototype was purchased by the USAAF, which, during evaluation, decided to order it as a cargo transport. These aircraft would be unpressurised and modified with enlarged cargo doors at the rear of the fuselage, a strengthened floor, and, ultimately, an internal winch.

5: Curtiss C-46 Commando

Despite not being pressurised, the C-46 proved suitable for flying ‘The Hump’ route over the Himalayas enabling much needed supplies to be transported from India to China. This perilous route had mountainous terrain, limited navigation aids, and often atrocious weather. Unlike other transports, the C-46 proved able to handle everything the route could throw at it.

Able to move 8000kg of cargo, three times the load a C-47 could, the Commando would carry artillery, ammunition, aircraft parts, Jeeps, and even livestock into China to support the fight against Japan. It would continue to serve into the Korean War, where it was used to drop paratroopers.

6: Vought-Sikorsky OS2U Kingfisher

The Kingfisher was developed before the war to fill the role of observation floatplane. Embarked in the USN’s cruisers and battleships, it was intended to scout for enemy shipping and, when found, direct its own ship’s fire. This required a crew of two, with the observer in the rear cockpit calling corrections to the ship.

The first monoplane to serve in the role in the US Navy, the Kingfisher was also the first production type to be welded rather than riveted together. Powered by a 450hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior engine, it could manage a respectable 170mph and was armed with two 0.30-inch M1919 machine guns and up to 650lb (295kg) of bombs and depth charges.

Launched from its ship by a short catapult, recovery onboard was achieved by taxiing onto a sled towed in the ship’s wake. A hook on the underside of the float engaged with the sled, which was then winched back to the ship before the Kingfisher was craned on-board.

In the Pacific, it directed gunfire in all the USN’s major battles. It became most famous for its rescue work. Most notably, in May 1944, a Kingfisher rescued 10 airmen from Truk. Too heavy to fly with them, they were carried on its wings while it taxied to the submarine USS Tang.

5: North American P-51A Mustang

Typically, tales of the P-51 Mustang focus on the B model and later, which were fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine with a two-speed supercharger. This enabled it to fight at the high altitudes typical of air warfare in the European theatre. This overlooks the low-level brilliance of the original P-51A.

Powered by an Allison V-1710 V-12 engine the P-51A had superlative performance up to 18,000 feet, above which its single-speed supercharger struggled to supply enough air. At ultra-low level, it was in many ways superior to the Merlin, able to run smoothly at slower speeds, giving lower fuel consumption while also being more reliable.

Following the RAF’s example, the USAAF would fit many of their P-51A with sideways facing K-24 cameras. This allowed them to excel in the Fighter-Reconnaissance role, operating in pairs one would fly a pre-planned route taking a series of overlapping photographs while the other provided cover. The Allison engine allowed them to outrun virtually every German fighter at low-level.

If necessary, the P-51A could also take on the best German fighters when intercepted allowing them to roam all over occupied Europe with relative impunity. Perhaps their most crucial role was helping map Normandy prior to the invasion of June 1944.

4: Sikorsky R-4B

The Sikorsky R-4B was the first mass-produced helicopter. Powered by an 185hp radial piston engine, its performance was far from stellar. On a good day, it could carry a crew of two with a casualty in an external litter. Top speed was only 75mph, with a rather small range of 130 miles.

The R-4B wasn’t easy to fly either, with high vibration levels from the rotors feeding back through the controls to the pilot. While dealing with this they also had to manually operate the throttle to compensate for the changing aerodynamic loads and maintain a constant rotor speed.

Despite these challenges, the R-4 B proved to be a lifesaver, carrying out multiple rescues in the China-Burma-India theatre. Here, its performance was eroded by the high altitudes and humidity, and flights on occasion passed through 10,000 feet across high mountain passes. When loaded with casualties, running take-offs became necessary as the aircraft was too heavy to lift off vertically.

In the Pacific, the R-4B was used to move spare parts between aviation repair ships. However, these too would be pressed into rescue operations when required, including a six-week period from June to July 1945, when 75 soldiers were evacuated from the jungles of the Philippines under fire. Impressively at the start of the operation, some of the pilots had only 25 hours experience flying helicopters.

3: Lockheed Ventura

Developed from the Lockheed Lodestar passenger aircraft, the Ventura was initially proposed to the RAF as a light bomber and patrol aircraft replacement for the Lockheed Hudson. Faster than the earlier aircraft and able to carry 3000lb (1364kg) of ordnance, the first order was placed in early 1940 with deliveries beginning two years later.

Due to heavy losses on daylight raids it was soon relegated to use by Coastal Command. This could have been the end for the Ventura; however, when the USAAF ended its objection to the US Navy operating land-based bombers, an aircraft was urgently needed. Consequently, the PV-1 model was developed with extra fuel and a nose mounted search radar.

The USN’s first combat use of the Ventura was from the Aleutian Islands after they had been retaken from the Japanese. Flying from here they would carry out strikes against Paramushir in the Kuril Islands, studiously avoiding Soviet air space as they were still neutral in the Pacific theatre. Thanks to their radars, the PV-1s were also able to guide B-24 formations to the island.

The Ventura would operate as a night fighter with the US Marine Corps. Assigned to VMF(N)-531 the unit deployed to the Russell Islands in the South Pacific in September of 1943. Two months later, the squadron scored its first of twelve victories, downing a Japanese ‘Betty’ bomber on November 13.^.

2: Vultee BT-13 Valiant

Training to become a pilot in World War II was a long process using primary, basic, and advanced training aircraft before proceeding to an operational type. While large numbers of the Boeing-Stearman primary trainer and North American Harvard advanced trainer are still flying today, much rarer is the Vultee Valiant basic trainer.

Designed as part of a family of three trainers, the Valiant was the only one to win a production contract. Originally equipped with a retracting undercarriage, this was dispensed with for the basic trainer role. It was felt that the fledgling pilots would have enough to deal with learning to operate constant-speed propellers, flaps, and a two-way radio.

Over 9500 BT-13s were built, 2000 going to the USN, dominating the basic trainer role so completely it is rare to find a US aviator from the war who didn’t fly it. Although it had a few faults (including fuel leaks if snap rolled), the Valiant was generally vice-free.

After the war, the War Assets Administration sold Valiants for only $450, with the majority bought purely for their engines. A handful survive in airworthy condition, and a few were modified to appear in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! as Japanese Val dive bombers, at least one being re-used for the filming of Pearl Harbor in 2000.

1: Martin B-26 Marauder

Known by some as The Widow Maker, and The Flying Coffin the Martin Marauder’s reputation was based on first impressions rather than any underlying issues with the aircraft. Designed to fill a US Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber with the same payload as a B-17 but able to fly at over 300mph, Martin’s aircraft was ordered off the drawing board in 1940.

To achieve the required performance the B-26 had a relatively small wing and a pair of 2,000hp Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp engines. The small wing gave the aircraft much higher take-off and landing speeds than was typical for the time leading to multiple accidents during training and the unflattering nicknames.