The best twin-engined fighters of the second world war

Why would anyone opt for a twin-engine setup for a fighter?

Well, sometimes a bigger aircraft was required for greater range, or armament or a second crewmember to navigate or operate a radar. Here we choose the ten best of this exciting class of aeroplanes, assessing both their performance and their importance in World War II.

10: Westland Whirlwind

The Whirlwind was a heavily-armed, single-seat, twin-engine fighter designed for high performance, with great attention paid to aerodynamics. The aircraft was powered by two Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines, mounted in closely faired nacelles (the pod that houses the engine), and cooled by a radiator system mounted within the inboard wing structure.

Notwithstanding teething troubles with the engines, the Whirlwind was popular with its crews for its ‘delightful handling’, its heavy armament of four 20-mm cannon and the good view from its bubble canopy. The performance of the aircraft was particularly good at low altitude, being described as ‘superior to any contemporary single-engine fighter’.

However, performance fell off at higher altitudes, largely because of the engine and propeller choice. Because engine deliveries had delayed the Whirlwind’s operational service until after the Battle of Britain, and because air combat tactics were focusing on higher altitude engagements, only two Squadrons used the aircraft.  

In one engagement in August 1941, four Whirlwinds were engaged by 20 Messerchmitt Me 109 fighters. Although outnumbered five to one, the result was something of a draw, with two Me 109s destroyed and three of the four Whirlwinds damaged. In the circumstances, a pretty impressive result, that indicates the quality of the aircraft, at least at low level.

9: Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko

The Nakajima J1N Gekko started in 1938, when it became evident that Chinese air bases were beyond the reach of the Navy type 96 carrier fighters then in service with the Japanese Navy, and that losses were being sustained in the unescorted bombing raids that resulted.

The specification sought good combat manoeuvrability, combined with a long-range of 2408 km (1300 nautical miles), heavy armament (20-mm cannon plus machine guns), and a maximum speed of 322 mph. Initial trials of the J1N1 were discouraging, the aircraft being considered overweight, and with inadequate manoeuvrability, although with good range and speed.

The aircraft was re-designed as a land-based reconnaissance aircraft, and put into service as the J1N1-C reconnaissance aircraft. In 1943, a trial was made, fitting two 20-mm cannon firing upward, and two firing downward as for use as a night-fighter. The success of this trial aircraft in shooting down two B-24s led to the Navy initiating the development of a purpose-built J1N1 night-fighter, the J1N1-S Gekko (Moonlight).

The aircraft proved very effective against the B-24, but less so against the faster B-29. The performance of the aircraft was quite creditable, with a maximum speed of 315 mph at 19,000 ft, and normal range of 1580 miles. A total of 479 J1N1 of all variants were built, at least two thirds of these being J1n1-S or -Sa night-fighters.

8: Northrop P-61 Black Widow

The P-61 Black Widow was also the first purpose-designed night-fighter, and an absolute beast of a machine. It was a twin-engine, twin-boom (the rear fuselage divided into two slim parts) aircraft, heavily armed with four 20-mm cannon and four 0.5-in machine guns, weighing up to 32,400 lb (14,727kg).

The Black Widow was built on a truly American scale, was the heaviest aircraft to be given a P- (Pursuit) designation, was heavily armed, and was equipped with a Western Electric SCR-720 Air Intercept radar. It was also surprisingly manoeuvrable, and described as a ‘pilot’s aeroplane’.

While these P-61s performed useful roles, initially in night-time counter-V1 patrols, and subsequently in night fighter operations in Europe, this was a time when large-scale German night bomber raids had mainly come to an end. The P-61s were thus deployed in tactical roles in Europe.

The type only entered service in 1944, so though effective in the night-fighter role, the threat the Black Widow was designed to counter had largely evaporated by the time the aircraft were deployed to the China-Burma-India (CBI) and Pacific Theatre. The aircraft was undoubtedly effective, both in air-to-air combat, and at a tactical strike, but it arrived too late to make much difference.

7: Heinkel He 219 'Uhu'

There seems to be broad agreement among the various sources examining German aircraft of the Second World War that the Heinkel He 219 was the most effective night-fighter of that conflict. However, the He 219 was built in relatively small numbers – around 300 planes in total - and never really achieved the operational impact it could have had, had it entered service earlier than June 1943.

The origins of the aircraft lay in an earlier Heinkel private venture proposal from the summer of 1940 for a multi-role heavy fighter, with additional possible roles as a reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo bomber. This proposal drew upon several state-of-the-art technologies, including a pressurized crew compartment, tricycle undercarriage, remotely controlled defensive gun barbettes, and the provision of ejector seats.

On June 11, 1943, a pre-production He 219A-0 was operationally tested for the first time, destroying five bombers in the course of a single sortie, although failure of the aircraft’s flaps resulted in the loss of the He 219 on landing. The production He 219A was a heavily armed, advanced twin-engine fighter fitted with the Liechenstein SN-2 radar system.

Operationally, the He 219A was very successful, with a significant success rate against RAF night bombers, and several pilots achieving impressive numbers of combat victories, including multiple successes in a single sortie. Well-armed, well-equipped, and relatively easy to maintain, the aircraft was popular with its crews.

6: Kawasaki Ki 45 Toryu

The Toryu was wholly satisfactory, with surprising manoeuvrability, and good performance, and was armed with a 20-mm cannon and two-12.7 mm machine guns firing forward, and a 7.92-mm aft-firing defensive machine gun. Maximum speed was 539 km/h (335mph) at 20,000 ft, and the maximum range on internal fuel was 1404 miles, both creditable figures.

Initial combat experience for the Toryu was in China during November 1942, and the aircraft is described as the most manoeuvrable twin-engined aircraft fielded by anyone during the  war, able to out-manoeuvre the P-38 Lightning ‘with ease’, and performing half rolls, chandelles and Immelman turns ‘with élan’.

A ground-attack variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Otsu, was followed by a night-fighter variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Ko, with two upward-firing 20-mm cannon located behind the cockpit, and a dual-role day-night-fighter, the Ki 45-Kai-Hei with changes to the forward firing armament, including the use of a 37-mm Ho 203 cannon. The Toryu was extensively used in efforts to defend the Japanese home islands against B-29 Superfortress bombing raids, with its 37-mm cannon proving highly effective.

A further variant, the Ki 45-Kai-Tei added two forward firing 20-mm cannon to supplement the 37-mm cannon, and was intended to be used in the anti-shipping role, but was largely diverted to night-fighter units. Total production of all variants of the Toryu was 1691, and the aircraft must be regarded as highly effective in all its roles, but particularly as an escort-fighter and night-fighter.

5: Messerschmitt Bf 110

The first prototype Bf 110 made its first flight on May 12, 1936, but continuing difficulties in engine development and delivery resulted in the initial Bf 110B-1 model flying with the Junkers Jumo 210Ga engine, and being used for tactics development and training, as it was not suitable for combat operations.

The Bf 110C was delivered to the Luftwaffe from January 1939. The Bf 110C offered a maximum speed of 541 km/h (336 mph), and a range on internal fuel of 1410 km (876 miles), and an armament of two 20-mm cannon, four forward-firing and one defensive rearward-firing machine gun. 

It proved effective where the Luftwaffe had air superiority, but this was not the case during the Battle of Britain, and there were significant losses, with 120 Bf 110s shot down in August 1940 alone, though some historians believe its vulnerability has been exaggerated. The Bf 110 then found a new role as a night-fighter, while continuing to be used as a fighter-bomber.

Production of the aircraft continued until March 1945, with a total of more than 6000 aircraft of all variants having been built. Despite its lack of success in the Battle of Britain, the Bf 110 made a major contribution to Luftwaffe capability, particularly as a night-fighter, but also as a fighter-bomber, in close air support and reconnaissance roles.

4: Bristol Beaufighter

Development of the Bristol Beaufighter started in November 1938, aimed at meeting a requirement for a cannon-armed long-range escort and night-fighter. The Beaufighter was essentially a fighter derivative of the Beaufort, which was already in production, and using the wings and tail of that aircraft speeded development, enabling the first flight of the prototype to occur on July 17 1939.

The Beaufighter was very heavily armed, with four 20-mm cannon carried in the lower fuselage and six 0.303-in machine guns in the wings, and delivered a range of 2575 km (1600 miles) Fighter Command aircraft were equipped from the start with the AI Mark IV air interception radar, and on 26 July 1940, the Beaufighter I entered RAF squadron service, with the first night-fighter success being on 19 November 1940.

As night-fighter Mosquitos came into service, Beaufighter night-fighter operations gradually reduced, but the aircraft continued to give good service as a heavily armed long-range strike fighter on all fronts, including in the Pacific Theatre, with RAAF Beaufighter 21s serving as long-range bomber escorts, and in strike and anti-shipping operations. Coastal Command Beaufighter X aircraft conducted anti-shipping operations against convoys off Europe in the North Sea and the Mediterranean.

When production ended 5928 Beaufighters had been built. The aircraft served with great effect from July 1940, and the last RAF Beaufighter flight was made in 1960. Tough, heavily armed, and extremely effective, the Beaufighter was widely used and was effective as a night-fighter, anti-shipping, strike aircraft and escort fighter across the European, North African and Pacific Theatres.

3: Junkers Ju 88

The Schnellbomber concept was essentially the idea that a fast enough bomber did not need defensive guns with their attendant weight, complexity and extra operators to survive. As an aircraft designed to meet high-speed bomber requirement, the inclusion of the German Ju 88 in a list of the best twin-engined fighters may seem a strange decision, but as we will see, it is not.

However, the specification, which called for an aircraft capable of carrying a normal bombload of 1100 lb (500kg) at a maximum speed of 499 km/h (310 mph) for 30 minutes or at a cruising speed of 451 km/h (280 mph), and climbing to 7000 metres (22965 ft) in 25 minutes, resulted in an extraordinarily effective and flexible aircraft able to perform far more than bombing.

The Ju 88 was adaptable and proved a ‘Jack of all trades’. Variants were introduced to counter balloon barrages, for advanced training, for use in tropical environments, for use as low-level fighter-bombers, and even for anti-shipping operations.

The Ju 88 was a highly significant aircraft for the Luftwaffe, its initial high-speed medium bomber role being expanded to include such diverse missions as day-fighter, night-fighter (as pictured, with radar equipment), strategic reconnaissance and air-launched guided weapon. A total of about 15,000 aircraft were built, in many different variants, seeing service in all theatres throughout Luftwaffe involvement in the world war.

2: Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The P-38 design was innovative and unusual, making use of Allison V1710 engines, fitted with extremely bulky turbo-superchargers. The twin-fuselage booms mounted the engines, the main gear and turbo-supercharger. The fuselage was a pod which carried the armament, the nose wheel, and the pilot.

The P-38E offered quite impressive performance, with a maximum speed of 636 km (395mph) at 25,000 ft, a normal range of 500 miles, maximum range of 975 miles, and armament of one 20-mm cannon and four 0.50-in machine guns. Uprated engines were fitted to the P-38F, and successive changes in engine model from the V-1710-49/53 to the V1710-51/55, and V1710-89/91 accounted for changes in designation from P-38F to P-38H.

In air combat, the Lightning could be out-manoeuvred by Luftwaffe single-engine fighters, but its speed, performance at altitude, and heavy armament enabled the aircraft to achieve considerable success, generally by diving on its opponents and avoiding being drawn into turning air combat. These tactics were particularly successful in the Pacific Theatre, where Japanese fighters were generally very manoeuvrable, but relatively vulnerable.

10,035 Lightnings had been completed by the end of the war. The P-38 proved its effectiveness as a bomber escort, air defender, interdictor, strike and reconnaissance aircraft. Used in all theatres, its greatest contribution was in the Pacific, but it also made contributions in North Africa, the Mediterranean and Southern and Eastern European operations, as well as both escort and strike operations in Western Europe.

1: De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito

The Mosquito was a bold, and at the time, controversial concept, combining two excellent Merlin engines, and the use of wooden construction – novel in a combat aircraft, but familiar to de Havilland – that delivered an almost miraculously brilliant aeroplane which used high-speed and heavy armament to great effect.

The design originated from specification P13/36, calling for a twin-engine medium bomber with the highest possible cruising speed, suitable for other duties including reconnaissance. The bomb load required was 4000 lb (1818kg), and a range of 3000 miles was required. De Havilland’s proposal lost out to the terrible Avro Manchester, but the seeds had been sown for the design of a high-speed, twin-engine bomber, constructed of wood.