AIRPLANES OF WORLD WAR II

INTRODUCTION

There were many different types and kinds of airplanes used and developed during the 2nd World War, but I am only going to write about two of them. Often considered to be the two most important, the British Spitfire and the German Messerschmidt, both mono-fighters, reconnaissance-planes and later on, also bombers.

THE SPITFIRE,also called the Supermarine Spitfire, was one of the fastest and most effective single-seat fighters in WWII. It was highly effective as a defensive interceptor during the Battle of Britain.
The Spitfire was a low-wing monoplane, first used in 1936 and put into service with the RAF in 1938. All throughout the war it was adapted to fit the purpose of: fighter (very successful in high altitudes), bomber and photoreconnaissance plane.
The model that entered active service in 1938 (Mk I) had a top speed of about 360m/h and an armament of eight 0.303-inch machine guns. The Spitfire XIV, one of the later models of the war had an altitude ceiling of 40,000feet and a top speed of 440m/h; it shot down more than 300 German V-1 missiles in 1944. There was one big problem with the spitfire, because the engine had a tendency do die out during dives because there was no fuel-injection-valve, but, of course, they fixed it.
During the war, the armament of the Spitfire was increased, later versions could even carry bombs weighing together over 1, 000 pounds! The last Spitfires in active service were used for photoreconnaissance with the RAF and were pulled out of service in 1954.
Many useful add-ons were developed during WWII, i.e. the bulletproof windshield, armor protection, parachute, pressurized cockpit etc.

THE MESSERSCHMIDT,also called BF 109, was the main fighter aircraft of Nazi Germany, used to great effect in World War II. Originally designated the Bf 109 for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW; Bavarian Airplane Company) when it was first designed in 1934, it received its better-known designation, Me 109, after BFW and its designer, Willy Messerschmidt, founded a firm to take over production. After the Me 109 was put into action in the Spanish Civil War, various modifications were continued to be made. The Me 109-E is probably the best-known model because of its wide use in the Battle of Britain. Powered by a fuel-injected Daimler-Benz engine of 1,150 horsepower, this single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane had a top speed of 350 m/h and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. It was armed with two 20-millimetre cannons and two machine guns. As many as 35,000 Me 109s were built. It was Germany's premier fighter, faster in a dive or at climbing than the British Spitfire and Hurricane but less maneuverable. Also, its range was severely limited by a small fuel capacity. By 1944, improved Allied fighters outstripped it.

SO goes the story about the airplanes. Although they were taken out of service almost 50 years ago, they have not been forgotten. Believe it or not, thanks to these aircrafts, many of the luxuries we today take for granted are things that were considered luxuries during WWII. Things like pressurized cabins for example were developed when pilots started fighting higher and higher into the clouds. Ejection seats were not very recommendable back then because your back shrunk with up to two cm!