One of the galleries in the National Museum of the United States Air Force is dedicated to World War II. Shown below are some of the American fighters which were displayed.
Curtiss P-36A Hawk
According to the Museum:
The P-36, developed from the Curtiss Hawk Model 75 originally designed for France, was first produced for the US Army Air Corps in 1938. The Air Corps obtained 243 P-36s, including 30 P-36G export models seized by the US government in 1942 because of the German occupation of Norway.
Both France and England used the Hawk 75A in combat over Europe in 1939 and 1940, even though the airplane was obsolescent when compared to its major adversary, the German Messerschmitt Bf 109. During 1941, the Air Corps transferred 39 of its P-36s to Hawaii and 20 to Alaska. After World War II began, the outmoded P-36 soon was relegated to training and courier duties within the United States.
This airplane has a top speed of 313 mph, a range of 830 miles, and a ceiling of 32.700 feet.
Seversky P-35
According to the Museum:
The P-35, a forerunner of the Republic P-47, was the U.S. Army Air Corps' (USAAC) first production single-seat, all-metal pursuit plane with retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. The USAAC accepted 76 P-35s in 1937-1938, and assigned all but one of them to the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field, Mich.
Sweden also purchased 60 improved aircraft (designated EP-106), but the United States diverted a second order for 60 to the USAAC in 1940 and assigned them to the 17th and 20th Pursuit Squadrons in the Philippines. These aircraft, redesignated P-35As, were all lost in action early in the war. Ironically, the Japanese Navy ordered 20 two-seat versions of the P-35 in 1938, and these became the only American-built planes used operationally by the Japanese during World War II.
This airplane has a top speed of 280 mph, a cruising speed of 260 mph, a range of 625 miles, and a ceiling of 30,600 feet.
The Museum’s P-35 is the only known surviving P-35.
Curtiss P-40E Warhawk
According to the Museum:
The P-40 was the United States' best fighter available in large numbers when World War II began. P-40s engaged Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines in December 1941. They also served with the famed Flying Tigers in China in 1942, and in North Africa in 1943 with the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first African American U.S. fighter unit.
The solid, reliable Warhawk was used in many combat areas -- the Aleutian Islands, Italy, the Middle East, the Far East, the Southwest Pacific and some were sent to Russia. Though often slower and less maneuverable than its adversaries, the P-40 earned a reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness. It served throughout the war but was eclipsed by more capable aircraft. More than 14,000 P-40s were built, and they served in the air forces of 28 nations.
This airplane has a top speed of 362 mph, a cruising speed of 235 mph, a range of 850 miles, and a ceiling of 30,000 feet.
The Museum’s airplane is a Kittyhawk—an export version made for the RAF.
Bell P-39Q Airacobra
According to the Museum:
The P-39 was one of America's first-line pursuit planes in December 1941. It made its initial flight in April 1939 at Wright Field, Ohio, and by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, nearly 600 had been built. Its unique engine location behind the cockpit caused some pilot concern at first, but experience showed that this was no more of a hazard in a crash landing than with an engine located forward of the cockpit. The P-39's spin characteristics, however, could be a problem if proper recovery techniques were ignored.
From September to November 1942 pilots of the 57th Fighter Squadron flew P-39s and P-38s from an airfield built on land bulldozed into Kuluk Bay on the barren island of Adak in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. They attacked the Japanese forces which had invaded Attu and Kiska islands in the Aleutians in June 1942. The number one foe that claimed the most lives, however, was not the Japanese but the weather. The low clouds, mist, fog, driving rain, snow and high winds made flying dangerous and lives miserable. The 57th remained in Alaska until November 1942 and then returned to the United States.
The Airacobra saw combat throughout the world, particularly in the Southwest Pacific, Mediterranean and Russian theaters. Because its engine was not equipped with a supercharger, the P-39 performed best below 17,000 feet altitude. It often was used at lower altitudes for such missions as ground strafing. When P-39 production ended in August 1944, Bell had built 9,584 Airacobras, of which 4,773 were sent to the Soviet Union through lend-lease. Russian pilots appreciated the cannon-armed P-39 for its ground attack capability. Other P-39s served with Free French and British forces.
This airplane has a top speed of 376 mph, a cruising speed of 250 mph, a range of 650 miles, and a ceiling of 35,000 feet.
North American P-51D Mustang
According to the Museum:
The Mustang was among the best and most well-known fighters used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Possessing excellent range and maneuverability, the P-51 operated primarily as a long-range escort fighter and also as a ground attack fighter-bomber. The Mustang served in nearly every combat zone during WWII, and later fought in the Korean War.
In 1940 the British approached North American Aviation to license-build Curtiss P-40 fighters for the Royal Air Force. North American offered to design a better fighter, which flew as the NA-73X in October 1940. Production of the aircraft -- named Mustang I by the British -- began the following year.
n the summer of 1941, the USAAF received two Mustang Is under the designation XP-51. Although flight tests of the new fighter showed promise, the USAAF did not immediately order the Mustang. After the personal intervention of Gen. Hap Arnold, however, the USAAF retained 55 Mustangs from a British order. Most of these became F-6A photo-reconnaissance aircraft, which equipped the first USAAF Mustang units, the 154th and 111th Observation Squadrons in North Africa in the spring of 1943.
In March 1942 the USAAF accepted the first production P-51A fighters. Although excellent at lower levels, the P-51A's Allison engines severely limited performance at high altitude. The USAAF employed P-51As in the China-Burma-India theater, where most combat took place at low altitude.
The P-51D incorporated several improvements, and it became the most numerous variant with nearly 8,000 being built. The most obvious change was a new "bubble-top" canopy that greatly improved the pilot's vision. The P-51D also received the new K-14 gunsight, an increase from four to six .50-cal machine guns, and a simplified ammunition feed system that considerably reduced gun jams.
This airplane has a top speed of 437 mph, a cruising speed of 275 mph, a range of 1,000 miles, and a ceiling of 41,900 feet.
Northrop P-61C Black Widow
According to the Museum:
The heavily-armed Black Widow was the United States' first aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter. The P-61 carried radar equipment in its nose that enabled its crew of two or three to locate enemy aircraft in total darkness and fly into proper position to attack.
The XP-61 was flight-tested in 1942 and the delivery of production aircraft began in late 1943. The P-61 flew its first operational intercept mission as a night fighter in Europe on July 3, 1944, and later was also used as a night intruder over enemy territory. In the Pacific, a Black Widow claimed its first "kill" on the night of July 6, 1944. As P-61s became available, they replaced interim Douglas P-70s and Bristol Beaufighters in all USAAF night fighter squadrons.
During World War II, Northrop built approximately 700 P-61s; 41 of these were C models manufactured in the summer of 1945 offering greater speed and capable of operating at higher altitude.
This airplane has a top speed of 425 mph, a cruising speed of 275 mph, a range of 1,200 miles, and a ceiling of 46.200 feet.
More World War II museum exhibits
Air Force Museum: World War II German Planes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II Japanese planes (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War II American fighters (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: Some World War II fighters (photo diary)
Planes of Fame: P-38 Lightning (Photo Diary)
Planes of Fame: World War II American Fighters (Photo Diary)
Evergreen Aviation: World War II fighters (photo diary)
Historic Flight: Grasshopper, Texan, Spitfire (photo diary)