There are 60 American airplanes from World War 2 in the Military Factory.
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Bell P-39 Airacobra
The P-39 Airacobra was the product of the Bell Aircraft Corporation and went on to see more action in the hands of Soviet pilots via the Lend-Lease Act, to which no fewer than 5,000 were shipped and / or locally produced. The...
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Bell P-63 Kingcobra
The P-63 Kingcobra was developed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation as the ultimate successor to the P-39 Airacobra. Despite the two systems sharing many of the same visual design features, the P-63 Kingcobra is generally regar...
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Boeing 314 Clipper (C-98)
The Boeing Model 314 "Clipper" was a floatplane primarily developed by the Boeing Aircraft Company to fulfill a Pan American requirement for a long-range passenger floatplane. The system saw only 12 examples produced in two v...
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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Though the Consolidated B-24 Liberator was built in greater numbers, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is often regarded as the more important heavy bomber for the Allies in the Second World War, accounting for over 290,000 sor...
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress status is often relegated to the aircraft that dropped the atomic bombs (“Fat Man” and “Little Boy”) on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war in the Pacific for the Allies. The fact that there were in fact ...
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Boeing P-26 Peashooter
The P-26 became the first all-metal fighter design for the United States. Appearing similar to the later "Gee Bee" series of racers, the P-26 replaced the P-12 to which the newer P-26 outclassed in nearly every way.
The P-...
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Boeing-Stearman PT-17 Kaydet
When The Boeing Company acquired the Stearman company in 1939, it also acquired the design and production rights to the promising Model 75 series, which itself was flow as the X-70 as early as 1933. The two-seat biplane would...
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Brewster F2A Buffalo
The stubby F2A Buffalo series became the United States Navy's first operational aircraft of monoplane design. Despite this honor, the system as a whole failed to live up to expectations set forth by technology and combat tact...
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Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator design was generated from the successful airframe of an existing flying boat model (explaining the enlarged fuselage and high-mount wing assembly). The B-24 actually provided better performance...
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Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a further development of the United States Navy's PB4Y-1 anti-submarine warfare aircraft which, itself, was a further variant based on the successful Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber ai...
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Consolidated PBY Catalina
Maritime aircraft play an understated role, especially in that of war time. Fly boats came to pass, first in peace-time development as early as 1901, and ultimately in the First World War. Their development, with experience g...
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Curtiss P-36 Hawk / Mohawk
The P-36 Hawk aircraft produced by Curtiss was a widely accepted and operated weapon system. From its initial appearance once can see the influence that the P-36 had in the design of the P-40 Warhawk of "Flying Tigers" fame. ...
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Curtiss P-40 Warhawk / Kittyhawk / Tomahawk
The P-40 Warhawk / Kittyhawk / Tomahawk series of aircraft was the further development of the P-36 Hawk platform (detailed elsewhere on this site). The Warhawk would become synonymous with the American Volunteer Group fightin...
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Curtiss P-6 Hawk
Originally based on the existing P-1B series of aircraft, the P-6 Hawk series was a first-line pursuit aircraft for the United States in the early 1930s. The Hawk became the last of the fighter biplanes built in quantity for...
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Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber / reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout the Second World War. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C faced of...
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Curtiss XP-42
The Curtiss XP-42 was a further development of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk model though it would share some initial outward similarities to Curtiss' most well known aircraft - the P-40 Warhawk. Later in its development, the XP-42 w...
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Curtiss XP-46
The smallish XP-46 was to be the answer for the deficiencies encountered in the P-40 Warhawk platform. Unfortunately for Curtiss, the XP-46 would be doomed by underperformance and sluggish capabilities - essentially dooming t...
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Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando
The United States Air Force utilized the C-46 Commando series as their primary transport workhorse in the Pacific Theater of War during the Second World War. The system was initiated to replace the Douglas series of DC-3 tran...
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Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender
The XP-55 Ascender was an unorthodox attempt by the Curtiss-Wright company that produced just three prototype models. Answering a United States Army Air Corps call for unconventional aircraft designs, the XP-55 fit the bill w...
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Douglas A-20 Havoc / Boston
The A-20 Havoc series of aircraft was designed by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation in the United States and stemmed from the DB-7 sttack bomber series appearing with the first Model 7A's by 1938. Initially, the system was int...
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Douglas A-24
The Douglas A-24 dive bomber fit the requirement of the United States Army for a capable dive bomber-type aircraft. After witnessing successes of this type by Germany throughout its European offensives, the US Army convinced ...
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Douglas A-26 Invader
The original design of the Douglas-produced A-26 Invader was conceived of in three forms - night fighter, bomber and attack aircraft. The attack aircraft design was selected for production with the United States Army Airforce...
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Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota
The C-47 Skytrain was a product of the Douglas Aircraft Company and is regarded as the best transport of World War 2. Interestingly enough, the Skytrain was first born as a civilian passenger airliner in the DC-3 model and be...
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Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4)
Derived from the commercial DC-4 airliner, the C-54 Skymaster was a workhorse transport aircraft for both the United States Army and the United States Navy branches of service. Planned as a technologically superior successor ...
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Douglas SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber series of aircraft was one of the more vital cogs in the Allied defense and offense in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The system yielded a good blend of offensive and defensive armame...
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Fisher XP-75 / P-75 Eagle
The Fisher XP-75 Eagle was a novel attempt to fulfill the role of fast-climbing interceptor for the United States Army. The system was designed with speed of production in mind and thusly was comprised of elements found on ot...
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Grumman F4F Wildcat
The Grumman-produced F4F Wildcat series of aircraft was initially proposed to the United States Navy as a biplane-only design, which would explain the visual appearance of the stout fuselage (originally designed to carry two ...
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Grumman F6F Hellcat
The F6F Hellcat continued the feline-inspired naming convention for the Grumman series. Build upon the successes of the F4F design, the superceded all expectations and became the star of the air war in the Pacific Theater. Su...
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Grumman F8F Bearcat
The F8F Bearcat arrive too late in the Second World War to be used but nevertheless enjoyed a long stay aboard many an aircraft carrier across the globe. The F8F Bearcat was designed to meet the United States Navy specificati...
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Grumman TBF Avenger
The TBF Avenger became a classic warfighter thanks to its resilience in the ongoing battle over the Pacific in the Second World War. Able to deliver payloads of torpedoes, drop bombs and rockets, the system was also capable (...
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Hughes H-4 Hercules
The famed Hercules aircraft produced and flown only one time by Howard Hughes himself. It was commonly known as the 'Spruce Goose' and termed a failure in the eyes of most but not Mr. Hughes. The idea behind the craft was to ...
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Hughes XF-11
Though only achieving prototype form, the XF-11 was one of the darling designs of famed American aviator Howard Hughes. Looking very much like an oversized Lockheed P-38, the twin-boom XF-11 was designed to fulfill a United S...
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Lockheed C-69 Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation series of aircraft was a successful design that initially began as a militarized transport, appearing in limited numbers towards the end of World War two, that gained more fame in the civilian trans...
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Lockheed P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning (often called the "Fork-Tailed Devil" from the German perspective) was the brainchild of aviation engineer Kelly Johnson. The name "Lightning" itself is believed to be derived from the designation ...
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Lockheed XP-49
The XP-49 was a development of the Lockheed Corporation and a possible replacement for its successful line of P-38 Lightning aircraft. The XP-49 was to be a high-altitude performer with the capabilities of a well-designed fig...
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Lockheed XP-58 Chain Lightning
The XP-58 "Chain Lightning" was initially envisioned as a larger version of the successful Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-boom design capable of downing hordes of enemy bomber formations in single burst shots. The fear covering...
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Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder went through a rocky history before becoming the known stalwart of the United States Army Air Force that people know it to be. Designed by Peyton M. MacGruder, the B-26 was built on the concept of pow...
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Martin Baltimore (A-30)
The Martin-produced Baltimore was a light-to-medium class bomber whose design was based highly on the Martin "Maryland" A-22 aircraft. The twin-engine, four-crew system was fielded en masse by forces of the United Kingdom thr...
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Martin Maryland (A-22)
The Martin-produced Maryland series was classified as a light bomber and saw action as a photographic reconnaissance plane throughout the Second World War. Originally drawn up as a response to a United States Army Air Corps (...
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McDonnell XP-67 Bat / Moonbat
The XP-67 was the first attempt by the McDonnell corporation to build a fighter for the United States Military. The same corporation would go on to built the superb F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and F-18 Hornet air superiority a...
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North American B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell series of medium bombers went on to become one of the classic American aircraft designs to emerge during World War Two. Designed as early as 1939, the series was built to specifications as req...
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North American P-51 / F-51 Mustang
In terms of Allied success against the Luftwaffe, the development of the P-51 Mustang could very well make it the single most important aircraft of the war. The single-engine aircraft would come to symbolize the classic Ameri...
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Northrop P-61 / F-61 Black Widow
The Northrop-produced P-61 Black Widow was the first aircraft specifically designed as a true nightfighter from the outset. After realizing the initial successes of such aircraft throughout Europe in the British Mosquitos and...
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Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet
The XP-56 "Black Bullet" was designed by the Northrop company to an Army Air Corps proposal known as the R-40C. The XP-56 stood out as yet another radical design and focused on the flying wing concept while incorporating push...
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Northrop XP-79
The XP-79 was another of Northrop's flying wing attempts with the initial project being conceived as a rocket-propelled model. The design was dominated by the large horizontal wing surface area with twin vertical tail surface...
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Piper L-4 Grasshopper
The Piper L-4 Grasshopper evolved from the successful Piper Cub series that took to the air as early as 1930. By 1941, the US Army was in the market for such a light observation and liaison aircraft with rugged reliability, p...
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Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The P-47 Thunderbolt (commonly called the "Jug" or "Juggernaut" for its stout appearance) was another example of an American-produced classic warbird. The design of the P-47 held many challenges but the end-result would produ...
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Republic XP-72 Super Thunderbolt (Wasp Major)
The XP-72 Wasp Major Thunderbolt was intended to be an "ultimate" design of the highly successful P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber as produced by Republic. The XP-72 was to incorporate the successful P-47 airframe and mate it ...
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Vought F4U Corsair
The F4U Corsair series of aircraft was one of the finer fighter developments of the Second World War, primarily seeing combat in the Pacific Theater of War. The uniquely designed bent-wings and ever-improving powerplant assur...
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Vought OS2U Kingfisher
The OS2U Kingfisher was a product of the Vought aircraft firm, appearing initially as the VS.310 design to which the United States Navy accepted as a prototype in the XOS2U-1. The prototype would be airborne for trials by 193...
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Vultee A-35 Vengeance
The A-35 Vengeance was a dive bomber produced by the Vultee Aircraft Company and resulted in over a thousand examples being used by foreign forces under the Lend-Lease Act. Originally ordered for French use as the V-72, some ...
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Vultee BT-13 Valiant
The BT-13 Valiant was a stellar trainer aircraft used for basic flight training and for blind instrument training throughout World War 2. The rear cockpit was equipped with a curtain that could be moved forward to cover the s...
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Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose
The Vultee-produced XP-54 was one of the more distinguishable prototypes designed during the Second World War. Produced through an empty canvas/blank check approach by an Army Air Corps initiative, the XP-54 (later nicknamed ...
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Vultee XP-81
The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 was a proposed long-range, high-altitude fighter design that was to be the answer for bomber escorting in Europe but, more importantly, throughout the island hopping campaign of the Pacific. The ...
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