Aichi B7A Ryusei (Grace)
The Aichi-produced B7A Ryusei (translated to "Shooting Star" and nicknamed "Grace" by the Allies) was a limited-production torpedo bomber in service with the Empire of Japan during the latter years of World War Two. Unfortuna...

Aichi D3A (Val)
The D3A series of aircraft (dubbed "Val" by the Allies) were thought to be all but extinct when the war in the Pacific began. The rude awakening came in the form of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii - home to the ...

Aichi E16A Zuiun (Paul)
The E16A Zuiun (translated into "Auspicious Cloud" and codenamed "Paul" by the Allies) was a dedicated reconnaissance floatplane and part-time dive-bomber for the Empire of Japan in World War Two. The system was an excellent ...

Amiot 143
The Amiot 143 of the French Air Force represented an evolution in the Amiot piston-engine bomber series that replaced the Amiot 140 of 1931. First flying in 1935, the Amiot 143 system was an unspectacular design whose time ha...

Amiot 354
The Amiot 354 bomber and reconnaissance platform was a quite capable aircraft when war broke out over France. The system had its origins based on the unarmed fast transport mail carrier to which some further development would...

Arado Ar 195
The Arado Ar 195 was prototype design intended for operations from Germany's first aircraft carrier known as the Graf Zeppelin. The aircraft was developed to a requirement for a carrier-based torpedo bomber, to which some thr...

Arado Ar 234 Blitz (Lightning)
The Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" (or "Lightning") was part of the German success with turbojet development in the latter years of World War Two. The system was the world's first purpose-built jet bomber to ever enter service, and did...

Arado Ar E.530
The idea of twin fuselage aircraft was always in the minds of military aircraft engineers throughout the Second World War. Conceivably, these systems would offer up double the performance and capabilities of their single fuse...

Arado Ar E.555
Arado proposed this E.555 flying wing concept towards the end of 1943 as a high-speed long-range bomber. The flying wing concept had eluded aircraft engineers for decades but it was seen as a potentionally stable design allow...

Arado Ar E.560
The Arado E.560 series of developmental high-speed jet bombers saw a large evolution on paper. Design of the platform centered around the closing days of the Second World War and showed the extent to which the Germans were pl...

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Continuing in the tradition of ugly yet robust and reliable heavy bombers, the British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley was the heavy bomber of choice during the early war years and up through 1942. The massive unappealing design ...

Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is regarded by many as the best bomber of either side in the Second World War. The system proved quite capable from the outset and was put into production the same year that the prototype had flown. From th...

Avro Manchester
The Avro Manchester was a semi-successful attempt by the Avro firm to fulfill Air Ministry Specification P.13/36. The specification called for a twin engine heavy bomber that could sport a multi-purpose payload of bombs or to...

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 American Allies in the Second World War, accounting for over 29...

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 ...

Bristol Beaufort
The Bristol Beaufort enjoyed a strong run between the war years of 1940-1943 as the primary British torpedo bomber in service. Designed as the successor to the aged biplane Vildebeest design by Vickers, the Beaufort saw succe...

Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim billed as a bomber though when it was officially installed into operational active service, the aircraft was quite capable of outrunning some fighters. The twin-engine, 3-person aircraft would equip the f...

Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator became a major player for Allied forces during World War 2. Its exploits ranged the world over - as did her users- and she saw action in a variety of roles in all major theaters. Designed to ov...

Consolidated B-32 Dominator
The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was a limited production four-engine heavy bomber requested by the United States Air Force as a fail-safe design to the complicated, technology-laden Boeing B-29 Superfortress in development. T...

Consolidated PB2Y Coronado
By the middle of the 1930's America was no longer blind to the real possibility that the war would sooner or later be waged along it's shores. As such, the United States Navy took action in the requirement for a new generatio...

Curtiss A-12 (Shrike)
The A-12 was an inter-war product of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company first appearing in 1933. The type became the first quantitative monoplane aircraft in service with the United States Army Air Corps upon its incepti...

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber / reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout World War 2 beginning in 1943. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C...

Curtiss SBC Helldiver
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de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito
Few can find much fault in the de Havilland design of its Mosquito series of nightfighters featured so prominently in the Battle of Britain and throughout the entire World War Two campaigns across Europe. The twin-engine nigh...

Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17 (sometimes referred to as "the Pencil" due to its fundamental shape) was a respect medium bomber class utilized by the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and throughout the Second World War. Initia...

Dornier Do 215
The Dornier Do 215 was originally intended for export, beginning life as a redesignated version of the Dornier Do 17 light/medium bomber. Three prototypes were initially produced from the Do 17K - the V1, V2 and V3 - each wit...

Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a multi-faceted performer for the German Luftwaffe that ended up fulfilling various roles from bomber to reconnaissance aircraft, aerial test bed to torpedo bomber. The twin-engine 4-man aircraft appear...

Dornier Do 22
The Dornier Do 22 was a German-designed and produced three-man floatplane. It was produced in Germany and Switzerland for the export market despite the fact that the aircraft proved a winning design for the Germans. The Do 22...

Douglas A-20 Havoc / Boston
The Douglas A-20 Havoc served Allied forces through most of World War 2, fighting for British, American and Soviet forces. The type saw extensive use, proving itself a war-winner capable of withstanding a great deal of punish...

Douglas A-24 Banshee
The Douglas A-24 "Banshee" 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 ...

Douglas A-26 / B-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a distinguished twin-engine light bomber whose origins were well-placed in the Second World War. The system proved adept at day and night flying, attacking targets with a bevy of machine guns or d...

Douglas B-18 Bolo
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Douglas SBD Dauntless
The Douglas DBS Dauntless dive bomber was a key cog in the America Navy war effort throughout the Pacific during World War 2. Though a product of the middle-to-late 1930's, the type continued to soldier on even as more advanc...

Douglas TBD Devastator
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Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was one of the unsung heroes of the Second World War. With Britain seemingly fighting the world war all on its own, much pressure fell upon its air force and navy branches to produce results. The Swordfis...

Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (Stork)
The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (translated to "Stork") was a medium bomber in service with the Italian Air Force in the late inter-war years and early years of World War Two. Much like other inter-war designs however, the Cicogna was...

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 (Condor)
The German Fw 200 Condor was initially a trans-Atlantic passenger and cargo (mail) aircraft developed by Focke-Wulf and legendary designer Kurt Tank in 1936. Early prototypes were fitted with the Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial...

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 (...

Handley Page Halifax
While the Lancaster Heavy Bomber will always be more identifiable in terms of the British night bombing campaigns of World War Two, the Handley Page Halifax series of bombers should be remembered as being just as equally impo...

Heinkel He 111
Though the base He 111 was arguably the most important bomber of the Third Reich during the Second World War, the idea of bombers winning the war was lost on German warplanners - in particular Adolph Hitler - whom envisioned ...

Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin)
The Heinkel He 177 Greif (or "Griffin") was a bomber produced in limited numbers for the German Luftwaffe. By any standard, the aircraft should have made more of an impact on the war for Germany's sake but structural flaws an...

Heinkel He 51
The He 51 was a product of the German Heinkel firm and a design of the Gunter twins, Walter and Siegfried. The Gunters became part of the Heinkel firm in 1931 and made the He 49 their first product with the company. The He 49...

Henschel Hs 123
The Henschel-produced Hs 123 aircraft became the last operational biplane for the German Luftwaffe during World War two. Born from a German requirement for a dive-bomber aircraft as early as 1933, several Henschel Hs 123 test...

Henschel Hs 132
The Henschel Hs 132 was another of the ambitious German jet-powered designs under development in the closing years of the Second World War. Developed in response to the mounting losses inherent with the plodding - yet still d...

Horten Ho IX / Horten Ho 229
The Horten Ho IX (or "Horten Ho 229" - sometimes wrongly designated the "Gotha Go 229") maintains a certain level of celebrity status in the world of military aviation, essentially becoming the first production-worthy form of...

Ilyushin IL-4
In many ways the Ilyushin-brand IL-4 was a "forgotten" bomber of the Second World War - at least in the West - though it formed the majority of Soviet bomber wings and was produced in excess of 5,000 examples. The system perf...

Junkers Ju 188 Racher (Avenger)
When the new Junkers Ju 288 - a design meant to replace the Junkers Ju 88 series of bombers - ran into developmental issues with its engines, Junkers set about producing an in-between utilizing the Ju 88's airframe. The Ju 88...

Junkers Ju 287
The Junkers Ju 287 was arguably the most unique design of all of the German jet-powered projects in development during and up until the end of World War Two. The system was designed as a high-speed heavy bomber which strayed ...

Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber)
The Junkers Ju 390 long range heavy bomber aircraft design was intended to be able to strike at locations along the east coast of the United States of America. The Ju 390 itself was a further development of the Junkers Ju 290...

Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka)
Before the Allies would gain air superiority over the skies of France and Germany, the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber would reign supreme. The system, for a time, became the terror of both civilian and soldier alike, as th...

Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 represented one of the better and more successful bomber designs attributed to the German Luftwaffe. The system performed on a variety of levels, achieving success with most every role and saw production rea...

Kawanishi H8K (Emily)
The Empire of Japan seemed to be producing its best aircraft designs of the war towards the end of the conflict. The Kawanishi H8K (codenamed "Emily" by the Allies) was such an example. Bred to take the reigns of the similar ...

Lockheed PV-1 Ventura / PV-2 Harpoon
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Loire-Nieuport LN.401 (LN.40)
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Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder overcame a rocky start to become one of the finest medium bombers of World War 2. The aircraft was designed with speed from the outset and, as such, a few problems emerged from that approach. The Mara...

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...

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 (...

Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika (America)
The Messerschmitt Me 264 was intended as a long-range aircraft and reconnaissance platform that was to supply the German Luftwaffe with a bomber capable of hitting targets within America as well as support Kriegsmarine U-boat...

Mitsubishi G4M (Betty)
Like most of Imperial Japan's aircraft in the early stages of World War 2, the Mitsubishi G4M (codenamed "Betty" by the Allies) was a potent performer in operation as a land-based naval bomber. The system was of a strong desi...

Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Sally)
The Mitsubishi Ki-21 (codenamed "Sally" by the Allies) was a successful medium bomber in service with the Japanese Air Force since 1939, seeing combat action up until 1945 despite the fact that the aircraft was already outcla...

Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu (Peggy)
The Mitsubishi-designed Ki-67 Hiryu (translated to "flying dragon" and dubbed "Peggy" by the Allies) is oft-regarded as the best bomber fielded by Japan in the Second World War. The system was of a twin-engine design, armed w...

Nakajima B5N (Kate)
By 1941, the B5N series of torpedo bombers were considered the best of their type anywhere in the world. The system was initially designed from 1935 onwards and was in full operational use at the outbreak of the Second World ...

Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Jill)
The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (translating to "heavenly mountain") series was a capable torpedo bomber fielded by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the Second World War. The system performed capably and would stay in operational ...

Nakajima G8N Renzan (Rita)
The Nakajima G8N Renzan (or "Mountain Range" - codenamed "Rita" by the Allies) was a heavy bomber design put forth by the Nakajima Aircraft Company in the latter stages of World War 2. The system saw a severely limited produc...

Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (Helen)
The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (meaning "storm dragon" and codenamed "Helen" by the Allies) heavy bomber was intended as a replacement for the out-classed Mitsubishi Ki-21 series of medium bomber. In reality, the newer Ki-49 desig...

North American A-36 Apache (Invader)
The A-36 Apache was a United States Army version of the successful North American P-51 Mustang piston-engine fighter. The original Mustang itself was developed to a British specification but the Mustang went on to see its glo...

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...

Petlyakov Pe-2
The Petlyakov Pe-2 began arriving in small numbers on the East Front in the summer of 1941. The system owed its pedigree from the developmental Petlyakov-designed VI-100 high-altitude interceptor that featured a pressurized c...

PZL.23 Karas
The PZL.23 "Karas" (meaning "the crucian carp") series of aircraft was a conventional - yet outdated - monoplane light bomber / reconnaissance platform of Polish design in World War 2. The system was wholly inadequate in spee...

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Sparrowhawk)
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero series of tri-engined bombers was the best bomber for the Italian Axis power in the Second World War. Aptly named the "Sparrowhawk", the system was double-effective in the anti-shipping ro...

Short Stirling
The gangly-looking Short Sterling formed the backbone of heavy bomber groups for the RAF from the Battle of Britain on through the end of the war, though by then deemed obsolescent and relegated to transport duties. Designed ...

Sukhoi Su-2
The Sukhoi Su-2 was the first aircraft design of Pavel Sukhoi and became a two-seat light bomber fielded by the Soviet Air Force in World War 2. Though a relatively modern design at the time of its inception, the Su-2 was qui...

Tupolev SB-2
The Tupolev SB-2 (the "SB" in the designation standing for "skorostnoi bombardirovschik" meaning "fast bomber") was a light-to-medium class bomber in service with Soviet forces in the Second World War. At the time the system ...

Vickers Wellington
The Vickers-produced Wellington medium-class bomber was a principle bomber of the Royal Air Force at the start of the Second World War, serving up until late 1943 when it was relegated to maritime support roles. The Wellingto...

Vought SB2U Vindicator
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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 ...

Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy)
The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (translating to "Comet" and nicknamed "Judy" by the Allies) was a capable dive bomber serving the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. The system saw some reliability issues in early pre...