Aces in the Sky: Aircraft of WWII Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This was one of the most successful fighters of WWII. It was designed to be powered by a radial engine, a departure from the then usual European standard of using inline engines on fighter aircraft.

Answer: Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Wurger ("Shrike") series of aircraft proved to the aviation industry that radial engines were capable of being successfully used on single engine land based fighters. However, the tide of war eventually turned against Germany and the Fw 190 was redesigned as the D series, which was powered by Junkers Jumo 213 inline engines which give them excellent high altitude performance to counter the bomber swarms that were destroying Germany.

The Fw 190 series proved to be a real menace to Allied aircrews right from its introduction in August 1941 until the end of the war in Europe.

2. This highly successful radial engine fighter was used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service from April 1943 to the war's end in August 1945. It was fast, highly maneuverable, and featured excellent armament. It was one of the best aircraft to serve in the Pacific.

Answer: Nakajima Ki-84

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate ("Gale", Allied reporting name "Frank") was an attempt to remedy serious deficiencies in both the A6M Zero and Ki-43 series aircraft (notably, weak armament and lack of high altitude capability) and it certainly fulfilled both requirements.

The Hayate served with distinction throughout its service life, and is considered to be the best production Japanese fighter of WWII.

3. Designed for high altitude performance, this plane featured an extremely unusual design that had two engines coupled together back-to-back with a propeller at either end of the plane. It was the fastest propeller driven aircraft of WWII.

Answer: Dornier Do 335

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow") was a very experimental design that was meant to provide the Luftwaffe with an aircraft that was capable of hitting Allied bomber formations hard and fast. To achieve this, it was heavily armed with two 20mm cannons and one 30mm cannon.

However, the overall decline of Germany's industrial capability prevented the Pfeil from ever reaching its full potential. The sole surviving Pfeil is now on museum display and remains an interesting example of the Luftwaffe's interest in experimental designs during WWII.

4. This fighter provided the people of Great Britain with hope during their darkest hour. It was originally designed using experience gained from designing seaplane racers.

Answer: Supermarine Spitfire

Quite possibly the most famous fighter plane in history, there's not much that hasn't been said about the Spitfire: it was fast, nimble, and more than capable of fighting to the bitter end. Interestingly, the glamourous Spitfire is credited as being the saviour of Britain during the Battle of Britain even though the distinctly unglamourous Hawker Hurricane destroyed more Luftwaffe aircraft!

5. Designed as a heavy, long range interceptor, this U.S. fighter wasn't initially successful as a combat aircraft due to a poor roll rate. It was feared by the Germans in the European theater, who nicknamed it the "Fork-tailed Devil."

Answer: Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The P-38 Lightning became one of the most successful twin engine heavy fighters in history. The Lockheed design team persisted with the design despite initial misgivings and eventually turned out a highly respected and versatile combat aircraft. The Lightning became the first fighter aircraft in history to fly faster than 400 miles per hour (640 kilometers per hour).

The Japanese also had a unique nickname for the Lightning: "two planes, one pilot."

6. This plane provided the wings for one of the most unique units seen in combat history: an aviation squadron comprised entirely of female pilots! The regiment that was the primary user of this plane became one of the most highly decorated Soviet military units of all time.

Answer: Polikarpov Po-2

The Polikarpov Po-2 was a biplane originally designed in 1927 as a crop duster and light transport/liaison aircraft. During WWII, the Po-2 was modified into a military aircraft capable of carrying a small 300 kilogram bomb load and was equipped with a light 7.62mm machine gun in the rear cockpit for defence.

The all female Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment (later renamed the "46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, after the unit's celebrated participation in a successful Soviet offensive in 1943) became known by the Germans as the "Night Witches" for the daring and skillful nighttime raids they carried out on German targets.

7. This jet aircraft was not only the first operational jet powered bomber in the world but was also the only jet aircraft classified as a pure bomber to see service during WWII. It was designed for high speed harassment raids on enemy targets.

Answer: Arado Ar 234

The Arado Ar 234 holds a unique place in military aviation as the first jet powered bomber aircraft in existence. It was designed to be capable of speeds in excess of 450 miles per hour (700 kilometers per hour). It was, however, almost exclusively used as a reconnaissance plane instead of a bomber and ended up becoming another example of an advanced Luftwaffe aircraft never being used to its full potential due to indecision over what role it should perform.

8. French fighter design lagged during the interwar years, however by the late 1930s it was finally recognized that a massive design program was required to develop modern aircraft. This fighter began life as a private venture and was the closest the French came to developing an equal to the Messerschmitt Bf 109E series.

Answer: Dewoitine D.520

The D.520 was the culmination of several designs produced by Emile Dewoitine and his team. The D.520 was powered by a lightweight 1000hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y inline engine and was armed with a single 20mm cannon and four 7.5mm machine guns. Whilst a capable fighter, production of the D.520 was hampered by indecision amongst the French Air Force, and the fall of France in May 1940 ended production.

9. One of the most powerful fighter aircraft of WWII, this plane possessed an instantly recognisable gull wing design and earned a reputation amongst the Japanese, who nicknamed it the "Whistling Death".

Answer: Vought F4U Corsair

The F4U Corsair prototype became the first single engine USAAF fighter aircraft to fly faster than 400 miles per hour (640 kilometers per hour). The Corsair was powered by a massive twin row, 18 cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine that produced a staggering 2,000hp! Initially designed as a carrier based replacement for the US Navy's Grumman F6F Hellcat, the Corsair proved a very challenging aircraft to land on the aircraft carriers of the day and its primary user during WWII was the US Marine Corps, who operated it as a land based fighter.

10. This fighter was produced in vast numbers by the Soviet aviation industry. First introduced in late 1942, in 1945 it became the first Soviet aircraft to shoot down a German Messershmitt Me 262 jet fighter.

Answer: Yakovlev Yak-9

The Yak-9 remains the most produced Soviet fighter aircraft of all time, with 17,000 produced. Yakovlev designed no fewer than 22 variations of the Yak-9, with variations including an improved engine, better firepower (with some Yaks being armed with a single 37mm or even 45mm cannon), and increased range. L.I. Sivko, a pilot with the Soviet Air Force's 812th Fighter Aviation Regiment, became the first Soviet pilot to shoot down an Me 262, on March 11th, 1945.

Source: Author matthewpokemon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Combat aircraft changed drastically during WWII. Planes became faster, more powerful, and sometimes increasingly more experimental. Here's a mixture of some of the most famous and most unusual aircraft of WWII for you to pit yourself against. Good luck!

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