World War II is etched in history for iconic planes such as the Spitfire, Mustang, and Messerschmitt Bf 109—but not all fighters gained fame for the best of reasons. Some were out of date from the beginning, others were poorly built, and some were simply hazardous for their pilots to fly. Following is a list of the ten worst fighter aircraft of the war, from disappointing to disastrous.
10. Seversky P-35 (USA)
America’s first all-metal single-winged fighter with retractable landing gear and a covered cockpit sounds impressive—but the P-35 proved its limitations very soon.
By the start of WWII, it was already obsolete. Only 76 were shipped to the U.S. Army Air Corps, and those that went to the Philippines had Swedish manuals and metric gauges installed, which puzzled American pilots.
Undergunned, lightly armored, and without self-sealing fuel tanks, the P-35s were quickly shot down in battle.
9. Messerschmitt Me-210 (Germany)
The Me-210 was designed as the Bf 110’s replacement, but it was a twin-engine disaster. Its unstable flight design caused stalls under normal flying conditions, and defensive armament frequently malfunctioned.
Fewer than 400 were built before the Luftwaffe canceled it and returned to the older Bf 110. So terrible was its reputation that its replacement, the Me-410, was given a new designation to avoid the stigma.
8. Focke-Wulf Ta-154 Moskito (Germany)
Germany’s response to the British Mosquito, the Ta-154, did well in prototypes. But when military hardware was incorporated, it was underpowered to the point of being dangerous.
Problems were compounded when Allied bombers reduced the factory where its special resin glue was made to rubble, necessitating a replacement adhesive that weakened the wooden airframe. Most Ta-154s disintegrated in mid-air, and production ended after only around 50 had been finished.
7. Blackburn B-25 Roc (UK)
A turret fighter that spectacularly failed, the Blackburn Roc was basically a slow dive-bomber with a turret attached. Its best speed was only 223 mph, and it was useless in the air. The majority of Rocs never entered combat and spent their time towing targets or as stationary anti-aircraft.
6. Heinkel He-162 Salamander (Germany)
The He-162 was Germany’s “people’s fighter,” a hurriedly built jet to be flown by novice teenage pilots. Constructed with plywood wings and riddled with design issues, it was brittle and highly unstable.
It couldn’t fly inverted without the engine losing power, and more aircraft were lost to accidents than to hostile fire. Success in combat was small.
5. Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon (USA)
Priced as the “world’s fastest-climbing interceptor,” the CW-21 was built from a trainer. The U.S. Army Air Corps was uninterested, but others went to the Netherlands. Against Japanese opponents such as the Zero and Ki-43, it was outperformed in combat. Undergunned and unprotected, the majority of CW-21s were lost within a few months. A Dutch squadron commander called it “surpassed in nearly every important performance category by its opponents.
4. Caudron C.714 (France)
A converted racing plane, the Caudron C.714 was underpowered and lightly armed. It took over nine minutes to reach its service ceiling and had minimal range. The French withdrew it after a week in combat, and even the Finns declined it. The few remaining aircraft were handed to Polish pilots, who flew them only out of necessity.
3. Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 (USSR)
The LaGG-3 was constructed of resin-impregnated plywood to conserve metal, but it made for a slow, heavy, and cumbersome fighter. The pilots jokingly referred to it as the “varnished guaranteed coffin.” It was both outperformed by German and Soviet peers, though subsequent refinements created the improved La-5. More than 6,500 LaGG-3s were produced, much to the frustration of those who were made to fly them.
2. Fiat CR.42 Falco (Italy)
A biplane in a monoplane age, the CR.42 was severely outclassed by contemporary fighters that included the Spitfire and Hurricane.
Even if Italy had superior monoplanes, the Regia Aeronautica commissioned more than 1,700 CR.42s. They only had limited success against novice enemies or subpar tactics; once adversaries learned, the CR.42s were sitting ducks.
1. Brewster F2A Buffalo (USA)
The top of the list was held by the Brewster F2A, nicknamed “Flying Coffin” by U.S. Marines. Overweight, underpowered, and shoddily constructed, it was uniformly out-flying enemy planes.
Factory flaws resulted in having to rebuild each plane upon delivery for flight testing. Finnish pilots alone achieved significant success with it, largely because of weak Soviet resistance. Brewster’s subsequent efforts, such as licensed production of Corsairs, were unsuccessful, and the company shut down in 1946.