World War II is renowned for legendary fighter aircraft such as the Spitfire, Mustang, and Messerschmitt Bf 109. Not all planes of the time were as good, though. Some were outdated even before they took flight, while others were just badly constructed, and some were even dangerous for the pilots to fly. Here are ten of the worst disappointment fighter aircraft of the war, listed from bad to disastrous.
10. Seversky P-35 (USA)
America’s first all-metal, single-wing fighter with retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit sounded great on paper. But by the onset of war, it was already obsolete. Only 76 were delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps, and those delivered to the Philippines included Swedish manuals and metric instruments, confusing American pilots. Lightly armed, underprotected, and without self-sealing fuel tanks, the P-35 was an easy target in combat.
9. Messerschmitt Me-210 (Germany)
Intended to replace the Bf 110, the Me-210 was a twin-engine failure. Its flight behavior was inherently unstable, and it tended to stall even in normal flight conditions. Its defensive firepower was frequently unreliable. Less than 400 were produced before the Luftwaffe dropped the model, returning to the older Bf 110. Its replacement, the Me-410, earned a new designation in an effort to distance itself from the Me-210’s shameful reputation.
8. Focke-Wulf Ta-154 Moskito (Germany)
Funnelled by inspiration from the British Mosquito, the Ta-154 was promising to test, but had issues in production. It was underpowered and flimsy, and when Allied bombers razed the factory that made its special resin glue, the replacement material compromised the wooden airframe. Most Ta-154s literally disintegrated during flight, with a mere 50 or so finished before production stopped.
7. Blackburn B-25 Roc (UK)
The turret-mounted Blackburn Roc was a textbook disaster. Basically a slow dive-bomber with a turret tacked on, it topped out at only 223 mph and was all but useless in combat. Rocs were rarely ever even challenged by enemy planes, instead serving their careers pulling targets or as fixed anti-aircraft installations.
6. Heinkel He-162 Salamander (Germany)
Germany’s “people’s fighter” was rushed into service for teenage pilots. Its plywood wings and hasty design made it fragile and unstable. The jet could not fly inverted without losing power, and more aircraft were lost to accidents than to enemy action. In combat, it had almost no impact.
5. Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon (USA)
Priced as the “world’s fastest-climbing interceptor,” the CW-21 was designed from a trainer aircraft. The U.S. Army Air Corps wasn’t interested, but the Netherlands used it against Japanese planes such as the Zero and Ki-43. Overgunned and overprotected, most CW-21s were lost in a matter of months. According to one Dutch squadron commander, it was “surpassed in nearly every important performance category by its opponents.”
4. Caudron C.714 (France)
Originally a fighter aircraft, the Caudron C.714 was underpowered and lightly armed. It took over nine minutes to fly to its service ceiling and had a very short range. France withdrew it after only a week in combat, and even the Finns rejected it. Spare aircraft went to Polish pilots, who only flew them when necessary.
3. Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 (USSR)
Made of plywood impregnated with resin to conserve metal, the LaGG-3 was slow, heavy, and cumbersome. Pilots nicknamed it the “varnished guaranteed coffin.” It was surpassed by both its German and Soviet contemporaries. Later development gave the La-5, but the LaGG-3 infuriated the pilots who were forced to fly it, even though more than 6,500 were manufactured.
2. Fiat CR.42 Falco (Italy)
A monoplane in the monoplane era, the CR.42 was seriously underpowered by planes such as the Spitfire and Hurricane. Nevertheless, more than 1,700 were built by Italy. It only had success in small-scale attacks against inexperienced enemies or against bad tactics, and when enemies learned, it was easy prey.
1. Brewster F2A Buffalo (USA)
The worst of the lot, the Brewster F2A, was nicknamed “Flying Coffin” by U.S. Marines. Overweight, underpowered, and of poor construction, it could not compete with enemy aircraft. Factory flaws required each aircraft to be rebuilt prior to flight. Finnish pilots were able to achieve some success fighting weak foes, but generally, the Buffalo was a disaster. Brewster Aircraft’s subsequent efforts, even licensed Corsair production, also failed, and the company went out of business in 1946.