During World War II, no one seemed to be far behind in what is known as the aviation race. Each country was competing to get the upper hand in the sky, which forced the engineers to come up with aircraft that were sometimes highly innovative, surprising, and sometimes seemed incredible. Some of those planes were even rocket-powered and flying wings, only a few years before such concepts would have been considered impossible to achieve. Such was the ambition, invention, and daring of the time that those machines always had their own story besides their names. And here are ten of the most remarkable and unusual aircraft from that era.
10. Martin PBM-5A Mariner
The PBM-5A Mariner was a patrol bomber that could do almost everything that the PBY Catalina was famous for, but was even better in some aspects. Glenn L. Martin Company designed it, and it had a gull wing, which saved the engines from sea spray, and it had retractable wing floats for less drag. Its bomb bay was inside the fuselage, so the aircraft could keep the high speed even when it was fully loaded. The last models were equipped with jet-assisted takeoff rockets, and thus they could make a short and steep climb, which was great for sea rescue missions. The Mariner was staffed with a crew of nine and armed with multiple .50-caliber cannons, and so it played a big role in the Battle of the Atlantic by sinking ten German submarines. Of the more than a thousand built, only one survives now.
9. Curtiss XP-55 Ascender
The XP-55 Ascender was an aircraft that resembled a product from a science fiction comic. It had the engine behind the pilot, a small canard wing at the front, and twin vertical tails at the ends of the main wings. “Pusher” was the name of that layout, and the idea was that better visibility would be given to pilots and firepower concentrated in the nose. But the way it was handled was difficult, and it was prone to stalling unexpectedly sometimes. Only three were made, and of the three, two were destroyed in crashes. The one that is still here is a memorial to the extent that designers dragged their feet when experimenting during the war period.
8. Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake”
The V-173 got its nickname from the fact that it was very flat, almost round, and had huge sixteen-foot diameter propellers. The V-173, developed by Charles Zimmerman, could take off from very short distances, and if there was a strong headwind, it could almost stay in one place like a helicopter. That full-body lift gave it near-unparalleled agility for the time. The tests of the flights were positive, but the Navy decision went in favor of faster jet aircraft. So the Flying Pancake never went into production.
7. Focke-Wulf 190D “Long Nose”
German pilots referred to the Focke-Wulf 190D as the “Langnasen,” as the latter was an interception fighter for high altitudes only. Being switched off Jumo 213, the liquid-cooled engine, it could go up to 717 km/h and thus be troublesome to the Allied bombers. In addition to 20mm cannons, the 13mm machine guns, too, it was tough and mean. Limited by production difficulties and wartime sabotage, these fighters barely managed to escape the hangars, and nowadays there are only a few of them preserved as museum pieces.
6. Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (“Oscar”)
The Ki-43 Hayabusa, known as the Peregrine Falcon, was the fastest, the most agile, and the most maneuverable—the qualities that made the Allied pilots very surprised during the first part of the war. More than 5900 units were made; thus, it was one of the most common Japanese fighters. The first models had no armor, and the fuel tanks were not self-sealing, but the later versions kept the agility and improved the survivability as well. At present, there is only one completely preserved example.
5. Mitsubishi A6M7 Reisen (Zero)
If the Mitsubishi Zero got anywhere near the top of our list of fast and maneuverable airplanes, its story would remain undefeated. And the A6M7 version, with its dive-bombing abilities, reinforced wings, and bomb racks, completed the picture. This type of zero was among the last to be active when the war turned against Japan. A total of over 10,000 Zeros were produced, but only a few are left today that look almost like the originals.
4. Horten Ho 229
The Horten Ho 229 was a flying wing of the future that had two jet engines and was therefore years ahead of its time. The shape of it reduced drag and also radar visibility, and it was supposed to reach up to 965/600 mph. The prototype was made in 1944, but the war ended before full production could be achieved. However, it remains one of the most advanced inventions that came out of WWII despite its brief history.
3. Messerschmitt Me 262
The Me 262 was the first jet fighter to function practically in the world, and its arrival was very disturbing among the Allied forces. It could lift off bomber formations and fire with heavy nose-mounted cannons at a top speed of about 540 mph before they got a chance to react. It was too late, however, due to fuel shortages and reliability issues, for the Me 262 to plan a different course of the war, but still, the design of it strongly influenced postwar jet developments.
2. Heinkel He 178 and He 280
The Heinkel He 178 is historically known as the very first jet-powered aircraft that managed to fly, and this happened in 1939. Heinkel later built the He 280, which was the first turbojet fighter that was made with the pure intention of being a fighter. Being able to go over 550 mph, the He 280 was quite an impressive conception, even if the Me 262 prevailed in getting production first. They were the earliest jets that signaled technological breakthroughs in the field of aviation.
1. Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui / Ki-200
The Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui is a rocket-powered interceptor inspired by the Me 163 Komet from Germany and designed to fight against high-altitude bombers. It was able to make an extreme climb to the sky in only a few minutes and reach very high speeds. However, it only had a short five-minute window before the fuel ran out. Due to the scarce amount of technical information, Japanese engineers had to make a lot of it up. The prototype went down on its maiden flight, and the pilot died. The war ended before further developments.
These machines highlight the bold, risk-taking, and groundbreaking nature of WWII aviation. While a few of them were revolutionary successes, some went wrong, and still, all of them have put a stamp on the chronicles of flights.