The Most Iconic World War II Planes

Mike Rothschild
Updated April 22, 2024 46.5K views 78 items
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WWII aircraft and airplanes represented a massive leap in speed, power, and sophistication. Many combatants started off flying biplanes and weakly-powered fighters. By the end of the conflict, however, jet fighters were coming into service, along with long-range bombers that could fly thousands of miles. Many nations, especially Germany, developed new planes boasting highly-sophisticated technology. However, even prior to that, some aircraft manufacturers were making planes that were fast, powerful, cheap to produce, and difficult to shoot down.

Many of these planes became iconic thanks to endless movies, newsreels, documentaries, and history books. And thanks to preservation techniques, thousands of WWII planes survive in museums, with some even still able to fly.

The aircraft of WWII saved England from German planes, played key roles in crucial historical events, became famous around the world, and were the only planes to ever drop atomic detonation devices on a combatant nation. 

Here's your chance to vote up the most iconic and important planes of WWII.