A6M5c Zero Fighter type 52c

The Zero Fighter was the imperial Japanese navy´s first singel seated and single-engined shipboard fighter with the retractable undercarriage. It was the most produced types of all japanese combat aircraft of world war II. Designed to the 1937 specifications, the Zuisei-powered prototype flew in the spring of 1939, but the most more successfull sakae-powered prototype was adopted as the Zero type 11, and two squadrons with 15 aircrafts were sent to China in July 1940 for trials under operation conditions. More than 400 had been delivered by the time the type 21 and type 32 appeared at Pearl Harbor. After the battle of Midway the Allies slowly gained the ascendancy, and the Zero found itself outclassed by the F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat. Mitsubishi urgently tried to devise improved versions and type 52 was build in quantities far greater than any other Japanese combat aircraft. To satisfy front line demands for increased fire power and pilot protection, most of the changes were made in these areas under the designation type 52c. Especially, armament was increased to an additional 13mm machine gun mounted in each wing just outboard the 20mm cannon and underwing bomb rack for 30kg bomb. In late of war, hundred of Zeros of many sub-types and young pilots were converted for reckless suicide attacks; Kamikaze.

Fairey Swordfish Mk.I

Flown for the first time in 1934 the appearance of a large and noisy biplane created more than average interest. By some nostalgic means it was a breath of air from a far earlier and more gracious age. It was designed to operate from land, aircraft carriers or as a floatplane. The plane was slow but highly manoeuvrable.
In 1940 came the most famous action of the Swordfish, the attack on the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto harbour. It was made by 21 Swordfish on the night of 11 November, launched in two waves. By dropping torpedoes and bombs three battleships were damaged severely, a cruiser and two destroyers had been hit and two auxiliary vessels had been sunk.
In 1941 15 Swordfish torpedo aircraft attacked and crippled the German battleship Bismarck which was finally sunk by naval gunfire and torpedoes.
Later versions had strengthened wings and capable of carrying rocket armament which were effective in anti-submarines duties together with radar. With a crew of two or three, the Swordfish had a maximum speed of 224 km/h at 1450 m. and was armed with one forward-firing Vickers `K` gun and one Lewis or Vickers `K` gun aft.

Junkers Ju 88 A-4

Developed in 1936 as a medium bomber, the Ju 88 production reached a total of 15000 units. the German Luftwaffe used it as a bomber, reconnaissance plain, night fighter and destroyer. The famous multi-porpose aircraft was powered by two Junkers Jumo 211 J engines of 1420 PS (1050 kW). Both the A-4 bomber, as well as the D-1 long-range reconnaissance plain, were characterized by many successful operations.

P-47D Thunderbolt "Razor-back"

The P-47D was a workhorse of the U.S. Army Air Force during the last half of WW II, saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war. The aircraft was utilized not only as an escort to U.S. bombers but its bomb load capacity made it outstanding in the ground attack role. Nearly 12602 `D´ models were built, which is the largest total of one sub-type of any fighter in history.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E

Classed as one of the outstanding aircraft of the second world war the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the luftwaffes standard day fighter from 1938 until 1945. The type first saw combat during the spanish civil war in 1937 and two years later formed the spearhead of the luftwaffe´s fighter units in their blitzkrieg across Europe. In september 1940, the battle of Britain saw the Bf 109 pitted against the RAF´s Spitfires and for the first time germany´s much-vaunted fighter met its equal in combat. The type was later used in the high-speed fighter-bomber role operating from France against selected targets in southern England. The E version also opetated in the Mediterranean, North Afirca and Russia. More than 33000 Bf 109s of all variants were produced, a number greater than any other wartime aircraft.