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Airplanes in World War II

By Gunnarwolfe

  • When Airplanes were first used for war.

    When Airplanes were first used for war.
    Powered aircraft were first used in war in 1911, by the Italians against the Turks near Tripoli.

  • First tactic for attacking other airplanes

    First tactic for attacking other airplanes
    The surprise attack; from the very beginning of aerial warfare in World War I, “jumping” or “bouncing” unsuspecting victims accounted for more kills than did the spectacular aerobatics of dog fighting. Because a pilot’s only warning system was the naked eye, attacking fighters, whenever possible, approached from the rear or dove out of the sun, where they could not be seen.
    https://www.amazon.com/Dogfight-Spitfire-Fighter-Planes-Poster/dp/B07N1G9F7H

  • The German Me-262

    The German Me-262
    outflew the best Allied escorts while attacking bomber formations. This introduced the jet age, in which aircraft soon flew at more than twice the speed of sound (741 miles per hour at sea level and 659 miles per hour at 36,000 feet) and easily climbed to altitudes of 50,000 feet.

  • The “combat box” formation was created

    The “combat box” formation was created
    A single combat wing of about 48 bombers would be divided into three groups, with the lead group flying at 20,000 feet and the others trailing in echelon at intervals of 500 to 1,000 yards and at slightly higher altitudes. Within each group would be three squadrons, composed of two elements of three aircraft each, and the bombers would be staggered in such a way as to give their guns as free a field of fire as possible to cover themselves and their fellows. iloveww2warbirds.com/

  • Advancing US airplane numbers.

    Advancing US airplane numbers.
    In 1944, the Army Air Forces aircraft numbers topped out at almost 80,000 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/709528116265354987/

  • When women first flew airplanes.

    When women first flew airplanes.
    In October 1944 Ann Baumgarter, serving with WASP as a test pilot, became the first American woman to fly a jet aircraft when she took to the skies in a YP-59A Airacomet. In addition to ferrying aircraft, WASP towed targets for aerial and ground-to-air gunnery practice, made test and demonstration flights, and served as flight instructors.http://lsrelay-config-production.s3.amazonaws.com/01150ba3f8116cb96c338dda3617983f4e6fe48afa2f26edb4b9468e0ccc4768/

  • Bombing tactics

    Bombing tactics
    Nevertheless, unpredictable weather over the target areas, plus the action of the jet stream on bombs dropped from 30,000 feet, made high-altitude bombing imprecise. In response, LeMay ordered low-level bombing runs. Flying at night to avoid enemy defenses, B-29s dropping incendiary bombs from 5,000 to 9,000 feet devastated more than 60 cities between March and July 1945.

  • The ending of the war

    The ending of the war
    World War II witnessed tremendous growth in the size of American military aviation, from about 2,500 airplanes to nearly 300,000 by the war’s end.

  • Radar-directed antiaircraft weapons

    Radar-directed antiaircraft weapons
    Beginning in the 1960s, radar-directed antiaircraft weapons proved so dangerous that they threatened to sweep aircraft from the sky. By flying low and fast, jinking, or diving in a steep spiral, aircraft often succeeded in evading these weapons, but only at the price of spoiling the mission. Air defenses had to be destroyed; in order to do this, aircraft had not only to outfly and outgun the weapons but also to foil their guidance mechanisms with electronic countermeasures (ECM).www.quora.com

  • Being re-entered into the Air force

    Being re-entered into the Air force
    Three decades would pass before women would again be allowed to pilot U.S. military aircraft, and it would be nearly half a century before women would return to the cockpits of U.S. fighter planes. Thanks in large part to the efforts of U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, who had himself served as a ferry pilot during World War II, WASP were finally militarized in 1977, an act that made official the veteran status of those who had served. timeline.com

  • Cites

    Cites