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British Fighter Airplanes in WWII

Airplanes were first used as a weapon of war during World War I, but it was not until World War II that they actually came into their own as a true method of projecting power. The Allies and the Axis both fielded several different types of airplanes into both war theaters, though it was the British fighters that first saw combat thanks to their proximity to Germany's borders. Britain put more than a dozen fighter variants into action over the duration of the war.

Royal Air Force Fighters
- Britain's Royal Air Force made up the bulk of the island nation's land-based fighter power. These planes would take off and land on fixed air strips, and were used for everything from escort missions to intercept missions to bombing missions. The planes used by the RAF included the Faiery Firefly reconnaissance plane, the Bristol Beaufighter heavy fighter and the twin-engine Westland Whirlwind fighter-bomber.
Royal Navy Fighters
- World War II was the first war in which aircraft carriers played a major role, and the British navy was equipped with several of these vessels, allowing them to project air power from the sea as well as land. Royal Navy fighters were often charged with seeking out and destroying enemy vessels, as well as protecting their own vulnerable ships from enemy attack. The RNF fighters include the Hawker Sea Fury fighter-bomber, the Hawker Sea Hurricane -- a catapult-launched fighter used primarily for sea defense -- and the Blackburn B-24 Skua dive-bomber.
Famous Designs
- While Britain's fighter technology fell behind the other Allied powers later in the war, their fighters were the best of the bunch during the first stages of Hitler's campaigns. Several of the RAF and Royal Navy fighters served with distinction, earning them higher recognition than other models. Some of the more famous British fighter planes include the de Havilland Mosquito -- a multipurpose fighter especially effective at nighttime missions due to its high top speed and maneuverability -- and the Supermarine Spitfire, another versatile plane that served as the primary fighter for several British aces throughout the war. The Hawker Hurricane also deserves mention, as it was the first mono-wing design Britain produced. The plane played a unparalleled role during the Battle of Britain, accounting for most of the German casualties and serving on more fronts than any other British fighter in the war.
Less-Known Designs
- While many of Britain's fighters served with distinction in World War II, other fighters performed so poorly that they were eventually pulled from theater operations because of heavy losses and unwieldy designs. Chief among these fighters was the Boulton Defiant, a heavy fighter that used the turret-armament design of World War I biplanes. The plane's entire armament was located on a rear-mounted turret rather than forward facing on the wings or in the nose cone. The plane's lack of maneuverability and poor armament placement made the Defiant an easy target for the more agile German fighters, and after sustaining enormous losses, the Defiant was taken out of the war and relegated to duty as a target tug for new pilots. The Blackburn Roc suffered a similar fate, for similar reasons.

Aviation