5 World War II Planes That Are Criminally Overlooked
YouTube / History in the Dark
There were definitely a lot of aircraft that were manufactured during WWII, and you can most probably name a few. But there’s also more obscure aircraft that you don’t hear about that although they’re not really bad, they’re not just as famous.
Here are the five WWII planes that are criminally overlooked:
5. CAC Boomerang
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If you’re not from Australia, then you probably never heard about this plane. This fighter aircraft was designed and manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1942 and 1945.
Only 250 of the planes were built in several different variants. The plane is designed with a high emphasis on maneuverability and rarely engaged in actual aerial combat. Early in the war, they’re used to equip home-based operations and as the war pushed forward, they were pressed into ground support roles.
4. Fiat G.55 Centauro
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This sharp-looking plane is Italian in origin and was a single-seat fighter plane introduced by Italy in 1943. Only 349 of these planes were produced in total.
While they didn’t get as much chance to shine as they arrived fairly late in the war, when they did, Italian pilots loved them. They used the plane to clash with other top-tier fighters in the era such as Spitfires and Mustangs.
3. Grumman F8F Bearcat
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Development of the plane didn’t start until 1943 and wasn’t introduced until May 1945. Given the war will end in a few months from there, the Bearcat never really got a chance to shine.
It never really did much in the war because it showed up too late. Post-war, the Bearcat was used by the Navy to equip squadrons with a new modern plane but then jets started showing up.
2. Hawker Tempest
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This British aircraft was developed from the Hawker typhoon and was mainly used by the Royal Air Force during WWII. However, it wasn’t introduced until January 1944.
The plane intended to come up with an improved derivative of the Typhoon directly addressing the Typhoon’s unexpected issues – its performance at high altitudes. Thus, they replaced its wing with a thinner laminar flow design. The end results did differ from the Typhoon, that’s why it was renamed to the Tempest.
1. Douglas A-20 Havoc
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Douglas’ A-20 Havoc first flew in 1939, but the USAF just wasn’t interested in it. Despite this, the French became interested in this aircraft and placed an initial 100 orders in February 1939.
Former pilots consider this plane one of the favorite WWII aircraft because although it was technically a bomber, it was small enough to be maneuvered and thrown around like a fighter if it had to. It was also pretty flexible, always finding a role in every combat theater of the war, and considered a pilot’s airplane as it’s easy enough to fly.
