A List Of The 4 Best Bombers of WWII

A List Of The 4 Best Bombers of WWII

There has been much debate for more than sixty years now over the best aircraft of World War II. As a former Air Force pilot I have my opinion on which were the best aircraft of the period. In this series of articles I've broken down the best of class into a four areas: Heavy Bombers, Medium Bombers, Light or Dive bombers, and Fighters. I have further categorized the aircraft by the theatre that they fought in. This will be the first of a series of articles on "The Best War Planes of World War II." Our first in the series will cover "The Best of the Bombers."

The Best of the Bombers of World War II

Best 4 engine Bombers:

European Theatre
The Boeing B-17G, with its four 9-cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines is argued to be the best in class for the period of 1941 through to the end of the war, or rather the war in Europe. It was used to carry the war to Germany and flew American and British crews. With its 16,000 pound payload and ten.50 caliber machine guns, it's hard to argue against this aircraft. However, you will always get an argument from those who flew and favored the Consolidated B-24, with its 14 cylinder Pratt and Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radials producing 1000 horsepower power each. Both aircraft were fast for their time and carried a heavy bomb load. Of the B-24, it was said to be just a bit faster but a little more difficult to fly and it had a tendency to catch fire. The B-17 was favored for its ruggedness and was glamorized by the press of the day. The B-24 actually flew just as many sorties and was loved by the crews who flew her. For the reasons stated above I would have to rate the aircraft a draw when it comes to selecting the best of class. The Germans, Brits and the Russians really never developed a heavy bomber that could complete on a level playing table with either of these aircraft during the war.

Some folks from Britain are going to be mad at me for leaving the Lancaster Bomber out of this group as the best. My reason for doing this is because of the way the aircraft was used, mainly as a night attack aircraft, while the B-17 and B-24 took on the enemy in their daylight attacks.

Pacific Theatre
In the Pacific Theatre there is only one choice when it comes to the best of class and perhaps best of the war. The Boeing B-29 Super Fortress with its incredible long range, high altitude capability, pressurized crew compartment and remotely controlled gunnery systems is the only first choice. The aircraft served from the mid 1940s well into the 1950s. The B-29 was so well respected that the Russian Military copied confiscated models of the aircraft right down to the repair patches on the fuselage and put them in service for many years during the Cold War. Of this aircraft you can truly state that it ended the war when it dropped the atomic bomb on the cities of Japan.

Best Medium Bombers of the war:

When historians look at the Air Wars of World War II they tend overlook the contributions of the medium bombers. They dropped as much or more ordinance on the enemy than the heavy class of bomber. There are two aircraft that must be discussed in this category with an honorable mention of one other. Let's get started with a discussion of the North American B-25 Mitchell.

Pacific Theatre
The B-25 was built in the early 1940s. It was an advanced design for its time. The aircraft could perform as a medium altitude bomber or could be outfitted with cannon and machine guns and used in a ground attack mode. This aircraft saw most of its duty in the Pacific Theatre where it performed with distinction. In the early years of the war it was the only aircraft available to strike back at Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The aircraft versatility shined when a squadron or B-25s were launched from an aircraft carrier in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in early 1942.

European Theatre
Martin B-26 Marauder, originally put in service in 1939, actually dropped more weapons in the European Theatre than the B-17. The aircraft went through many redesigns do to its handling characteristics. The original high wing loading produced undesirable flight characteristic including the inability to maintain controlled flight with one engine out. A redesign of the wing led to one of the best and fastest bombers of the war. The B-26 was noted as a high flying sports car of a bomber and the crews that flew it, and understood its handling characteristics, loved the aircraft.

Our next entry in this category, the British Mosquito receives honorable mention. What made this aircraft special was its construction of all natural components. The aircraft was constructed of light weight wood due to a shortage of metal in Britain during the war. This aircraft was basically untouchable due to its speed. The Mosquito was the fastest aircraft in the European theatre until the Germans introduced the Me 262 all jet fighter.

Best Light Bombers:

All entries from the European Theatre

The Ju 87 Stuka, although outdated by 1942, the Stuka put terror into the hearts of the ground forces being attacked by this aircraft. The Stuka was slow flying and dropped weapons while in a near vertical dive, using a 9 G (nine times the force of gravity) pull-out, sometimes blacking out the pilot. To compensate for the tendency to black out the pilot the aircraft had an automatic pullout control very futuristic for its time. To make the aircraft seem more menacing the Germans attached an air operated siren on the aircraft for psychological intimidation. The Stuka flew until the very end of the war on every front the Germans fought. It was a great equalizer for defense against tanks, especially on the Eastern Front where the Russians had a great numerical advantage. Even if you don't agree that the aircraft was one of the best in class during the war, you have to admire the effectiveness of its use.

The IL-2 Shturmovik Tank Buster (eastern front) - The Russians out-did themselves with this aircraft. The Shturmovik was designed specifically for attacking German ground forces, especially tanks. The IL-2 killed more tanks than any other aircraft of the war.

Future Articles will include articles on fighters and then we could proceed on to technical developments during the War. See list below for overview... just some ideas for you!

Best Fighters:
North American P-51 Mustang (the ultimate piston aircraft of the war)
Focke- Wulf FW 190 direct competition with the P-51
Messerschmitt 262 (first operation jet)
Me 262 (first jet aircraft)
Hawker Hurricane
Super Marine Spitfire
Pacific fighters:
Mitsubishi A6M Zero (pacific)
Vought F4U Corsair (pacific)
Best of the Best:
North American P-51Mustang