The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger, was a German, single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the 1930s. It was used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It partially replaced the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in 1941. Over 20,000 were manufactured, including around 6,000 fighter-bomber models. Production ran from 1941 to the end of hostilities, during which time the aircraft was continually updated. Its later versions retained qualitative parity with Allied fighter aircraft. The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots, and was quickly proven to be superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force's main front line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V variant, on its combat debut in 1941

Essentially, the Mk. V consisted of a modified Mk. II airframe with a new Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine (a Merlin XX modified to ease production and improve high altitude performance). Initially, the wing remained unchanged, but three different types emerged depending on the armament. With the suffix letter indicating the type of wing, the Mk. Va had eight Browning .303 machine guns, and the Mk. Vb had two Hispano 20mm cannon and four machine guns. The Spitfire Mk. Vc introduced the "universal" wing which enabled this variant to be fitted with various combinations of armament, including four 20mm cannon and four .303 machine guns.

Nakajima began development of the Ki-44 in 1940 solely as an interceptor with emphasis being placed on speed and climb rather than on maneuverability. The Japanese Army Air Force specification called for a maximum speed of 373 mph at 13,125 ft, to be attained in five minutes. A set of “butterfly” combat flaps was fitted for improved maneuverability. Armament consisted of a pair of 7.7 mm and a pair of 12.7 mm machine guns.

The first Ki-44 prototype flew in August 1940 and while the first test flights were generally encouraging, with handling considered acceptable considering the high wing loading. However, the high landing speed and restricted forward visibility due to the big engine while taxiing on the ground, was problematic.

In 1939, the aircraft was not a modern one. Its main deficiency was its low speed but a lack of manoeuvrability was also a problem (it was noted, that a maximum speed of PZL.23B was 365 km/h, but it was forbidden to exceed 319 km/h due to dangerous flight characteristics). At the outbreak of the World War II, Poland had 114 PZL.23B in combat units.

On 2 September 1939, one PZL.23B of the 21st Squadron bombed a factory in Ohlau as the first bomb attack on the German territory. The bomber squadrons attacked German armoured columns, especially on 3 September 1939, while the main mission of Army squadrons was reconnaissance. All PZL.23s suffered high losses due to low speed, lack of armour and fighter protection. Many were shot down by the German fighter aircraft, but they also shot down a few in return.

The final production P-39 Q were built in larger numbers to supply Russia under Lend-Lease. Because its engine was not equipped with a supercharger, the P-39 performed best below 17,000 feet altitude. It often was used at lower altitudes for such missions as ground strafing. When P-39 production ended in August 1944, Bell had built 9,584 Airacobras, of which 4,773 were sent to the Soviet Union through lend-lease. Russian pilots appreciated the cannon-armed P-39 for its ground attack capability

The North American Aviation F-86 Sabre is best known for its Korean War role where it was pitted against the Soviet MiG-15. Although developed in the late 1940s and outdated by the end of the 1950s, the Sabre proved adaptable and continued as a front line fighter in air forces until the last active front line examples were retired by the Bolivian Air Force in 1994.
Its success led to an extended production run of over 7,800 aircraft between 1949 and 1956, in the United States, Japan and Italy. It was by far the most-produced Western jet fighter, with total production of all variants at 9,860 units.

ricklawler@msn.com