The Least and Most Mass-produced American Fighter Planes of WWII

Special Report

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Published: November 20, 2023 8:00 am

The German Blitzkrieg, or “Lightning War,” during World War II ravaged much of Western Europe and pushed the Allies to the brink of destruction. Much of this was conducted through German bombing raids from the air and tanks advancing on the ground. These bombers reached as far as London. The Allies needed an answer to this offensive, and they found success in repelling German aircraft with a series of American fighter planes.

Air supremacy is defined as being able to conduct air operations “without prohibitive interference by the opposing force,” according to Air Force Magazine. In the early years of World War II, Germans controlled the skies over Europe with complete air supremacy, but with the introduction of American aircraft and other anti-aircraft defense systems the Allies would gain air superiority and then air supremacy by the end of the war. The fighter planes, in particular, played an important role in defending against Axis offensives in the skies. (Today, this American plane is the most widely-used fighter jet on Earth.)

To determine the least and most mass-produced American fighter planes from WWII, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of World War II aircraft, a list compiled by Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. We only included fighter planes that were active during the war, ranking them based on the grand total produced. Prototypes and concept aircraft were excluded. Supplemental information about year entered service, type, manufacturer, crew size, and top speed also came from Military Factory.

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most influential fighter-bomber aircraft in the Second World War. The Germans actually nicknamed this aircraft the “Fork-Tailed Devil” for its effectiveness in combat. It served in a variety of roles such as a bomber escort, tactical bomber, and top-cover fighter. The P-38 Lightning had a top speed of just over 400 mph and was outfitted with a series of high caliber machine guns and 20mm automatic cannon in its nose, as well as high explosive aerial rockets and conventional drop bombs.

Some of these fighter planes doubled as bombers capable of conducting their bombing raids and engaging other enemy aircraft. Others also played roles as escorts for heavy bombers that were not capable of defending themselves in air-to-air combat.

The current generation of fighter jets, the F-35 Lightning II named after its predecessor, now plays a variety of roles aside from just engaging other enemy aircraft. However, one thing this generation of fighter aircraft does not do is transport troops, like some crossover fighter-bomber aircraft of World War II. While fighter planes have evolved over the years, they still have their roots in some of the most mass-produced fighter aircraft of the World War II era. (These are the oldest and newest fighter jets used in today’s Air Forces.)

Here is a look at the most and least produced American fighter planes of World War II: