The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, has one gallery of displays dealing with the fighter planes of World War II. The displays put the airplanes into the context of the war. Shown below are photographs from the World War II gallery.
![photo DSCN1927_zpsc7771f16.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1927_zpsc7771f16.jpg)
![photo DSCN1939_zps400884fc.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1939_zps400884fc.jpg)
![photo DSCN2016_zps5029646f.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN2016_zps5029646f.jpg)
Supermarine Aviation Works Spitfire LF:
![photo DSCN1876_zps700bfca3.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1876_zps700bfca3.jpg)
![photo DSCN1877_zpsd5103616.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1877_zpsd5103616.jpg)
![photo DSCN1878_zps1291c583.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1878_zps1291c583.jpg)
![photo DSCN1930_zps1153e76f.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1930_zps1153e76f.jpg)
The first prototype of the Spitfire flew in 1936 and by 1940 Spitfires were dueling with Germany’s Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf 109E. About 22,742 Spitfires in 48 variations during World War II.
![photo DSCN1880_zpsa5c3c719.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1880_zpsa5c3c719.jpg)
![photo DSCN1881_zps64857528.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1881_zps64857528.jpg)
Messerschmitt Bf 109:
![photo DSCN1882_zps19930dc4.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1882_zps19930dc4.jpg)
![photo DSCN1883_zpse5a9fca2.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1883_zpse5a9fca2.jpg)
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 first flew in 1935 and saw service in the Spanish Civil War. During the war, some 33,500 of these aircraft were built.
North American P-51B Mustang:
![photo DSCN1885_zps48be196b.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1885_zps48be196b.jpg)
![photo DSCN1886_zpse57d86d2.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1886_zpse57d86d2.jpg)
![photo DSCN1887_zps696c2abd.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1887_zps696c2abd.jpg)
The Mustang was designed and built in 120 days in response to an urgent request by the British.
Yakovlev Yak-9U:
![photo DSCN1892_zps75a17e10.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1892_zps75a17e10.jpg)
![photo DSCN1893_zpscdefe7f9.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1893_zpscdefe7f9.jpg)
![photo DSCN1898_zpsc9c901e6.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1898_zpsc9c901e6.jpg)
![photo DSCN1942_zps1a83ded2.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1942_zps1a83ded2.jpg)
During World War II, the Soviet Union moved its entire aircraft industry east of the Ural Mountain placing it out of reach of the advancing Germans. Alexandr Yakolev’s Yak-1 started production in 1941. The Yak-9 was developed in 1942 and 16,000 were produced.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt:
![photo DSCN1899_zpsab0ce6d7.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1899_zpsab0ce6d7.jpg)
![photo DSCN1901_zpsbc4aab1d.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1901_zpsbc4aab1d.jpg)
The P-47 was first flown in 1941 and turned out to be an ideal low-level fighter-bomber even though it had been intended to be a high-altitude interceptor.
Goodyear FG-1D Corsair:
![photo DSCN1905_zps71da6b8a.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1905_zps71da6b8a.jpg)
The Corsair first flew in 1940 and it stayed in production throughout World War II.
Link Trainer:
![photo DSCN1914_zpsfb8e1df0.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1914_zpsfb8e1df0.jpg)
![photo DSCN1911_zps523ccfd4.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1911_zps523ccfd4.jpg)
Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa:
![photo DSCN1915_zps04c66327.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1915_zps04c66327.jpg)
![photo DSCN1916_zpsce8c4865.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1916_zpsce8c4865.jpg)
The Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) entered service with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in late 1941. When production ended in 1945, 5,919 of the planes had been built. This was the most maneuverable fighter of World War II—even more maneuverable that the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Mitsubishi Zero.
Curtiss P-40N Warhawk:
![photo DSCN1921_zps2153fd3f.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1921_zps2153fd3f.jpg)
![photo DSCN1922_zps765e3617.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1922_zps765e3617.jpg)
![photo DSCN1923_zps4ad8c3c9.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1923_zps4ad8c3c9.jpg)
![photo DSCN1929_zpsaedc474c.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1929_zpsaedc474c.jpg)
The Warhawk, first flown in 1938, remained in production until 1944. While all of the American versions of the P-40 was known as the Warhawk, British models were called the Tomahawk and the Kittyhawk.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning:
![photo DSCN1931_zpsfd2c34d1.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1931_zpsfd2c34d1.jpg)
![photo DSCN1936_zpsc22bfc2e.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/WWII/DSCN1936_zpsc22bfc2e.jpg)
This was an innovative airplane in many respects: counter-rotating propellers (designed to neutralize engine torque), twin tail booms, tricycle landing gear. It was the first production aircraft to exceed 400 mph in level flight. During World War II, 9,384 of these aircraft were built.