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.
Supermarine Aviation Works Spitfire LF:
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.
Messerschmitt Bf 109:
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:
The Mustang was designed and built in 120 days in response to an urgent request by the British.
Yakovlev Yak-9U:
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:
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:
The Corsair first flew in 1940 and it stayed in production throughout World War II.
Link Trainer:
Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa Hayabusa:
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:
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:
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.