In The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO), 660.5, and in China-Burma-India (CBI), 973.Ĥ. In the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), it scored 592 kills. The top speed was 360 mph.īy the end of the war, the P-40 Warhawk was credited with 2,225.5 air-to-air victories. The P-40 was a sturdy aircraft, capable of taking damage and bringing pilots home. The Warhawk had better all-around capabilities and traits than several other fighters, that were usually considered better. It held its own against other fighters for years, and many units had good kill-to-loss ratios. However, at low and medium altitudes, the Warhawk could outrun and outturn both fighters. At slow speeds, the P-40 could not outmaneuver a Zero. At high altitudes, the lack of a two-speed supercharger made it far inferior to the Bf-109. It is often said that the P-40 was inferior to other planes of the time, notably the Messerschmidt Bf-109 and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Over the years, the P-40 has been the subject of significant praise, and criticism. Behind the P-51 and the P-47, the P-40 was the third-most produced American fighter of the war. The Warhawk was also heavily produced: by November of 1944 when production ended, 13,738 P-40s were built. Several other nations also flew the P-40, including Great Britain, The Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, and China. Army Air Corps at the beginning of the war. It was a pre-war design and was the workhouse for the U.S. The P-40 was one of the most gorgeous aircraft of World War II. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk P-40 Warhawk (Wikimedia Commons) These numbers are for those planes, flown by American pilots.ĥ. Armed Forces of World War II, ranked by the most kills. In reverse order, here are the top five fighter planes flown by the U.S. Different sources sometimes cite different numbers, so it can de difficult to find the exact, most accurate tallies. In addition, historical records we see today do not always present the same numbers, and the data does not always align.

However, there is also room for human error. military usually keeps very good records for these numbers. This is simply a list based on only one category: total air-to-air victories. In this case, this list does not evaluate the overall “best” planes based on multiple factors, or tactical and strategic success, or kill-to-loss ratio, or anything else. In other words, to determine “the best,” the positive impact, as well as the challenges and costs, must be evaluated to objectively rate success or failure. To determine the best thing of anything, it is important to weigh all factors and circumstances, as well as the tactical and strategic impacts. To determine “the best” planes of World War II, or any war, we must consider multiple things. Allied countries achieved air superiority, and this significantly enabled the ground and naval forces to make progress and ultimately secure victory. After the Battle of Britain, most Allied and Axis fighter pilots tried to avoid dogfights and preferred to use other tactics and techniques to score their victories.Īfter the Americans entered the war, and as the American fighter planes got better, the control of the skies changed hands.

The reality is that most air-to-air kills during the war were not from dogfights, especially in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Dogfights were the ultimate 1-one-1 test of skills, finesse, and wits. Gorgeous, sleek machines flying through the skies, in modern-day duels to the death, are the stuff of dreams and legends. For aircraft, especially fighter planes, romanticism is high. It’s very easy to romanticize conflict and war, especially World War II. These are the top five American fighter planes of World War II with the most kills. By the middle and end of the war, however, that changed dramatically. Most American planes at the beginning of the war were not as good in many ways, as the planes of Germany and Japan. The best in terms of the people, and sometimes, the best in terms of ingenuity and necessity. War tends to bring out the worst in mankind, and it also brings out the best. It was the bloodiest and most devastating war the world has ever seen. World War II still fascinates many people today.

Ww ii fighter pilot