List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Here is a list of aircraft used by the British Royal Air Force, Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)[1] during the Second World War.
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Contents
Fighters & Fighter-Bombers
- Bell Airacobra — briefly used by one squadron (Royal Air Force)
- Blackburn Roc — naval turret fighter (Royal Navy)
- Blackburn Skua — naval fighter/dive bomber (Royal Navy)
- Boulton Paul Defiant — turret fighter/night fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Brewster Buffalo (Royal Air Force)
- Bristol Beaufighter — strike fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Bristol Blenheim — night fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Curtiss Mohawk (Royal Air Force)
- Curtiss Kittyhawk and Tomahawk (Royal Air Force)
- de Havilland Mosquito — night fighter & fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force)
- de Havilland Vampire — prototype jet fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Douglas Havoc — night fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Fairey Fulmar — fleet fighter (Royal Navy)
- Fairey Firefly — fleet fighter (Royal Navy)
- Gloster Gladiator (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Gloster Meteor — jet fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Gloster Sea Gladiator (Royal Navy)
- Grumman Martlet/Wildcat (Royal Navy)
- Grumman Hellcat (Royal Navy)
- Hawker Hurricane — fighter/fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Hawker Sea Hurricane (Royal Navy)
- Hawker Tempest (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Typhoon — fighter/fighter-bomber (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Lightning — twin engine fighter (Royal Air Force) (Brief use)
- North American Mustang (Royal Air Force)
- Republic Thunderbolt (Royal Air Force)
- Supermarine Spitfire (Royal Air Force & Royal Navy)
- Supermarine Seafire (Royal Navy)
- Vought Corsair (Royal Navy)
- Westland Whirlwind — twin engine fighter (Royal Air Force)
- Westland Welkin — high altitude fighter (Royal Air Force)
Torpedo bombers, Dive Bombers and Army Cooperation
- Avro Rota — Army cooperation autogyro (Royal Air Force)
- Blackburn Skua — naval fighter/dive bomber (Royal Navy)
- Brewster Buccaneer — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
- Fairey Albacore — torpedo/dive bomber (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Fairey Barracuda — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
- Fairey Swordfish — torpedo bomber (Royal Navy)
- Grumman Tarpon/Avenger — torpedo bomber (Royal Navy)
- Hawker Audax — Army cooperation biplane (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Hardy — General purpose biplane (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Hector — Army cooperation biplane (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Hind — light bomber (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Vildebeest — torpedo bomber (Royal Air Force)
- Vought Chesapeake — dive bomber (Royal Navy)
- Vultee Vengeance — dive bomber (Royal Air Force)
- Westland Wapiti — general purpose biplane (Royal Air Force)
Bombers
- Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (Royal Air Force)
- Avro Manchester (Royal Air Force)
- Avro Lancaster (Royal Air Force)
- Boeing Fortress (Royal Air Force)
- Bristol Beaufort (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Bristol Blenheim & Bisley (Royal Air Force)
- Bristol Bombay (Royal Air Force)
- Douglas Boston (Royal Air Force)
- Fairey Battle (Royal Air Force)
- Fairey Gordon (Royal Air Force)
- Handley Page Halifax (Royal Air Force)
- Handley Page Hampden & Hereford (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Hudson (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Ventura (Royal Air Force)
- Martin Maryland (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Martin Marauder (Royal Air Force)
- Martin Baltimore (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- North American Mitchell (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Short Stirling (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Type 264 Valentia (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Vincent (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Warwick (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Wellesley (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Wellington (Royal Air Force)
Maritime Patrol and Coastal Reconnaissance
File:Consolidated Catalina Mk II of No. 240 Squadron RAF based at Stranraer in Scotland, March 1941. CH2448.jpg
Consolidated Catalina Mk II
- Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (Royal Air Force)
- Avro Anson (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Boeing Fortress (Royal Air Force)
- Blackburn Botha (Royal Air Force)
- Bristol Beaufort (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Consolidated Catalina (Royal Air Force)
- Consolidated Liberator (closed Mid-Atlantic gap) (Royal Air Force)
- Fairey Seafox floatplane (Royal Navy)
- Fokker T.VIII floatplane (Royal Air Force)
- Handley Page Hampden (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Hudson (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Ventura (Royal Air Force)
- Martin Mariner (Royal Air Force)
- Martin Maryland (Royal Air Force)
- Saro London (Royal Air Force)
- Saro Lerwick (Royal Air Force)
- Short Empire (Royal Air Force)
- Short Seaford (Royal Air Force)
- Short Singapore (Royal Air Force)
- Short Sunderland (Royal Air Force)
- Supermarine Walrus (Royal Navy)
- Supermarine Sea Otter (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Supermarine Stranraer (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Warwick (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Wellington (Royal Air Force)
- Vought Kingfisher (Royal Navy)
- Westland Lysander (Royal Air Force)
Photo Reconnaissance
- Bristol Blenheim (Royal Air Force)
- de Havilland Mosquito (Royal Air Force)
- Lockheed Hudson (Royal Air Force)
- North American Mustang (Royal Air Force)
- Supermarine Spitfire (Royal Air Force)
Trainers and Target Tugs
File:Avro Anson c. 1940.jpg
Avro Anson trainer
File:American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- North American Na-16 and Na-66 Harvard. CH606.jpg
North American Harvard Mk.I
- Airspeed Oxford — bomber trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Avro Anson — navigation and bomber trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Blackburn B-2 (Royal Air Force)
- Boulton & Paul Overstrand — obsolete bomber used as gunnery trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Curtiss Cleveland — ground instructional training (Royal Air Force)
- de Havilland Tiger Moth — primary trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- de Havilland Dominie — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
- de Havilland Don — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Fairey Gordon — obsolete bomber used as trainer and target tug (Royal Air Force)
- General Aircraft Cygnet — tricycle undercarriage trainer (Royal Air Force)
- General Aircraft Owlet — tricycle undercarriage trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Handley Page Heyford — obsolete bomber used as trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Demon — obsolete fighter used as trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Hart — obsolete bomber used as trainer and target tug (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Henley — target tug (Royal Air Force)
- Hawker Osprey — obsolete fighter used as trainer (Royal Navy)
- Miles Magister — primary trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Miles Martinet (Royal Air Force)
- Miles Master — target tug (Royal Air Force)
- North American Harvard — advanced trainer (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy)
- Percival Proctor — radio trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Sikorsky Hoverfly — helicopter (Royal Air Force)
- Vickers Wellington — bomber trainer (Royal Air Force)
- Westland Lysander — target tug (Royal Air Force)
- Westland Wallace — target tug (Royal Air Force)
Transport and Communications aircraft
| Model name | Introduction | Retired | Build | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airspeed Envoy | 1934 | 1952 | 52 | Royal Air Force |
| Airspeed Courier | 1933 | 1947 | 16 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle | 1940 | 1945 | 602 | Royal Air Force |
| Armstrong Whitworth Ensign | 1938 | 1946 | 14 | BOAC |
| Armstrong Whitworth Whitley | 1937 | 1945 | 1814 | Royal Air Force |
| Avro Lancastrian | 1945 | 1960 | 91 | BOAC |
| Avro York | 1944 | 1964 | 259 | Royal Air Force |
| Beechcraft Expeditor | 1937 | & | 9000 | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Boeing Clipper | 1939 | 1946 | 12# | BOAC |
| Bristol Bombay | 1939 | 1944 | 51 | Royal Air Force |
| Bristol Buckingham | 1943 | 1945 | 119 | Royal Air Force |
| Consolidated PB2Y Coronado | 1937 | 1946 | 217# | Royal Air Force |
| Consolidated B-24 Liberator | 1943 | 1945 | 18482# | Royal Air Force |
| de Havilland Albatross | 1938 | 1943 | 7 | Imperial Airways, BOAC, Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| de Havilland Express | 1934 | 1941 | 62 | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy (impressed) |
| de Havilland Dragon Rapide | 1934 | 1958 | 731 | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy (impressed) |
| de Havilland Dragonfly | 1936 | 1945 | 67 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| de Havilland Flamingo | 1939 | 1950 | 14 | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, BOAC |
| de Havilland Hornet Moth | 1934 | & | 164 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| de Havilland Leopard Moth | 1933 | & | 133 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| de Havilland Mosquito | 1941 | 1963 | 7781 | BOAC |
| de Havilland Moth Minor | 1937 | & | 140 | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| de Havilland Puss Moth | 1930 | & | 140 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| Douglas Dakota | 1942 | & | 10000# | Royal Air Force |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 1942 | 1975 | 1170# | Royal Air Force |
| Fairchild Argus | 1932 | 1948 | 2232# | Royal Air Force |
| Foster Wikner Warferry | 1936 | & | 10 | Royal Air Force (impressed) |
| Grumman G-21 Goose | 1935 | & | 345# | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Grumman Gosling | 1940 | & | 317# | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Handley Page Halifax | 1940 | 1961 | 6176 | Royal Air Force |
| Handley Page H.P.42 | 1931 | 1940 | 4 | Royal Air Force |
| Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow | 1937 | 1945 | 100 | Royal Air Force |
| Hawker Hardy | 1934 | 1941 | 8 | Royal Air Force |
| Heston Phoenix | 1936 | 1952 | 6 | Royal Air Force |
| Percival Petrel | 1938 | 1947 | 27 | Royal Air Force |
| Percival Proctor | 1939 | 1955 | 1147 | Royal Air Force |
| Percival Vega Gull | 1935 | 1945 | 90 | Royal Air Force |
| Lockheed Lodestar | 1940 | & | 625 | Royal Air Force, BOAC |
| Miles Mentor | 1938 | 1950 | 45 | Royal Air Force |
| Miles Mercury | 1941 | 1946 | 6 | Royal Air Force |
| Short Hythe | 1942 | 1946 | 29 | BOAC |
| Short S.26 G-Class Empire | 1939 | 1947 | 3 | Royal Air Force, BOAC |
| Short Stirling | 1941 | 1946 | 2371 | Royal Air Force |
| Short Scylla | 1934 | 1940 | 2 | BOAC |
| Sikorsky Hoverfly | 1945 | 1946 | 131# | Royal Air Force |
| Stinson Reliant | 1937 | 1943 | 1327# | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Stinson L-5 Sentinel | 1942 | 1945 | 3896# | Royal Air Force |
| Stinson L-1 Vigilant | 1941 | & | 324# | Royal Air Force, Royal Navy |
| Taylorcraft Auster | 1942 | 1965 | 1630 | Royal Air Force |
| Vickers Type 264 Valentia | 1934 | 1944 | 82 | Royal Air Force |
| Vickers Warwick | 1939 | 1945 | 842 | Royal Air Force |
| Westland Lysander | 1938 | 1946 | 1786 | Royal Air Force |
"#"-export from USA, actual number in British service is much lower
"&"-exact date unknown
Experimental & Misc
- Folland Fo.108 engine testbed (Royal Air Force)
- General Aircraft GAL.56 tailless swept wing glider (Royal Air Force)
- Gloster Gauntlet obsolete fighter used for meteorological flights (Royal Air Force)
Gliders
- Airspeed Horsa (Royal Air Force)
- General Aircraft Hamilcar (Royal Air Force)
- General Aircraft Hotspur — training glider (Royal Air Force)
- Slingsby Hengist (Royal Air Force)
- Waco Hadrian (Royal Air Force)
References
- Owen Thetford: Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918 6th edition. Putnam & Co., London 1976, ISBN 0-370-10056-5.
- ↑ Used for logistics support with RAF crews.
