WW2 Plane Quiz

1. A report describes a lightweight Japanese carrier fighter prized early in the Pacific War for exceptional range and maneuverability, but with limited armor protection. Which plane is being described?

2. A twin-engine German medium bomber is recognized by its extensively glazed nose and the curved leading and trailing edges of its wings. Which aircraft best matches those features?

3. A briefing identifies an Avro four-engine RAF night bomber with twin fins and a long bomb bay that could be adapted for Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs. Which bomber is it?

4. A US four-engine bomber in a side profile has a low-mounted wing, a deep rounded fuselage, and one tall vertical tail. It became an enduring symbol of the daylight bombing campaign over Europe. Which is it?

5. An overhead recognition chart shows a US heavy bomber with a high-mounted Davis wing and a twin-fin tail. Which aircraft should the observer mark down?

6. A recognition card shows a single-seat, twin-engine fighter with two tail booms and a central cockpit nacelle. Which US aircraft matches that layout?

7. A combat report mentions a very large, heavy US single-engine fighter nicknamed the “Jug,” powered by a radial engine and valued for rugged ground-attack work. Which plane is it?

8. Deck crews are handling a US carrier fighter with folding outer wings and a pronounced inverted-gull wing that raises its large propeller above the deck. What is it?

9. US bombers need a long-range escort deep into Germany. The selected fighter has a distinctive belly radiator scoop and, in its best-known later versions, a Rolls-Royce Merlin-derived engine. Which aircraft is chosen?

10. Intelligence notes refer to a fast British twin-engine aircraft built largely from wood and used as a bomber, night fighter, and reconnaissance plane. What is it?

11. In a ground photograph, a German single-engine fighter has an inline engine, angular wings, and a notably narrow-track undercarriage attached to the fuselage. Which aircraft best fits?

12. Newsreel footage shows a German dive bomber with fixed landing gear in large spats, an inverted-gull wing, and dive brakes beneath the wings. Which aircraft is shown?

13. A museum guide describes an RAF fighter with a slim fuselage and distinctive elliptical wings, closely associated with the Battle of Britain. Which aircraft is it?

14. Two German fighters must be distinguished by their noses. One has a broad radial-engine cowling and wide-track landing gear rather than the Bf 109's narrow inline-engine profile. Which is it?

15. A spotter sees a German fighter with no propeller and two jet engines mounted in separate pods beneath the wings. Which aircraft has appeared?

16. An RAF archive describes a Battle of Britain fighter with a fabric-covered rear fuselage and a thicker, less elliptical wing than the Spitfire. Which aircraft does this identify?