Axis Planes
The German Messerschmitt
The ME 109
German Messerschmitt was designed by Willy Messerschmitt in 1934, and was
initially powered by a Rolls Royce engine and later by a Daimler-Benz model. It was ground-breaking at the time,
though it had several structural disadvantages. It was difficult to manoeuvre, the cock-pit was cramped, the
undercarriage fragile, and the visibility notoriously poor. However, what it lacked in ergonomics
it made up for in function. It had
fine firepower and performed better than Allied Planes at high altitudes.
The Japanese Zero
The Zero was the
most common Japanese fighter, and was produced throughout the war even though
it was technologically inferior to the allied planes it flew against after 1942. The Zero, while it had better maneuverability
and similar weaponry compared with the Allied planes, could not keep up with
the power of the planes that were developed as the war ran on, such as the P-51
Mustang. Designed in 1937, 11,291
total planes were created by the end of the war by the Mitsubishi company.
Messerschmitt Image
from http://www.retrosellers.com/features61.htm
Zero Image from http://www.warbirdalley.com/zero.htm