The importance of the role air power played in the months leading up to D-Day cannot be overstated, with the Allied powers knowing that securing superiority of the skies over the proposed landing beaches could be the difference between success and failure of the entire operation.
That being the case, Allied air forces were committed in ever-increasing numbers from the end of 1943, attacking airfields, supply infrastructure and other strategic targets, and mounting hundreds of diversionary attacks. This was all intended to keep German forces guessing as to the location of the anticipated invasion, but all the time diminishing their ability to respond to the landings when they came.
With so many Allied aircraft expected to be in the air supporting Operation Overlord, Allied Commanders were concerned about the possibility of their aircraft coming under attack from friendly forces both in the air and from anti-aircraft units on the ground.
They issued a directive that all aircraft (with some exceptions, including four-engined heavy bombers) be painted with identification markings around their wings and rear fuselage, under the strictest levels of security.
The order to begin applying markings to troop transport, aircraft was not issued until 3rd June 1944, with other units receiving their instructions the following day. This move placed additional pressure on airfield staff already working at maximum capacity.
On D-Day itself, over 13,000 individual sorties were flown by Allied aircraft in support of the amphibious landings and although around 127 aircraft were lost for various reasons during those operations, it's thought that the adoption of invasion makings significantly reduced numbers succumbing to incidents of friendly fire on that momentous day.
Although the Luftwaffe were conspicuous by their absence on D-Day itself, they fought tenaciously in the weeks and months which followed, highlighting the fact that they were far from finished.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc – 26 parts.
North American P-51D Mustang – 53 parts.
Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 – 41 parts.
Hawker Tempest Mk.V – 72 parts.
instruction sheets, paint guide, acrylic paint, poly cement, brushes and decal sheet.
The North American P-51 Mustang is an American, single-engine, long-range fighter and attack aircraft with a classic tail and all-metal construction. The flight of the prototype took place on October 26, 1940. The P-51 Mustang has earned a reputation as one of the best, if not the best, WWII fighter. Replacing the Allison V-1710-39 engine from the first project with a Rolls-Royce Merlin motor (P-51 Mustang Mk.Ia version) made the Mustang, like never before, reached perfection. The single-seat fighter impressed with its maximum speed, range, maneuverability, and powerful weapons. The combination of all the most important parameters for the assessment of the aircraft made the Mustang prove itself in virtually every role entrusted to it: it gained air superiority, escorted, carried out reconnaissance missions, attacked ground targets. The class of design is evidenced by the fact that the Mustang remained in active service until the 70's! One of the most important versions was the P-51D, based on the P-51B. It received a drip cab fairing, ensuring excellent visibility, and a new engine - Packard V-1650-7, which significantly improved performance. Technical data (P-51D version): length: 9.83m, wingspan: 11.28m, height: 4.08m, maximum speed: 703km / h, rate of climb: 16.3m / s, maximum range: 2755km, ceiling practical: 12800m, armament: fixed - 6 12.7mm M2 machine guns, suspended - up to 908 kg of bombs or 10 127mm HVAR rocket launchers.
Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous British fighter from the Second World War. It was an all-metal machine with a low wing configuration, characteristic elliptical wings, a classic tail and a retractable landing gear. The prototype flight took place on March 5, 1936. The Spitfire proved to be the RAF's staple of the war, which continued to do well after the war, remaining in production for 10 years. The history of the Spitfire began on the drawing desk of RJ Mitchell, Supermarine's lead designer. The first machines went to RAF units in 1938, but when the Battle of Britain began in the summer of 1940, there were already 19 squadrons of modern fighters at the airfields - together with the slightly older Hurricanes of the Islands, 600 aircraft were defending. With the expansion of hostilities, the Spitfire served wherever the RAF operated in the Far East, North Africa and Italy, during the Normandy landings and fighting in France, and finally during the operation in Germany in 1945. For many Britons, he became a symbol of victory in World War II. This wonderful machine has at least a dozen production versions. The most important of them are, among others the first mass-produced Spitfire Mk.I powered by a 1030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin II engine. It was above all this machine that made such an excellent contribution to the Battle of Britain. Many versions of this model have been developed, including PR Mk IA (reconnaissance version) or PR.IG (armed reconnaissance version). Another interesting version was the Spitfire Mk.V with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine with 1440HP. Later, Merlin 50 engines were also assembled. Serial production of this version started in 1941 and was the RAF's response to the appearance of the Messerschmitt Bf-109F. Another very successful version is the Spitfire Mk.IX, powered by a Merlin 61 engine with a 4-blade propeller. It was created as an opponent to the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 and was put into production at the end of 1941. This version was modified many times and, for example, in 1944 it got a new gyro sight, an enlarged rudder or a different wing system. Another major version is the Spitfire Mk.XIV with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 engine and a five-bladed propeller. Serial production started in October 1943. One of the last series produced was the Mk.21 version. This version had a Griffon 61 engine, a strongly reinforced structure and sheathing, the wings were extended, increasing their flying surface. Mass production started in March 1945. Technical data (Mk.XIV version): length: 9.14m, wingspan: 11.23m, height: 3.05m, maximum speed: 717km / h, rate of climb: 18.5m / s, practical ceiling: 13,200m, range maximum: 1815 km, armament: fixed - 4 7.7mm machine guns and 2 20mm Hispano Mk II cannons, suspended - up to 225 kg of bombs.
The Hawker Typhoon did not perform well as a fighter plane, but later served as a bombing fighter, especially when it was equipped with rocket launchers. High-altitude flight performance and climb were unsatisfactory, and in 1941 an attempt was made to counter this by using a wing with a thinner profile and elliptical contour. The engine radiator was moved from under the engine itself to the edges of the wing root, and the Napier Saber C.107C engine was selected as the drive source. As the new wing had a smaller capacity, it became necessary to install additional fuel tanks in the fuselage of the aircraft. The introduced changes were so big that at the beginning of 1942 the plane was named Hawker Tempest. The Tempest prototype flew in February 1943 and soon achieved a speed of 750 km / h at an altitude of 7,470 meters. The service of Hawker Tempest aircraft in the RAF colors began in April 1944. The wing that had them in stock took part in the preparations for the invasion of Normandy. This was prevented by the first V-1 attack, which took place on June 13. Tempests have been directed to combat this new threat. The achieved success can be best judged by the number of bombs shot down. Between June 1944 and March 1945, 481 kills were recorded on the Hawker Tempest machines account. Until the end of the war, the machines operated in Europe to support land forces. Particularly noteworthy are the 20 kills recorded on the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighters. Throughout the war, the Hawker Tempest served in only three RAF squadrons: 3, 486 and 56. The only mass-produced version in the period 1943-1945 was the Mk.V model, interestingly two other versions (Mk.II and Mk.VI) entered production after 1945 and served until 1951. Technical data: length: 10.26m, wingspan: 12.49m, height: 4.9m, maximum speed: 695km / h, climb speed: 23.9m / s, maximum range: 1190km, maximum ceiling 11125m, armament: permanent - 4 20mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, sling - up to 454 kg of bombs or 8 RP-3 missiles.The Messerschmitt Bf-109 is a German metal-structure single-engine fighter in a low wing configuration with a classic tail. It turned out to be the basic and most produced Luftwaffe fighter during World War II. The flight of the prototype took place on May 29, 1935, and serial production continued in the years 1936-1945. In total, it is estimated that a total of about 35,000 Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters of all varieties were produced, many of which ended up in the Czech and Israeli air forces after the war. The roots of the Bf-109 go back to the competition announced in 1933 by the Luftwaffe for a new fighter plane. In competition with the He-112, the Bf-109 project initially lost, but thanks to Willie Messerschmitt's intrigues, the project could continue and eventually he was the winner of the competition, becoming the Luftwaffe's primary fighter. Several main variants of the Bf-109 were developed in the course of production. The first pre-production series was the Bf-109B (Berta) with different versions of the Junkers Jumo 210 (A or Da) engine. They were tested in Spain from 1937 during the Civil War. The next version is the Bf-109C (Caesar). They had a different engine than the B version, and extensive armament consisting of two 20mm and 2 HP 7.92mm cannons. These machines also fought in the skies of Spain. The third version is the Bf-109D (Dora) with the Junkers Jumo 210 Da or Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine. It fought in the September campaign, but at the turn of 1939/1940 it was replaced by the E version. The most famous model was the Bf-109E (Emil) with a Daimler-Benz 601A or N engine. It was the first to use a three-blade, not a two-blade propeller. Bf-109E fought in the French campaign, over England, and in North Africa and on the Eastern Front. The ace who started his career on the Bf-109E was the famous Adolf Galland. The next version is the Bf-109F (Friedrich), which, according to the German pilots, was the most aerodynamically perfect. It sowed the changed shape of the fuselage, wings, cabin fairings, but no new engine was used. It was put into service at the turn of 1940/1941. As part of the development of the design, further Bf-109 specifications were developed, of which the G (Gustav) version was produced in the largest number of copies. The most important change increasing the machine's performance was the installation of a new 12-cylinder Daimler-Benz DB605A engine with 1475HP. The armament of the Bf-109G was a pair of 13mm machine guns located in the fuselage in front of the cockpit fairing, and the MG151 20mm or heavier MK108 30mm cannon. The last mass-produced version was the Bf-109K (Kurfirst), which production started in October 1944. A Daimler-Benz DB 605DB or DC unit was used as the engine. The Bf-109K was the fastest version produced during World War II, reaching up to 730 km / h. Apart from that, two versions were created - H and Z, but they were rather experimental versions and their mass production did not start. Subsequent improvements in propulsion and armament made the Messerschmitt Bf-109 one of the most dangerous fighters of World War II, and at the same time showed the great potential of the slightly angular airframe created by Willi Messerschmitt. Technical data (version Bf-109 G-6): length: 8.95 m, wingspan: 9.92 m, height: 2.6 m, maximum speed: 640 km / h, rate of climb: 17 m / s, maximum range: 850 km, maximum ceiling 12000m, armament: fixed - 2 MG131 13mm machine guns and 1 MG151 20mm cannon, suspended - 250 kg bombs, or 2 Wfr missile launchers. Gr. 21.
The Focke-Wulf Fw-190 is a German, single-engine, full-metal fighter aircraft with a covered cabin in the low wing design of the Second World War. The pilots considered the Fw-190 to be a better aircraft than the Messerschmitt Bf-109. A self-supporting low wing with a working Fw-190 coating was commissioned by the Luftfahrtministerium, assembled in the fall of 1937. Kurt Tank submitted two propulsion proposals - the first with a liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, and the second with the new BMW 139 radial engine. The latter was chosen, and the work started in the spring of 1938 was headed by Obering R. Blaser. The first prototype of the Fw-190V1 was ready in May 1939, and it was flown in Bremen on June 1, 1939 by Captain Hans Sander. The second prototype, the FW-190V2, armed with two MG131 and two MG17 machine guns - all 7.92 mm caliber, was flew in October 1939. To reduce aerodynamic drag, both were equipped with a tunnel air inlet in the propeller cap, but problems with overheating of the engine resulted in a return to the proven NACA shield design. Before the tests of these prototypes began for good, the decision was already made to replace the BMW 139 engine with a stronger, but longer and heavier BMW 801. It required many changes, strengthening the structure and moving the cabin back, which later became a source of problems with the center of gravity. The advantage was the removal of problems with exhaust gas permeation and overheating of the cabin interior due to its direct vicinity to the BMW 139 engine. The third and fourth prototypes were abandoned, and the Fw-190V5 with the new engine was completed at the beginning of 1940. Later, it received wings with a wingspan enlarged by one meter (from the original 9.5 m), which made it 10 km / h slower, but it increased the rate of climb and improved maneuverability. It was marked Fw-190V5g, and the variant with the shorter wing was Fw-190V5k. The first seven machines of the Fw-190A-0 information series had a short wing, the rest - a longer one. The first operational unit equipped with the Fw-190 - 6./JG 26 stationed at Le Bourget, declared its operational readiness in August 1941 and from the first meeting of the new fighter with the British Supermarine Spitfire, its advantage over them became apparent. During the war, a dozen or so versions of this great plane were created. The machines of the "A" version, along with a dozen or so modernizations, served as fighter planes. The versions marked "B" and "C" were only prototypes of high-altitude fighters intended for fighting strategic bombers, but they did not enter into serial production. The "D" variant, as the only one of the Fw-190s, was powered by the new 1750HP Jumo 213A engine and was the German response to the P-51 Mustang. The new engine extended the fuselage by several dozen centimeters. This variant also performed mainly hunting and high-altitude fighter tasks. Numerous variants of the "F" version were used as fighter-bombers as direct support of the battlefield. The "G" version played the same role as the "F" version, but had a greater range. During the entire war, over 20,000 copies of this one of the best fighters of World War II were produced. Technical data (version Fw-190A-8): length: 9m, wingspan: 10.51m, height: 3.95m, maximum speed: 656km / h, rate of climb: 15m / s, maximum range: 800km, maximum ceiling 11410m , armament: fixed-2 MG131 13mm machine guns and 4 MG151 20mm cannons (2 MG 151 / 20E cannons for the D-9 version).