Aviation in the Second World War

Aviation in the Second World War was much further advanced from that in the first world war. The following contrasts and compares German, British and French aircraft speed, altitude capability and armament.

For Britain the aircrafts in World War Two were more efficient than aircrafts in World War One. In the First World War one plane used was Vickers F.B. 12. The armament, or weapons, used were only one or two 7.7 mm machine guns. The machine guns weighed 26.5 kilograms and the plane itself weighed about 656 kilograms when all weapons were loaded. This plane was quite fragile and struggled to support more than two machine guns. If the engine got shot at and broke down, the plane would be unbalanced and guns had to be thrown off to keep the aircraft balanced. In World War Two they had a more improved aircraft called Vickers Wellington. It also had 7.7 mm machine guns but some in the nose, tail and beam positions. Also, the plane can hold up to 2041 kilograms of bombs without having troubles flying. Therefore Britain’s aircrafts became much stronger from World War One to World War Two.

Germany’s World War Two Focke-Wulf Ta 152 exceeded World War Ones Fokker D VII. Fokker D VII could only go as high as 18 000 feet. Its maximum speed was only 189 kilometers per hour. These low numbers are probably due to the 6 cylinder, 160 horsepower engine compared to the weight of the aircraft, which can reach up to 811 kilograms. This is not good because the slow speeds make it easier for the enemies to aim and shoot down the aircrafts. The World War Two Focke-Wulf Ta 152 could go as high as 42 650 feet which is a large improvement from Fokker D VII. It also had a stronger engine, which had 1750 horsepower. This helped advance the speed, which went from 189 kilometers per hour to 763 kilometers per hour. This is good because it enabled the pilot to out-fly the enemies. In conclusion the World War Two plane Focke-Wulf Ta 152 is a lot more helpful than Fokker D VII.

France’s aircrafts in World War Two were much more improved than the aircrafts in World War One. In the First World War, one of the planes that were used was Breguet Br. 14B2. Its maximum speed was 177 kilometers per hour and the highest it could fly was 19 030 feet. This is not very good because it makes it a lot easier for enemies to aim and fire at the aircraft. Also, the armament on the Breguet Br. 14B2 only had two to three machine guns and 300 kilograms of bombs. There was only two people on the plane for flying and fighting. The World War Two plane Breguet 693 was further developed than the First World War plane, Beguet Br. 14B2. This aircraft could fly 490 kilometers per hour and can fly as high as 27 885 feet in the air. This is better because it was able to avoid damage from other planes due to its elevated speed. The Belgeut 693 had more armament such as one 20 mm cannon, three 7.5 mm machine guns and on top of that 400 kilograms of bombs. This is more useful because they now have more weapons shooting in different directions to annihilate the enemy aircrafts. Similar to Britain and Germany, France made great strides in aviation and warfare technology.

Aircrafts in World War Two were more developed than aircrafts in World War One due to the rapid increase in the knowledge of technology. The WWII aircrafts could fly higher, fly faster and pose much more of a threat to opposing countries.