During World War II, significant improvements occurred in airplanes, demonstrating the link between technology and strategy. Weinberg (1994, 1493) acknowledges that most air forces still utilized biplanes at the start of the war, excluding the Russian U-2, which was used for liaison and partisan support throughout the war, “these were all phased out.” The single-engine, single-wing fighter was developed to represent all air forces. The early German and Japanese speed advantage was surpassed by newer British, American, and Soviet airplanes (Weinberg 1994). The German trial with two-engine fighters was a failure; the American one, on the other hand, was notably effective in the Pacific because of the broader range (Weinberg 1994). Consequently, the most significant modification was expanding the range, particularly of the P-51 ‘Mustang,’ to the point where it could accompany bombers over long distances.
All air forces continued to utilize two-engine bombers, notably to support ground troops. After some problems, the Western Allies proved particularly adept at employing their European planes to strike German military sites with cannons, machine guns, and rockets positioned under the wings (Weinberg 1994). In the Pacific, the Americans employed their two-engine bombers in the same manner and skipped–bombed Japanese ships.
The Red Air Force commenced the war with a vast supply of frequently outmoded or obsolete planes. After losing many planes in the early days of the war, the Soviet Union quickly concentrated production on more current models and built planes with the same capacity as the Germans, even if the crews were frequently inexperienced (Weinberg 1994). Nevertheless, there were no significant technical advancements; the Soviet Union, like all the belligerents, encountered great difficulties in educating a large number of pilots, navigators, and other aircrew personnel. The Western Allies widely utilized balloons to protect towns, military sites, and convoys from low-level aviation strikes.
Reference
Weinberg, Gerald L. 1994. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. Cambridge University Press.