Top 10: The Best German Aircraft

Long name short vessel

 

The Junkers JU-88 was truly a “Jack of All Trades” aircraft and served a multitude of roles, on both fronts.

Focke Wulf FW-190 was unique amongst contemporary fighters of the time that it used an air cooled BMW radial engine instead of a liquid cooled inverted V engine typically used in other fighter types.
In the hands of a seasoned pilot, the plane was so deadly that it earned the nickname “Butcher Bird”!

The Messerschmitt BF/ME-109 needs no introduction,as many Luffwaffe pilots became aces(literally dozens of times over) on this fighter. Some of the aces earned their stripes before World War II by fighting in the Spanish Civil War in support of General Francisco Franco’s forces (Condor Legion).

Here’s one that deserves an honorable mention-the Arado Ar-234 “Blitz” (Lightning)
The world’s first operational jet bomber-one of many of Hitler’s “Wunder Waffen”(Wonder Weapons)
Arado Ar 234 Blitz - Wikipedia

I think we were VERY LUCKY that events turned in the Allies favor. Bombing raids led to material shortages and ulterior motives and of course,politics played a role in the downfall of the Third Reich.
In a few cases Hitler wanted/insisted on aircraft designs to be bombers but some of the aircraft weren’t designed for that without incurring weight/performance penalties or other limitations.