Top 10 German Aircraft of WWII
The Luftwaffe (The German Air Force) of World War II was the one of the most best air force in Europe. Germany produced one of the most revolutionary fighter and bombers during WW2.The first operational jet fighter was extremely fast. Unfortunately, the lack of experienced pilots meant that the performance of the Me-262 wasn't fully exploited, and the engines weren't very reliable.
The Fw-190 D-9 was called the best aircraft of WWII by many people.
Although the Me-262 was much faster, its engines burned out after only 12 hours of use, i.e., 3 or 4 sorties. Fw-190 hands down!
Best single-engine prop fighter in WWII, in my opinion.
The Bf-109G-14 and the Bf-109H were amazing German fighters and the best in the Bf-109 series. They could hold their own against the P-51D and the Yak-3.
This aircraft struck fear into the hearts of enemy infantry early in the war. It became outdated and lost its effectiveness as the war dragged on, suffering heavy losses to enemy fighters due to its lack of speed.
The Ju-88 was the most versatile aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Its roles were not limited to: heavy fighter, medium bomber, tactical bomber, dive bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, night fighter, and flying bomb in the Mistel project. This was the original DH Mosquito.
The Bf-110, like the Ju-88, was a very versatile aircraft. It was used as a heavy fighter, escort fighter, and ground attack aircraft. Its weaknesses were exposed in the Battle of Britain, as a heavy twin-engine fighter is slower and less maneuverable than the more nimble Spitfire.
However, the Bf-110 excelled as a night fighter, with night bombing raids experiencing heavy losses to them. Definitely worthy of a top 10 spot.
The Newcomers
The He-115 was probably the best floatplane of the war. It's considered to have the best performance of anything in its class.
The best German aircraft of WWII, in my opinion. Its high-altitude performance was unmatched by any prop-driven fighter. Unfortunately, it wasn't in use earlier in the war.
The fastest piston-powered aircraft ever, the Do-335 was also one of the largest twin-engine prop-powered fighters. Again, too late to make much impact.
The world's first operational jet bomber, this aircraft was pretty much the B-2 of its day. While flying reconnaissance missions over France in the lead-up to D-Day, they flew so high and fast they weren't even detected. A group of Hawker Tempests even attempted to intercept an Ar-234 but gave up because it was too fast.
Easily the best night fighter of the war, the He-219 wreaked havoc on British night bombers but was unfortunately not in service in large enough numbers to make a difference. The He-219 was fast, maneuverable, and very heavily armed.