PT-13

Whereas it was powered by a Lycoming engine,
the same airplane with a Continental engine was designated the PT-17, and with a Jacobs engine, the PT-18.
A later version which featured a cockpit
canopy was designated the PT-27.
Of 10,346 Kaydets ordered for the U.S. and its
Allies, 2,141 were PT-13s for the AAF.
Following WW II, the Kaydet was phased out in favor of more modern trainers.

Vultee BT-13

The "Valiant" was the basic trainer most widely used
by the USAAF during WW II.
It represented the second
of the three stages of pilot training--primary, basic and advanced.
Compared with the primary trainers in use at the time,
it was considerably more complex.
The BT-13 not only had a more powerful engine,
it was also faster and heavier.
In addition, it required the student pilot to use two-way radio
communications with the ground, operate landing flaps
and a two-position variable pitch propeller.
Nicknamed the "Vibrator" by the pilots who flew it,
the BT-13 was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine.
But to counter the shortage of these engines
early in the BT-13 production program, 1,693 Valiants were produced
in 1941-2 with a Wright R-975 engine and were
designated as BT-15s. By the end of WW II,
10,375 BT-13s and BT-15s had been accepted by the AAF.

Curtiss P-40F Warhawk

The P-40, developed from the P-36,
was America's foremost fighter in service
when WWII began. The P-40 served in
numerous combat areas.Though often outclassed by its
adversaries in speed, maneuverability and
rate of climb, the P-40 earned a
reputation in battle for extreme ruggedness.
At the end of the P-40's brilliant
career, more than 14,000 had been produced
for service in the air forces of 28 nations.

B-17

The B-17, arguably World War II's most famous heavy bomber,
first flew on July 28, 1935,
before a crowd of reporters eager to see Boeing's new bomber take wing.
It was dubbed the "Flying Fortress" by the members of the press in attendance because of its (at least for the time) heavy defensive armament.
The prototype crashed in October,
but because of its impressive speed and handling
the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) decided to continue testing anyway.
They ordered 13 YB-17s for further evaluation, a decision that would prove momentous in years to come.
The YB-17 had five machine guns, room for 4,800 pounds of bombs and a crew of nine.
It had electrically retractable landing gear.
After testing the YB-17, an improved prototype,
the Y1B-17, was built with Wright Cyclone radial engines.
Twelve were delivered to the USAAC's 2nd Bombardment Group for trials.
One of these was soon equipped with new Moss/General Electric turbochargers that became standard on all future Flying Fortresses.
The first production order was for 39 B-17Bs with turbo-charged engines,
and as soon as these were under production another order for the B-17C was placed,
with seven machine guns instead of the original five.
The RAF received their first B-17Cs in 1941,
and were soon conducting daylight raids over Germany.
The defensive armament soon proved inadequate,
and the B-17's altitude was little defense against the German fighters.
Orders for the B-17D were soon placed with self-sealing fuel tanks
and more armor because of lessons learned
in bombing missions over Europe.
The B-17E and B-17F soon followed with larger tail.
The B-17F was the first to serve with the USAAF 8th Air Force.
After suffering staggering losses in late 1943,
analysis proved head-on attacks by enemy fighters were a distinct problem.
The final major version, the B-17G,
added a chin turret with dual machineguns.
This gave the B-17 a defensive armament of 13 guns.

B-24

Life for the B-24 heavy bomber, nickname: Flying Boxcar, began in 1939, when the U.S. Army Air Corps initiated a request for a new bomber designed to exceed the performance of the B-17.
Slightly smaller than the B-17, the turbosupercharger-equipped B-24 flew farther with a bigger bomb load than the much more publicized Boeing aircraft.
The plane was produced in variations ranging through type M.
While designed as a heavy bomber, the B-24 experienced more than 100 modifications and conversions for such assignments as photography, mine laying, and cargo hauling.
The last one was retired from Air Force service in 1953.

Ryan PT-22

Prior to 1939, the Air Corps relied entirely on
biplanes as primary trainers, but in 1940
it ordered a small number of Ryan low-wing
civilian trainers and designated them as PT-16s.
They were so successful that the Air Corps
then ordered large numbers of improved versions,
among them the PT-22. By the time
production was completed in 1942,
1,023 PT-22s had been delivered.

AT-6

The AT-6 advanced trainer was one of the most widely used
aircraft in history. Evolving from the BC-1 basic combat
trainer ordered in 1937, 15,495 Texans were built
between 1938 and 1945. The USAAF procured 10,057 AT-6s;
others went to the Navy as SNJs and to more
than 30 Allied nations.
Most AAF fighter pilots trained in AT-6s
prior to graduation from flying school. Many of the "Spitfire"
and "Hurricane" pilots in the Battle of Britain trained in Canada in "Harvards," the British version of the AT-6.
In 1948, Texans still in USAF service were redesignated
as T-6s when the AT, BT and PT aircraft designations
were abandoned. To meet an urgent need for close air
support of ground forces in the Korean Conflict,
T-6s flew "mosquito missions" spotting enemy troops and
guns and marking them with smoke rockets for attack by fighter-bombers.

Lockheed Lightning P-38

The Lightning was designed in 1937 as
a high-altitude interceptor. The first one built,
the XP-38, made its public debut on
February 11, 1939 by flying from California
to New York in seven hours.
Because of its unorthodox design, the airplane
experienced "growing pains" and it required several
years to perfect it for combat.
Late in 1942, it went into large-scale
operations during the North African campaign
where the German Luftwaffe named it
"Der Gabelschwanz Teufel"--"The Forked-Tail Devil."
Equipped with droppable fuel tanks under
its wings, the P-38 was used extensively
as a long-range escort fighter
and saw action in practically every major
combat area of the world. A very
versatile aircraft, the Lightning was also used
for dive bombing,level bombing, ground
strafing and photo reconnaissance missions.

C-47

Few aircraft are as well known or
were so widely used for so long
as the C-47 or "Gooney Bird"
as it was affectionately nicknamed.
The aircraft was adapted from the DC-3 commercial
airliner which appeared in 1936.
The first C-47s were ordered in 1940
and by the end of WW II, 9,348
had been procured for AAF use.
They carried personnel and cargo,
and in a combat role, towed troop-carrying gliders
and dropped paratroops into enemy territory.