The WW2 German fighters used by the Luftwaffe were maneuverable and reliable aircraft. Although five models were developed, only two of them were massively produced as they became the frontline workhorses and the backbone of the Luftwaffe in the aerial battles in the skies over the British channel, northern France, Russia, and North Africa. One of them was the fastest piston-engine aircraft of the war.
Messerschmitt Bf 109. When WW2 broke out, it was the only modern monoplane in the arsenal of the Luftwaffe. It was widely used and the most massively built. It was reliable and fast but it would be match of the British Supermarine Spitfire. Therefore, the Germans would have to develop a faster aircraft.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190. It was faster and more maneuverable than the Spitfire and it was the second in production, with over 22,000 built.
Dornier do 335. Known as the Pfeil (arrow), it was powered by two engines that were mounted in tandem; one in the fore portion of fuselage, the other in the tail section. It was the fastest piston-engine fighter of the war; however, it was introduced late in the war and it also saw limited production.
Focke-Wulf Ta 152. It was developed from the Fw 190. It also saw limited production. It was a high-altitude fighter and interceptor.
Heinkel He 51. It was the only biplane fighter used by Germany in that period. It was also the first effective fighter that entered service with the Luftwaffe in the 1930s. It saw combat action in the Spanish Civil War. However, when WW2 broke out it would relegated as a trainer.
Below, the Dornier Do 335, 'Pfeil'. Photo taken after the war.
