ILYUSHIN IL-2M3 SHTURMOVIK
The Il-2 operated close to the ground, attacking enemy tanks, trucks, and troops near the front line. The job was dangerous and though the IL-2 was heavily armored, many of the planes were lost in battle. As Germany threatened western Russia, Soviet factories moved east, to ensure new Shturmoviks arrived to take the place of recent casualties. The enemy called the plane "Black Death" or "Betonvogel" (loosely, the Concrete Bird). Soviet pilots lovingly named the plane "Ilyusha." To the Soviet soldiers, the Il-2 was "the Winged Tank" or, perhaps most endearingly of all, "the Flying Infantryman."

REPUBLIC P-47D THUNDERBOLT
In 1940, the United States Army Air Corps decided that larger fighters would be needed in the coming European war. Alexander Kartveli, Republic Aviation's chief designer, prepared a rough sketch of a new fighter with the most powerful Pratt & Whitney engine ever developed, along with eight .50-caliber machine guns and heavy armor. World War II pilots considered it to be "unbreakable;" its legendary toughness gave them confidence that they had a good chance of returning home safely even if their plane sustained damage in combat.

GRUMMAN F7F TIGERCAT
The Grumman F7F Tigercat was the first twin-engined fighter aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed for the new Midway-class aircraft carriers, the aircraft were too large to operate from earlier decks. Although delivered to United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat units before the end of World War II, the Tigercat did not see combat service in that war. Most F7Fs ended up in land-based service, as attack aircraft or night fighters; only the later F7F-4N was certified for carrier service. They saw service in the Korean War and were withdrawn from service in 1954.

P-51 MUSTANG
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and several other conflicts. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed 4,950 enemy aircraft shot down, second only to the Grumman F6F Hellcat among Allied aircraft.