World War II was the first war in which jet aircraft participated in combat with examples being used on both sides of the conflict during the latter stages of the war. The first successful jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, flew only five days before the war started on 1 September 1939.[1] By the end of the conflict on 2 September 1945[2]Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States all had operational turbojet-powered fighter aircraft while Japan had produced, but not used, motorjet-powered kamikaze aircraft, and had tested and ordered into production conventional jets. Italy and the Soviet Union had both tested motorjet aircraft which had turbines powered by piston engines and the latter had also equipped several types of conventional piston-powered fighter aircraft with auxiliary ramjet engines for testing purposes. Germany was the only country to use jet-powered bombers operationally during the war.[3]
This list includes only aircraft powered by turbine engines, either on their own or as part of mixed-power arrangements. Rocket-powered aircraft are not included, nor are aircraft that only flew following the end of the war.[N 1] Aircraft which were designed but not constructed are also excluded.
Production figures for aircraft used postwar include examples built after the war ended, of the same versions already flying during the war.
For instance, the first French jet aircraft, the Sud-Ouest Triton, was clandestinely designed during the German occupation of France, but was not constructed and flown until after the end of the war.[4]
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Caygill, Peter (2006). Sound Barrier: The Rocky Road to Mach 1.0+. South Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN978-1-84415-456-2.
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Kowalski, Bob; Steve Ginter (1995). Douglas XSB2D-1 & BTD-1 Destroyer. Naval Fighters. Vol.30. Simi Valley, CA: Ginter Books. ISBN978-0942612301.
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Leyes, Richard A.; William A. Fleming (1999). The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN1-56347-332-1.
Mikesh, Robert C. (1979). Nakajima Kikka. Monogram Close-Up 19. Sturbridge, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications. ISBN978-0914144199.
Myhra, David (2007). Fieseler Fi 103R. X Planes of the Third Reich series. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN978-0764313981.
Nijboer, Donald (2015). Air Combat 1945: The Aircraft of World War II's Final Year. Stackpole Military Photo Series. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN978-0-8117-1606-2.
Nohara, Shigeru; Masatsugu Shiwaku (1996). Arado Ar 234 Blitz. Aero Detail. Vol.16. Tokyo: Dai Nippon Kaiga Co. ISBN4499226597.
Pelletier, Alan J. (1992). Bell Aircraft Since 1935. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1557500564.
Smith, G. Geoffrey (4 December 1941). "Jet Propulsion of Aircraft". Flight Magazine. London: Aero Club of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
Smith, J. Richard; Eddie J. Creek (1984). Arado Ar 234B. Monogram Close-Up. Vol.23. Sturbridge, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications. ISBN978-0914144236.
Smith, J. Richard; Eddie J. Creek (1986). Heinkel He 162 Volksjager. Monogram Close-Up. Vol.11. Sturbridge, Massachusetts: Monogram Aviation Publications. ISBN978-0914144113.
Yenne, Bill (2006). Secret Gadgets and Strange Gizmos: High-Tech (and Low-Tech) Innovations of the U.S. Military. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press. ISBN978-0760321157.
Zabecki, David T. (1999). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Military History of the United States. Vol.6. Abdington-on-Thames, England: Routledge. ISBN978-0824070298.
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