Published 23rd June 2022

When the hum of engines could be heard over the skies of London on 7 September 1940, it was the start of an onslaught that would push Britain to the brink. The Blitz had begun, and as aircraft went up against aircraft, there was a fight for the nation. It was a time of iconic combat planes – the famous Spitfire was born, facing off against the Third Reich’s well-known Messerschmitt BF 109G. But it wasn’t a new spectacle.

The first fighter aircraft the world had ever seen were built in French fields about 25 years before. Since then, countries have raced to improve flight technology to gain control of the skies.

In History of War’s Greatest Fighter Planes, climb into the cockpit of the revolutionary Voisin III and see the world from a Mitsubishi A6M ‘Zero’. Find out how the Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire SM520 became so iconic of an era, and what advancements were made for the Cold War’s Gloster Meteor FR.9 and present-day F-15 Eagle.