Photos of the Heinkel 219 on display at the National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") was a night fighter serving with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated aircraft, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including an advanced intercept radar. It was also the first operational aircraft in the world to be equipped with ejection seats, and the first German aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect upon the strategic bomber offensive of the Royal Air Force, but only 268 were built before the end of the War and they saw only limited service.

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The Aichi M6A Seiran ("Mist on a fair day") was a submarine-launched attack floatplane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy.

It was intended to be used with the I-400 class submarine, a 4,082 tonne (4,500 ton) submarine aircraft carrier. Two or three of the craft would be stowed aboard in disassembled form, and launched by catapult. The twin floats could be jettisoned, and the aircraft was essentially meant to be ditched at sea upon completion of its mission. The Type AM submarine was also intended to carry two of these aircraft.

An alternate version with landing gear instead of floats was designated M6A1-K and named Nanzan ("Southern Mountain"). While generally described as a land-based trainer, some sources indicate that it was designed for the attack role, to be launched from the submarine and then landed. Besides the difference in landing gear, the vertical stabilizer's top portion, which was foldable on the Seiran, was removed.

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Photos of the Aichi M6A "Seiran" at the National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and during resoration at the Garber Restoration Center.

The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first operational jet powered bomber, built by the German Arado company in the closing stages of World War II. In the field it was used almost entirely in the reconnaissance role, but in its few uses as a bomber it proved to be nearly impossible to intercept. Twin-engined and single seater, was produced in limited numbers. It was the last Luftwaffe plane to fly over England, in April 1945.

It is commonly known as Blitz ("lightning"), though this name refers only to the B-2 bomber variant, and it is not clear whether it was ever formally applied instead of being derived from the informal term Blitz-Bomber (roughly, "very fast bomber"). The alternate name Hecht ("pike") is derived from one of the units equipped with this plane, Sonderkommando Hecht. The Ar 234 (and the Messerschmitt Me 262) showed in which direction plane technique should develop.

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Photos of the Arado 234 "Blitz" at the National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow"), unofficially also Ameisenbär ("anteater"), was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The Pfeil's performance was much better than that of other twin-engine designs due to its unusual "push-pull" layout. The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant only a handful were delivered before the war ended.

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Photos of the aircraft on display at the National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and in storage at the Garber Restoration Facility.

The collection focuses on The Pacific War, a term referring to parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, the islands of the Pacific and the Far East. The start of The Pacific War is generally considered to be the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The Pacific War pitted the Allies against the Empire of Japan and culminated with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, Victory over Japan Day on August 15, 1945 and the official surrender of Japan aboard the battleship U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

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Cockpit photos of the Kawanishi N1K "George" at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

The Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (強風 "Strong Wind", Allied codename "Rex") was an Imperial Japanese Navy floatplane fighter. The Kawanishi N1K-J Shiden (紫電 "Violet Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese Navy land-based version of the N1K. Assigned the Allied codename "George", the N1K-J was considered by both its pilots and opponents to be one of the finest land-based fighters flown by the Japanese during World War II.

The N1K possessed a heavy armament and, unusually for a Japanese fighter, could absorb considerable battle damage. The N1K-J evenly matched the F6F Hellcat and was a better match than the A6M Zero for such aircraft as the F4U Corsair and P-51 Mustang. Despite such capability, it was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to affect the outcome of the war.

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Here are photos from my visit last week.