A World War II fighter plane.

 

A World War II fighter plane.

This one definitely is a weird one! Back in 2010, a USAF Lockheed P38 Lightning fighter aircraft appeared on the beaches of the Welsh Coast.

Named the Maid of Harlech, the fighter plane crashed into the Welsh sea during a training exercise in 1942.

Until 2010, it was buried beneath the waves, but the changing beachfront and seabed revealed the plane on the shore of the Gwynedd coast.

The exact location of the fighter plane has been kept a secret to ensure the wreck is preserved.

World War II was often a battle of technological advances. Throughout the war, the Allied and Axis forces constantly worked to improve the abilities and features of their equipment. No type of technology showcased this battle for supremacy better than the fighter planes. Every few months saw the introduction of a new or improved fighter plane to combat the latest version developed by the opposing side.

we will take a look at the basics of these fighter planes, focusing on the Japanese Zero used at Pearl Harbor. You'll learn about the infrastructure of the planes, how they were used and the types of weapons they carried. But first, let's see how the Japanese planes got to Pearl Harbor in the first place...

When the Japanese fleet was a little less than 300 miles (483 km) north of Pearl Harbor, the first wave of 181 planes was launched. This wave left the carriers at approximately 6:00 a.m. on December 7, 1941, and consisted of planes of all four types listed above. About half an hour after the first wave departed, another wave of about 170 planes was launched. The biggest difference between the two waves was that the second wave contained no torpedo bombers and more dive bombers.