Plane pieces

[NDfan]

How come there seems to be 3 kinds of planes?  Or are there two different sizes for the bombers or fighters??

Thanks

[bilbobaggins321]

There are two kinds of planes, fighters and bombers.
IMPORTANT: Among the powers, the planes look different. Same with the tanks, infantry, ships, and artillery.
For example, Britain and Japan have the same kind of fighter, but a US green fighter has a little aerofoil connecting the two tails. The Japanese tanks are small, but the German tanks are bigger. The German artillery looks different from all of the other power's artillery.
That's it!

[NDfan]

Oh ok.  That makes sense! Thanks!  It sure is a tough game to learn as a newbie.

[Red Harvest]

How come there seems to be 3 kinds of planes?  Or are there two different sizes for the bombers or fighters??

In the 1942 edition there are only two, but as others have explained they are represented as historical models of fighters or strategic bombers for each nation.  These aren't necessarily the most representative types each nation used, but are distinctive.  While the primary fighter types of the major combatants were single engine, the U.S. twin engine P-38 modeled in the game is a fighter.  (It wasn't used on carriers, so I would have liked a single engine plane instead...thought most likely it would have ended up being another USAAF fighter rather than USN anyway.)  The axis powers primarily used twin engined bombers even for strategic bombing.  That is why Germany and Japan both have twin engined bombers.  The German model is a Ju-88, and the Japanese is a "Betty."

Allied powers used a mix of two and four engined bombers for heavy bombing with the latter type being used for the bomber models in the game.  The UK gets a Halifax, and the US gets a B-17.  The Soviets, fighting for survival on the homefront didn't have much need of 4 engine types during the war, and instead relied on twin engine types.  The four engine model in the game looks like the Pe-8 with gun positions in rear of inboard engine nacelles.

Other fighters in the game are UK's Spitfires, Soviet Yak-3's, and German Bf109's. 

In the A&A 1940 games there are three types:  fighters, tactical bombers, and strategic bombers.  So for A&A Pacific 1940 the U.S. has a twin engine P-38 fighter, a single engine tactical bomber (the Dauntless dive bomber), and a four engine strategic bomber (B-17.)  The Japanese have a "Zero" fighter, a "Val" (dive bomber) tactical bomber, and a "Betty" strategic bomber.  The UK has the Spitfire fighter, the Mosquito tactical bomber, and the Halifax strategic bomber.