Whenever someone uses helicopters and war in the same sentence, images of aircraft hovering over dense Vietnamese jungles immediately come to mind. However, while these hovering rotorcraft are most commonly associated with the Vietnam War, there were helicopters used throughout WW2.

Certainly, these early choppers were much more primitive than those used today, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t valuable to the militaries operating them. Discover six of the most influential and useful helicopters flown by both sides during WW2.

Kamov A-7

The Central Aerohydronamic Institute (TsAGI) began development of the Kamov A-7 in 1931, having previously designed the TsAGI A-4 autogyro, which had successfully been incorporated into the Soviet Air Force for use as a reconnaissance aircraft. The A-7, which was completed in 1934, was built for a much different purpose: combat.

The two-seater was the first combat autogyro ever built, as well as the first to be mass produced in the USSR. Its later variant, the A-7bis, featured better aerodynamics, while the A-7-3A was lighter. It was this version that was used by the Red Army in combat. It was equipped with three machine guns – a PV-1 on the front and a twin mount DA-2 variant of the Degtyaryov at the rear – and modified on occasion to carry explosives, either four FAB-100 bombs or six RS-82 unguided rockets.

Despite the…