The Local A6M Zero Flew for the First Time Yesterday!

[Surpmil]

Unlike the majority of WWII aircraft. There were very few with cloth skin, the Hurricane and Swordfish being two of the best.

And the Vickers Wellington bomber as well:

Early on, Vickers' chief structures designer Barnes Wallis proposed the use of a geodetic airframe, inspired by his previous work on airships and the single-engined Wellesley light bomber. During structural testing performed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, the proposed structure demonstrated not only the required strength factor of six, but reached 11 without any sign of failure, proving the geodetic airframe to possess a strength far in excess of normal levels.

Vickers Wellington - Wikipedia

[eb in oregon]

And the Vickers Wellington bomber as well:

Vickers Wellington - Wikipedia

True, but a medium bomber that flew mostly at night when things really got rolling. Not much available for defense in the night time let alone the day. Regardless all fine and serviceable aircraft. And there is something to be said about having a skin covering that merely passes bullets. Unless hitting "something really important."

I remember a friend that told me helicopter mechanics in Vietnam (and he was there as a Pathfinder) used duct tape to patch "unimportant holes" and that they "flapped a bit" during missions. Duct tape or a riveted patch? What ever does the job.