The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SPITFIRE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
S
P
I
T
F
I
R
E
More clues leading to the result SPITFIRE
- Traditional requirements for roasting shrew?
- Fighter plane tilts over before burning
- Eject with blaze in WW II fighter
- After first sign of squabble mine sack fighter
- It would be dangerous for showman to do this in a plane
- Tips off firefighter
- Hollow tree in southeast is plane
- Little point in the sea launch for WWII flier
- Something going up in the air? Suitable feature for church, says Spooner
- Old fighter with power in fist exploded with anger
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "WWII flier" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case wwii flier = spitfire.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SPITFIRE mean?
SPITFIRE noun- A cannon
- A person with a fiery temper, someone easily provoked to anger, especially a woman or girl.