In World War II, the Russians had a large number of aircraft that performed various tasks, such as: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, trainers and trainers, reconnaissance aircraft, seaplanes, transport aircraft and also many prototypes, and now let's move on to the list itself with descriptions and photographs below .
Soviet fighter aircraft from World War II
1. I-5— Single-seat fighter, consists of metal, wood and linen material. Maximum speed 278 km/h; Flight range 560 km; Lifting height 7500 meters; 803 built.
2. I-7— Single-seat Soviet fighter, light and maneuverable sesquiplane. Maximum speed 291 km/h; Flight range 700 km; Ascent height 7200 meters; 131 built.
3. I-14— Single-seat high-speed fighter. Maximum speed 449 km/h; Flight range 600 km; Ascent height 9430 meters; 22 built.
4. I-15— Single-seat maneuverable sesquiplane fighter. Maximum speed 370 km/h; Flight range 750 km; Ascent height 9800 meters; 621 units built; Machine gun with 3000 rounds of ammunition, Bombs up to 40 kg.
5. I-16— A single-seat Soviet single-engine piston fighter-monoplane, simply called “Ishak.” Maximum speed 431 km/h; Flight range 520 km; Lifting height 8240 meters; 10292 units built; Machine gun with 3100 rounds.
6. DI-6— Two-seat Soviet fighter. Maximum speed 372 km/h; Flight range 500 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 222 built; 2 machine guns with 1500 rounds of ammunition, Bombs up to 50 kg.
7. IP-1— Single-seat fighter with two dynamo-rocket cannons. Maximum speed 410 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 200 units built; 2 ShKAS-7.62mm machine guns, 2 APK-4-76mm cannons.
8. PE-3— Twin-engine, two-seat, high-altitude heavy fighter. Maximum speed 535 km/h; Flight range 2150 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 360 units built; 2 UB-12.7 mm machine guns, 3 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns; Unguided missiles RS-82 and RS-132; The maximum combat load is 700 kg.
9. MIG-1— Single-seat high-speed fighter. Maximum speed 657 km/h; Flight range 580 km; Lifting height 12000 meters; 100 units built; 1 BS-12.7 mm machine gun - 300 rounds, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns - 750 rounds; Bombs - 100kg.
10. MIG-3— Single-seat high-speed high-altitude fighter. Maximum speed 640 km/h; Flight range 857 km; Lifting height 11500 meters; 100 units built; 1 BS-12.7 mm machine gun - 300 rounds, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns - 1500 rounds, BK-12.7 mm machine gun under the wing; Bombs - up to 100kg; Unguided missiles RS-82-6 pieces.
11. Yak-1— Single-seat high-speed high-altitude fighter. Maximum speed 569 km/h; Flight range 760 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 8734 units built; 1 UBS-12.7 mm machine gun, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns, 1 ShVAK-20 mm machine gun; 1 ShVAK gun - 20 mm.
12. Yak-3— Single-seat, single-engine high-speed Soviet fighter. Maximum speed 645 km/h; Flight range 648 km; Ascent height 10700 meters; 4848 units built; 2 UBS-12.7 mm machine guns, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm.
13. Yak-7— Single-seat, single-engine high-speed Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War. Maximum speed 570 km/h; Flight range 648 km; Ascent height 9900 meters; 6399 units built; 2 ShKAS-12.7 mm machine guns with 1500 rounds, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm with 120 rounds.
14. Yak-9— Single-seat, single-engine Soviet fighter-bomber. Maximum speed 577 km/h; Flight range 1360 km; Lifting height 10750 meters; 16,769 units built; 1 UBS-12.7 mm machine gun, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm.
15. LaGG-3— Single-seat single-engine Soviet fighter monoplane, bomber, interceptor, reconnaissance aircraft of the Great Patriotic War. Maximum speed 580 km/h; Flight range 1100 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 6528 units built.
16. La-5— Single-seat, single-engine Soviet monoplane fighter aircraft made of wood. Maximum speed 630 km/h; Flight range 1190 km; Lifting height 11200 meters; 9920 built
17. La-7— Single-seat single-engine Soviet monoplane fighter aircraft. Maximum speed 672 km/h; Flight range 675 km; Lifting height 11100 meters; 5905 units built.
Soviet bomber aircraft from World War II
1. U-2VS— Double single-engine Soviet multi-purpose biplane. One of the most popular aircraft produced worldwide. Maximum speed 150 km/h; Flight range 430 km; Ascent height 3820 meters; 33,000 built.
2. Su-2— Two-seat, single-engine Soviet light bomber with 360-degree visibility. Maximum speed 486 km/h; Flight range 910 km; Ascent height 8400 meters; 893 built.
3. Yak-2— Two and three-seater twin-engine Soviet heavy bomber scout. Maximum speed 515 km/h; Flight range 800 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 111 built.
4. Yak-4— Two-seat, twin-engine Soviet light reconnaissance bomber. Maximum speed 574 km/h; Flight range 1200 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 90 built.
5. ANT-40— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet light high-speed bomber. Maximum speed 450 km/h; Flight range 2300 km; Ascent height 7800 meters; 6656 units built.
6. AR-2— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet all-metal dive bomber. Maximum speed 475 km/h; Flight range 1500 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 200 built.
7. PE-2— Three-seat, twin-engine, Soviet most-produced dive bomber. Maximum speed 540 km/h; Flight range 1200 km; Ascent height 8700 meters; 11247 units built.
8. Tu-2— Four-seat, twin-engine, Soviet high-speed day bomber. Maximum speed 547 km/h; Flight range 2100 km; Lifting height 9500 meters; 2527 units built.
9. DB-3— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range bomber. Maximum speed 400 km/h; Flight range 3100 km; Ascent height 8400 meters; 1528 built.
10. IL-4— Four-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range bomber. Maximum speed 430 km/h; Flight range 3800 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 5256 units built.
11. DB-A— Seven-seat experimental four-engine Soviet heavy long-range bomber. Maximum speed 330 km/h; Flight range 4500 km; Ascent height 7220 meters; 12 built.
12. Er-2— Five-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range monoplane bomber. Maximum speed 445 km/h; Flight range 4100 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 462 built.
13. TB-3— Eight-seat, four-engine Soviet heavy bomber. Maximum speed 197 km/h; Flight range 3120 km; Ascent height 3800 meters; 818 built.
14. PE-8— 12-seat four-engine Soviet heavy long-range bomber. Maximum speed 443 km/h; Flight range 3600 km; Ascent height 9300 meters; Combat load up to 4000 kg; Years of production 1939-1944; 93 built.
Soviet attack aircraft from World War II
1. IL-2— Double single-engine Soviet attack aircraft. This is the most popular aircraft produced in Soviet times. Maximum speed 414 km/h; Flight range 720 km; Lifting height 5500 meters; Years of production: 1941-1945; 36183 units built.
2. IL-10— Double single-engine Soviet attack aircraft. Maximum speed 551 km/h; Flight range 2460 km; Lifting height 7250 meters; Years of production: 1944-1955; 4966 units built.
Soviet reconnaissance aircraft from World War II
1. R-5— Double single-engine multi-role Soviet reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 235 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 6400 meters; Years of production: 1929-1944; More than 6,000 units built.
2. P-Z— Double single-engine multi-role Soviet lightweight reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 316 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 8700 meters; Years of production: 1935-1945; 1031 built.
3. R-6— Four-seat twin-engine Soviet reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 240 km/h; Flight range 1680 km; Ascent height 5620 meters; Years of production: 1931-1944; 406 built.
4. R-10— Two-seat single-engine Soviet reconnaissance aircraft, attack aircraft and light bomber. Maximum speed 370 km/h; Flight range 1300 km; Lifting height 7000 meters; Years of production: 1937-1944; 493 built.
5. A-7— Double, single-engine, winged Soviet gyroplane with a three-bladed rotor reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 218 km/h; Flight range 4 hours; Years of production: 1938-1941.
1. Sh-2— The first two-seat Soviet production amphibious aircraft. Maximum speed 139 km/h; Flight range 500 km; Lifting height 3100 meters; Years of production: 1932-1964; 1200 built.
2. MBR-2 Sea Close Reconnaissance - Five-seater Soviet flying boat. Maximum speed 215 km/h; Flight range 2416 km; Years of production: 1934-1946; 1365 built.
3. MTB-2— Soviet heavy naval bomber. It is also designed to transport up to 40 people. Maximum speed 330 km/h; Flight range 4200 km; Lifting height 3100 meters; Years of production: 1937-1939; Built 2 units.
4. GTS— Marine patrol bomber (flying boat). Maximum speed 314 km/h; Flight range 4030 km; Lifting height 4000 meters; Years of production: 1936-1945; 3305 built.
5. KOR-1— Double deck ejection float plane (ship reconnaissance aircraft). Maximum speed 277 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 6600 meters; Years of production: 1939-1941; 13 built.
6. KOR-2— Double deck ejection flying boat (low naval reconnaissance). Maximum speed 356 km/h; Flight range 1150 km; Lifting height 8100 meters; Years of production: 1941-1945; 44 built.
7. Che-2(MDR-6) - Four-seat long-range naval reconnaissance aircraft, twin-engine monoplane. Maximum speed 350 km/h; Flight range 2650 km; Lifting height 9000 meters; Years of production: 1940-1946; 17 units built.
Soviet transport aircraft from World War II
1. Li-2- Soviet military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 320 km/h; Flight range 2560 km; Lifting height 7350 meters; Years of production: 1939-1953; 6157 units built.
2. Shche-2- Soviet military transport aircraft (Pike). Maximum speed 160 km/h; Flight range 850 km; Lifting height 2400 meters; Years of production: 1943-1947; 567 units built.
3. Yak-6- Soviet military transport aircraft (Douglasenok). Maximum speed 230 km/h; Flight range 900 km; Lifting height 3380 meters; Years of production: 1942-1950; 381 built.
4. ANT-20- the largest 8-engine passenger Soviet military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 275 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Lifting height 7500 meters; Years of production: 1934-1935; Built 2 units.
5. SAM-25- Soviet multi-purpose military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 200 km/h; Flight range 1760 km; Lifting height 4850 meters; Years of production: 1943-1948.
6. K-5- Soviet passenger aircraft. Maximum speed 206 km/h; Flight range 960 km; Lifting height 5040 meters; Years of production: 1930-1934; 260 built.
7. G-11- Soviet landing glider. Maximum speed 150 km/h; Flight range 1500 km; Lifting height 3000 meters; Years of production: 1941-1948; 308 built.
8. KTs-20- Soviet landing glider. This is the largest glider during WWII. It could carry 20 people and 2200 kg of cargo on board. Years of production: 1941-1943; 68 units built.
I hope you liked Russian planes from the Great Patriotic War! Thank you for watching!
The Great Patriotic War began at dawn on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany, violating the Soviet-German treaties of 1939, attacked the Soviet Union. Romania, Italy took her side, and a few days later Slovakia, Finland, Hungary and Norway.
The war lasted almost four years and became the largest armed conflict in human history. On the front, stretching from the Barents to the Black Sea, from 8 million to 12.8 million people fought on both sides at different periods, from 5.7 thousand to 20 thousand tanks were used and assault guns, from 84 thousand to 163 thousand guns and mortars, from 6.5 thousand to 18.8 thousand aircraft.
LaGG-3 was one of the new generation fighters adopted by the USSR just before the war. Among its main advantages was the minimal use of scarce materials in the design of the aircraft: LaGG-3 for the most part consisted of pine and delta wood (plywood impregnated with resin).LaGG-3 - fighter made of pine and plywood
LaGG-3 was one of the new generation fighters adopted by the USSR just before the war. Among its main advantages was the minimal use of scarce materials in the design of the aircraft: LaGG-3 for the most part consisted of pine and delta wood (plywood impregnated with resin).
Il-2 - Soviet "flying tank"
The Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 became the most popular combat aircraft in history. He took part in battles in all theaters of military operations of the Great Patriotic War. The designers called the aircraft they developed a “flying tank,” and German pilots nicknamed it Betonflugzeug — “concrete airplane” — for its survivability.
Junkers-87 - a symbol of fascist aggression
From the first day of the war, "Junkers" took part in the bombing of the USSR, becoming one of the symbols of the blitzkrieg. Despite its low speed, vulnerability and mediocre aerodynamics, the Yu-87 was one of the most effective weapons of the Luftwaffe due to its ability to drop bombs during a dive.
I-16 - the basis of fighter aircraft of the USSR
The I-16 is the world's first serial high-speed low-wing aircraft with retractable landing gear. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the aircraft was outdated, but it was it that formed the basis of the USSR fighter aviation. Soviet pilots called it “donkey”, Spanish pilots called it “mosca” (fly), and German pilots called it “rata” (rat).
A video announcing a series of infographics about military aircraft of the 1940s,
And why did you ultimately lose?
Evert Gottfried (lieutenant, Wehrmacht infantry): Because a flea can bite an elephant, but not kill it.
Anyone attempting to study air warfare in the Great Patriotic War is confronted with a number of obvious contradictions. On the one hand, absolutely incredible personal accounts of the German aces, on the other, the obvious result in the form of the complete defeat of Germany. On the one hand, there is the well-known brutality of the war on the Soviet-German front, on the other, the most heavy losses the Luftwaffe suffered in the West. Other examples can be found.
To resolve these contradictions, historians and publicists are trying to build various kinds of theories. The theory must be such as to link all the facts into a single whole. Most people do it pretty poorly. To connect the facts, historians need to invent fantastic, incredible arguments. For example, the fact that the Red Army Air Force crushed the enemy in numbers - this is where the large numbers of aces come from. The large German losses in the West are allegedly explained by the fact that the war in the air on the Eastern Front was too easy: Soviet pilots were primitive and frivolous opponents. And most ordinary people believe in these fantasies. Although you don’t need to rummage through the archives to understand how absurd these theories are. It is enough to have some life experience. If those shortcomings that are attributed to the Red Army Air Force were in reality, then there would be no victory over Nazi Germany It wouldn't have worked. There are no miracles. Victory is the result of hard and, most importantly, successful work.
The beginning of the war in the East and personal accounts of German aces
The pre-war theory of air combat was based on the requirement to achieve a decisive victory in air combat. Each battle had to end in victory - the destruction of the enemy aircraft. This seemed to be the main way to gain air supremacy. By shooting down enemy planes, it was possible to inflict maximum damage on him, reducing the size of his aircraft fleet to a minimum. This theory was described in the works of many pre-war tacticians both in the USSR and in Germany.
It is impossible to say with certainty, but, apparently, it was in accordance with this theory that the Germans built the tactics of using their fighters. Pre-war views required maximum concentration on victory in air combat. Destruction Orientation maximum number enemy aircraft is clearly visible based on the criteria that were taken as the main ones when assessing the effectiveness of combat operations - the personal account of downed enemy aircraft.
The very accounts of the German aces are often called into question. It seems incredible that the Germans managed to achieve such a number of victories. Why such a huge gap in the number of victories compared to the allies? Yes, in the initial period of World War II, German pilots were better trained than their American, British or Soviet colleagues. But not at times! Therefore, there is a great temptation to accuse German pilots of banal falsification of their accounts for the sake of propaganda and their pride.
However, the author of this article considers the accounts of German aces to be quite truthful. Truthful - as far as possible in the military confusion. Enemy losses are almost always overestimated, but this is an objective process: in a combat situation it is difficult to accurately determine whether you shot down an enemy plane or only damaged it. Therefore, if the accounts of German aces are inflated, then not by 5-10 times, but by 2-2.5 times, no more. This doesn't change the essence. Whether Hartman shot down 352 planes or only 200, he was still too far behind the pilots of the anti-Hitler coalition in this matter. Why? Was he some kind of mystical cyborg killer? As will be shown below, he, like all German aces, was not much stronger than his colleagues from the USSR, USA or Great Britain.
Indirectly, the fairly high accuracy of the aces' accounts is confirmed by statistics. For example, 93 of the best aces shot down 2,331 Il-2 aircraft. The Soviet command considered 2,557 Il-2 aircraft lost to fighter attacks. Plus, some of the “unknown cause” numbers were probably shot down by German fighters. Or another example - one hundred of the best aces shot down 12,146 aircraft on the eastern front. And the Soviet command considers 12,189 aircraft shot down in the air, plus, as in the case of the Il-2, some of the “unidentified” ones. The figures, as we see, are comparable, although it is obvious that the aces still overestimated their victories.
If we take the victories of all German pilots on the Eastern Front, it turns out that there are more victories than the Red Army Air Force lost aircraft. Therefore, of course, there is an overestimation. But the problem is that most researchers pay too much attention to this issue. The essence of the contradictions does not lie in the accounts of aces and the number of downed aircraft. And this will be shown below.
The day before
Germany attacked the USSR, having a significant qualitative superiority in aviation. First of all, this concerns pilots who had rich combat experience of the war in Europe. German pilots and commanders have behind them full-scale campaigns with massive use of aviation: France, Poland, Scandinavia, the Balkans. Soviet pilots have only local conflicts limited in scope and scale - Soviet-Finnish war and... and, perhaps, that's all. The remaining pre-war conflicts are too small in scope and massive use of troops to be compared with the war in Europe in 1939-1941.
The German military equipment was excellent: the most popular Soviet fighters I-16 and I-153 were inferior to the German Bf-109 model E in most characteristics, and the F model absolutely. The author does not consider it correct to compare equipment using tabular data, but in this particular case there is no need to even get into the details of air battles in order to understand how far the I-153 is from the Bf-109F.
The USSR approached the beginning of the war in the stage of rearmament and transition to new technology. The samples that have just begun to arrive have not yet been mastered to perfection. The role of rearmament is traditionally underestimated in our country. It is believed that if an aircraft leaves the factory gates, it already counts towards the total number of aircraft in the Air Force. Although it still needs to arrive at the unit, the flight and ground crew must master it, and the commanders must delve into the details of the combat qualities of the new equipment. A few Soviet pilots had several months to do all this. The Red Army Air Forces were distributed over a vast territory from the border to Moscow and were unable to repel attacks in a coordinated and concentrated manner in the first days of the war.
The table shows that 732 pilots could actually fight on the “new” types of aircraft. But for the Yak-1 and LaGG-3 there were not enough aircraft for them. So the total number of combat-ready units is 657. And finally, you need to think carefully about the term “pilots retrained.” Retrained does not mean that they have mastered the new technique to perfection and have become equal in their ability to conduct air combat with their German opponents. Think about it for yourself: aircraft of the Yak-1 and LaGG-3 types began to reach troops in 1941, i.e. In the months remaining before the war, the pilots simply physically could not have time to gain sufficient and full-fledged combat experience on the new aircraft. This is simply unrealistic in 3-4 months. This requires at least a year or two of continuous training. With the MiG-3 the situation is a little better, but not significantly. Only aircraft that entered service with the troops in 1940 could be more or less efficiently mastered by their crews. But in 1940, only 100 MiG-1 and 30 MiG-3 were received from industry. Moreover, it was received in the fall, and in winter, spring and autumn in those years there were known difficulties with full-fledged combat training. There were no concrete runways in the border districts; they only began to be built in the spring of 1941. Therefore, one should not overestimate the quality of pilot training on new aircraft in the fall and winter of 1940-1941. After all, a fighter pilot must not only be able to fly - he must be able to squeeze everything out of his machine to the limit and a little more. The Germans knew how to do this. And ours have just received new planes, there can be no talk of any equality. But those of our pilots who have already long and firmly “grown” into the cockpits of their aircraft are pilots of the outdated I-153 and I-16. It turns out that where the pilot has experience, there is no modern technology, and where there is modern technology, no experience yet.
Blitzkrieg in the air
The first battles brought severe disappointment to the Soviet command. It turned out that destroying enemy aircraft in the air with the existing military equipment extremely difficult. The high experience and skill of the German pilots, plus the perfection of technology, left little chance. At the same time, it became obvious that the fate of the war was being decided on the ground, by ground forces.
All this pushed us to fit the actions of the Air Force into a single, global plan of action. armed forces generally. Aviation could not be a thing in itself, operating in isolation from the situation at the forefront. It was necessary to work precisely in the interests of ground forces who decided the fate of the war. In this regard, the role of attack aircraft, and the Il-2, in fact, became the main striking force of the Air Force. Now all aviation actions were aimed at helping their infantry. The nature of the war that began quickly took the form of a struggle precisely above the front line and in the near rear of the parties.
The fighters were also reoriented to solve two main tasks. The first is the protection of their attack aircraft. The second is to protect the formations of our ground troops from retaliatory strikes by enemy aircraft. Under these conditions, the value and meaning of the concepts of “personal victory” and “shooting down” began to fall sharply. The criterion for the effectiveness of fighters was the percentage of losses of protected attack aircraft from enemy fighters. It doesn’t matter whether you shoot down a German fighter or simply shoot on course and force it to evade the attack and go to the side. The main thing is to prevent the Germans from shooting accurately at their Il-2s.
Nikolai Gerasimovich Golodnikov (fighter pilot): “We had a rule that “it’s better not to shoot down anyone and not lose a single bomber than to shoot down three and lose one bomber.”
The situation is similar with enemy attack aircraft - the main thing is to prevent them from dropping bombs on their own infantrymen. To do this, it is not necessary to shoot down the bomber - you can force it to get rid of the bombs before approaching the targets.
From NKO Order No. 0489 of June 17, 1942 on the actions of fighters to destroy enemy bombers:
“Enemy fighters covering their bombers naturally strive to pin down our fighters, to prevent them from approaching the bombers, and our fighters go along with this enemy trick, get involved in an air duel with enemy fighters and thereby enable enemy bombers to drop bombs on our troops with impunity or to other targets of attack.
Neither pilots, nor regiment commanders, nor division commanders, nor commanders of the air forces of the fronts and air armies“They don’t understand this and don’t understand that the main and main task of our fighters is to first of all destroy enemy bombers, to prevent them from dropping their bomb load on our troops, on our protected objects.”
These changes in the nature of the combat work of Soviet aviation led to post-war accusations from the losing Germans. Describing the typical Soviet fighter pilot, the Germans wrote about the lack of initiative, passion, and desire to win.
Walter Schwabedissen (Luftwaffe General): “We must not forget that the Russian mentality, upbringing, specific features character and education did not contribute to the development of individual wrestling qualities in the Soviet pilot, which were extremely necessary in air combat. His primitive and often stupid adherence to the concept of group combat made him lacking initiative in individual combat and, as a result, less aggressive and persistent than his German opponents.”
From this arrogant quote, in which a German officer who lost the war describes Soviet pilots of the period 1942-1943, it is clearly visible that the halo of a superman does not allow him to descend from the heights of fabulous “individual duels” to everyday, but very necessary in war, massacre. We again see a contradiction - how stupid is the collective Russian beginning triumphed over the individually unrivaled German knighthood? The answer here is simple: the Red Army Air Force used the tactics that were absolutely correct in that war.
Vitaly Ivanovich Klimenko (fighter pilot): “If an air battle broke out, then by agreement we had one couple leave the battle and climb up, from where they watched what was happening. As soon as they saw that a German was approaching ours, they immediately fell on top of them. You don’t even have to hit it, just show the route in front of his nose, and he’s already out of the attack. If you can shoot him down, then shoot him down, but the main thing is to knock him out of the attack position.”
Apparently, the Germans did not understand that this behavior of the Soviet pilots was completely conscious. They did not try to shoot down, they tried to prevent their own people from being shot down. Therefore, having driven the German interceptors away from the guarded Il-2s to some distance, they left the battle and returned. IL-2 could not be left alone for a long time, because they could be attacked by other groups of enemy fighters from other directions. And for every lost IL-2 they will ask harshly upon arrival. For abandoning attack aircraft over the front line without cover, one could easily have been sent to a penal battalion. But for an unbroken messer - no. The main part of the combat sorties of Soviet fighters was to escort attack aircraft and bombers.
At the same time, nothing changed in German tactics. The aces' scores continued to grow. Somewhere they continued to shoot down someone. But who? The famous Hartman shot down 352 aircraft. But only 15 of them are IL-2. Another 10 are bombers. 25 attack aircraft, or 7% of the total number shot down. Obviously, Mr. Hartman really wanted to live, and really did not want to go to the defensive firing installations of bombers and attack aircraft. It’s better to hang around with fighters, who may never get into an attack position during the entire battle, while an IL-2 attack is a guaranteed fan of bullets in the face.
The majority of German experts have a similar picture. Their victories include no more than 20% of attack aircraft. Only Otto Kittel stands out against this background - he shot down 94 Il-2s, which brought more benefit to his ground forces than, for example, Hartman, Nowotny and Barkhorn combined. True, Kittel’s fate turned out accordingly - he died in February 1945. During an Il-2 attack, he was killed in the cockpit of his plane by the gunner of a Soviet attack aircraft.
But the Soviet aces were not afraid to attack the Junkers. Kozhedub shot down 24 attack aircraft - almost as many as Hartman. On average, in total number wins among the first ten Soviet aces attack aircraft make up 38%. Twice more than the Germans. What was Hartman doing in reality, shooting down so many fighters? Did he repulse their attacks by Soviet fighters on his dive bombers? Doubtful. Apparently, he knocked down the attack aircraft guards, instead of breaking through this guard to main goal- stormtroopers killing Wehrmacht infantrymen.
Vitaly Ivanovich Klimenko (fighter pilot): “From the first attack, you need to shoot down the leader - everyone is guided by him, and bombs are often thrown “at him.” And if you want to personally shoot down, then you need to catch the pilots who fly last. They don’t understand a damn thing; they’re usually young people there. If he fights back, yeah, it’s mine.”
The Germans guarded their bombers completely differently from the Soviet Air Force. Their actions were proactive in nature - clearing the sky along the route of the strike groups. They did not carry out direct escort, trying not to hamper their maneuver by being tied to the slow bombers. The success of such German tactics depended on the skillful counteraction of the Soviet command. If it singled out several groups of interceptor fighters, then German attack aircraft with high degree probabilities were intercepted. While one group was shackling German fighters clearing the skies, another group attacked unprotected bombers. This is where the large numbers of the Soviet Air Force began to show, even if not with the most advanced technology.
Golodnikov Nikolai Gerasimovich: “The Germans could have gotten involved in battle when it was not at all necessary. For example, when covering their bombers. We took advantage of this throughout the war; one group got involved in battle with cover fighters, distracted them, while the other attacked the bombers. The Germans are glad that there is a chance to shoot down. “Bombers” are immediately on their side and they don’t care that our other group is hitting these bombers as best they can. ... Formally, the Germans covered their attack aircraft very strongly, but they only got involved in battle, and that’s all - cover on the side, they were quite easily distracted, and throughout the entire war.”
The defeat failed
So, having managed to rebuild tactics and received new equipment, the Red Army Air Force began to achieve its first successes. Got enough large quantities fighters of “new types” were no longer inferior to German aircraft as catastrophically as the I-16 and I-153. It was already possible to fight with this technology. The process of introducing new pilots into combat was established. If in 1941 and early 1942 these were, indeed, “green” aviators who had barely mastered takeoff and landing, then already at the beginning of 1943 they were given the opportunity to carefully and gradually delve into the intricacies of air warfare. Newcomers are no longer thrown straight into the fire. Having mastered the basics of piloting at the school, the pilots entered the ZAPs, where they passed combat use, and only then went to combat regiments. And in the regiments they also stopped thoughtlessly throwing them into battle, allowing them to understand the situation and gain experience. After Stalingrad, this practice became the norm.
Vitaly Ivanovich Klimenko (fighter pilot): “For example, a young pilot comes. Finished school. He is allowed to fly around the airfield for a bit, then a flight around the area, and then eventually he can be paired up. You don’t let him into battle right away. Gradually... Gradually... Because I don’t need to carry a target behind my tail.”
The Red Army Air Force managed to achieve its main goal - to prevent the enemy from gaining air supremacy. Of course, the Germans could still achieve dominance at a certain time, over a certain section of the front. This was done by concentrating efforts and clearing the sky. But, on the whole, they failed to completely paralyze Soviet aviation. Moreover, the volume of combat work increased. The industry was able to establish mass production, albeit not of the best aircraft in the world, but in large quantities. And inferior in German performance characteristics very insignificant. The first calls for the Luftwaffe sounded - continuing to shoot down as much as possible larger number aircraft and increasing the counters of personal victories, the Germans gradually led themselves to the abyss. They were no longer able to destroy more aircraft than the Soviet aviation industry produced. The increase in the number of victories did not lead to real, tangible results in practice - the Soviet Air Force did not stop combat work, and even increased its intensity.
1942 is characterized by a surge in the number of Luftwaffe combat missions. If in 1941 they made 37,760 sorties, then already in 1942 - 520,082 sorties. This looks like a commotion in the calm and measured mechanism of the blitzkrieg, like an attempt to put out a blazing fire. All this combat work fell on the very small German aviation forces - at the beginning of 1942, the Luftwaffe had 5,178 aircraft of all types on all fronts. For comparison, at the same moment the Red Army Air Force already had more than 7,000 Il-2 attack aircraft and more than 15,000 fighters. The volumes are simply incomparable. During 1942, the Red Army Air Force made 852,000 sorties - a clear confirmation that the Germans had no dominance. The survivability of the Il-2 increased from 13 sorties per 1 aircraft killed to 26 sorties.
During the entire war, the Soviet command reliably confirmed the death of approximately 2,550 Il-2s due to the actions of the Luftwaffe IA. But there is also a column “unidentified reasons for loss.” If we make a big concession to the German aces and assume that all the “unidentified” aircraft were shot down exclusively by them (and in reality this could not have happened), then it turns out that in 1942 they intercepted only about 3% of Il-2 combat sorties. And despite the continued growth of personal accounts, this rate rapidly fell further, to 1.2% in 1943 and 0.5% in 1944. What does this mean in practice? That in 1942, IL-2s flew to their targets 41,753 times. And 41,753 times something fell on the heads of German infantrymen. Bombs, NURSs, shells. This, of course, is a rough estimate, since IL-2s were also killed by anti-aircraft artillery, and in reality, not every one of the 41,753 missions resulted in bombs hitting the target. Another thing is important - German fighters could not prevent this in any way. They shot down someone. But on the scale of a huge front, on which thousands of Soviet Il-2s worked, it was a drop in the ocean. There were too few German fighters for the Eastern Front. Even making 5-6 sorties a day, they could not destroy the Soviet Air Force. And nothing, everything is fine with them, the bills are growing, crosses with all sorts of leaves and diamonds are awarded - everything is fine, life is wonderful. And so it was until May 9, 1945.
Golodnikov Nikolai Gerasimovich: “We are covering the attack aircraft. German fighters appear, circle around, but do not attack, they believe that there are few of them. The “Ilas” are processing the front line - the Germans are not attacking, they are concentrating, pulling fighters from other areas. The “silts” move away from the target, and this is where the attack begins. Well, what's the point of this attack? The “silts” have already “worked out”. Only for “personal account”. And this happened often. Yes, it happened even more interesting. The Germans could have “scrolled” around us like this and not attacked at all. They are not fools, intelligence worked for them. “Red-nosed” “cobras” - 2nd GIAP of the KSF Navy. Why should they, completely headless, get involved with an elite guards regiment? These can shoot down. It’s better to wait for someone “simpler.”
To be continued…
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During the Great Patriotic War the main striking force Soviet Union there was combat aviation. Even taking into account the fact that in the first hours of the attack of the German invaders about 1000 Soviet aircraft were destroyed, our country still very soon managed to become a leader in the number of aircraft produced. Let's remember the five most the best aircraft, in which our pilots won a victory over Nazi Germany.
On top: MiG-3
At the beginning of hostilities, there were much more of these aircraft than other combat air vehicles. But many pilots at that time had not yet mastered the MiG, and training took some time.
Soon, the overwhelming percentage of testers learned to fly the aircraft, which helped eliminate the problems that had arisen. At the same time, the MiG was in many ways inferior to other combat fighters, of which there were a lot at the beginning of the war. Although some aircraft were superior in speed at an altitude of more than 5 thousand meters.
The MiG-3 is considered a high-altitude aircraft, the main qualities of which are manifested at an altitude of more than 4.5 thousand meters. It has proven itself well as a night fighter in the air defense system with a ceiling of up to 12 thousand meters and high speed. Therefore, the MiG-3 was used until 1945, including for guarding the capital.
On July 22, 1941, the very first battle took place over Moscow, where pilot Mark Gallay destroyed an enemy plane in a MiG-3. The legendary Alexander Pokryshkin also flew the MiG.
“King” of modifications: Yak-9
Throughout the 1930s of the 20th century, the design bureau of Alexander Yakovlev manufactured mainly sports aircraft. In the 40s, the Yak-1 fighter was put into mass production, which had excellent flight qualities. When did the second one begin? World War, The Yak-1 successfully fought with German fighters.
In 1942, the Yak-9 appeared as part of the Russian air force. The new aircraft was distinguished by increased maneuverability, through which it was possible to fight the enemy at medium and low altitudes.
This aircraft turned out to be the most popular during the Second World War. It was manufactured from 1942 to 1948, in total more than 17,000 aircraft were produced.
The design features of the Yak-9 were also different in that duralumin was used instead of wood, which made the aircraft much lighter than its numerous analogues. The Yak-9's ability to undergo various upgrades has become one of its most important advantages.
With 22 major modifications, 15 of which were mass-produced, it included the qualities of both a fighter-bomber and a front-line fighter, as well as an escort, interceptor, passenger plane, reconnaissance, training flight vehicle. It is believed that the most successful modification of this aircraft, the Yak-9U, appeared in 1944. German pilots they called him "murderer".
Reliable soldier: La-5
At the very beginning of the Second World War german planes had a significant advantage in the skies of the Soviet Union. But after the appearance of the La-5, developed at the Lavochkin design bureau, everything changed. Outwardly it may seem simple, but this is only at first glance. Even though this plane did not have such instruments as, for example, an attitude indicator, the Soviet pilots really liked the air machine.
Sturdy and reliable design newest aircraft Lavochkina did not fall apart even after ten direct hits from an enemy shell. In addition, the La-5 was impressively maneuverable, with a turn time of 16.5-19 seconds at a speed of 600 km/h.
Another advantage of the La-5 was that it did not perform a figure without a direct order from the pilot. aerobatics"corkscrew". If he did end up in a tailspin, he immediately came out of it. This aircraft took part in many battles over Kursk Bulge and Stalingrad, the famous pilots Ivan Kozhedub and Alexey Maresyev fought on it.
Night bomber: Po-2
The Po-2 (U-2) bomber is considered one of the most popular biplanes in world aviation. In 1920, it was created as a training aircraft, and its developer Nikolai Polikarpov did not even think that his invention would be used during the Second World War. During the battle, the U-2 turned into an effective night bomber. At that time in air force In the Soviet Union, special aviation regiments appeared that were armed with U-2s. These biplanes carried out more than 50% of all combat aircraft missions during World War II.
The Germans called the U-2 " Sewing machines", these planes bombed them at night. One U-2 could carry out several sorties during the night and, with a load of 100-350 kg, it dropped more ammunition than, for example, a heavy bomber.
The famous 46th Taman Aviation Regiment fought on Polikarpov’s planes. The four squadrons included 80 pilots, 23 of whom had the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Germans nicknamed these women “Night Witches” for their aviation skills, courage and bravery. 23,672 combat sorties were carried out by the Taman air regiment.
11,000 U-2 aircraft were produced during World War II. They were manufactured in Kuban at aircraft plant No. 387. In Ryazan (now the State Ryazan Instrument Plant) aircraft skis and cockpits for these biplanes were produced.
In 1959, the U-2, which was renamed Po-2 in 1944, ended its brilliant thirty-year service.
Flying tank: IL-2
The most popular combat aircraft in Russian history is the Il-2. In total, more than 36,000 of these aircraft were produced. The Germans nicknamed the IL-2 “Black Death” for the huge losses and damage caused. And Soviet pilots called this plane “Concrete”, “Winged Tank”, “Humpbacked”.
Just before the war in December 1940, the IL-2 began to be mass-produced. Vladimir Kokkinaki, the famous test pilot, made his first flight on it. These bombers immediately entered service with the Soviet army.
Soviet aviation, represented by this Il-2, acquired its main striking force. The aircraft is a combination of powerful characteristics that provide the aircraft with reliability and long service life. This includes armored glass, rockets, and rapid-fire aircraft guns, and a powerful engine.
The best factories of the Soviet Union worked on the manufacture of parts for this aircraft. The main enterprise for the production of ammunition for the Il-2 is the Tula Instrument Design Bureau.
The Lytkarino Optical Glass Plant produced armored glass for the glazing of the Il-2 canopy. The engines were assembled at plant No. 24 (Kuznetsov enterprise). In Kuibyshev, the Aviaagregat plant produced propellers for attack aircraft.
With the help of the most modern technologies at that time, this aircraft turned into a real legend. Once, an Il-2 returning from battle was hit by more than 600 enemy shells. The bomber was repaired and sent back into battle.
On May 28, 1935, the first flight of the German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109, the most popular aircraft of this class in the world, took place. the last war. But in other countries in those years, wonderful aircraft were also created to defend their own skies. Some of them fought on equal terms with the Messerschmitt Bf.109. Some were superior to it in a number of tactical and technical characteristics.
The Free Press decided to compare the German aviation masterpiece with the best fighters of Berlin's opponents and allies in that war - the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and Japan.
1. Illegitimate German
Willy Messerschmitt was at loggerheads with the Secretary of State of the German Aviation Ministry, General Erhard Milch. Therefore, the designer was not allowed to participate in the competition for the development of a promising fighter, which was supposed to replace the outdated Henkel biplane - He-51.
Messerschmitt, in order to prevent the bankruptcy of his company, in 1934 entered into an agreement with Romania to create a new machine. For which he was immediately accused of treason. The Gestapo got down to business. After the intervention of Rudolf Hess, Messerschmitt was still allowed to participate in the competition.
The designer decided to act without paying attention to the military’s technical specifications for the fighter. He reasoned that otherwise the result would be an average fighter. And, given the biased attitude towards the aircraft designer of the powerful Milch, it will not be possible to win the competition.
Willy Messerschmitt's calculation turned out to be correct. The Bf.109 was one of the best on all fronts of World War II. By May 1945, Germany had produced 33,984 of these fighters. However, briefly talk about them tactical and technical characteristics very difficult.
Firstly, almost 30 significantly different modifications of the Bf.109 were produced. Secondly, the aircraft's performance was constantly improving. And the Bf.109 at the end of the war was significantly better than a fighter model 1937. But still, there were “generic features” of all these combat vehicles, which determined the style of their air combat.
Advantages:
- powerful Daimler-Benz engines made it possible to reach high speeds;
— the significant mass of the aircraft and the strength of the components made it possible to develop speeds in a dive that were unattainable for other fighters;
— a large payload made it possible to achieve increased armament;
— high armor protection increased pilot safety.
Flaws:
— the large mass of the aircraft reduced its maneuverability;
— the location of the guns in the wing pylons slowed down the execution of turns;
- the aircraft was ineffective for supporting bombers, since in this capacity it could not use its speed advantages;
— to control the aircraft, highly trained pilots were required.
2. “I am the Yak Fighter”
Alexander Yakovlev's design bureau made a fantastic breakthrough before the war. Until the end of the 30s, it produced light aircraft, intended mainly for sporting purposes. And in 1940, the Yak-1 fighter was launched into production, the design of which, along with aluminum, included wood and canvas. He had excellent flying qualities. At the beginning of the war, the Yak-1 successfully repelled the Fockers, while losing to the Messers.
But in 1942, the Yak-9 began to enter service with our Air Force, which fought with the Messers on equal terms. Moreover soviet car had a clear advantage in close combat at low altitudes. Yielding, however, in battles at high altitudes.
It is not surprising that the Yak-9 turned out to be the most popular Soviet fighter. Until 1948, 16,769 Yak-9s were built in 18 modifications.
In fairness, it is necessary to mention three more of our excellent aircraft - the Yak-3, La-5 and La-7. At low and medium altitudes they outperformed the Yak-9 and beat the Bf.109. But this “trinity” was produced in smaller quantities, and therefore the main burden of combating fascist fighters fell on the Yak-9.
Advantages:
- high aerodynamic qualities, allowing for dynamic combat in close proximity to the enemy at low and medium altitudes. High maneuverability.
Flaws:
— low armament, largely caused by insufficient engine power;
— low engine life.
3. Armed to the teeth and very dangerous
The Englishman Reginald Mitchell (1895 - 1937) was a self-taught designer. He completed his first independent project, the Supermarine Type 221 fighter, in 1934. During the first flight, the car accelerated to a speed of 562 km/h and rose to a height of 9145 meters in 17 minutes. None of the fighters existing at that time in the world could do this. No one had comparable firepower: Mitchell placed eight machine guns in the wing console.
In 1938, mass production of the Supermarine Spitfire superfighter began for the British Royal Air Force. But chief designer this happy moment I didn't see it. He died of cancer at the age of 42.
Further modernization of the fighter was carried out by Supermarine designers. The first production model was called the Spitfire MkI. It was equipped with a 1300-horsepower engine. There were two weapon options: eight machine guns or four machine guns and two cannons.
It was the most popular British fighter, produced in the amount of 20,351 copies in various modifications. Throughout the war, the Spitfire's performance was constantly improved.
The British fire-breathing Spitfire fully demonstrated its belonging to the elite of world fighters, turning the so-called Battle of Britain in September 1940. The Luftwaffe launched a powerful air attack on London, which included 114 Dornier 17 and Heinkel 111 bombers, accompanied by 450 Me 109s and several Me 110s. They were opposed by 310 British fighters: 218 Hurricanes and 92 Spitfire Mk.Is. 85 enemy aircraft were destroyed, the vast majority in air combat. The RAF lost eight Spitfires and 21 Hurricanes.
Advantages:
— excellent aerodynamic qualities;
- high speed;
— long flight range;
— excellent maneuverability at medium and high altitudes.
- big firepower;
— high pilot training is not necessary;
— some modifications have a high rate of climb.
Flaws:
— focused on concrete runways only.
4. Comfortable Mustang
Created by the American company North American by order of the British government in 1942, the P-51 Mustang fighter is significantly different from the three fighters we have already considered. First of all, because he was given completely different tasks. It was an escort aircraft for long-range bombers. Based on this, the Mustangs had huge fuel tanks. Their practical range exceeded 1,500 kilometers. And the ferry line is 3,700 kilometers.
The flight range was ensured by the fact that the Mustang was the first to use a laminar wing, thanks to which an air flow occurs without turbulence. The Mustang, paradoxically, was a comfortable fighter. It is no coincidence that it was called the “flying Cadillac.” This was necessary so that the pilot, spending several hours at the controls of the aircraft, would not waste unnecessary energy.
By the end of the war, the Mustang began to be used not only as an escort aircraft, but also as an attack aircraft, equipped with missiles and increased firepower.
Advantages:
— good aerodynamics;
- high speed;
— long flight range;
- high ergonomics.
Flaws:
— highly qualified pilots are required;
- low survivability against anti-aircraft artillery fire;
— vulnerability of the water cooling radiator
5. Japanese “overdoing it”
Paradoxically, the most popular Japanese fighter was a carrier-based one - the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen. He was nicknamed "Zero" ("zero" - English). The Japanese produced 10,939 of these “zeros”.
Such a great love for carrier-based fighters is explained by two circumstances. Firstly, the Japanese had a huge aircraft carrier fleet - ten floating airfields. Secondly, at the end of the war, “Zero” began to be used en masse for “kamikazes.” Therefore, the number of these aircraft was rapidly declining.
The technical specifications for the A6M Reisen carrier-based fighter were transferred to Mitsubishi at the end of 1937. For its time, the aircraft was supposed to be one of the best in the world. The designers were asked to create a fighter that had a speed of 500 km/h at an altitude of 4000 meters, armed with two cannons and two machine guns. Flight duration is up to 6-8 hours. The take-off distance is 70 meters.
At the start of the war, the Zero dominated the Asia-Pacific region, outmaneuvering and outperforming US and British fighters at low and medium altitudes.
On December 7, 1941, during the attack of the Japanese Navy on the American base at Pearl Harbor, “Zero” fully confirmed its viability. Six aircraft carriers, which carried 440 fighters, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighter-bombers, took part in the attack. The result of the attack was catastrophic for the United States.
The difference in losses in the air is most telling. The United States destroyed 188 aircraft and put 159 out of action. The Japanese lost 29 aircraft: 15 dive bombers, five torpedo bombers and only nine fighters.
But by 1943, the Allies had nevertheless created competitive fighters.
Advantages:
— long flight range;
— good maneuverability;
N disadvantages:
— low engine power;
- low rate of climb and flight speed.
Comparison of characteristics
Before comparing the same parameters of the considered fighters, it should be noted that this is not a completely correct matter. First of all, because the different countries that participated in the Second World War put before their fighter aircraft various strategic objectives. Soviet Yaks were primarily engaged in air support ground forces. Therefore, they usually flew at low altitudes.
The American Mustang was designed to escort long-range bombers. Approximately the same goals were set for the Japanese “Zero”. The British Spitfire was versatile. It was equally effective at low altitudes and at high altitudes.
The word “fighter” is most suitable for the German “Messers”, who, first of all, were supposed to destroy enemy aircraft near the front.
We present the parameters as they decrease. That is, in first place in this “nomination” is the best aircraft. If two aircraft have approximately the same parameter, then they are separated by a comma.
— maximum ground speed: Yak-9, Mustang, Me.109 — Spitfire — Zero
- -maximum speed at altitude: Me.109, Mustang, Spitfire - Yak-9 - Zero
— engine power: Me.109 — Spitfire — Yak-9, Mustang — Zero
— rate of climb: Me.109, Mustang — Spitfire, Yak-9 — Zero
- service ceiling: Spitfire - Mustang, Me.109 - Zero - Yak-9
— practical range: Zero — Mustang — Spitfire — Me.109, Yak-9
— weapons: Spitfire, Mustang — Me.109 — Zero — Yak-9.
Photo by ITAR-TASS/ Marina Lystseva/ photo from the archive.
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