Flying planes of the Second World War. The fastest fighters of World War II. Heavy and rare
In World War II, aviation turned out to be one of the main strike forces. The combat effectiveness of aircraft was the key to successful military operations. Fighters fought for air supremacy.
MiG-3 - Soviet high-altitude fighter from the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War, developed on the basis of the Polikarpov I-200 fighter by a design team headed by A. I. Mikoyan and M. I. Gurevich. At high altitudes, the MiG-3 was more maneuverable than other fighters. The fighter played a major role in the first months of the war, and then during the Battle of Moscow in 1941, when it was effectively used in repelling German air raids on the capital. The fighter's relatively weak machine-gun armament was recognized as a disadvantage. The need for mass production of engines for the Il-2 led to the discontinuation of the high-altitude fighter, given that a significant part of the fighting took place at medium and low altitudes, where the MiG-3 did not have significant advantages. The famous test pilot, Hero, fought on the Mig-3 and died on July 4, 1941 in a battle with a group of enemy aircraft Soviet Union Stepan Suprun. A total of 3,178 MiG-3s were produced.
German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109
The Bf.109 fighter became one of the most famous and popular German planes World War II. The first combat use took place during civil war in Spain. Depending on the modification, it could be used as a fighter, high-altitude fighter, fighter-interceptor, fighter-bomber or reconnaissance aircraft. Early modifications were armed with four 7.92 mm machine guns; on later ones, in addition to machine gun armament, two 20 mm or one 30 mm cannons were installed. Throughout World War II it was Germany's main fighter. Until the end of the war, as of April 1945, 33,984 Bf.109 fighters of all modifications were produced. It became one of the most popular fighters in history, and in terms of the number of World War II aircraft produced, it was second only to the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft.
American fighter-bomber P-38 Lightning
An American fighter-bomber that performed well during World War II. The design of the aircraft consisted of two tail booms and a gondola with a cockpit. In addition to powerful small arms, consisting of a 20 mm cannon and four 12.7 mm machine guns, the Lighting could carry two 726 kg bombs or ten rockets. The aircraft was actively used both to escort heavy bombers and to attack ground targets. By the end of the war, two-seat “flagship” fighters also appeared, the crews of which coordinated the assault operations of single-seat aircraft. The plane was simple and reliable to fly. The P-38 became the only fighter aircraft produced in the United States throughout the war. In total, about 10 thousand units were produced.
Japanese fighter "Zero"
The Japanese carrier-based fighter was produced from 1940 until the end of World War II. The aircraft carried powerful armament for the start of World War II, consisting of two 20 mm cannons and two 7.7 mm machine guns. Until 1942, the Zero had a clear advantage over most Allied aircraft, and the presence of a large number of well-trained pilots made it possible to make full use of the best properties of the machine - high maneuverability and a long (up to 2,600 kilometers) flight range. The Battle of Midway Atoll was a turning point not only in the struggle for Pacific Ocean, but also in the fate of “Zero”, which gradually began to lose its dominance in the air. At the end of the war, Zeros were also used by kamikaze pilots. Thus, during the battle in Leyte Gulf on October 25, 1944, the escort aircraft carrier Saint-Lo was sunk. A total of 10,939 fighters were produced and it became the most produced Japanese fighter of the Second World War.
One of the most successful modifications of the La-5 fighter was the La-5FN, which received new engine power 1850 l/s. Maximum speed fighter reached 635 km/h. The aircraft carried weapons similar to the La-5, consisting of two 20 mm. automatic guns. The La-5FN fighter rightfully became one of the best aircraft in the world in the second half of the war. In terms of maneuverability and speed at low and medium altitudes, it was superior to the German FW 190A fighter. The first mass use of the La-5FN was associated with the battles on the Kursk Bulge. Heroes of the Soviet Union Alexey Maresyev and Alexander Gorovets performed their feats on the La-5FN at the Kursk Bulge. Ivan Kozhedub, the most successful Soviet pilot, with 62 aerial victories, also began his combat journey on the La-5FN.
Stalin case in Samara
History... Everything flows, everything changes. Only memory remains.
The Second died down in volleys World War, and we, remembering battles in which we did not participate, argue on topics best weapons, the best warriors.
Let's talk today about the planes that cleared our skies during the Great Duel. Fighters are the great cleansers of the skies. Who can be called the best warrior in the sky?
The beginning of the war found almost all Soviet fighter aircraft at airfields. Almost 900 aircraft were burned by the Germans on the ground in the first hours of the war. I-16s were burning, “rats”, as the Germans dubbed them at the beginning of the war in Spain, apparently because there is a “donkey”, like a rat, if it grabs onto it, it will not let go, from its strong teeth. Chadili I-15, “snub-nosed”, as the Spanish Republicans called them.
The flames cheerfully devoured the planes of the Mig-3 and Yak-1, which did not have time to rise into the sky. What they managed to save was burning in the sky, crossed out by smoky plumes, going to ram, directed by heroes who did not know how to conduct an air battle, who shot in vain their meager ammunition.
But the reserves of the great country were truly inexhaustible. Air regiments armed with new LaGG-3s were quickly transferred from the eastern borders. But this did not save the Soviet Union from the overwhelming air superiority of the Luftwaffe.
Yak-1
Fighter designed by Yakovlev. Lightweight, maneuverable, easy to control, but poorly armed. One 20 mm cannon and one 12.7 mm machine gun.MiG-3
Fighter designed by Mikoyan and Gurevich. A very ugly story happened with its predecessor, the MiG-1, or I-200, as the King of Fighters Polikarpov conceived it. The designers simply took credit for the development of the I-200 while Polikarpov was in Germany on an excursion trip to German aircraft factories.
But Polikarpov designed the I-200 for the AM-38 engine, and Mikoyan and his friend Gurevich installed the weaker AM-35 engine on the car. Trouble happened to the MiG-3. His heart was so unreliable that it could fail at any moment, and it did. Not only Luftwaffe aces pilots died, but Stalin’s falcons often died “from their horses”
At the end of 1941, Stalin ordered the MiG-3 to be taken out of production, although a Moscow air defense regiment was formed from the remnants of the MiG-3. The pilots in the regiment were test pilots. They
The restive MiG was somewhat rehabilitated. For the sake of objectivity, I note that the Germans did not allow the MiG-3 to show itself with the best side. MiG-3 is a high-altitude aircraft. All his best qualities were manifested at an altitude of over 4500 meters. Having learned this, Goering's aces, when meeting with MiGs, simply moved away from the attack, to heights where the MiG lost all its advantages.
LaGG-3 - “Lacquered Guaranteed Coffin”
This name was given by Soviet pilots who flew this plane. Weak engine, heavy structure, weak weapons. Bad behavior in management. Weak landing gear sometimes simply broke under the plane standing on the ground. Often this stubborn little hunchbacked horse, just on a turn, fell into a tailspin, from which he emerged with great reluctance.
This was the USSR fighter fleet. I won’t say anything about I-16, I-15 at all. Moral and physical elders. All aerial victories in the second half of 1941 and the first half of 1942 are the merit of Soviet pilots who fought for their Motherland during this period. Many did not return to their airfields.
In mid-1942, the troops received new fighters, the Yak-7, a training aircraft, and a repurposed air desk. Yak-1B, improved Yak-1, and Yak-9.
Yak-9
This was already a car. The guns on it were different. 20 mm, 37 mm and 45 mm. The flight range in other modifications reached 1,400 km. He could easily escort the bombers to the target and kick the tails of the Messers who dared to approach. The Yak-9's ability to modernize has truly become its main trump card.
Yak-9 K is an aircraft with an anti-tank gun on board a 45-mm NS-45 cannon. Because of the gun so large caliber, in combat the plane could turn around, so it was recommended to fire in short bursts. But if several shells hit the target, the enemy was doomed.
The most successful modification of the Yak-9 was the Yak-9U. Both the engine and the weapon were, as they say, “what the doctor ordered.” But he appeared in the army only in the fall of 1944.
P-39 Airacobra fighter
Since May 1942, a new fighter, the P-39 Airacobra, has appeared at the front. A large series of fighters, almost 5,000 units, delivered under Lend-Lease from the USA to the USSR, including 212 aircraft re-exported from England.. The first battle of the Cobras took place on May 16, 1942 in the Arctic. Then the Cobras fought in the Kuban and on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. A.I. Pokryshkin made most of his fires from German planes on “my Kobryak,” as he called it. But was the Cobra the best fighter of the war? Let's see - we'll see.
Cobra was created by Bell. In 1940, the Cobra was ordered for the Royal Air Force. But in England only one sortie was made to attack on October 9, 1941, after which the Cobras did not fly in England, and the contract with the Bell company was terminated. It also did not take root in the US Air Force.
So, our American friends gave us for a little gold, according to the principle: “It’s on you, God, that it’s not good for me.”
The main drawback of the “cobra” was its selfless love for the corkscrew. And she loved the flat corkscrew so much that she didn’t want to get out of it. The main reason for the accident rate of “Cobras” in the Red Army Air Force was this very tailspin. And yet, the Cobra did not like it when the pilot left it with a parachute. Often, when jumping from a car, the pilot was hit by the stabilizer and was either injured or killed. This is how Hero of the Soviet Union N.M. Iskrin (May 1943) and Boris Glinka (July 1944) received leg injuries.
When overloaded, the tail itself also became deformed.
So: a short conclusion - American fighters of the Second World War are just rubbish. And if it weren’t for the catastrophic shortage of combat vehicles at the front, Pokryshkin, Glinka, Lavrinenkov, Skomorokhov, and many of our other aces simply would not have flown them. And the history of the “Cobras” would have ended on October 9, 1941. The Germans did not warn about the appearance of “cobras” in the air, they shouted: “Attention! Pokryshkin is in the air!!!”
About the “Kittyhawk” P-40, which is still praised by the Americans, I generally only remember that it was on it that the first Twice Hero in the Second World War, Boris Safonov, died on it, due to an engine stop, on May 30, 1942, while covering the PQ-16 convoy. The engine stopped and the pilot, who had the opportunity to become another thrice hero, crashed into the water.
P-51 "Mustang" - its engine was unprotected and any hit to it led to an immediate stop.
At the beginning of 1942, S. A. Lavochkin was faced with the threat that his country would no longer need him. His LAGG-3 is not just an unsuccessful machine, pilots are afraid to fly it. The overweight design and weak heart of the machine are to blame. Lavochkin finds a brilliant way out.
Back in 1936, Arkady Shvetsov developed his M-62 engine for the Su-2 aircraft. Already in 1941, due to a number of modifications, Shvetsov created the M-82, later the ASh-82. The engines of this model were intended only for the Su-2, but when the Su-2 was discontinued in early 1942, large number engines remained in warehouses.
And so Lavochkin, having simply redesigned the engine compartment of the LaGG-3 and somewhat lightened the design, received a completely new fighter. This work has already been carried out secretly. By the highest decision, the last plant, which Lavochkin supervised, is transferred to Yakovlev.
Mikhail Rodionov, first secretary of the Gorky Regional Party Committee, head of the state commission, learns about the new aircraft. But, the commission was assembled to test the Yak-3. Test pilot Ivan Fedorov squeezed everything out of the “yak”, to the last. And an inexperienced pilot was put on the La-5. The “Yak” seemed better to the commission and the decision was made in favor of the Yak-3. Fedorov decided to try out the La-5. Having scrolled through the entire cascade of figures on it, right after the flight, he saved the car with a personal call to Stalin.
So, in the fall of 1942, a stream of La-5s poured to the front. The Germans, having met him, dubbed him the “new rat” for his resemblance to the I-16. They still remembered how the I-16s burned at the beginning of 1941, Goering's Aces relaxed, and the La-5 was obedient and easy to control. dangerous enemy. Not only did the LaGG-3 have a strong structure and did not fall apart after dozens of direct hits, but it also had high maneuverability and speed. The turn time was 16.5-19 seconds, the speed exceeded 600. And the Russian rat turned out to be toothy - two 20-mm ShVAK cannons.
Hero of the Soviet Union S. Gorelov once returned to the airfield after a difficult battle. After landing, the technicians examined the car and issued a verdict: “It is beyond repair.”
Also, the main advantage of the La-5 during aerobatics was that, as a disciplined soldier, it did not perform the “corkscrew” aerobatics maneuver without a direct order from the pilot. And if he was in a tailspin, he got out of it on the first command. Now, with the help of a “corkscrew”, it was possible to escape from under fire.
The shock of the Luftwaffe after meeting the “new rats” was so strong that Goering’s secret directive prohibited attacking the La-5 without numerical superiority.
Since then, the airwaves began to be polluted unclear words: “Achtung! Achtung! In luft la funf!!!”
(Attention! Attention! There is la-five in the air!!!").
And so, against the backdrop of all this, since 1943, air supremacy was wrested from the Luftwaffe by two main types of aircraft, the Yaks and the Lavochkins.
All subsequent modifications of the La-5 are minor design alterations and the installation of new engines. ASh-82F and ASh-82FN. Accordingly: La-5F and La-5FN.
The German response to the appearance of the La-5 was the massive transfer of FV-190s from the western front. A vehicle weighing 6 tons, with powerful cannon and machine gun weapons. But they too lost to the La-5 in a maneuverable high-speed battle.
When our troops began to advance to the west, aviation sometimes lagged behind the front line for many kilometers and the small fuel supply reduced the time it took to cover the troops. Stalin called Lavochkin and ordered to increase the fuel supply on the La-5.
Lavochkin begged the Supreme for some time. He replaced the wooden structural elements with aluminum ones, which significantly lightened the car. By reducing the weight of the structure, the weight of the fuel increased without affecting the flight performance. Aerodynamicists once again licked the design. The plane acquired slightly modified rapid forms. And it turned out to be La-7. Fast, maneuverable and with a large range. The speed and maneuverability of the La-7 allowed it to beat Fokkers and Messers, regardless of the weather and political situation.
Some later modifications carried 3 ShVAK cannons.
Just a story:
Combat aircraft - birds of prey sky. For more than a hundred years they have been shining in warriors and at air shows. Agree, it’s difficult to take your eyes off modern multi-purpose devices filled with electronics and composite materials. But there is something special about World War II airplanes. It was an era of great victories and great aces who fought in the air, looking into each other's eyes. Engineers and aircraft designers from different countries have come up with many legendary aircraft. Today we present to your attention a list of the ten most famous, most recognizable, most popular and best aircraft of the Second World War.
Supermarine Spitfire
The list of the best aircraft of World War II opens with the British Supermarine Spitfire fighter. He has a classic look, but a little awkward. Wings - shovels, heavy nose, bubble-shaped canopy. However, it was the Spitfire that rescued the Royal air force, stopping German bombers during the Battle of Britain. German fighter pilots discovered with great displeasure that British aircraft were in no way inferior to them, and were even superior in maneuverability.
The Spitfire was developed and put into service just in time - right before the start of World War II. True, there was an incident with the first battle. Due to a radar malfunction, the Spitfires were sent into battle with a phantom enemy and fired upon their own British fighters. But then, when the British tried out the advantages of the new aircraft, they used it as soon as possible. And for interception, and for reconnaissance, and even as bombers. A total of 20,000 Spitfires were produced. For all the good things and, first of all, for saving the island during the Battle of Britain, this aircraft takes an honorable tenth place.
The Heinkel He 111 was exactly the aircraft that the British fighters fought against. This is the most recognizable German bomber. It cannot be confused with any other aircraft, thanks to the characteristic shape of its wide wings. It was the wings that gave the Heinkel He 111 its nickname "flying shovel".
This bomber was created long before the war under the guise of passenger plane. It performed very well back in the 30s, but by the beginning of World War II it began to become outdated, both in speed and maneuverability. He held out for a while due to his ability to withstand big damage, but when the Allies conquered the skies, the Heinkel He 111 was “demoted” to an ordinary transport aircraft. This aircraft embodies the very definition of a Luftwaffe bomber, for which it receives ninth place in our rating.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, German aviation did whatever it wanted in the skies of the USSR. Only in 1942 appeared soviet fighter, which could fight on equal terms with the Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs. It was La-5, developed at the Lavochkin design bureau. It was created in great haste. The plane is designed so simply that there are not even the most basic instruments in the cockpit, such as an attitude indicator. But the La-5 pilots immediately liked it. In its first test flights, it shot down 16 enemy aircraft.
"La-5" bore the brunt of the battles in the skies over Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. Ace Ivan Kozhedub fought on it, and it was on it that the famous Alexei Maresyev flew with prosthetics. The only problem with La-5 that prevented it from rising higher in our ranking is appearance. He is completely faceless and expressionless. When the Germans first saw this fighter, they immediately gave it the nickname “new rat.” And all because it was very similar to the legendary I-16 aircraft, nicknamed “rat”.
North American P-51 Mustang
The Americans used many types of fighters in World War II, but the most famous among them was, of course, the P-51 Mustang. The history of its creation is unusual. Already at the height of the war in 1940, the British ordered aircraft from the Americans. The order was completed and in 1942 the first Mustangs of the British Royal Air Force entered combat. And then it turned out that the planes were so good that they would be useful to the Americans themselves.
The most noticeable feature of the P-51 Mustang is its huge fuel tanks. This made them ideal fighters for escorting bombers, which they did successfully in Europe and the Pacific. They were also used for reconnaissance and assault. They even bombed a little. The Japanese especially suffered from the Mustangs.
The most famous US bomber of those years is, of course, the Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress”. The four-engine, heavy Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, hung on all sides with machine guns, gave rise to many heroic and fanatical stories. On the one hand, the pilots loved it for its ease of control and survivability, on the other hand, the losses among these bombers were indecently high. In one of the flights, out of 300 “Flying Fortresses”, 77 did not return. Why? Here we can mention the complete and defenselessness of the crew from fire from the front and the increased risk of fire. However, the main problem was convincing the American generals. At the beginning of the war, they thought that if there were a lot of bombers and they were flying high, then they could do without any escort. Luftwaffe fighters refuted this misconception. They taught harsh lessons. The Americans and British had to learn very quickly, change tactics, strategy and aircraft design. Strategic bombers contributed to the victory, but the cost was high. A third of the "Flying Fortresses" did not return to the airfields.
In fifth place in our ranking of the best aircraft of World War II is the main hunter of German planes"Yak-9". If the La-5 was a workhorse that bore the brunt of the battles during the turning point of the war, then the Yak-9 is the aircraft of victory. It was created on the basis of previous models of Yak fighters, but instead of heavy wood, duralumin was used in the design. This made the aircraft lighter and left room for modifications. What they didn’t do with the Yak-9. Front-line fighter, fighter-bomber, interceptor, escort, reconnaissance aircraft and even courier aircraft.
On the Yak-9, Soviet pilots fought on equal terms with German aces, who were greatly intimidated by its powerful guns. Suffice it to say that our pilots affectionately nicknamed the best modification of the Yak-9U “Killer.” The Yak-9 became a symbol of Soviet aviation and the most popular Soviet fighter of the Second World War. Factories sometimes assembled 20 aircraft a day, and during the war almost 15,000 of them were produced.
Junkers Ju-87 (Junkers Ju 87)
Junkers Ju-87 Stuka is a German dive bomber. Thanks to their ability to fall vertically onto a target, the Junkers placed bombs with pinpoint accuracy. While supporting a fighter attack on a target, everything in the Stuka design is subordinated to one goal - to hit the target. Air brakes prevented acceleration during a dive; special mechanisms moved the dropped bomb away from the propeller and automatically brought the plane out of the dive.
Junkers Ju-87 - the main aircraft of the Blitzkrieg. He shone at the very beginning of the war, when Germany was marching victoriously across Europe. True, it later turned out that the Junkers were very vulnerable to fighters, so their use gradually came to naught. True, in Russia, thanks to the Germans’ advantage in the air, the Stukas still managed to fight. For their characteristic non-retractable landing gear they were nicknamed “laptezhniks”. The German pilot ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel brought additional fame to the Stukas. But despite its worldwide fame, the Junkers Ju-87 ended up in fourth place on the list of the best aircraft of the Second World War.
In honorable third place in the ranking of the best aircraft of World War II is the Japanese carrier-based fighter Mitsubishi A6M Zero. This is the most famous aircraft of the Pacific War. The history of this aircraft is very revealing. At the beginning of the war, it was almost the most advanced aircraft - light, maneuverable, high-tech, with an incredible flight range. For the Americans, Zero was an extremely unpleasant surprise; it was head and shoulders above everything they had at that time.
However, the Japanese worldview played a cruel joke on the Zero; no one thought about protecting it in air combat - gas tanks burned easily, the pilots were not covered by armor, and no one thought about parachutes. When hit, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero burst into flames like matches, and the Japanese pilots had no chance to escape. The Americans, in the end, learned to fight the Zeros; they flew in pairs and attacked from above, escaping the battle on turns. They released the new Chance Vought F4U Corsair, Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters. The Americans admitted their mistakes and adapted, but the proud Japanese did not. Obsolete by the end of the war, the Zero became a kamikaze plane, a symbol of senseless resistance.
The famous Messerschmitt Bf.109 is the main fighter of World War II. It was he who reigned supreme in the Soviet skies until 1942. An exceptionally successful design allowed Messerschmitt to impose its tactics on other aircraft. He picked up speed well in a dive. A favorite technique of German pilots was the “falcon strike,” in which a fighter dives at the enemy and, after a quick attack, goes back to altitude.
This aircraft also had disadvantages. His short flight range prevented him from conquering the skies of England. Escorting the Messerschmitt bombers was also not easy. On no high altitude he was losing his speed advantage. By the end of the war, the Messers suffered greatly both from Soviet fighters from the east and from allied bombers from the west. But the Messerschmitt Bf.109, nevertheless, went down in legends as the best fighter of the Luftwaffe. In total, almost 34,000 of them were produced. This is the second most popular aircraft in history.
So, meet the winner in our ranking of the most legendary aircraft of World War II. The Il-2 attack aircraft, also known as the “Humpbacked”, or “flying tank,” the Germans most often called it “ Black Death" The Il-2 is a special aircraft; it was immediately conceived as a well-protected attack aircraft, so it was many times more difficult to shoot it down than other aircraft. There was a case when an attack aircraft returned from a mission and more than 600 hits were counted on it. After quick repairs, the Hunchbacks were sent back into battle. Even if the plane was shot down, it often remained intact; its armored belly allowed it to land in an open field without any problems.
"IL-2" went through the entire war. In total, 36,000 attack aircraft were manufactured. This made the “Humpback” a record holder, the most produced combat aircraft of all time. For its outstanding qualities, original design and enormous role in World War II, the famous Il-2 rightfully takes first place in the ranking of the best aircraft of those years.
After the invention of the first aircraft and structures, they began to be used for military purposes. This is how it appeared combat aviation, becoming the main part of the armed forces of all countries of the world. This article describes the most popular and effective Soviet aircraft that contributed special contribution in victory over the fascist invaders.
The tragedy of the first days of the war
IL-2 became the first model new scheme aircraft design. Ilyushin’s design bureau realized that this approach noticeably worsened the design and made it heavier. The new design approach provided new opportunities for more rational use aircraft mass. This is how the Ilyushin-2 appeared - an aircraft that, due to its particularly strong armor, earned the nickname “flying tank”.
IL-2 created an incredible number of problems for the Germans. The aircraft was initially used as a fighter, but did not prove particularly effective in this role. Poor maneuverability and speed did not give the Il-2 the opportunity to fight fast and destructive German fighters. Moreover, weak defense the rear one allowed German fighters to attack the Il-2 from behind.
The developers also experienced problems with the aircraft. During the entire period of the Great Patriotic War, the armament of the Il-2 was constantly changing, and a seat for a co-pilot was also equipped. This threatened that the plane could become completely uncontrollable.
But all these efforts yielded the desired result. The original 20mm cannons were replaced with large-caliber 37mm ones. With such powerful weapons, the attack aircraft became feared by almost all types of ground troops, from infantry to tanks and armored vehicles.
According to some recollections of pilots who fought on the Il-2, firing from the guns of the attack aircraft led to the fact that the plane literally hung in the air from strong recoil. In the event of an attack by enemy fighters, the tail gunner covered the unprotected part of the Il-2. Thus, the attack aircraft actually became a flying fortress. This thesis is confirmed by the fact that the attack aircraft took several bombs on board.
All these qualities were a great success, and the Ilyushin-2 became simply an indispensable aircraft in any battle. It became not only a legendary attack aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, but also broke production records: in total, about 40 thousand copies were produced during the war. Thus, Soviet-era aircraft could compete with the Luftwaffe in all respects.
Bombers
Bomber, with tactical point vision, an indispensable part of combat aviation in any battle. Perhaps the most recognizable Soviet bomber of the Great Patriotic War is the Pe-2. It was developed as a tactical super-heavy fighter, but over time it was transformed into a dangerous dive bomber.
It should be noted that Soviet bomber-class aircraft made their debut precisely during the Great Patriotic War. The appearance of bombers was determined by many factors, but the main one was the development of the air defense system. Special tactics for using bombers were immediately developed, which involved approaching the target at high altitude, sharp decline to the height of the bombs being dropped, the same sharp departure into the sky. This tactic yielded results.
Pe-2 and Tu-2
A dive bomber drops its bombs without following a horizontal line. He literally falls on his target and drops the bomb only when there are only 200 meters left to the target. The consequence of this tactical move is impeccable accuracy. But, as you know, an aircraft at low altitude can be hit by anti-aircraft guns, and this could not but affect the design system of bombers.
Thus, it turned out that the bomber had to combine the incompatible. It should be as compact and maneuverable as possible, and at the same time carry heavy ammunition. In addition, the design of the bomber was assumed to be durable, capable of withstanding impact. anti-aircraft gun. Therefore, the Pe-2 aircraft suited this role very well.
The Pe-2 bomber complemented the Tu-2, which was very similar in parameters. It was a twin-engine dive bomber, which was used according to the tactics described above. The problem with this aircraft was the insignificant orders of the model at aircraft factories. But by the end of the war the problem was corrected, the Tu-2 was even modernized and successfully used in battle.
Tu-2 performed a wide variety of combat missions. It served as an attack aircraft, bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bomber and interceptor.
IL-4
The Il-4 tactical bomber rightly earned the title of the Great Patriotic War, making it difficult to confuse it with any other aircraft. The Ilyushin-4, despite its complicated controls, was popular in the Air Force; the aircraft was even used as a torpedo bomber.
The IL-4 is entrenched in history as the aircraft that carried out the first bombing of the capital of the Third Reich - Berlin. And this happened not in May 1945, but in the fall of 1941. But the bombing did not last long. In winter, the front shifted far to the East, and Berlin became out of reach of Soviet dive bombers.
Pe-8
During the war years, the Pe-8 bomber was so rare and unrecognizable that it was sometimes even attacked by its own air defenses. However, it was he who performed the most difficult combat missions.
Although the long-range bomber was produced back in the late 1930s, it was the only aircraft of its class in the USSR. Pe-8 had highest speed movement (400 km/h), and the fuel supply in the tank made it possible to carry bombs not only to Berlin, but also to return back. The aircraft was equipped with the largest caliber bombs, up to the five-ton FAB-5000. It was the Pe-8 that bombed Helsinki, Koenigsberg, and Berlin at a time when the front line was in the Moscow area. Because of its operating range, the Pe-8 was called strategic bomber, and in those years this class of aircraft was just being developed. All Soviet aircraft of World War II belonged to the class of fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft or transport aircraft, but not to strategic aviation, only the Pe-8 was a kind of exception to the rule.
One of the most important operations performed by the Pe-8 was the transportation of V. Molotov to the USA and Great Britain. The flight took place in the spring of 1942 along a route that passed through Nazi-occupied territories. Molotov traveled on the passenger version of the Pe-8. Only a few such aircraft were developed.
Today, thanks to technological progress, tens of thousands of passengers are transported every day. But in those distant war days, every flight was a feat, both for pilots and passengers. There was always a high probability of being shot down, and a downed Soviet plane meant the loss of not only valuable lives, but also great damage to the state, which was very difficult to compensate.
Concluding this short review, which describes the most popular Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, it is worth mentioning the fact that all development, construction and air battles took place in conditions of cold, hunger and lack of personnel. However, each new car was an important step in the development of world aviation. The names of Ilyushin, Yakovlev, Lavochkin, Tupolev will forever remain in military history. And not just chapters design bureaus, but also ordinary engineers and ordinary workers contributed huge contribution in the development of Soviet aviation.
The fastest fighters of the Second World War: Soviet Yaks and La; German Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf; British Supermarine Spitfire; American Kittyhawks, Mustangs and Corsairs; Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
The summer breeze tickled the grass on the airfield. After 10 minutes, the plane climbed to an altitude of 6000 meters, where the temperature outside dropped below –20°, and the atmospheric pressure became half that of the Earth’s surface. In such conditions, he had to fly hundreds of kilometers and then engage in battle with the enemy. Combat turn, barrel roll, then Immelman. Crazy shaking when firing from cannons and machine guns. Several overloads, combat damage from enemy fire...
Aviation piston engines from World War II continued to operate in any, sometimes the most brutal, conditions. To understand what we're talking about, turn a modern car upside down and see where the fluid flows from the expansion tank.
The question about the expansion tank was asked for a reason. Many of the aircraft engines simply did not have expansion tanks and were cooled by air, discharging excess heat from the cylinders directly into the atmosphere.
Alas, not everyone followed such a simple and obvious path: half of the WWII fighter fleet had liquid-cooled engines. With a complex and vulnerable “water jacket”, pumps and radiators. Where the slightest hole from a shrapnel could be fatal for the aircraft.
The emergence of liquid-cooled engines was an inevitable consequence of the pursuit of speed: a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the fuselage and a decrease in drag force. The sharp-nosed, fast-moving Messer and the slow-moving I-16 with a blunt, wide nose. Something like this.
No, not like that!
Firstly, the intensity of heat transfer depends on the temperature gradient (difference). The cylinders of the air-cooled motors heated up to 200° during operation, while the max. the temperature in the water cooling system was limited by the boiling point of ethylene glycol (~120°). As a result, there was a need for a bulky radiator, which increased drag, eliminating the apparent compactness of water-cooled motors.
Further - more! The evolution of aircraft engines led to the emergence of “double stars”: 18-cylinder air-cooled engines with hurricane power. Located one behind the other, both cylinder blocks received fairly good airflow, while at the same time such an engine was placed within the cross-section of the fuselage of a conventional fighter.
With water-cooled engines it was more difficult. Even taking into account the V-shaped arrangement, placing such a number of cylinders within the length of the engine compartment seemed very problematic.
Finally, the efficiency of the air-cooled motor has always been slightly higher, due to the absence of the need for power take-off to drive the cooling system pumps.
As a result, the fastest fighters of World War II often did not have the grace of a “sharp-nosed Messerschmitt.” However, the speed records they set are amazing even in the age of jet aviation.
Soviet Union
The winners flew fighters of two main families - Yakovlev and Lavochkin. “Yaks” were traditionally equipped with liquid-cooled engines. “La” - airy.
At first, the championship was with “Yak”. One of the smallest, lightest and most nimble fighters of World War II, the Yak turned out to be ideally suited to the conditions Eastern Front. Where the bulk of air battles took place at altitudes less than 3000 m, and the main combat quality of fighters was considered to be their maneuverability.
By the middle of the war, the design of the Yaks had been brought to perfection, and their speed was not inferior to American and British fighters - much larger and technically sophisticated machines with engines of fantastic power.
The record among Yaks with a serial engine belongs to the Yak-3. Various modifications of the Yak-3 reached speeds of 650...680 km/h at altitude. The indicators were achieved using the VK-105PF2 engine (V12, 33 l, take-off power 1290 hp).
The record was set by the Yak-3 with the experimental VK-108 engine. After the war, it reached a speed of 745 km/h.
Achtung! Achtung! In the air - La-5.
While the Yakovlev Design Bureau was trying to solve the capricious VK-107 engine (the previous VK-105 had exhausted its power capacity reserves by the middle of the war), the La-5 star quickly rose on the horizon. New fighter Lavochkin design bureau, equipped with an 18-cylinder air-cooled “double star”.
In comparison with the light, “budget” Yak, the mighty La-5 became the next stage in the careers of the famous Soviet aces. The most famous pilot of the La-5/La-7 was the most successful Soviet fighter, Ivan Kozhedub.
The pinnacle of the Lavochkin wartime evolution was the La-5FN (boosted!) and its even more formidable successor, the La-7, with ASh-82FN engines. The working volume of these monsters is 41 liters! Takeoff power 1850 hp
It is not surprising that the “blunt-nosed” Lavochkins were in no way inferior to the Yaks in their speed characteristics, surpassing the latter in take-off weight, and, as a result, in firepower and the totality of combat characteristics.
The speed record for fighters of its family was set by the La-7 - 655 km/h at an altitude of 6000 m.
It is curious that the experimental Yak-3U, equipped with an ASh-82FN engine, developed greater speed than its “sharp-nosed” brothers with liquid-cooled engines. Total - 682 km/h at an altitude of 6000 m.
Germany
Like the Red Army Air Force, the Luftwaffe had two main types of fighter in service: the Messerschmitt with a liquid-cooled engine and the Focke-Wulf with an air-cooling engine.
Among Soviet pilots, the Messerschmitt Bf.109, conceptually close to the light, maneuverable Yak, was considered the most dangerous enemy. Alas, despite all the Aryan genius and new modifications of the Daimler-Benz engine, by the middle of the war the Bf.109 was completely outdated and required immediate replacement. Which had nowhere to come from. This is how the war ended.
In the Western theater of operations, where air battles were fought primarily at high altitudes, heavier fighters with a powerful air-cooled engine became famous. It was much more convenient and safer to attack strategic bomber formations in heavily armed armored Focke-Wulfs. They pierced the ranks of the “Flying Fortresses” like a knife through butter, destroying everything in their path (FW.190A-8/R8 “Sturmbok”). Unlike the light Messerschmitts, whose engines died with one hit from a 50-caliber bullet.
Most of the Messerschmitts were equipped with 12-cylinder Daimler Benz engines of the DB600 line, the latest modifications of which developed take-off power of over 1,500 hp. The maximum speed of the fastest production modifications reached 640 km/h.
If everything is clear with the Messerschmitts, then the following story happened with the Focke-Wulf. The new radial-engined fighter performed well in the first half of the war, but by the beginning of 1944 the unexpected happened. The German superindustry has not mastered the creation of new air-cooled radial engines, while the 14-cylinder BMW 801 has reached the “ceiling” in its development. Aryan uber-designers quickly found a way out: initially designed for a radial engine, the Focku-Wolf fighter ended the war with V-shaped liquid-cooled engines under the hood (the above-mentioned Daimler-Benz and the amazing Jumo-213).
Equipped with Jumo-213, the Focke-Wulfs of modification D reached great heights, in every sense of the word. But the success of the “long-nosed” FW.190 was not at all associated with the radical advantages of the liquid cooling system, but with the banal perfection of the new generation engines, compared to the outdated BMW 801.
1750…1800 hp on takeoff. Over two thousand “horses” when the Methanol-Wasser 50 mixture is injected into the cylinders!
Max. speed at high altitudes for Focke-Wulfs with an air-cooled engine ranged from 650 km/h. The last of the FW.190s with the Jumo 213 engine could briefly reach speeds of 700 km/h or more at high altitudes. A further development of the Focke-Wulfs, Tank-152 with the same Jumo 213 turned out to be even faster, reaching 759 km/h at the edge of the stratosphere (for a short time, using nitrous oxide). However, this outstanding fighter appeared in last days war and his comparison with honored veterans is simply incorrect.
United Kingdom
The Royal Air Force flew exclusively with liquid-cooled engines. This conservatism is explained not so much by loyalty to tradition, but by the creation of an extremely successful Roll-Royce Merlin engine.
If you put one Merlin, you get a Spitfire. Two - light bomber "Mosquito". Four “Merlins” - strategic “Lancaster”. A similar technique could be used to obtain a Hurricane fighter or a Barracuda carrier-based torpedo bomber - in total more than 40 models of combat aircraft for various purposes.
No matter what anyone says about the inadmissibility of such unification and the need to create highly specialized equipment tailored for specific tasks, such standardization only benefited the Royal Air Force.
Each of the listed aircraft could be considered the standard of its class. One of the most powerful and elegant fighters of World War II, the Supermarine Spitfire was in no way inferior to its peers, and its flight characteristics each time turned out to be higher than those of its analogues.
The highest performance was achieved by the extreme modifications of the Spitfire, equipped with an even more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffin engine (V12, 37 liters, liquid cooling). Unlike the German “wunderwaffe”, British turbocharged engines had excellent high-altitude characteristics and could produce power in excess of 2000 hp for a long time. (“Griffin” produced 2200 hp on high-quality gasoline with an octane rating of 150). According to official data, the Spitfire subseries XIV reached a speed of 722 km/h at an altitude of 7 kilometers.
In addition to the legendary Merlin and the lesser-known Griffin, the British had another 24-cylinder super engine, the Napier Saber. The Hawker Tempest fighter equipped with it was also considered one of the fastest fighters of British aviation at the final stage of the war. The record he set at high altitude was 695 km/h.
The “Captains of the Skies” used a wide range of fighter aircraft: “Kittyhawks”, “Mustangs”, “Corsairs”... But ultimately, the entire diversity of American aircraft came down to three main engines: the Packard V-1650 and the Allison V-1710 water-cooled and the monstrous “double star” Pratt & Whitney R-2800 with air-cooled cylinders.
The index 2800 was assigned to her for a reason. The working volume of the “double star” was 2800 cubic meters. inches or 46 liters! As a result, its power exceeded 2000 hp, and for many modifications it reached 2400...2500 hp.
The R-2800 Double Wasp became the fiery heart of the Hellcat and Corsair carrier-based fighters, the Thunderbolt fighter-bomber, the Black Widow night fighter, the Savage carrier-based bomber, the A-26 Invader land bombers and B-26 “Marauder” - a total of about 40 types of combat and transport aircraft!
The second Allison V-1710 engine did not gain such great popularity, however, it was used in the design of the mighty P-38 Lightning fighters, also in the family of the famous Cobras (the main Lend-Lease fighter). The P-63 Kingcobra equipped with this engine reached a speed of 660 km/h at altitude.
Much more interest is associated with the third Packard V-1650 engine, which, upon closer examination, turns out to be a licensed copy of... the British Rolls-Royce Merlin! The enterprising Yankees only equipped it with a two-stage turbocharger, which made it possible to develop a power of 1290 hp. at an altitude of 9 kilometers. For such heights, this was considered an incredibly large result.
It was with this outstanding engine that the fame of the Mustang fighters was associated. The fastest American fighter of World War II reached a speed of 703 km/h at altitude.
The concept of a light fighter was alien to the Americans at the genetic level. But the creation of large, well-equipped aircraft was hampered by the basic equation of aviation existence. The most important rule, according to which it is impossible to change the mass of one element without affecting the remaining elements of the structure (provided that the initially specified performance characteristics are maintained). Installing a new gun/fuel tank will inevitably entail an increase in the wing surface area, which, in turn, will cause a further increase in the mass of the structure. The “weight spiral” will wind until all elements of the aircraft increase in mass, and their ratio becomes equal to the original (before installation additional equipment). In this case, the flight characteristics will remain at the same level, but everything will depend on the power of the power plant...
Hence the Yankees’ fierce desire to create super-powerful engines.
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber (long-range escort fighter) had a take-off weight twice that of the Soviet Yak, and its combat load exceeded that of two Il-2 attack aircraft. In terms of cockpit equipment, the Thunderbolt could give odds to any fighter of its time: autopilot, multi-channel radio station, oxygen system, urinal... 3400 rounds were enough for a 40-second burst of six 50-caliber Brownings. With all this, the clumsy-looking Thunderbolt was one of the fastest fighters of World War II. His achievement is 697 km/h!
The appearance of “Thunderbolt” was not so much the merit of aircraft designer Alexander Kartvelishvili, but of the super-powerful double star “Double Wasp”. In addition, the production culture played a role - due to the competent design and high quality assembly, the drag coefficient (Cx) of the thick-nosed Thunderbolt was less than that of the sharp-nosed German Messerschmitt!
Japan
Samurai won the war exclusively using air-cooled engines. This has nothing to do with the requirements of the Bushido code, but is just an indicator of the backwardness of the Japanese military-industrial complex. The Japanese entered the war on a very successful Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter with a 14-cylinder Nakajima Sakae engine (1130 hp at altitude). With the same fighter and engine, Japan ended the war, hopelessly losing air supremacy by the beginning of 1943.
It is curious that thanks to the air-cooled engine, the Japanese “Zero” did not have as low survivability as is commonly believed. Unlike the German Messerschmitt, the Japanese fighter could not be disabled by one stray bullet hitting the engine.