Aircraft in World War II. Fighters of the Second World War: the best of the best. Engineer's view. Fighters, the production of which was led by Lavochkin

Having assessed the decisive role of aviation as the main striking force in the struggle for the spread of Bolshevism and the defense of the state, in the very first five-year plan, the leadership of the USSR set a course for the creation of its own, large and autonomous from other countries military air fleet.

In the 1920s, and even in the early 1930s, the aviation of the USSR had a fleet of aircraft, mainly of foreign production (only Tupolev aircraft appeared - ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which later became the legendary U-2, etc.). d.). The aircraft that were in service with the Red Army were multi-brand, had outdated designs and unimportant technical condition. In the 1920s, the USSR purchased a small number of German Junkers aircraft and a number of other types to serve the air routes of the North / explore the North sea ​​route/ and the implementation of government special flights. It should be noted that civil Aviation in the pre-war period, it practically did not develop, with the exception of the opening of a number of unique, "demonstrative" airlines or episodic flights of ambulance and service aviation.

In the same period, the era of airships ended, and the USSR built successful designs of "soft" (frameless) type "B" airships in the early 30s. Digressing, it should be noted about the development of this type of aeronautics abroad.

In Germany, the famous rigid airship Graf Zeppepelin, which explored the North, was equipped with cabins for passengers, had a significant flight range and a fairly high cruising speed/ up to 130 and more km / h, provided by several Maybach design engines. On board the airship were even several dog teams as part of expeditions to the North. The American airship "Akron" is the largest in the world, with a volume of 184 thousand cubic meters. m carried on board 5-7 aircraft and transported up to 200 passengers, not counting several tons of cargo over a distance of up to 17 thousand km. without landing. These airships were already safe, because. were filled with inert gas helium, and not hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, complexity of storage, maintenance predetermined the end of the era of airships. The experiments with balloons also came to an end, proving the unsuitability of the latter for active combat operations. We needed a new generation of aviation with new technical and combat performance.

In 1930, our Moscow Aviation Institute was created - after all, the replenishment of factories, institutes and design bureaus of the aviation industry with experienced personnel was of decisive importance. The old cadres of pre-revolutionary education and experience were clearly not enough, they were thoroughly beaten out, they were in exile or in camps.

Already by the 2nd Five-Year Plan (1933-37), aviation workers had a significant production base, a support for the further development of the air force.

In the thirties, by order of Stalin, demonstrative, but in fact test, flights of bombers "camouflaged" under civil aircraft. Aviators Slepnev, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molokov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.

In 1937, the Soviet fighter aviation passed combat tests in Spain and demonstrated a technical lag. Polikarpov's planes (type I-15,16) were defeated by the latest German machines. The race for survival has begun again. Stalin gave the designers individual tasks for new aircraft models, and bonuses and benefits were widely and generously distributed - the designers worked tirelessly and demonstrated a high level of talent and preparedness.

At the March 1939 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov noted that, compared to 1934, the Air Force had grown in its personnel by 138 percent ... The aircraft fleet as a whole had grown by 130 percent.

Heavy bomber aircraft, which was assigned the main role in the upcoming war with the West, has doubled in 4 years, other types bomber aviation on the contrary, they doubled. Fighter aircraft increased two and a half times. The altitude of the aircraft was already 14-15 thousand meters. The technology for the production of aircraft and engines was put on stream, stamping and casting were widely introduced. The shape of the fuselage changed, the aircraft acquired a streamlined shape.

The use of radio on board aircraft began.

Before the war, great changes took place in the field of aviation materials science. In the pre-war period, there was a parallel development of heavy aircraft of all-metal construction with duralumin skin and light maneuverable aircraft of mixed structures: wood, steel, canvas. With the expansion of the raw material base and the development of the aluminum industry in the USSR, aluminum alloys were increasingly used in aircraft construction. There was progress in engine building. Engines M-25 air-cooled with a power of 715 hp, M-100 water-cooled with a power of 750 hp were created.

In early 1939, the Soviet government called a meeting in the Kremlin.

It was attended by leading designers V.Ya. Klimov, A.A. Mikulin, A.D. Shvetsov, S.V. Ilyushin, N.N. Polikarpov, A.A. Arkhangelsky, A.S. a lot others. M.M. Kaganovich was the People's Commissar of the aviation industry at that time. Possessing a good memory, Stalin was quite well aware of design features aircraft, all important questions on aviation, it was decided by Stalin. The meeting outlined measures for the further accelerated development of aviation in the USSR. Until now, history has not conclusively refuted the hypothesis that Stalin was preparing an attack on Germany in July 1941. It is on the basis of this assumption that the planning of a Stalinist attack on Germany (and further to “liberate” the countries of the West), adopted at the “historical” plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in August 1939, and it seems understandable this incredible for that (or any other) time fact of the sale of advanced German equipment and technology to the USSR. A large delegation of Soviet aviation workers, who twice went to Germany shortly before the war, received fighters, bombers, guidance systems, and much more, which made it possible to dramatically advance the level of domestic aircraft construction. It was decided to increase the combat power of aviation, because it was in August 1939 that the USSR began covert mobilization and prepared strikes against Germany and Romania.

Mutual exchange of information on the state of the armed forces of the three states (England, France and the USSR), represented in Moscow in August 1939, i.e. before the start of the partition of Poland, showed that the number of first-line aircraft in France is 2,000 units. Of these, two-thirds were quite modern aircraft. By 1940, it was planned to increase the number of aircraft in France to 3000 units. British aviation, according to Marshal Burnet, had about 3,000 units, and the potential for production was 700 aircraft per month. German industry underwent mobilization only at the beginning of 1942, after which the number of armaments began to grow sharply.

Of all the domestic fighter aircraft ordered by Stalin, the most successful variants were the LAGG, MiG and Yak. The IL-2 attack aircraft brought a lot of excitement to its designer Ilyushin. Made at first with the protection of the rear hemisphere (double), he, on the eve of the attack on Germany, did not suit the customers with his extravagance. S. Ilyushin, who did not know all of Stalin's plans, was forced to change the design to a single-seat version, i.e. bring the structure closer to the aircraft " clear sky". Hitler violated Stalin's plans and the plane had to be urgently returned to its original design at the beginning of the war.

On February 25, 1941, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars adopted a resolution "On the reorganization of the aviation forces of the Red Army." The resolution provided for additional measures for the rearmament of air units. In accordance with the plans for a future war, the task was to urgently form new air regiments, while equipping them, as a rule, with new machines. The formation of several airborne corps began.

The doctrine of war on "foreign territory" and "little bloodshed" led to the appearance of a "clear sky" aircraft, designed for unpunished raids on bridges, airfields, cities, factories. Before the war hundreds of thousands

young men were preparing to transfer to the new SU-2 aircraft, developed according to the Stalinist competition, which it was planned to produce 100-150 thousand pieces before the war. This required accelerated training of an appropriate number of pilots and technicians. The SU-2 is essentially the Soviet Yu-87, and in Russia it did not stand the test of time, because. There was no "clear sky" for either country during the war.

Air defense zones were formed with fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery. An unprecedented call to aviation began, voluntarily and forcibly. Almost all of the few civil aviation was mobilized in the Air Force. Dozens of aviation schools were opened, incl. super-accelerated (3-4 months) training, traditionally the officers at the helm or the aircraft control handle were replaced by sergeants - an unusual fact and testifying to the haste in preparing for the war. Airfields (about 66 airfields) were urgently advanced to the borders, supplies of fuel, bombs, and shells were brought in. The raids on the German airfields, on the oil fields of Ploiesti were carefully and secretly detailed...

On June 13, 1940, the Flight Test Institute (LII) was formed, and other design bureaus and research institutes were formed in the same period. In the war with the Soviet Union, the Nazis assigned a special role to their aviation, which by this time had already won complete air supremacy in the West. Basically, the plan for using aviation in the East was the same as the war in the West: first to gain air supremacy, and then transfer forces to support the ground army.

Having outlined the timing of the attack on the Soviet Union, the Nazi command set the following tasks for the Luftwaffe:

1. Destroy Soviet aviation with a sudden strike on Soviet airfields.

2. To achieve complete air supremacy.

3. After solving the first two tasks, switch aviation to support ground forces directly on the battlefield.

4. Disrupt the work of Soviet transport, make it difficult to transfer troops both in the front line and in the rear.

5. Bombard large industrial centers - Moscow, Gorky, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kharkov, Tula.

Germany dealt a crushing blow to our airfields. In just 8 hours of the war, 1200 aircraft were lost, there was a mass death of the flight crew, storage facilities and all stocks were destroyed. Historians noted the strange "crowding" of our aviation at the airfields on the eve of the war and complained about the "mistakes" and "miscalculations" of the command (i.e. Stalin) and the assessment of events. In fact, "crowding" portends plans for a super-massive strike on targets and confidence in impunity, which did not happen. Air Force flight personnel, especially bombers, suffered heavy losses due to the lack of support fighters, and the tragedy of the death of perhaps the most advanced and powerful air fleet in the history of mankind occurred, which had to be revived under enemy attacks.

It must be admitted that in 1941 and the first half of 1942 the Nazis succeeded in implementing their plans for an air war to a large extent. Against Soviet Union almost all the available forces of the Nazi aviation were abandoned, including units removed from the Western Front. It was assumed that after the first successful operations part of the bomber and fighter formations will be returned to the West for the war with England. At the beginning of the war, the Nazis had not only a quantitative superiority. Their advantage was the fact that the flight personnel who took part in the air attack had already gone through a serious school of fighting with French, Polish and English pilots. They also had a fair amount of experience in interacting with their troops, acquired in the war against the countries of Western Europe. Old types of fighters and bombers, such as the I-15, I-16, SB, TB-3, could not compete with the latest Messerschmitts and Junkers. However, in the unfolding dogfights even on obsolete types of aircraft, Russian pilots caused damage to the Germans. From June 22 to July 19, Germany lost 1,300 aircraft in dogfights alone.

Here is what the German General Staff officer Greffat writes about this:

"For the period from June 22 to July 5, 1941, the German air Force lost 807 aircraft of all types, and for the period from 6 to 19 July - 477.

These losses indicate that despite the suddenness achieved by the Germans, the Russians managed to find the time and strength to provide decisive opposition.

On the very first day of the war, fighter pilot Kokorev distinguished himself, ramming an enemy fighter, the whole world knows the feat of Gastello's crew (the latest research on this fact suggests that the ramming crew was not Gastello's crew, but was Maslov's crew, who flew with Gastello's crew to attack enemy columns), who threw his burning car into a cluster German technology. Despite the losses, the Germans in all directions brought into battle more and more fighters and bombers. They sent 4,940 aircraft to the front, including 3,940 German, 500 Finnish, 500 Romanian, and achieved complete air supremacy.

By October 1941, the Wehrmacht armies approached Moscow, the cities supplying components for aircraft factories were occupied, the time came for the evacuation of factories and design bureaus of Sukhoi, Yakovlev and others in Moscow, Ilyushin in Voronezh, all the factories of the European part of the USSR demanded the evacuation.

The release of aircraft in November 1941 was reduced by more than three and a half times. Already on July 5, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR decided to evacuate from the central regions of the country part of the equipment of some aircraft instrument factories to duplicate their production in Western Siberia, and after a while a decision had to be made to evacuate the entire aircraft industry.

On November 9, 1941, the State Defense Committee approved the schedules for the restoration and start-up of the evacuated factories and production plans.

The task was set not only to restore the production of aircraft, but also to significantly increase their quantity and quality. In December 1941, the plan for the production of aircraft was achieved by less than 40 percent, and engines - by only 24 percent. In the most difficult conditions, under bombs, in the cold, the cold of the Siberian winters, backup plants were launched one after another. Technologies were refined, simplified, new types of materials were used (not at the expense of quality), women and teenagers stood up for the machines.

Lend-lease deliveries were also of no small importance for the front. Throughout World War II, aircraft supplied 4-5 percent of the total production of aircraft and other weapons produced in the United States. However, a number of materials and equipment supplied by the USA, England, were unique and indispensable for Russia (varnishes, paints, other chemicals, devices, tools, equipment, medicines, etc.), which cannot be described as "insignificant" or secondary.

The turning point in the work of domestic aircraft factories came around March 1942. At the same time, the combat experience of our pilots grew.

Only for the period from November 19 to December 31, 1942, in the battles for Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe lost 3,000 combat aircraft. Our aviation began to act more actively and showed all its combat power in the North Caucasus. Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared. This title was awarded both for downed aircraft and for the number of sorties.

In the USSR, the Normandie-Niemen squadron was formed, staffed by French volunteers. Pilots fought on Yak planes.

The average monthly production of aircraft rose from 2.1 thousand in 1942 to 2.9 thousand in 1943. In total, in 1943, the industry produced 35,000 aircraft, 37 percent more than in 1942. In 1943, factories produced 49,000 engines, almost 11,000 more than in 1942.

Back in 1942, the USSR overtook Germany in the production of aircraft - the heroic efforts of our specialists and workers and the “calmness” or unpreparedness of Germany, which did not mobilize industry in advance under the conditions of war, affected.

In the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, Germany used significant amounts of aircraft, but the power of the Air Force for the first time ensured air supremacy. So, for example, only for an hour on one of the days of the operation, a strike was delivered with a force of 411 aircraft, and so in three waves during the day.

By 1944, the front received about 100 aircraft daily, incl. 40 fighters. The main combat vehicles were modernized. Aircraft with improved combat qualities Yak-3, Pe-2, Yak 9T,D, LA-5, IL-10 appeared. German designers also upgraded the aircraft. Appeared "Me-109F, G, G2", etc.

By the end of the war, the problem of increasing the range of fighter aircraft appeared - airfields could not keep up with the front. The designers proposed the installation of additional gas tanks on aircraft, and rocket weapons began to be used. Radio communications developed, and radar was used in air defense. The bombings were getting stronger and stronger. So, April 17, 1945 bombers 18 air army in the area of ​​​​Königsberg, 516 sorties were made in 45 minutes and 3743 bombs were dropped with a total weight of 550 tons.

In the air battle for Berlin, the enemy took part in 1500 painful aircraft based on 40 airfields near Berlin. This is the most aircraft-laden air battle in history, and one should take into account the highest level of combat training on both sides. The Luftwaffe fought aces who shot down 100,150 or more aircraft (a record of 300 downed combat aircraft).

At the end of the war, the Germans used jet aircraft, which significantly exceeded propeller-driven aircraft in speed - (Me-262, etc.). However, that didn't help either. Our pilots in Berlin made 17,500 sorties and completely defeated the German air fleet.

Analyzing military experience, we can conclude that our aircraft, developed in the period 1939-1940. had constructive reserves for subsequent modernization. In passing, it should be noted that in the USSR, not all types of aircraft were put into service. For example, in October 1941, the production of MiG-3 fighters was discontinued, and in 1943, the production of IL-4 bombers.

Improved and aviation armament. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, later a 45 mm caliber gun appeared.

By 1942, V.Ya. Klimov developed the M-107 engine to replace the M-105P, which was adopted for installation on water-cooled fighters.

Greffoat writes: “Counting on the fact that the war with Russia, like the war in the West, would be lightning fast, Hitler intended, after achieving the first successes in the East, to transfer the bomber units, as well as the required number of aircraft back to the West. Air formations intended for direct support of German troops, as well as military transport units and a certain number of fighter squadrons, should have remained in the East ... "

German aircraft, created in 1935-1936. at the beginning of the war, they no longer had the opportunity for radical modernization. According to the German General Butler, “The Russians had the advantage that in the production of weapons and ammunition they took into account all the features of the war in Russia and ensured the simplicity of technology as much as possible. As a result, Russian factories produced a huge amount of weapons, which were distinguished by their great simplicity of design. Learning to wield such a weapon was relatively easy…”

Second World War fully confirmed the maturity of domestic scientific and technical thought (this, in the end, ensured further acceleration of the introduction of jet aviation).

Nevertheless, each of the countries went its own way in the design of aircraft.

The aviation industry of the USSR produced 15,735 aircraft in 1941. In the difficult year of 1942, in the conditions of evacuation of aviation enterprises, 25,436 aircraft were produced, in 1943 - 34,900 aircraft, in 1944 - 40,300 aircraft, in the first half of 1945 20,900 aircraft were produced. Already in the spring of 1942, all factories evacuated from the central regions of the USSR beyond the Urals and to Siberia, fully mastered the production aviation technology and armaments. Most of these factories in new places in 1943 and 1944 produced several times more than before the evacuation.

Germany possessed, in addition to its own resources, the resources of the conquered countries. In 1944, German factories produced 27,600 aircraft, while our factories produced 33,200 aircraft in the same period. In 1944, the production of aircraft exceeded the figures of 1941 by 3.8 times.

In the first months of 1945, the aviation industry was preparing equipment for the final battles. So, the Siberian Aviation Plant N 153, which produced 15 thousand fighters during the war, in January-March 1945 transferred 1.5 thousand modernized fighters to the front.

The success of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's Air Force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force had 8818 combat aircraft, and the Germans - 3073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR surpassed Germany by 2.7 times. By June 1944, the German Air Force already had only 2,776 aircraft at the front, and our Air Force - 14,787. By the beginning of January 1945, our Air Force had 15,815 combat aircraft. The design of our aircraft was much simpler than American, German or British aircraft. This partly explains such a clear advantage in the number of aircraft. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare the reliability, durability and strength of our and German aircraft, as well as to analyze the tactical and strategic use of aviation in the war of 1941-1945. Apparently, these comparisons would not be in our favor and would conditionally reduce such a striking difference in numbers. Nevertheless, perhaps, the simplification of the design was the only way out in the absence of qualified specialists, materials, equipment and other components for the production of reliable and high-quality equipment in the USSR, especially since, unfortunately, in Russian army traditionally taken by "number", not by skill.

Aviation armament was also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, later a 45 mm caliber gun appeared. By 1942, V.Ya. Klimov developed the M-107 engine to replace the M-105P, which was adopted for installation on water-cooled fighters.

The fundamental improvement of the aircraft is its transformation from a propeller into a jet. To increase the flight speed, a more powerful engine is installed. However, at speeds over 700 km/h, the increase in speed from engine power cannot be achieved. The way out is the use of jet thrust. Used turbojet /TRD/ or liquid jet /LPRE/ engine. In the second half of the 1930s, in the USSR, England, Germany, Italy, and later in the USA, a jet aircraft was intensively created. In 1938, the world's first German BMW jet engines, Junkers, appeared. In 1940, the first Campini-Caproni jet aircraft, created in Italy, made test flights, later the German Me-262, Me-163 XE-162 appeared. In 1941, a Gloucester aircraft with a jet engine was tested in England, and in 1942, a jet aircraft, the Airokomet, was tested in the USA. In England, the Meteor twin-engine jet aircraft was soon created, which took part in the war. In 1945, the Meteor-4 aircraft set a world speed record of 969.6 km / h.

In the USSR in the initial period practical work over the creation of jet engines was carried out in the direction of the LRE. Under the leadership of S.P. Korolev., A.F. Tsander, designers A.M. Isaev, L.S. Dushkin developed the first domestic jet engines. A.M. Lyulka became the pioneer of turbojet engines. At the beginning of 1942, G. Bakhchivandzhi made the first flight on a domestic jet aircraft. Soon this pilot died while testing the aircraft. Work on the creation of a jet aircraft for practical use was resumed after the war with the creation of the Yak-15, MiG-9 using German YuMO jet engines.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the Soviet Union entered the war with numerous but technically backward fighter aircraft. This backwardness was, in essence, an inevitable phenomenon for a country that had only recently embarked on the path of industrialization, which the Western European states and the United States had already traveled in the 19th century. By the mid-20s of the XX century, the USSR was an agrarian country with a half illiterate, mostly rural population and a meager percentage of engineering, technical and scientific personnel. Aircraft, engine building and non-ferrous metallurgy were in their infancy. Suffice it to say that in tsarist Russia generally did not produce ball bearings and carburetors for aircraft engines, aircraft electrical equipment, control and aeronautical instruments. Aluminum, wheel tires and even copper wire had to be purchased abroad.

Over the next 15 years, the aviation industry, together with related and raw material industries, was created practically from scratch, and simultaneously with the construction of the world's largest air force at that time.

Of course, with such a fantastic pace of development, serious costs and forced compromises were inevitable, because it was necessary to rely on the available material, technological and personnel base.

In the most difficult situation were the most complex science-intensive industries - engine building, instrumentation, radio electronics. It must be admitted that the Soviet Union was unable to overcome the lag behind the West in these areas during the pre-war and war years. The difference in "starting conditions" turned out to be too great, and the time allotted by history was too short. Until the end of the war, we produced engines created on the basis of foreign models purchased back in the 30s - Hispano-Suiza, BMW and Wright-Cyclone. Their repeated forcing led to overstressing of the structure and a steady decrease in reliability, and, as a rule, it was not possible to bring their own promising developments to mass production. The exception was the M-82 and its further development M-82FN, thanks to which, perhaps, the best was born soviet fighter during the war - La-7.

During the war years, the Soviet Union was not able to establish serial production of turbochargers and two-stage superchargers, multifunctional propulsion automation devices, similar to the German "commandogerat", powerful 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, thanks to which the Americans overcame the milestone of 2000, and then 2500 hp. With. Well, by and large, no one was seriously engaged in work on water-methanol boosting of engines. All this severely limited aircraft designers in creating fighters with higher flight performance than the enemy.

No less serious restrictions were imposed by the need to use wood, plywood and steel pipes instead of scarce aluminum and magnesium alloys. The irresistible weight of the wooden and mixed construction made it necessary to weaken the armament, limit the ammunition load, reduce the fuel supply and save on armor protection. But there was simply no other way out, because otherwise it would not even be possible to bring the flight data of Soviet aircraft closer to the characteristics of German fighters.

For a long time, our aircraft industry compensated for the lag in quality due to quantity. Already in 1942, despite the evacuation of 3/4 of the production capacities of the aviation industry, 40% more combat aircraft were produced in the USSR than in Germany. In 1943, Germany made significant efforts to increase the production of combat aircraft, but nevertheless the Soviet Union built more of them by 29%. Only in 1944, the Third Reich, through the total mobilization of the resources of the country and occupied Europe, caught up with the USSR in the production of combat aircraft, but during this period the Germans had to use up to 2/3 of their aircraft in the West against the Anglo-American allies.

By the way, we note that for every combat aircraft produced in the USSR, there were 8 times fewer machine park units, 4.3 times less electricity and 20% fewer workers than in Germany! Moreover, more than 40% of the workers in the Soviet aviation industry in 1944 were women, and over 10% were teenagers under 18 years old.

These figures indicate that Soviet aircraft were simpler, cheaper and more technologically advanced than German ones. Nevertheless, by the middle of 1944, their best models, such as the Yak-3 and La-7 fighters, surpassed the German machines of the same type and contemporary with them in a number of flight parameters. The combination of sufficiently powerful engines with a high aerodynamic and weight culture made it possible to achieve this, despite the use of archaic materials and technologies designed for simple conditions production, obsolete equipment and low-skilled workers.

It can be objected that these types in 1944 accounted for only 24.8% of the total production of fighters in the USSR, and the remaining 75.2% were older types of aircraft with worse flight performance. It can also be recalled that the Germans in 1944 were already actively developing jet aircraft, having achieved considerable success in this. The first samples of jet fighters were launched into mass production and began to enter combat units.

Nevertheless, the progress of the Soviet aircraft industry during the difficult war years is undeniable. And its main achievement is that our fighters managed to win back low and medium heights from the enemy, on which attack aircraft and short-range bombers operated - the main strike force of aviation on the front line. This ensured the successful combat work of the "silt" and Pe-2 on German defensive positions, concentration of forces and transport communications, which, in turn, contributed to the victorious offensive of the Soviet troops at the final stage of the war.

Once on the site, we held an Air Parade contest dedicated to the anniversary of the Victory, where readers were asked to guess the names of some of the most famous aircraft of World War II by their silhouettes. The competition has been completed, and now we are publishing photos of these combat vehicles. We offer to remember what the winners and the vanquished fought in the sky.

Edition PM

Germany

Messerschmitt Bf.109

In fact, a whole family of German combat vehicles, total which (33,984 pieces) makes the 109th one of the most massive aircraft of World War II. It was used as a fighter, fighter-bomber, fighter-interceptor, reconnaissance aircraft. It was as a fighter that the Messer earned notoriety from Soviet pilots - at the initial stage of the war, Soviet fighters, such as the I-16 and LaGG, were clearly inferior in technical terms to the Bf.109 and suffered heavy losses. Only the appearance of more advanced aircraft, such as the Yak-9, allowed our pilots to fight with the "Messers" almost on an equal footing. The most massive modification of the machine was the Bf.109G ("Gustav").

Messerschmitt Bf.109

Messerschmitt Me.262

The aircraft was remembered not for its special role in the Second World War, but for the fact that it turned out to be the first-born jet aviation on the battlefield. Me.262 began to design even before the war, but Hitler's real interest in the project awakened only in 1943, when the Luftwaffe had already lost its combat power. The Me.262 possessed speed (about 850 km/h), altitude and rate of climb that were unique for its time, and therefore had serious advantages over any fighter of that time. In reality, for 150 Allied aircraft shot down, 100 Me.262s were lost. Low efficiency combat use was explained by the "dampness" of the design, little experience in the use of jet aircraft and insufficient training of pilots.

Messerschmitt Me.262

Heinkel-111

Heinkel-111

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

Produced in several modifications, the Ju 87 dive bomber became a kind of forerunner of the modern precision weapons, since metal bombs are not with high altitude, but from a steep dive, which made it possible to more accurately aim the ammunition. It was very effective in the fight against tanks. Due to the specifics of the application in conditions of high overloads, the car was equipped with automatic air brakes to exit the dive in case of loss of consciousness by the pilot. To enhance the psychological effect, the pilot, during the attack, turned on the "Jericho Trumpet" - a device that emitted a terrible howl. One of the most famous aces pilots who flew the Stuka was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, who left rather boastful memories of the war on the Eastern Front.

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu

The tactical reconnaissance aircraft Fw 189 Uhu is interesting primarily for its unusual two-beam design, for which the Soviet soldiers nicknamed it "Rama". And it was on the Eastern Front that this reconnaissance spotter turned out to be the most useful to the Nazis. Our fighters knew well that after the "Rama" bombers would fly in and strike at reconnoitered targets. But to shoot down this slow-moving aircraft was not so easy because of its high maneuverability and excellent survivability. When approaching Soviet fighters, he could, for example, begin to describe circles of a small radius, into which high-speed cars simply could not fit.

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu

Probably the most recognizable Luftwaffe bomber was developed in the early 1930s under the guise of a civilian transport aircraft (the creation of the German Air Force was prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles). At the beginning of World War II, the Heinkel-111 was the most massive Luftwaffe bomber. He became one of the main characters in the Battle of England - it was the result of Hitler's attempt to break the will to resist the British through massive bombing raids on the cities of Foggy Albion (1940). Even then it became clear that this medium bomber was obsolete, it lacked speed, maneuverability and security. Nevertheless, the aircraft continued to be used and produced until 1944.

Allies

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

The American "flying fortress" during the war constantly increased its security. In addition to excellent survivability (in the form, for example, of the ability to return to base with one of four engines intact), the heavy bomber received thirteen 12.7-mm machine guns in the B-17G modification. A tactic was developed in which "flying fortresses" walked over enemy territory in a checkerboard pattern, protecting each other with crossfire. The aircraft was equipped with a high-tech Norden bombsight for that time, built on the basis of an analog computer. If the British bombed the Third Reich mainly at night, then the "flying fortresses" were not afraid to appear over Germany during daylight hours.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Avro 683 Lancaster

One of the main participants in the Allied bomber raids on Germany, a British heavy bomber of World War II. The Avro 683 Lancaster accounted for ¾ of the entire bomb load thrown by the British on the Third Reich. The carrying capacity allowed the four-engine aircraft to take on board "blockbusters" - super-heavy concrete-piercing bombs Tallboy and Grand Slam. Low security suggested the use of Lancasters as night bombers, but night bombing was not very accurate. During the day, these aircraft suffered significant losses. Lancasters took an active part in the most devastating bomb raids of World War II - on Hamburg (1943) and Dresden (1945).

Avro 683 Lancaster

North American P-51 Mustang

One of the most iconic fighters of the Second World War, which played an exceptional role in the events on the Western Front. No matter how the Allied heavy bombers defended themselves when raiding Germany, these large, low-maneuverable and relatively slow aircraft suffered heavy losses from German fighter aircraft. North American, commissioned by the British government, urgently created a fighter that could not only successfully fight the Messers and Fokkers, but also have sufficient range (due to external tanks) to accompany bomber raids on the continent. When the Mustangs began to be used in this capacity in 1944, it became clear that the Germans had finally lost the air war in the West.

North American P-51 Mustang

Supermarine Spitfire

The main and most massive fighter of the British Air Force during the war, one of best fighters World War II. Its high-altitude and speed characteristics made it an equal rival to the German Messerschmitt Bf.109, and the skill of the pilots played an important role in the head-to-head battle of these two machines. "Spitfires" proved to be excellent, covering the evacuation of the British from Dunkirk after the success of the Nazi blitzkrieg, and then during the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940), when British fighters had to fight like German bombers He-111, Do-17, Ju 87, as well as with Bf. 109 and Bf.110.

Supermarine Spitfire

Japan

Mitsubishi A6M Raisen

At the beginning of World War II, the Japanese carrier-based fighter A6M Raisen was the best in the world in its class, even though its name contained the Japanese word "Rei-sen", that is, "zero fighter". Thanks to the external tanks, the fighter had a high flight range (3105 km), which made it indispensable for participating in raids on the ocean theater. Among the aircraft involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor were 420 A6Ms. The Americans learned lessons from dealing with the nimble, quick-climbing Japanese, and by 1943 their fighter aircraft had surpassed their once dangerous enemy.

Mitsubishi A6M Raisen

The most massive dive bomber of the USSR began to be produced even before the war, in 1940, and remained in service until the Victory. The low-wing aircraft with two engines and double fins was a very progressive machine for its time. In particular, it provided for a pressurized cabin and electric remote control (which, due to its novelty, became the source of many problems). In reality, the Pe-2 was not so often, unlike the Ju 87, used precisely as a dive bomber. Most often, he bombed areas from level flight or from a gentle, rather than deep dive.

Pe-2

The most massive combat aircraft in history (36,000 of these "silts" were produced in total) is considered a true legend of the battlefields. One of its features is a load-bearing armored hull, which replaced the frame and skin in most of the fuselage. The attack aircraft worked at altitudes of several hundred meters above the ground, becoming not the most difficult target for ground anti-aircraft weapons and an object of hunting by German fighters. The first versions of the Il-2 were built single-seat, without a side gunner, which led to rather high combat losses among aircraft of this type. And yet, the IL-2 played its role in all theaters where our army fought, becoming a powerful means of supporting ground forces in the fight against enemy armored vehicles.

IL-2

The Yak-3 was a development of the well-proven Yak-1M fighter. In the process of revision, the wing was shortened and other steps were taken. design changes to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. This light wooden aircraft showed an impressive speed of 650 km / h and had excellent low-altitude flight characteristics. Tests of the Yak-3 started at the beginning of 1943, and already during the battle on the Kursk Bulge, he entered the battle, where, with the help of a 20-mm ShVAK cannon and two 12.7-mm Berezin machine guns, he successfully opposed the Messerschmites and Fokkers.

Yak-3

One of the best Soviet La-7 fighters, which entered service a year before the end of the war, was a development of the LaGG-3 that met the war. All the advantages of the "ancestor" were reduced to two factors - high survivability and the maximum use of wood in the construction instead of scarce metal. However, a weak motor big weight turned the LaGG-3 into an unimportant opponent of the all-metal Messerschmitt Bf.109. From LaGG-3 to OKB-21 Lavochkin they made La-5, installing a new ASh-82 engine and finalizing the aerodynamics. The modified La-5FN with a boosted engine was already an excellent combat vehicle, surpassing the Bf.109 in a number of parameters. In La-7, the weight was again reduced, and the armament was also strengthened. The plane has become very good, even remaining wooden.

La-7

U-2, or Po-2, created in 1928, by the beginning of the war was certainly a model of obsolete equipment and was not designed at all as a combat aircraft (a combat training version appeared only in 1932). However, in order to win, this classic biplane had to work as a night bomber. Its undoubted advantages are ease of operation, the ability to land outside airfields and take off from small areas, and low noise.

U-2

At low gas in the dark, the U-2 approached the enemy object, remaining unnoticed almost until the moment of bombing. Since the bombing was carried out from low altitudes, its accuracy was very high, and the "corn" inflicted serious damage on the enemy.

The article "Aerial parade of winners and losers" was published in the journal Popular Mechanics (

By the beginning of the war, there were significantly more MiG-3 fighters in service than other aircraft. However, the "third" MiG was still insufficiently mastered by combatant pilots, the retraining of most of them was not completed.

In a short time, two regiments were formed on the MiG-3 with a large percentage testers who are familiar with them. This partly helped in eliminating the shortcomings of piloting. But still, the MiG-3 lost even to the I-6 fighters, common at the beginning of the war. Surpassing in speed at altitudes of more than 5000 m, at low and medium altitudes, it was inferior to other fighters.

This is both a disadvantage and at the same time an advantage of the "third" MiG. MiG-3 - high-altitude aircraft, all best qualities which appeared at an altitude of over 4500 meters. It found its use as a high-altitude night fighter in the air defense system, where its large ceiling of up to 12,000 meters and speed at altitudes were decisive. So, the MiG-3 was mainly used until the end of the war, in particular, guarding Moscow.

In the very first battle over the capital, on July 22, 1941, Mark Gallay, pilot of the 2nd separate air defense fighter air squadron of Moscow, shot down an enemy plane on a MiG-3. At the beginning of the war, one of the aces-pilots Alexander Pokryshkin flew on the same plane and won his first victory.

Yak-9: the "king" of modifications

Until the end of the 1930s, the design bureau of Alexander Yakovlev produced light, mainly sports aircraft. In 1940, the Yak-1 fighter, which had excellent flight qualities, was put into production. At the beginning of the war, the Yak-1 successfully fought back the German pilots.

Already in 1942, the Yak-9 began to enter service with our Air Force. The new Soviet vehicle was highly maneuverable, allowing it to conduct dynamic combat close to the enemy at low and medium altitudes.

It was the Yak-9 that turned out to be the most massive Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War. It was produced from 1942 to 1948, in total almost 17 thousand aircraft were built.

The Yak-9 design used duralumin instead of heavy wood, which made the aircraft lighter and left room for modifications. It was the Yak-9's ability to upgrade that became its main advantage. It had 22 major modifications, of which 15 were mass-produced. This is a front-line fighter, fighter-bomber, interceptor, escort, reconnaissance aircraft, passenger aircraft special purpose and trainer aircraft.

The Yak-9U fighter, which appeared in the fall of 1944, is considered the most successful modification. Suffice it to say that his pilots called him "the killer."

La-5: disciplined soldier

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, German aviation had an advantage in the sky of the USSR. But in 1942, a Soviet fighter appeared that could fight on equal terms with German aircraft - this is the La-5, developed at the Lavochkin Design Bureau.

Despite its simplicity - the La-5 cockpit did not have even the most elementary instruments like the artificial horizon - the pilots immediately liked the plane.

Lavochkin's new plane had a solid construction and did not fall apart even after dozens of direct hits. At the same time, La-5 had impressive maneuverability and speed: turn time was 16.5-19 seconds, speed was over 600 km/h.

Another advantage of the La-5 is that, as a disciplined soldier, he did not perform the “corkscrew” aerobatics without a direct order from the pilot, and if he got into a tailspin, he got out of it on the first command.

La-5 fought in the sky over Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge, ace pilot Ivan Kozhedub fought on it, it was on him that the famous Alexei Maresyev flew.

Po-2: night bomber

The Po-2 (U-2) aircraft is considered the most massive biplane in the history of world aviation. Creating a training aircraft in the 1920s, Nikolai Polikarpov did not imagine that there would be another, serious application for his unpretentious machine.

During the Great Patriotic War, the U-2 turned into an effective night bomber. Aviation regiments appeared in the Soviet Air Force, armed exclusively with U-2s. It was these biplanes that carried out more than half of all sorties of Soviet bombers during the war years.

"Sewing machines" - that's what the Germans called the U-2, bombing their units at night. One biplane could make several sorties per night, and given the maximum bomb load of 100-350 kg, the aircraft could drop more ammunition than a heavy bomber.

It was on Polikarpov's biplanes that the famous 46th Taman Guards Aviation Regiment fought. Four squadrons of 80 female pilots, 23 of which received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. For courage and aviation skills, the Germans nicknamed the girls Nachthexen - "night witches". During the war years, the women's aviation regiment made 23,672 sorties.

In total, 11 thousand U-2 biplanes were manufactured during the war. They were produced at aircraft factory No. 387 in Kazan. Cabins for aircraft and air skis for them were mass-produced at the plant in Ryazan. Today it is the State Ryazan Instrument Plant (GRPZ), which is part of KRET.

It was not until 1959 that the U-2, renamed Po-2 in 1944 in honor of its creator, completed its thirty years of impeccable service.

IL-2: winged tank

IL-2 is the most massive combat aircraft in history, more than 36 thousand aircraft were produced in total. Il-2 attacks brought huge losses to the enemy, for which the Germans called the attack aircraft the "black death", and among our pilots as soon as they did not call this bomber - "humped", "winged tank", "concrete aircraft".

The IL-2 went into production just before the war, in December 1940. The first flight on it was made by the famous test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki. These serial armored attack aircraft entered service at the beginning of the war.

The Il-2 attack aircraft became the main striking force of Soviet aviation. The key to excellent combat performance was a powerful aircraft engine, armored glass necessary to protect the crew, as well as rapid-fire aircraft guns and rockets.

The best enterprises of the country worked on the creation of components for the most massive attack aircraft in history, including those included today in Rostec. The leading enterprise for the production of ammunition for the aircraft was the well-known Tula Instrument Design Bureau. Transparent armored glass for glazing the IL-2 canopy was produced at the Lytkarino Optical Glass Plant. The assembly of engines for attack aircraft was carried out in the workshops of plant No. 24, today known as the Kuznetsov enterprise. Propellers for the attack aircraft were produced in Kuibyshev at the Aviaagregat plant.

Thanks to modern technologies at that time, the IL-2 became a real legend. There was a case when an attack aircraft returned from a departure and more than 600 hits were counted on it. After a quick repair, the "winged tanks" again went into battle.

Soviet military aviation of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War

When the Nazis attacked the USSR, Soviet aviation was destroyed at the airfields. And the Germans in the first year of the war dominated the sky, however, as in the second. What kind of fighter planes were in service with the Soviet army then?

The main one, of course, was I-16.

There were I-5(biplanes), inherited by the Nazis as trophies. modified from I-5 fighters I-15 bis, which remained after the strike on the airfields, fought in the first months of the war.

"Seagulls" or I-153, also biplanes, held out in the sky until 1943. Their retractable undercarriage during flight made it possible to increase the flight speed. And four small-caliber machine guns (7.62) fired directly through the propeller. All of the above aircraft models were outdated already before the start of the war. For example, the speed of the best fighter

I-16(with different engines) was from 440 to 525 km / h. Only his armament was good, two ShKAS machine guns and two cannons ShVAK(latest releases). And the range that the I-16 could fly reached a maximum of 690 km.

Germany was in service in 1941 Me-109, produced by the industry since 1937, of various modifications that attacked the Soviet borders in 1941. The armament of this aircraft consisted of two machine guns (MG-17) and two cannons (MG-FF). The flight speed of the fighter was 574 km / h, it was maximum speed, which was allowed to achieve an engine with a capacity of 1150 liters. With. The highest lifting height or ceiling reached 11 kilometers. Only in terms of flight range, for example, was the Me-109E inferior to the I-16, it was 665 km.

Soviet aircraft I-16(type 29) allowed to reach a ceiling of 9.8 kilometers with a 900-horsepower engine. Their range was only 440 km. The length of the takeoff run at the "donkeys" was on average 250 meters. The German fighters of the designer Messerschmitt the run was about 280 meters. If we compare the time during which the plane rises to a height of three kilometers, it turns out that the Soviet I-16 of the twenty-ninth type loses ME-109 seconds 15. In the mass of the payload, the donkey is also behind the Messer, 419 kg against 486.
To replace "donkey" in the USSR was designed I-180, all-metal. V. Chkalov crashed on it before the war. After him, tester T. Suzi fell to the ground on the I-180-2 along with the plane, blinded by hot oil thrown out of the engine. Before the war, the serial I-180 was discontinued as an unsuccessful copy.

OKB Polikarpov also worked on the creation I-153, a biplane with an engine power of 1100 liters. With. But its maximum speed in the air reached only 470 km / h, it was not a competitor ME-109. Worked on creating modern fighters and others Soviet aircraft designers. Produced since 1940 Yak-1, which can fly at a speed of 569 km / h and has a ceiling of 10 km. A cannon and two machine guns were mounted on it.

And the Lavochkin fighter LAGG-3, with a wooden hull and a 1050 hp engine. s, showed a speed of 575 km / h. But it, designed in 1942, was soon changed to another model - LA-5 with a flight speed at six-kilometer altitudes up to 580 km / h.

Received under Lend-Lease "Aerocobra" or P-39, which had the engine behind the cockpit, were all-metal monoplanes. On bends they went around "Messers", going to their tail. It was on the Aerocobra that ace Pokryshkin flew.

In flight speed, the P-39 also surpassed the ME-109 by 15 km / h, but was inferior in the ceiling by one and a half kilometers. And the flight range of almost a thousand kilometers made it possible to make deep raids behind enemy lines. The armament of the foreign aircraft was a 20 mm cannon and two or three machine guns.

Russian history

contour maps will help in the study of modern history of the XX - early XXI V. When completing assignments, you can use a textbook and a historical atlas. It is included in the educational and methodological complexes for the lines of history textbooks recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

Photo from en.wikipedia.org

The link of his fighters entered into battle with the German bombers in the first minutes of the war. In a battle with another group of Luftwaffe vehicles, Soviet pilots used up all their ammunition, barely enough fuel to reach the airfield, but stopping the German vehicles was much more important than surviving. Realizing this, I. I. Ivanov made the first air ram in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

Photo from pro-warthunder.ru

The legendary "Lavochkin" became a real workhorse of Soviet aviation: it was this aircraft that was most popular among Soviet aces- the most productive pilots of domestic aviation. Ivan Kozhedub, Nikolai Gulaev, Kirill Evstigneev fought on La-5 - the list goes on for a very long time! The famous Alexei Maresyev flew on this plane - a pilot who, due to a wound, lost both legs, but remained in the service.

The textbook gives an idea of ​​Russia's place in the world, of the main events in Russian and world history in the 20th and early 21st centuries. It will help schoolchildren learn to analyze the phenomena of the past, compare the features of the historical path of Russia and other countries, introduce them to new sources and opinions of scientists. The textbook is written in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Secondary (Complete) General Education.

Photo from zstg44.narod.ru

The Pe-2 dive bombers, which became the most massive bomber-class aircraft in the USSR, also contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany. All-metal, nimble and maneuverable, these winged vehicles became a real disaster for the German ground forces - the accuracy of bombing strikes turned out to be extremely high, and thanks to the high speed of the Pe-2, Soviet aces-bombers evaded the attacks of German fighter aircraft. Zholudev, Anpilov, Dolina and many more pilots at the controls of their favorite "pawns" - so affectionately they called the Pe-2 - made a huge contribution to the victory Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War.

Photo from the site aviaru.rf

Another legendary bomber of Soviet aviation, the Il-4, also proved itself well and even became famous during the bombing of Berlin in the summer and autumn of 1941. After the start of the war, in August, the Soviet aviation command Baltic Fleet developed a plan to bomb the German capital. After careful reconnaissance, the Air Force formed a special strike group of fifteen Il-4 aircraft. On the night of August 7-8, the link bombed Berlin. The Nazis were so dumbfounded that they could not react in time and shoot down the Soviet bombers with their air defense forces. All Soviet vehicles returned safely to the base.

On the cover of the article - a frame from the film "Heavenly slug" (1945).

The textbook, prepared in accordance with the IKS, covers the period of national history from 1914 to the beginning of the 21st century. The content of the textbook is aimed at developing the cognitive interests of students. The methodology of the textbook is based on a system-activity approach, which contributes to the formation of skills to independently work with information and use it in practical activities.