All planes of World War 2. Aircraft of the Second World War. Start of serial production

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Victory Day is coming soon - one of our favorite holidays! We are starting to publish a series of articles about the Great Patriotic War: today we remember soviet aircraftwho successfully participated in military operations, and the exploits of the pilots.

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A link of his fighters entered into battle with 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, there was 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 in the history of the Great Patriotic War air ram.

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The legendary Lavochkin became a real workhorse of Soviet aviation: it was this aircraft that enjoyed the greatest popularity among Soviet aces - the most effective pilots of Russian aviation. Ivan Kozhedub, Nikolay 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 lost both legs due to injury, but remained in service.

The textbook gives an idea about the place of Russia in the world, about the main events of the national and world history of the XX - early XXI century. 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 sources and opinions of scientists that are new to them. The textbook is written in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Secondary (Complete) General Education.

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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 the bomb strikes was extremely high, and thanks to the high speed of the Pe-2, the Soviet bombers evaded attacks by German fighter aircraft. Zholudev, Anpilov, Dolina and many more pilots at the helm of their favorite "pawns" - so affectionately nicknamed the Pe-2 - made their huge contribution to the victory of the Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War.

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Another legendary Soviet aviation bomber, the Il-4, also performed well and even became famous during the bombing of Berlin in the summer and autumn of 1941. After the outbreak of the war, in August, the aviation command of the Soviet Baltic Fleet developed a plan for bombing 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 flight bombed Berlin. The Nazis were so dumbfounded that they could not react in time and shoot down Soviet bombers with their air defense forces. All Soviet vehicles returned to base intact.

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

It was one of the main types of troops and played a very important role in the course of hostilities. It is no coincidence that each of the warring parties sought to ensure a constant increase in the combat effectiveness of its aviation by increasing the production of aircraft and their continuous improvement and renewal. As never before, scientific and engineering potential was widely involved in the military sphere, many research institutes and laboratories, design bureaus and test centers were working, through the efforts of which the newest combat vehicles... It was a time of unusually rapid progress in aircraft construction. At the same time, the era of evolution of aircraft with piston engines, which had reigned supreme in aviation since its inception, seemed to be ending. The combat aircraft of the end of the Second World War were the most advanced models of aviation technology based on piston engines.

A significant difference between the peaceful and military periods of the development of combat aviation was that during the war, the effectiveness of technology was determined directly by experience. If in peacetime military specialists and aircraft designers, ordering and creating new models of aircraft, relied only on speculative ideas about the nature of a future war or were guided by the limited experience of local conflicts, then large-scale military operations dramatically changed the situation. The practice of air battles has become not only a powerful catalyst in accelerating the progress of aviation, but also the only criterion when comparing the quality of aircraft and choosing the main directions. further development... Each side improved its aircraft based on its own combat experience, the availability of resources, technology capabilities and the aviation industry as a whole.

During the war years in England, USSR, USA, Germany and Japan big number aircraft that played a significant role in the course of the armed struggle. There are many outstanding examples among them. It is interesting to compare these machines, as well as to compare those engineering and scientific ideasthat were used to create them. Of course, among the numerous types of aircraft that took part in the war and represented different schools of aircraft construction, it is difficult to single out the indisputably best ones. Therefore, the choice of cars is to some extent conditional.

Fighters were the main means of gaining air superiority in the fight against the enemy. The success of combat operations of ground troops and other types of aviation, the safety of rear facilities largely depended on the effectiveness of their actions. It is no coincidence that it was the class of fighters that developed most intensively. The best of them are traditionally called Yak-3 and La-7 (USSR), North American P-51 Mustang (Mustang, USA), Supermarine Spitfire (Spitfire, England) and Messerschmitt Bf 109 ( Germany). Among the many modifications of Western fighters, the P-51D, Spitfire XIV and Bf 109G-10 and K-4 were selected for comparison, that is, those aircraft that were serially built and entered service with the military air force at the final stage of the war. All of them were created in 1943 - early 1944. The richest combat experience already accumulated by that time by the belligerent countries was reflected in these machines. They became, as it were, symbols of the military aviation technology of their time.

Before comparing different types of fighters, it is worth saying a little about the basic principles of comparison. The main thing here is to keep in mind the conditions of combat use for which they were created. The war in the East showed that in the presence of a front line, where ground forces are the main force of the armed struggle, relatively low flight altitudes were required from aviation. The experience of air battles on the Soviet-German front shows that the overwhelming majority of them were fought at altitudes of up to 4.5 km, regardless of the altitude of the aircraft. Soviet designers, improving fighters and engines for them, could not fail to take this circumstance into account. At the same time, the British "Spitfires" and the American "Mustangs" were distinguished by their higher altitude, since the nature of the actions for which they counted was completely different. In addition, the P-51D had a much longer range required to escort heavy bombers, and therefore was significantly heavier than Spitfires, German Bf 109s and Soviet fighters. Thus, since British, American and Soviet fighters were created for different combat conditions, the question of which of the vehicles was generally the most effective loses its meaning. It is advisable to compare only the basic technical solutions and machine features.

The situation is different with German fighters. They were intended to fight in the air on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Therefore, they can reasonably be compared with all Allied fighters.

So what made the best WWII fighters stand out? What was their fundamental difference from each other? Let's start with the main thing - with the technical ideology laid down by the designers in the projects of these aircraft.

The most unusual in terms of the concept of creation were, perhaps, "Spitfire" and "Mustang".

"It's not just a good plane, it's a Spitfire!" - such an assessment of the English test pilot G. Powell, undoubtedly, applies to one of the last variants of the fighter of this family, the Spitfire XIV, the best fighter of the British Air Force during the war. It was on "Spitfire" XIV that the German Me 262 jet fighter was shot down in an air battle.

Creating "Spitfire" in the mid-30s, the designers tried to combine seemingly incompatible things: the high speed characteristic of high-speed monoplane fighters that were then entering life, with the excellent maneuverability, altitude and takeoff and landing characteristics inherent in biplanes. The goal was basically achieved. Like many other high-speed fighters, the Spitfire had a cantilever monoplane design with a streamlined shape. But this was only a superficial resemblance. For its weight, the Spitfire had a relatively large wing, which gave a low load per unit of the bearing surface, much less than that of other monoplane fighters. Hence the excellent horizontal maneuverability, high ceiling and good takeoff and landing properties. This approach was not something exceptional: Japanese designers, for example, did the same. But the creators of "Spitfire" went further. Due to the high aerodynamic drag of a wing of such significant dimensions, it was impossible to count on achieving a high maximum flight speed - one of the most important indicators of the quality of fighters of those years. To reduce drag, they used profiles of much smaller relative thickness than other fighters, and gave the wing an elliptical shape in plan. This further reduced aerodynamic drag when flying at high altitude and in maneuver modes.

The firm managed to create an outstanding combat aircraft. This does not mean that the Spitfire was devoid of any flaws. They were. For example, due to the low wing loading, it was inferior to many fighters in dive acceleration. Slower than German, American and even more Soviet fighters, it reacted by roll to the pilot's actions. However, these shortcomings were not of a fundamental nature, and in general the Spitfire was indisputably one of the strongest air combat fighters, which demonstrated excellent qualities in practice.

Among the many variants of the Mustang fighter, the greatest success fell to the share of aircraft equipped with British Merlin engines. These were P-51B, C and, of course, P-51D - the best and most famous American fighter of the Second World War. It was these aircraft that, since 1944, ensured the safety of heavy American B-17 and B-24 bombers from attacks by German fighters and demonstrated their superiority in battle.

The main distinctive feature of the Mustang in terms of aerodynamics was its laminar wing, which was installed on a combat aircraft for the first time in the world practice of aircraft construction. This "zest" of the aircraft, which was born in the laboratory of the American scientific research center NASA on the eve of the war, deserves special mention. The fact is that the opinion of experts about the advisability of using a laminar wing on fighters of that period is ambiguous. If, before the war, great hopes were pinned on laminar wings, since under certain conditions they had less aerodynamic drag compared to ordinary ones, the experience of working with the Mustang diminished the initial optimism. It turned out that in real operation such a wing is not efficient enough. The reason was that the implementation of a laminar flow on a part of such a wing required very careful surface finishing and high accuracy in maintaining the profiling. Due to the roughness that arose when the protective paint was applied to the aircraft, and even a slight inaccuracy in the profiling that inevitably appeared in mass production (a slight undulation of the thin metal skin), the laminarization effect on the P-51 wing was greatly reduced. In terms of their bearing properties, laminar profiles were inferior to the usual ones, which caused difficulties in ensuring good maneuverability and take-off and landing properties.

At low angles of attack, laminar wing profiles (sometimes called laminated) have less aerodynamic drag than conventional airfoils.

In addition to reduced resistance, laminar airfoils had better speed properties - with an equal relative thickness, the effects of air compressibility (wave crisis) manifested themselves at higher speeds than on conventional airfoils. Even then it had to be reckoned with. In a dive, especially at high altitudes, where the speed of sound is much less than near the ground, aircraft began to reach speeds at which the features associated with approaching the speed of sound were already manifested. It was possible to increase the so-called critical speed either by using higher-speed profiles, which turned out to be laminar, or by reducing the relative thickness of the profile, while reconciling with the inevitable increase in the weight of the structure and a reduction in wing volumes, which are often used (including on the P-51D) for placement of gas tanks and. Interestingly, due to the much smaller relative thickness of the airfoils, the wave crisis on the Spitfire wing occurred at a higher speed than on the Mustang wing.

Studies at the British Aviation Science Center RAE showed that, due to the significantly smaller relative thickness of the wing profiles, the Spitfire fighter at high speeds had a lower drag coefficient than the Mustang. This was explained by the later manifestation of the wave crisis of the flow and its "softer" character.

If air battles were fought at relatively low altitudes, the crisis phenomena of air compressibility almost did not appear, so the need for a special high-speed wing was not acutely felt.

The way of creating Soviet aircraft Yak-3 and La-7 turned out to be very unusual. In essence, they were deep modifications of the Yak-1 and LaGG-3 fighters, developed in 1940 and mass-produced.

In the Soviet Air Force, at the final stage of the war, there was no fighter more popular than the Yak-3. It was the lightest fighter at the time. The French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen regiment, who fought on the Yak-3, spoke of its combat capabilities in the following way: “The Yak-3 gives you complete superiority over the Germans. On the Yak-3 you can fight together against four, and four against sixteen! "

A radical revision of the Yak's design was undertaken in 1943 with the aim of dramatically improving flight characteristics with a very modest power of the power plants. The decisive direction in this work was the lightening of the aircraft (including by reducing the wing area) and a significant improvement in its aerodynamics. Perhaps this was the only opportunity to qualitatively advance the aircraft, since the Soviet industry had not yet mass-produced new, more powerful engines suitable for installation on the Yak-1.

Such, extremely difficult to implement, the development path of aviation technology was extraordinary. The usual way to improve the complex of flight data of aircraft was then to improve aerodynamics without noticeable changes in the dimensions of the airframe, as well as to install more powerful engines. This was almost always accompanied by a marked increase in weight.

The designers of the Yak-3 coped with this difficult task brilliantly. It is unlikely that in the aviation of the Second World War one can find another example of a similar and so effectively performed work.

The Yak-3 was much lighter than the Yak-1, had a smaller relative profile thickness and wing area, and had excellent aerodynamic properties. The power-to-weight ratio of the aircraft has increased significantly, which dramatically improved its climb rate, acceleration characteristics and vertical maneuverability. At the same time, such an important parameter for horizontal maneuverability, takeoff and landing, as the specific wing loading, has changed little. In the war, the Yak-3 turned out to be one of the easiest fighters to fly.

Of course, in tactical terms, the Yak-3 by no means replaced the aircraft, which were distinguished by stronger armament and a longer combat flight duration, but perfectly complemented them, embodying the idea of \u200b\u200ba light, high-speed and maneuverable air combat vehicle, intended primarily to combat fighters enemy.

One of the few, if not the only fighter with an air-cooled engine, which with good reason can be attributed to the best air combat fighters of the Second World War. On the La-7, the famous Soviet ace I.N.Kozhedub shot down 17 German aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 62 destroyed by him on the La fighters.

The history of the creation of the La-7 is also unusual. At the beginning of 1942, on the basis of the LaGG-3 fighter, which turned out to be a rather mediocre combat vehicle, the La-5 fighter was developed, which differed from its predecessor only in its power plant (the liquid-cooled motor was replaced by a much more powerful two-row "star"). In the course of the further development of the La-5, the designers focused on its aerodynamic improvement. In the period 1942-1943. fighters of the La brand were the most frequent "guests" in full-scale wind tunnels of the leading Soviet aviation research center, TsAGI. The main purpose of such tests was to identify the main sources of aerodynamic losses and to determine the design measures to reduce aerodynamic drag. An important feature This work consisted in the fact that the proposed design changes did not require large aircraft alterations and changes in the production process and could be relatively easily carried out by serial plants. It was truly "jewelry" work, when, it would seem, a rather impressive result was obtained from mere trifles.

The fruit of this work was the La-5FN, which appeared in early 1943 - one of the strongest Soviet fighters of that time, and then the La-7 - an aircraft that rightfully took its place among the best fighters of the Second World War. If, during the transition from La-5 to La-5FN, an increase in flight data was achieved not only due to better aerodynamics, but also thanks to a more powerful engine, then the improvement in the characteristics of La-7 was achieved exclusively by means of aerodynamics and a decrease in the weight of the structure. This aircraft had a speed of 80 km / h more than the La-5, of which 75% (that is, 60 km / h) was given by aerodynamics. Such an increase in speed is tantamount to an increase in engine power by more than a third, without increasing the weight and dimensions of the aircraft.

The best features of the air combat fighter were embodied in the La-7: high speed, excellent maneuverability and rate of climb. In addition, in comparison with the rest of the fighters in question here, it had greater survivability, since only this aircraft had an air-cooled engine. As you know, such motors are not only more viable than liquid-cooled engines, but also serve as a kind of protection for the pilot from fire from the front hemisphere, since they have large cross-sectional dimensions.

The German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 was created at about the same time as the Spitfire. Like the British aircraft, the Bf 109 became one of the most successful models of a combat vehicle during the war and went a long way of evolution: it was equipped with more and more powerful engines, improved aerodynamics, operational and aerobatic characteristics. In terms of aerodynamics, the most significant changes were last made in 1941, when the Bf 109F was introduced. Further improvement of flight data was mainly due to the installation of new engines. Externally, the latest modifications of this fighter - Bf 109G-10 and K-4 differed little from the much earlier Bf 109F, although they had a number of aerodynamic improvements.

This aircraft was the best representative of the light and maneuverable combat vehicle of the Hitlerite Luftwaffe. Throughout almost the entire Second World War, Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters were among the best examples of aircraft in their class, and only by the end of the war they began to lose their positions. It turned out to be impossible to combine the qualities inherent in the best Western fighters, designed for a relatively high combat altitude, with the qualities inherent in the best Soviet "medium-altitude" fighters.

Like their British counterparts, the designers of the Bf 109 tried to combine a high top speed with good maneuverability and takeoff and landing properties. But they solved this problem in a completely different way: unlike the Spitfire, the Bf 109 had a large specific wing loading, which allowed to obtain high speed, and to improve maneuverability, not only well-known slats were used, but also flaps, which at the right time the battle could be deflected by the pilot at a small angle. The use of guided flaps was a new and original solution. To improve take-off and landing characteristics, in addition to automatic slats and controlled flaps, hovering ailerons were used, which worked as additional flap sections; a controlled stabilizer was also used. In a word, the Bf 109 had a unique system of direct lift control, in many respects characteristic of modern aircraft with their inherent automation. However, in practice, many of the designers' decisions have not taken root. Due to the complexity, it was necessary to abandon the controlled stabilizer, hovering ailerons, and the flap extension system in battle. As a result, in terms of its maneuverability, the Bf 109 did not differ much from other fighters, both Soviet and American, although it was inferior to the best domestic aircraft. The takeoff and landing characteristics were also similar.

The experience of aircraft construction shows that the gradual improvement of a combat aircraft is almost always accompanied by an increase in its weight. This is due to the installation of more powerful, and therefore heavier engines, an increase in the fuel supply, an increase in the power of weapons, the necessary structural reinforcements and other related measures. In the end, a moment comes when the reserves of a given structure are exhausted. One limitation is the specific wing loading. This, of course, is not the only parameter, but one of the most important and common for all aircraft. So, as the Spitfire fighters were modified from version 1A to XIV and Bf 109 from B-2 to G-10 and K-4, the specific wing loading increased by about a third! Already the Bf 109G-2 (1942) had 185 kg / m2, while the Spitfire IX, which was also produced in 1942, had about 150 kg / m2. For the Bf 109G-2, this wing loading was close to the limit. With its further growth, the aerobatic, maneuvering and takeoff and landing characteristics of the aircraft deteriorated sharply, despite the very effective wing mechanization (slats and flaps).

Since 1942, German designers have been improving their best air combat fighter under conditions of very strict weight restrictions, which greatly narrowed the possibilities for a qualitative improvement of the aircraft. And the creators of the "Spitfire" still had sufficient reserves and continued to increase the power of the installed engines and strengthen the armament, not especially considering the increase in weight.

The quality of their serial production has a great influence on the aerodynamic properties of aircraft. Careless manufacturing can negate all the efforts of designers and scientists. This is not so rare. Judging by the captured documents, in Germany, conducting a comparative study of the aerodynamics of German, American and British fighters at the end of the war, they came to the conclusion that the Bf 109G had the worst quality of production performance, and, in particular, for this reason, its aerodynamics turned out to be the worst, which with a high probability can be extended to the Bf 109K-4.

From what has been said it is clear that in terms of the technical concept of creation and the aerodynamic features of the layout, each of the compared aircraft is quite original. But they have many common features: well-streamlined shape, careful engine hooding, well-developed local aerodynamics and aerodynamics of cooling devices.

In terms of design, Soviet fighters were much simpler and cheaper to manufacture than British, German and, especially, American machines. Scarce materials were used in them in very limited quantities. Thanks to this, the USSR managed to ensure a high rate of aircraft production in conditions of the most severe material constraints and a lack of qualified labor. I must say that our country found itself in the most difficult situation. 1941 to 1944 inclusively, a significant part of the industrial zone, where many metallurgical enterprises were located, was occupied by the Nazis. Some factories were successfully evacuated inland and production began at new locations. But a significant part of the production potential was still irretrievably lost. In addition, a large number of skilled workers and specialists went to the front. At the machines, they were replaced by women and children who could not work at the appropriate level. And nevertheless, the aircraft industry of the USSR, although not immediately, was able to meet the needs of the front in aircraft equipment.

Unlike all-metal western fighters, wood was widely used in Soviet vehicles. However, in many load-bearing elements, which actually determined the weight of the structure, metal was used. That is why, in terms of weight perfection, the Yak-3 and La-7 practically did not differ from foreign fighters.

In terms of technological sophistication, ease of access to individual units and ease of maintenance in general, the Bf 109 and Mustang looked somewhat preferable. However, Spitfires and Soviet fighters were also well adapted to combat conditions. But in terms of such very important characteristics as the quality of equipment and the level of automation, the Yak-3 and La-7 were inferior to Western fighters, the best of which in terms of the degree of automation were German aircraft (not only Bf 109, but others).

The most important indicator of the aircraft's high flight performance and its overall combat capability is the power plant. It is in aviation engine building that the latest advances in technology, materials, control systems and automation are first embodied. Motor building is one of the most knowledge-intensive branches of the aviation industry. Compared to an airplane, the process of creating and fine-tuning new engines takes much longer and requires more effort.

During the Second World War, England occupied the leading position in aircraft engine building. It was the Rolls-Royce engines that were used to equip Spitfires and the best Mustangs (P-51B, C and D). It can be said without exaggeration that the installation of the British Merlin engine, which was produced in the USA under license by Packard, made it possible to realize the great capabilities of the Mustang and made it an elite fighter. Prior to this, the R-51 was, although original, a rather mediocre aircraft in terms of combat capabilities.

The peculiarity of British engines, which largely determined their excellent characteristics, was the use of high-grade gasoline, the relative octane number of which reached 100-150. This made it possible to apply a large degree of air pressurization (more precisely, the working mixture) into the cylinders and thereby obtain high power. The USSR and Germany could not meet the aviation needs for such high-quality and expensive fuel. Gasoline with an octane rating of 87-100 was usually used.

A characteristic feature that united all the motors that were on the compared fighters was the use of two-speed driven centrifugal superchargers (CCP), which ensure the required altitude. But the difference between Rolls-Royce engines was that their superchargers had not one, as usual, but two consecutive compression stages, and even with intermediate cooling of the working mixture in a special radiator. Despite the complexity of such systems, their use turned out to be fully justified for high-altitude motors, since it significantly reduced the power loss spent by the motor for pumping. This was a very important factor.

The original was the pumping system of the DB-605 motors, driven through a turbo coupling, which, when automatically controlled, smoothly adjusted the gear ratio from the motor to the impeller of the supercharger. Unlike the two-speed drive blowers that were on Soviet and British engines, the turbo coupling made it possible to reduce the power drop that took place between pumping speeds.

An important advantage of German engines (DB-605 and others) was the use of direct fuel injection into the cylinders. Compared to a conventional carburetor system, this increased the reliability and efficiency of the power plant. Of the rest of the engines, only the Soviet ASh-82FN, which was on the La-7, had a similar direct injection system.

A significant factor in increasing the flight performance of the Mustang and Spitfire was the fact that their motors had relatively short-term operating modes at increased power. In battle, the pilots of these fighters could for some time use, in addition to the long-term, that is, nominal, either combat (5-15 minutes), or in emergency cases, emergency (1-5 minutes) modes. The combat, or, as it was also called, the military mode became the main one for the operation of the engine in air combat. The engines of Soviet fighters did not have high power modes at altitude, which limited the possibility of further improving their flight characteristics.

Most versions of the Mustangs and Spitfires were designed for the high altitude of combat use, characteristic of aviation operations in the West. Therefore, their motors had sufficient altitude. German engine builders were forced to solve a complex technical problem. With a relatively high design altitude of the engine, necessary for fighting in the air in the West, it was important to provide the necessary power at low and medium altitudes required for conducting hostilities in the East. As you know, a simple increase in altitude usually leads to increased power losses at low altitudes. Therefore, the designers showed a lot of ingenuity and applied a number of extraordinary technical solutions.In terms of its altitude, the DB-605 engine occupied, as it were, an intermediate position between British and Soviet motors. To increase power at altitudes below the calculated one, the injection of a water-alcohol mixture (MW-50 system) was used, which made it possible, despite the relatively low octane number of the fuel, to significantly increase the boost, and, consequently, the power without detonation. The result was a kind of maximum mode, which, like the emergency, could usually be used for up to three minutes.

At altitudes above the calculated one, injection of nitrous oxide (GM-1 system) could be used, which, being a powerful oxidizer, seemed to compensate for the lack of oxygen in a rarefied atmosphere and made it possible for some time to increase the altitude of the engine and bring its characteristics closer to those of Rolls motors. Royce. True, these systems increased the weight of the aircraft (by 60-120 kg), significantly complicating the power plant and its operation. For these reasons, they were used separately and were not used on all Bf 109G and K.

Armament has a significant impact on the combat capability of a fighter. In terms of the composition and location of weapons, the aircraft in question differed greatly. If the Soviet Yak-3 and La-7 and the German Bf 109G and K had a central location of weapons (cannons and machine guns in the nose of the fuselage), then the Spitfires and Mustangs had them in the wing outside the area swept away by the propeller. In addition, the Mustang had only large-caliber machine-gun armament, while other fighters also had cannons, and the La-7 and Bf 109K-4 had only cannon armament. In the Western theater of operations, the P-51D was intended primarily to combat enemy fighters. For this purpose, the power of his six machine guns was quite sufficient. Unlike the Mustang, the British Spitfires and the Soviet Yak-3 and La-7 fought aircraft of any purpose, including bombers, which naturally required more powerful weapons.

Comparing the wing and central armament, it is difficult to answer which of these schemes was the most effective. But still, Soviet front-line pilots and aviation specialists, like the German ones, preferred the central one, which provided the greatest accuracy of fire. This arrangement turns out to be more advantageous when the attack of the enemy aircraft is carried out from extremely small distances. And this is how the Soviet and German pilots usually tried to act on the Eastern Front. In the West, air battles were conducted mainly at high altitudes, where the maneuverability of fighters significantly deteriorated. It became much more difficult to get close to the enemy at close range, and with bombers it was also very dangerous, since it was difficult for a fighter to evade air rifle fire due to a sluggish maneuver. For this reason, they opened fire from a long distance and the wing mount of the weapon, designed for a given range of destruction, turned out to be quite comparable to the central one. In addition, the rate of fire of the weapon with the wing scheme was higher than that of weapons synchronized for firing through a propeller (cannons on the La-7, machine guns on the Yak-3 and Bf 109G), the armament was near the center of gravity and the ammunition consumption had practically no effect on it. position. But one drawback was nevertheless organically inherent in the wing design - it was an increased moment of inertia relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, which made the fighter's roll response to the pilot's actions worsened.

Among the many criteria that determined the combat capability of an aircraft, the most important for a fighter was the combination of its flight data. Of course, they are not important in themselves, but in combination with a number of other quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as stability, flight characteristics, ease of use, visibility, etc. For some classes of aircraft, training, for example, these indicators are of paramount importance. But for the combat vehicles of the last war, it is the flight characteristics and weapons that are decisive, which are the main technical components of the combat effectiveness of fighters and bombers. Therefore, the designers sought, first of all, to achieve priority in flight data, or rather in those of them that played a primary role.

It is worth clarifying that the words "flight data" mean a whole range of important indicators, the main of which for fighters were maximum speed, climb rate, range or time of combat flight, maneuverability, ability to quickly pick up speed, and sometimes a practical ceiling. Experience has shown that the technical perfection of fighters cannot be reduced to any one criterion, which would be expressed by a number, a formula, or even an algorithm calculated for implementation on a computer. The question of comparing fighters, as well as finding the optimal combination of basic flight characteristics, is still one of the most difficult. How, for example, can we determine in advance what was more important - superiority in maneuverability and practical ceiling, or some advantage in maximum speed? As a rule, priority in one is obtained at the expense of the other. Where is the "golden mean" that gives the best fighting qualities? Obviously, much depends on the tactics and nature of the air war in general.

It is known that the maximum speed and rate of climb significantly depend on the operating mode of the motor. A long-term or nominal mode is one thing, and an extreme afterburner is quite another. This is clearly seen from the comparison of the maximum speeds of the best fighters of the final period of the war. The presence of increased power modes significantly improves flight characteristics, but only for a short time, since otherwise the engine could be destroyed. For this reason, the very short-term emergency operation of the engine, which gave the greatest power, was not considered at that time the main one for the operation of the power plant in air combat. It was intended for use only in the most urgent, fatal situations for the pilot. This position is well confirmed by the analysis of flight data of one of the last German piston fighters - Messerschmitt Bf 109K-4.

The main characteristics of the Bf 109K-4 are given in a rather extensive report prepared at the end of 1944 for the German Chancellor. The report highlighted the state and prospects of the German aircraft industry and was prepared with the participation of the German aviation research center DVL and leading aviation firms such as Messerschmitt, Arado, Junkers. In this document, which there is every reason to consider it quite serious, when analyzing the capabilities of the Bf 109K-4, all its data correspond only to the mode of continuous operation of the power plant, and the characteristics at the maximum power mode are not considered or even mentioned. This is not surprising. Due to thermal overloads of the engine, the pilot of this fighter, when climbing with the maximum takeoff weight, could not use even the nominal mode for a long time and was forced to reduce the speed and, accordingly, power already after 5.2 minutes after takeoff. When taking off with a lighter weight, the situation did not improve much. Therefore, it is simply not necessary to talk about any real increase in the rate of climb due to the use of an emergency mode, including with the injection of a water-alcohol mixture (MW-50 system).

On the above graph of the vertical rate of climb (in fact, this is the characteristic of the rate of climb), it is clearly visible what an increase could give the use of maximum power. However, such an increase is rather formal in nature, since it was impossible to climb in this mode. Only at certain moments of the flight could the pilot turn on the MW-50 system, i.e. extraordinary power boost, and even then when the cooling systems had the necessary reserves for heat removal. Thus, the MW-50 forcing system, although it was useful, was not vital for the Bf 109K-4 and therefore it was not installed on all fighters of this type. Meanwhile, the press published data on the Bf 109K-4, corresponding to the emergency regime using the MW-50, which is absolutely not typical for this aircraft.

The above is well confirmed by the combat practice of the final stage of the war. For example, the Western press often speaks of the superiority of Mustangs and Spitfires over German fighters in the western theater of operations. On the Eastern Front, where air battles took place at low and medium altitudes, the Yak-3 and La-7 were out of competition, which was repeatedly noted by the pilots of the Soviet Air Force. And here is the opinion of the German combat pilot V. Wolfrum:

The best fighters I encountered in combat were the North American Mustang P-51 and the Russian Yak-9U. Both fighters had a clear performance advantage over the Me-109, regardless of modification, including the Me-109K-4.

From the moment airplanes turned from individual designs of enthusiasts into more or less mass-produced and suitable for practical use aircraft, aviation has earned the closest attention of the military, eventually becoming an integral part of the military doctrine of most developed countries.

The losses of the first days of the Great Patriotic War were all the more difficult, when the overwhelming majority of the aircraft were destroyed without even having time to get off the ground. However, the current situation became the best stimulus for the development of aircraft manufacturing in all classes - it was necessary not only to replenish the Air Force fleet. In this critical situation, with an acute shortage of time and resources, create fundamentally different aircraft that could at least fight on equal terms with the Luftwaffe machines, and ideally surpass them.

Combat teacher

One of the most recognizable Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, which made a huge contribution to the Victory, was the primitive U-2 biplane, later renamed Po-2. This two-seater airplane was originally conceived for primary training in piloting, and practically could not carry any useful load - neither the dimensions of the aircraft, nor its design, nor its take-off weight, nor the small 110-horsepower motor allowed. But the U-2 coped well with the role of a "school desk" all his life.

However, quite unexpectedly for the U-2, they found quite combat use. Equipped with silencers and light bomb holders, the aircraft evolved into a light, diminutive, yet unobtrusive and dangerous night bomber, firmly entrenched in this role until the end of the war. Later I even managed to carve out some free weight for installing a machine gun. Prior to that, pilots got along with only personal small arms.

Air knights

Some aviation enthusiasts consider World War II to be the golden age of fighter aircraft. No computers, no radars, no TV, radio, or thermal missiles. Only personal skill, experience and luck.

At the end of the 30s, the USSR came close to a qualitative breakthrough in the production of fighters. No matter how much the capricious "Ishachok" I-16 was loved and mastered, if he could resist the Luftwaffe fighters, it was only due to the heroism of the pilots, and at an unrealistically high price. At the same time, in the depths of the Soviet design bureaus, despite the rampant repression, fundamentally different fighters were created.

The firstborn of the new approach, the MiG-1, quickly enough transformed into the MiG-3, which became one of the most dangerous Soviet aircraft of the Second World War, the main German enemy. The plane could accelerate over 600 km / h and climb to an altitude of over 11 kilometers, which was clearly beyond the capabilities of its predecessors. This is what determined the niche of the MiG-a - it showed itself perfectly as a high-altitude fighter, operating in the air defense system.

However, at altitudes up to 5000 meters, the MiG-3 began to lose speed to enemy fighters, and in this niche it was supplemented first by the Yak-1, and then the Yak-9. These light vehicles had a large thrust-to-weight ratio and powerful enough weapons, for which they quickly earned the love of pilots, and not only domestic ones - the soldiers of the French Normandie-Niemen regiment, having tested several models of fighters different countries, opted for the Yak-9, which they received as a gift from the Soviet government.

However, these relatively light Soviet aircraft had a noticeable drawback - weak weapons. Most often these were machine guns of 7.62 or 12.7 mm caliber, less often a 20 mm cannon.

The novelty of the Lavochkin Design Bureau was devoid of this drawback - two ShVAK guns were installed on the La-5. Also, on the new fighter, a return was made to air-cooled engines, which were abandoned during the creation of the MiG-1 in favor of liquid-cooled engines. The fact is that the liquid-cooled engine was much more compact - and, therefore, created less drag. The disadvantage of such an engine was its "tenderness" - it was enough for a small fragment or an accidental bullet to interrupt the pipe or radiator of the cooling system, and the engine would immediately fail. It was this feature that forced designers to return to bulky air-cooled engines.

By that time, a new high-power engine, the M-82, had appeared, which subsequently became very widespread. However, at that time, the engine was frankly damp, and caused many problems for aircraft designers who used it on their machines.

However, the La-5 was a major step in the development of fighters - the ego was celebrated not only soviet pilots, but also the testers of the Luftwaffe, who eventually got a captured aircraft in good condition.

Flying tank

The design of the planes during the Great Patriotic War was typical - a wooden or metal frame, acting as a power set and taking on all the loads. Outside, it was covered with trim - fabric, plywood, metal. An engine, armor plates, and weapons were mounted inside this structure. One way or another, but according to this principle, all aircraft of the Second World War were designed.

This aircraft became the firstborn of a new design scheme. The Ilyushin Design Bureau realized that such an approach significantly overweight the structure. At the same time, the armor is strong enough and may well be used as an element of the aircraft's power structure. The new approach has opened up new possibilities for the rational use of weight. This is how the Il-2 arose - an airplane that was nicknamed "the flying tank" because of its armor protection.

IL-2 became an unpleasant surprise for the Germans. At first, the attack aircraft was often used as a fighter, and in this role it showed itself far from brilliant - its low speed and maneuverability did not allow it to fight on equal terms with the enemy, and the lack of any serious protection of the rear hemisphere was quickly used by the Luftwaffe pilots.

And for the developers, this plane did not become problem-free. Throughout the war, the aircraft's armament was constantly changing, besides the addition of a second crew member (initially the plane was single) shifted the center of gravity so much back that the plane threatened to become uncontrollable.

However, the efforts paid off. The initial armament (two 20 mm cannons) was replaced with a more powerful caliber - 23 mm, and then 37 mm. With such an armament of the aircraft, almost everyone began to be afraid - both tanks and heavy bombers.

According to the recollections of the pilots, while firing from such weapons, the plane literally hovered in the air due to recoil. The tail gunner successfully covered the rear hemisphere from fighter attacks. In addition, the plane could carry several light bombs.

All this was successful, and the Il-2 became an indispensable aircraft on the battlefield, and not only the most popular and recognizable attack aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, but also the most massive combat aircraft - more than 36 thousand of them were produced. And if we consider that at the beginning of the war there were only 128 of them in the Air Force, then there is no doubt about its relevance.

Destroyers

The bomber has been an integral part of combat aviation almost from the very beginning of its use on the battlefield. Small, large, super-large - they have always been the most technologically advanced type of combat aviation.

One of the most recognizable Soviet aircraft of this type of World War II is the Pe-2. Conceived as a super-heavy fighter, this aircraft has evolved over time to become one of the most dangerous and effective dive bombers of the war.

It is worth saying that the dive bomber, as a class of aircraft, made its debut in the Second World War. Its appearance was due to the evolution of weapons: the development of air defense systems forced the creation of more and more high-altitude bombers. However, the higher the bomb drop height, the lower the bombing accuracy. The developed tactics of using bombers meant breaking through to targets at high altitude, lowering to bombing altitude, and leaving again at high altitude. The idea of \u200b\u200bdive bombing was only a matter of time.

The dive bomber does not drop bombs in level flight. He literally falls on the target, and drops from a minimum height, literally hundreds of meters. As a result, the highest possible accuracy. However, at low altitude, the aircraft is most vulnerable to anti-aircraft guns - and this could not but leave an imprint on its design.

It turns out that the dive bomber must combine the incompatible. It should be as compact as possible to minimize the risk of being shot down by anti-aircraft gunners. In this case, the plane must be roomy enough, otherwise the bombs will simply have nowhere to hang. Moreover, we must not forget about strength, because the loads on the aircraft structure during a dive, and especially when withdrawing from a dive, are enormous. And the failed Pe-2 fighter did an excellent job with a new role for itself.

The "Pawn" was supplemented by his relative in the Tu-2 class. A small twin-engine bomber could "work" both from a dive and by the method of a classic bomber. Its problem is that at the beginning of the war the plane was very, very rare. However, the machine came out so effective and successful that the number of modifications created on its basis is perhaps the maximum for Soviet aircraft of the Second World War.

Tu-2 was a bomber, attack aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, interceptor, torpedo bomber ... In addition to all this, there were several different variations, differing in range. However, these machines were far from really long-range bombers.

To Berlin!

This bomber is perhaps the most beautiful of the wartime aircraft, making the Il-4 impossible to confuse with anyone else. Despite the complexity in control (it explains the high accident rate of these aircraft), the Il-4 was very popular among the troops and was used not only as a "land" bomber. Despite the excessive flight range, the aircraft was used in the Air Force as a torpedo bomber.

However, the Il-4 left its mark on history as the plane that carried out the first sorties to Berlin. It happened in the fall of 1941. However, soon the front line shifted to the East so much that the capital of the Third Reich became inaccessible to the IL-4, and then other aircraft began to "work" on it.

Heavy and rare

During the Great Patriotic War, this plane was so rare and "closed" that it was often attacked by its own air defense. But he performed, perhaps, the most difficult operations of the war.

The long-range Pe-8 bomber, although it appeared in the late 30s, for a long time was not just the most modern aircraft of this class - it was the only one. The Pe-8 had a high speed (over 400 km / h), and the fuel supply made it possible not only to fly to Berlin and back, but also to carry large-caliber bombs, up to the five-ton FAB-5000. It was the Pe-8 that bombed Konigsberg, Helsinki, Berlin, when the front line was dangerously close to Moscow. Because of its "operating range", the Pe-8 is sometimes called a strategic bomber, and then this class of machines was just in its infancy.

One of the most specific operations carried out by the Pe-8 was the transportation of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov to Great Britain and the United States. The flights took place in the spring of 1942, the route crossed the occupied territories of Europe. The People's Commissar traveled in a special, passenger version of the Pe-8. A total of two such aircraft were built.

In our time, aircraft perform several dozen intercontinental flights daily, carrying thousands of passengers. However, in those years, such a flight was a real feat not only for pilots, but also for passengers. It's not even that there was a war, and the plane could be shot down at any moment. In the 40s, comfort and life support systems in airplanes were very, very primitive, and navigation systems, in the modern sense, were completely absent. The navigator could only rely on radio beacons, the range of which was very limited, but they were not over the occupied territories, and on his own experience and special instinct of the navigator - after all, on long flights, he, in fact, became the main person in the plane. It depended on him whether the plane would arrive at a given point, or would wander over a poorly oriented and, moreover, enemy territory. Say what you like, and courage Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was not to take.

Concluding this brief overview of Soviet planes of the Great Patriotic War, it will probably be useful to recall all those who, in conditions of hunger, cold, and the absence of the bare essentials (often even freedom), developed all these machines, each of which was a serious step forward for the entire world aviation ... The names of Lavochkin, Pokryshkin, Tupolev, Mikoyan and Gurevich, Ilyushin, Bartini will forever remain in world history. All those who helped the chief designers - ordinary engineers - will forever stand behind them.

After the invention of the first aircraft and structures, they began to be used for military purposes. This is how combat aviation appeared, 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 made their special contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders.

The tragedy of the first days of the war

The Il-2 became the first example of a new aircraft design scheme. The Ilyushin design bureau realized that this approach significantly worsens the design and makes it heavier. The new design approach gave new opportunities for more rational use of the aircraft weight. This is how the Ilyushin-2 appeared - an airplane that earned the nickname "flying tank" for its particularly durable armor.

The IL-2 created an incredible number of problems for the Germans. The aircraft was initially used as a fighter, but in this role it proved to be not particularly effective. Poor maneuverability and speed did not give the Il-2 the opportunity to fight fast and smashing German fighters. Moreover, the weak rear protection 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 weapons The Il-2 was constantly changing, and a place for the co-pilot was also equipped. This threatened that the plane could become completely uncontrollable.

But all these efforts have yielded the desired result. The original 20mm cannons were replaced with large-caliber 37mm cannons. With such powerful weapons, almost all types of ground troops, from infantry to tanks and armored vehicles, have become afraid of the attack aircraft.

According to some recollections of the pilots who fought on the Il-2, firing from attack aircraft's guns led to the fact that the plane literally hovered 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 stormtrooper became, in fact, a flying fortress. This thesis is confirmed by the fact that the attack aircraft took on board several bombs.

All these qualities met with great success, and the Ilyushin-2 became simply an irreplaceable aircraft in any battle. He became not only the 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

A bomber, from a tactical point of view, is an indispensable part of combat aviation in any battle. Perhaps the most recognizable Soviet bomber during the Great Patriotic War is the Pe-2. It was developed as a tactical super-heavy fighter, but over time it was transformed and made the most 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. Developed immediately special tactics the use of bombers, which implied an approach to the target at a high altitude, a sharp drop to the bomb drop altitude, the same sharp departure into the sky. This tactic yielded results.

Pe-2 and Tu-2

A dive bomber drops bombs without following a horizontal line. He literally falls on his target and drops the bomb only when the target remains some 200 meters. The consequence of this tactical move is impeccable precision. But, as you know, an airplane at low altitude can touch anti-aircraft guns, and this could not but affect the system of construction of bombers.

Thus, it turned out that the bomber must combine the incompatible. It should be as compact and maneuverable as possible, while still carrying heavy ammunition. In addition, the design of the bomber was assumed to be strong, capable of withstanding the impact of an anti-aircraft gun. Therefore, the Pe-2 plane was very well suited for this role.

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 above described tactics. The problem with this aircraft was in minor model orders from aircraft factories. But by the end of the war, the problem was fixed, the Tu-2 was even modernized and successfully used in battles.

Tu-2 performed a wide variety of combat missions. He worked as an attack aircraft, bomber, scout, 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. Ilyushin-4, despite the complicated control, was popular in the Air Force, the plane was even used as a torpedo bomber.

The Il-4 was fixed in history as the plane that carried out the first bombing raids on the capital of the Third Reich - Berlin. And this did not happen 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 was out of reach for Soviet dive bombers.

Pe-8

The Pe-8 bomber during the war years was so rare and unrecognizable that sometimes it was 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 at the end of the 30s, it was the only aircraft of its class in the USSR. The Pe-8 had the highest travel speed (400 km / h), and the fuel in the tank made it possible to carry the 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, Konigsberg, Berlin at a time when the front line was in the Moscow area. Because of the operating range, the Pe-8 was called a strategic bomber, and in those years this class of aircraft was just being developed. All Soviet aircraft of the Second World War belonged to the class of fighters, bombers, reconnaissance 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 United States and Great Britain. The flight took place in the spring of 1942 along a route that passed through Nazi-occupied territories. Molotov traveled in the passenger version of the Pe-8. Only a few of these aircraft were developed.

Today, thanks to technological progress, tens of thousands of passengers are transported daily. 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 a small review, which describes the most popular Soviet aircraft during the Great Patriotic War, it should be mentioned that all development, construction and air battles took place in conditions of cold, hunger and lack of personnel. However, each new aircraft 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 only the heads of design bureaus, but also ordinary engineers and ordinary workers made a huge contribution to the development of Soviet aviation.

Once on the site, we held an Air Parade competition timed to coincide with the Victory anniversary, where readers were asked to guess the names of some of the most famous aircraft of the Second World War by their silhouettes. The competition has ended, and now we are publishing photos of these combat vehicles. We suggest remembering what the winners and the vanquished fought in the sky.

PM edition

Germany

Messerschmitt Bf.109

In fact, a whole family of German combat vehicles, the total number of which (33 984 pieces) makes the 109th one of the most massive aircraft of the Second World War. It was used as a fighter, fighter-bomber, fighter-interceptor, reconnaissance aircraft. It was as a fighter that the Messer earned a sad reputation among 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, for example the Yak-9, allowed our pilots to fight with the Messers almost on an equal footing. The most massive modification of the vehicle was the Bf.109G ("Gustav").

Messerschmitt Bf.109

Messerschmitt Me.262

The plane was remembered not for its special role in World War II, but for the fact that it turned out to be the first-born of jet aircraft on the battlefield. Me.262 began to be designed before the war, but Hitler's real interest in the project aroused only in 1943, when the Luftwaffe had already lost its combat power. The Me.262 had a speed (about 850 km / h), altitude and climb rate that was unique for its time, and therefore had serious advantages over any fighter of that time. In reality, for 150 Allied aircraft shot down, there were 100 lost Me.262. The low efficiency of combat use was due to 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 the metal bombs are not from a great height, but from a steep dive, which made it possible to more accurately aim the ammunition. It was very effective against tanks. Due to the specifics of the application in conditions of high overloads, the car was equipped with automatic air brakes to break out of the peak 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 ace pilots to fly the Stuk 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 double-boom design, for which Soviet soldiers called 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 arrive and strike at the reconnoitered targets. But to shoot down this slow-moving aircraft was not so easy because of its high maneuverability and excellent survivability. When Soviet fighters approached, for example, he could 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 bomber of the Luftwaffe was developed in the early 1930s under the guise of a civilian transport aircraft (the Versailles Treaty prohibited the creation of the German Air Force). At the beginning of World War II, the Heinkel-111 was the most massive bomber in the Luftwaffe. He became one of the main characters of the Battle of England - it was the result of Hitler's attempt to break the will to resist the British by means of massive bomb raids on the cities of Foggy Albion (1940). Even then, it became clear that this medium bomber was morally outdated, lacking speed, maneuverability and protection. Nevertheless, the aircraft continued to be used and produced until 1944.

Allies

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

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

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 the Second World War. Avro 683 Lancaster accounted for ¾ of the total bomb load dropped by the British into the Third Reich. The carrying capacity allowed the four-engined aircraft to take on board "blockbusters" - super-heavy concrete-piercing bombs Tallboy and Grand Slam. Low security implied the use of "Lancaster" as night bombers, but night bombing was not very accurate. During the day, these aircraft suffered significant losses. "Lancaster" actively participated in the most destructive bomb raids of the Second World War - 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, having played an exceptional role in the events on the Western Front. No matter how the Allied heavy bombers defending themselves on raids on Germany, these large, low-maneuverable and relatively slow-moving aircraft suffered heavy losses from German fighter aircraft. The North American company, commissioned by the British government, urgently created a fighter that could not only successfully fight the Messers and Fokkers, but also have a sufficient range (due to the outboard tanks) to accompany the bombers' raids on the continent. When the Mustangs were used in this capacity in 1944, it became clear that the air war in the West was finally lost by the Germans.

North American P-51 Mustang

Supermarine spitfire

The main and most massive fighter of the British Air Force during the war, one of the best fighters of the Second World War. 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 face-to-face battle of these two machines. "Spitfires" proved to be excellent, covering the evacuation of the British from Dunkirk after the success of Hitler's 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 and 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, "fighter-zero". Thanks to the suspended tanks, the fighter had a high flight range (3105 km), which made it indispensable for taking part in raids on the ocean theater of operations. Among the aircraft involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor were 420 A6Ms. The Americans learned from their communication with the nimble, quick-climbing Japanese, and by 1943 their fighter aircraft had surpassed their once-dangerous adversary.

Mitsubishi A6M Raisen

The most massive dive bomber in the USSR began to be produced even before the war, in 1940, and remained in service until the Victory. A low-wing aircraft with two motors and a double pitch tail was a very progressive machine for its time. In particular, it provided for a pressurized cabin and fly-by-wire control (which, due to its novelty, became the source of many problems). In reality, the Pe-2 was not used very often, unlike the Ju 87, precisely as a dive bomber. Most often, he inflicted bombing strikes on areas from a horizontal 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) is considered a true legend of the battlefields. One of its features is the carrying armored hull, which replaced the frame and skin in most of the fuselage. The attack aircraft worked at heights 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 gunner, which led to rather high combat losses among aircraft of this type. Nevertheless, 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 became a development of the Yak-1M fighter, which had proved itself in battle. The wing was shortened and other design changes were made to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. This light wooden aircraft showed an impressive speed of 650 km / h and had excellent flight characteristics at low altitudes. Trials 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 fighters La-7, which entered service a year before the end of the war, was the development of the LaGG-3 that met the war. All the advantages of the “ancestor” were reduced to two factors - high survivability and maximum use of wood in the construction instead of scarce metal. However, the weak engine and heavy weight made the LaGG-3 an unimportant opponent for the all-metal Messerschmitt Bf.109. La-5 was made from LaGG-3 to OKB-21 Lavochkin, by installing a new ASh-82 engine and improving aerodynamics. The La-5FN modification with a forced engine was already an excellent combat vehicle, surpassing the Bf.109 in a number of parameters. In the La-7, the weight was again reduced, and the armament was also strengthened. The plane became very good, even while remaining wooden.

La-7

The U-2, or Po-2, created in 1928, by the beginning of the war was undoubtedly a model of outdated technology and was not designed as a combat aircraft at all (the combat training version appeared only in 1932). However, for the sake of victory, 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 sites, and low noise.

U-2

At low throttle in the dark, the U-2 approached an 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 "maize" inflicted serious damage on the enemy.

The article "Air parade of winners and losers" was published in the magazine "Popular Mechanics" (