Airplanes of the USSR during the Second World War. Soviet planes of WWII. What can you say about German aviation?

In World War II, the Russians had a large number of aircraft that performed various tasks, such as: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, trainers and trainers, reconnaissance aircraft, seaplanes, transport aircraft and also many prototypes, and now let's move on to the list itself with descriptions and photographs below .

Soviet fighter aircraft from World War II

1. I-5— Single-seat fighter, consists of metal, wood and linen material. Maximum speed 278 km/h; Flight range 560 km; Lifting height 7500 meters; 803 built.

2. I-7— Single-seat Soviet fighter, light and maneuverable sesquiplane. Maximum speed 291 km/h; Flight range 700 km; Ascent height 7200 meters; 131 built.

3. I-14— Single-seat high-speed fighter. Maximum speed 449 km/h; Flight range 600 km; Ascent height 9430 meters; 22 built.

4. I-15— Single-seat maneuverable sesquiplane fighter. Maximum speed 370 km/h; Flight range 750 km; Ascent height 9800 meters; 621 units built; Machine gun with 3000 rounds of ammunition, Bombs up to 40 kg.

5. I-16— A single-seat Soviet single-engine piston fighter-monoplane, simply called “Ishak.” Maximum speed 431 km/h; Flight range 520 km; Lifting height 8240 meters; 10292 units built; Machine gun with 3100 rounds.

6. DI-6— Two-seat Soviet fighter. Maximum speed 372 km/h; Flight range 500 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 222 built; 2 machine guns with 1500 rounds of ammunition, Bombs up to 50 kg.

7. IP-1— Single-seat fighter with two dynamo-rocket cannons. Maximum speed 410 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 200 units built; 2 ShKAS-7.62mm machine guns, 2 APK-4-76mm cannons.

8. PE-3— Twin-engine, two-seat, high-altitude heavy fighter. Maximum speed 535 km/h; Flight range 2150 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 360 units built; 2 UB-12.7 mm machine guns, 3 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns; Unguided missiles RS-82 and RS-132; The maximum combat load is 700 kg.

9. MIG-1— Single-seat high-speed fighter. Maximum speed 657 km/h; Flight range 580 km; Lifting height 12000 meters; 100 units built; 1 BS-12.7 mm machine gun - 300 rounds, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns - 750 rounds; Bombs - 100kg.

10. MIG-3— Single-seat high-speed high-altitude fighter. Maximum speed 640 km/h; Flight range 857 km; Lifting height 11500 meters; 100 units built; 1 BS-12.7 mm machine gun - 300 rounds, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns - 1500 rounds, BK-12.7 mm machine gun under the wing; Bombs - up to 100kg; Unguided missiles RS-82-6 pieces.

11. Yak-1— Single-seat high-speed high-altitude fighter. Maximum speed 569 km/h; Flight range 760 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 8734 units built; 1 UBS-12.7 mm machine gun, 2 ShKAS-7.62 mm machine guns, 1 ShVAK-20 mm machine gun; 1 ShVAK gun - 20 mm.

12. Yak-3— Single-seat, single-engine high-speed Soviet fighter. Maximum speed 645 km/h; Flight range 648 km; Ascent height 10700 meters; 4848 units built; 2 UBS-12.7 mm machine guns, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm.

13. Yak-7— Single-seat, single-engine high-speed Soviet fighter of the Great Patriotic War. Maximum speed 570 km/h; Flight range 648 km; Ascent height 9900 meters; 6399 units built; 2 ShKAS-12.7 mm machine guns with 1500 rounds, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm with 120 rounds.

14. Yak-9— Single-seat, single-engine Soviet fighter-bomber. Maximum speed 577 km/h; Flight range 1360 km; Lifting height 10750 meters; 16,769 units built; 1 UBS-12.7 mm machine gun, 1 ShVAK cannon - 20 mm.

15. LaGG-3— Single-seat single-engine Soviet fighter monoplane, bomber, interceptor, reconnaissance aircraft of the Great Patriotic War. Maximum speed 580 km/h; Flight range 1100 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 6528 units built.

16. La-5— Single-seat, single-engine Soviet monoplane fighter aircraft made of wood. Maximum speed 630 km/h; Flight range 1190 km; Lifting height 11200 meters; 9920 built

17. La-7— Single-seat single-engine Soviet monoplane fighter aircraft. Maximum speed 672 km/h; Flight range 675 km; Lifting height 11100 meters; 5905 units built.

Soviet bomber aircraft from World War II

1. U-2VS— Double single-engine Soviet multi-purpose biplane. One of the most popular aircraft produced worldwide. Maximum speed 150 km/h; Flight range 430 km; Ascent height 3820 meters; 33,000 built.

2. Su-2— Two-seat, single-engine Soviet light bomber with 360-degree visibility. Maximum speed 486 km/h; Flight range 910 km; Ascent height 8400 meters; 893 built.

3. Yak-2— Two and three-seat twin-engine Soviet heavy reconnaissance bomber. Maximum speed 515 km/h; Flight range 800 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 111 built.

4. Yak-4— Two-seat, twin-engine Soviet light reconnaissance bomber. Maximum speed 574 km/h; Flight range 1200 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 90 built.

5. ANT-40— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet light high-speed bomber. Maximum speed 450 km/h; Flight range 2300 km; Ascent height 7800 meters; 6656 units built.

6. AR-2— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet all-metal dive bomber. Maximum speed 475 km/h; Flight range 1500 km; Lifting height 10,000 meters; 200 built.

7. PE-2— Three-seat, twin-engine, Soviet most-produced dive bomber. Maximum speed 540 km/h; Flight range 1200 km; Ascent height 8700 meters; 11247 units built.

8. Tu-2— Four-seat, twin-engine, Soviet high-speed day bomber. Maximum speed 547 km/h; Flight range 2100 km; Lifting height 9500 meters; 2527 units built.

9. DB-3— Three-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range bomber. Maximum speed 400 km/h; Flight range 3100 km; Ascent height 8400 meters; 1528 built.

10. IL-4— Four-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range bomber. Maximum speed 430 km/h; Flight range 3800 km; Ascent height 8900 meters; 5256 units built.

11. DB-A— Seven-seat experimental four-engine Soviet heavy long-range bomber. Maximum speed 330 km/h; Flight range 4500 km; Ascent height 7220 meters; 12 built.

12. Er-2— Five-seat twin-engine Soviet long-range monoplane bomber. Maximum speed 445 km/h; Flight range 4100 km; Ascent height 7700 meters; 462 built.

13. TB-3— Eight-seat, four-engine Soviet heavy bomber. Maximum speed 197 km/h; Flight range 3120 km; Ascent height 3800 meters; 818 built.

14. PE-8— 12-seat four-engine Soviet heavy long-range bomber. Maximum speed 443 km/h; Flight range 3600 km; Ascent height 9300 meters; Combat load up to 4000 kg; Years of production 1939-1944; 93 built.

Soviet attack aircraft from World War II

1. IL-2— Double single-engine Soviet attack aircraft. This is the most popular aircraft produced in Soviet times. Maximum speed 414 km/h; Flight range 720 km; Lifting height 5500 meters; Years of production: 1941-1945; 36183 units built.

2. IL-10— Double single-engine Soviet attack aircraft. Maximum speed 551 km/h; Flight range 2460 km; Lifting height 7250 meters; Years of production: 1944-1955; 4966 units built.

Soviet reconnaissance aircraft from World War II

1. R-5— Double single-engine multi-role Soviet reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 235 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 6400 meters; Years of production: 1929-1944; More than 6,000 units built.

2. P-Z— Double single-engine multi-role Soviet lightweight reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 316 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 8700 meters; Years of production: 1935-1945; 1031 built.

3. R-6— Four-seat twin-engine Soviet reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 240 km/h; Flight range 1680 km; Ascent height 5620 meters; Years of production: 1931-1944; 406 built.

4. R-10— Two-seat single-engine Soviet reconnaissance aircraft, attack aircraft and light bomber. Maximum speed 370 km/h; Flight range 1300 km; Lifting height 7000 meters; Years of production: 1937-1944; 493 built.

5. A-7— Double, single-engine, winged Soviet gyroplane with a three-bladed rotor reconnaissance aircraft. Maximum speed 218 km/h; Flight range 4 hours; Years of production: 1938-1941.

1. Sh-2— The first two-seat Soviet serial amphibious aircraft. Maximum speed 139 km/h; Flight range 500 km; Lifting height 3100 meters; Years of production: 1932-1964; 1200 built.

2. MBR-2 Sea Close Reconnaissance - Five-seater Soviet flying boat. Maximum speed 215 km/h; Flight range 2416 km; Years of production: 1934-1946; 1365 built.

3. MTB-2— Soviet heavy naval bomber. It is also designed to transport up to 40 people. Maximum speed 330 km/h; Flight range 4200 km; Lifting height 3100 meters; Years of production: 1937-1939; Built 2 units.

4. GTS— Marine patrol bomber (flying boat). Maximum speed 314 km/h; Flight range 4030 km; Lifting height 4000 meters; Years of production: 1936-1945; 3305 built.

5. KOR-1— Double deck ejection float plane (ship reconnaissance aircraft). Maximum speed 277 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Ascent height 6600 meters; Years of production: 1939-1941; 13 built.

6. KOR-2— Double deck ejection flying boat (short-range naval reconnaissance aircraft). Maximum speed 356 km/h; Flight range 1150 km; Lifting height 8100 meters; Years of production: 1941-1945; 44 built.

7. Che-2(MDR-6) - Four-seat long-range naval reconnaissance aircraft, twin-engine monoplane. Maximum speed 350 km/h; Flight range 2650 km; Lifting height 9000 meters; Years of production: 1940-1946; 17 units built.

Soviet transport aircraft from World War II

1. Li-2- Soviet military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 320 km/h; Flight range 2560 km; Lifting height 7350 meters; Years of production: 1939-1953; 6157 units built.

2. Shche-2- Soviet military transport aircraft (Pike). Maximum speed 160 km/h; Flight range 850 km; Lifting height 2400 meters; Years of production: 1943-1947; 567 units built.

3. Yak-6- Soviet military transport aircraft (Douglasenok). Maximum speed 230 km/h; Flight range 900 km; Lifting height 3380 meters; Years of production: 1942-1950; 381 built.

4. ANT-20- the largest 8-engine passenger Soviet military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 275 km/h; Flight range 1000 km; Lifting height 7500 meters; Years of production: 1934-1935; Built 2 units.

5. SAM-25- Soviet multi-purpose military transport aircraft. Maximum speed 200 km/h; Flight range 1760 km; Lifting height 4850 meters; Years of production: 1943-1948.

6. K-5- Soviet passenger aircraft. Maximum speed 206 km/h; Flight range 960 km; Lifting height 5040 meters; Years of production: 1930-1934; 260 built.

7. G-11- Soviet landing glider. Maximum speed 150 km/h; Flight range 1500 km; Lifting height 3000 meters; Years of production: 1941-1948; 308 built.

8. KTs-20- Soviet landing glider. This is the largest glider during WWII. It could carry 20 people and 2200 kg of cargo on board. Years of production: 1941-1943; 68 units built.

I hope you liked Russian planes from the Great Patriotic War! Thank you for watching!

Soviet military aviation at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War

When the Nazis attacked the USSR, Soviet aviation was destroyed at the airfields. And the Germans dominated the skies in the first year of the war, as well as in the second. What kind of fighter aircraft were in service with the Soviet army at that time?

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

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

"Seagulls" or I-153, also biplanes, lasted in the skies until 1943. Their retractable landing gear made it possible to increase flight speed. And four small caliber machine guns (7.62) fired directly through the propeller. All of the above aircraft models were outdated 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. The only good thing was its weapons, two ShKAS machine guns and two cannons SHVAK(latest issues). 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 industry since 1937, of various modifications, which attacked the Soviet borders in 1941. The armament of this aircraft was two machine guns (MG-17) and two cannons (MG-FF). The fighter's flight speed was 574 km/h, which was the maximum speed that the 1,150 hp engine could achieve. With. The highest lifting height or ceiling reached 11 kilometers. Only in terms of flight range, for example, the Me-109E was inferior to the I-16, it was equal to 665 km.

Soviet aircraft I-16(type 29) made it possible to reach a ceiling of 9.8 kilometers with a 900-horsepower engine. Their range was only 440 km. The take-off run length of the “donkeys” was on average 250 meters. German fighters have designer Messerschmitt the takeoff run was approximately 280 meters. If we compare the time it takes the plane to rise to a height of three kilometers, it turns out that the Soviet I-16 of the twenty-ninth type loses to the ME-109 seconds 15. In terms of payload weight, the “donkey” is also behind the “Messer”, 419 kg versus 486.
To replace "donkey" was designed in the USSR I-180, all metal. V. Chkalov crashed on it before the war. After him, tester T. Susi fell to the ground on the I-180-2 along with the plane, blinded by the hot oil ejected from the engine. Before the war, the serial I-180 was discontinued as a failure.

Polikarpov OKB also worked on the creation I-153, a biplane with an engine power of 1100 hp. With. But its maximum speed in the air reached only 470 km/h, it was not a competitor ME-109. Other Soviet aircraft designers also worked on the creation of modern fighters. 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 installed on it.

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

Arrived under Lend-Lease "Aerocobras" or P-39, which had the engine behind the cockpit, were all-metal monoplanes. On turns they went around "Messers", getting behind them. It was on the Airacobra that ace Pokryshkin flew.

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

Assessing the decisive role of aviation as the main strike force in the fight for the spread of Bolshevism and the defense of the state, in the first five-year plan the leadership of the USSR set a course for creating its own large air force, autonomous from other countries.

In the 20s, and even in the early 30s, USSR aviation had a fleet of aircraft, mostly foreign-made (only Tupolev aircraft appeared - ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which later became the legendary U-2, etc.) d.). The aircraft in service with the Red Army were of multiple brands, had outdated designs and poor technical condition. In the 20s, the USSR purchased a small number of German Junkers-type aircraft and a number of other types to service the air routes of the North / explore the Northern Sea Route / and carry out government special flights. It should be noted that civil aviation practically did not develop in the pre-war period, with the exception of the opening of a number of unique, “demonstration” airlines or occasional flights of ambulance and service aviation.

During the same period, the era of airships ended, and the USSR built successful designs of “soft” (frameless) type “B” airships in the early 1930s. As an aside, 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 km/h or more), provided by several Maybach-designed engines. There were even several dog sleds on board the airship 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 5-7 aircraft on board 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 the inert gas helium, and not hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, difficulty in storage and maintenance predetermined the end of the era of airships. Experiments with balloons also came to an end, proving the latter’s unsuitability for active combat operations. A new generation of aviation with new technical and combat performance was needed.

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 eliminated and were in exile or in camps.

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

In the thirties, by order of Stalin, demonstration, but in fact test, flights of bombers “camouflaged” as civilian aircraft were carried out. The aviators Slepnev, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molokov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.

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

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

Heavy bomber aircraft, which were assigned the main role in the upcoming war with the West, doubled in 4 years, while other types of bomber aircraft, on the contrary, decreased by half. Fighter aircraft increased two and a half times. The altitude of 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 radios 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 skins and light maneuverable aircraft of mixed structures: wood, steel, canvas. As the raw material base expanded and the aluminum industry developed in the USSR, aluminum alloys found increasing use in aircraft construction. There was progress in engine building. The M-25 air-cooled engines with a power of 715 hp and the M-100 water-cooled engines with a power of 750 hp were created.

At the beginning of 1939, the USSR government convened 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.Yakovlev, head of TsAGI and a lot others. The People's Commissar of the aviation industry at that time was M.M. Kaganovich. Possessing a good memory, Stalin was quite well aware of the design features of aircraft; all important issues regarding aviation were resolved by Stalin. The meeting outlined measures for further accelerated development of aviation in the USSR. Until now, history has not conclusively refuted the hypothesis of Stalin’s preparation for an attack on Germany in July 1941. It was on the basis of this assumption about the planning of Stalin’s attack on Germany (and further for the “liberation” of Western countries), adopted at the “historic” plenum of the CPSU Central Committee in August 1939 and this fact, incredible for that (or any other) time, of the sale of advanced German equipment and technology in the USSR seems explainable. A large delegation of Soviet aviation workers, who traveled to Germany twice shortly before the war, received fighters, bombers, guidance systems, and much more, which made it possible to dramatically advance the level of domestic aircraft production. It was decided to increase the combat power of aviation, because it was from August 1939 that the USSR began covert mobilization and was preparing 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 was 2 thousand. Of these, two thirds were completely 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 production was 700 aircraft per month. German industry underwent mobilization only at the beginning of 1942, after which the number of weapons began to increase 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 its designer Ilyushin a lot of excitement. Manufactured initially with protection of the rear hemisphere (two-seater), in anticipation of the attack on Germany, it did not suit the customers with its 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 “clear sky” aircraft. Hitler violated Stalin's plans and at the beginning of the war the plane urgently had to be returned to its original design.

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 to rearm air units. In accordance with the plans for a future war, the task was set to urgently form new air regiments, and, as a rule, equip them with new aircraft. The formation of several airborne corps began.

The doctrine of war on “foreign territory” and with “little bloodshed” gave rise to the appearance of the “clear sky” aircraft, intended for unpunished raids on bridges, airfields, cities, and factories. Before the war, hundreds of thousands

young men were preparing to transfer to the new SU-2 aircraft, developed according to Stalin’s competition, of which it was planned to produce 100-150 thousand units before the war. This required accelerated training of the corresponding number of pilots and technicians. The SU-2 is essentially a Soviet Yu-87, but in Russia it did not stand the test of time, because There was never a “clear sky” for either country during the war.

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

On June 13, 1940, the Flight Test Institute (FLI) was formed, and other design bureaus and research institutes were formed during the same period. In the war with the Soviet Union, the Nazis assigned a special role to their aviation, which by that time had already gained 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 to 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 surprise attack on Soviet airfields.

2.Achieve complete air supremacy.

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

4. Disrupt the work of Soviet transport, complicate the transfer of 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, 1,200 aircraft were lost, there was a massive death of flight personnel, storage facilities and all supplies were destroyed. Historians noted the strange “crowding” of our aviation at airfields on the eve of the war and complained about the “mistakes” and “miscalculations” of the command (i.e. Stalin) and assessment of events. In fact, “crowding” foreshadows plans for a super-massive strike on targets and confidence in impunity, which did not happen. The Air Force flight personnel, especially the bomber ones, suffered heavy losses due to the lack of support fighters; 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 again under enemy attacks.

It must be admitted that the Nazis managed to largely implement their plans for an air war in 1941 and the first half of 1942. Almost all available forces of Hitler's aviation were thrown against the Soviet Union, including units withdrawn from the Western Front. It was assumed that after the first successful operations, part of the bomber and fighter formations would be returned to the West for the war with England. At the beginning of the war, the Nazis had not only quantitative superiority. Their advantage was also the fact that the pilots who took part in the air attack had already gone through a serious training in combat with French, Polish and English pilots. They also had a fair amount of experience interacting with their troops, acquired in the war against the countries of Western Europe. Old types of fighters and bombers, such as I-15, I-16, SB, TB-3 could not compete with the newest Messerschmitts. and Junkers. Nevertheless, in the ensuing air battles, even on outdated types of aircraft, Russian pilots caused damage to the Germans. From June 22 to July 19, Germany lost 1,300 aircraft in air battles alone.

Here is what the German General Staff Officer Greffath writes about this:

“During the period from June 22 to July 5, 1941, the German air force lost 807 aircraft of all types, and from July 6 to July 19 - 477.

These losses indicate that despite the surprise achieved by the Germans, the Russians were able to find the time and strength to provide decisive resistance.”

On the very first day of the war, fighter pilot Kokorev distinguished himself by ramming an enemy fighter, the whole world knows the feat of the Gastello crew (the latest research on this fact suggests that the ramming crew was not Gastello’s crew, but was the crew of Maslov, who flew with Gastello’s crew on an attack enemy columns), who threw his burning car onto a concentration of German equipment. Despite the losses, the Germans brought more and more fighters and bombers into battle in all directions. 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 had come to evacuate the factories and design bureaus of Sukhoi, Yakovlev and others in Moscow, Ilyushin in Voronezh, all factories in the European part of the USSR demanded the evacuation.

Aircraft production in November 1941 decreased 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 some time it was necessary to make a decision on the evacuation of the entire aircraft industry.

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

The task was set not only to restore aircraft production, but also to significantly increase their quantity and quality. In December 1941, the aircraft production plan was fulfilled by less than 40 percent, and engines by only 24 percent. In the most difficult conditions, under bombs, in the cold, cold of Siberian winters, backup factories were launched one after another. Technologies were refined and simplified, new types of materials were used (without compromising quality), women and teenagers took over the machines.

Lend-Lease supplies 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 and England were unique and irreplaceable for Russia (varnishes, paints, other chemicals, devices, instruments, equipment, medicines, etc.), which cannot be described as “insignificant” or secondary.

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

In the period from November 19 to December 31, 1942 alone, the Luftwaffe lost 3,000 combat aircraft in the battles for Stalingrad. 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 the number of aircraft shot down and for the number of combat sorties.

In the USSR, the Normandie-Niemen squadron was formed, staffed by French volunteers. The pilots fought on Yak aircraft.

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

Back in 1942, the USSR surpassed Germany in the production of aircraft - this was due to the heroic efforts of our specialists and workers and the “complacency” or unpreparedness of Germany, which had not mobilized industry in advance for war conditions.

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

By 1944, the front received about 100 aircraft daily, incl. 40 fighters. The main combat vehicles have been modernized. Aircraft with improved combat qualities appeared: YAK-3, PE-2, YAK 9T,D, LA-5, IL-10. German designers also modernized the aircraft. “Me-109F, G, G2”, etc. appeared.

Towards the end of the war, the problem of increasing the range of fighter aircraft arose - the airfields could not keep up with the front. Designers proposed installing additional gas tanks on airplanes, and jet weapons began to be used. Radio communications developed, and radar was used in air defense. The bomb attacks were getting stronger and stronger. Thus, on April 17, 1945, bombers of the 18th Air Army in the Königsberg area carried out 516 sorties in 45 minutes and dropped 3,743 bombs with a total weight of 550 tons.

In the air battle for Berlin, the enemy took part in 1,500 combat aircraft based at 40 airfields near Berlin. This is the most intense air battle in history, and the highest level of combat training on both sides should be taken into account. The Luftwaffe featured 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 were significantly faster than propeller aircraft in speed (Me-262, etc.). However, this did not help either. Our pilots in Berlin flew 17.5 thousand combat sorties and completely destroyed 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 not all types of aircraft were accepted into service in the USSR. For example, in October 1941, the production of MiG-3 fighters was stopped, and in 1943, the production of IL-4 bombers.

Aircraft weapons were also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, and later a 45 mm caliber gun appeared.

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

Greffoat writes: “Considering 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 bomber units, as well as the necessary number of aircraft, back to the West. In the East, air formations intended to directly support German troops, as well as military transport units and a number of fighter squadrons were to remain ... "

German aircraft created in 1935-1936. at the beginning of the war there was no longer any possibility of 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 warfare in Russia and ensured maximum simplicity of technology. As a result, Russian factories produced a huge amount of weapons, which were distinguished by their great simplicity of design. It was relatively easy to learn to wield such a weapon...”

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

Nevertheless, each country followed its own path in aircraft design.

The USSR aviation industry produced 15,735 aircraft in 1941. In the difficult year of 1942, during the 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 to the Urals and Siberia had fully mastered the production of aviation equipment and weapons. Most of these factories in new locations in 1943 and 1944 produced several times more production than before the evacuation.

Germany possessed, in addition to its own resources, the resources of the conquered countries. In 1944, German factories produced 27.6 thousand aircraft, and our factories produced 33.2 thousand aircraft in the same period. In 1944, aircraft production was 3.8 times higher than in 1941.

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

The successes of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's air force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force had 8,818 combat aircraft, and the German - 3,073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR exceeded Germany by 2.7 times. By June 1944, the German Air Force 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 that of 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, simplifying 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 the Russian army they traditionally take “by numbers”, and not skill.

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

The fundamental improvement of the aircraft is its transformation from a propeller-driven aircraft to a jet aircraft. To increase the flight speed, a more powerful engine is installed. However, at speeds above 700 km/h, an increase in speed from engine power cannot be achieved. The way out is to use jet propulsion. A turbojet /TRD/ or liquid jet /LPRE/ engine is used. In the second half of the 30s, jet aircraft were intensively created in the USSR, England, Germany, Italy, and later in the USA. In 1938, the world's first German jet engines, BMW and 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 Aircomet, was tested in the USA. In England, the Meteor twin-engine jet was soon created, which took part in the war. In 1945, the Meteor-4 plane set a world speed record of 969.6 km/h.

In the USSR, in the initial period, practical work on the creation of jet engines was carried out in the direction of liquid propellant rocket engines. Under the leadership of S.P. Korolev and A.F. Tsander, designers A.M. Isaev and L.S. Dushkin developed the first domestic jet engines. The pioneer of turbojet engines was A.M. Lyulka. 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 creating a jet aircraft for practical use resumed after the war with the creation of the Yak-15 and 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 that Western European states and the United States had followed in the 19th century. By the mid-20s of the 20th century, the USSR was an agricultural country with a half-illiterate, mostly rural population and a tiny percentage of engineering, technical and scientific personnel. Aircraft manufacturing, engine manufacturing and non-ferrous metallurgy were in their infancy. Suffice it to say that in Tsarist Russia they did not produce ball bearings and carburetors at all 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, along with related and raw materials industries, was created practically from scratch, and simultaneously with the construction of the largest air force in the world at that time.

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

The most complex knowledge-intensive industries - engine building, instrument making, and radio electronics - were in the most difficult situation. It must be admitted that the Soviet Union was unable to overcome the gap from the West in these areas during the pre-war and war years. The difference in the “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 our own promising developments to mass production. The exception was the M-82 and its further development, the M-82FN, which gave birth to perhaps the best Soviet fighter of the war, the La-7.

During the war years, the Soviet Union was unable to establish serial production of turbochargers and two-stage superchargers, multifunctional propulsion automation devices similar to the German “Kommandoherat”, powerful 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, thanks to which the Americans surpassed the 2000, and then 2500 hp mark. With. Well, by and large, no one has seriously engaged in work on water-methanol boosting of engines. All this greatly limited aircraft designers in creating fighters with higher performance characteristics 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 forced us to weaken the weapons, 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 have been possible to even 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 through quantity. Already in 1942, despite the evacuation of 3/4 of the aircraft industry's production capacity, the USSR produced 40% more combat aircraft than Germany. In 1943, Germany made significant efforts to increase the production of combat aircraft, but nevertheless the Soviet Union built 29% more of them. 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 aviation in the West, against the Anglo-American allies.

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

The given 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 German aircraft of the same type and contemporary ones in a number of flight parameters. The combination of fairly powerful engines with high aerodynamic and weight efficiency made it possible to achieve this, despite the use of archaic materials and technologies designed for simple production conditions, outdated equipment and low-skilled workers.

It can be argued that the named types in 1944 accounted for only 24.8% of the total production of fighter aircraft in the USSR, and the remaining 75.2% were older types of aircraft with worse flight characteristics. We can also recall that in 1944 the Germans were already actively developing jet aviation, having achieved considerable success in this. The first samples of jet fighters were put into mass production and began to arrive in combat units.

Nevertheless, the progress of the Soviet aircraft industry during the difficult war years is undeniable. And his main achievement is that our fighters managed to recapture from the enemy low and medium altitudes, at which attack aircraft and short-range bombers operated - the main striking force of aviation on the front line. This ensured the successful combat operation of the Ilovs and Pe-2s against German defensive positions, force concentration centers and transport communications, which, in turn, contributed to the victorious offensive of the Soviet troops at the final stage of the war.

Supermarine Spitfire opens the ranking of the best aircraft of the Second World War. We are talking about a British fighter with a somewhat awkward and at the same time attractive design. Unique “highlights” in appearance include:

• awkward nose;
• massive wings in the form of shovels;
• lantern made in the shape of a bubble.

Speaking about the historical significance of this “old man,” it must be said that he saved the Royal Military Forces during the Battle of Britain, stopping German bombers. It was put into service at a very good time - right before the start of World War II.

We are talking about one of the most recognizable German bombers, which British fighters fought bravely against. The Heinkel He 111 cannot be confused with any other aircraft due to the unique shape of its wide wings. In fact, they determine the name “111”. It should be noted that this vehicle was created long before the war under the pretext of a passenger aircraft. Later, the model showed excellent maneuverability and speed, but during fierce battles it became clear that the characteristics did not meet expectations. The planes could not withstand the powerful attacks of rival warplanes, in particular from England.

At the beginning of the Patriotic War, German combat aircraft did whatever they wanted in the skies of the Soviet Union, which contributed to the emergence of a new generation fighter - the La-5. The armed forces of the USSR clearly realized the need to create a powerful combat aircraft, and they managed to implement the task 100%. At the same time, the fighter has an extremely simple design. The cabin does not even have the basic instruments necessary to determine the horizon. Nevertheless, domestic pilots immediately liked the model due to its good maneuverability and speed. Literally for the first time, within days of its release, with the help of this aircraft, it was possible to eliminate 16 enemy pilot ships.

By the beginning of World War II, the Americans were in service with many good combat aircraft, but among them the North American P-51 Mustang was definitely the most powerful. It is necessary to highlight the unique history of the development of this weapon. Already at the height of the war, the British decided to order a batch of powerful aircraft from the Americans. In 1942, the first Mustangs appeared and joined the British Air Force. It turned out that these fighters were so good that the United States decided to keep them in equipping its own army. The peculiarity of the North American P-51 Mustang is the presence of huge fuel tanks. For this reason, they proved to be the best escort for powerful bombers.

Speaking about the best bombers of the Second World War, we should highlight the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, which was in service with the American forces. It was nicknamed the “flying fortress”, due to its good combat equipment and structural strength. This aircraft has machine guns on all sides. Some Flying Fortress units have a storied history. With their help, many feats were achieved. Pilots fell in love with combat aircraft due to their ease of control and survivability. To destroy them, the enemy needed to make a lot of effort.

The Yak-9, considered one of the most dangerous hunters of German aircraft, should be added to the ranking of the best aircraft of World War II. Many experts consider it the personification of the new century, due to its complex design and good characteristics. Instead of wood, which was most often used for the base, “Yak” uses duralumin. It is a versatile combat aircraft that has been used as a fighter-bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and sometimes courier transport. It was light and agile, and had powerful guns.

Another German dive bomber that is capable of falling vertically onto a target. This is the property of the German armed forces, with the help of which pilots were able to place bombs on enemy aircraft with pinpoint accuracy. The Junkers Ju-87 is considered the best Blitzkrieg aircraft, which helped the Germans “march” victoriously through many zones of Europe at the beginning of the war.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero should be added to the list of the best military aircraft of the Patriotic War. They were used during battles over the Pacific Ocean. The A6M Zero representative has quite an outstanding history. One of the most advanced aircraft of the Second World War turned out to be a very unpleasant enemy for the Americans, due to its maneuverability, lightness and flight range. The Japanese spent too little effort on creating a reliable fuel tank. Many aircraft could not resist enemy forces due to the fact that the tanks quickly exploded.

The debate before World War II about what was more important, greater speed or better maneuverability*, was finally resolved in favor of greater speed. Combat experience has convincingly shown that speed is ultimately the determining factor for victory in air combat. The pilot of a more maneuverable but slower aircraft was simply forced to defend himself, ceding the initiative to the enemy. However, when conducting an air battle, such a fighter, having an advantage in horizontal and vertical maneuverability, will be able to decide the outcome of the battle in its favor by taking an advantageous firing position.

Before the war, it was long believed that in order to increase maneuverability, an aircraft must be unstable; the insufficient stability of the I-16 aircraft cost the lives of more than one pilot. Having studied German aircraft before the war, the report of the Air Force Research Institute noted:

“...all German aircraft differ sharply from domestic ones in their large margins of stability, which also significantly increases flight safety, aircraft survivability and simplifies piloting techniques and mastery by low-skilled combat pilots.”

By the way, the difference between German aircraft and the latest domestic ones, which were tested almost simultaneously at the Air Force Research Institute, was so striking that it forced the head of the institute, Major General A.I. Filin, to draw the attention of I.V. Stalin to this. The consequences were dramatic for Filin: he was arrested on May 23, 1941.

(Source 5 Alexander Pavlov) As you know, aircraft maneuverability depends primarily on two quantities. The first - specific load on engine power - determines the vertical maneuverability of the machine; the second is the specific load on the wing - horizontal. Let's look at these indicators for the Bf 109 in more detail (see table).

* Notes to the table: 1. Bf 109G-6/U2 with the GM-1 system, the weight of which when filled was 160 kg plus 13 kg of additional engine oil.

2.Bf 109G-4/U5 with the MW-50 system, the weight of which when loaded was 120 kg.

The 3.Bf 109G-10/U4 was armed with one 30 mm MK-108 cannon and two 13 mm MG-131 machine guns, as well as the MW-50 system.

Theoretically, the 199th, compared to its main opponents, had better vertical maneuverability throughout the Second World War. But in practice this was not always true. Much in combat depended on the experience and abilities of the pilot.

Eric Brown (an Englishman who tested the Bf 109G-6/U2/R3/R6 in 1944 at Farnborough) recalled: “We conducted comparative tests of the captured Bf 109G-6 with Spitfire fighters of the LF.IX, XV and XIV series, as well as with the P-51C Mustang. In terms of climb rate, the Gustav was superior to all these aircraft at all altitude levels.”

D. A. Alekseev, who fought on the Lavochkin in 1944, compares the Soviet machine with the main enemy at that time - the Bf 109G-6. “In terms of climb rate, the La-5FN was superior to the Messerschmitt. If the “mess” tried to move up from us, we caught up. And the steeper the Messer went upward, the easier it was to catch up with it.

In terms of horizontal speed, the La-5FN was slightly faster than the Messer, and the advantage of the La in speed over the Fokker was even greater. In horizontal flight, neither the Messer nor the Fokker could escape the La-5FN. If the German pilots did not have the opportunity to dive, then we, sooner or later, caught up with them.

It must be said that the Germans constantly improved their fighters. The Germans had a modification of the Messer, which even surpassed the La-5FN in speed. It also appeared towards the end of the war, around the end of 1944. I never met these “Messers,” but Lobanov did. I remember well how Lobanov was very surprised that he came across such “Messers” who got away from his La-5FN in pitching, but he could not catch up with them.”

Only at the final stage of the war, from the autumn of 1944 to May 1945, did the leadership gradually pass to allied aviation. With the advent of such vehicles as the P-51D and P-47D on the Western Front, the “classic” exit from a dive attack became quite problematic for the Bf 109G.

American fighters caught up with him and shot him down on the way out. On the “hill” they also left no chance for the “one hundred and ninth”. The newest Bf 109K-4 could break away from them both in a dive and vertically, but the quantitative superiority of the Americans and their tactical techniques negated these advantages of the German fighter.

On the Eastern Front the situation was somewhat different. More than half of the Bf 109G-6 and G-14 delivered to air units since 1944 were equipped with the MW50 engine boost system. The injection of a water-methanol mixture significantly increased the power supply of the vehicle at altitudes up to approximately 6500 meters. The increase in horizontal speed and during a dive was very significant. F. de Joffre remembers.

“On March 20, 1945 (...) six of our Yak-3s were attacked by twelve Messers, including six Me-109/G. They were piloted exclusively by experienced pilots. The Germans’ maneuvers were distinguished by such precision, as if they were on a training exercise. Messerschmitt-109/G, thanks to a special fuel mixture enrichment system, calmly enters a steep dive, which pilots call “deadly.” Here they break away from the rest of the “Messers”, and we don’t have time to open fire before they unexpectedly attack us from behind. Bleton is forced to bail out."

The main problem with using the MW50 was that the system could not operate during the entire flight. The injection could be used for a maximum of ten minutes, then the engine overheated and threatened to jam. Next, a five-minute break was required, after which the system could be restarted. These ten minutes were usually enough to carry out two or three dive attacks, but if the Bf 109 was drawn into a maneuverable battle at low altitudes, then it could well lose.

Hauptmann Hans-Werner Lerche, who tested the captured La-5FN in Rechlin in September 1944, wrote in the report. “Due to the merits of its engine, the La-5FN was better suited for low-altitude combat. Its maximum ground speed is only slightly less than that of the FW190A-8 and Bf 109 in afterburner. Overclocking characteristics are comparable. The La-5FN is inferior to the Bf 109 and MW50 in speed and climb rate at all altitudes. The efficiency of the La-5FN’s ailerons is higher than that of the One Hundred and Ninth, and the turn time at the ground is shorter.”

In this regard, let's consider horizontal maneuverability. As I already said, horizontal maneuverability depends, first of all, on the specific load on the aircraft wing. And the smaller this value is for a fighter, the faster it can perform turns, rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers in the horizontal plane. But this is only in theory; in practice, things were often not so simple. During the Spanish Civil War, the Bf 109B-1 met in the air with the I-16 type 10. The specific wing load of the German fighter was slightly lower than that of the Soviet one, but the republican pilot, as a rule, won the battle on turns.

The problem for the “German” was that after one or two turns in one direction, the pilot “shifted” his plane to the other side and here the “one hundred and nineth” lost. The smaller I-16, which literally “walked” behind the control stick, had a higher roll rate and therefore performed this maneuver more energetically compared to the more inert Bf 109B. As a result, the German fighter lost precious fractions of seconds, and the time it took to complete the maneuver became slightly longer.

The battles on turns during the so-called “Battle of England” turned out somewhat differently. Here the enemy of the Bf 109E was the more maneuverable Spitfire. Its specific wing load was significantly lower than that of the Messerschmitt.

Lieutenant Max-Helmut Ostermann, who later became commander of 7./JG54, an expert with 102 victories, recalled: The Spitfires proved to be surprisingly maneuverable aircraft. Their demonstration of aerial acrobatics - loops, rolls, shooting on turns - all this could not help but delight.”

And here is what the English historian Mike Speke wrote in general comments about the characteristics of aircraft.

“The ability to turn depends on two factors - the specific wing load and the speed of the aircraft. If two fighters are flying at the same speed, then the fighter with less wing load will turn around its opponent. However, if it flies significantly faster, then the opposite often happens.” It was the second part of this conclusion that German pilots used in battles with the British. To reduce the speed on a turn, the Germans extended the flaps by 30°, placing them in the take-off position, and with a further decrease in speed, the slats were automatically extended.

The final conclusion of the British about the maneuverability of the Bf 109E can be taken from the test report of the captured vehicle at the Flight Research Center in Farnborough:

“In terms of maneuverability, the pilots noted a small difference between the Emil and the Spitfire Mk.I and Mk.II at altitudes of 3500-5000 m - one is slightly better in one mode, the other in “its own” maneuver. Above 6100 meters the Bf 109E was slightly better. The Hurricane had higher drag, which put it behind the Spitfire and Bf 109 in acceleration."

In 1941, new aircraft of the Bf109 F modification appeared at the front. And although their wing area was somewhat smaller and their take-off weight greater than that of their predecessors, they became faster and more maneuverable due to the use of a new, aerodynamically improved wing . The turn time was reduced, and with the flaps extended, it was possible to “win back” one more second, which was confirmed by tests of captured “one hundred and nineths” at the Research Institute of the Red Army Air Force. However, the German pilots tried not to get involved in battles on turns, since this meant they had to reduce their speed and, as a result, lose the initiative.

Later versions of the Bf 109 produced after 1943 noticeably “gained weight” and actually slightly deteriorated horizontal maneuverability. This was due to the fact that as a result of massive raids by American bombers on German territory, the Germans gave priority to air defense tasks. But in the fight against heavy bombers, horizontal maneuverability is not so important. Therefore, they relied on strengthening the on-board weapons, which entailed an increase in the take-off weight of the fighter.

The only exception was the Bf 109 G-14, which was the lightest and most maneuverable aircraft of the “G” modification. Most of these vehicles were delivered to the Eastern Front, where maneuver battles were fought much more often. And those that got to the west, as a rule, were used to fight enemy escort fighters.

He recalls I.I. Kozhemyako, who fought a duel on a Yak-1B with a Bf 109G-14. “It turned out like this: as soon as we took off with the attack aircraft, we didn’t even approach the front line, and the “Messers” fell on us. I was the leader of the “top” pair. We saw the Germans from afar, my commander Sokolov managed to give me the command: “Ivan! A pair of "skinny" ones on top! Fight back!” It was then that my couple got along with this pair of “one hundred and nine.” The Germans started a maneuverable battle, the Germans turned out to be persistent. During the battle, both I and the leader of the German pair broke away from our wingmen. The two of us spun for about twenty minutes. They converged - they diverged, they converged - they diverged! Nobody wanted to give in! Whatever I did to get behind the Germans - I literally put the Yak on its wing, it didn’t work! While we were spinning, we lost speed to a minimum, and as soon as none of us went into a tailspin?.. Then we’ll disperse, make a larger circle, catch our breath, and again - full throttle, turn as steeply as possible!

It all ended with the fact that at the exit from the bend, we stood up “wing to wing” and were flying in one direction. The German looks at me, I look at the German. The situation is stalemate. I examined the German pilot in every detail: a young guy was sitting in the cockpit, wearing a mesh helmet. (I remember I was also jealous of him: “The bastard is lucky!..”, because sweat was flowing from under my headset.)

What to do in such a situation is completely unclear. If one of us tries to take a turn, he won’t have time to get up and the enemy will shoot us. He’ll try to go vertical, and he’ll shoot him there, only he’ll have to raise his nose. While we were spinning, I had only one thought - to shoot down this bastard, but then I “came to my senses” and realized that my affairs were “not very good.” Firstly, it turns out that the German tied me up in battle and tore me away from the attack aircraft’s cover. God forbid, while I was hanging out with him, the stormtroopers lost someone - I should have a “pale appearance and bow legs.”

Although my commander gave me the command for this battle, it turns out that, having gotten involved in a protracted battle, I chased after the “downed” one, and neglected to fulfill the main combat mission - covering the “silts”. Then explain why you couldn’t break away from the German, prove that you are not a camel. Secondly, if another “Messer” appears now, it will be the end of me, I’m tied. But, apparently, the German had the same thoughts, at least about the appearance of the second “Yak” he definitely had.

I see the German slowly moving away to the side. I pretend not to notice. He is on the wing and in a sharp dive, I am “full throttle” and away from him in the opposite direction! Well, to hell with you, you’re so skillful.”

To summarize, I. I. Kozhemyako said that the Messer was excellent as a maneuverable combat fighter. If there was a fighter then created specifically for maneuverable combat, it was the Messer! High-speed, highly maneuverable (especially on the vertical), highly dynamic. I don’t know about everything else, but if we take into account only speed and maneuverability, the Messer was almost ideal for a “dumping ground.” Another thing is that the majority of German pilots openly did not like this type of combat, and I still cannot understand why?

I don’t know what “didn’t allow” the Germans, but not the performance characteristics of the Messer. On the Kursk Bulge a couple of times they pulled us into such “carousels”, our heads almost flew off from spinning, so the “Messers” were spinning around us.

To be honest, throughout the war I dreamed of fighting in just such a fighter - fast and superior to everyone in the vertical. But it didn’t work out.”

And based on the memories of other World War II veterans, we can conclude that the Bf 109G was not at all suited to the role of a “flying log.” For example, the excellent horizontal maneuverability of the Bf 109G-14 was demonstrated by E. Hartmann in a battle with Mustangs at the end of June 1944, when he single-handedly shot down three fighters, and then managed to fight off eight P-51Ds, which failed even get into his car.

Dive. Some historians claim that the Bf109 is extremely difficult to control in a dive, the rudders are not effective, the plane “sucks in”, and the planes cannot withstand the loads. They probably draw these conclusions based on the conclusions of pilots who tested captured samples. As an example, I will give several such statements.

In April 1942, the future colonel and commander of the 9th IAD, ace with 59 aerial victories, A.I. Pokryshkin, arrived in Novocherkassk, with a group of pilots mastering the captured Bf109 E-4/N. According to him, two Slovak pilots flew over in Messerschmitts and surrendered. Perhaps Alexander Ivanovich got something wrong with the dates, since the Slovak fighter pilots at that time were still in Denmark, at the Karup Grove airfield, where they studied the Bf 109E. And on the eastern front, judging by the documents of the 52nd Fighter Squadron, they appeared on July 1, 1942 as part of 13.(Slovak.)/JG52. But, let's return to the memories.

“In just a few days in the zone, I practiced simple and complex aerobatics and began to confidently control the Messerschmitt.” We must pay tribute - the plane was good. It had a number of positive qualities compared to our fighters. In particular, the Me-109 had an excellent radio station, the front glass was armored, and the canopy was removable. We have only dreamed about this so far. But the Me-109 also had serious shortcomings. The diving qualities are worse than those of the MiG. I knew about this back at the front, when during reconnaissance I had to break away from groups of Messerschmitts attacking me in a steep dive.”

Another pilot, Englishman Eric Brown, who tested the Bf 109G-6/U2/R3/R6 in 1944 in Farnborough (Great Britain), speaks about the dive characteristics.

“With a relatively low cruising speed of only 386 km/h, the Gustav was simply wonderful to drive. However, as speed increased, the situation quickly changed. When diving at 644 km/h and experiencing high-speed pressure, the controls behaved as if they were frozen. Personally, I achieved a speed of 708 km/h during a dive from an altitude of 3000 m, and it seemed that the controls were simply blocked.”

And here is another statement, this time from the book “Fighter Aviation Tactics” published in the USSR in 1943: “The draft of the aircraft when recovering from a dive is large for the Me-109 fighter. A steep dive with a low altitude recovery is difficult for the Me-109 fighter. Changing direction during a dive and generally during an attack at high speed is also difficult for the Me-109 fighter.”

Now let's turn to the memoirs of other pilots. The pilot of the Normandy squadron, Francois de Joffre, an ace with 11 victories, recalls.

“The sun hits my eyes so hard that I have to make incredible efforts not to lose sight of Schall. He, like me, loves a crazy race. I line up next to him. Wing to wing we continue patrolling. Everything, it seemed, was going to end without any incident, when suddenly two Messerschmitts fell on us from above. We're caught off guard. Like crazy, I take the pen on myself. The car shudders terribly and rears up, but fortunately does not go into a tailspin. The Fritz's line passes 50 meters from me. If I had been a quarter of a second late with the maneuver, the German would have sent me straight to that world from which there is no return.

An air battle begins. (...) I have an advantage in maneuverability. The enemy senses this. He understands that now I am the master of the situation. Four thousand meters... Three thousand meters... We are rapidly rushing towards the ground... So much the better! The advantage of the “yak” must have an effect. I clench my teeth tighter. Suddenly, the “Messer”, all white, except for the ominous, black cross and the disgusting, spider-like swastika, emerges from its dive and flies off at low level to Goldap.

I try to keep up and, enraged with rage, I pursue him, squeezing out everything he can give from the “yak.” The arrow shows the speed of 700 or 750 kilometers per hour. I increase the dive angle and, when it reaches about 80 degrees, I suddenly remember Bertrand, who crashed at Alytus, the victim of a colossal load that destroyed the wing.

Instinctively, I take the handle. It seems to me that it is presented hard, even too hard. I pull again, carefully so as not to damage anything, and little by little I select it. Movements regain their former confidence. The nose of the plane faces the horizon. The speed drops somewhat. How timely it all is! I can hardly understand anything anymore. When, after a split second, consciousness fully returns to me, I see that the enemy fighter is rushing close to the ground, as if playing leapfrog with the white treetops.”

Now I think everyone understands what a “steep dive with a low-altitude exit” as performed by the Bf 109 is. As for A.I. Pokryshkin, he is right in his conclusion. The MiG-3, indeed, accelerated faster in a dive, but for different reasons. Firstly, it had more advanced aerodynamics, the wing and horizontal tail had a smaller relative profile thickness compared to the wing and tail of the Bf 109. And, as you know, it is the wing that creates the maximum drag of the aircraft in the air (about 50%). Secondly, the power of a fighter engine plays an equally important role. For the Mig, at low altitudes, it was approximately equal to or slightly higher than for the Messerschmitt. And thirdly, the MiG was heavier than the Bf 109E by almost 700 kilograms, and the Bf 109F by more than 600. In general, the slight advantage in each of the factors mentioned was reflected in the higher dive speed of the Soviet fighter.

Former pilot of the 41st GIAP, reserve colonel D. A. Alekseev, who fought on La-5 and La-7 fighters, recalls: “German fighter planes were strong. Fast, maneuverable, durable, with very strong weapons (especially the Fokker). In a dive they caught up with the La-5, and with a dive they broke away from us. Flip and dive, that's all we saw. By and large, in a dive, neither the Messer nor the Fokker even caught up with the La-7.”

However, D. A. Alekseev knew how to shoot down a Bf 109 going into a dive. But this “trick” could only be performed by an experienced pilot. “Although, even in a dive there is a chance to catch a German. The German is in a dive, you are behind him, and here you need to act correctly. Give full throttle and tighten the propeller as much as possible for a few seconds. In just these few seconds, “Lavochkin” literally makes a breakthrough. During this “jerk” it was quite possible to get close to the German at firing range. So they got close and shot down. But if you missed this moment, then it’s really all about catching up.”

Let's return to the Bf 109G-6, which E. Brown tested. There is also one “small” nuance here. This aircraft was equipped with a GM1 engine boost system; the 115-liter tank of this system was located behind the pilot's cabin. It is known for certain that the British failed to fill the GM1 with the appropriate mixture and simply poured gasoline into its tank. It is not surprising that with such an additional load of a total mass of 160 kg it is more difficult to bring the fighter out of a dive.

As for the figure given by the pilot of 708 km/h, then, in my opinion, either it is greatly underestimated, or he dived at a low angle. The maximum dive speed developed by any modification of the Bf 109 was significantly higher.

For example, from January to March 1943, at the Luftwaffe research center in Travemünde, the Bf 109F-2 was tested for maximum dive speed from various heights. In this case, the following results were obtained for the true (not instrumented) speed:

From the memoirs of German and English pilots it is clear that in battle sometimes higher dive speeds were achieved.

Without a doubt, the Bf109 accelerated perfectly in a dive and came out of it easily. At least none of the Luftwaffe veterans I know spoke negatively about the Messer’s dive. The pilot was greatly assisted in recovering from a steep dive by an in-flight adjustable stabilizer, which was used instead of a trimmer and was adjusted with a special steering wheel to an angle of attack from +3° to -8°.

Eric Brown recalled: “With the stabilizer set to level flight, a lot of force had to be applied to the control stick to pull the plane out of a dive at 644 km/h. If it was set to dive, the exit was somewhat difficult unless the helm was turned back. Otherwise, there will be excessive load on the handle.”

In addition, on all steering surfaces of the Messerschmitt there were flötners - plates bent on the ground, which made it possible to remove part of the load transmitted from the rudders to the handle and pedals. On machines of the “F” and “G” series, the flatners were increased in area due to increased speeds and loads. And on the modifications Bf 109G-14/AS, Bf 109G-10 and Bf109K-4, the flatners, in general, became double.

Luftwaffe technical personnel were very attentive to the flätner installation procedure. Before each combat flight, all fighters underwent careful adjustment using a special protractor. Perhaps the Allies, who tested captured German samples, simply did not pay attention to this point. And if the flätner was incorrectly adjusted, the loads transmitted to the controls could indeed increase several times.

To be fair, it should be noted that on the Eastern Front the battles took place at altitudes of 1000, up to 1500 meters, there was nowhere to go with a dive...

In mid-1943, at the Air Force Research Institute Joint tests of Soviet and German aircraft were carried out. Thus, in August they tried to compare the newest Yak-9D and La-5FN in training air battles with the Bf 109G-2 and FW 190A-4. The emphasis was placed on flight and combat qualities, in particular, on the maneuverability of fighters. Seven pilots at once, moving from cockpit to cockpit, conducted training battles, first in the horizontal and then in the vertical planes. The advantages in throttle response were determined by the acceleration of vehicles from a speed of 450 km/h to the maximum, and a free air battle began with a meeting of fighters during frontal attacks.

After the “battle” with the “three-point” “Messer” (piloted by Captain Kuvshinov), test pilot Senior Lieutenant Maslyakov wrote: “The La-5FN aircraft up to an altitude of 5000 m had an advantage over the Bf 109G-2 and could conduct an offensive battle in both horizontal, and in vertical planes. During turns, our fighter entered the enemy’s tail after 4-8 turns. On a vertical maneuver up to 3000 m, the Lavochkin had a clear advantage: it gained an “extra” 50-100 m during a combat turn and hill. From 3000 m this advantage decreased and at an altitude of 5000 m the planes became the same. When climbing to 6000 m, the La-5FN was slightly behind.

During the dive, the Lavochkin also lagged behind the Messerschmitt, but when the aircraft were withdrawn, it caught up with it again, due to its smaller radius of curvature. This point must be used in air combat. We must strive to fight a German fighter at altitudes up to 5000 m, using a combined maneuver in the horizontal and vertical planes.”

It turned out to be more difficult for the Yak-9D aircraft to “fight” German fighters. The relatively large supply of fuel had a negative impact on the Yak’s maneuverability, especially vertical. Therefore, their pilots were recommended to conduct battles on turns.

Combat pilots were given recommendations on the preferred tactics of combat with one or another enemy aircraft, taking into account the reservation scheme used by the Germans. The conclusion signed by the head of the institute’s department, General Shishkin, stated: “The serial Yak-9 and La-5 aircraft, in terms of their combat and flight-tactical data, up to an altitude of 3500-5000 m, are superior to the latest modifications of German fighters (Bf 109G-2 and FW 190A-4) and with proper operation of aircraft in the air, our pilots can successfully fight enemy aircraft.”

Below is a table of characteristics of Soviet and German fighters based on testing materials at the Air Force Research Institute. (For domestic cars, data from prototypes is given).

*Using boost mode

Real battles on the Soviet-German front were noticeably different from the “staged” ones at the testing institute. German pilots did not engage in maneuver battles in either the vertical or horizontal plane. Their fighters tried to shoot down a Soviet plane with a surprise attack, and then went into the clouds or into their territory. Stormtroopers also unexpectedly attacked our ground troops. It was rarely possible to intercept both of them. Special tests conducted at the Air Force Research Institute were aimed at developing techniques and methods for combating Focke-Wulf attack aircraft. They took part in captured FW 190A-8 No. 682011 and the “lightweight” FW 190A-8 No. 58096764, which were intercepted by the most modern fighters of the Red Army Air Force: the Yak-3. Yak-9U and La-7.

The “battles” showed that in order to successfully combat low-flying German aircraft, it is necessary to develop new tactics. After all, most often the Focke-Wulfs approached at low altitudes and left in low-level flight at maximum speeds. Under these conditions, it turned out to be difficult to detect the attack in a timely manner, and pursuit became more difficult, since the gray matte paint hid the German vehicle against the background of the terrain. In addition, the FW 190 pilots turned on the engine boost device at low altitudes. Testers determined that in this case, the Focke-Wulfs reached a speed of 582 km/h near the ground, i.e. neither the Yak-3 (the aircraft available at the Air Force Research Institute reached a speed of 567 km/h) nor the Yak-3 could catch up with them. 9U (575 km/h). Only the La-7 accelerated to 612 km/h in afterburner, but the speed reserve was insufficient to quickly reduce the distance between the two aircraft to aimed fire range. Based on the test results, the institute’s management issued recommendations: it is necessary to echelon our fighters on patrols at altitudes. In this case, the task of the upper tier pilots would be to disrupt the bombing, as well as to attack the covering fighters accompanying the attack aircraft, and the attack aircraft themselves would most likely be able to intercept the lower patrol vehicles, which had the opportunity to accelerate in a shallow dive.

Special mention should be made of the FW-190's armor protection. The appearance of the FW 190A-5 modification meant that the German command considered the Focke-Wulf as the most promising attack aircraft. Indeed, the already significant armor protection (its weight on the FW 190A-4 reached 110 kg) was strengthened by 16 additional plates weighing a total of 200 kg, mounted in the lower parts of the center section and engine. The removal of two Oerlikon wing cannons reduced the weight of a second salvo to 2.85 kg (for the FW 190A-4 it was 4.93 kg, for the La-5FN 1.76 kg), but made it possible to partially compensate for the increase in take-off weight and had a beneficial effect on aerobatic performance FW 190 - thanks to the forward shift of the centering, the stability of the fighter has increased. The altitude gain for a combat turn increased by 100 m, and the turn time was reduced by about a second. The plane accelerated to 582 km/h at 5000 m and gained this altitude in 12 minutes. Soviet engineers suggested that the real flight data of the FW190A-5 was higher, since the automatic mixture quality control functioned abnormally and there was heavy smoking from the engine even when operating on the ground.

At the end of the war, German aviation, although it posed a certain danger, did not conduct active combat operations. In conditions of complete air supremacy of Allied aviation, no most advanced aircraft could change the nature of the war. German fighters only defended themselves in extremely unfavorable conditions. In addition, there was practically no one to fly them, since the entire flower of German fighter aviation died in fierce battles on the Eastern Front.

* - The maneuverability of the aircraft in the horizontal plane is described by the turn time, i.e. full reversal time. The smaller the specific load on the wing, the smaller the radius of the turn, i.e., an aircraft with a larger wing and a lower flight weight (having a greater lift force, which here will be equal to the centrifugal force), will be able to perform a steeper turn. Obviously, an increase in lift with a simultaneous decrease in speed can occur when the wing mechanization is released (flaps are extended and the speed of automatic slats is reduced), however, exiting a turn at a lower speed is fraught with loss of initiative in combat.

Secondly, in order to perform a turn, the pilot must first bank the plane. The roll rate depends on the lateral stability of the aircraft, the effectiveness of the ailerons, and the moment of inertia, which is smaller (M=L m) the smaller the wing span and its mass. Hence, maneuverability will be worse for an aircraft with two engines on the wing, filled with tanks in the wing consoles or weapons mounted on the wing.

The maneuverability of an aircraft in the vertical plane is described by its rate of climb and depends, first of all, on the specific power load (the ratio of the mass of the aircraft to the power of its power plant and in other words expresses the number of kg of weight that one horsepower “carries”) and obviously at lower values ​​the aircraft has a higher rate of climb. Obviously, the rate of climb also depends on the ratio of the flight mass to the total aerodynamic drag.

Sources

• How to compare planes of World War II. /TO. Kosminkov, "Ace" No. 2,3 1991/
• Comparison of World War II fighters. /“Wings of the Motherland” No. 5 1991 Viktor Bakursky/
• Race for the ghost of speed. Fallen from the nest. /“Wings of the Motherland” No. 12 1993 Viktor Bakursky/
• The German trace in the history of domestic aviation. /Sobolev D.A., Khazanov D.B./
• Three myths about the "Messer" /Alexander Pavlov "AviAMaster" 8-2005./