In World War II, the Germans had the following aircraft, here is a list of them with photos:

1. Arado Ar 95 - German two-seater reconnaissance torpedo bomber floatplane

2. Arado Ar 196 - German military reconnaissance seaplane

3. Arado Ar 231 - German light single-engine military seaplane

4. Arado Ar 232 - German military transport aircraft

5. Arado Ar 234 Blitz - German jet bomber

6. Blomm Voss Bv.141 - the prototype of the German reconnaissance aircraft

7. Gotha Go 244 - German medium military transport aircraft

8. Dornier Do.17 - German twin-engine medium bomber

9. Dornier Do.217 - German multipurpose bomber

10. Messerschmitt Bf.108 Typhoon - German all-metal single-engine monoplane

11. Messerschmitt Bf.109 - German single-engine piston fighter-low-wing

12. Messerschmitt Bf.110 - German twin-engine heavy fighter

13. Messerschmitt Me.163 - German missile fighter-interceptor

14. Messerschmitt Me.210 - German heavy fighter

15. Messerschmitt Me.262 - German turbojet fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft

16. Messerschmitt Me.323 Giant - German heavy military transport aircraft with a payload capacity of up to 23 tons, the heaviest land aircraft

17. Messerschmitt Me.410 - German heavy fighter-bomber

18. Focke-Wulf Fw.189 - twin-engine twin-boom triple tactical reconnaissance aircraft

19. Focke-Wulf Fw.190 - German single-seat single-engine piston monoplane fighter

20. Focke-Wulf Ta 152 - German high-altitude interceptor

21. Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor - German 4-engine long-range multipurpose aircraft

22. Heinkel He-111 - German medium bomber

23. Heinkel He-162 - German single-engine jet fighter

24. Heinkel He-177 - German heavy bomber, twin-engine all-metal monoplane

25. Heinkel He-219 Uhu - twin-engine piston night fighter equipped with ejection seats

26. Henschel Hs.129 - German single-seat twin-engine specialized attack aircraft

27. Fieseler Fi-156 Storch - a small German aircraft

28. Junkers Ju-52 - German passenger and military transport aircraft

29. Junkers Ju-87 - German two-seat dive bomber and attack aircraft

30. Junkers Ju-88 - German multi-purpose aircraft

31. Junkers Ju-290 - German long-range naval reconnaissance (nicknamed "Flying Cabinet")

Battles in the air with the participation of more than one squadron of fighters and bombers were carried out as actively as on the ground. We will talk about the most famous aircraft models of this period of history.

Focke Wulf Fw 190 (Germany)

It belongs to the type of fast and maneuverable single-seat fighters, carrying on board a significant weapons stock, consisting of 4 machine guns and 2 cannons. A bomb rack was also provided, fixed in the center of the lower part of the fuselage.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress (USA)

The model aircraft was the most expensive US "toy" of the time. Development and implementation was carried out in the shortest possible time. The designers had high hopes for him.

B-25 Mitchell (USA)

The model is easy to manufacture, easy to repair, but at the same time, it performed a full range of various combat missions. None of the twin-engine bombers of this time were produced in such quantities.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (USA)

One of the most popular planes of World War II.

Durable, with a long service life, in terms of combat characteristics, it is somewhat inferior to similar enemy equipment.

Consokidated B-24 Liberator (USA)

A heavy military bomber, which, however, did not win the due popularity, like the B-17.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero (Japan)

A successful fighter-interceptor, in the first six months of hostilities, stunned Western pilots. His superiority in the air was obvious, although after a while it came to naught.

Grumman F6F Hellcat (USA)

The aircraft had several advantages: a powerful and reliable Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine and a high level of pilot training.

P-51 Mustang (USA)

This aircraft model terrified the Luftwaffe. He not only accompanied heavy bombers on long-distance flights, but also actively engaged in combat, and, if necessary, attacked and destroyed enemy aircraft.

Lockheed P-38 Lightning (USA)

The best fighter of the Second World War.

Boeing B-17 (USA)

The four-engine bomber was the most popular modification of that time. Despite the undeniable advantages, the sanctions of the US Congress on the purchase of this model for arming the country were postponed until the reality of the Second World War hanging over the world became obvious.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 (Germany)

One of the simple models of Willy Messerschmitt, produced in large quantities.

Douglas SBD Dauntless (USA)

Deck dive bomber - a thunderstorm of Japanese cruisers.

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (Germany)

Single-seat dive bomber, popular during World War II.

Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire (GB)

British fighter-interceptor, used until the 50s.

Grumman F4F Wildcat (USA)

Single-seat fighter-bomber: participating in hostilities, gradually became a leader and earned well-deserved fame.

Yakovlev Yak-9 (USSR)

A greater number of light metal parts increased the speed and maneuverability of aircraft of this modification. Refers to fighter-bombers.

Chance Vought F4U Corsair (USA)

high speed and firepower explained the superiority of the model in military operations with Japan. With its help, 2140 enemy aircraft were shot down, the losses of aircraft of this model amounted to 189 units.

Messerschmitt Me 262 (Germany)

He was the first "swallow" of a group of jet fighters and the first model of aircraft of this class involved in hostilities.

Martin B-10 (USA)

The mid-range bomber, with a high speed of 210 miles per hour, was flying at an altitude of 2400 feet - a breakthrough in aviation.

Polikarpov I-16 (USSR)

An undeservedly forgotten aircraft in the history of World War II, the single-engine fighter had a wooden structure and plywood skin. Although it had some problems in flight, its high climb speed and maneuverability made it possible to successfully introduce it into production.

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

In the 20s, and even in the early 30s, the aviation of the USSR had a fleet of aircraft, mainly of foreign production (only Tupolev aircraft appeared - ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which becamelater the legendary U-2, etc.). The aircraft that were in service with the Red Army were multi-brand, had outdated designs and poor technical condition. air routes of the North / research of the Northern Sea Route / and the implementation of government special flights. It should be noted that civil aviationin the pre-war period, it practically did not develop, with the exception of the opening of a number of unique, "demonstrative" airlines or episodic flights of ambulance and service aviation.

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

Germany's famous rigid airshipdesign "Graf Zeppepelin" explored the North, was equipped with cabins for passengers, had a significant range and quitehigh cruising speed / up to 130 and more km / h, providedseveral Maybach-designed motors. There were even several dog teams 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 on board 5-7 aircraft and transported up to 200 passengers, not counting several tons of cargo at a distance of up to 17 thousand km. without landing. These airships were already safe, because. were filled with inert gas helium, and not hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, the complexity of storage and maintenance predetermined the end of the era of airships. Experiments with balloons came to an end, which proved the unsuitability of the latter for active combat operations. We needed a new generation of aviation with new technical and combat performance.

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

Already by the 2nd five-year plan (1933-37), aviation workers had a significant production base, a support for the further development of the air force. fleet.

In the thirties, by order of Stalin, demonstrative, but in fact test, flights of bombers "camouflaged" as civilian aircraft were made. At the same time, aviators Slepnev, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molokov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.

In 1937, the Soviet fighter aviation passed combat tests in Spain and demonstrated a technical lag. AircraftPolikarpov (type I-15,16) were defeated by the latest German machines. The race to the bottom began again. Stalin gave the designersindividual tasks for new aircraft models, widely and generously dividedThere were bonuses and benefits - the designers worked tirelessly and demonstrated a high level of talent and preparedness.

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

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

The use of radio on board aircraft began.

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

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

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

Mutual exchange of information on the state of the armed forces of the three states (England, France and the USSR), represented in Moscow in August1939, i.e. before the partition of Poland, showed that the numberfirst-line aircraft in France is 2 thousand pieces. Of these, twoa third were completely modern aircraft. By 1940, it was planned to increase the number of aircraft in France to 3000 units. Englishaviation, according to Marshal Burnet, had about 3,000 units, and the potential for production was 700 aircraft per month.German industry was mobilized only at the beginning1942, after which the number of weapons began to grow sharply.

Of all the domestic fighter aircraft ordered by Stalin, the most successful options were LAGG, MiG and Yak.The IL-2 attack aircraft delivered a lot to its designer Ilyushinneny. Made initially with rear hemisphere protection (double)he, on the eve of the attack on Germany, did not suit the customers of hisextravagance." 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 design closer to the "clear sky" aircraft. Hitler violated Stalin's plans and the plane had to be urgently returned to the original design at the beginning of the war.

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

The doctrine of war on "foreign territory" and "little bloodshed" led tothe emergence of a "clear sky" aircraft intended for the unpunishedraids on bridges, airfields, cities, factories. Before the war hundreds of thousands

young men were preparing to transfer to a new one, developed post-Stalincompetition, the SU-2 aircraft, of which it was planned to manufacture 100-150 thousand pieces before the war. This required accelerated training of the corresponding number of pilots and technicians. SU-2 - in its essence the Soviet Yu-87, and in Russia did not stand the test of time, because. There was no "clear sky" for either country during the war.

Air defense zones were formed with fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery. An unprecedented call to aviation began, voluntarily andforcibly. Almost all the few civil aviationwas mobilized in the Air Force. Dozens of aviation schools were opened, incl. super-accelerated (3-4 months) training, traditionally the officer corps at the helm or the control handle of the aircraft was replaced by a sergeant - an unusual fact and testifies to the rush to prepare for the war. Airfields (about 66 airfields) were urgently advanced to the borders, fuel, bombs, in a special secret, raids on German airfields, on the oil fields of Ploiesti were detailed ...

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

Denoting the timing of the attack on Soviet Union Hitler's comanThe government set the following tasks for the Luftwaffe:

1.Sudden strike on Soviet airfields to defeatSoviet aviation.

2. To achieve complete air supremacy.

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

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

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

Germany dealt a crushing blow to our airfields. Only for 8hours of the war were lost 1200 aircraft, occurred mass death flight personnel, storages and all stocks were destroyed. Historians noted the strange "crowding" of our aviation at airfields the day beforewar and complained about the "mistakes" and "miscalculations" of the command (i.e. Stalin)and evaluation of events. In fact, "crowding" portends planssuper-massive strike on targets and confidence in impunity, which did not happen. Air force flight crews, especially bombers, suffered heavy losses due to the lack of support fighters, there was a tragedy of the death of perhaps the most advanced and powerful air fleet inthe history of mankind, which was to be revived anew under the blows enemy.

It must be admitted that the Nazis managed to implement their air war plans in 1941 and the first half of 1942 to a large extent. Almost all available forces were thrown against the Soviet Union G Nazi aviation, including units removed from the Western Front. Atit was assumed that after the first successful operations, part of the bombsinterception and fighter formations will be returned to the Westfor the war with England. At the beginning of the war, the Nazis had not only numerical superiority. Their advantage was that the flightthe cadres who took part in the air attack have already been seriouslynew school of fighting with French, Polish and English pilots. Ontheir side 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 the I-15,I-16, SB, TB-3 could not compete with the latest Messerschmitts and"Junkers". Nevertheless, in the unfolding air battles, even on the lipsthe dead types of aircraft, Russian pilots inflicted damage on the Germans. From 22June to July 19, Germany lost 1300 aircraft only in the air battles.

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

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

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

On the very first day of the war, fighter pilot Kokorev distinguished himself by ramming an enemy fighter, the feat of the crew is known to the whole worldGastello (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 to attack enemy columns), who threw his burning car onto a cluster of German vehicles.Despite the losses, the Germans in all directions brought into battle everythingnew and new fighters and bombers. They have thrown the front4940 aircraft, including 3940 German, 500 Finnish, 500 Romanianand achieved complete air supremacy.

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

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

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

The task was not only to restore the production of aircraft,but also significantly increase their quantity and quality. In December1941of the year, the aircraft production plan was completed by less than 40percent, and motors - only 24 percent.In the most difficult conditions, under bombs, in the cold, the cold of Siberian wintersbackup factories were launched one after another.technologies, new types of materials were used (not at the expense of quality), women and teenagers stood up for the machines.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, Germany used significant amounts of aircraft, but the power of the Air Force for the first time ensured air supremacy.

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

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

In the air battle for Berlin, the enemy took part in 1500 painful aircraft based on 40 airfields near Berlin. In history, this is the most aircraft-saturated air battle, and one should take into account the highest level of combat training on both sides.The Luftwaffe fought aces who shot down 100,150 or more aircraft (a record300 downed combat aircraft).

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

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

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

The success of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's Air Force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force And aground 8818 combat aircraft, and German - 3073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR surpassed Germany by 2,7 ​​times. By June 1944, the German Air Forcealready 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 terms of the number of aircraft. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare the reliability, durability and strength of our and German aircraft, as well as to analyze the tactical and strategic use of aviation in the war of 1941-1945. Apparently, these comparisons would not be in our favor and would conditionally reduce such a striking difference in numbers. Nevertheless, perhaps, the simplification of the design was the only way out in the absence of qualified specialists, materials, equipment and other components for the production of reliable and high-quality equipment in the USSR, especially since, unfortunately, in Russian army traditionally take "number", not skill.

Aviation armament was also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, later appearedand a 45 mm cannon.

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

Greffoat writes: “Counting on the fact that the war with Russia, like the war in the West, would be lightning fast, Hitler assumed, after achieving the first successes in the East, to transfer bomber units, as well asthe required number of aircraft back to the West. The East mustwere to remain air connections intended for directsupport of the German troops, as well as military transport units and a certain number of fighter squadrons ... "

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

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

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

The aviation industry of the USSR produced 15,735 aircraft in 1941. In the difficult year of 1942, in the conditions of the evacuation of aviation enterprises, 25,436 aircraft were produced, in 1943 - 34,900 aircraft, for1944 - 40,300 aircraft, 20,900 aircraft were produced in the first half of 1945. Already in the spring of 1942, all factories evacuated from the central regions of the USSR beyond the Urals and to Siberia fully mastered the production of aviation equipment and weapons. Most of these factories were in new places in 1943 and 1944 years gave products several times more than before the evacuation.

In addition to its own resources, Germany possessed 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, the production of aircraft exceeded the figures of 1941 by 3.8 times.

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

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

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

The fundamental improvement of the aircraft is its transformationchange from propeller to jet. To increase flight speedput a more powerful engine. However, at speeds over 700 km/hspeed gain from engine power cannot be achieved. Exithouse out of position is the application of traction.Applicableturbojet / turbojet / or liquid-propellant / rocket engine / engine.the second half of the 30s in the USSR, England, Germany, Italy, later - inThe United States intensively created a jet aircraft. In 1938, lanes appeared.the world's highest, German BMW jet engines, Junkers. In 1940made test flights of the first Campini-Capro jet aircraftnor", created in Italy, later the German Me-262, Me-163 appearedXE-162. In 1941, the Gloucester aircraft with a jet was tested in England.engine, and in 1942 they tested a jet aircraft in the USA - "Airokomet". In England, a twin-engine jet aircraft "Metheor", who took part in the war. In 1945, on the plane "MeTheor-4" was set a world speed record of 969.6 km / h.

In the USSR in the initial period practical work on the creation of reactactive engines was carried out in the direction of the rocket engine. Under the guidanceS.P.Koroleva., A.F.Tsander designers A.M.Isaev, L.S.Dushkindesignedhoisted the first domestic jet engines. The pioneer of the turbojetactive engines was A.M. Lyulka.At the beginning of 1942, G. Bakhchivandzhi made the first flight to the jetactive domestic aircraft. Soon this pilot diedduring aircraft testing.Work on the creation of a practical jet aircraftresumed after the war with the creation of the Yak-15, MiG-9 using notGerman jet engines YuMO.

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

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

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

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

During the war years, they were unable to establish in the Soviet Union the serial production of turbochargers and two-stage superchargers, multifunctional propulsion automation devices, similar to the German “commandogerat”, powerful 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, thanks to which the Americans overcame the milestone in 2000, and then in 2500 hp Well, work on water-methanol boosting of engines in our country by and large nobody took it seriously. All this severely limited aircraft designers in creating fighters with higher flight performance than the enemy.

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

For a long time, our aircraft industry compensated for the lag in quality due to quantity. Already in 1942, despite the evacuation of 3/4 of the production capacities of the aviation industry, 40% more combat aircraft were produced in the USSR than in Germany. In 1943, Germany made significant efforts to increase the production of combat aircraft, but nevertheless the Soviet Union built more of them by 29%. Only in 1944, through the total mobilization of the resources of the country and occupied Europe, did the Third Reich catch 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 every combat aircraft produced in the USSR, there were 8 times less than units machine park, 4.3 times less electricity and 20% fewer workers than in Germany! Moreover, more than 40% of the workers in the Soviet aviation industry in 1944 were women, and over 10% were teenagers under 18 years old.

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

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

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

Russian history

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 recall Soviet aircraft that successfully participated in military operations, and the exploits of pilots.

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

Photo from en.wikipedia.org

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

Photo from pro-warthunder.ru

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

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

Photo from zstg44.narod.ru

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

Photo from the site aviaru.rf

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

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

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

World War II was a war in which the air force played a key role in combat. Prior to this, aircraft could affect the results of one battle, but not the course of the entire war. A huge leap forward in the field of aerospace engineering has led to the fact that the air front has become an important part of the war effort. Since this was of great importance, the opposing nations constantly sought to develop new aircraft in order to defeat the enemy. Today we will talk about a dozen unusual aircraft from the Second World War, which you may not have even heard of.

1. Kokusai Ki-105

In 1942, during the fighting on pacific ocean, Japan realized that it needed large aircraft that could deliver the provisions and ammunition needed to conduct maneuver warfare against the allied forces. At the request of the government, the Japanese company Kokusai developed the Ku-7 aircraft. This huge twin-boom glider was large enough to carry light tanks. The Ku-7 was considered one of the heaviest gliders developed during World War II. When it became clear that the fighting in the Pacific was dragging on, the Japanese military leaders decided to focus on the production of fighters and bombers instead of transport aircraft. Work on the improvement of the Ku-7 continued, but at a slow pace.

In 1944, the Japanese war effort began to fail. Not only did they quickly lose ground to the rapidly advancing Allied forces, but they also faced a fuel crisis. Most of the Japanese oil industry facilities were either captured or were short of materials, so the military was forced to start looking for alternatives. At first, they planned to use pine nuts to produce a substitute for petroleum feedstock. Unfortunately, the process dragged on and led to mass felling forests. When this plan failed miserably, the Japanese decided to supply fuel from Sumatra. The only way to do this was to use the long forgotten Ku-7 aircraft. Kokusai fitted the airframe with two engines, expansion tanks, essentially creating the Ki-105's flying fuel tank.

The plan initially had a lot of flaws. First, to get to Sumatra, the Ki-105 had to use up all of its fuel. Secondly, the Ki-105 aircraft could not carry crude oil, so the fuel had to be extracted and processed at the oilfield first. (The Ki-105 only ran on refined fuel.) Thirdly, the Ki-105 would use up 80% of its fuel on its return flight, leaving nothing for the military. Fourth, the Ki-105 was slow and unmaneuverable, making it easy prey for Allied fighters. Fortunately for Japanese pilots, the war ended, and the program to use the Ki-105 aircraft was closed.

2. Henschel Hs-132

At the start of World War II, Allied forces were terrorized by the infamous Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber. The Ju-87 Stuka dropped bombs with incredible accuracy, resulting in huge losses. However, as Allied aircraft reached higher performance standards, the Ju-87 Stuka proved unable to compete with the enemy's fast and agile fighters. Not wanting to abandon the idea of ​​picketing bombers, the German air command ordered the creation of a new jet aircraft.

The design of the bomber proposed by Henschel was quite simple. Henschel's engineers managed to create an aircraft that was incredibly fast, especially when diving. Due to the emphasis on speed and dive performance, the Hs-132 had a number of unusual features. The jet engine was located on top of the aircraft. This, along with the narrow fuselage, required the pilot to take a rather odd position while flying the bomber. The Hs-132 pilots had to lie on their stomachs and look out the small glassed-in nose to see where to fly.

The prone position helped the pilot counteract the force that created the g-force, especially when he quickly climbed to avoid hitting the ground. Unlike most of the German experimental aircraft produced at the end of the war, the Hs-132 could have caused a lot of problems for the Allies if produced in large numbers. Luckily for the Allied ground forces, Soviet soldiers took over the Henschel factory before the prototypes were completed.

3. Blohm & Voss Bv 40

The United States Air Force and British Bomber Command played a key role in the Allied victory. The air forces of these two countries carried out countless raids on German troops, in fact, depriving them of the ability to wage war. By 1944, Allied aircraft were bombing German factories and cities almost unhindered. Faced with a significant decrease in the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe (the air force of Nazi Germany), German aircraft manufacturers began to come up with ways to counter enemy air attacks. One of them was the creation of the Bv 40 aircraft (the creation of the mind of the famous engineer Richard Vogt). The Bv 40 is the only known fighter glider.

Given the decline in the technical and material capabilities of the German aircraft industry, Vogt designed the glider as simply as possible. It was made of metal (cabin) and wood (the rest). Even though the Bv 40 could be built even by a person without special skills and education, Vogt wanted to make sure that the glider would not be so easily shot down. Since it did not need an engine, its fuselage was very narrow. Due to the recumbent position of the pilot, the front of the glider was significantly reduced. Vogt hoped that the high speed and small size of the glider would make it invulnerable.

Bv 40 was lifted into the air by two Bf 109 fighters. Once at the appropriate height, the towing aircraft "released" the glider. After that, the Bf 109 pilots began their attack, to which the Bv 40 later joined. To develop the speed necessary for an effective attack, the glider pilot had to dive at an angle of 20 degrees. Given this, the pilot had only a few seconds to open fire on the target. The Bv 40 was equipped with two 30mm guns. Despite successful tests, for some reason the glider was not accepted into service. The German command decided to focus its efforts on creating interceptors with a turbojet engine.

4. Rotabuggy by Raoul Hafner

One of the problems that military commanders faced during World War II was the delivery of military equipment to the front lines. To address this issue, countries have experimented with different ideas. British aerospace engineer Raoul Hafner had the crazy idea to equip all vehicles with helicopter propellers.

Hafner had many ideas on how to increase the mobility of British troops. One of his first projects was the Rotachute, a small autogyro that could be dropped from a transport plane with one soldier inside. This was an attempt to replace parachutes during an airborne landing. When Hafner's idea didn't catch on, he took on two other projects, Rotabuggy and Rotatank. The Rotabuggy was eventually built and tested.

Before attaching the rotor to the jeep, Hafner first decided to check what would be left of the car after the fall. To this end, he loaded the jeep with concrete objects and dropped it from a height of 2.4 meters. The test car (it was a Bentley) was successful, after which Hafner designed the rotor and tail to make it look like a gyroplane.

The British Air Force became interested in the Hafner project and conducted the first test flight of the Rotabuggy, which ended in failure. Theoretically, the autogyro could fly, but it was extremely difficult to control them. Hafner's project failed.

5 Boeing YB-40

When the German bombing campaigns began, the Allied bomber crews faced a fairly strong and well-trained enemy in the face of Luftwaffe pilots. The problem was further aggravated by the fact that neither the British nor the Americans had effective escort fighters to conduct ranged. Under such conditions, their bombers suffered defeat after defeat. The British Bomber Command ordered night bombing while the Americans continued their daytime raids and suffered heavy losses. Finally, a way out of the situation was found. It was the creation of the YB-40 escort fighter, which was a modified model of the B-17, equipped with an incredible number of machine guns.

To create the YB-40, the US Air Force signed a contract with the Vega Corporation. The modified B-17 aircraft had two additional turrets and twin machine guns, which allowed the YB-40 to defend itself against frontal attacks.

Unfortunately, all these changes significantly increased the weight of the aircraft, which caused problems during the first test flights. In combat, the YB-40 was much slower than the rest of the bombers in the B-17 series. Due to these significant shortcomings, further work on the YB-40 project was completely discontinued.

6.Interstate TDR

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes, sometimes highly controversial, is hallmark military conflicts of the XXI century. While drones are generally considered a new invention, they have been in use since World War II. While the Luftwaffe command invested in the creation of unmanned guided missiles, the United States of America was the first to put into service remotely piloted aircraft. The US Navy has invested in two projects to build unmanned aerial vehicles. The second ended with the successful birth of the "flying torpedo" TDR.

The idea to create unmanned aerial vehicles arose as early as 1936, but was not realized until the Second World War began. The engineers of the American television company RCA have developed a compact device for receiving and transmitting information, which made it possible to control the TDR using a television transmitter. The leadership of the US Navy believed that accurate weapons would be crucial in stopping Japanese shipping, so they ordered the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle. In order to reduce the use of strategic materials in the manufacture of the flying bomb, the TDR was built primarily from wood and had a simple design.

Initially, the TDR was launched from the ground by the control crew. When he reached the required height, he was taken under control by a specially modified TBM-1C Avenger torpedo bomber, which, keeping a certain distance from the TDR, directed him to the target. One squadron of Avengers flew 50 TDR missions, landing 30 successful strikes against the enemy. The Japanese troops were shocked by the actions of the Americans, as they turned out to have resorted to kamikaze tactics.

Despite the success of the strikes, the US Navy became disillusioned with the idea of ​​unmanned aerial vehicles. By 1944, the allied forces had almost complete air superiority in the Pacific theater of operations, and the need to use complex experimental weapons disappeared.

7. Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster

At the height of the Second World War, the famous American aircraft manufacturer "Douglas" decided to start developing a revolutionary bomber aircraft in order to bridge the gap between light and high-altitude heavy bombers. Douglas focused its efforts on building the XB-42 high-speed bomber capable of outrunning Luftwaffe interceptors. If the Douglas engineers had managed to make the aircraft fast enough, they could have given most of the fuselage to the bomb load, reducing the significant number of defensive machine guns that were present on almost all heavy bombers.

The XB-42 was equipped with two engines, which were located inside the fuselage, and not on the wings, and a pair of propellers rotating in different directions. Given the fact that speed was a priority, the XB-42 bomber accommodated a crew of three. The pilot and his assistant were inside separate "bubble" lights located next to each other. The scorer was located in the bow of the XB-42. Defensive weapons were reduced to a minimum. The XB-42 had two remote-controlled defensive turrets. All innovation paid off. The XB-42 was capable of speeds up to 660 kilometers per hour and contained bombs with a total weight of 3600 kilograms.

The XB-42 turned out to be an excellent front-line bomber, but by the time it was ready for mass production, the war was already over. The XB-42 project fell victim to the changing desires of the US Air Force command; he was rejected, after which the Douglas company began to create a jet-powered bomber. The XB-43 Jetmaster was successful, but did not attract the attention of the United States Air Force. Nevertheless, it became the first American jet bomber, paving the way for other aircraft of its kind.

The original XB-42 bomber is stored at the National Air and Space Museum and in this moment awaiting its turn for restoration. During transport, his wings mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again.

8 General Aircraft G.A.L. 38 Fleet Shadower

Before the advent of electronics and precision weapons aircraft were developed in accordance with a specific combat mission. During World War II, this need led to a number of absurd specialized aircraft, including the General Aircraft G.A.L. 38 Fleet Shadower.

At the start of World War II, Great Britain was threatened by the huge German navy (Kriegsmarine). German ships blocked the English waterways and interfered with logistics. Since the ocean is large, it was extremely difficult to scout the positions of enemy ships, especially before the advent of radar. In order to be able to track the position of the Kriegsmarine ships, the Admiralty needed surveillance aircraft that could fly at night at low speed and high altitude, reconnaissance of the positions of the enemy fleet and reporting them by radio. Two companies - "Airspeed" and "General Aircraft" - simultaneously invented two almost identical aircraft. However, the "General Aircraft" model turned out to be more strange.

Aircraft G.A.L. 38 was technically a biplane, despite the fact that it had four wings, and the length of the bottom pair was three times less than the top. The crew of the G.A.L. 38 consisted of three people - a pilot, an observer, who was in the glazed nose, and a radio operator, located in the rear fuselage. Since planes move much faster than battleships, G.A.L. 38 was designed to fly slowly.

Like most specialized aircraft, the G.A.L. 38 eventually became unnecessary. With the invention of radar, the Admiralty decided to focus on patrol bombers (such as the Liberator and Sunderland).

9. Messerschmitt Me-328

The Me-328 aircraft was never accepted into service because the Luftwaffe and Messerschmitt could not decide on the functions that it was supposed to perform. The Me-328 was a conventional small sized fighter. Messerschmitt presented three Me-328 models at once. The first was a small non-powered fighter glider, the second was powered by pulse jet engines, and the third was powered by conventional jet engines. All of them had a similar fuselage and a simple wooden structure.

However, as Germany was desperate to find a way to turn the tide of the air war, Messerschmitt offered several Me-328 models. Hitler approved the Me-328 bomber, which had four pulse jet engines, but it was never put into production.

Caproni Campini N.1 looks and sounds very similar to a jet aircraft, but in fact it is not. This experimental aircraft was designed to bring Italy one step closer to the jet age. By 1940, Germany had already developed the world's first jet aircraft, but kept this project a closely guarded secret. For this reason, Italy was mistakenly considered the country that developed the world's first jet turbine engine.

While the Germans and the British were experimenting with the gas turbine engine that helped create the first true jet aircraft, the Italian engineer Secondo Campini decided to create a "motorjet engine" (English motorjet), which was installed in the forward fuselage. According to the principle of operation, it was very different from a real gas turbine engine.

It is curious that the Caproni Campini N.1 aircraft had a small space at the end of the engine (something like an afterburner) where the fuel combustion process took place. The N.1 engine was similar to the jet front and rear, but otherwise fundamentally different from it.

And although the design of the engine of the Caproni Campini N.1 aircraft was innovative, its performance was not particularly impressive. The N.1 was huge, bulky and unmaneuverable. The large size of the "motor-compressor air-jet engine" proved to be a deterrent to combat aircraft.

Due to its massiveness and the shortcomings of the “motor-compressor air-jet engine”, the N.1 aircraft developed a speed of no more than 375 kilometers per hour, much less than modern fighters and bombers. During the first long-range test flight, the N.1 afterburner "ate" too much fuel. For this reason, the project was closed.

All these failures did not inspire confidence in the Italian commanders, who by 1942 had more serious problems(for example, the need to defend one's homeland) than a worthless investment in dubious concepts. With the outbreak of World War II, testing of the Caproni Campini N.1 was completely stopped, and the aircraft was put into storage.

The Soviet Union also experimented with a similar concept, but air-jet powered aircraft were never put into mass production.

Somehow, the N.1 prototype survived World War II and is now a museum piece showing interesting technology that, unfortunately, proved to be a dead end.

The material was prepared by Rosemarina - based on an article from listverse.com

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