What were WWII airplanes made of? Five of the best Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War. Destruction failed
Many countries entered World War II with obsolete types of combat aircraft. This concerns, first of all, the countries of the anti-fascist coalition, while the "axis" countries, which were the first to start active operations (Germany, Japan), re-equipped their aviation in advance. The qualitative superiority of the Axis aviation, which managed to gain air supremacy, over the aviation of the Western powers and the USSR largely explains the successes of the Germans and Japanese in early stages Second World War.
TB is short for "heavy bomber". It was created in the design bureau of A.N. Tupolev back in 1930. Equipped with four piston engines, the aircraft developed a maximum speed of less than 200 km / h. The practical ceiling was less than 4 km. Although the aircraft was armed with several (from 4 to 8) 7.62-mm machine guns, with its own performance characteristics(TTX) it was easy prey for fighters and could only be used with strong fighter cover or against an enemy that did not expect an attack. TB-3 at low speed and flight altitude and huge size was a convenient target for anti-aircraft artillery, including at night, as it was well illuminated by searchlights. In fact, it became obsolete almost immediately after it was put into service. This was shown by the Japanese-Chinese war that began already in 1937, where TB-3s fought on the Chinese side (some with Soviet crews).
In the same 1937, the production of TB-3 ceased, and in 1939 it was officially withdrawn from service with bomber squadrons. However, his combat use continued. So, on the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war, they bombed Helsinki and achieved success there, because the Finns did not expect an attack. By the beginning of World War II, more than 500 TB-3 remained in service. Due to the huge losses of Soviet aircraft in the first weeks of the war, ineffective attempts were made to use the TB-3 as a night bomber. In connection with the commissioning of more advanced machines, by the end of 1941, the TB-3 was completely retrained as a military transport aircraft.
Or ANT-40 (SB - high-speed bomber). This twin-engine monoplane was also developed at the Tupolev bureau. By the time it was put into service in 1936, it was one of the best front-line bombers in the world in terms of its performance characteristics. This was shown by the civil war that began soon in Spain. In October 1936, the USSR delivered the first 31 SB-2s to the Spanish Republic, in total there in 1936-1938. received 70 of these machines. The combat qualities of the SB-2 turned out to be quite high, although their intensive combat use led to the fact that by the time the Republic was defeated, only 19 of these aircraft had survived. Their engines turned out to be especially unreliable, so the Francoists converted captured SB-2s with French engines and used them in this form as training until 1951. SB-2 also proved to be quite good in the skies of China until 1942, although they could only be used under fighter cover - without it they became easy prey Japanese fighters"Zero". The enemies had more advanced fighters, and by the beginning of the 40s the SB-2 was morally completely obsolete.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the SB-2 was the main aircraft of the Soviet bomber aviation - it accounted for 90% of the machines of this class. On the very first day of the war, they suffered heavy losses even at the airfields. Their combat use, as a rule, ended tragically. So, on June 22, 1941, 18 SB-2s made an attempt to strike at German crossings across the Western Bug. All 18 were shot down. On June 30, 14 SB-2s, together with a group of other aircraft, attacked German mechanized columns while crossing the Western Dvina. 11 SB-2s lost. The next day, when trying to repeat the attack in the same area, all nine SB-2s participating in it were shot down by German fighters. These failures forced the same summer to stop the production of SB-2, and the remaining such machines were used as night bombers. The effectiveness of their bombing was low. However, the SB-2 continued to be in service until 1943.
Aircraft designed by N.N. Polikarpov was the main fighter of the Soviet Air Force in the first year of the war. In total, about 10 thousand of these machines were produced, almost all of which were destroyed or crashed before the end of 1942. The I-16 had many of the virtues that emerged during the war in Spain. So, he had a retractable landing gear, he was armed with automatic aircraft 20-mm guns. But maximum speed 470 km / h was already clearly insufficient to fight enemy fighters in 1941. I-16s suffered heavy losses already in the sky of China from Japanese fighters in 1937-1941. But the main drawback was poor handling. The I-16 was purposely made dynamically unstable, as it was erroneously assumed that this quality would make it difficult for the enemy to fire on it. This, first of all, made it difficult for him to control his pilots and made it impossible to purposefully maneuver in battle. The plane often fell into a tailspin and crashed. Explicit combat superiority German Me-109s and a high accident rate forced the I-16 to be taken out of production in 1942.
French fighter Morane-Saulnier MS.406
The backwardness of the I-16 is clearly visible when compared with the MS.406, which formed the basis of French fighter aircraft by the beginning of World War II, but was already noticeably inferior in terms of its performance characteristics to the German Me-109. He developed a speed of up to 480 km / h and at the time of its adoption in 1935 was a first-class aircraft. Its superiority over Soviet aircraft of the same class was reflected in Finland in the winter of 1939/40, where, piloted by Finnish pilots, they shot down 16 Soviet aircraft, losing only one of their own. But in May-June 1940, in the skies over Belgium and France in battles with German aircraft, the loss ratio turned out to be the opposite: 3:1 more for the French.
Italian Fiat CR.32 fighter
Italy, unlike the major Axis powers, had done little to modernize its air force by the start of World War II. The Fiat CR.32 biplane, put into service in 1935, remained the most massive fighter. For the war with Ethiopia, which did not have aviation, his fighting qualities were brilliant, for civil war in Spain, where CR.32s fought for the Francoists, seemed satisfactory. In the air battles that began in the summer of 1940, not only with the English Hurricanes, but also with the already mentioned French MS.406s, the slow-moving and poorly armed CR.32s were absolutely helpless. Already in January 1941, he had to be removed from service.
Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War is a topic that deserves special attention. After all, it was aviation that played a huge role in the victory over fascism. Without the winged assistants of the USSR army, it would have been much harder to defeat the enemy. Warbirds significantly brought closer the cherished moment that cost the lives of millions of Soviet citizens ...And although at the very beginning of the war our forces lost more than nine hundred aircraft, by the middle of it, thanks to the selfless work of designers, engineers and ordinary workers, domestic aviation was again at its best. So, what kind of steel birds carried victory on their wings to the Motherland?
MiG-3
At that time, this fighter, designed on the basis of the MiG-1, was considered the highest altitude and became a real thunderstorm for German kites. He was able to climb 1200 meters, and it was here that he felt best, developing top speed(up to 600 kilometers per hour). But at an altitude of less than 4.5 km, the MiG-3 significantly lost to other fighters. The very first battle involving this aircraft model dates back to July 22, 1941. He took place over Moscow and was successful. The German plane was shot down. Throughout the Second World War, MiG-3 fighters guarded the sky over the capital of the Soviet Union.
The brainchild of the design bureau of Alexander Yakovlev, which in the 30s was engaged in the production of light sports "birds". Serial production of the first fighter began in 1940, and at the dawn of the war, Yak-1 aircraft took an active part in hostilities. And already in the 42nd Soviet aviation received the Yak-9.
The fighter boasted excellent maneuverability, which made it the king of close combat situations at relatively low altitudes. Another feature of the model was its lightness, achieved by replacing wood with duralumin.
Over 6 years of production, more than 17 thousand aircraft of this model rolled off the assembly line, and this allows us to call it the most massive among the "birds" of this kind. The Yak-9 survived 22 modifications, having been a fighter-bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft, a passenger aircraft, and a training aircraft. In the enemy camp, this car received the nickname "killer", which says a lot.
The fighter, which has become one of the most successful developments of the Lavochkin design bureau. The aircraft had a very simple design, which at the same time was distinguished by amazing reliability. Strong La-5 remained in service even after several direct hits. Its engine was not ultra-modern, but it was characterized by power. And the air-cooled system made it much less vulnerable than liquid-cooled motors, which were widespread at that time.
La-5 proved to be an obedient, dynamic, maneuverable and fast machine. Soviet pilots loved him, and the enemies were terribly afraid. This model became the first of the domestic aircraft of the WWII period, which was not inferior to the German kites and could fight with them on an equal footing. It was on La-5 that Aleksey Meresyev accomplished his exploits. Also at the helm of one of the cars was Ivan Kozhedub.
The second name of this biplane is U-2. It was developed by the Soviet designer Nikolai Polikarpov back in the 20s, and then the model was considered educational. But in the 40s, the Po-2 had to fight as a night bomber.
The Germans called the brainchild of Polikarpov a "sewing machine", thereby emphasizing his tirelessness and massive strike. Po-2 could drop more bombs than its heavy "colleagues" because it lifted up to 350 kilograms of ammunition. Also, the car was different in that it was capable of making several sorties in one night.
Legendary female pilots from the 46th Guards Taman Aviation Regiment fought with the enemy on the Po-2. These 80 girls, a quarter of whom were awarded the title of Hero of the USSR, terrified the enemy. The Nazis called them "night witches".
The Polikarpov biplane was produced at a plant in Kazan. Over the entire period of production, 11 thousand aircraft rolled off the assembly line, which allowed the model to be considered the most massive among biplanes.
And this aircraft is the leader in the number of issued copies in the entire history of military aviation. 36 thousand cars took to the skies from the factory floors. The model was developed in Ilyushin Design Bureau. The release of the IL-2 began in the 40th, and from the first days of the war the attack aircraft was in service.
The IL-2 was equipped with a powerful engine, the crew was protected by armored glass, the "bird" fired rockets and was the main striking force of domestic aviation. The attack aircraft simply shook with its invincibility and stamina. There were cases when aircraft returned from battle with traces of hundreds of hits and were able to fight further. This made the IL-2 a real legend among Soviet soldiers and among the fascists. Enemies nicknamed him "winged tank", "black death" and "airplane made of concrete."
IL-4
Another brainchild of the Ilyushin Design Bureau is the Il-4, which is considered the most attractive aircraft of the Second World War. His appearance immediately catches the eye and cuts into memory. The model went down in history, primarily due to the fact that the very first bombed Berlin. Moreover, not in the 45th, but in the 41st, when the war was just beginning. Among the pilots, the car was quite popular, although it did not differ in ease of operation.
The rarest "bird" in the sky during the Great Patriotic War. Pe-8 was used rarely, but accurately. He was trusted to perform the most difficult tasks. Since the appearance of the aircraft was not familiar, it happened that he became a victim of his own air defense, mistaking the car for an enemy one.
Pe-8 developed a huge speed for a bomber - up to 400 kilometers per hour. It was equipped with a giant tank, which allowed the "bird" to make the longest flights (for example, to get from Moscow to Berlin and back without refueling). Pe-8 bombs dropped large-caliber (maximum weight - 5 tons).
When the Nazis came close to Moscow, this powerful defender of the Motherland circled over the capitals of enemy states and poured fiery rain on them from the sky. Another interesting fact o Pe-8 - on it (only on the passenger version of the model) flew to the UK and the United States to meet with colleagues, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Molotov.
It was thanks to the “magnificent seven players” presented above and, of course, other, less well-known aircraft, that Soviet soldiers defeated Nazi Germany and its allies not 10 years after the start of the war, but only 4 years later. The strengthened aviation became the main trump card of our soldiers, and did not allow the enemy to relax. And given the fact that all aircraft were developed and produced in conditions of cold, hunger and deprivation, their mission and the role of the creators looks especially heroic!
From the moment airplanes have gone from single enthusiast designs to more or less mass-produced and usable practical application aircraft, aviation deserved the closest attention of the military, eventually becoming an integral part of the military doctrine of most developed countries.
The more difficult were the losses of the first days of the Great Patriotic War, when the vast majority of aircraft were destroyed before they even got off the ground. However, the current situation became the best incentive for the development of aircraft construction in all classes - it was necessary not only to replenish the Air Force fleet. In the current critical situation, with an acute shortage of time and resources, create fundamentally different aircraft that could at least fight on equal terms with the Luftwaffe machines, and ideally surpass them.
combat teacher
One of the most recognizable Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, which brought a huge contribution to the Victory, was the primitive biplane U-2, later renamed Po-2. This two-seat airplane was originally conceived for primary piloting training, and practically could not carry any payload - neither the dimensions of the aircraft, nor its design, nor the take-off weight, nor the small 110-horsepower engine allowed. But the U-2 coped remarkably well with the role of a “training desk” all its life.
However, quite unexpectedly for the U-2, they found quite combat use. Equipped with silencers and holders for light bombs, the aircraft became a light, miniature, but stealthy and dangerous night bomber, firmly established in this role until the end of the war. Later, I even managed to carve out some free weight to install a machine gun. Prior to this, the pilots managed only with personal small arms.
air knights
Some aviation enthusiasts consider WWII to be the golden age of fighter aviation. No computers, radars, missiles with television, radio and heat guidance. Only personal skill, experience and luck.
In the late 30s, the USSR came close to a qualitative breakthrough in the production of fighters. No matter how loved and mastered the capricious Ishachok I-16, if he could resist the Luftwaffe fighters, it was only due to the heroism of the pilots, and at an unrealistically high price. At the same time, in the bowels of the Soviet design bureaus, despite the rampant repressions, fundamentally different fighters were created.
The firstborn of the new approach, the MiG-1 quickly transformed into the MiG-3, which became one of the most dangerous Soviet aircraft of the Second World War, the main German enemy. The plane could accelerate over 600 km / h, and climb to a height of more than 11 kilometers, which was clearly beyond the strength of its predecessors. This is what determined the niche of the MiG-a - it showed itself perfectly as a high-altitude fighter, acting in the air defense system.
However, at altitudes up to 5000 meters, the MiG-3 began to lose in speed to enemy fighters, and in this niche it was supplemented first by the Yak-1, and then the Yak-9. These light vehicles had a large thrust-to-weight ratio and powerful enough weapons, for which they quickly earned the love of pilots, and not only domestic ones - the fighters of the French regiment "Normandie - Neman", having tested several models of fighters different countries, opted for the Yak-9, which they received as a gift from the Soviet government.
However, these relatively light Soviet aircraft had a noticeable drawback - weak weapons. Most often, these were machine guns of 7.62 or 12.7 mm caliber, less often - a 20 mm cannon.
The novelty of the Lavochkin Design Bureau was devoid of this drawback - two ShVAK guns were installed on the La-5. Also on the new fighter, a return was made to air-cooled engines, which were abandoned during the creation of the MiG-1 in favor of liquid-cooled engines. The fact is that the liquid-cooled engine was much more compact - and, therefore, created less drag. The disadvantage of such an engine was its "tenderness" - it is enough for a small fragment or a random bullet to break a tube or radiator of the cooling system, and the engine immediately failed. It was this feature that forced the designers to return to bulky air-cooled engines.
By that time, a new high-power engine, the M-82, had appeared, which subsequently became very widespread. However, at that time, the engine was frankly crude, and caused many problems for aircraft designers who used it on their machines.
However, the La-5 was a serious step in the development of fighters - this was noted not only by Soviet pilots, but also by Luftwaffe testers, who eventually got a captured aircraft in good condition.
flying tank
The design of aircraft during the Great Patriotic War was typical - a wooden or metal frame acting as a power set and taking on all the loads. Outside, it was covered with sheathing - fabric, plywood, metal. An engine, armor plates, and weapons were mounted inside this structure. One way or another, but according to this principle, all the aircraft of the Second World War were designed.
This aircraft became the firstborn of a new design scheme. The Ilyushin Design Bureau realized that such an approach significantly overweights the design. At the same time, the armor is strong enough and can be used as an element of the power structure of the aircraft. The new approach opened up new possibilities for the rational use of weight. This is how the IL-2 appeared - an aircraft that, because of its armor protection, was nicknamed the "flying tank".
IL-2 was an unpleasant surprise for the Germans. At first, the attack aircraft was often used as a fighter, and in this role it proved to be far from brilliant - low speed and maneuverability did not allow it to fight the enemy on equal terms, and the lack of any serious protection of the rear hemisphere quickly began to be used by Luftwaffe pilots.
And for developers, this aircraft did not become problem-free. Throughout the war, the armament of the aircraft was constantly changing, in addition, the addition of a second crew member (initially the aircraft was single) shifted the center of gravity so much back that the aircraft threatened to become uncontrollable.
However, the efforts paid off. The original armament (two 20 mm guns) was changed to a more powerful caliber - 23 mm, and then 37 mm. With such armament of the aircraft, almost everyone began to be afraid - both tanks and heavy bombers.
According to the recollections of the pilots, while firing from such guns, the plane literally hovered in the air due to recoil. The tail gunner successfully covered the rear hemisphere from fighter attacks. In addition, the aircraft could take several light bombs with it.
All this was successful, and the IL-2 became an indispensable aircraft on the battlefield, and not only the most popular and recognizable attack aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, but also the most massive combat aircraft - more than 36 thousand of them were produced in total. And if we consider that at the beginning of the war there were only 128 of them in the Air Force, then there is no doubt about its relevance.
Destroyers
A bomber has been an integral part of military aviation almost from the very beginning of its use on the battlefield. Small, large, super-large - they have always been the most technologically advanced type of combat aviation.
One of the most recognizable Soviet aircraft of the Second World War of this type is the Pe-2. Conceived as a super-heavy fighter, over time this aircraft was transformed, becoming one of the most dangerous and effective dive bombers of the war.
It is worth saying that the dive bomber, as a class of aircraft, made its debut in the Second World War. Its appearance was due to the evolution of weapons: the development of air defense systems forced the creation of more and more high-altitude bombers. However, the higher the bombing height, the lower the accuracy of the bombing. The developed tactics of using bombers meant breaking through to targets at high altitude, descending to bombing altitude, and leaving again at high altitude. The idea of dive bombing was only a matter of time.
The dive bomber does not drop bombs in level flight. It literally falls on the target, and resets from a minimum height of literally hundreds of meters. The result is the highest possible accuracy. However, at low altitude, the aircraft is most vulnerable to anti-aircraft guns - and this could not but leave an imprint on its design.
It turns out that the dive bomber must combine the incompatible. It should be as compact as possible to minimize the risk of being shot down by anti-aircraft gunners. At the same time, the aircraft must be roomy enough, otherwise there will simply be nowhere to hang the bombs. Moreover, we must not forget about strength, because the loads on the aircraft structure during a dive, and especially the withdrawal from a dive, are enormous. And the failed Pe-2 fighter did an excellent job with his new role.
The "Pawn" was supplemented by his relative in the Tu-2 class. A small twin-engine bomber could "work" both from a dive and according to the classic bomber method. His problem is that at the beginning of the war the plane was very, very rare. However, the machine turned out to be so effective and successful that the number of modifications created on its basis is perhaps the maximum for Soviet aircraft of the Second World War.
Tu-2 was a bomber, attack aircraft, reconnaissance, interceptor, torpedo bomber... In addition to all this, there were several different variations that differed in range. However, these machines were far from really long-range bombers.
To Berlin!
This bomber is perhaps the most beautiful of the aircraft of the war years, making the IL-4 impossible to confuse with anyone. Despite the difficulty in control (which explains the high accident rate of these aircraft), the IL-4 was very popular among the troops and was used not only as a "land" bomber. Despite the excessive flight range, the aircraft was used in the Air Force as a torpedo bomber.
However, the IL-4 left its mark in history as the aircraft that carried out the first combat missions to Berlin. It happened in the autumn of 1941. However, soon the front line shifted to the East so much that the capital of the Third Reich became inaccessible to the IL-4, and then other aircraft began to “work” on it.
heavy and rare
During the Great Patriotic War, this aircraft was so rare and “closed” that it was often attacked by its own air defenses. But he performed perhaps the most difficult operations of the war.
Although the Pe-8 long-range bomber appeared in the late 30s, for a long time it was not just the most modern aircraft of this class - it was the only one. The Pe-8 had a high speed (over 400 km / h), and the fuel supply made it possible not only to fly to Berlin and back, but also to carry large-caliber bombs, up to the five-ton FAB-5000. It was the Pe-8s that bombed Koenigsberg, Helsinki, Berlin, when the front line was dangerously close to Moscow. Because of the “working range”, the Pe-8 is sometimes called a strategic bomber, and then this class of vehicles was just in its infancy.
One of the most specific operations performed by the Pe-8 is the transportation of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. M. Molotov to the UK and the USA. The flights took place in the spring of 1942, the route crossed the occupied territories of Europe. The People's Commissar traveled on a special, passenger version of the Pe-8. In total, two such aircraft were built.
Nowadays, aircraft operate several dozen intercontinental flights daily, carrying thousands of passengers. However, in those years, such a flight was a real feat not only for pilots, but also for passengers. It's not even that there was a war, and the plane could be shot down at any moment. In the 1940s, comfort and life support systems in aircraft were very, very primitive, and navigation systems, in the modern sense, were completely absent. The navigator could only rely on radio beacons, the range of which was very limited, and there were none over the occupied territories, but on own experience and the special flair of the navigator - after all, on long-haul flights, he, in fact, became the main person on the plane. It depended on him whether the plane would fly to a given point, or would stray over a poorly oriented and, moreover, enemy territory. Say what you like, but the courage of Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was not to take.
Concluding this short review Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, it would probably be useful to recall all those who, in conditions of hunger, cold, lack of the most necessary (often even freedom), developed all these machines, each of which was a serious step forward for all world aviation. The names of Lavochkin, Pokryshkin, Tupolev, Mikoyan and Gurevich, Ilyushin, Bartini will forever remain in world history. Behind them will forever be all those who helped the chief designers - ordinary engineers.
War creates a need never seen in peacetime. Countries compete to create the next most powerful weapon, and engineers sometimes resort to intricate methods for designing their killing machines. Nowhere else has this been shown more clearly than in the skies of World War II: daring aircraft designers have invented some of the strangest aircraft in human history.
At the start of World War II, the German Imperial Air Ministry stimulated the development of a tactical reconnaissance aircraft to provide information support for army operations. Two companies responded to the task. Focke-Wulf modeled a fairly standard twin-engine airplane, while Blohm & Voss miraculously came up with one of the most unusual aircraft at the time, the asymmetric BV 141.
Although at first glance it may seem that this model dreamed of engineers in delirium, she successfully served certain purposes. By stripping the right side of the aircraft, the “BV 141” gained an incomparable field of vision for the pilot and observers, especially to the right and front, as the pilots were no longer burdened by the huge engine and spinning propeller of the familiar single-engine aircraft.
The design was developed by Richard Vogt, who realized that the then aircraft already had, in fact, asymmetrical handling characteristics. With a heavy engine in the nose, the single-engine airplane experienced high torque, requiring constant attention and control. Vogt sought to compensate by introducing an ingenious asymmetric design, creating a stable reconnaissance platform that was easier to fly than most of her contemporary airliners.
Luftwaffe officer Ernst Udet praised the aircraft during a test flight at speeds up to 500 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately for Blohm & Voss, Allied bombing severely damaged one of Focke-Wulf's main factories, forcing the government to dedicate 80 percent of Blohm & Voss's production space to building Focke-Wulf aircraft. Since the already tiny staff of the company began to work for the benefit of the latter, work on the “BV 141” was stopped after the release of only 38 copies. All of them were destroyed during the war.
Another unusual Nazi project, "Horten Ho 229", was launched almost before the end of the war, after German scientists improved jet technology. By 1943, the Luftwaffe commanders realized that they had made a huge mistake by refusing to issue a long-range heavy bomber, like the American B-17 or the British Lancaster. To rectify the situation, the commander-in-chief of the German air force, Hermann Goering, put forward the demand "3x1000": to develop a bomber capable of transporting 1000 kilograms of bombs over a distance of 1000 kilometers at a speed of at least 1000 kilometers per hour.
Fulfilling the order, the Horten brothers set about designing a "flying wing" (a type of aircraft without a tail or fuselage, like later stealth bombers). In the 1930s, Walther and Raymar experimented with gliders of this type, which showed excellent handling characteristics. Using this experience, the brothers built a non-powered model to reinforce their bomber concept. The design impressed Göring, who handed over the project to the Gothaer Waggonfaebrik aircraft manufacturer for mass production. After some refinement, the Horten glider acquired a jet engine. It was also converted into a fighter aircraft for the needs of the Luftwaffe in 1945. They managed to create only one prototype, which, at the end of the war, was placed at the disposal of the allied forces.
At first, "Ho 229" was considered simply as an outlandish trophy. However, when the similarly designed B-2 stealth bomber entered service, aerospace experts became interested in the stealth performance of its German ancestor. In 2008, Northrop Grumman engineers recreated a copy of the Ho 229 based on a surviving prototype held by the Smithsonian. By emitting radar signals at frequencies used during World War II, experts discovered that the Nazi aircraft was in fact directly related to stealth technology: it had much less visibility in the radar range compared to its combat contemporaries. Quite by accident, the Horten brothers invented the first stealth fighter-bomber.
In the 1930s, Vought engineer Charles H. Zimmerman began experimenting with disc-shaped aircraft. The first flying model was the V-173, which took to the air in 1942. He had problems with the gearbox, but in general it was a durable, highly maneuverable aircraft. While his firm was churning out the famous "F4U Corsair", Zimmerman continued to work on the disk-shaped fighter that would eventually see the light of day as the "XF5U".
Military experts assumed that the new “fighter” would in many ways surpass other aircraft available at that time. Equipped with two huge Pratt & Whitney engines, the aircraft was expected to reach a high speed of about 885 kilometers per hour, decelerating to 32 kilometers per hour on landing. To give the airframe strength while keeping the weight as low as possible, the prototype was built from "metalite" - a material consisting of a thin sheet of balsa wood coated with aluminium. However, various problems with the engines gave Zimmerman a lot of trouble, and the Second World War completed before they could be eliminated.
Vought did not cancel the project, but by the time the fighter was ready for testing, the US Navy decided to focus on jet aircraft. The contract with the military expired, and Vought employees tried to dispose of the XF5U, but it turned out that the metalite structure was not so easy to destroy: the demolition ball that hit the airplane only bounced off the metal. Finally, after several new attempts, the body of the aircraft caved in, and blowtorches incinerated its remains.
Of all the aircraft presented in the article, the Boulton Paul Defiant has been in service longer than others. Unfortunately, this resulted in many deaths of young pilots. The airplane appeared as a result of the delusion of the 1930s regarding the further development of the situation on the air front. The British command believed that the enemy bombers would be unprotected and mostly without reinforcements. In theory, a fighter with a powerful turret could penetrate the attack formation and destroy it from the inside. Such an arrangement of weapons would free the pilot from the duties of a shooter, allowing him to concentrate on bringing the aircraft to the optimal firing position.
And the Defiant did an excellent job during its first sorties of operations, as many unsuspecting German fighter pilots mistook the aircraft for the outwardly similar Hawker Hurricane, attacking it from above or from the rear - ideal points for a machine gunner Defiant. However, the Luftwaffe pilots quickly realized what was happening, and began to attack from below and in front. With no frontal weapons and low maneuverability due to the heavy turret, the Defiant aviators suffered huge losses during the Battle of Britain. The Air Force of Foggy Albion lost almost an entire fighter squadron, and the Defiant gunners were not able to leave the plane in emergency situations.
Although the pilots were able to come up with various temporary tactics, the Royal Air Force soon realized that the turret fighter was not designed for modern air combat. The Defiant was demoted to a night fighter, after which he gained some success sneaking up and destroying enemy bombers on night missions. The rugged hull of the British was also used as a target for practice shooting and in testing the first Martin-Baker ejection seats.
In the period between the First and Second World Wars in various states, there was growing concern about the issue of defense against strategic bombing during the next hostilities. Italian general Giulio Due believed that it was impossible to defend against massive air attacks, and British politician Stanley Baldwin coined the phrase "a bomber will always break through." In response, the major powers have invested huge amounts of money in the development of "bomber destroyers" - heavy fighters designed to intercept enemy formations in the sky. The English "Defiant" failed, while the German "BF-110" performed well in various roles. And finally, among them was the American "YFM-1 Airacuda".
This aircraft was Bell's first foray into the military aircraft industry and featured many unusual features. In order to give the Airacuda the highest chance of destroying the enemy, Bell equipped it with two 37mm M-4 guns, placing them in front of the sparse pusher engines and propellers located behind them. Each gun was assigned a separate shooter, whose main duty was to manually reload it. Initially, gunners also fired weapons directly. However, the results were a disaster, and the design of the aircraft was changed, putting the control levers of the guns in the hands of the pilot.
Military strategists believed that with additional machine guns in defensive positions - in the main fuselage to repel side attacks - the aircraft would be indestructible both when attacking enemy bombers and when escorting B-17s over enemy territories. All these structural elements gave the aircraft a rather voluminous appearance, making it look like a cute cartoon airplane. The Airacuda was a real death machine that looked like it was made to be hugged.
Despite optimistic forecasts, tests revealed serious problems. The engines were prone to overheating and did not produce enough thrust. Therefore, in reality, Airacuda developed a lower maximum speed than the bombers it was supposed to intercept or protect. The original arrangement of the weapon only added to the complexity, since the gondolas in which it was placed were filled with smoke when fired, making it impossible for the machine gunners to work. On top of that, they couldn't get out of their cockpits in an emergency because the propellers were working right behind them, turning their attempt to escape into a meeting with death. As a result of these problems, the US Army Air Force only purchased 13 aircraft, none of which received a baptism of fire. The remaining gliders dispersed across the country to have the pilots add entries about the strange aircraft to their logbooks, and Bell continued to try (already more successfully) to develop a military aircraft.
Despite the arms race, military gliders were an important part of World War II aerial technology. They were lifted into the air in tow and detached near enemy territories, ensuring the rapid delivery of supplies and troops as part of airborne operations. Among all the gliders of that period, the "flying tank" "A-40" of Soviet production, of course, stood out for its design.
The countries participating in the war were looking for ways to quickly and efficiently transport tanks to the front. Transferring them with gliders seemed like a worthwhile idea, but engineers soon discovered that the tank was one of the most aerodynamically imperfect machines. After countless attempts to create good system for the supply of tanks by air, most states simply surrendered. But not the USSR.
In fact, Soviet aviation had already achieved some success in landing tanks before they developed the A-40. Small vehicles like the T-27 were lifted aboard huge transport planes and dropped a few meters from the ground. With the gearbox in the neutral position, the tank landed and rolled by inertia to a stop. The problem was that the tank crew had to be delivered separately, which greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the system.
Ideally, the tankers should have arrived in a tank and be ready for battle after a few minutes. To achieve these goals, Soviet planners turned to the ideas of American engineer John Walter Christie, who first developed the concept of a flying tank in the 1930s. Christie believed that, thanks to armored vehicles with fitted biplane wings, any war would be instantly over, since no one could defend against a flying tank.
Based on the work of John Christie Soviet Union crossed the T-60 with an aircraft and in 1942 conducted the first test flight with the brave pilot Sergei Anokhin at the helm. And although due to the aerodynamic drag of the tank, the glider had to be taken out of tow before reaching the planned height, Anokhin managed to land softly and even brought the tank back to base. Despite the enthusiastic report compiled by the pilot, the idea was rejected after the Soviet specialists realized that they did not have aircraft powerful enough to tow operational tanks (Anokhin flew with a lightweight machine - without most of the weapons and with a minimum supply of fuel). Unfortunately, the flying tank never left the ground again.
After Allied bombing began to undermine the German war effort, Luftwaffe commanders realized that their failure to develop heavy multi-engined bombers was a huge mistake. When the authorities finally established the corresponding orders, most of the German aircraft manufacturers seized on this opportunity. Among them were the Horten brothers (as noted above) and the Junkers, who already had experience in building bombers. Company engineer Hans Focke led the design of perhaps the most advanced German aircraft of World War II, the Ju-287.
In the 1930s, designers came to the conclusion that a straight-wing aircraft had a certain upper speed limit, but at that time it did not matter, since turboprop engines could not get close to these indicators anyway. However, with the development of jet technologies, everything has changed. German specialists used swept wings on early jet aircraft, such as the Me-262, which avoided the problems - air compression effects - inherent in a straight wing design. Focke took this one step further and proposed to release an aircraft with a reverse swept wing, which, he believed, would be able to defeat any air defense. The new type of wing had a number of advantages: increased maneuverability at high speeds and at high angles of attack, improved stalling characteristics and freed the fuselage from weapons and engines.
First, Focke's invention passed aerodynamic tests using a special stand; many parts of other aircraft, including captured allied bombers, were taken to make the model. The Ju-287 proved to be excellent during test flights, confirming compliance with all the declared operational characteristics. Unfortunately for Focke, interest in jet bombers quickly waned, and his project was shelved until March 1945. By then, desperate Luftwaffe commanders were looking for any fresh ideas to inflict damage on the Allied forces - production of the Ju-287 was launched in record time, but two months later the war ended, after the construction of only a few prototypes. It took another 40 years for the popularity of the reverse swept wing to begin to revive, thanks to American and Russian aerospace engineers.
George Cornelius is a famous American engineer, the developer of a number of extravagant gliders and aircraft. During the 1930s and 1940s, he worked on new types of aircraft designs, among other things, experimenting with a swept back wing (like the Ju-287). His gliders had excellent stalling characteristics and could be towed at high speeds without much braking effect on the towing aircraft. When World War II broke out, Cornelius was brought in to develop the XFG-1, one of the most specialized aircraft ever built. In essence, the "XFG-1" was a flying fuel tank.
George's plans were to produce both manned and unmanned versions of his glider, both of which could be towed by the latest bombers at their cruising speed of 400 kilometers per hour, twice the speed of most other gliders. The idea of using the unmanned "XFG-1" was revolutionary. The B-29s were expected to tow the glider, pumping fuel from its tank through connected hoses. With a tank capacity of 764 gallons, the XFG-1 would have acted as a flying gas station. After emptying the fuel storage, the B-29 would detach the airframe and it would dive to the ground and crash. This scheme would significantly increase the range of the bombers, allowing raids on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. The manned "XFG-1" would have been used in a similar way, but more rationally, since the glider could be landed, and not just destroyed at the end of the fuel intake. Although it is worth considering what kind of pilot would dare to take on such a task as flying a fuel tank over a dangerous war zone.
During testing, one of the prototypes crashed, and Cornelius's plan was left without further attention when the allied forces captured the islands near the Japanese archipelago. With the new airbase layout, the need to refuel the B-29s to reach their mission goals was eliminated, taking the XFG-1 out of the game. After the war, George continued to pitch his idea to the US Air Force, but by then their interest had shifted to specialized refueling aircraft. And “XFG-1” has simply become an inconspicuous footnote in the history of military aviation.
The idea of creating a flying aircraft carrier first appeared during the First World War and was tested in the interwar period. In those years, engineers dreamed of a huge airship carrying small fighters capable of leaving the mother ship to protect it from enemy interceptors. British and American experiments ended in complete failure, and the idea was eventually abandoned, as the loss of tactical value by large rigid airships became apparent.
But while American and British specialists were curtailing their projects, the Soviet Air Force was just getting ready to enter the development arena. In 1931, aviation engineer Vladimir Vakhmistrov proposed using Tupolev's heavy bombers to lift smaller fighters into the air. This made it possible to significantly increase the range and bomb load of the latter in comparison with their usual capabilities as dive bombers. Without bombs, aircraft could also defend their carriers from enemy attacks. Throughout the 1930s, Vakhmistrov experimented with different configurations, only stopping when he attached as many as five fighters to one bomber. By the time the Second World War began, the aircraft designer revised his ideas and came up with a more practical scheme of two I-16 fighter-bombers suspended from the parent TB-3.
The Soviet High Command was impressed enough with this concept to try to put it into practice. The first raid on the Romanian oil storage facilities was successful, with both fighters detaching from the aircraft carrier and striking before returning to the Soviet forward base. After such a successful start, another 30 raids were made, the most famous of which was the destruction of the bridge near Chernovodsk in August 1941. The Red Army tried for months to no avail to destroy it, until they finally activated two of Vakhmistrov's monsters. The carrier planes released their fighters, which began to bomb the previously inaccessible bridge. Despite all these victories, a few months later, the Link project was closed, and the I-16 and TB-3 were discontinued in favor of more modern models. Thus ended the career of one of the strangest - but successful - offspring of aviation in the history of mankind.
Most people are familiar with Japanese kamikaze missions using old aircraft loaded with explosives as anti-ship weapons. They even developed the MXY-7 special-purpose rocket glider. Less widely known is Germany's attempt to build a similar weapon by turning V-1 "cruise bombs" into manned "cruise missiles".
With the end of the war nearing, the Nazi high command was desperately looking for a way to interfere with Allied shipping across the English Channel. The V-1 shells had potential, but the need for extreme accuracy (which was never their advantage) led to the creation of a manned version. The German engineers managed to install a small cockpit with simple controls in the fuselage of the existing V-1, right in front of the jet engine.
Unlike ground-launched V-1 rockets, the Fi-103R manned bombs were supposed to be lifted into the air and launched from He-111 bombers. After that, the pilot needed to make out the target-ship, direct his plane at it, and then take off his feet.
German pilots did not follow the example of their Japanese colleagues and did not lock themselves in the cockpits of aircraft, but tried to escape. However, with the engine roaring just behind the cabin, the escape would probably be fatal anyway. These ghostly chances for the survival of the pilots spoiled the impression of the Luftwaffe commanders from the program, so not a single operational mission was destined to take place. However, 175 V-1 bombs were converted into Fi-103Rs, most of which ended up in Allied hands at the end of the war.
Soviet military aviation of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War
When the Nazis attacked the USSR, Soviet aviation was destroyed at the airfields. And the Germans in the first year of the war dominated the sky, however, as in the second. What kind of fighter aircraft were in service Soviet army Then?
The main one, of course, was I-16.
There were I-5(biplanes), inherited by the Nazis as trophies. modified from I-5 fighters I-15 bis, which remained after the strike on the airfields, fought in the first months of the war.
"Seagulls" or I-153, also biplanes, held out in the sky until 1943. Their retractable undercarriage during flight made it possible to increase the flight speed. And four small-caliber machine guns (7.62) fired directly through the propeller. All of the above aircraft models were outdated already before the start of the war. For example, the speed of the best fighter
I-16(with different engines) was from 440 to 525 km / h. Only his armament was good, two ShKAS machine guns and two cannons ShVAK(latest releases). And the range that the I-16 could fly reached a maximum of 690 km.
Germany was in service in 1941 Me-109, produced by the industry since 1937, of various modifications that attacked the Soviet borders in 1941. The armament of this aircraft consisted of two machine guns (MG-17) and two cannons (MG-FF). The flight speed of the fighter was 574 km / h, this was the maximum speed that the 1150 hp engine could achieve. With. The highest lifting height or ceiling reached 11 kilometers. Only in terms of flight range, for example, was the Me-109E inferior to the I-16, it was 665 km.
Soviet aircraft I-16(type 29) allowed to reach a ceiling of 9.8 kilometers with a 900-horsepower engine. Their range was only 440 km. The length of the takeoff run at the "donkeys" was on average 250 meters. At German fighters constructor Messerschmitt the run was about 280 meters. If we compare the time during which the plane rises to a height of three kilometers, it turns out that the Soviet I-16 of the twenty-ninth type loses ME-109 seconds 15. In the mass of the payload, the donkey is also behind the Messer, 419 kg against 486.
To replace "donkey" in the USSR was designed I-180, all-metal. V. Chkalov crashed on it before the war. After him, tester T. Suzi fell to the ground on the I-180-2 along with the plane, blinded by hot oil thrown out of the engine. Before the war, the serial I-180 was discontinued as an unsuccessful copy.
OKB Polikarpov also worked on the creation I-153, a biplane with an engine power of 1100 liters. With. But its maximum speed in the air reached only 470 km / h, it was not a competitor ME-109. Worked on the creation of modern fighters and other Soviet aircraft designers. Produced since 1940 Yak-1, which can fly at a speed of 569 km / h and has a ceiling of 10 km. A cannon and two machine guns were mounted on it.
And the Lavochkin fighter LAGG-3, with a wooden hull and a 1050 hp engine. s, showed a speed of 575 km / h. But it, designed in 1942, was soon changed to another model - LA-5 with a flight speed at six-kilometer altitudes up to 580 km / h.
Received under Lend-Lease "Aerocobra" or P-39, which had the engine behind the cockpit, were all-metal monoplanes. On bends they went around "Messers", going to their tail. It was on the Aerocobra that ace Pokryshkin flew.
In flight speed, the P-39 also surpassed the ME-109 by 15 km / h, but was inferior in the ceiling by one and a half kilometers. And the flight range of almost a thousand kilometers made it possible to make deep raids behind enemy lines. The armament of the foreign aircraft was a 20 mm cannon and two or three machine guns.
