For a long time, at the suggestion of venerable historians, the opinion was formed that before the war little was done to increase the combat effectiveness of the Red Army, obsolete and insufficient samples were adopted for service. If we analyze Soviet weapons designed, developed, tested in the second half of the 30s and at the very end of the decade, we can be sure that the weapons of Victory were forged ahead of time, and it was with them that the Nazi war machine was crushed. PPSh assault rifles, T-34 and KV tanks, planes of Lavochkin, Yakovlev, Ilyushin, Tupolev, Polikarpov, Petlyakov became symbols of the great battle, like the swords and armor of ancient Russian warriors. Each of these samples deserves a separate detailed review.

The IL-2, an attack aircraft nicknamed by the Wehrmacht soldiers the “black death”, “meat grinder”, “iron Gustav” and other flattering names for weapons, is one of the masterpieces of Soviet engineering art. The history of its creation and some design features will be discussed in this article.

The main revolutionary decision

The concept of any type of weapons is directly related to the specific tactical tasks that the military will have to solve on the battlefield. In the case of the Il-2 attack aircraft, the issue was the possibility of providing air support to ground units. The main problem faced by design bureaus in different countries, consisted in a visible technical contradiction between the vulnerability of aviation on the part of anti-aircraft rifle weapons and the low altitude of the required flight for delivering targeted strikes. All aircraft of this class, created abroad, had only local armor protecting crew members (usually seats and backs). If someone tried to save the pilot, then this was achieved by increasing the layer of metal, which led to a deterioration in flight characteristics (range, payload mass, maneuverability, etc.). Mounted armor in the form of plates had a bad effect on aerodynamics. The IL-2 aircraft was already different at the stage of creative design, its body combined load-bearing and protective properties. Unlike the Junkers-87 or the Japanese Hiryu, its fuselage did not have the usual frames and spars, the armor gave rigidity to the structure.

From idea to execution

In January 1938, the aircraft designer S. V. Ilyushin made a desperate act. He put his thoughts on the new attack aircraft on paper (in the form of a memorandum) and sent it to the Kremlin, to Stalin. The courage of this step today is even difficult to assess, the engineer took on great responsibility, but he believed in the strength of the team he led, as well as in his own. He promised that the new aircraft would be an excellently protected machine that could deliver half a ton of bombs and rockets to a distance of up to 800 km at a speed of over 400 km/h. Stalin became interested in this project and "gave the go-ahead". A year later, the project as a whole was ready, and in the fall of 1939, the famous test pilot Kokkinaki was already lifting the BSh-2 (aka TsKB-55), later called Il-2, into the air.

Breaking stereotypes

Before the advent of the new Soviet attack aircraft, the world aircraft industry did not know machines that could perform combat missions in the face of strong fire resistance. Aircraft could achieve success in delivering bombing strikes from low altitudes only in the event of a surprise attack on enemy airfields, neutralization of anti-aircraft batteries, disruption of communications and communications, and destruction of headquarters. Actually, this was precisely the strategy of blitzkrieg developed in Germany in the second half of the thirties. Therefore, the Il-2, an attack aircraft capable of withstanding shell hits, was not properly appreciated even by the Soviet leadership, who considered the measures taken to ensure high survivability to be unnecessary before the war.

How Ilyushin fought for a double layout

The first version of the attack aircraft assumed the placement of two pilots in a protected fuselage (a pilot and a machine gunner who protected the rear hemisphere). The extra weight reduced the flight range, but increased safety in the event of a possible dogfight. The military doctrine adopted in the late thirties took into account only one option for the development of the expected war - offensive. In other words, "small losses on foreign territory." Conducting deep strategic operations required air support, and the designer was offered to increase the fuel tanks due to the space of the second crew member. So the attack aircraft became single-seat, and the gargot (an oblong section of glazing) had to be removed, replacing it with a fairing. Pilots and aircraft technicians in the very first days of the war intuitively came to the initial design solution, and at field airfields they began to independently restore the previous layout of the Il-2. Photos of artisanally converted aircraft with dismantled fairings are amazing today. The arrows sat in a hole without glazing, not protected by anything, but the Luftwaffe aces risked less often to “go into the tail”. In some cases, even a stick imitating the barrel of a machine gun "worked".

Engine

TsKB-55 (Il-2 prototype) was equipped with a 1350-horsepower AM-35 engine. Subsequently, the attack aircraft received a more powerful AM-38, but in the second month of the war, its supplies were under threat. There was a possibility that it would be necessary to urgently switch to another type of motor, the M-82 turned out to be the most acceptable, but it had other mounting dimensions and characteristics. To install it, the design bureau decided to partially remove the reservation and change the layout. Fortunately, these changes later lost their relevance, and this modification did not have to be launched into the series. The main engine of the Il-2 since 1942 is AM-38F (the letter "F" means "forced"). Its power (1720 hp) made it possible to accelerate the attack aircraft to a speed of 420 km / h at full combat load. Takeoff weight exceeded 6 tons.

Armament

The Il-2 aircraft was often called a flying tank. This flattering name is deserved not only by excellent and rational armor protection, but also by the power of weapons. Not every World War II tank could fire two rapid-fire cannons (VYA-23, 23 mm caliber) and two machine guns (ShKAS, 7.62 mm). In addition, up to eight NURSs (RS-132 or RS-82) were placed under the wing on external hangers. In the bomb bays and on the outer pylons, there were other "gifts" for the invaders with a total weight of up to 600 kg - these could be land mines or anti-tank shaped charges.

Vitality

A lot is written in memoirs and told by veteran pilots about how the wounded Il-2 planes returned to their airfields. Reservation of the main components and vital units played an important role in ensuring the amazing survivability of this machine. Also important was the use of protected tanks, which, unlike metal ones, self-tightened in case of violation of integrity, preventing fuel from leaking out. A special chemical substance (protector) hardened when exposed to air, closing holes.

Only in the second half of the war, many parts of the aircraft began to be made of metal, the plating of the planes and the tail section, as well as the slats, were made from plywood and wood until 1943, the ailerons were covered with an impregnated cloth.

Winged legend

The war did not know a more massive aircraft.

IL-2 has become a real legend, it entered the list of the best aircraft of the Second World War. The area of ​​its combat use covered the entire front - from the northern seas to the Caucasus. Stormtrooper drowned enemy ships and struck at the retreating enemy. In 1945, our pilots had a chance to "work out" in the lair of the aggressor, Berlin.

After the war, the Il-2 aircraft was subjected to a deep modernization; on its basis, the Ilyushin Design Bureau created a new front-line support aircraft - the Il-10 with improved aerodynamics and improved flight characteristics. And the honored veterans of the IL-2 in many European countries and in our home country took places on pedestals and in museums.

There are sometimes more legends around the legendary planes than real facts.

Sergey Ivanov

Henschel 129 performed the same functions over the battlefield as the IL-2 - but much less efficiently

In the second half of the war, the Germans tried to convert the Ju-87 dive bomber into an ersatz attack aircraft.

The illustrations were provided by 1C and Maddox Games, manufacturers of the best flight simulator in the world, IL-2. Stormtrooper»

Read the following paragraph carefully: “The IL-2 is the famous “flying tank” that terrified the Nazis, the world’s first armored attack aircraft. An aircraft equal in combat qualities to the Ilyushin machine could not be created for the entire Second world war no other constructor. For the first time, Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin came up with the idea to lighten the aircraft not to hang armor on the attack aircraft, but to make the armor protection of the aircraft a load-bearing structural element, which allowed the Ilov pilots to ignore the fire from the ground. Bombs, cannons and rockets from "flying tanks" crushed the armor of ground tanks.

Unfortunately, the original plan of Ilyushin, who designed a two-seat attack aircraft, was grossly violated by the military leadership. Believing that in a future war, Stalin's falcons there will be an overwhelming advantage, the designer was forced to abandon the air gunner and put into production a single-seat version of the aircraft. Ilyushin's protests came to nothing. As a result, the Luftwaffe fighters that were in charge of the air with impunity shot down the heavy clumsy Ilya ... When the pre-war mistake was eliminated and the gunner appeared on the plane again, the defensive capabilities of the Il-2 increased significantly. The Il-2 attack aircraft, the most massive aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, along with the T-34 tank, became a symbol of the triumph of our weapons.”

If you, dear readers, have not learned anything new from the previous paragraph, do not rush to put the magazine aside. We just put together textbook information about the IL-2. So is it worth writing again about the combat vehicle, about which everything is known? Costs. If only because in the above paragraph only two sentences are indisputable - the first and the last. Everything else needs clarification...

Armor - is it possible?

The problem of protecting aircraft and their crews from fire from the ground arose simultaneously with the advent of combat aviation. At first, aviators had to engage in amateur activities: they put pieces of armor, metal, or even just cast-iron pans, under the seat that were suitable in size. Toward the end of the First World War, designers in Britain, Germany and Russia tried to create armored aircraft. But at that time there were no powerful engines for the implementation of this idea.

Between the two world wars, military doctrines giving priority to strategic aviation became widespread. However, the most far-sighted military (including those in the USSR) understood that it was impossible to do without aircraft attacking (storming) the enemy directly on the battlefield or in the front line. That is, where everything that can shoot from the ground will shoot at it - from anti-aircraft guns to pistols. In the early 1930s, we built experienced heavy attack aircraft TSh-1 and TSh-2, as well as SHON (special purpose attack aircraft), armored biplanes. A significant step forward was the TSh-3 designer Kocherigin. It was a two-seat monoplane, the armored box of which was part of the aircraft's supporting structure (thus, the priority here does not belong to Ilyushin). Armament consisted of ten machine guns and bombs. True, the plane flew rather poorly - its angular body made of welded armor plates was not an aerodynamic masterpiece. Therefore, the TSh-3, which was tested in 1934, was not mass-produced.

For some time it was generally unclear whether it was possible in principle to build an armored attack aircraft with good flight data. In the UK and the US, this idea was abandoned, believing that a dive bomber could perform similar tasks. They thought the same in Germany, especially since there was an excellent Ju-87 dive bomber.

Nevertheless, in the spring of 1937, several German firms were tasked with developing an attack aircraft armed with cannons to combat armored vehicles and enemy fortifications.

IL-2 appeared not on orders from above, but thanks to the initiative of Sergei Ilyushin. This well-known designer, who created the DB-3 long-range bomber, worked in 1938 as the head of the Aviation Industry Directorate. The administrative position not only distracted from the creation of new aircraft, but also provided some advantages. It was clear to any aircraft designer of that time that an aircraft with an angular fuselage made of armor would fly badly, but only a brilliant head, free from stereotypes of thinking, could come up with the idea to make the armored hull streamlined, and only the head of the entire aviation industry could give metallurgists a task in a short time to develop a technology for manufacturing double-curvature armor! And for the aircraft, which has not yet appeared in any plans.

Ilyushin had the courage to turn to the leadership with a letter in which he outlined his idea for an armored attack aircraft and criticized the aircraft of competitors. The letter had an effect: the designer was instructed to submit his attack aircraft for testing as soon as possible. By this time, the project of the machine, which was being developed clandestinely, was ready. It also turned out the fundamental possibility of manufacturing a streamlined armored hull. An agreement was reached with the designer Mikulin, who promised a powerful engine.

Unfortunately, it was a water-cooled engine, while air-cooled was preferable for an attack aircraft. After all, it is enough to get one bullet into the cooling system, and water will gradually flow out of it. The motor will overheat and fail, the attack aircraft will be disabled. You can, of course, book the radiator from all sides, but then it simply will not be cooled!

The unresolved problem of engine cooling was one of the reasons for the failure of the TSh-3. There, the radiator stuck out under the fuselage, and in the event that it came under fire, the pilot pulled it into the fuselage completely. It turned out that at the most crucial moment of combat work, the engine began to warm up, although some airflow was provided for the retracted radiator. Ilyushin creatively rethought the experience of his predecessors and placed an air tunnel inside the armored hull, across which there was a radiator. The oncoming air flow was drawn in through the upper air intake, cooled the radiator and exited under the bottom of the aircraft. Thus, the vulnerable radiator was inside, under the reliable protection of the armor.

This is just one extraordinary decision, and Ilyushin had to make dozens of similar design mini-revolutions. The main technological novelty was, of course, the manufacture of a streamlined armored box from sheets of variable thickness and double curvature. But... Having overcome an incredible amount of difficulties, Ilyushin built a plane that did not want to fly well. Tests showed insufficient speed and flight range, as well as longitudinal instability of the machine.

It is curious that at about the same time, German pilots were testing the Henschel 129, which was made even earlier than Ilyushin's plane (thus, it is Henschel that can be considered the world's first armored attack aircraft). In some respects, this single-seat, twin-engine aircraft, armed with three guns, was more progressive than the Ilyushin one. But Luftwaffe experts recognized it as unsuccessful, after which they did not remember about it until 1942. A similar fate could await our "flying tank": at the first stage, it had no less flaws than the German counterpart. But Ilyushin nevertheless achieved the launch of his car in a series - albeit not in a completely honest way.

And now - "humpbacked!"

Sergei Vladimirovich had an exemplary Soviet biography. Origin - from horseless poor peasants, pre-revolutionary professions - unskilled worker, milk carter, oiler on railway... Ilyushin had no shortage of worldly ingenuity. He was not only a brilliant designer, but also a man who clearly saw his goal and achieved it with all possible ways. And as the head of the Glavk of the aviation industry, Ilyushin perfectly learned to understand the work of the Soviet bureaucratic mechanism.

Did the military send the plane for revision? Great. The range can be increased with the help of hanging tanks, but then the speed will decrease. Put in a more powerful motor? It exists, but it hasn't been completed yet. Wait for the engine? Even a successfully tested aircraft could not reach the conveyor. There was also competition between Soviet aircraft designers, rivals fought for aircraft factories. At that moment, there was a threat of Ilyushin's long-range bomber being taken out of production, and in this case, his design bureau was left without a production base. Ilyushin was no longer the head of Glavka - he was released with administrative work so that he can focus entirely on creating an attack aircraft. The designer understood: if the attack aircraft was not put into production in the near future, then the aircraft needed by the country could remain an experimental machine.

Ilyushin decided not to wait until the Mikulin AM-38 engine was brought to perfection. And he solved the problem of insufficient speed and range simply - he made the plane single-seat! An additional gas tank was put in place of the navigator's cabin, the armored hull was reduced, and the aircraft became lighter. The cockpit was raised relative to the engine to provide best review. And the plane, then called BSh-2 (armored attack aircraft), acquired a characteristic profile, for which at the front it was nicknamed "humpbacked". In the single-seat version, the attack aircraft delivered the promised performance.

Was Ilyushin right in refusing a navigator (and, in combination, an air gunner who could protect the aircraft from attacks from behind)? On the one hand, this was a tragic mistake, and hundreds of attack pilots paid for it in the initial period of the war with their lives. On the other hand, a single-seat attack aircraft was nevertheless put on the conveyor and, just before the war, began to enter aviation units.

In the future, Ilyushin constantly adhered to the version that he was forced to remove the navigator-shooter, and in Soviet times such an interpretation of events was known. Depending on the political situation, Ilyushin was “forced” either by Stalin personally or by some abstract military men. Alas, the documents show that the single-seat attack aircraft appeared precisely on the initiative of the design bureau, and the people's commissariats for the aviation industry and defense learned about the modernization at the last moment. Moreover, Ilyushin was obliged to submit a two-seat version of the attack aircraft for testing, but the designer, realizing that his flight data would be mediocre, did not do this.

The IL-2 entered the war as a single-seat attack aircraft armed with two cannons and two machine guns located in the wings. Additional weapons - rockets (RS) and 400 kg of bombs on the internal and external sling. The pilot, engine and gas tanks were protected by a 4-8 mm armored hull, and total weight armor was about 700 kg. To the armored box, the main power element of the aircraft, the wings and the tail section of the fuselage were docked. The latter was originally duralumin, but in order to save scarce material, it was made from plywood.

Legends and myths

They say that first a person works for a reputation, and then the reputation works for a person. In relation to the aircraft, the rule also works! In the very first months of the use of the IL-2, a quite definite opinion was formed about him, and on both sides of the front. The myth about the clumsy, defenseless in front of fighters, but invulnerable to anti-aircraft guns, "flying tank", which clicked armored vehicles like seeds, has safely survived to this day. In fact, both the combat effectiveness and the sluggishness of the Ilov were greatly exaggerated.

Felix Chuev, the author of Ilyushin's biography, quotes the words of Marshal Konev: “Do you know what the Il-2 is? Yes, if he gives an eres to the tank, the tank turns over! Alas, the marshal was mistaken ... It was extremely difficult to fight German tanks on the IL-2 at the beginning of the war. The effectiveness of the 20 mm ShVAK guns against tank armor was low. It was not possible to accurately drop bombs from the IL-2. The navigator, who provides aiming on bombers, was not here. The bomber sight of the pilot was ineffective. The IL-2 attacked from low altitudes or a very gentle dive, and the long hood of the aircraft simply blocked the target from the pilot! In the end, the sight (about which the pilot almost always broke his head during an emergency landing) was removed from the cockpit, and the pilots had to aim in the most primitive way, according to the marks on the hood. Finally, the miracle weapon, rockets, were not at all as good as it seemed to the Soviet military leaders. Even with a direct hit, the tank did not always fail, and it was only possible with great luck to hit a separate target with eres.

Why did we hope so much for the Ilys, while the Germans were so afraid of them? We must imagine the situation in 1941. Soviet aviation down, the air is dominated by the Luftwaffe. Aircraft that are completely unsuitable for this are used for attack. For example, biplane fighters I-15-bis and I-153, which were transferred to attack aviation only because they had no chance at all as fighters in battles with Messerschmitts. Against this background, the "flying tank", of course, was a step forward. In addition, the Ilys most often acted against the moving columns of the enemy. There was no need to aim very carefully here: fly along the road, and bombs with eres will find at least some target. And if Ily tanks were not always coped with, then vehicles, artillery or infantry were quite a suitable target for them. But the blitzkrieg, with the help of which Germany crushed her opponents and hoped to crush the Red Army, is a war of maneuver, a constant movement of troops! A raid of at least a few Il-2s on a convoy meant at least panic, a stop and disabled equipment. It sometimes took several hours to resume movement.

True, the "invulnerable" aircraft, it turned out, was amazed even by the smallest caliber 20-mm anti-aircraft guns. The armor protected only from bullets, but the rest of our aircraft did not have such protection either. And the saturation of mobile German units with anti-aircraft artillery was very high. Yes, plus German aces.

Here lies one of the most amazing secrets of the IL-2. Having got rid of the bombs, it was possible to fight German planes on it, as on good fighter! An experienced pilot on the Il-2 could maneuver and go into the tail of the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter that attacked him! At the front, they knew many tricks with which the Il-2 could stand up for itself: for example, the pilots were advised to sharply slow down so that a fast fighter would slip past, and then turn on it and shoot from cannons. In a frontal attack, an armored attack aircraft also had more chances than Messer.

Alas, the skill of the bulk of the pilots of our attack aircraft at that moment was not high. Having learned only to take off, shoot at ground targets and land, yesterday's boys got to the front. Complicated aerobatics during short training they were not taught in reserve regiments. That is why the Il-2 was considered a clumsy aircraft - it simply flew too few experienced pilots who knew how to maneuver. As a result, there were serious losses from both enemy fighters and anti-aircraft artillery. In the first months of the war, the life of the IL-2 at the front was, on average, estimated at only a dozen sorties. Of course, the pilot did not always die when the aircraft was lost; he could jump out with a parachute or survive during an emergency landing. Nevertheless, Il-2 pilots died more often than fighters or bombers. For 30 successful sorties, the attack pilot was presented to the title of Hero Soviet Union.

folk hero

In 1942, the Germans realized it and launched into mass production Henschel 129, struggling with the shortcomings of the machine (however, mass production was not established). By this time, the IL-2 was produced at several large aircraft factories and was constantly modernized. Aircraft designer Sukhoi, meanwhile, created his own Su-6 attack aircraft, which surpassed the Ilyushin one in all respects. But in order to maintain the pace of production, they decided to keep the proven car in production. The second half of the war, the IL-2 passed in the splendor of its glory, enjoying the well-deserved love of our infantry, which he helped a lot and effectively. The aircraft received a boosted engine, more powerful weapons - 23 mm, and then even 37 mm guns. And the Il-2 armored vehicles became a real thunderstorm when small-caliber anti-tank cumulative bombs appeared. Pouring 192 such bombs from their bomb bays, the attack aircraft was guaranteed to hit tanks in an area of ​​15x75 meters.

They also tried to solve the problem of protecting the rear hemisphere - an air gunner was again included in the crew. True, his machine gun was not a very effective weapon against German fighters, but still it was better than nothing. The second crew member flew in Spartan conditions, there was not even an elementary seat! He sat on a canvas strap, which often broke off during the turns of the aircraft. And most importantly, the arrow was protected by a single armor plate at the back! From the sides and below, he was defenseless. Therefore, the place of the shooter in the IL-2 was often intended for the penalty box. The famous pilot, a participant in the Chkalovsky flight, Georgy Baidukov, commanded a division of attack aircraft during the war and rated the two-seater Il-2 even lower than a single-seat one: in it, the pilot had to think about how to maneuver over the target with the least risk for the shooter.

Of course, the creator of the aircraft could increase the size of the armored hull so that it would also protect the shooter. But then it would be necessary to readjust production, suspending the production of aircraft needed by the front. Ilyushin was a son of his time and was not used to calculating the cost of victories. IL-2 was also the son of its time. A front-line aircraft, he went through the war until the last day. And, like most front-line soldiers, immediately after the victory it became unnecessary. He was dismissed, replaced by a more advanced Il-10.

If you are looking for an aircraft that played a decisive role in the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War, then this is undoubtedly the "flying tank" Il-2. This armored attack aircraft destroyed the tanks and manpower of the Nazi Wehrmacht from the first days of Operation Barbarossa until the fall of Berlin.

Despite the fact that the Il-2 fleet suffered horrendous losses from enemy fighters and anti-aircraft artillery, Soviet industry delivered tens of thousands of these durable combat vehicles to the front during the war years, thanks to which the Il-2 became the most massive military aircraft in history.
The Soviet Air Force was mainly focused on supporting ground forces fighting on the ground, like the German Luftwaffe. The latter revolutionized mechanized warfare with Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, which provided fairly accurate air support for high-speed mechanized columns. But after the initial shock caused by the Stuka attacks at the beginning of the war, it turned out that this slow and poorly armed dive bomber was extremely vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft weapons. Soviet aviation engineer Sergei Ilyushin proposed an aircraft similar to the Stuka, but with one twist: he intended to install armor on his attack aircraft.
If armored plates are simply screwed to the plane, it will fly like a brick. Ilyushin proposed another solution. The steel armor was supposed to become a power element of the attack aircraft, replacing the frame and skin of the entire nose and middle part of the monocoque fuselage, although its rear part and wings were still made of wood. Several prototypes were made, and eventually the single-seat Il-2, which weighed almost 4.5 tons, went into mass production, while the weight of the Junkers was 3.2 tons. Maximum bomb load both machines were approximately the same, amounting to about 500 kilograms. But the IL-2 was a little faster, with a speed of 400 kilometers per hour. It was better armed, having two 20 mm cannons and two machine guns in the wings. Armor with a thickness of five to 12 millimeters protected the cabin, fuel tanks, AM38 engine and radiators. Even the cockpit canopy was six centimeters thick armored glass! The chassis of the attack aircraft was extremely durable, allowing it to land on uneven front-line airfields.
When the Wehrmacht began its devastating invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, there were very few Il-2s in the frontline units. In particular, they were armed with the 4th assault aviation regiment. In a desperate attempt to contain the advance of the German mechanized columns, the Il-2 pilots found that, thanks to the armor of the attack aircraft, it was practically invulnerable to frontal machine gun fire, and even had a chance to survive a hit by a 20-mm cannon projectile.
But the Il-2s suffered huge losses as the faster German fighters swooped down on them in flocks and hit them with fire in the unprotected rear. German pilots called the IL-2 "concrete bomber". Perhaps he got such a nickname because of his strength and bulkiness. During periods of intense hostilities, ten sorties accounted for one shot down attack aircraft. In 1943, this figure was improved to one aircraft per 26 sorties.
In the catastrophic first month of hostilities, the Soviet Air Force lost more than four thousand aircraft of all types. So, in the 4th regiment, out of 65 attack aircraft, only 10 remained. In addition, the enterprises for the production of IL-2 had to be evacuated to the east beyond the Ural Mountains, due to which deliveries were interrupted for two months. But when German tanks began to approach Moscow in the fall of 1941, Stalin took the time to personally write his famous telegram to the directors of the Il-2 factories:
You have failed our country, our Red Army. You still do not deign to produce IL-2. The Il-2 planes are now needed by our Red Army like air, like bread. Shenkman gives one Il-2 a day, Tretyakov MiG-3 one or two. This is a mockery of the country, of the Red Army. We need MiG-3, IL-2. If the 1B plant thinks to stray from the country, giving one IL-2 a day, then it is cruelly mistaken, it will suffer punishment for this. I ask you not to make the government impatient. I warn you for the last time.


This telegram has become a powerful stimulus. During the war, more than 36 thousand Il-2 attack aircraft were built, and he took the second place in the world in terms of the number of aircraft produced in history. (The first place is occupied by the Cessna 172 civil aircraft, which was widespread in its time.) Stalin influenced the construction of the Il-2 from the other side. Having received a letter from a Soviet pilot who begged to include a rear gunner in the crew to protect against German fighters, he ordered Ilyushin to make two-seater Il-2s.
The adopted Il-2M had an extended cockpit to accommodate a gunner with a heavy 12.7 mm UBT machine gun to protect the rear hemisphere. The cannons in the wing consoles were also modernized, and 23 mm VYa were used in the main version. (Finding a suitable cannon for an attack aircraft was difficult. The designer of one of the unsuccessful prototypes, Yakov Taubin, was shot for "designing unfinished weapons.") The rear gunner was quite useful, for he shot down pesky German fighters. But the shooters were not protected by armor and died four times more often than the pilots. In addition, the additional crew member and weapons slowed down and unbalanced the aircraft, shifting the center of gravity back.
However, the situation in the sky on the Eastern Front was so desperate that the Il-2 often performed fighter missions. The attack aircraft could not catch up with the German fighter aircraft, but it proved to be a deadly means of destroying the slower German bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and transports. In attack aviation, several aces appeared who flew the Il-2.
In fact, many IL-2 pilots have become legends. Lieutenant Colonel Nelson Stepanyan from Armenia personally sank 13 enemy ships, shot down 27 enemy aircraft, blew up five bridges and destroyed almost 700 vehicles on the ground. Shot down in December 1944 in the skies over Latvia, he directed his burning aircraft at an enemy ship.
The peasant daughter Anna Timofeeva-Egorova became the squadron commander of the 805th assault aviation regiment and made 243 sorties on her attack aircraft. In August 1944, her plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire, the woman was thrown from the cockpit, but she survived, landing with a partially opened parachute. Anna survived both German captivity, and severe injuries in the absence of medical care, and interrogations of the Soviet counterintelligence, which suspected her of collaborating with the Nazis.
Attack aviation strikes played a crucial role in the winter of 1942-43, depriving the German 6th Army locked in Stalingrad of supplies. At the airfield in Salsk, IL-2 destroyed 72 German aircraft, and many transport workers were shot down in the air. But the greatest moment of glory for the attack aircraft was the epic battle of Kursk, which is popularly remembered as the greatest tank battle in history.
IL-2 was equipped with a variety of anti-tank weapons. He could carry RS-82 or RS-132 rockets (of the appropriate caliber) on board. But despite the excellent armor-piercing characteristics, they were inaccurate, and there was little use from them. Placed in containers under the wings, the PTAB anti-tank HEAT bombs were better, since they did not require greater accuracy. Approximately 200 of these bombs weighing 1.4 kilograms could be used for carpet bombing, since they covered an area of ​​​​about 70 × 15 meters. Some Il-2s were equipped with two powerful 37 mm anti-tank automatic guns with 50 rounds of ammunition. But they did not have great accuracy due to strong recoil, and their production was stopped, releasing only 3,500 guns.



The Battle of Kursk began with one of the greatest air battles of World War II, when German fighters raised on alarm barely managed to weaken the colossal preemptive air strike of Soviet fighters and bombers. 500 aircraft took part in this air meat grinder. The Germans lost several dozen, and the Soviets about a hundred vehicles. But the initial failure did not stop the Soviet command, which brought additional assault aviation forces into battle. In the battle near Kursk, Il-2 pilots began to make a "carousel of death" over the battlefield, covering each other's tails from enemy fighters. Periodically, attack aircraft, one at a time, went out of order to strike at ground targets, and then returned to the circle.
For several weeks of fierce fighting, the Il-2 and Stuka feverishly destroyed enemy tanks. Presumably, the German aviation as part of the new Ju-87G Stukas and Hs. 129 with anti-tank guns on July 8 independently stopped the advance of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, knocking out 50 tanks. The day before, Soviet attack aircraft destroyed 70 tanks from the 9th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, stopping its advance.
Then came more extraordinary statements. Pilots of Soviet attack aircraft reported the destruction of 270 tanks of the 3rd Panzer Division and 240 tanks of the 17th Panzer Division. Curiously, at the beginning of the battle, these formations had only 90 and 68 combat-ready tanks, respectively.
In fact, numerous testimonies indicate that during the Second World War, pilots of all countries seriously exaggerated the number of tanks knocked out by aircraft. Operational analysis carried out by special teams on the ground usually indicated that aviation accounted for less than 10% of tank losses. The rockets, bombs, and heavy cannons carried on board the attack aircraft were too inaccurate, and most of them only penetrated the upper armor of the tank, which required a steep angle of attack.
Nevertheless, Il-2 type attack aircraft still thwarted tank offensives, destroyed manpower and artillery in trenches and positions, and ironed unprotected trucks and lightly armored vehicles from strafing flight. According to some estimates, for every destroyed German tank, there were from five to 10 Il-2s destroyed (and aircraft in general are much more expensive than tanks!), However, attack aircraft demonstrated their high efficiency in combating unarmored targets, which were in abundance on the battlefield.
By 1943, the Air Force began to adopt the Il-2M3 version, which eliminated many of the shortcomings of its predecessor aircraft. The rear gunner finally received 13 millimeters of armor protection, and the ends of the wing consoles were moved back 15 degrees to change the center of gravity. This significantly improved the control of the attack aircraft. The boosted AM-38f engine increased the speed of the attack aircraft, compensating for the increase in weight. Admittedly, the Il-2's maximum bomb load remained negligible compared to the fighter-bombers that were beginning to enter service at the time. But attack aircraft were still universally loved, as they could fly "low and slow", taking much stronger hits than fragile fighters.
Thousands of attack aircraft provided air support to the Red Army until the end of the war. They bombed the last defenders of Berlin during a heavy four-day battle on the Seelow Heights. By that time, their more advanced relative, the all-metal Il-10, had joined the IL-2. Outwardly, the two aircraft were similar, but the IL-10 had better aerodynamic characteristics, was more manageable, and had powerful AM-42 engines that increased its speed to 550 kilometers per hour. In total, up to 1954, six thousand Il-10s were built, but before the surrender of Germany, only 150 vehicles took part in the battles.
Soviet archives indicate that a total of 11,000 Il-2s were lost during World War II, although some sources claim that losses were twice that. Be that as it may, attack aircraft continued to serve in the Air Force in the 1950s, and many of them were transferred to countries such as Mongolia, Yugoslavia and Poland. In NATO, they were even given the code names Bark and Beast (“Bark” and “Beast”), respectively.

Downed IL-2



IL-2 ended its war, but IL-10 continued to fight. North Korea received 93 Il-10s, which became part of its 57th assault aviation regiment. They were instrumental in destroying South Korean forces in the first weeks of the Korean War in 1950; but then American aviation entered the war, which shot down or destroyed more than 70 Il-10s on the ground, after which they no longer participated in the battles at the forefront. IL-10 until 1972 was part of the Chinese Air Force. In January 1955, in the Battle of Yiqiangshan Island, these aircraft sank a Taiwanese landing ship, later attacked the garrison on Kinmen Island, and in 1958 bombed villages in Tibet.
After World War II, Soviet aircraft designers focused their attention and efforts on creating light and high-speed fighter-bombers to support ground forces. The real successor to the legendary attack aircraft appeared only in the late 1970s, and it was the Su-25 armored front-line attack aircraft, which today takes part in hostilities in different countries of the world. Even the pilots of the American A-10 Warthog pay tribute to the design principles of this attack aircraft.
The task of an attack aircraft is to strike ground troops at low altitude and at low speed. For this reason, their crews are in great danger, and no amount of armor can fully protect them. But despite the horrendous losses, the Russian ground attack pilots provided much-needed air support to the Red Army and helped it survive and then turn back the fascist offensive.
Sebastian Roblin holds a master's degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University. He was a university instructor with the Peace Corps in China. Roblin regularly publishes articles on security and military history on the War is Boring website.



IL-10, heavy attack aircraft.

IL-10, heavy attack aircraft.
Article translation. The National Interest, Sebastien Roblin

The aircraft of Sergei Ilyushin accounted for more than 30% of all combat vehicles of the Great Patriotic War and made an invaluable contribution to the common cause of the Great Victory. IL-2 became the most massive combat aircraft not only in World War II, but in the entire history of aviation. A total of 36,163 attack aircraft were produced from 1939 to 1945.

In January 1938, Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin turned to the government with a proposal to create a two-seat (pilot and defensive machine gunner) designed by him armored attack aircraft - a “flying tank”, which in its combat effectiveness was superior to light bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, created at that time under the Ivanov program.

“I did not immediately start designing an attack aircraft, I was preparing for about three years. I analyzed the already created machines to the details. I came to the conclusion: the main thing is to combine weight, armor, weapons and speed in the best possible way, ”Ilyushin later recalled in his memoirs.

The problem of protecting an aircraft from fire from the ground arose along with the beginning of the use of aviation for military purposes. At first, the pilots themselves had to take the initiative - to put pieces of metal or just a cast-iron pan under the seat.

Aircraft designers from Great Britain, Germany and Russia have repeatedly tried to solve the problem of aircraft protection.

The Junkers and Sopwith firms even built planes armored with flat sheets. But as soon as the armor was hung up, the plane turned into a heavy, poorly and slowly flying machine. For a long time, no one managed to combine the requirements of supporting ground troops and combat survivability in one vehicle. For some time, aviation designers even assumed that it was impossible to design an armored attack aircraft.

“The task of creating an armored attack aircraft is difficult and involves great technical risk, but I undertake this business with enthusiasm and complete confidence in success,” Ilyushin wrote in his letter to Stalin, Molotov and Voroshilov.

Such confidence of Ilyushin was based on the implementation of his outstanding design idea. He made the armor not only protect, but also work instead of the usual airframe frame, which made it possible to significantly reduce the weight of the aircraft.

The contours of the armored hull, which formed the contours of the forward fuselage, were inscribed with a power plant, engine cooling radiators, a cockpit and gas tanks.

Since October 1937, Ilyushin combined two responsible positions: the chief designer of the Design Bureau of Plant No. 39 and the head of the Main Directorate of Experimental Aircraft Construction in the People's Commissariat defense industry THE USSR. Wanting to concentrate on design activities, he asks the government to release him from a high state post, promising to create a new type of attack aircraft - a "flying tank" as soon as possible. Such permission was obtained, "Ilyushin flew out of Glavka on IL-2," they joked later.

Based on an analysis of the combat use of reconnaissance attack aircraft and fighters in Spain and China for direct support of ground forces, Sergey Vladimirovich, on his own initiative, what was characteristic feature of his design work, conducted design studies of the parameters and layout of an armored attack aircraft.

The creation of the Il-2 became possible thanks to the new armor steel AB-1, developed at VIAM under the leadership of Sergei Kishkin and Nikolai Sklyarov. The armor had good impact strength and, most importantly, made it possible to manufacture armor parts by hot stamping. Armored parts were stamped in air, after which they were cooled in oil, and from the hardening bath they were fed back into the die for final sizing.

As Sergei Ilyushin said, at the training ground there was an endless crack of machine guns firing at the armored hull.

This was how the optimal thickness of the armor for various sections of the cabin was determined, which ranged from 4 to 12 mm. For the first time in the USSR, transparent armor of the K-4 type was used. The windshields of the cockpit lantern were made from it.

Not everyone understood what Ilyushin proposed. “The military, when they found out the thickness of the armor, convinced that it would be easily pierced. But they were wrong, because it's one thing when a bullet pierces the armor at an angle of 90 degrees, and another when the plane flies at high speed, besides, the cockpit has a streamlined shape. In this case, try to hit with a bullet perpendicular to the surface of the armor, ”Sergey Vladimirovich argued.

An experimental aircraft TsKB-55 with an AM-35 engine by Alexander Mikulin made its first flight on October 2, 1939 under the control of Vladimir Kokkinaki. Due to the underestimation by some experts of the flight and combat characteristics of the aircraft, its launch into mass production was delayed. After a large amount of fine-tuning work related to the use of a more powerful low-altitude AM-38 engine, the transition to a single-seat version at the request of the military, and the installation of more powerful offensive weapons in 1940, the aircraft under the designation Il-2 was finally put into mass production at the Voronezh Aviation Plant. The plant workers worked around the clock together with a group of designers, which was personally headed by Ilyushin and representatives of the Mikulin Engine Design Bureau.

On March 1, 1941, the first serial Il-2 entered the factory flight test station. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 249 Il-2 attack aircraft were built. On June 27, 1941, the Il-2 aircraft received a baptism of fire.

On the evening of that day, five aircraft of the 4th Assault Aviation Regiment attacked a column of German tanks and motorized infantry in the Bobruisk area at the turn of the Berezina River.

Simple piloting technique, powerful armament, invulnerability to fire from ground-based small arms, and partially from fire from small-caliber anti-aircraft guns, made the Il-2 a formidable means of fighting enemy ground forces, especially its tanks and motorized infantry.

In the autumn of 1941, due to the evacuation of mass-produced factories to the east, the production of Il-2 was sharply reduced. In the most difficult conditions, aircraft builders set up the production of attack aircraft in new places, people worked in unheated rooms, sometimes in the open. But there was a battle for Moscow, and the front, more than ever before, needed Il-2 aircraft.

Stalin sends the famous telegram to Kuibyshev to factory directors Matvey Shenkman and Anatoly Tretyakov.

Telegram from I. V. Stalin addressed to the directors of plant No. 18 Matvey Shenkman and plant No. 1 Anatoly Tretyakov, December 23, 1941.

Il-2 aircraft began to arrive in front-line units in an ever-increasing number. By the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, more than 1000 Il-2 aircraft were delivered to the front every month.

Combat experience also revealed a significant drawback of the single-seat IL-2 - its vulnerability to attacks by enemy fighters from behind. This shortcoming was eliminated by installing a rear gunner's cockpit with Mikhail Berezin's heavy machine gun. Work at the request of Stalin was carried out by Ilyushin, designers and serial plants without stopping the conveyor.

In February 1942, Stalin summoned Ilyushin to him: “But you were right. You made a two-seat attack aircraft Il-2, and we, without understanding it properly, at the insistence of some advisers, forced us to convert it into a single-seat one. Single-seat attack aircraft require cover and suffer heavy losses from fighter attacks from the tail. We need to get back to the two-seater immediately! Do what you want, but so that the conveyor does not stop!”

In 1944, the Pravda newspaper wrote about this aircraft: “The Ilyushin-2 aircraft are not only an achievement in aviation science, they are a remarkable tactical discovery.”

Ilyushin himself called the aircraft he developed a "flying tank". In the Red Army, the IL-2 received the nickname "humped". Probably not so much because of the profile, but because, as a hard worker, he got the result with his hump. “Humpbacked - because he carried the war on his shoulders,” said the pilots.

German pilots nicknamed him "concrete plane" for his survivability. The ground forces of the Wehrmacht, for the effectiveness of strikes, called the Il-2 nothing more than a "butcher", "meat grinder", "iron Gustav". There is also a mention that in some German parts the plane was called the "black death".

For the creation of the Il-2 in March 1941, Ilyushin received the Stalin Prize II degree. And five months later, in August, for the excellent combat qualities of the aircraft, one more - already I degree. This is probably almost the only case when the author was awarded two Stalin Prizes in a row for the same work.

Of all the variety of tasks that the Il-2 aircraft solved during the Great Patriotic War, their use as fighters was especially unusual. Of course, the Il-2 could not compete on equal terms with the faster and more maneuverable front-line fighters of the enemy, but when meeting with some of the bombers and transport German Il-2 aircraft, which were widely used in combat operations, as a rule, they were shot down.

Based on the combat experience of using the IL-2 State Committee defense May 17, 1943 decided to create a single armored fighter Il-1.

Sergei Vladimirovich did not share the concept of an armored fighter, and the design of the IL-1 was carried out from the standpoint of the possibility of further use of the aircraft as a high-speed and maneuverable two-seat armored attack aircraft. The new aircraft received the designation Il-10.

April 18, 1944 Vladimir Kokkinaki performed the first flight on the Il-10 attack aircraft from the Central Airfield. M. V. Frunze on the Khodynka field in Moscow. The aircraft was built at Aviation Plant No. 18 in Kuibyshev, and its final assembly was carried out at Plant No. 240 in Moscow. The attack aircraft was equipped with an AM-42 engine, had powerful artillery weapons - four NS-23 wing guns with a total ammunition capacity of 600 rounds and a UB-20 turret gun. The maximum speed of the IL-10 was equal to 551 km / h - almost 150 km / h more top speed IL-2.

Military pilots highly appreciated the IL-10 as simple in terms of piloting technique and not requiring special retraining from the IL-2. According to military testers, "the Il-10 aircraft is a classic example of an attack aircraft."

Review of the squadron "Chapaevtsy". Squadron Il-2M "Chapaevtsy" was built
at the expense of the workers of the city of Chapaevsk and transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front.
September 12, 1944.

After testing, the Il-10 attack aircraft was put into production and from April 15, 1945 began to take part in hostilities.

Shortly before that, on March 28, 1945, as part of testing an aircraft over the Sprottau airfield in Selesia, a demonstrative air battle was organized between the Il-10 attack aircraft, piloted by Captain Alexander Sirotkin from the 108th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment, and the La-5FN fighter, piloted by Hero of the Soviet Union Captain Vitaly Popkov from the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

By that time, Popkov was considered an ace, who had about 100 battles and 39 downed enemy aircraft.

The battle ended in a draw, but the film of the photo-machine gun impartially showed that both the pilot and the Il-10 air gunner caught the fighter in the crosshairs more than once.

This made it possible to draw the main conclusion that if an experienced, enterprising pilot and a well-aimed air gunner are in the cockpit of an attack aircraft, they have a good chance of winning a duel with a fighter. In addition, at altitudes up to 2,000 meters, the Il-10 was not inferior in speed to the German Me-109G2 and FW-109A-4 fighters.

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, the high combat qualities of the Il-10 aircraft had already been successfully used by several attack aviation regiments. Il-10 attack aircraft were used in large numbers in the war with Japan.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the IL-10 was re-equipped with all the assault units of the Red Army Air Force that remained after the disbandment. In addition to the USSR Air Force, they were in service with the assault air regiments of the Air Forces of Poland, Czechoslovakia, China, and North Korea.

Veteran pilots about the IL-2 aircraft

Council of Veterans of the 6th Guards, Moscow, Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner and Suvorov 2nd Class Assault Aviation Regiment.

Dear Sergey Vladimirovich!

... During the Great Patriotic War, the pilots of our regiment were one of the first to master a new for that time machine designed by you - the Il-2 attack aircraft. This wonderful, magnificent technique withstood "excellently" all the severe tests over the battlefield.

How many times he rescued us in difficult moments! How many times did we and our colleagues manage to save their lives thanks to the high, amazing survivability of the aircraft itself! Our attack aircraft was an indispensable reliable assistant to the ground forces. No wonder they called it at that time a "winged tank", and attack aircraft - "air infantry". The Nazis feared this formidable machine more than anything in the world, and the appearance of attack aircraft over enemy targets inevitably sowed panic and confusion in the enemy camp.

That is why the Nazis dubbed it the "Black Death".

The aircraft's high flight and tactical qualities and its enormous combat capabilities allowed us to exemplarily perform complex combat missions and deliver effective strikes against enemy positions. And our regiment - the first among the assault aviation units - already in December 1941 was awarded the title of Guards. We, the pilots who flew into battle on the machines designed by you, will always be grateful to you for your inspirational and creative work, which you have contributed and continue to contribute to the development of aviation technology. We consider you an outstanding aircraft designer of our era...

Chairman of the Council of Veterans, former regiment commander, retired Major General of Aviation L. Reino
Member of the Council of Veterans of the regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union, reserve major D. Tarasov
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Regiment, Reserve Major I. Korchagin
Responsible Secretary of the Council of Veterans of the regiment, reserve lieutenant colonel B. Shchukanov.

Dear Sergey Vladimirovich!

During the Patriotic War, or rather in 1942, I happened to land on an Il-2 aircraft on a large spruce forest, because the aircraft was hit by the enemy over the target.

I will not describe how I made the landing. But at the height of half the trees, the fuselage fell off along the rear armor plate, the trees cut off the wings, after which the plane hit the ground with its nose. Armor, just like in battle, saved my life.

I am infinitely grateful to you for your IL-2, thanks to which I owe you my life. Had it happened on another plane, I certainly wouldn't have had to write these lines.

With respect to you, former pilot Borisov Fedor Alekseevich
Angarsk-24, Engels-3, apt. 4.

Dear Sergey Vladimirovich! Hello!

Sorry that you are worried about a person whom you certainly don’t remember ... Remembering you since 1940, and especially since August 1941, when you personally escorted us on the Il-2 to the city of Leningrad from Voronezh Plant 18 to train the flight crew of the 13th General Staff of the KBF (13th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet - ed.) SA Air Force. I was then an engineer at the plant's LIS - Maksimov Evgeny Ilyich - a military engineer of the 3rd category. You then told us: “Comrades, beat the Nazis in such a way that the appearance of Il-2 aircraft causes fear and horror among the Nazis, and death with fire. Happy flight!" Regiment 13 GShAP survived until Victory Day, and the memory of you will remain for centuries, and with me until my deathbed. I went with Ilam after Leningrad, Stalingrad - 6 ShAD (6th assault aviation division - ed.), the Arctic - 17 GShAP (17th Guards assault aviation regiment - ed.), Moscow defense - 6 GShAP (6th Guards assault aviation regiment - ed.), 1st air army - East Prussia - Berlin. He ended the Great Patriotic War with the Ilam, having received five wounds and two contusions ...

Maksimov Evgeny Ilyich
Kyiv, st. Heroes of Sevastopol, house 17a, apt. 29.

Guard armament mechanic Sergeant of the 15th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment Konstantin Ugodin preparing a bomb load for the Il-2.
Leningrad Front, September 1942.

In the museum aviation complex them. S. V. Ilyushin keeps unique documents, for example, a poem written in the Baltic States in 1945.

"Ilyushin-2" over Courland

Our strength beats the fascist -
Kaput will come to them soon:
Over the Baltic "Ily"
They are in battle formation.
Shaking the earth with a roar,
Where the fascist sits like a mole
Commit "Ily" again
Deadly twist.
Carcasses of stupid tanks
They ripple with disguise,
But - already above them "Ily":
And storm and bomb!
Tanks crawl like toads

The Il-2 aircraft (attack aircraft) is a combat vehicle of the times of the Great Patriotic War, which is very famous for its combat exploits when destroying the enemy. The designer of this machine is Sergey Ilyushin, who has been developing this model since 1938. This aircraft model was often called a flying tank, because it had excellent armor, which was too tough for the enemy.

Description of the Il-2 aircraft (attack aircraft)

IL-2 was the most famous combat unit of the skies during the Great Patriotic War, both among ours and among the enemy troops. At that time, not a single army in the world had even a miserable semblance of such an attack aircraft. It was specialized for flying at low altitudes and at the same time had an invulnerable armored shell. Its main task was to destroy enemy manpower and tanks.

In our country, in the early 1930s, active development of an attack aircraft with an armored fuselage began. The predecessors of the Il-2 aircraft were heavy armored attack aircraft, which are known under the brand name TSh-1,2 and 3. The main task of the designers was to manufacture armor that could not violate the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft.

The first TSh models had bent pieces of armor that were not streamlined enough, and as a result, this led to a deterioration in the aircraft's flight properties, and at the same time they had a lot of weight. Also, in the first models of this attack aircraft, low-power engines were used, which led to low speed and high acceleration when lifted off the ground. The solution to this problem was the installation of more powerful engines and the use of a new type of armor, which was biconvex. These modifications made it possible at the end of the thirties to produce a real and high-quality attack aircraft under the name Il-2.

The predecessor of the first IL-2 was the armored attack aircraft BSh-2, which had two seats in the cockpit for a pilot and a machine gunner. Bsh-2 was also developed by Ilyushin's design bureau in 1938, this aircraft was equipped with sheet armor. This type of armor was also used in the Il-2 aircraft. It should be noted that the first Ilov models were made with wooden hull parts, these were the fuselage wing consoles and the tail wing.

Design features of the Il-2 attack aircraft

The chassis in this attack aircraft folded back, and then retracted into the wing body, after which they were closed with fairings for better aerodynamics. As for weapons, then the designers approached quite thoughtfully. Airborne armament was installed in the inner part of the wing, and guide devices for rockets were installed under the wing of the attack aircraft. Due to the armor and the installed AM-35 engine, the IL-2 developed a low speed, only up to 400 km / h, and the landing speed was 140 km / h.

When testing the BSh-2 aircraft, the designers decided that the new attack aircraft should be produced in a single version to reduce the weight of the aircraft. After that, a single-seat attack aircraft was built, which showed excellent flight and combat characteristics. This was the very first Il-2 - an attack aircraft with an armored fuselage. In 1941, this aircraft model was put into serial production at many factories.

The Il-2 showed its quality and reliability in the first years of the war, but there were also shortcomings. The biggest flaw was the lack of a machine gunner who could repel attacks from enemy aircraft from the tail. This shortcoming led to heavy losses. An interesting fact is that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to pilots after ten successful sorties, and not after 100, as usual.

Innovations in the design of the IL-2 (attack aircraft)

In the first months of 1942, the Ilyushin design bureau held a conference to which testers and pilots who were directly related to the new attack aircraft were invited. This conference was convened to share experiences and also to find out how an aircraft behaves in combat. When communicating with the pilots, it became clear that the main problem and disadvantage of the aircraft is the lack of a second seat in the car for the machine gunner. Also, the attention of the designers was paid to the increase in engine power and to increase the cannon caliber.

After this conference, the designers nevertheless returned to the initial two-seat attack aircraft model. Also, the machine gunner was provided with a mobile heavy machine gun, which will help protect the aircraft from enemies from the rear and will increase the range of firepower. Since 1942, the IL-2 began to be produced with a more powerful engine of 1720 horsepower. This made it possible to increase the speed of the aircraft to 420 km / h, and also significantly reduced the length of acceleration for separation, and all this with a mass of more than 6 tons in full combat configuration.

As for the four 20-mm machine guns, their designers also replaced them with large-caliber guns. This attack aircraft was also equipped with cumulative anti-tank bombs. But with all the innovations and upgrades, the wing consoles were still made of wood, and only since 1943 their design and the material used were replaced by more efficient ones.

Due to the addition of a machine gunner's seat, the design of the entire armored hull had to be changed, and the tail fuselage of the aircraft was also changed. After all the adjustments, the mass of the armored hull of the attack aircraft reached 990 kg. All components of the armored hull were tested by shooting. IL-2 was also used in naval battles to destroy ships, and on land it easily destroyed enemy tanks and motorcades. This attack aircraft was used at the front and with the support of our troops in the near rear.

Because of the powerful armor and excellent weapons, this attack aircraft model was called a flying tank. Over the entire period of the aircraft's existence, over 36 thousand armored attack aircraft were produced by the factories of the Soviet Union. Such a huge number of combat vehicles can only compete for leadership with the legendary T-34 tank.

Combat use of the legendary attack aircraft

According to the official data of the Red Army, until 1941, 1.5 thousand aircraft were sent to the front, 1.1 thousand of which were lost Il-2, but most of the losses were not related to combat missions. Many combat units were lost due to unsuccessful maneuvers at low altitudes or due to unsatisfactory weather conditions.

During the entire period of the Great Patriotic War, our army lost more than 23 thousand attack aircraft and over 7.8 thousand pilots. It should be noted that 12 thousand aircraft were lost not in combat conditions. As for the Ils, the statistics say that every 53rd flight was the last for an attack aircraft. As for survivability, it should be noted that among all types of combat aircraft, attack aircraft died most often, despite the fact that they had excellent armor and powerful weapons.

The reason for the heavy losses of Ils was the tactics of warfare, since they flew at low altitude and attracted all the fire of enemy artillery. According to the data of the assault units, the number of non-returning ILs was 3%. But at the same time, one should also take into account the fact that after sorties, half of all returned aircraft had damage from enemy weapons. Sometimes returning attack aircraft could count several hundred holes in the fuselage and wings, but after field repairs such a machine could easily return to combat. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the army of the Soviet Union had 3289 Il-2 aircraft in service.

Il-2 attack aircraft combat tactics

The main advantage in combat of such an attack aircraft was that it worked at altitudes up to 1 km, and it carried out the main combat activity at an altitude of 20-50 meters. Due to the low flight altitude, Ilu was not afraid of enemy artillery, and his armor easily protected the aircraft from infantry. In turn, the attack aircraft could effectively destroy enemy tanks and manpower. When working at low altitudes, it was also a plus high speed aircraft at 400 km / h, which other attack aircraft could not afford, which could only accelerate to three hundred kilometers per hour.

After the destruction of ground targets, the IL-2 could easily switch to attacking enemy air targets, which, although they had great speed, did not have such armor and weapons as the Soviet attack aircraft. An interesting fact is the cunning of our pilots, who used the external similarity of Il with a German bomber. Our pilots could attach themselves to the German aircraft, which did not suspect anything, and calmly destroy them.

Il-2 design

IL-2 is a single-engine low-wing aircraft with a mixed design. Its peculiarity is that armor is included in the power circuit of the airframe. She replaced the skin of the middle and forward fuselage and frame. The load-bearing armored hull consists of homogeneous steel armor, it covered the cockpit, engine, some units and radiators (the armored hull on the prototype protected the side gunner). The thickness of the transparent armor of the cab visor is 64 mm. It is capable of withstanding a 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullet from zero range.

There is an erroneous opinion that the Il-2 was originally a two-seater, but on the orders of the military leadership, Ilyushin had to convert the attack aircraft into a single one. Due to the lack of defensive armament of the aircraft, there were heavy losses at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In fact, the aircraft was originally ordered as a two-seater, but on the initiative of Ilyushin it was converted into a single-seat one. The reason for this was unsatisfactory flight qualities (rate of climb, speed and range), as they did not meet the requirements presented by the Air Force. At the same time, other designers were working on the armored Il-2. In order to save his offspring in the face of fierce competition, Ilyushin developed his single version. He managed to achieve a reduction in the volume of the armored hull by removing the side gunner. In its place was an additional fuel tank, as well as a reservation for the rear centering by weight, which could not but cause complaints, since it greatly worsened the controllability of the car.

Due to the economic mass, the attack aircraft fully met the requirements for speed, and with the help of installing an additional tank, it was possible to achieve the required flight range.

Faced with serious losses of the Il-2 without defensive armament, the Air Force demanded that Ilyushin return the aircraft to a two-seater, which, in fact, was implemented at the end of 1942. But it was no longer possible to change the armored hull, so the gunner had to be taken out of the armored hull. Its protection is a six-millimeter sheet of armor located on the side of the tail. The protection of the pilot from the rear hemisphere was provided thanks to the transverse armor of the HD, which had a thickness of 12 mm (plus 6 mm armored back).

It is worth noting that the armored hull, which protected both crew members, was received only by the latest modification of the aircraft, namely the Il-10, which began to be mass-produced in 1944.

Armament IL-2

Two guns in the wing consoles (in the main version - 23 mm VYA, initially - 20 mm ShVAK, in the anti-tank series - 37 mm), 45 mm guns were studied

· Two machine guns ShKAS placed on the wings of the aircraft

Containers PTAB, air bombs

Rockets RS-132 and RS-82

· On two-seat versions, a 12.7 mm UTB machine gun was used as a defensive armament.

IL-2 modifications

Produced in both single and double versions. Various design and technological changes were made regularly. For example, at the end of 1941, a wooden tail section with metal stringers was used. Changed weapons, armor.

· IL-2 (single-seat) is a serial modification of the attack aircraft, which does not have a cockpit for the rear gunner. In some parts, due to large combat losses, attempts were made to convert a single-seat aircraft into a two-seat one. In many cases, imitations of the rear gun were created - a dummy installed in the slot in the cockpit.

· IL-2 (double) was a serial modification, which was equipped with UBT and ShKAS machine guns, as well as a gunner's cabin with a lantern. Massively exploited in the later periods of the war.

· IL-2 AM-38F - a serial attack aircraft with a boosted engine, characterized by high takeoff power.

· IL-2 KSS - a serial modification of the IL-2 AM-38F aircraft with exactly the same engine, but boosted, with some design and aerodynamic improvements. Instead of a metal tank, protected fiber gas tanks were used, where after a while most of the small holes were covered with a projector composition, which could thicken on outdoors. To improve control and stability, a counterbalancer and damping springs were installed in the aircraft.

IL-4 (IL-2 M-82) - experimental version attack aircraft, which had an M-82 engine with good takeoff power, namely 1675 hp.

· IL-2 ShFK-37 - a single-seat version of the attack aircraft, armed with two 37 mm aircraft guns, designed by OKB-15, with an AM-38 engine.

· IL-2 NS-37 was a modification of IL-2 AM-38F. The aircraft was equipped with 37 mm cannons, without rockets, to increase anti-tank properties.

· Il-2 NS-45 - a modification of the Il-2 AM-38f aircraft, which has two NS-45 guns.

· IL-2T - according to unofficial data, the modification was capable of carrying a torpedo, as a result of which the guns had to be sacrificed. Three machine guns remained among the small arms: at the rear gunner and two wing guns. But documents that would confirm the existence of this modification have not been found to this day, although there are numerous aircraft models (in addition, this modification is often used in video games).

The Il-2 aircraft, along with the T-34 tank and Katyusha, became one of the symbols of the Great Patriotic War and victory in it. And for what reason did this happen? Why IL-2? Let's try to figure it out. First of all, the IL-2 turned out to be an extremely effective combat unit, namely, an attack aircraft. The attack aircraft also has another name - a direct support aircraft, which explains its combat mission.

That is, if tactical bombers (for example, Pe-2) aim at objects of different significance and distance from the front, strategic aviation(for example, Pe-8) - an attack on the country's strategic facilities in the depths of its territory, then the IL-2 must participate in the attacks of ground troops, support them, literally “iron” the enemy’s battle formations during the battle, before the battle and after it. In fact, this is flying artillery. The requirements for aircraft of this class are quite peculiar. The main ones are: high firepower, the possibility of pinpoint destruction of ground targets and increased survivability of the aircraft. The IL-2 possessed all these qualities, which is why it became a legend, which, when it appeared over the battlefield, caused a sharp rise in the morale of the Red Army and panic among the German soldiers.

IL-2. Photo.

Now in order. It should be noted that the IL-2 was actually the first aircraft that was designed specifically as an attack aircraft, before that, in all countries of the world, fighters performed this role, on which tons of weapons and armor plates were hung. The Red Army at the time of the start of work on the Il-2 had a military doctrine similar to the German one - to quickly attack, destroy and capture. For such a doctrine, Il-2 class aircraft, along with fighters, were most in demand. Therefore, they took the development of the new aircraft more than seriously and even developed a new aircraft gun specifically for the Il-2 - VYa-23.

It was she who, being installed in the amount of two units, to a greater extent determined the combat effectiveness of the Il, since it was an accurate and powerful weapon suitable for destroying everything up to medium tanks and boats. In addition, there was a pair of ShKAS machine guns in service, with a phenomenal rate of fire of 1800 rounds / minute for that time, which simply mowed down personnel parts of the enemy. In addition, "Il" was armed with another relatively "fresh" invention - missiles, in quantities from 4 to 16 pieces, which were called RS-82 or RS-132 (a rocket with a caliber in millimeters). This weapon was less accurate than cannons, but more accurate than bombs, so it took an intermediate place between them.

Well, there was also the possibility of hanging bombs with a caliber of up to 250 kg, which further increased the combat effectiveness of this aircraft. Accordingly, the IL-2 had a very impressive and diverse, and therefore a very effective arsenal, which fully ensured the pinpoint defeat of individual targets.

Now about survivability. The survivability of the aircraft is a parameter that determines the resistance of the aircraft to hits. Simply put, the amount of enemy lead that the aircraft is able to swallow and continue flying. For an attack aircraft, this is an important parameter, because it flies low over the battlefield, at low speeds and traditionally shoots everything that can shoot at it. IL-2 is the first aircraft in the world that had a load-bearing armored hull protecting the pilot and engine; before it, armor plates were simply hung on the aircraft in some places.

IL-2. Video.

Such a design significantly gains in weight compared to simply hanging steel, which means it allows you to increase the amount of armor without compromising the aircraft's flight characteristics. The IL-2 had armor that could only be hit by armor-piercing projectiles with a caliber of 20mm or more. But you should not assume that it was impossible to shoot him down with machine-gun fire, because the wings and tail of the car had no armor and were made of wood. But nevertheless, the survivability of the IL-2 was very high, and increased even more due to the high flight performance, in terms of which it was not much inferior to the German Bf-109E.

It is not for nothing that in the German ground units the IL-2 received such nicknames as the "butcher" or "flying tank", these nicknames were well deserved.

IL-2 Sturmovik main characteristics:

• IL-2 modification
• Wingspan, m 14.60
• Length, m 11.60
• Height, m ​​4.17
• Wing area, m2 38.50

Weight, kg

• empty plane 4525
• normal takeoff 6060

Engine's type:

• 1 PD Mikulin AM-38

Power, hp

• nominal 1 x 1575
• 1 x 1665

Maximum speed, km/h

• near the ground 370
• at height 411

Practical range, km 685

• Rate of climb, m/min 417
• Practical ceiling, m 6000

• Crew, people 2

Armament IL-2 Sturmovik:

• two 20 mm ShVAK cannons (210 rounds per barrel)
• two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (750 rounds per machine gun)
• one 12.7 mm collar for firing backwards (280 rounds)
• 8 RO-82 and 400 kg of bombs (overload 600 kg).