In many respects, World War II was an unprecedented event not only in the world order in general, but also in the understanding of military art in particular. Military tactics of battle, attack and defense developed rapidly, heavy equipment instantly became obsolete, and new ones came out of its conveyors. A special place, of course, belongs to aviation, in which, in a short time, Soviet industry made a real breakthrough for itself.
Her Majesty Aviation
WWII aircraft are one of the main military characters in terms of technology. At that time, this industry was just beginning to develop in the Soviet Union. How far Russia lagged behind showed the first most powerful enemy raid. Soviet troops were not ready for an attack. From the first minutes of the war, the Luftwaffe proved to be a very strong rival, who was not easy to throw from the Russian sky. He destroyed most of the Soviet aircraft, and they did not even have time to take off.
However, training in the realities of war is happening rapidly. Experts are unanimous in the opinion that the aircraft created during the Second World War are the true heyday of aviation, which subsequently affected civil aviation. Creating WWII aircraft, the USSR won the right to be called a powerful aviation power.
Luftwaffe airplanes were terrifying with their low buzz, vibrant coloring and technical equipment. Soviet designers had to make a powerful and speedy leap so that the planes of the Second World War of the USSR could not only compete, but also drive the enemy out of their skies.
First fire test
The first flight cockpit for almost all novice military pilots of that time was the famous U-2 corn carrier. To this day, WWII aircraft remain models of military equipment, but this biplane has become a legend, given the significant contribution it made to forging victory. It was difficult to use it in any other way than a training model. This was due to its small take-off weight, design, minimal capacity.
Meanwhile, the designers were able to mount silencers and holders for light bombs into the aircraft. Thanks to its miniature, stealth, it turned into a rather dangerous night bomber and was used in this capacity until the end of the war.
Palm fighter
Fighters were truly the hallmark of the aviation arsenal of all participants in hostilities. The most dangerous military aircraft at that time belonged, of course, to the Luftwaffe. It was necessary to create a plane that could fight with them on an equal footing. I-16 in its technical characteristics was significantly inferior to German fighters. The victories won on it were very expensive and depended more on the skill and fearlessness of the pilot than on the plane itself.
It was then that MiGs appeared - a fundamentally new word in Soviet aviation, which to this day all are improving their modifications and combat characteristics. The third modification, the MiG-3, recognized as truly the most dangerous military aircraft of the war period, came out to worthy Germans in the struggle for the Soviet sky. The maximum speed exceeded 600 km per hour, the flight altitude reached 11 km. This has become his main advantage in the framework of air defense.
Yak
Military aircraft should have a mass of combat characteristics, which were especially difficult at that time to fit into one machine. MiGs could not compete with the Germans at a lower altitude. At the level of five kilometers, they lost in speed. And here he was perfectly replaced by Yaks, who were very quickly modified. The final combat option - the Yak-9 - was equipped with powerful ammunition at the relative lightness of the aircraft itself. For this, he became the preferred machine not only for Soviet soldiers, but also for allies. For example, he was very fond of the French pilots from the Normandy-Niemen.
The main drawback that the Soviet WWII aircraft had was poor military equipment. These were machine guns, very rarely put a 20-millimeter gun. This problem was finally solved at the Lavochnik design bureau, from where the La-5 fighter with two ShVAK cannons came from.
Air armor
To one degree or another, WWII airplanes had the same construction principle: a frame made of wood or metal, which was sheathed with metal, fabric or plywood, an engine, armor and a combat set were installed inside. Ilyushkin’s design bureau revised the principle of weight distribution, replacing part of the aircraft’s power structures with armor. The result of this was the creation of the IL-2. The plane as an attack aircraft was terrifying not only in the sky, but also on the ground. In the final configuration, a 37 mm caliber gun was installed on board, which ensured him a high level of destruction. German planes of World War II finally met a true rival.
Another integral member of the air cage is bombers. The Pe-2 should initially be a powerful fighter, but in the end a dangerous aircraft emerged from the design bureau, which was distinguished by the dive efficiency. Such a modification appeared just in time. He dropped bombs precisely during the peak, then left it and left at high altitude.
However, the Tu-2 possessed the largest number of modifications. It was used as a scout, bomber, interceptor, attack aircraft.
German planes of World War II took the Soviet defense by surprise. They terrified. Meanwhile, the Soviet design bureaus accepted the challenge and answered it relatively quickly.