IL-2 - the legendary "flying tank" of World War II

The IL-2 aircraft is a combat vehicle that, on its wings, endured all the hardships and tribulations of the Great Patriotic War, becoming a symbol and legend of our great Victory. Symbol along with Katyusha and a tank T-34. He can rightfully be considered one of the heroes of this war.

This attack aircraft, designed by designer Sergei Ilyushin, became famous for his military successes in the destruction of the enemy. For its excellent armor, this aircraft model was often called the “flying tank”.

However, such a combat vehicle also had an “Achilles heel”. At the very beginning of the war, Soviet attack aircraft suffered heavy losses.

The guest of the program “Archival revolution” historian aviation Oleg Rastrenin will dwell in detail on the development period of the IL-2 attack aircraft, on its main modifications, including the IL-2 double wing with an arrow, IL-2U Improved.

Why and when did the armored cockpit appear on the IL-2? How did the crew themselves relate to the additional reservation of the cockpit? How can you evaluate an airplane and its weapons? The answers to these and other questions about aviation during the Second World War in the video presented:

Comments

[Flooding]

Training film 1943

[30143]

Thank you for the video!

[Alexander Suvorov]

IL-2 - the most massive combat aircraft in the world!
“Il, why are you“ hunchbacked? ” “Because he took out the whole war on himself.” The nickname is "Brokeback" - from the characteristic profile of the fuselage. The designers of the Ilyushinsky Design Bureau themselves called it the "Flying Tank." The Germans - “Concrete Aircraft” and “Cement Bomber”, as well as “Meat Grinder”, “Iron Gustav” and even “Plague”. The plague on their fascist heads, he was!
How many pilots said thanks to Ilyushin for such a plane. True, the flight as a gunner-radio operator was akin to a penal battalion. Although for the complexity of combat sorties on the first Il-2 models without a shooter, under the conditions of the Luftwaffe domination in the sky, in 1941, for 10 sorties, they were already awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Honor and glory to the pilots of the stormtroopers, for whom each flight was the last, eternal memory of the fallen heroes!

[svp67]

Quote: Alexander Suvorov

True, the flight as a gunner-radio operator was akin to a penal battalion.

That is, for this machine gun they planted exclusively officers who were to wash away some kind of sin?

[certero]

You have collected all the post-war legends. Watch a better video

[svp67]

Quote: certero

You have collected all the post-war legends. Watch a better video

From the book of A.V. Drabkin “I fought on the IL-2. We were called "suicide bombers" "
Memoirs of Purgin Nikolai Ivanovich (820th ShAP, pilot, 232 b / c)
I had a few shooters. Initially, fines were sent to us. I remember there was such a fighter pilot, Major Shatsky. He died in the first flight.

[Monar]

Thanks. It's always interesting to watch such things. All the same, how the language and terminology have changed over the decades. The most basic thing is to "strap on" and "buckle up" now.
But this is not the first time that surprises. Instructions with music. Was this the case or was it already a remake?

[Flooding]

Quote: Monar

But this is not the first time that surprises. Instructions with music. Was this the case or was it already a remake?

Original version. This is clear from the scale.
For example, another 1944 film.

How do you like the spelling "exploitation" in the opening credits?

[Monar]

I noticed. ) This spelling is normal for me.

[Dmitry Vladimirovich]

Exploitation - then such an utterance was adopted - the proletarians, not some exploiters :)

[Flooding]

Quote: Dmitry Vladimirovich

Exploitation - then such an utterance was adopted - the proletarians, not some exploiters :)

I understand that this is not a mistake.
In old editions of books, sometimes I encountered similar unusual features.

[Strashila]

Clearly, everything new takes time to understand and master. It is good that the designer and the production, as they could, quickly made changes to the design of the machine.

[Van 16]

He is "Ilyusha" (for ours), he is "Black Death" (for the Germans).

[The leader of the Redskins]

Here is a plane that I personally associate with the word BATTLE.
A jack-of-all-trades: and a rocket bomb strike, and look into the barrels of anti-aircraft guns in reconnaissance, and fill up a bomber. Despite the fact that he himself "snapped" from the enemy vulture can.

[svp67]

Quote: Leader of the Redskins

Here is a plane that I personally associate with the word BATTLE.

For me it is "WORKER", "laborer of war"

[Peaceful Basmach]

Hard worker! He carried out most of the work of front-line aviation! Honor and praise be to him! But we still have almost forgotten, ADD or long-range aviation. Which worked both deep behind enemy lines and along the front line. And it was created during the war, it reported directly to the headquarters.

[Basarev]

Not such a tank. The armor protects only from the rifle caliber, and even a little of it, the plane is mainly wooden-fabric, it used to happen that the tail fell off from one line. By the way, it’s very indicative that the scale of Soviet backwardness is immediately visible: in Germany, airplanes are all-metal, all-radioed. And we are plywood, as in the First. And only on command vehicles is a poor receiver.

[Aerodrome]

it was offered to fines to atone, by the shooter on IL 2 ... that's it.

[svp67]

Quote: Aerodrome

it was offered to fines to atone, by the shooter on IL 2 ... that's it.

Convicted officers, pilots, yes, from some point it was proposed to atone for their fault with the gunner on the IL-2 and this is correct, since people are trained and send them to the infantry, the height of waste. But this does not mean that all the arrows of the IL-2 were convicted officers

[certero]

Quote: svp67

Convicted officers, pilots, yes, from some point it was proposed to atone for their fault with the gunner on the IL-2

Will you bring the documents?

[Sansculotte]

Well, much more was done, but it was more important. The Yanks also bombed the B-52 with Vietnamese)

[Alexander Suvorov]

Basarev (Arseny)
Not such a tank. Armor only protects against rifle caliber

Do you need 150 mm as on a battleship or 75 mm as on a tank? The Germans did not pile anything like that during the entire war, with all their advanced technologies.

By the way, it’s very significant that the scale of Soviet backwardness is immediately visible

Well, yes, they are so behind that they dishonored the withers of advanced Germans.

Germany has all-metal airplanes

The USSR had a catastrophic shortage of aviation aluminum. Or have you not heard about this?

completely radio-controlled. And we are plywood, as in the First. And only on command vehicles is a poor receiver.

When we were able to establish our own production, then we had radio communications on all the machines.
It's disgusting to even read people like you!

[svp67]

Quote: Basarev

in Germany, airplanes are all-metal, all-radiated. And we are plywood, as in the First.

That's when the truth is mixed with lies ... You VERY poorly know the design of military aircraft of that time, the history of its development and changes during the war, and you make such global conclusions ...
USSR TB-3 All-metal and radio-fired 30s

Great Britain "Mosquito", solid wood, which does not prevent it from being considered one of the best aircraft of that war

Germany, 1945, Henkel HE-162, 3/4 wooden

USA, Hughes H-4 Hercules (English Hughes H-4 Hercules) - a transport wooden flying boat that has such parameters, some of which are still considered record

[Basarev]

As for TB-3, it doesn’t concern here, we specifically condemn IL-2. Similarly, the Germans and the British with the Germans - we do not care about their woodenness. Foreign flaws do not justify ours. I always said - you should be equal to the best. And you are engaged in forgery, in the same way as on some channels with great pride they talk about the development and wealth of Russia ... Compared to the most backward countries in the world. And wood is definitely obsolete material back in the late twenties, only an ignoramus will argue with this, rummaging about nothing in aviation.

[svp67]

Quote: Basarev

I always said - you should be equal to the best.

And which of the indicated foreign is the worst?

Quote: Basarev

And wood is definitely obsolete material back in the late twenties, only an ignoramus will argue with this, rummaging about nothing in aviation.

Wood, this is the material that in that war was mostly put into business when it was not very good in terms of production. By the way, the Germans in 44 and 45 put wooden parts on their planes in order to continue their production.
As for the Il-2, it was originally all-metal, but the requirements of mass production and the lack of stability of supply forced us to use wood in its construction in 41 to 44 years, but from the age of 44 the metal began to supplant in the construction of Il- 2 tree.
And at the expense of "groping", so "Mosquito", "groping" "Mosquito", how many metal surpassed it?

[Basarev]

In 45, the Germans did not go to a tree from a good life. They lost almost all deposits and fell into a terrifying metal shortage. That is, among the Germans, a tree is a forced, desperate measure, so the Germans are not an example here. And what about the wooden toys of Britain and the USA - superpowers have the right to quirks, and such wastefulness is not permissible for us.

[svp67]

Quote: Basarev

In 45, the Germans did not go to a tree from a good life. They lost almost all deposits and fell into a terrifying metal shortage.

Yeah, that means you are allowing them to do this, but the USSR is NOT MANY. But nothing that the production of aluminum was a very energy-intensive process and the USSR did not have the opportunity, at that time it was not enough to set up its production in proper quantity, and not many were able to work with it, the tree was still more familiar. So, making an assumption for one country, do not forget to do it for another ...

Quote: Basarev

And what about the wooden toys of Britain and the USA - superpowers have the right to quirks, and such wastefulness is not permissible for us.

Of course, it’s better to be left without aviation at all ... This is the right decision

[Basarev]

Everything is simple. We must be impeccable. And since such an all-powerful Union, with its main emphasis on heavy industry, has not mastered the proper volume of aluminum - how much does such an industry cost? Yes, and the system in general? The answer is obvious.

[svp67]

Quote: Basarev

And since such a mighty Union of itself,

I don’t know, but you perfectly understand that a country where the working class was a minority, where industrialization was carried out at a fast pace, simply cannot become developed in an industrial direction at the click of a finger. It took some time for the workers and the engineer to receive a proper education and get work experience. And if in the 30s the country became industrial, then in the 40s it really became a mighty industrial power, which could be seen as a breakthrough into space and the mastery of nuclear energy. But everything took time. And let us still treat our ancestors with understanding, they worked tirelessly, wasting their health and even their lives in order to obtain the necessary industrial potential

[Basarev]

The point is that the efforts were not distributed there. At the expense of the Russians (artificially divided by the damned Bolsheviks into at least three republics) they raised all kinds of Caucasian-Central Asian savages (and there are a lot of wild national Nazis inside the RSFSR), political repressions led (how many potential Korolevs were rotted for disagreeing with the party line?) ... I see the right industrialization is completely different: at least not trust anyone and build aluminum plants in the depths of the country. And then, damn it, in the first months lost two of the three.

[svp67]

Quote: Basarev

The point is that the efforts were not distributed there.

Yes, there were mistakes and from the point of view of our time, they are perfectly visible, but the ancestors walked the path unknown, trying to change something in this world

[Basarev]

So many years to nag the Russians, rob them and let the nationalities living at their expense call the Russians drunk Vanka? Decades have passed, which clearly shows: these are not mistakes, this is a targeted anti-Russian policy.

[Dooplet11]

Well, if you face the truth, the IL-2 has never been all-metal. Like the He-162 was never 3/4 wooden. But in the 40s of the last century, wood was a completely modern aircraft structural material. In this you are right.

[Dooplet11]

By the way, it’s very indicative that the scale of Soviet backwardness is immediately visible: in Germany, airplanes are all-metal, all-radioed. And we are plywood, as in the First. And only on command vehicles a poor receiver

Where does this "all-metal" and "only an inferior receiver on command vehicles come from"? What, just spill and only the receiver?

[Givi_49]

Oleg Valentinovich Rastrenin knows so much about the history of IL-2 that you will read out. The thickness of the armor, weapons, bomb load, second volley, unit load on the wing, unit load on power, ground speed, combat radius - all this was very interesting to know for the time being, until I personally realized that this information, capable of saturating and satisfying the materialistic consciousness is nothing more than secondary information, which in itself does not bring victory. (Recently, one scientist commentator fought hysterically over the fact that the IL-2 bomb load was in the area of ​​the propeller’s circle, which makes bombing unpredictable).
And one more important truth that I discovered for myself: any model standing in armament is the best possible one that the country is capable of, especially in war conditions, a divine gift for a soldier. (In contrast to the axis countries and the allied countries, there were many deaths in our production during the war years. People made weapons and died in their workplaces. It is very possible that behind each imperfection there was someone's dying life). And the fighter should treat him with respect and with his full knowledge and mastery of him.
Thousands of ground attack pilots made this product a "black death", a "flying tank", a renowned and legendary combat vehicle, who, at the cost of their own lives, developed tactical techniques for its combat use. A cruel and sophisticated enemy took the exams.
From my point of view, it would be more important and interesting to read about the evolution of assault tactics and the factors that lead to an increase in its combat effectiveness, to win about its science, about commanders, about training, about selecting pilots, about leading groups, about leadership from the ground and from air, about military specialization, about the methods of bombing ... as deep as possible and in detail about the human factor in the victories and defeats of our glorious assault aircraft.

[Niko]

Thank you, good comment.

[Thunderbolt]

_________________________________________

[Whowhy]

I don’t understand one thing - why did Marshal Zhukov oppose attack aircraft after the war? Or is it a myth?

[Dooplet11]

Where did he perform with this? Is there a transcript of this speech?

[iouris]

And you just need to: 1) find, 2) study, 3) analyze, 4) publish statistics (how many sorties were completed, how many planes were lost for various reasons, what damage was done to the enemy).

[Niko]

This statistic exists. Unfortunately, it does not fit into a series of laudatory odes to this aircraft. (Well, well, the worse for statistics)

[certero]

Quote: svp67

I had a few shooters. Initially, fines were sent to us. I remember there was such a fighter pilot, Major Shatsky. He died in the first flight.

She is such a memory. Penalty officers were sent to the penal battalion. And there they had no ranks.

[Dooplet11]

Even if it is true about shooters-penalty boxers, then these are more cases "out of the ordinary". How many Il-2 riflemen were there? How many penalties? How many of them could and skillfully shoot at an air target from a ShKAS or UBT turret? But the arrows were hit not just by Wishlist, but at least after courses of air gunners. If you put in place the shooter of the inept penalty box, then this means that the pilot also turns out to be a suicide bomber, and a serviceable plane must be written off as a loss even before departure on a mission. Brad, agree!

[Dooplet11]

In this memory
https://iremember.ru/memoirs/letchiki-shturmoviki/pesterov-evgeniy-pavlovich/
there is how they fell into the arrows of the aircraft launcher:

In March 1943, I still did not lose hope of flying, and in addition, the letter I received from my father from the Ukrainian Front worked. My father (in my opinion, an old man) was wounded twice at the front, and I, his young son, am sitting on the ground !? And I filed a report on the courses of air shooters, which were organized by our division. Our group, 12 people, was organized from specialists of aviation units. Subsequent groups were formed from ground units, from infantry, from other military branches.
...
AD: - What was the preparation of the shooter?

- We studied the design of fascist aircraft, the theory of aerial shooting, the design of our weapons. According to the theory of shooting, in addition to the theoretical course, there were flights on the Il-2, in the tail of which a U-2 plane flew and dragged a cone. It was necessary to get into this cone at different angles, with different directions of the cone's flight. This was the most important discipline - cone shooting. A parachute jump was also part of the training.

Not too gimorno procedure for a finesman to redeem with blood? Train, send to battle on expensive equipment? Isn’t it easier to hold a mosquito in your hands and forward to an attack?