The Il-2 aircraft (attack aircraft) is a combat vehicle from the Great Patriotic War, which is very famous for its combat exploits in destroying the enemy. The designer of this machine is Sergei Ilyushin, who has been developing this model since 1938. This model of aircraft was often called a flying tank because it had excellent armor that was too much for the enemy.
Description of the Il-2 aircraft (attack aircraft)
The IL-2 was the most famous combat unit of the skies during the Great Patriotic War, both among our and enemy troops. At that time, no army in the world had even a pathetic semblance of such an attack aircraft. It was specialized for low-altitude flights and at the same time had an invulnerable armored shell. Its main task was to destroy enemy personnel and tanks.
In our country, in the early 30s, 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 names TSh-1,2 and 3. The main task of the designers was to produce armor that would not disrupt the aerodynamic properties of the aircraft.
The first TS models had bent pieces of armor that were poorly streamlined, and, as a result, this led to a deterioration in the aircraft's flying properties, and at the same time they had a lot of weight. Also, the first models of this attack aircraft used low-power engines, which led to low speed and high acceleration when taking 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. The Bsh-2 was also developed by the Ilyushin 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.
On the brink of war
The idea of using aircraft to attack ground targets was not new. Back in the First World War, fighters, as well as a new type of aircraft - bombers - actively attacked enemy positions and rear targets. With the passage of time and the development of anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft, aircraft of a special design were required for sorties to the front line and near the enemy’s front line. Adapting a fighter or bomber for these purposes no longer provided protection from dense anti-aircraft fire and freely hunting fighters. Thus, specialized vehicles began to appear in the armies, used in military aviation even today - attack aircraft. The USSR already had experience in using “militants” (as we called attack aircraft in the 30s), for example R-5Sh or R-Z. But these were precisely the aircraft adapted for these purposes. A revolution in the design of attack aircraft was made by the prototype of our brilliant aircraft designer Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, which was called BS-2 (armored attack aircraft), or TsKB-55, taken into the air on October 2, 1939 by another legend of domestic aviation, test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki.
BSh-2 attack aircraft prototype
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The design of the new aircraft was amazing. For those years it was truly a breakthrough aircraft. The controls, engine and tail were built around the two-seat armored capsule cabin, which could withstand being hit by a 7.62 mm bullet from any distance. Tanks, cisterns, and the main vital components of the aircraft were also armored. Thus, the team of the Design Bureau of Plant No. 39 fulfilled the task of the military and Stalin personally to design a new attack aircraft, invulnerable to fire from the ground. Nevertheless, the new vehicle had a number of shortcomings, primarily related to the engine: the AM-34, even in its forced version, was weak in “pulling” the new heavy vehicle, and the new AM-35 was generally unfinished and performed poorly.
IL-2 in section
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Nevertheless, the military received the new aircraft favorably and, as usual, ordered it to be modified. So, on October 12, 1940, TsKB-57, an “added” version of the BSh-2, took off. The new powerful low-altitude “engine” AM-38 pulled the lightweight car well. But here lay the first drawback - unfortunately, it cost the lives of many pilots. It is not known for certain why Ilyushin did this, but coupled with an increase in the power of the weapon (two 23-mm VYa cannons were added, replacing two of the four machine guns with them) and the new engine, the rear cockpit for the gunner disappeared. The plane became single-seat. Probably, this decision was influenced by deadlines that could not be missed, and work on the DB-3, another project, but this time a bomber, by Ilyushin (by the way, he was the first to bomb Berlin).
Design features of the Il-2 attack aircraft
The landing gear in this attack aircraft was folded back, and then retracted into the wing housing, after which it was covered with fairings for better aerodynamics. As for the weapons, the designers approached them quite thoughtfully. The onboard weapons were installed in the inner part of the wing, and guide devices for missiles 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-seat version to reduce the weight of the aircraft. After this, 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 mass 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 deficiency led to large losses. An interesting fact is that the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to pilots after ten successful combat missions, and not after 100, as usual.
Innovations in the design of 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 held to exchange experiences, as well as to find out how the aircraft behaves in combat. When communicating with the pilots, it became clear that the main problem and disadvantage of the aircraft was the lack of a second seat in the car for the machine gunner. The designers also paid attention to increasing engine power and increasing the cannon caliber.
After this conference, the designers returned to the initial two-seat attack aircraft model. The machine gunner was also provided with a movable heavy machine gun, which would help protect the aircraft from enemies from the rear and allow for an increased 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 aircraft's speed to 420 km/h, and also significantly reduced the take-off acceleration length, and all this with a mass of more than 6 tons in full combat configuration.
As for the four 20-mm machine guns, the 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 modernizations, 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 fuselage of the aircraft's tail was also changed. After all the adjustments, the mass of the attack aircraft’s armored hull reached 990 kg. All components of the armored hull were tested by shooting. The IL-2 was also used in naval battles to destroy ships, and on land it easily destroyed enemy tanks and vehicle convoys. This attack aircraft was used at the front and in support of our troops in the near rear.
Due to its powerful armor and excellent weapons, this model of attack aircraft was called a flying tank. During the entire existence of the aircraft, factories of the Soviet Union produced over 36 thousand armored attack aircraft. 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 official data of the Red Army, until 1941, 1.5 thousand aircraft were sent to the front, Il-2 of which 1.1 thousand were lost, 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 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 not lost in combat conditions. As for Ilov, statistics say that every 53rd flight was the last for the attack aircraft. Regarding 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 the Ilovs was the combat tactics, since they flew at low altitude and attracted all the enemy artillery fire. According to the assault units, the number of Ilovs who did not return was 3%. But one should also take into account the fact that after combat sorties, half of all returning aircraft were damaged by enemy weapons. Sometimes returning attack aircraft had several hundred holes in the fuselage and wings, but after field repairs such a machine could easily return to battle. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the army of the Soviet Union had 3289 units of Il-2 aircraft in service.
Combat use and historical value
Il-2 aircraft were used at the front from the first days of the Great Patriotic War. At first their effectiveness was quite low. The reasons for this were the poor performance of the ShVAK guns, caused by defects in the reloading system, as well as inept use of the vehicle - the tactics were just being created, and the pilots did not have time to master attack aircraft.
During the first two years of the war, the Il-2 often became a victim of enemy fighters, who actively took advantage of the exposed rear hemisphere of the armored aircraft. After the advent of two-seat attack aircraft, the situation improved markedly. True, ironically, already in 1944, Soviet pilots began to often go on missions without a shooter. The fact is that the Luftwaffe had lost air supremacy, so the attack aircraft could always count on fighter cover, and in these conditions the pilots preferred to lighten the plane.
The losses of Il-2 aircraft at the end of the war were enormous - 23,600 aircraft. However, 11,200 of them are the result of various accidents not related to combat operations. Of the 12,400 attack aircraft destroyed by the enemy, more than half were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. 7,837 pilots and air gunners who fought on Il-2 aircraft were killed.
Tank Pz-V "Panther", destroyed by PTAB bombs dropped from the Il-2
The publication of these sad statistics in the post-Soviet years led to attempts to reassess the contribution of the armored attack aircraft to the victory over Germany. The IL-2 began to be called an ineffective aircraft that could only fight with numbers. The primitive aiming system was ridiculed. At the same time, the German Ju-87 was praised in every possible way, which was supposedly a much more successful battlefield aircraft.
Such “analytics” are very far from reality. IL-2 would never have been produced in such huge quantities if it had no practical value. These planes literally did not allow the enemy to emerge from their shelters, actively interfered with the advance of transport columns in the operational rear, and instilled well-founded confidence in the Soviet troops. Beginning in 1943, armored Ilyas began to use PTAB bombs, because of which German tankers were forced to abandon the use of closed formations, which significantly weakened the attacking power of armored vehicles. The Wehrmacht soldiers who felt the blows of this plane would hardly share the opinion of the authors of the current “revelatory” articles.
Monument to the Il-2 attack aircraft in Samara. During the war years, mass production of such aircraft was organized in this city (then Kuibyshev).
The Il-2 attack aircraft played its role in history, becoming one of the factors thanks to which the Red Army reached Berlin and completely defeated both Nazi Germany and all its allies. To some extent, the flight qualities of this aircraft can be assessed using a modern flight simulator. Of course, even the most advanced program will not allow you to feel what real pilots once experienced, but you can still get a general idea.
Combat tactics of the Il-2 attack aircraft
The main advantage in combat of such an attack aircraft was that it operated at altitudes of up to 1 km, and it carried out its main combat activities at an altitude of 20-50 meters. Due to the low flight altitude, Il was not afraid of enemy artillery, and the plane was easily protected from infantry by its armor. In turn, the attack aircraft could effectively destroy enemy tanks and manpower. When working at low altitudes, the advantage was also the fairly high speed of the aircraft, 400 km/h, which other attack aircraft, which could only accelerate to three hundred kilometers per hour, could not afford.
After destroying ground targets, the Il-2 could easily move on to attack enemy air targets, which, although they had great speed, did not have the same armor and weapons as the Soviet attack aircraft. An interesting fact is the cunning of our pilots, who took advantage of the external similarity of the Il to a German bomber. Our pilots could attach themselves to German planes, which did not suspect anything, and calmly destroy them.
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| dKKhMYu, L | 11.60 |
| bSHYANRYU, L | 4.17 |
| OKNYYUDE YPSHKYU, L2 | 38.50 |
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| lnymnyare, K.Ya. | |
| MNLHMYUKEMYU | 1 U 1575 |
| BGKEEMYU | 1 U 1720 |
| LYUYAKHLYUKEMYYAINPNYARE, YL/V | |
| WITH GELKH | 403 |
| MU BSHIANRE | 414 |
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Il-2 design
IL-2 is a single-engine low-wing aircraft, characterized by a mixed design. Its peculiarity is that the power structure of the airframe includes armor. It replaced the skin of the middle and forward parts of the fuselage and the 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 gunner). The thickness of the transparent armor of the cockpit visor is 64 mm. It is capable of withstanding a 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullet from zero distance.
There is a misconception that the Il-2 was originally a two-seater, but by order of the military leadership, Ilyushin had to convert the attack aircraft into a single-seater. Due to the lack of defensive weapons on the aircraft, there were heavy losses at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
In fact, the plane was originally ordered as a two-seater, but at Ilyushin’s initiative it was converted into a single-seater. The reason for this was unsatisfactory flight performance (rate of climb, speed and range), as it 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 brainchild in the face of fierce competition, Ilyushin developed a single-seat version. He managed to achieve a reduction in the volume of the armored hull by removing the gunner. In its place was an additional fuel tank, and also a rear weight centering reservation was installed, which could not but cause criticism, since it greatly worsened the car’s handling.
Thanks to its economic mass, the attack aircraft fully satisfied the speed requirements, and by installing an additional tank, it was possible to achieve the required flight range.
Faced with serious losses of the Il-2 without defensive weapons, the air force demanded that Ilyushin turn the plane back into 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 moved outside the armored hull. Its protection is a six-millimeter armor plate located on the tail side. Protection of the pilot from the rear hemisphere was provided thanks to the HD transverse armor, which had a thickness of 12 mm (plus 6 mm armored back).
It is worth noting that only the later modification of the aircraft, namely the Il-10, which began mass production in 1944, received an armored hull that protected both crew members.
IL-2: myths about the symbol of Victory
Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft from the 4th Air Army in the sky over Berlin, photo: waralbum.ru
Il-2 is rightly one of the most famous aircraft of the Great Patriotic War. A huge number of people who have even the most distant idea of aviation know about it. For residents of our country, this attack aircraft stands on a par with the T-34 tank, Katyusha, lorry, and PPSh submachine gun, identifying it as a weapon of Victory. At the same time, even 75 years after the end of the war, the legendary Soviet attack aircraft, which fought from 1941 to 1945, is surrounded by a number of persistent myths.
The place of the air gunner on the Il-2 was the place of the doomed
We can absolutely say that the Il-2 has become the most produced combat aircraft in the history of aviation.
The total production of attack aircraft exceeded 36 thousand units. This aircraft was actively used in battles in all theaters of military operations of the Great Patriotic War, as well as in the Soviet-Japanese War. In total, during the period from 1941 to 1945, combat losses of Il-2 attack aircraft amounted to 11,448 vehicles. Contrary to many beliefs, this is approximately half of all losses; a little more than 11 thousand aircraft were written off as non-combat losses (lost as a result of accidents, catastrophes, wear and tear of equipment). During the entire war, the losses of attack aircraft flight personnel are estimated at 12,054 people, including 7,837 pilots, 221 observer pilots, 3,996 air gunners. Judging by the figures of official losses, which Oleg Valentinovich Rastrenin, a candidate of historical sciences and a well-known specialist in the Il-2 aircraft, indicates in his books, the very first myth that the place of the air gunner on the Il-2 was the place of a penalty box with no chance of survival is easily debunked there wasn't much. Indeed, many attack aircraft were converted into a two-seat version at the front, literally in makeshift conditions, using everything that was at hand, and there was simply no talk of any protection for the air gunner. But the serial two-seat versions of the Il-2 did not have an armored gunner’s cabin, the only protection for which was a 6 mm thick armor plate that protected it from fire from the tail of the aircraft. Despite this, according to official casualty figures, air gunners lost fewer lives than pilots.
Air gunner of the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft at the 12.7-mm UBT machine gun, photo: waralbum.ru
Most likely, this is explained by the fact that by the time serial two-seat attack aircraft entered service en masse, the Ilys were flying on combat missions already accompanied by fighters. Such cover did not prevent attack aircraft from encountering enemy fighters, but the “flying tanks” received additional protection and support. At the same time, the losses of Il-2 aircraft from anti-aircraft artillery fire from the ground constantly grew until the end of the war, and from attacks by enemy fighters they fell. The probability of dying from anti-aircraft fire for the pilot and the gunner, apparently, was approximately equal.
Against the backdrop of the losses of attack aircraft flight personnel, it is even somewhat offensive that the image of a hero pilot, primarily a fighter pilot with his own list of aerial victories, has formed in the mass consciousness. At the same time, attack and bomber pilots were undeservedly relegated to the background. At the same time, the people who flew the Il-2 acted primarily in the interests of the ground forces. Often the success of a ground operation and breaking through enemy defenses depended on their competent actions. At the same time, attacks on protected targets and targets located on the front line were associated with a serious risk for attack aircraft crews, who were often met by massive anti-aircraft artillery fire, as well as all types of small arms. At the same time, attack aircraft also encountered enemy fighters. Each combat mission on the Il-2 was fraught with considerable risk. Therefore, all the pilots and air gunners who fought on the famous attack aircraft are a priori heroes who risked their lives on every flight.
The Il-2's armor did not make the plane invulnerable
Today the IL-2 is familiar to many by its nickname “flying tank”. Some Soviet authors claimed that Wehrmacht soldiers called Soviet attack aircraft the "Black Death" or "plague", and Luftwaffe fighter pilots called the Il-2 a "concrete plane". Many of these nicknames were attached to the aircraft after the end of the Great Patriotic War; it is very difficult to verify the veracity of their appearance and circulation. At the same time, the plane was actually called a “flying tank”. So Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin wrote to the Air Force Research Institute about the need to create an armored attack aircraft or, in other words, a “flying tank.”
A heavily damaged single-seat attack aircraft Il-2, which reached its airfield and landed on its belly, photo: waralbum.ru
In reality, the Il-2 was not, of course, any kind of tank. It was an armored attack aircraft, which surpassed all Soviet aircraft in terms of protection. The attack aircraft looked especially advantageous against the background of fighters, which in 1941 were forced to be used to attack German units. At the same time, not all elements on the IL-2 were armored. The weight of the armored parts on the attack aircraft was estimated at approximately 950 kg, which was 15.6 percent of the total flight weight of the aircraft. This is a decent value, but it did not make the aircraft and pilot invulnerable to ground fire and air attacks.
Real combat operations and field tests showed that the armor of the attack aircraft did not protect the aircraft components and crew from the fire of 37, 30 and 20-mm shells of German artillery systems, both anti-aircraft and aircraft guns. Moreover, the armor was also vulnerable to large-caliber 13-mm aircraft machine guns. A direct hit from such ammunition almost always ended in penetrating the armor of an attack aircraft with subsequent damage to the aircraft crew and engine parts. The armor fully protected the crew and important components of the aircraft only from normal-caliber bullets, as well as most fragments of anti-aircraft shells, which did not penetrate the armor, leaving only marks on it in the form of dents.
At the same time, the combat survivability system adopted and implemented on the Il-2 attack aircraft, based on an armored hull that covered the pilot and vital parts of the attack aircraft, a protector on gas tanks and a system for filling gas tanks with neutral gases, was assessed positively by aviation experts. The implemented measures certainly played a role in the combat situation, more than once saving the aircraft and crew from death. But such protection no longer fully met the requirements of the ongoing war.
The "flying tank" was half wooden
Speaking about the Il-2 attack aircraft, we should not forget that it was not even an all-metal aircraft. Many of the design elements of the famous “flying tank” were made of wood. The first all-metal Soviet attack aircraft to go into mass production at the end of the Great Patriotic War was the Il-10, which was the product of a deep modernization of the two-seat version of the Il-2 attack aircraft. This version received not only an all-metal hull, but also improved armor, including a fully armored air gunner’s cockpit, essentially becoming the same attack aircraft that Sergei Ilyushin originally intended.
At the same time, the Il-2 attack aircraft, which fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, were aircraft of a mixed design.
The entire rear of the aircraft was a wooden monocoque with working skin made from birch veneer and plywood. The keel of the vertical tail was also made of wood. At the same time, during the war, some Il-2 attack aircraft were also produced with wooden wing consoles, which did not add survivability to the vehicle. This was a necessary measure due to the loss of important aluminum production plants and a general shortage of rolled aluminum. Fabric was also used in the design of the Il-2 aircraft. In general, experts note that the design of even mixed-construction attack aircraft was initially designed to withstand a large amount of damage in combat conditions. Equally important was the simplicity of the design. The aircraft was easy to manufacture and operate, including repairs directly in the field. All this ensured high maintainability of the machines, as well as the possibility of mass production using the labor of low-skilled workers.
The Ilyushin Design Bureau provided the aircraft with such a safety margin that it could withstand not only the use of low-quality materials in harsh wartime conditions, but also the use of unskilled labor during assembly. With all this, the plane flew and destroyed the enemy. It was possible to produce the IL-2 in mass quantities, and its massive use at the front, coupled with the gradual development of combat tactics, gave the Red Army much-needed results on the battlefield.
Abstract The military did not ask Ilyushin to make the plane single-seat
There is a widespread belief that the idea to create a single-seat version of the Il-2 attack aircraft came from the military. That such a decision was erroneous and led to catastrophic losses of attack aircraft, especially in the first year of the war, when they often became victims of attacks by German fighters attacking “silts” flying without fighter cover, which turned out to be absolutely defenseless against the enemy from the rear hemisphere.
Assembly of Il-2 attack aircraft at plant No. 30 in Kuibyshev, photo: waralbum.ru
In fact, this is a persistent myth in which the idea of abandoning the airborne gunner comes either from Stalin personally, who called Ilyushin for this purpose, or from some abstract military men who demanded that Ilyushin produce a single-seat version of the attack aircraft. In fact, the idea of building a single-seat version of the attack aircraft, which in the future would become the Il-2, came directly from the Ilyushin Design Bureau. Initially, the military wanted a two-seat version of the attack aircraft with an onboard gunner. However, the aircraft implemented by Ilyushin did not fit into the tactical and technical requirements set by the military.
This was precisely the reason for the appearance of the single-seat version of the Il-2. Ilyushin tried to quickly present an aircraft that would fit into the tactical and technical requirements put forward by the Air Force. It so happened that the designer was able to achieve this only in a single-seat version. At the same time, the military was entirely in favor of a two-seat version of the attack aircraft, but only if it met the requirements for a combat vehicle. They did not refuse such an aircraft until the last moment.
Thus, the initiator of the modification of the aircraft was Ilyushin himself. But this measure was forced. The modified aircraft featured a smaller armored capsule, and an additional fuel tank appeared in the place where the gunner had previously sat. These solutions made it possible to reduce the weight of the aircraft and increase the flight characteristics of the machine, which made it possible to fit into the requirements of the military. At the same time, the pilot's cabin was raised relative to the engine to improve his visibility. The resulting aircraft acquired a profile recognizable and characteristic of the Il-2 attack aircraft, for which the aircraft was affectionately nicknamed “humpback” by the troops. On the one hand, the decision to get rid of the shooter cost hundreds of lives of pilots in the difficult months of 1941, on the other hand, the Red Army Air Force was, in principle, able to get a new attack aircraft, which they needed not today, but yesterday.
IL-2 was not a tank killer
The myth that the Il-2 attack aircraft was a real threat to German tanks is very persistent. Both ordinary people often talk about this, and high-ranking Soviet military leaders recall it in their memoirs, however, memoirs are a separate genre of military literature. For example, Marshal Konev is often credited with saying that if an IL-2 hits a tank, it will roll over. As you understand, regardless of whether Konev ever said this, in reality everything was completely different. Even a direct hit by rockets on a tank did not guarantee that the combat vehicle would be disabled, and the probability of hitting the tank itself was even lower.
Il-2 attack aircraft of the 989th assault aviation regiment before taking off on a combat mission, photo: waralbum.ru
Even the initial period of World War II, the Il-2 was practically unable to fight tanks. The effectiveness of its 20-mm ShVAK cannons, and then the 23-mm VYA cannons, was not enough to penetrate the side armor of even light German tanks. In fact, armor-piercing shells could hit German tanks only in the roof of the turret or engine compartment, but only during dive attacks, for which the Il-2, unlike the main tactical aircraft of the Luftwaffe, the Ju-87 dive bomber, was not adapted.
The main method of attacking ground targets for the Il-2 was a shallow dive and low-level attack. With this mode of attack, the armor penetration of aircraft guns was not enough, and it was difficult to effectively drop bombs, since maximum bombing accuracy was achieved only from a dive. At the same time, the IL-2 did not have good sighting devices for bombing throughout the war. The sighting devices of the attack aircraft included a simple mechanical sight with markings on the windshield and a front sight on the armored hood of the engine, as well as markings and sighting pins on the armored hood. At the same time, the pilot also had a rather limited view from the cockpit forward and down, as well as to the sides. When attacking ground targets very quickly, the massive nose of the aircraft blocked the pilot's entire view. For these reasons, the Il-2 attack aircraft was far from the best vehicle for attacking small targets.
The situation was partly saved by the appearance of more powerful 132-mm ROFS-132 rockets with improved accuracy of fire, the hit of which in the engine part of a tank or self-propelled gun could lead to the loss of a combat vehicle, as well as new small cumulative ammunition - PTAB-2.5 anti-tank aerial bombs -1.5. The bomb was loaded into containers of 48 pieces, while the IL-2 could easily take four such containers. The first use of PTAB on the Kursk Bulge turned out to be very successful. When dropped, the bombs easily covered an area measuring 15 by 200 meters. Such ammunition was very effective against accumulations of equipment, for example, on a march or in concentration areas. However, over time, the Germans began to disperse the tanks, hide them under trees, pull up special nets and use other methods of protection.
A convoy of the 9th German Army, destroyed by strikes by Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft in the Bobruisk area, photo: waralbum.ru
With all this, it cannot be said that the IL-2 did not fulfill its role on the battlefield. Even as he did, his main prey was simply not tanks. The aircraft did an excellent job of covering area targets, and mass production made it possible to use attack aircraft in large quantities. The IL-2 was especially effective in attacks against unprotected and weakly protected targets: vehicles, armored personnel carriers, artillery and mortar batteries, and enemy personnel.
Attack aircraft performed best against columns of enemy equipment on the march and against stationary artillery positions. In such cases, during an attack, a certain amount of ammunition was guaranteed to find targets. This was especially important at the first stage of the Great Patriotic War, when the Germans made extensive use of their mechanized units. Any slowdown in the movement of enemy columns during air raids, even with insignificant losses for the enemy, played into the hands of the Red Army, which gained time.
IL-2 armament
- · 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 ShKAS machine guns located on the wings of the aircraft
- · PTAB containers, aerial bombs
- · Missiles RS-132 and RS-82
- · On the two-seat versions, the UTB 12.7 mm machine gun was used as a defensive weapon.
Attack aircraft weapons
Il-2 carried up to 400 kilograms of bombs of various calibers. Even flight with an overload of up to 600 kg was allowed. Large aerial bombs with a caliber of 100 kg or more were placed on external hardpoints, small ones were loaded into bomb bays located in the center section.
Wing bomb bays of the Il-2KSS attack aircraft
In addition, the aircraft could use airborne devices to hit ground targets using a special incendiary composition.
In 1943, containers with cumulative anti-tank bombs (PTAB) were included in the IL-2 ammunition load. Thanks to this, the attack aircraft has become truly dangerous for any mobile armored targets.
Under the wing of the aircraft, starting in the spring of 1941, there were 8 guides for RS-82 rockets or 4 for RS-132. They were used in the vast majority of cases against ground targets, although there were exceptions.
Small arms consisted of two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns and two cannons. Early aircraft were equipped with twenty-millimeter ShVAK guns, then the attack aircraft received more powerful guns - VYA-23 (caliber - 23 mm, projectile weight - 200 grams). The ammunition consisted of one and a half thousand cartridges and three hundred shells. About a thousand production Il-2s were equipped with two NS-37 cannons with an ammunition load of 50 or 60 rounds each.
A 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun was used as a defensive weapon. The ammunition load consisted of 150 rounds. In addition, the shooter could use aircraft grenades against enemy fighters.
Aircraft gun VYA-23. It was part of the armament of most Il-2 attack aircraft
Modifications of IL-2
It was 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 structure with metal stringers was used. Weapons and armor changed.
- · IL-2 (single-seat) is a serial modification of the attack aircraft, which does not have a cockpit for the rear gunner. In some units, 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 mounted in a 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 canopy. It was massively exploited in the later periods of the war.
- · Il-2 AM-38F is a serial attack aircraft with a souped-up engine, characterized by high take-off power.
- · Il-2 KSS is a serial modification of the Il-2 AM-38F aircraft with exactly the same engine, but uprated, with some design and aerodynamic improvements. Instead of a metal tank, fiber protected gas tanks were used, where after some time most of the small holes were covered with a projector compound, which could thicken in the open air. To improve control and stability, a counterbalancer and shock-absorbing springs were installed in the aircraft.
- · IL-4 (IL-2 M-82) - an experimental version of the attack aircraft, which had an M-82 engine with good take-off power, namely 1675 hp.
- · Il-2 ShFK-37 - a single-seat version of the attack aircraft, armed with two 37 mm aircraft cannons, 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 improve its anti-tank properties.
- · Il-2 NS-45 – a modification of the Il-2 AM-38f aircraft, which has two NS-45 cannons.
- · 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. Among the small arms there are three machine guns left: the rear gunner and two wing ones. But documents that would confirm the existence of this modification have not been discovered 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 aircraft turned out to be an extremely effective combat unit, namely an attack aircraft. The attack aircraft also has another name - a direct support aircraft for troops, which explains its combat mission.
That is, if tactical bombers (for example Pe-2) target objects of different importance and distance from the front, strategic aviation (for example Pe-8) is an attack on strategic objects of the country deep in its territory, then the Il-2 should participate in attacks of ground troops, to support them, to 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 unique. The main ones are: high firepower, the possibility of targeted destruction of ground targets and increased aircraft survivability. The IL-2 had all these qualities, which is why it became a legend, which, when it appeared over the battlefield, caused a sharp rise in morale among the Red Army soldiers and panic horror among the German soldiers.
The history of the creation of the Il-2 armored attack aircraft
In the second half of the 30s of the last century, the Soviet air force had the opportunity to evaluate their aircraft in real combat conditions in Spain. The experience gained led to the conclusion that if the enemy has a sufficiently strong air defense, attempts to use fighters to support ground forces lead to significant losses. Speed no longer saved planes from enemy anti-aircraft fire; it was necessary to think about using armor.
In February 1938, addressed to I.V. Stalin received a memo from S.V. Ilyushin - head of the Experimental Design Bureau of Plant No. 39. In this document, a copy of which was received by A.D. Loktionov, head of the Red Army Air Force, said that all types of attack aircraft developed in the USSR were too vulnerable to fire from the ground. In this regard, Ilyushin proposed creating a new, well-armored aircraft, the design of which he had already prepared.
TsKB-55 is the first prototype of the IL-2. Two-seater aircraft, the navigator's cabin is included in the armored hull
It was assumed that this vehicle would be armed with four wing-mounted ShKAS machine guns and bombs with a total weight of 200 kilograms. The speed of the future attack aircraft near the ground was estimated by Ilyushin at approximately 400 km/h with a combat radius of 300-400 kilometers. To protect the rear hemisphere, it was planned to install another ShKAS machine gun on a turret, in a separate cabin. The power plant was to be the Mikulin engine - AM-34FRN.
The main difference between this project and all other options was the use of a load-bearing armored hull. To protect particularly important or vulnerable structural elements, it was planned to place separate armored capsules inside the hull, covering the radiators, bomb bay, engine, gas tank and cabin.
This project, which Ilyushin himself called a “flying tank,” was almost immediately approved at the level of the Council of People’s Commissars. The initial official designation of the aircraft was the abbreviation BSh-2 (armored attack aircraft). The factory name of this machine is TsKB-55.
It was initially planned that the first copy of the new aircraft would enter state tests in November 1938, but in reality, even in January of the following year, 1939, Ilyushin was only able to demonstrate a mock-up of the attack aircraft and a preliminary design. The initial deadlines were obviously impossible for many reasons, in particular, due to the discrepancy between the technical characteristics of the AM-34FRN motor and the requirements.
TsKB-57, the second prototype of the Il-2. Made single
The first flight of TsKB-55 took place on October 2, 1939. The aircraft was equipped with a new AM-35 engine, which had not yet passed the flight test cycle, which caused many problems. The first of these was chronic overheating of the engine. This defect was corrected only after a significant change in the layout of the cooling radiators.
State tests of the attack aircraft began on March 31, 1940. Despite the fact that they showed a clear non-compliance of the aircraft with the parameters of the technical specifications, the final conclusion was positive. Ilyushin was offered to replace the AM-35 engine with a low-altitude AM-38, eliminate a number of identified operational deficiencies and radically strengthen the armament by replacing two wing machine guns with 23 mm aircraft guns.
The “corrected” aircraft with an AM-38 engine took off on October 12, 1940. This prototype had a new factory designation - TsKB-57. It differed not only in its power plant - the attack aircraft became single-seat. Previously, it was often said that such a decision was dictated by military customers, however, this is not true - the alteration took place on Ilyushin’s personal initiative. Representatives of the Air Force actually only approved it, and even then retroactively, recognizing TsKB-57 as an acceptable option.
The designer never spoke about the reasons for his action, but it is not difficult to guess about them. The fact is that replacing the engine alone did not allow achieving the speed and flight range specified in the technical specifications. In addition, the mass of a vehicle with enhanced weapons would inevitably increase, which further complicated the situation. Meanwhile, there were no more reserves for weight loss. For example, the designers abandoned armored capsules during the design process.
Cockpits of the pilot and navigator at TsKB-55. Top - closed, bottom - open
Thus, further work could be greatly delayed. In addition, Ilyushin at that time was busy fine-tuning another aircraft - the DB-3F bomber. Another failure to meet deadlines on two projects at once threatened the designer with loss of trust from management and the end of his career. And this would not just be Ilyushin’s personal tragedy - as a result, the Red Army was left without an attack aircraft, and the need for it was enormous. Under these conditions, it was decided to create a single-seat version of the BSh-2. The abandonment of the second crew member made it possible to increase the fuel supply, increase longitudinal stability, achieve an increase in flight speed and improve a number of other performance characteristics.
In December 1940, the aircraft was given the now well-known name Il-2, and in January 1941 preparations for serial production began. At that time, it was not yet completely clear what kind of guns the attack aircraft would receive. At first it was planned to install MP-6 (caliber - 23 mm), however, Ilyushin, apparently, was skeptical about them. Therefore, the “early” production aircraft were equipped with ShVAK cannons, which were already familiar to pilots, but much weaker.
In the first months of 1941, the attack aircraft's armament was reinforced with rockets. The bomb load increased to 400 kilograms.
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. During the unfolding large-scale hostilities, all the advantages and disadvantages of the Il-2 aircraft showed up very clearly. The main problem immediately turned out to be the lack of a shooter. Given the air dominance of German fighters, the attack aircraft had a hard time - the losses were heavy.
Single-seat Il-2 on a ski chassis. Such aircraft were used in the winter of 1941-42
Despite the fact that pilots repeatedly expressed wishes to install a defensive machine gun on the Il-2, S.V. Ilyushin was extremely negative about this idea, believing that as a result of its implementation the aircraft’s performance characteristics would sharply decrease. Only in September 1942, after the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry and the Air Force command came to grips with this problem, two main options for equipping an attack aircraft with a defensive rifle mount were developed. Based on the results of the tests, it was decided to mass produce a two-seat modification, in the rear cabin of which a large-caliber UBT machine gun was installed.
The weight of the aircraft increased by 275 kilograms, which made the car less maneuverable and rather inert - the reaction to the deflection of the rudders did not follow immediately. It was also necessary to reduce the bomb load. In a word, Ilyushin’s fears were largely justified, and the security of the aircraft really increased noticeably. In addition, the Il-2 soon began to be equipped with an AM-38F engine, the power of which made it possible to return to its previous flight characteristics.
Subsequently, the attack aircraft was modernized more than once, however, these changes no longer brought any fundamental changes. Towards the end of the war, a gradual replacement of the Il-2 with more advanced Il-10 aircraft began, but this process could not be completed before May 9, 1945.
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 this role was performed by fighters, on which tons of weapons and armor plates were hung. At the time of the start of work on the Il-2, the Red Army had a military doctrine similar to the German one - 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 a new aircraft more than seriously and even developed a new aircraft gun specifically for the Il-2 - VYA-23.
It was this, being installed in the amount of two units, that largely determined the combat effectiveness of the Ila, since it was an accurate and powerful weapon, suitable for destroying everything up to medium tanks and boats. In addition, they were armed with a pair of ShKAS machine guns, with a phenomenal rate of fire for that time of 1800 rounds/minute, which simply mowed down enemy personnel. In addition, the 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 missile with a caliber in millimeters). This weapon was less accurate than guns, but more accurate than bombs, so it took an intermediate place between them.
Well, there was also the possibility of suspending 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 very effective arsenal, which fully ensured the targeted destruction of individual targets.
Now about survivability. Aircraft survivability is a parameter that determines the aircraft’s resistance to hits. Simply put, the amount of enemy lead that an aircraft is capable of ingesting and continuing to fly. This is an important parameter for an attack aircraft, because it flies low over the battlefield, at low speeds, and traditionally shoots at it with everything that can shoot. IL-2 was the first aircraft in the world that had a load-bearing armored hull that protected the pilot and the engine; before it, armor plates were simply hung on the aircraft in some places.
This design significantly saves weight compared to simply hanging steel, which means it allows you to increase the amount of armor without compromising the flight characteristics of the aircraft. The IL-2 had armor that could only be hit by armor-piercing shells with a caliber of 20mm and above. But one should not assume that it was impossible to shoot it down with machine-gun fire, because the wings and tail of the vehicle had no armor and were made of wood. But nevertheless, the survivability of the Il-2 was very high, and increased even more thanks to its high flight characteristics, in terms of which it was not much inferior to the German Bf-109E.
It is not for nothing that in German ground units the Il-2 received such nicknames as “butcher” or “flying tank”; these nicknames were well deserved.
Interesting Facts
- The Il-2 was built in large numbers; in total, more than 36 thousand attack aircraft were produced, and it rightfully earned the title of the most produced wartime aircraft.
- The first experimental vehicles had a gunner's cabin, but due to their heavy weight they lost speed and the combat radius of the attack aircraft was very small, designer S.V. Ilyushin quickly developed a version with one pilot, placing a fuel tank instead of the gunner’s cockpit. It was necessary to raise the cockpit for a good view and the plane received the nickname “humpback”, in this form it met the war.
- The survivability of the Il-2 was incredible; veterans recalled how an attack aircraft with wings torn to shreds and a fuselage resembling a sieve managed to reach the home airfield and land, then, as if on second thought, it fell apart.
- In 1943, German fighters received new large-caliber guns, and large-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns entered service with the air defense of Hitler's troops, and then losses among pilots and especially shooters increased. It was possible to partially reduce losses by strengthening the armor protection of the gunner and pilot. The new modification of the aircraft received the designation Il-2KSS and became 55 kg heavier.
- In the summer of 1943, the Il-2 began to receive cumulative PTAB bombs with a great damaging effect; up to 200 of them could be placed on an attack aircraft. They were first used in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, when 79 attack aircraft destroyed more than 200 pieces of German military equipment (armored personnel carriers, tanks and self-propelled guns) in two passes. The losses were confirmed by photographs from the battlefield.
" on the belly" IL-2
IL-2 Sturmovik main characteristics:
- Modification of IL-2
- 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
- vzleny 1 x 1665
Maximum speed, km/h
- near the ground 370
- at altitude 411
Practical range, km 685
- Rate of climb, m/min 417
- Practical ceiling, m 6000
- Crew, people 2
Performance characteristics of the Il-2 M3
IL-2 crew
— 2 people
Dimensions of IL-2
— Length: 11.6 m — Wing span: 14.6 m — Height: 4.2 m — Wing area: 38.5 m² — Wing load: 160 kg/m²
Weight of IL-2
— Empty weight: 4360 kg — Curb weight: 6160 kg — Maximum takeoff weight: 6380 kg — Armor weight: 990 kg
Il-2 engine
— Engines: 1× liquid-cooled V-shaped 12-cylinder AM-38F — Thrust: 1× 1720 l. With. (1285 kW) — Thrust-to-weight ratio: 0.21 kW/kg
IL-2 speed
— Maximum speed: 414 km/h — Maximum speed at an altitude of 1220 m: 404 km/h — Maximum ground speed: 386 km/h — Rate of climb: 10.4 m/s — Takeoff length: 335 m (with 400 kg bombs )
Flight range of IL-2
— 720 km
Il-2 service ceiling
— 5500 m
Armament
Cannon-machine gun: - 2× 23 mm VYA-23 cannon, 150 rounds per barrel - 2× 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, 750 rounds per barrel - 1× 12.7 mm UBT defensive machine gun in the rear cabin, 150 rounds
Combat load:
- up to 600 kg of bombs - 4× RS-82 or RS-132
