Il-2 attack aircraft. Truth and myths

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The first place among the aircraft of the Second World War is occupied by the Soviet Il-2. He went through the whole war, more than 36 thousand stormtroopers were manufactured in total. This made it the most massive combat aircraft of all time. The IL-2 became "as important to the Red Army as air and bread," as Stalin put it.

In the Red Army, the plane received the nickname "humpback" (for the characteristic shape of the fuselage). The designers called the aircraft developed by them "a flying tank". German pilots for survivability called it "concrete plane", butcher, meat grinder, black death.

It is generally accepted that from the very beginning of its combat use at the front, the Il-2 attack aircraft has established itself as a very durable and "hardy" combat aircraft. It saved the lives of many pilots, retaining its volatility in the event of damage that for any other aircraft was, as they say, "incompatible with life." There were frequent cases when aircraft damaged in battle, having completed a normal landing at their airfield, literally fell apart or could not be repaired due to a significant amount of large and small damage. The engineers of the assault regiments stated in the reporting documents: “It was difficult to imagine how such aircraft could continue to fly. One thing was clear, the pilots took all measures to make it to the airfield, knowing about major damage to the aircraft."

Of course, the high survivability of the Il-2 was used to the full only by experienced pilots. There are very few examples of young pilots returning on broken planes, and yet, thanks to the excellent survivability of the Il-2, attack pilots often managed to either make an emergency landing on any more or less suitable site, or fly it to their airfield.

About 10% of the damaged Il-2 aircraft were sent to repair agencies or written off due to the impossibility of repair. The remaining 90% were restored by the technical staff and field aircraft repair shops.

However, many experts also noted the shortcomings of the legendary IL-2.

He had a low effectiveness of bombing strikes, a huge level of combat losses.

Presented as the main advantage of the Il-2, booking for 41-45 years. it was also already insufficient - and did not save these "flying tanks" from destruction in huge numbers by German fighters and anti-aircraft gunners. The Il-2 and its semi-wooden structure, which further reduced the combat survivability of this aircraft, made the IL-2 far from ideal "battlefield aircraft".

In addition to the insufficiently perfect materiel, the effectiveness of the strikes of the Soviet assault aviation was also reduced by the numerous flaws in its tactics and the weak flight, rifle and tactical training of ordinary pilots in the early years of the war.

But the single-engine and simple-to-design attack aircraft was simpler and cheaper to manufacture than twin-engine all-metal bombers.

In the very first days of the war, it became clear that single-seat attack aircraft were suffering unreasonably large losses from enemy fighters. To protect the pilots, a hole was cut in the upper part of the fuselage to be able to place the gunner and mount the machine gun. Between themselves, the temporary construction of the arrow was called the "death cabin". Later, the position of the machine gunner was included in the design of the IL-2, but this position still remained one of the most dangerous professions of that war.

It should be noted here that we have completely incorrectly formulated the image of the hero-pilot. This is usually a fighter with his own list of victories. And bomber pilots and attack aircraft are undeservedly relegated to the background. However, the tactics of the Soviet Air Force provided for the use of aviation purely in the interests of the ground forces. Therefore, the more important the target, the more it is necessary to bomb it and the more the enemy protects it. Dozens of anti-aircraft artillery barrels are aimed at the attack aircraft, and he flies, he has no right to change the course already shot by the anti-aircraft gunners, until he flies until he hits the target. The fighter still has the initiative - he can roll away from strong fire, change the direction of attack, attack again, in other words, he can somehow take care of himself. And the attack aircraft cannot take care of itself - it must break through the fire to the target!

The craft of a shooter on the "humpback" was considered an incredibly risky business, because the mortality rate of air fighters was 2 times higher than the possibility of shooting down an attack aircraft. The armor plate 6 mm thick protected only from machine-gun fire when attacking enemy fighters from the tail. In addition, the angle of fire from a large-caliber machine gun did not always allow them to fire at enemy vehicles, and the Germans quickly learned that it was necessary to attack the "black death" from behind and from below, where the shooter's bursts could not hit them.

Now, keeping all these details and details in mind, let us turn our attention to the testimony of Sergeant Major Georgy Afanasyevich Litvin, who once again prove that the outcome of a military matter is not always determined by technology, the people who control this technology are of decisive importance.

This happened on November 2, 1943, when the 4th Air Army supported the Kerch landing. We are flying with young lieutenant Ziyanbaev, smoke over Eltigen, flashes of explosions are visible. Downed planes are falling. We drop bombs on the move, descend and, firing from cannons and machine guns, we pass along the bridgehead. They hit us with all kinds of weapons from the ground, the Messerschmitts break through, but the cover is in place, and we break out of hell alive.

When gathering a group, our plane, as often happens with the rear ones, fell behind. For enemy fighters, such aircraft are a gift. They get shot down in the first place. I repulsed the first attack of the two Messerschmitts, but that did not stop them. Several bullets hit our plane, damaging the aircraft's intercom, so the pilot could not hear me and make the necessary maneuvers. In addition, only one LaGG covered us, although he did it masterfully. The Germans were well aware of their advantage. A couple of them went to our plane, and Ziyanbaev for some reason began to leave at maximum speed in a straight line - just what the Messers need. I took the presenter into sight and when he reduced the distance between us to a hundred meters, I pressed the trigger. Apparently, he hit: the Messerschmitt soared up, where it was immediately overtaken by the cover LaGG coming to our aid. A black trail stretched behind the leader of the enemy pair. But, carried away by him, I lost sight of the follower, and he, taking advantage of this, crept up to us from below and hovered in dead space, ready to attack. The German fighters knew that the armored IL-2 could only be hit at close range; they also knew that his turret had a limited firing angle. To increase it, you need a clear interaction between the pilot and the air gunner.

The danger is always terrifying in its unexpectedness. Once the Messer hangs under our underbelly, this is the end. A delusional thought flashes: to shoot through the fuselage of your plane. Of course, you can interrupt the rudders and then for sure - the khan. But these thrust, and everything else, is about to interrupt the "Messer" … And I, taking aim approximately, pierced the fuselage of my plane with a machine-gun burst. Ziyanbayev, considering that the plane took out a queue of a German unnoticed by him, instantly slid to the left. This saved us: the short line of the Messerschmitt didn’t hit us, but it ran into my long line. The German plane flipped over the wing and crashed down …

Looking with horror at the riddled fuselage, I decided to check if the rudders were not touched, otherwise they could break off during a maneuver. Fortunately, everything turned out to be in order. LaGG now and then appeared above me, and the pilot made signs with his hand, as if he wanted to tell us something. But what exactly, we learned only on earth. They made it to their airfield. We sat down safely. Ziyanbaev taxied into the parking lot. I noticed that the LaGG escort had landed in front of us. Mansur and I climbed out of the cabins, looked at each other, at the torn-up fuselage of the plane, and walked to the command post. At the entrance stood the commander and fighter Vladimir Istrashkin, who covered us. Ziyanbayev reported on the completion of the assignment, but I was not very coherent - about the dead space, the damaged car, the "messengers". “Never mind, we'll fix the car,” the commander patted me on the shoulder. "Well done! Famously cut down the "mass"! " - Istrashkin hugged me.

Of our six ILs, only three vehicles returned to the airfield …

What qualities helped Sergeant Major Lytvyn not only return alive from the battle, but also knock out an enemy plane in a situation where it seemed that the outcome should be completely opposite?

Soviet heroes did not have saves, virtual reality and the ability to exit the online game. They weren't mutant superheroes with superpowers, they just did impossible things in real life. Could we, who know the performance characteristics of military equipment only in on-line battles, do something like that?

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