The debate before the Second World War about what is more important, more speed or better maneuverability*, was finally resolved in favor of more speed. The experience of combat operations has convincingly shown that it is speed that, in the end, is the determining factor in victory in air combat. The pilot of a more maneuverable but slower aircraft was simply forced to defend himself, yielding the initiative to the enemy. However, when conducting air combat, such a fighter, having an advantage in horizontal and vertical maneuverability, will be able to decide the outcome of the battle in its favor, taking an advantageous position for firing.

Before the war for a long time it was believed that in order to increase maneuverability, the aircraft must be unstable, the insufficient stability of the I-16 aircraft cost the life of more than one pilot. Having studied German aircraft before the war, the report of the Air Force Research Institute noted:

"... all German aircraft differ sharply from domestic ones in their large stability reserves, which also significantly increases flight safety, aircraft survivability and simplifies the piloting technique and mastering by low-skilled combatant pilots."

By the way, the difference between German aircraft and the latest domestic ones, which were tested at the Air Force Research Institute almost in parallel, was so striking that it forced the head of the institute, Major General A.I. Filin, to draw I.V. Stalin's attention to this. The consequences were dramatic for Filin: he was arrested on May 23, 1941.

(Source 5 Alexander Pavlov) As you know, aircraft maneuverability depends primarily on two quantities. The first - the specific load on engine power - determines the vertical maneuverability of the machine; the second is the specific load on the wing - horizontal. Let's consider these indicators for the Bf 109 in more detail (see table).

Comparison of Bf 109 aircraft
Airplane Bf 109E-4 Bf 109F-2 Bf 109F-4 Bf 109G-2 Bf 109G-4 Bf 109G-6 Bf 109G-14 Bf 109G-14/U5
/MW-50		 Bf 109G-14 Bf 109G-10/U4
/MW-50
Year of application 19 40/42 41/42 41/42 42/43 42/43 43/44 43/44 44/45 44/45 44/45
Takeoff weight, kg 2608 2615 2860 2935 3027 2980 3196 2970 3090 3343
Wing area m² 16,35 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05 16,05
SU power, hp 1175 1175 1350 1550 1550 1550 1550 1550 1800 2030
2,22 228 2,12 1,89 1,95 1,92 2,06 1,92 1,72 1,65
159,5 163,1 178,2 182,9 188,6 185,7 199,1 185,1 192,5 208,3
Max speed km/h 561 595 635 666 650 660 630 666 680 690
H m 5000 5200 6500 7000 7000 6600 6600 7000 6500 7500
Climb m/s 16,6 20,5 19,6 18,9 17,3 19,3 17,0 19,6 17,5/ 15,4 24,6/ 14,0
Turn time, sec 20,5 19,6 20,0 20,5 20,2 21,0 21,0 20,0 21,0 22,0

*Table notes: 1. Bf 109G-6/U2 with GM-1 system weighing 160kg filled plus 13kg extra engine oil.

2.Bf 109G-4 / U5 with the MW-50 system, the weight of which in the filled state was 120 kg.

3.Bf 109G-10/U4 was armed with one 30 mm MK-108 cannon and two 13 mm MG-131 machine guns, as well as the MW-50 system.

Theoretically, the “hundredth”, compared with its main opponents, had better vertical maneuverability throughout the Second World War. But in practice this is not always true. Much in combat depended on the experience and ability of the pilot.

Eric Brown (an Englishman who tested the Bf 109G-6 / U2 / R3 / R6 in 1944 at Farnborough) recalled: “We conducted comparative tests of the captured Bf 109G-6 with Spitfire fighters of the LF.IX, XV and XIV series, as well as with R-51S "Mustang". In terms of rate of climb, the Gustav surpassed all these aircraft at all altitudes.

D. A. Alekseev, who fought on the Lavochkin in 1944, compares the Soviet car with the main enemy at that time - the Bf 109G-6. “In terms of rate of climb, the La-5FN was superior to the Messerschmitt. If the "mass" tried to get away from us up, they caught up. And the steeper the Messer went up, the easier it was to catch up with him.

In terms of horizontal speed, the La-5FN was a little faster than the Messer, and the advantage of the La in speed over the Fokker was even greater. In level flight, neither the "Messer" nor the "Fokker" could leave the La-5FN. If the German pilots did not have the opportunity to dive, then sooner or later we caught up with them.

I must say that the Germans constantly improved their fighters. The Germans had a modification of the "Messer", which La-5FN even surpassed in speed. She also appeared at the end of the war, somewhere towards the end of 1944. I didn’t have to meet with these “messers”, but Lobanov did. I remember well how Lobanov was very surprised that he came across such “messers” that left his La-5FN on a nose-up, but he could not catch up with them.

Only at the final stage of the war, from the autumn of 1944 to May 1945, the palm gradually passed to the allied aviation. With the appearance on the Western Front of such machines as the P-51D and P-47D, the "classic" exit from a dive attack became quite problematic for the Bf 109G.

American fighters caught up with him and shot down on the way out. On the "hill" they also did not leave chances to the "hundred and ninth". The newest Bf 109K-4 could break away from them both in diving and in the vertical, but the quantitative superiority of the Americans and their tactics nullified these advantages of the German fighter.

On the Eastern Front, the situation was somewhat different. More than half of the Bf 109G-6s and G-14s delivered to air units since 1944 were equipped with the MW50 engine boost system. The injection of a water-methanol mixture significantly increased the power-to-weight ratio of the machine at altitudes up to about 6500 meters. The increase in horizontal speed and dive was very significant. Remembers F. de Joffre.

“On March 20, 1945 (...) six of our Yak-3s were attacked by twelve Messers, including six Me-109 / G. They were piloted exclusively by experienced pilots. The maneuvers of the Germans were distinguished by such clarity, as if they were on an exercise. Messerschmitts-109 / G, thanks to a special system of enrichment of the combustible mixture, calmly enter a steep dive, which the pilots call "deadly". Here they break away from the rest of the "Messers", and we do not have time to open fire, as they suddenly attack us from behind. Bleton is forced to bail out with a parachute."

The main problem with using the MW50 was that the system could not operate during the entire flight. The injection could be used for a maximum of ten minutes, then the motor overheated and threatened to jam. Then a five-minute break was required, after which it was possible to start the system again. These ten minutes were usually enough to carry out two or three dive attacks, but if the Bf 109 was involved in a maneuverable battle at low altitudes, then it could well lose.

Hauptmann Hans-Werner Lerche, who tested a captured La-5FN in Rechlin in September 1944, wrote in a report. “In view of the merits of its engine, the La-5FN was better suited for combat at low altitudes. Its top ground speed is only marginally slower than the FW190A-8 and Bf 109 in afterburner. Overclocking characteristics are comparable. The La-5FN is inferior to the Bf 109 with the MW50 in terms of speed and rate of climb at all altitudes. The effectiveness of the La-5FN ailerons is higher than that of the "one hundred and ninth", the turn time near the ground is less.

In this regard, consider the horizontal maneuverability. As I have already said, horizontal maneuverability depends, first of all, on the specific load on the aircraft wing. And the smaller this value for a fighter, the faster it can perform turns, rolls and other aerobatics in a horizontal plane. But this is only in theory, in practice it was often not so simple. During the Spanish Civil War, Bf 109B-1s met in the air with the I-16 type 10. The specific wing load of the German fighter was somewhat lower than that of the Soviet, but the Republican pilot usually won the battle on turns.

The problem for the "German" was that after one or two turns in one direction, the pilot "shifted" his plane to the other side, and here the "hundred and ninth" lost. The smaller I-16, which literally “walked” behind the control stick, had a higher roll rate and, therefore, performed this maneuver more energetically than the more inert Bf 109B. As a result, the German fighter lost precious fractions of seconds, and the time to complete the maneuver became a little longer.

The battles on turns during the so-called "Battle for England" developed somewhat differently. Here, the more maneuverable Spitfire became the enemy of the Bf 109E. Its specific wing load was significantly lower than that of the Messerschmitt.

Lieutenant Max-Helmut Ostermann, who later became commander of 7./JG54, an expert with 102 victories, recalled: the Spitfires proved to be surprisingly maneuverable aircraft. Their demonstration of aerial acrobatics - loops, rolls, shooting on a turn - all this could not but delight.

And here is what the English historian Mike Speke wrote in general remarks about the characteristics of aircraft.

“The ability to turn depends on two factors - the specific load on the wing and the speed of the aircraft. If two fighters are flying at the same speed, then the fighter with less wing loading will outrun its opponent. However, if it flies substantially faster, the opposite often happens.” It was the second part of this conclusion that the German pilots used in battles with the British. To reduce the speed on the turn, the Germans released the flaps by 30 °, putting them in the take-off position, and with a further decrease in speed, the slats were automatically released.

The final conclusion of the British about the maneuverability of the Bf 109E can be taken from the test report of the captured vehicle at the Farnborough Flight Research Center:

“In terms of maneuverability, the pilots noted a small difference between the Emil and the Spitfire Mk.I and Mk.II at altitudes of 3500-5000 m - one is slightly better in one mode, the other in “its own” maneuver. Above 6100 meters the Bf 109E was slightly better. The Hurricane had higher drag, which put it below the Spitfire and the Bf 109 in acceleration."

In 1941, new aircraft of the Bf109 F modification appeared on the fronts. And although they had a slightly smaller wing area and more takeoff weight than their predecessors, they became faster and more maneuverable due to the use of a new, improved wing in terms of aerodynamics . The turn time decreased, and with the flaps released, it was possible to “win back” one more second, which was confirmed by tests of the captured “hundredth” at the Research Institute of the Air Force of the Red Army. Nevertheless, the German pilots tried not to get involved in the battles on the turns, as in this case they had to slow down, and, as a result, lose the initiative.

Later versions of the Bf 109 produced after 1943 noticeably “gained weight” and indeed slightly worsened horizontal maneuverability. This was due to the fact that, as a result of massive American bomber raids on German territory, the Germans gave priority to air defense tasks. And in the fight against heavy bombers, horizontal maneuverability is not so important. Therefore, they relied on strengthening the onboard armament, which led to an increase in the take-off weight of the fighter.

The only exception was the Bf 109 G-14, which was the lightest and most maneuverable aircraft of the G modification. Most of these vehicles were delivered to the Eastern Front, where maneuver battles were fought much more often. And those that fell to the west, as a rule, were involved in the fight against enemy escort fighters.

Recalls I.I. Kozhemyako, who had a fight on the Yak-1B with Bf 109G-14. “It turned out like this: as soon as we took off with attack aircraft, we didn’t even approach the front line, and the Messers fell on us. I was the leader of the "upper" pair. We saw the Germans from afar, my commander Sokolov managed to give me the command: “Ivan! A pair of "thin" ones on top! Beat it!" It was then that my couple and converged with this pair of "one hundred and ninth". The Germans started a maneuvering battle, the stubborn Germans turned out to be. During the battle, both I and the leader of the German pair broke away from their followers. We hung out together for twenty minutes. Converged - dispersed, converged - dispersed!. Nobody wanted to give up! What I just didn’t do to get into the tail of the German - I literally put the Yak on the wing, it didn’t work out! While we were spinning, we lost speed to a minimum, and as soon as none of us fell into a tailspin? .. Then we disperse, make a larger circle, catch our breath, and again - the gas sector “to full”, turn as steeply as possible!

It all ended with the fact that at the exit of the turn, we got up “wing to wing” and flew in one direction. The German looks at me, I look at the German. The situation is stalemate. I examined the German pilot in all details: a young guy is sitting in the cockpit, in a mesh helmet. (I remember that I envied him: “The bastard is lucky! ..”, because sweat flowed from under my headset.)

What to do in such a situation is completely incomprehensible. One of us will try to turn away, will not have time to get up, the enemy will shoot. He will try to go to the vertical - and there he will shoot, only the nose will have to be raised. While spinning, there was only one thought - to shoot down this reptile, and then “I came to my senses” and I understand that my affairs are “not very good”. Firstly, it turns out that the German tied me up with a fight, tore me away from the cover of the attack aircraft. God forbid, while I was spinning with him, the stormtroopers lost someone - I should have a "pale appearance and crooked legs."

Although my commanding officer gave me the command for this battle, it turns out that, having got involved in a protracted battle, I chased after the “downed”, and neglected the fulfillment of the main combat mission - covering the “silts”. Explain later why you could not break away from the German, prove that you are not a camel. Secondly, another "Messer" will appear now and the end of me, I'm like tied. But, apparently, the German had the same thoughts, at least about the appearance of the second "Yak" for sure.

I look, the German is slowly moving aside. I pretend not to notice. He is on the wing and in a sharp dive, I am “full throttle” and away from him in the opposite direction! Well, to hell with you, such a skillful one.

Summing up, I. I. Kozhemyako said that the "Messer" as a fighter of maneuverable combat was excellent. If there was then a fighter designed specifically for maneuverable combat, it was the “Messer”! High-speed, highly maneuverable (especially on the vertical), highly dynamic. I don’t know about everything else, but if you take into account only speed and maneuverability, the “Messer” for the “dog dump” was almost perfect. Another thing is that the majority of German pilots frankly did not like this type of combat, and I still cannot understand why?

I don’t know what “didn’t allow” the Germans there, but not the performance characteristics of the “Messer”. On the Kursk Bulge, a couple of times they dragged us into such “carousels”, the head almost flew off from the spinning, so the “Messers” were spinning around us.

To be honest, all the war I dreamed of fighting on just such a fighter - fast and superior to everyone on the vertical. But it didn't work out."

Yes, and based on the memoirs of other veterans of World War II, we can conclude that the Bf 109G was by no means drawn to the role of a “flying log”. For example, the excellent horizontal maneuverability of the Bf 109G-14 was demonstrated by E. Hartmann in a battle with the Mustangs at the end of June 1944, when he single-handedly shot down three fighters, and then managed to fight off eight P-51Ds, which never even managed to get into his car.

Dive. Some historians argue that the Bf109 is extremely difficult to control in a dive, the rudders are not effective, the aircraft “sucks in”, and the planes cannot withstand the loads. They probably draw these conclusions on the basis of the conclusions of the pilots who tested the captured samples. For example, here are a few of these statements.

In April 1942, the future colonel and commander of the 9th IAD, ace with 59 air victories A.I. Pokryshkin arrived in Novocherkassk, in a group of pilots mastering the captured Bf109 E-4 / N. According to him, two Slovak pilots flew over and surrendered on the Messerschmitts. Perhaps Alexander Ivanovich messed up something with the dates, since the Slovak fighter pilots at that time were still in Denmark, at the Karup Grove airfield, where they studied the Bf 109E. And on the eastern front, they appeared, judging by the documents of the 52nd fighter squadron, on July 1, 1942, as part of 13. (Slovak.) / JG52. But, back to the memories.

“In a few days in the zone, I worked out simple and complex aerobatics and began to confidently control the Messerschmitt. We must pay tribute - the plane was good. It had a number of positive qualities compared to our fighters. In particular, the Me-109 had an excellent radio station, the front glass was armored, the lantern cap was dropped. This is what we have only dreamed of. But there were also serious shortcomings in the Me-109. The diving qualities are worse than those of the "flash". I knew about this even at the front, when on reconnaissance I had to break away from groups of Messerschmitts attacking me in a steep dive.

Another pilot, Englishman Eric Brown, who tested the Bf 109G-6 / U2 / R3 / R6 in 1944 in Farnborough (Great Britain), tells about the dive characteristics.

“With a relatively low cruising speed, it was only 386 km / h, driving the Gustav was just wonderful. However, as the speed increased, the situation changed rapidly. When diving at a speed of 644 km / h and the occurrence of a dynamic pressure, the controls behaved as if they were frozen. Personally, I achieved a speed of 708 km / h when diving from a height of 3000 m, and it seemed that the controls were simply blocked.

And here is another statement, this time from the book “Fighter Aviation Tactics” published in the USSR in 1943: “The draft of the aircraft during the withdrawal from a dive of the Me-109 fighter is large. A steep dive with a low-level withdrawal is difficult for the Me-109 fighter. It is also difficult for the Me-109 to change direction during a dive and in general during an attack at high speed.

Now let's turn to the memoirs of other pilots. Remembers the pilot of the squadron "Normandy" Francois de Joffre, an ace with 11 victories.

“The sun hits my eyes so hard that I have to make incredible efforts not to lose sight of Shall. He, like me, loves a crazy race. I'm getting attached to him. Wing to wing we continue patrolling. Everything seemed to be over without any incidents, when suddenly two Messerschmitts fall on us from above. We are taken by surprise. Like crazy, I take the pen on myself. The car shudders terribly and rears up, but fortunately does not break into a tailspin. Fritz's turn passes 50 meters from me. If I were a quarter of a second late with the maneuver, the German would have sent me straight to that world from which no one returns.

The air battle begins. (...) In maneuverability, I have an advantage. The enemy feels it. He understands that now I am the master of the situation. Four thousand meters ... Three thousand meters ... We are rapidly rushing to the ground ... So much the better! The advantage of the "yak" should have an effect. I clench my teeth tighter. Suddenly, the Messer, all white, except for the sinister, black cross and the disgusting, spider-like swastika, comes out of the dive and flies away on a low-level flight towards Goldap.

I try to keep up and, enraged with rage, I pursue him, squeezing everything he can give out of the yak. The arrow shows the speed of 700 or 750 kilometers per hour. I increase the dive angle, and when it reaches about 80 degrees, I suddenly remember Bertrand, who crashed in Alytus, becoming a victim of an enormous load that destroyed the wing.

Instinctively, I take the pen. It seems to me that it is served hard, even too hard. I pull more, careful not to damage anything, and little by little I pick it out. Movements regain their former confidence. The nose of the plane goes to the horizon line. The speed drops a little. How timely it all is! I almost can't think of anything anymore. When, in a fraction of a second, consciousness fully returns to me, I see that the enemy fighter is rushing close to the ground, as if playing leapfrog with the white tops of the trees.

Now I think everyone understands what a "steep dive with a withdrawal at low altitude" performed by Bf 109 is. As for A.I. Pokryshkin, he is right in his conclusion. The MiG-3, indeed, accelerated faster in a dive, but for other reasons. Firstly, it had more advanced aerodynamics, the wing and horizontal tail had a smaller relative profile thickness compared to the wing and tail of the Bf 109. And, as you know, it is the wing that creates the maximum resistance of the aircraft in the air (about 50%). Secondly, the power of the fighter's engine plays an equally important role. At Mig, at low altitudes, it was approximately equal to or slightly higher than that of the Messerschmitt. And thirdly, the MiG was almost 700 kilograms heavier than the Bf 109E, and more than 600 kilograms heavier than the Bf 109F. In general, a slight advantage in each of the above factors resulted in a higher dive speed of the Soviet fighter.

Former pilot of the 41st GIAP, reserve colonel D. A. Alekseev, who fought on La-5 and La-7 fighters, recalls: “German fighter planes were strong. High-speed, maneuverable, durable, with very strong weapons (especially the Fokker). On a dive, they caught up with the La-5, and by diving they broke away from us. Coup and dive, only we saw them. By and large, in diving, even the La-7 did not catch up with either the Messer or the Fokker.

Nevertheless, D. A. Alekseev knew how to shoot down a Bf 109, leaving in a dive. But this "trick" could only be done by an experienced pilot. “Although, there is a chance to catch a German while diving. The German is in a dive, you are behind him, and here you need to act correctly. Give full throttle, and the screw, for a few seconds, "heavier" as much as possible. In these few seconds, Lavochkin literally makes a breakthrough. On this "jerk" it was quite possible to get close to the German at a distance of fire. So they got close and knocked down. But, if you missed this moment, then really everything is not to catch up.

Let's return to the Bf 109G-6, which was tested by E. Brown. Here, too, there is one "small" nuance. This aircraft was equipped with a GM1 engine boost system, the 115-liter tank of this system was located behind the cockpit. It is known for certain that the British failed to fill the GM1 with the appropriate mixture and they simply poured gasoline into its tank. Not surprisingly, with such an additional load of a total mass of 160 kg, it is more difficult to bring the fighter out of the dive.

As for the figure of 708 km / h given by the pilot, then, in my opinion, either it is greatly underestimated, or he dived at a low angle. The maximum dive speed developed by any modification of the Bf 109 was significantly higher.

For example, from January to March 1943, the Bf 109F-2 was tested for maximum dive speed from various heights at the Luftwaffe research center in Travemünde. At the same time, the following results were obtained for true (and not instrumental) speed:

From the memoirs of German and British pilots, it can be seen that even higher dive speeds were sometimes achieved in combat.

Without a doubt, the Bf109 accelerated perfectly in a dive and easily got out of it. At least none of the veterans of the Luftwaffe known to me spoke negatively about the dive of the Messer. The pilot was greatly assisted in recovering from a steep dive by an in-flight adjustable stabilizer, which was used instead of a trimmer and was moved by a special steering wheel to an angle of attack from +3 ° to -8 °.

Eric Brown recalled: “If the stabilizer was set to level flight, it was necessary to apply a lot of force to the control stick to bring the plane out of a dive at a speed of 644 km / h. If it was set to dive, exit was somewhat difficult unless the helm was turned back. Otherwise, there is an excessive load on the handle.

In addition, on all steering surfaces of the Messerschmitt there were flatners - plates bent on the ground, which made it possible to remove part of the load transmitted from the rudders to the handle and pedals. On machines of the "F" and "G" series, the flatners were increased in area due to increased speeds and loads. And on modifications Bf 109G-14 / AS, Bf 109G-10 and Bf109K-4, the flatners, in general, became double.

The technical staff of the Luftwaffe was very attentive to the installation procedure of the fletners. All fighters before each sortie were carefully adjusted using a special protractor. Perhaps the Allies, who tested captured German samples, simply did not pay attention to this moment. And if the flatner was incorrectly adjusted, the loads transmitted to the controls could indeed increase several times.

In fairness, it should be noted that on the Eastern Front, the battles took place at altitudes of 1000, up to 1500 meters, there was nowhere to go with a dive ...

In the middle of 1943 at the Air Force Research Institute joint tests of Soviet and German aircraft were carried out. So, in August, they tried to compare the latest Yak-9D and La-5FN in training air battles with the Bf 109G-2 and FW 190A-4. The emphasis was on flight fighting qualities, in particular, on the maneuverability of fighters. Seven pilots at once, changing from cockpit to cockpit, conducted training battles, first in the horizontal and then in the vertical planes. Advantages in terms of acceleration were determined by the acceleration of vehicles from a speed of 450 km / h to a maximum, and free air combat began with a meeting of fighters during frontal attacks.

After the “battle” with the “three-point” “Messer” (it was piloted by Captain Kuvshinov), test pilot Senior Lieutenant Maslyakov wrote: “The La-5FN aircraft had an advantage over the Bf 109G-2 up to an altitude of 5000 m and could conduct an offensive battle both in horizontal, as well as in vertical planes. On bends, our fighter went into the tail of the enemy after 4-8 turns. On a vertical maneuver up to 3000 m, the “Lavochkin” had a clear advantage: it gained “extra” 50-100 m for a combat turn and a hill. From 3000 m, this superiority decreased and at an altitude of 5000 m the planes became the same. When climbing 6000 m, La-5FN lagged behind a little.

On a dive, the Lavochkin also lagged behind the Messerschmitt, but when the planes were withdrawn, it again caught up with it, due to the smaller radius of curvature. This moment must be used in air combat. We must strive to fight the German fighter at altitudes up to 5000 m, using a combined maneuver in the horizontal and vertical planes.

It turned out to be more difficult to “fight” with German fighters for the Yak-9D aircraft. The relatively large supply of fuel had a negative effect on the maneuverability of the Yak, especially the vertical one. Therefore, their pilots were recommended to fight on bends.

Combat pilots were given recommendations on the preferred tactics of combat with one or another enemy aircraft, taking into account the booking scheme used by the Germans. The conclusion signed by the head of the department of the institute, General Shishkin, said: “The production aircraft Yak-9 and La-5, in terms of their combat and flight tactical data, up to an altitude of 3500-5000 m are superior to German fighters of the latest modifications (Bf 109G-2 and FW 190А-4) and with the correct operation of aircraft in the air, our pilots can successfully fight enemy aircraft.

Below is a table of characteristics of Soviet and German fighters based on test materials at the Air Force Research Institute. (For domestic machines, the data of prototypes are given).

Comparison of aircraft at the Air Force Research Institute
Airplane Yak-9 La-5FN Bf 109G-2 FW190A-4
Flight weight, kg 2873 3148 3023 3989
Maximum speed, km/h near the ground 520 562/595* 524 510
on high 570 626 598 544
m 2300 3250 2750 1800
on high 599 648 666 610
m 4300 6300 7000 6000
SU power, hp 1180 1850 1475 1730
Wing area m² 17,15 17,50 16,20 17,70
167,5 180,0 186,6 225,3
2,43 1,70 2,05 2,30
Gain time 5000 m, min 5,1 4,7 4,4 6,8
Turn time at 1000m, sec 16-17 18-19 20,8 22-23
Climb for combat turn, m 1120 1100 1100 730

* Using boost mode


Real battles on the Soviet-German front differed markedly from the "staged" ones at the test institute. German pilots did not engage in maneuver battles in both the vertical and horizontal planes. Their fighters sought to shoot down the Soviet aircraft with a surprise attack, and then went into the clouds or into their own territory. Stormtroopers also suddenly fell upon our ground troops. It was rare to intercept both of them. Special tests conducted at the Air Force Research Institute were aimed at developing techniques and methods of combating Focke-Wulf attack aircraft. The captured FW 190A-8 No. 682011 and the “lightweight” FW 190A-8 No. 58096764 took part in them, the most modern fighters of the Red Army Air Force, the Yak-3, flew to intercept them. Yak-9U and La-7.

The "battles" showed that in order to successfully combat low-flying German aircraft, it was necessary to develop new tactics. After all, most often the "Focke-Wulfs" approached at low altitudes and left in a strafing flight at maximum speeds. Under these conditions, it was difficult to detect an attack in a timely manner, and the pursuit became more difficult, since the matte gray paintwork hid the German car against the background of the terrain. In addition, the FW 190 pilots turned on the engine boost device at low altitudes. The testers determined that in this case, the Focke-Wulfs reached a speed of 582 km / h near the ground, that is, neither the Yak-3 (the aircraft available at the Air Force Research Institute had a speed of 567 km / h) nor the Yak- 9U (575 km/h). Only the La-7 accelerated to 612 km / h in afterburner, but the speed margin was insufficient to quickly reduce the distance between the two aircraft to the distance of aimed fire. Based on the results of the tests, the institute's management issued recommendations: it is necessary to echelon our fighters in altitude patrols. In this case, the task of the pilots of the upper tier would be to disrupt the bombing, as well as to attack the cover fighters accompanying the attack aircraft, and the attack aircraft themselves would most likely be able to intercept the vehicles of the lower patrol, which had the ability to accelerate in a gentle dive.

Special mention should be made of the armor protection of the FW-190. The appearance of the FW 190A-5 modification meant that the German command considered the Focke-Wulf as the most promising attack aircraft. Indeed, the already significant armor protection (its weight on the FW 190A-4 reached 110 kg) was reinforced by 16 additional plates with a total weight of 200 kg, mounted in lower parts center section and motor. The removal of two Oerlikon wing cannons reduced the weight of a second salvo to 2.85 kg (for the FW 190A-4 it was 4.93 kg, for the La-5FN 1.76 kg), but it made it possible to partially compensate for the increase in take-off weight and had a beneficial effect on aerobatic properties FW 190 - due to the forward centering, the stability of the fighter has increased. The climb for a combat turn increased by 100 m, the turn execution time was reduced by about a second. The plane accelerated to 582 km / h at 5000 m and gained this height in 12 minutes. Soviet engineers speculated that the real flight data of the FW190A-5 was higher because the automatic mixture control function was abnormal and there was heavy engine smoke even when it was running on the ground.

At the end of the war, German aviation, although it posed a certain danger, did not conduct active hostilities. Under the conditions of complete air supremacy of the allied aviation, no most advanced aircraft could change the nature of the war. German fighters only defended themselves in extremely unfavorable conditions for themselves. In addition, there was practically no one to fly them, since the entire color of German fighter aircraft died in fierce battles on the Eastern Front.

* - The maneuverability of the aircraft in the horizontal plane is described by the turn time, i.e. full turn time. The turn radius will be the smaller, the lower the specific load on the wing, i.e., an aircraft with a large wing and a lower flight weight (having a large lift, which here will be equal to centrifugal), will be able to perform a steeper turn. Obviously, an increase in lift with a simultaneous decrease in speed can occur when the wing is extended (flaps extended and when the speed of automatic slats decreases), however, exiting a turn at a lower speed is fraught with a loss of initiative in combat.

Secondly, in order to perform a turn, the pilot must first of all bank the aircraft. The roll rate depends on the lateral stability of the aircraft, the effectiveness of the ailerons, and the moment of inertia, which is the smaller (M = L m), the smaller the wing span and its mass. Hence, maneuverability will be worse for an aircraft with two engines on the wing, fueled tanks in the wing consoles or weapons mounted on the wing.

The maneuverability of an aircraft in the vertical plane is described by its rate of climb and depends, first of all, on the specific power load (the ratio of the mass of the aircraft to the power of its power plant and in other words expresses the number of kg of weight that one horsepower "carries") and, obviously, at lower values, the aircraft has a higher rate of climb. Obviously, the rate of climb also depends on the ratio of the flight mass to the total aerodynamic drag.

Sources

  • How to compare WWII planes. /TO. Kosminkov, "Ace" No. 2.3 1991 /
  • Comparison of WWII fighters. /"Wings of the Motherland" №5 1991 Viktor Bakursky/
  • Race for the ghost of speed. Fallen out of the nest. /"Wings of the Motherland" №12 1993 Victor Bakursky/
  • German trace in the history of domestic aviation. /Sobolev D.A., Khazanov D.B./
  • Three myths about "Messer" /Alexander Pavlov "AviAMaster" 8-2005./

In the Second World War, aviation was one of the main branches of the military and played a very important role in the course of hostilities. It is no coincidence that each of the belligerents sought to ensure a constant increase in the combat capability of their aviation by increasing the production of aircraft and their continuous improvement and renewal. As never before, scientific and engineering potential was widely involved in the military sphere, many research institutes and laboratories, design bureaus and testing centers were operating, through the efforts of which the latest military equipment was created. It was a time of unusually rapid progress in aircraft construction. At the same time, the era of the evolution of aircraft with piston engines who have reigned supreme in aviation since its inception. Combat aircraft of the end of World War II were the most advanced examples aviation technology created on the basis of piston engines.



The essential difference between the peaceful and war periods of the development of combat aviation was that during the war the effectiveness of technology was determined directly by experience. If in peacetime military specialists and aircraft designers, when ordering and creating new types of aircraft, relied only on speculative ideas about the nature of a future war or were guided by limited experience local conflicts, then large-scale military operations dramatically changed the situation. The practice of air combat became not only a powerful catalyst in accelerating the progress of aviation, but also the only criterion for comparing the quality of aircraft and choosing the main directions for further development. Each side improved its aircraft based on its own experience of warfare, the availability of resources, the capabilities of technology and the aviation industry as a whole.

During the war years in England, the USSR, the USA, Germany and Japan, a large number of aircraft were created that played prominent role during the armed struggle. Among them are many outstanding examples. Of interest is the comparison of these machines, as well as the comparison of those engineering and scientific ideas that were used in their creation. Of course, among the numerous types of aircraft that took part in the war and represented different schools of aircraft construction, it is difficult to single out the indisputably best ones. Therefore, the choice of machines to some extent is conditional.

Fighters were the main means of gaining air supremacy in the fight against the enemy. The success of the combat operations of the ground forces and other branches of aviation, the security of rear facilities largely depended on the effectiveness of their actions. It is no coincidence that it was the class of fighters that developed most intensively. The best of them are traditionally called the Yak-3 and La-7 aircraft (USSR), the North American R-51 Mustang (Mustang, USA), the Supermarine Spitfire (Spitfire, England) and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 ( Germany). Among the many modifications of Western fighters, the R-51D, Spitfire XIV and Bf 109G-10 and K-4 were selected for comparison, that is, those aircraft that were mass-produced and entered service with the military air force at the end of the war. All of them were created in 1943 - early 1944. These machines reflected the richest combat experience already accumulated by that time by the warring countries. They became, as it were, symbols of the military aviation equipment of their time.


Before comparing different types fighters, it is worth saying a little about the basic principles of comparison. The main thing here is to keep in mind the conditions of combat use under which they were created. The war in the East showed that in the presence of a front line where ground forces were the main force of the armed struggle, relatively low flight altitudes were required from aviation. The experience of air battles on the Soviet-German front shows that the vast majority of them were fought at altitudes up to 4.5 km, regardless of the altitude of the aircraft. Soviet designers, improving fighters and engines for them, could not ignore this circumstance. At the same time, the British Spitfires and the American Mustangs were distinguished by their higher altitude, since the nature of the actions for which they were counting was completely different. In addition, the P-51D had a much longer range needed to escort heavy bombers and was therefore significantly heavier than Spitfires, German Bf 109s and Soviet fighters. Thus, since the British, American and Soviet fighters were created for different combat conditions, the question of which of the machines as a whole was the most effective loses its meaning. It is advisable to compare only the main technical solutions and features of machines.

The situation is different with the German fighters. They were intended for air combat on both the Eastern and Western fronts. Therefore, they can reasonably be compared with all Allied fighters.


So what stood out the best fighters of the Second World War? What was their fundamental difference from each other? Let's start with the main thing - with the technical ideology laid down by the designers in the projects of these aircraft.

The most unusual in terms of the concept of creation were, perhaps, the Spitfire and Mustang.


“This is not just a good plane, this is a Spitfire!” - such an assessment by the English test pilot G. Powell, no doubt, applies to one of the last fighter variants of this family - the Spitfire XIV, the best fighter of the British Air Force during the war. It was on the Spitfire XIV that a German Me 262 jet fighter was shot down in an air battle.

Creating the Spitfire in the mid-30s, the designers tried to combine seemingly incompatible things: high speed, characteristic of the high-speed monoplane fighters then entering life, with excellent maneuverability, altitude and takeoff and landing characteristics inherent in biplanes. The goal was basically achieved. Like many other high-speed fighters, the Spitfire had a well-streamlined cantilever monoplane design. But this was only a superficial resemblance. For its weight, the Spitfire had a relatively large sizes, which gave a small load per unit of the bearing surface, much less than that of other monoplane fighters. Hence, excellent maneuverability in the horizontal plane, high ceiling and good takeoff and landing properties. This approach was not something exceptional: Japanese designers, for example, did the same. But the creators of Spitfire went further. Due to the high aerodynamic drag of such a large wing, it was impossible to count on achieving a high maximum flight speed - one of the most important indicators of the quality of fighters of those years. To reduce drag, they used profiles of a much thinner relative thickness than other fighters, and gave the wing an elliptical shape in plan. This further reduced aerodynamic drag when flying at high altitude and in maneuver modes.

The company managed to create an outstanding combat aircraft. This does not mean that the Spitfire was devoid of any shortcomings. They were. For example, due to the low load on the wing, it was inferior to many fighters in terms of accelerating properties in a dive. Slower than German, American, and even more so Soviet fighters, it reacted to the actions of the pilot in a roll. However, these shortcomings were not of a fundamental nature, and in general, the Spitfire was undoubtedly one of the strongest air combat fighters, which demonstrated excellent qualities in action.

Among the many variants of the Mustang fighter, the greatest success fell on aircraft equipped with English Merlin engines. These were R-51B, C and, of course, R-51D - the best and most famous american fighter Second World War. Since 1944, it was these aircraft that ensured the safety of heavy American B-17 and B-24 bombers from attacks by German fighters and demonstrated their superiority in battle.

The main distinguishing feature of the Mustang in terms of aerodynamics was a laminar wing, for the first time in the world practice of aircraft industry, installed on a combat aircraft. About this "highlight" of the aircraft, born in the laboratory of the American research center NASA on the eve of the war, it should be said especially. The fact is that the opinion of experts on the advisability of using a laminar wing on fighters of that period is ambiguous. If before the war high hopes were placed on laminar wings, since under certain conditions they had less aerodynamic resistance compared to conventional ones, then the experience with the Mustang reduced the initial optimism. It turned out that in real operation such a wing is not effective enough. The reason was that in order to implement a laminar flow on a part of such a wing, a very careful surface finish and high accuracy in maintaining the profile were required. Due to the roughness that arose when applying a protective color to the aircraft, and even a small inaccuracy in the profiling, which inevitably appeared in serial production (small wave-like thin metal skin), the effect of laminarization on the R-51 wing was greatly reduced. In terms of their load-bearing properties, laminar airfoils were inferior to conventional airfoils, which caused difficulties in ensuring good maneuverability and takeoff and landing properties.


At low angles of attack, laminar wing profiles (sometimes called laminated wing profiles) have less aerodynamic drag than conventional type profiles.

In addition to reduced resistance, laminar profiles had better speed qualities - with an equal relative thickness, the effects of air compressibility (wave crisis) manifested themselves at higher speeds than on conventional type profiles. This already had to be reckoned with. In dives, especially at high altitudes, where the speed of sound is much lower than near the ground, aircraft began to reach speeds at which the features associated with approaching the speed of sound were already manifested. It was possible to increase the so-called critical speed either by using faster profiles, which turned out to be laminar, or by reducing the relative thickness of the profile, while putting up with the inevitable increase in the weight of the structure and reducing the wing volumes often used (including on the R-51D) for placement of gas tanks and. Interestingly, due to the much smaller relative thickness of the airfoils, the wave crisis on the wing of the Spitfire occurred at a higher speed than on the wing of the Mustang.


Studies at the British Aviation Research Center RAE showed that due to the significantly smaller relative thickness of the wing profiles, the Spitfire fighter at high speeds had a lower drag coefficient than the Mustang. This was due to the later manifestation of the wave flow crisis and its more “soft” nature.

If air battles were fought at relatively low altitudes, the crisis phenomena of air compressibility almost did not manifest themselves, so the need for a special high-speed wing was not acutely felt.

The way of creating the Soviet aircraft Yak-3 and La-7 turned out to be very unusual. In essence, they were deep modifications of the Yak-1 and LaGG-3 fighters, developed in 1940 and mass-produced.


In the Soviet Air Force at the final stage of the war there was no fighter more popular than the Yak-3. At that time it was the lightest fighter. The French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen regiment, who fought on the Yak-3, spoke of its combat capabilities in the following way: “The Yak-3 gives you complete superiority over the Germans. On the Yak-3, two can fight against four, and four against sixteen!

A radical revision of the Yak design was undertaken in 1943 in order to dramatically improve flight performance with a very modest power plant. The decisive direction in this work was the lightening of the aircraft (including by reducing the wing area) and a significant improvement in its aerodynamics. Perhaps this was the only opportunity to qualitatively promote the aircraft, since the Soviet industry had not yet mass-produced new, more powerful engines suitable for installation on the Yak-1.

Such an exceptionally difficult path for the development of aviation technology was extraordinary. The usual way to improve the aircraft flight data complex was then to improve aerodynamics without noticeable changes in the dimensions of the airframe, as well as to install more powerful engines. This was almost always accompanied by a marked increase in weight.

The designers of the Yak-3 coped brilliantly with this difficult task. It is unlikely that in the aviation of the period of the Second World War one can find another example of a similar and so effectively performed work.

The Yak-3 compared to the Yak-1 was much lighter, had a smaller relative profile thickness and wing area, and had excellent aerodynamic properties. The power-to-weight ratio of the aircraft has increased significantly, which has dramatically improved its rate of climb, acceleration characteristics and vertical maneuverability. At the same time, such an important parameter for horizontal maneuverability, takeoff and landing as the specific load on the wing has changed little. During the war, the Yak-3 turned out to be one of the easiest fighters to fly.

Of course, in tactical terms, the Yak-3 by no means replaced aircraft that were distinguished by stronger weapons and longer combat flight duration, but perfectly complemented them, embodying the idea of ​​a light, high-speed and maneuverable air combat vehicle, designed primarily to fight fighters. enemy.

One of the few, if not the only air-cooled fighter, which can rightly be attributed to the best air combat fighters of the Second World War. On the La-7, the famous Soviet ace I.N. Kozhedub shot down 17 German aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 62 destroyed by him on La fighters.

The history of the creation of La-7 is also unusual. At the beginning of 1942, on the basis of the LaGG-3 fighter, which turned out to be a rather mediocre combat vehicle, the La-5 fighter was developed, which differed from its predecessor only in the power plant (the liquid-cooled motor was replaced with a much more powerful two-row “star”). In the course of further development of the La-5, the designers focused on its aerodynamic improvement. During the period 1942-1943. fighters of the La brand were the most frequent "guests" in full-scale wind tunnels of the leading Soviet aviation research center TsAGI. The main purpose of such tests was to identify the main sources of aerodynamic losses and to determine design measures that help reduce aerodynamic drag. An important feature of this work was that the proposed design changes did not require major alterations to the aircraft and changes in the production process and could be relatively easily carried out by mass-produced factories. It was a truly "jewelry" work, when, it would seem, a rather impressive result was obtained from mere trifles.

The fruit of this work was the La-5FN, which appeared at the beginning of 1943 - one of the strongest Soviet fighters of that time, and then the La-7 - an aircraft that rightfully took its place among best fighters Second World War. If during the transition from La-5 to La-5FN, the increase in flight data was achieved not only due to better aerodynamics, but also due to a more powerful engine, then the improvement in the performance of La-7 was achieved solely by means of aerodynamics and a reduction in the weight of the structure. This aircraft had a speed of 80 km / h more than the La-5, of which 75% (that is, 60 km / h) was given by aerodynamics. Such an increase in speed is equivalent to an increase in engine power by more than a third, and without increasing the weight and dimensions of the aircraft.

The best features of an air combat fighter were embodied in the La-7: high speed, excellent maneuverability and rate of climb. In addition, compared with the rest of the fighters discussed here, it had greater survivability, since only this aircraft had an air-cooled engine. As you know, such motors are not only more viable than liquid-cooled engines, but also serve as a kind of protection for the pilot from fire from the front hemisphere, since they have large cross-sectional dimensions.

The German fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 was created around the same time as the Spitfire. Like the English aircraft, the Bf 109 became one of the most successful examples of a combat vehicle during the war and went through a long evolutionary path: it was equipped with more and more powerful engines, improved aerodynamics, operational and flight characteristics. In terms of aerodynamics, the biggest changes last time were implemented in 1941, when the Bf 109F appeared. Further improvement of flight data was mainly due to the installation of new motors. Externally, the latest modifications of this fighter - Bf 109G-10 and K-4 differed little from the much earlier Bf 109F, although they had a number of aerodynamic improvements.


This aircraft was the best representative of the light and maneuverable combat vehicle of the Nazi Luftwaffe. Throughout almost the entire second world war, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters were among the best examples of aircraft in their class, and only towards the end of the war did they begin to lose their positions. It turned out to be impossible to combine the qualities inherent in the best Western fighters, designed for a relatively high combat altitude, with the qualities inherent in the best Soviet "medium-altitude" fighters.

Like their British counterparts, the designers of the Bf 109 tried to combine a high top speed with good maneuverability and takeoff and landing qualities. But they solved this problem in a completely different way: unlike the Spitfire, the Bf 109 had a large specific load on the wing, which made it possible to obtain high speed, and to improve maneuverability, not only well-known slats were used, but also flaps, which at the right time battles could be deflected by the pilot at a small angle. The use of controlled flaps was a new and original solution. To improve takeoff and landing characteristics, in addition to automatic slats and controlled flaps, hovering ailerons were used, which worked as additional sections of the flaps; a controlled stabilizer was also used. In a word, the Bf 109 had a unique system of direct lift control, largely characteristic of modern aircraft with their inherent automation. However, in practice, many of the designers' decisions did not take root. Due to the complexity, it was necessary to abandon the controlled stabilizer, hanging ailerons, and the flap release system in battle. As a result, in terms of its maneuverability, the Bf 109 did not differ much from other fighters, both Soviet and American, although it was inferior to the best domestic cars. Takeoff and landing characteristics were similar.

The experience of aircraft construction shows that the gradual improvement of a combat aircraft is almost always accompanied by an increase in its weight. This is due to the installation of more powerful, and therefore heavier engines, an increase in the supply of fuel, an increase in the power of weapons, the necessary structural reinforcements and other related measures. In the end, there comes a time when the reserves of this design are exhausted. One of the limitations is the specific load on the wing. This, of course, is not the only parameter, but one of the most important and common to all aircraft. So, as the Spitfire fighters were modified from version 1A to XIV and Bf 109 from B-2 to G-10 and K-4, their specific wing load increased by about a third! Already in the Bf 109G-2 (1942) it was 185 kg/m2, while the Spitfire IX, which was also released in 1942, had about 150 kg/m2. For the Bf 109G-2, this wing loading was close to the limit. With its further growth, the aerobatic, maneuvering and takeoff and landing characteristics of the aircraft deteriorated sharply, despite the very effective mechanization of the wing (slats and flaps).

Since 1942, German designers have been improving their best air combat fighter under very strict weight restrictions, which greatly narrowed the possibilities for qualitative improvement of the aircraft. And the creators of the Spitfire still had sufficient reserves and continued to increase the power of the installed engines and strengthen the weapons, not particularly considering the increase in weight.

The quality of their mass production has a great influence on the aerodynamic properties of aircraft. Careless manufacturing can negate all the efforts of designers and scientists. This doesn't happen very often. Judging by the captured documents, in Germany, conducting a comparative study of the aerodynamics of German, American and English fighters, came to the conclusion that the Bf 109G had the worst quality of production execution, and, in particular, for this reason, its aerodynamics turned out to be the worst, which with a high probability can be extended to the Bf 109K-4.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that in terms of the technical concept of creation and the aerodynamic features of the layout, each of the compared aircraft is quite original. But they also have many common features: well-streamlined shapes, careful engine cowling, well-developed local aerodynamics and aerodynamics of cooling devices.

As for the design, Soviet fighters were much simpler and cheaper to manufacture than British, German and, especially, American aircraft. Scarce materials were used in them in very limited quantities. Thanks to this, the USSR managed to ensure a high rate of aircraft production in the face of the most severe material restrictions and a lack of skilled labor. I must say that our country is in the most difficult situation. From 1941 to 1944 inclusive, a significant part of the industrial zone, where many metallurgical enterprises were located, was occupied by the Nazis. Some factories managed to be evacuated inland and set up production in new places. But a significant part of the production potential was still irretrievably lost. In addition, a large number of skilled workers and specialists went to the front. At the machines they were replaced by women and children who could not work at the appropriate level. Nevertheless, the aircraft industry of the USSR, although not immediately, was able to meet the needs of the front in aircraft.

Unlike all-metal Western fighters, wood was widely used in Soviet aircraft. However, in many power elements, which actually determined the weight of the structure, metal was used. That is why, in terms of weight perfection, the Yak-3 and La-7 practically did not differ from foreign fighters.

In terms of technological sophistication, ease of access to individual units and ease of maintenance in general, the Bf 109 and Mustang looked somewhat preferable. However, Spitfires and Soviet fighters were also well adapted to the conditions of combat operation. But in terms of such very important characteristics as the quality of equipment and the level of automation, the Yak-3 and La-7 were inferior to Western fighters, the best of which were German aircraft (not only Bf 109, but others) in terms of automation.

The most important indicator of high flight performance of the aircraft and its overall combat capability is the power plant. It is in the aircraft engine industry that the latest achievements in technology, materials, control and automation systems are first of all embodied. Engine building is one of the most science-intensive branches of the aircraft industry. Compared to an aircraft, the process of creating and fine-tuning new engines takes much more time and requires a lot of effort.

During the Second World War, England occupied a leading position in aircraft engine building. It was the Rolls-Royce engines that equipped the Spitfires and the best versions of the Mustangs (P-51B, C and D). It can be said without exaggeration that just the installation of the English Merlin engine, which was produced in the USA under license by Packard, made it possible to realize the great capabilities of the Mustang and brought it into the category of elite fighters. Prior to this, the R-51, although original, was a rather mediocre aircraft in terms of combat capabilities.

The peculiarity of English engines, which largely determined their excellent performance, was the use of high-grade gasoline, the conditional octane number of which reached 100-150. This made it possible to apply a large degree of air pressure (more precisely, the working mixture) into the cylinders and thereby obtain high power. The USSR and Germany could not meet the needs of aviation in such high-quality and expensive fuel. Typically, gasoline with an octane rating of 87-100 was used.

A characteristic feature that united all the engines that were on the compared fighters was the use of two-speed drive centrifugal superchargers (PTsN), providing the required altitude. But the difference between Rolls-Royce engines was that their superchargers had not one, as usual, but two successive compression stages, and even with intermediate cooling of the working mixture in a special radiator. Despite the complexity of such systems, their use turned out to be fully justified for high-altitude motors, since it significantly reduced the power losses spent by the motor for pumping. This was a very important factor.

The original was the DB-605 motor injection system, driven through a turbo coupling, which, with automatic control, smoothly adjusted the gear ratio from the motor to the blower impeller. In contrast to the two-speed drive superchargers that were on Soviet and British engines, the turbo coupling made it possible to reduce the power drop that occurred between the injection speeds.

An important advantage of German engines (DB-605 and others) was the use of direct fuel injection into the cylinders. Compared to a conventional carburetor system, this increased the reliability and efficiency of the power plant. Of the other engines, only the Soviet ASh-82FN, which was on the La-7, had a similar direct injection system.

A significant factor in improving the flight performance of the Mustang and Spitfire was that their motors had relatively short-term modes of operation at high power. In combat, the pilots of these fighters could for some time use, in addition to long-term, that is, nominal, either combat (5-15 minutes), or in emergency cases, emergency (1-5 minutes) modes. The combat, or, as it was also called, the military regime became the main one for the operation of the engine in air combat. The engines of Soviet fighters did not have high power modes at altitude, which limited the possibility of further improving their flight characteristics.

Most variants of the Mustangs and Spitfires were designed for high combat altitude, which is typical for aviation operations in the West. Therefore, their motors had sufficient altitude. German motor builders were forced to solve a complex technical problem. With the relatively high design height of the engine required for air combat in the West, it was important to provide the necessary power at low and medium altitudes required for combat operations in the East. As is known, a simple increase in altitude usually leads to increasing power losses at low altitudes. Therefore, the designers showed a lot of ingenuity and applied a number of extraordinary technical solutions. In terms of its altitude, the DB-605 engine occupied, as it were, an intermediate position between English and Soviet engines. To increase power at altitudes below the calculated one, an injection of a water-alcohol mixture was used (MW-50 system), which made it possible, despite the relatively low octane number of fuel, to significantly increase boost, and, consequently, power without detonation. It turned out a kind of maximum mode, which, like the emergency one, could usually be used for up to three minutes.

At altitudes above the calculated one, nitrous oxide injection (GM-1 system) could be used, which, being a powerful oxidizing agent, seemed to compensate for the lack of oxygen in a rarefied atmosphere and made it possible for some time to increase the altitude of the motor and bring its characteristics closer to the data of Rolls-motors. Royce. True, these systems increased the weight of the aircraft (by 60-120 kg), significantly complicated the power plant and its operation. For these reasons, they were used separately and were not used on all Bf 109G and K.


A fighter's armament has a significant impact on the combat capability of a fighter. In terms of the composition and location of weapons, the aircraft in question differed very much. If the Soviet Yak-3 and La-7 and the German Bf 109G and K had a central location of weapons (cannons and machine guns in the forward fuselage), then the Spitfires and Mustangs had them located in the wing outside the area swept by the propeller. In addition, the Mustang had only heavy machine gun armament, while other fighters also had guns, and the La-7 and Bf 109K-4 had only gun armament. In the Western theater of operations, the P-51D was intended primarily to fight enemy fighters. For this purpose, the power of his six machine guns was quite sufficient. Unlike the Mustang, the British Spitfires and the Soviet Yak-3s and La-7s fought against aircraft of any purpose, including bombers, which naturally required more powerful weapons.

Comparing the wing and central installation of weapons, it is difficult to answer which of these schemes was the most effective. But still, Soviet front-line pilots and aviation specialists, like the German ones, preferred the central one, which ensured the greatest accuracy of fire. Such an arrangement turns out to be more advantageous when an attack by an enemy aircraft is carried out from extremely short distances. Namely, this is how Soviet and German pilots usually tried to act on the Eastern Front. In the West, air battles were fought mainly at high altitude, where the maneuverability of fighters deteriorated significantly. It became much more difficult to approach the enemy at close range, and it was also very dangerous with bombers, since it was difficult for a fighter to evade the fire of air gunners due to sluggish maneuvers. For this reason, they opened fire from a long distance and the wing installation of weapons, designed for a given range of destruction, turned out to be quite comparable with the central one. In addition, the rate of fire of weapons with a wing scheme was higher than that of weapons synchronized for firing through a propeller (guns on the La-7, machine guns on the Yak-3 and Bf 109G), the armament turned out to be near the center of gravity and the consumption of ammunition practically did not affect it. position. But one drawback was still organically inherent in the wing scheme - this is an increased moment of inertia relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, which worsened the fighter's roll response to the pilot's actions.

Among the many criteria that determined the combat capability of an aircraft, the combination of its flight data was the most important for a fighter. Of course, they are not important on their own, but in combination with a number of other quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as, for example, stability, aerobatic properties, ease of operation, visibility, etc. For some classes of aircraft, training, for example, these indicators are of paramount importance. But for combat vehicles of the past war, flight characteristics and armament, which are the main technical components of the combat effectiveness of fighters and bombers, are decisive. Therefore, the designers sought, first of all, to achieve priority in flight data, or rather, in those that played a paramount role.

It is worth clarifying that the words “flight data” mean a whole range of important indicators, the main of which for fighters were maximum speed, rate of climb, range or time of a sortie, maneuverability, the ability to quickly pick up speed, sometimes a practical ceiling. Experience has shown that the technical excellence of fighters cannot be reduced to any one criterion, which would be expressed by a number, a formula, or even an algorithm designed for implementation on a computer. The question of comparing fighters, as well as the search for the optimal combination of basic flight characteristics, is still one of the most difficult. How, for example, to determine in advance what was more important - superiority in maneuverability and practical ceiling, or some advantage in maximum speed? As a rule, priority in one is obtained at the expense of the other. Where is the "golden mean" that gives the best fighting qualities? Obviously, much depends on the tactics and nature of air warfare as a whole.

It is known that the maximum speed and rate of climb significantly depend on the mode of operation of the motor. One thing is a long or nominal mode, and quite another is an emergency afterburner. This is clearly seen from a comparison of the maximum speeds of the best fighters of the final period of the war. The presence of high power modes significantly improves flight performance, but only for a short time, otherwise damage to the motor may occur. For this reason, a very short-term emergency operation of the engine, which gave the greatest power, was not considered at that time the main one for the operation of the power plant in air combat. It was intended for use only in the most urgent, deadly situations for the pilot. This position is well confirmed by the analysis of the flight data of one of the last German piston fighters - the Messerschmitt Bf 109K-4.

The main characteristics of the Bf 109K-4 are given in a rather extensive report prepared at the end of 1944 for the German Chancellor. The report covered the state and prospects of the German aircraft industry and was prepared with the participation of the German aviation research center DVL and leading aviation firms such as Messerschmitt, Arado, Junkers. In this document, which there is every reason to consider quite serious, when analyzing the capabilities of the Bf 109K-4, all its data correspond only to the continuous operation of the power plant, and the characteristics at maximum power are not considered or even mentioned. And this is not surprising. Due to thermal overloads of the engine, the pilot of this fighter, when climbing with maximum takeoff weight, could not even use the nominal mode for a long time and was forced to reduce speed and, accordingly, power after 5.2 minutes after takeoff. When taking off with less weight, the situation did not improve much. Therefore, it is simply not necessary to talk about any real increase in the rate of climb due to the use of an emergency mode, including the injection of a water-alcohol mixture (MW-50 system).


On the above graph of the vertical rate of climb (in fact, this is the rate of climb characteristic), it is clearly visible what increase the use of maximum power could give. However, such an increase is rather formal in nature, since it was impossible to climb in this mode. Only at certain moments of the flight could the pilot turn on the MW-50 system, i.e. extreme power boost, and even then, when the cooling systems had the necessary reserves for heat removal. Thus, although the MW-50 boost system was useful, it was not vital for the Bf 109K-4 and therefore it was not installed on all fighters of this type. Meanwhile, the Bf 109K-4 data is published in the press, corresponding precisely to the emergency regime using the MW-50, which is completely uncharacteristic of this aircraft.

The foregoing is well confirmed by the combat practice of the final stage of the war. Thus, the Western press often talks about the superiority of Mustangs and Spitfires over German fighters in the Western theater of operations. On the Eastern Front, where air battles took place at low and medium altitudes, the Yak-3 and La-7 were out of competition, which was repeatedly noted by the pilots of the Soviet Air Force. And here is the opinion of the German combat pilot V. Wolfrum:

The best fighters I have seen in combat have been the North American Mustang P-51 and the Russian Yak-9U. Both fighters had a clear performance advantage over the Me-109, regardless of modification, including the Me-109K-4

Many countries entered World War II with obsolete types of combat aircraft. This concerns, first of all, the countries of the anti-fascist coalition, while the "axis" countries, which were the first to start active operations (Germany, Japan), re-equipped their aviation in advance. The qualitative superiority of the Axis aviation, which managed to gain air supremacy, over the aviation of the Western powers and the USSR largely explains the successes of the Germans and Japanese in the initial stages of World War II.

TB is short for "heavy bomber". It was created in the design bureau of A.N. Tupolev back in 1930. Equipped with four piston engines, the aircraft developed a maximum speed of less than 200 km / h. The practical ceiling was less than 4 km. Although the aircraft was armed with several (from 4 to 8) 7.62-mm machine guns, with its performance characteristics (TTX), it was an easy prey for fighters and could only be used with strong fighter cover or against such an enemy that did not expect an attack . TB-3 at low speed and flight altitude and huge size was a convenient target for anti-aircraft artillery, including at night, as it was well illuminated by searchlights. In fact, it became obsolete almost immediately after it was put into service. This was shown by the Japanese-Chinese war that began already in 1937, where TB-3s fought on the Chinese side (some with Soviet crews).

In the same 1937, the production of TB-3 ceased, and in 1939 it was officially withdrawn from service with bomber squadrons. However, its combat use continued. So, on the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war, they bombed Helsinki and achieved success there, because the Finns did not expect an attack. By the beginning of World War II, more than 500 TB-3 remained in service. Due to the huge losses of Soviet aircraft in the first weeks of the war, ineffective attempts were made to use the TB-3 as a night bomber. In connection with the commissioning of more advanced machines, by the end of 1941, the TB-3 was completely retrained as a military transport aircraft.

Or ANT-40 (SB - high-speed bomber). This twin-engine monoplane was also developed at the Tupolev bureau. By the time it was put into service in 1936, it was one of the best front-line bombers in the world in terms of its performance characteristics. This was shown by the civil war that began soon in Spain. In October 1936, the USSR delivered the first 31 SB-2s to the Spanish Republic, in total there in 1936-1938. received 70 of these machines. The combat qualities of the SB-2 turned out to be quite high, although their intensive combat use led to the fact that by the time the Republic was defeated, only 19 of these aircraft had survived. Their engines turned out to be especially unreliable, so the Francoists converted captured SB-2s with French engines and used them in this form as training until 1951. SB-2s also performed well in the skies of China until 1942, although they could only be used under fighter cover - without it, they became easy prey for Japanese Zero fighters. The enemies had more advanced fighters, and by the beginning of the 40s the SB-2 was morally completely obsolete.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the SB-2 was the main aircraft of the Soviet bomber aviation - it accounted for 90% of the machines of this class. On the very first day of the war they suffered big losses also at the airports. Their combat use usually ends tragically. So, on June 22, 1941, 18 SB-2s made an attempt to strike at German crossings across the Western Bug. All 18 were shot down. On June 30, 14 SB-2s, together with a group of other aircraft, attacked German mechanized columns while crossing the Western Dvina. 11 SB-2s lost. The next day, when trying to repeat the attack in the same area, all nine SB-2s participating in it were shot down by German fighters. These failures forced the same summer to stop the production of SB-2, and the remaining such machines were used as night bombers. The effectiveness of their bombing was low. However, the SB-2 continued to be in service until 1943.

Aircraft designed by N.N. Polikarpov was the main fighter of the Soviet Air Force in the first year of the war. In total, about 10 thousand of these machines were produced, almost all of which were destroyed or crashed before the end of 1942. The I-16 had many of the virtues that emerged during the war in Spain. So, he had a retractable landing gear, he was armed with automatic aircraft 20-mm guns. But the maximum speed of 470 km / h was already clearly insufficient to fight enemy fighters in 1941. I-16s suffered heavy losses already in the sky of China from Japanese fighters in 1937-1941. But the main drawback was poor handling. The I-16 was purposely made dynamically unstable, as it was erroneously assumed that this quality would make it difficult for the enemy to fire on it. This, first of all, made it difficult for him to control his pilots and made it impossible to purposefully maneuver in battle. The plane often fell into a tailspin and crashed. The clear combat superiority of the German Me-109 and the high accident rate forced the I-16 to be taken out of production in 1942.

French fighter Morane-Saulnier MS.406

The backwardness of the I-16 is clearly visible when compared with the MS.406, which formed the basis of French fighter aircraft by the beginning of World War II, but was already noticeably inferior in terms of its performance characteristics to the German Me-109. He developed a speed of up to 480 km / h and at the time of its adoption in 1935 was a first-class aircraft. Its superiority over Soviet aircraft of the same class was reflected in Finland in the winter of 1939/40, where, piloted by Finnish pilots, they shot down 16 Soviet aircraft, losing only one of their own. But in May-June 1940, in the skies over Belgium and France in battles with German aircraft, the loss ratio turned out to be the opposite: 3:1 more for the French.

Italian Fiat CR.32 fighter

Italy, unlike the major Axis powers, had done little to modernize its air force by the start of World War II. The Fiat CR.32 biplane, put into service in 1935, remained the most massive fighter. For the war with Ethiopia, which did not have aircraft, its combat qualities were brilliant, for the civil war in Spain, where the CR.32 fought for the Francoists, it seemed satisfactory. In the air battles that began in the summer of 1940, not only with the English Hurricanes, but also with the already mentioned French MS.406s, the slow-moving and poorly armed CR.32s were absolutely helpless. Already in January 1941, he had to be removed from service.

This section of the site is dedicated to combat aircraft that took part in the war and were built before the war and during the war. In the case of continued production of aircraft in the post-war period, data on their number were excluded from the total number of production. The total number of production of this or that aircraft does not mean that all the aircraft built took part in the hostilities. When describing the performance characteristics, the data of the last modification were given, unless otherwise indicated in the text. Civil aircraft that were used for military purposes, but did not undergo conversion, were not considered in this section. Aircraft transferred or received from one country to another (including those under Lend-Lease agreements) were not taken into account, just as captured aircraft were not taken into account.

Military aviation- view armed forces, whose main weapons are combat aircraft. The first aircraft suitable for military purposes appeared shortly after the birth of aviation itself. The first country to use aircraft for military purposes was Bulgaria - its aircraft attacked and reconnoitered Ottoman positions during the First Balkan War of 1912-1913. The first war in which aircraft played an important role in offensive, defensive and reconnaissance was the First World War. Both the Entente and the Central States actively used aircraft in this war. By the end of the war, there were already about 11 thousand aircraft in the armies of the main warring states, including over a thousand in the Russian one. During the First World War, the first types of military aviation were created: bomber, fighter, reconnaissance. The speed of the aircraft used has gradually increased from 100–120 to 200–220 km/h, highest altitude flight (ceiling) - from 2–3 to 6–7 km, the combat load reached 2–3.5 tons.

During the interwar period, military aviation, among all types of weapons, went the longest way in its development, radically changing both qualitatively and quantitatively. So, in the design of aircraft, they switched from biplanes to the monoplane scheme, careful aerodynamic “finishing” of gliders, the introduction of laminarized wing profiles and pressurized cabins, an increase in the load on the wing and the complication of landing mechanization, the use of a three-wheeled landing gear with a nose support, the installation of drop-shaped cockpit lights, reservation and protection of fuel tanks, the use of ejection systems for leaving the aircraft, the replacement of wood and fabric with aluminum.

Piston engines were brought to practical perfection. They began to use two-stage centrifugal superchargers and turbochargers to increase the altitude of engines, forced engine operation modes were introduced to briefly increase aircraft power during takeoff and in combat, a two-bladed propeller was replaced by a propeller with a large number of blades. Water-cooled gasoline engines were replaced with air-cooled rotary and radial engines. They tried to use experimental jet engines and rocket take-off boosters.

The aircraft armament system has also undergone significant changes. Rifle caliber machine gun armament has been replaced heavy machine guns and guns. Turret rifle installations were replaced by tower-type installations, sometimes with remote control. Mechanical sights have been replaced with gyroscopic sights. Rockets began to be used.

The use of airborne radar stations (radar) on aircraft was the main qualitative change in the technical revolution in aircraft construction. Aircraft were able to fly at any time of the day, in any weather conditions, to detect the enemy in advance in the air, at sea and under water.

Specialized aircraft appeared - aviation was divided into land and sea. By the beginning of the war, a clear classification of combat aircraft had developed: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, sea-based coastal and carrier-based aircraft, float planes, flying boats and amphibious boats, training aircraft, military transport and auxiliary aircraft. Individual countries used military gliders and airships.

During the war years, contrary to the widely held view, there was no qualitative leap in the development of aviation technology. Moreover, there were fewer fundamental innovations in the design of aircraft during the war than in the previous six years. This is explained by the fact that in most cases the leadership of the countries involved in the intense struggle was little interested in developments aimed at the distant future, the main task was to meet the immediate requirements of the front. In Germany, they even banned the initiative development of new aircraft by the design departments of firms. In all countries, the number of prototypes and experimental models has sharply decreased, and the development of civil aircraft has completely stopped. However, under the influence of the requirements of combat operations, the best examples of aircraft were built during the war.

The main impact of the war on aviation was not to accelerate technical progress, but to increase the output of aircraft. During the war, the number of aircraft in individual countries increased by 10-20 times compared to its beginning.

As a result, aviation has become the most powerful type of weapon capable, in a number of cases, of exerting a decisive influence on the course of hostilities. As you know, fighter planes in 1940 saved Great Britain from the planned German invasion. Another example of the decisive role of aviation is the defeat of Japan, which capitulated to American air attacks before US troops landed on its territory.

Describing military aviation as a weapon of the Second World War in the air, it should be noted that aircraft were the main striking force both on land and on water. Military aircraft were used both as offensive and defensive weapons. Military aviation performed both independent tasks and took part in combat operations of other branches of the armed forces.

It should be noted that the developed military doctrines different countries before the start of the Second World War turned out to be untenable, the unfolding hostilities contributed to them cardinal changes. However, not all countries managed to make timely and full adjustments to the development of military aviation.

The struggle for air supremacy, the destruction of enemy industrial centers, the support of ground forces, the destruction of enemy ships and submarines - all these tasks served as an incentive to improve aircraft and increase the scale of their production. The development of aviation was also influenced by a change in views on the use of the Air Force during the war, the expansion of the geography of the theater of operations, the improvement of air defense systems, the problems of limited industrial and human resources, and a number of other circumstances. Thus, the evolution of aviation technology during the war years was closely related to a whole range of external factors.

The appearance of jet aircraft, of course, was a technical breakthrough, which during the years of the war, not a single country was able to put into practice. The number of aircraft was scanty, the technical quality was imperfect, there were no experienced pilots, the tactics of use were just emerging. All this did not allow the new type of weapons to have any impact on the course of the war.

Estimated number of aircraft by countries and types built before the war and during the war (without transferred/received)

Countries

Aircraft types
Shturmov. 2 Bombard. 3 M/R aircraft 4 Hydrosam.

and years. boats 5

Scouts
Australia 757 — — —
Argentina — 14 —
Belgium — — — —
Bulgaria — — — —
Brazil — — — —
Great Britain 942 51814 21517 2051
Hungary — — — —
Germany 878 38785 85 1887
Spain — 236 — —
Italy 261 4820 1746 1446
Canada — — — 932
Lithuania — 14 — —
Netherlands — 16 — 75
Norway — — — 29
Poland — 442 — —
Romania — 193 — 8
USSR 43341 33276 331 1955
USA 2044 62026 71621 10718
Finland — — — —
France 386 10292 99 374
Czechoslovakia — 19 — —
Switzerland 152 — —
Sweden — 391 — 56
Yugoslavia — — — 109
Japan 3700 11327 21244 5137
TOTAL 52461 213665 116643 24777

Table continuation

Countries

Aircraft types

Transport. aircraft

 military gliders Uch./tren. aircraft 6

Auxiliary aircraft 7
Australia 14 200 —
Argentina — 267 —
Belgium — — 66
Bulgaria — 12 —
Brazil — 28 —
Great Britain 5192 23830 7409
Hungary — 10 —
Germany 2719 17793 1500
Spain — 40 —
Italy — 3087 —
Canada — 601 —
Lithuania — 19 —
Netherlands — 257 —
Norway — — —
Poland — 1045 —
Romania — 200 —
USSR 1068 23915 —
USA 15709 58351 7232
Finland — 40 —
France — 246 589
Czechoslovakia — 130 —
Switzerland — — —
Sweden — — —
Yugoslavia — 81 —
Japan 886 15610 23
TOTAL 25588 145762 16819

Note

1 Fighters

2 Stormtroopers

3 Bombers

4 Marine and carrier-based aircraft

5 Seaplanes and flying boats

6 Training aircraft

7 Support aircraft

Before the war and during the war, 25 countries built 974.9 thousand aircraft and military gliders, incl. in the years about 800 thousand. At the same time, the top five countries (Great Britain, Germany, the USSR, the USA and Japan) produced 95% of the aircraft of their total number. In the total production of aircraft, fighters accounted for 32%, bombers - 22%, naval and carrier-based aircraft - 12%. For pilot training, 15% of all aircraft built were used.

Assessing the decisive role of aviation as the main striking force in the struggle for the spread of Bolshevism and the defense of the state, in the very first five-year plan, the leadership of the USSR set a course for the creation of its own, large and autonomous air fleet from other countries.

In the 20s, and even in the early 30s, the aviation of the USSR had a fleet of aircraft, mainly of foreign production (only Tupolev aircraft appeared - ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which becamelater the legendary U-2, etc.). The aircraft that were in service with the Red Army were multi-brand, had outdated designs and poor technical condition. air routes of the North / research of the Northern Sea Route / and the implementation of government special flights. It should be noted that civil Aviation in the pre-war period, it practically did not develop, with the exception of the opening of a number of unique, "demonstrative" airlines or episodic flights of ambulance and service aviation.

In the same period, the era of airships ended, and the USSR builtin the early 30s, successful designs of "soft" (frameless) type "B" airships. Digressing, it should be noted about the development of this type V air navigation abroad.

Germany's famous rigid airshipdesign "Graf Zeppepelin" explored the North, was equipped with cabins for passengers, had a significant range and quitehigh cruising speed / up to 130 and more km / h, providedseveral Maybach-designed motors. There were even several dog teams on board the airship as part of expeditions to the North. The American airship "Akron" is the largest in the world, with a volume of 184 thousand cubic meters. m carried on board 5-7 aircraft and transported up to 200 passengers, not counting several tons of cargo at a distance of up to 17 thousand km. without landing. These airships were already safe, because. were filled with inert gas helium, and not hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, the complexity of storage and maintenance predetermined the end of the era of airships. Experiments with balloons came to an end, which proved the unsuitability of the latter for active combat operations. We needed a new generation of aviation with new technical and combat performance.

In 1930, our Moscow Aviation Institute was created - after all, the replenishment of factories, institutes and design bureaus of the aviation industry with experienced personnel was of decisive importance. The old cadres of pre-revolutionary education and experience were clearly not enough, they were thoroughly beaten out, they were in exile or in camps.

Already by the 2nd five-year plan (1933-37), aviation workers had a significant production base, a support for the further development of the air force. fleet.

In the thirties, by order of Stalin, demonstrative, but in fact test, flights of bombers "camouflaged" as civilian aircraft were made. At the same time, aviators Slepnev, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molokov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.

In 1937, the Soviet fighter aviation passed combat tests in Spain and demonstrated a technical lag. AircraftPolikarpov (type I-15,16) were defeated by the latest German machines. The race to the bottom began again. Stalin gave the designersindividual tasks for new aircraft models, widely and generously dividedThere were bonuses and benefits - the designers worked tirelessly and demonstrated a high level of talent and preparedness.

At the March 1939 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilovnoted that, compared to 1934, the Air Force had grown in its personalby 138 percent ... The aircraft fleet as a whole has grown by 130 percent.

Heavy bomber aviation, which was assigned the main role in the upcoming war with the West, has doubled in 4 years, while other types of bomber aviation, on the contrary, have halved. Fighter aviation has increased two and a half times. Altitudeaircraft already amounted to 14-15 thousand meters. The technology for the production of aircraft and engines was put on stream, stamping and casting were widely introduced. The shape of the fuselage changed, the aircraft acquired a streamlined shape.

The use of radio on board aircraft began.

Before the war, great changes took place in the field of aviation materials science. In the pre-war period, there was a parallel development of heavy aircraft of all-metal construction with duralumin skinand light maneuverable aircraft of mixed designs: wood, steel,canvas. With the expansion of the raw material base and the development of the aluminum industry in the USSR, aluminum alloys were increasingly used in aircraft construction. There was progress in engine building. The M-25 air-cooled engines with a capacity of 715 hp, M-100 water-cooled engines with a capacity of 750 hp were created.

In early 1939, the Soviet government called a meeting in the Kremlin.

It was attended by leading designers V.Ya.Klimov, A.A.Mikulin,A.D. Shvetsov, S.V. Ilyushin, N.N. Polikarpov, A.A. Arkhangelsky, A.S. Yakovlev, the head of TsAGI and many others. Possessing a good memory, Stalin was quite well aware of design features aircraft, all important aviation issues were decided by Stalin. The meeting outlined measures for the further accelerated development of aviation in the USSR. Until now, history has not conclusively refuted the hypothesis that Stalin was preparing an attack on Germany in July 1941. It is on the basis of this assumption that Stalin’s planning of an attack on Germany (and further for the “liberation” of Western countries) was adopted at the “historical” plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in August 1939 and this fact, incredible for that (or any other) time, of the sale of advanced German equipment and technology to the USSR seems to be explainable. A large delegation of Sovietaviation workers, who twice went to Germany shortly before the war, got into their hands fighters, bombers, guidance systems, and much more, which made it possible to dramatically advance the level of domestic aircraft construction. It was decided to increase the combat power of aviation, because it was from August 1939 of the year The USSR began covert mobilization and prepared strikes against Germany and Romania.

Mutual exchange of information on the state of the armed forces of the three states (England, France and the USSR), represented in Moscow in August1939, i.e. before the partition of Poland, showed that the numberfirst-line aircraft in France is 2 thousand pieces. Of these, twoa third were completely modern aircraft. By 1940, it was planned to increase the number of aircraft in France to 3000 units. Englishaviation, according to Marshal Burnet, had about 3,000 units, and the potential for production was 700 aircraft per month.German industry was mobilized only at the beginning1942, after which the number of weapons began to grow sharply.

Of all the domestic fighter aircraft ordered by Stalin, the most successful options were LAGG, MiG and Yak.The IL-2 attack aircraft delivered a lot to its designer Ilyushinneny. Made initially with rear hemisphere protection (double)he, on the eve of the attack on Germany, did not suit the customers of hisextravagance." S. Ilyushin, who did not know all of Stalin's plans, was forced to change the design to a single-seat version, i.e. bring the design closer to the "clear sky" aircraft. Hitler violated Stalin's plans and the plane had to be urgently returned to the original design at the beginning of the war.

On February 25, 1941, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars adopted a resolution "Onreorganization of the aviation forces of the Red Army. "The Decree provided for additional measures to re-equip the air units. In accordance with the plans for a future war, the task was set to urgently form new air regiments, while equipping them, as a rule, with new machines. The formation of several airborne corps began.

The doctrine of war on "foreign territory" and "little bloodshed" led tothe emergence of a "clear sky" aircraft intended for the unpunishedraids on bridges, airfields, cities, factories. Before the war hundreds of thousands

young men were preparing to transfer to a new one, developed post-Stalincompetition, the SU-2 aircraft, of which it was planned to manufacture 100-150 thousand pieces before the war. This required accelerated training of the corresponding number of pilots and technicians. SU-2 - in its essence the Soviet Yu-87, and in Russia did not stand the test of time, because. There was no "clear sky" for either country during the war.

Air defense zones were formed with fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery. An unprecedented call to aviation began, voluntarily andforcibly. Almost all the few civil aviationwas mobilized in the Air Force. Dozens of aviation schools were opened, incl. super-accelerated (3-4 months) training, traditionally the officer corps at the helm or the control handle of the aircraft was replaced by a sergeant - an unusual fact and testifies to the rush to prepare for the war. Airfields (about 66 airfields) were urgently advanced to the borders, fuel, bombs, in a special secret, raids on German airfields, on the oil fields of Ploiesti were detailed ...

On June 13, 1940, the Flight Test Institute was formed(LII), in the same period other design bureaus and research institutes were formed.In the war with the Soviet Union, the Nazis assigned a special role to theiraviation, which by this time had already won complete dominance inair in the West. Basically a plan for using aviation in the Eastwas planned the same as the war in the West: first to win the masterin the air, and then transfer forces to support the ground army.

Denoting the timing of the attack on Soviet Union Hitler's comanThe government set the following tasks for the Luftwaffe:

1.Sudden strike on Soviet airfields to defeatSoviet aviation.

2. To achieve complete air supremacy.

3. After solving the first two tasks, switch aviation to support ground forces directly to the field.

4. Disrupt the work of Soviet transport, make it difficult to transfertroops both in the front line and in the rear.

5. Bomb large industrial centers - Moscow, Gorky, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kharkov, Tula.

Germany dealt a crushing blow to our airfields. Only for 8hours of the war, 1200 aircraft were lost, there was a mass deathflight personnel, storages and all stocks were destroyed. Historians noted the strange "crowding" of our aviation at airfields the day beforewar and complained about the "mistakes" and "miscalculations" of the command (i.e. Stalin)and evaluation of events. In fact, "crowding" portends planssuper-massive strike on targets and confidence in impunity, which did not happen. Flight personnel The Air Force, especially the bomber one, suffered heavy losses due to the lack of support fighters, there was a tragedy of the death of perhaps the most advanced and powerful air fleet inthe history of mankind, which was to be revived anew under the blows enemy.

It must be admitted that the Nazis managed to implement their air war plans in 1941 and the first half of 1942 to a large extent. Almost all available forces were thrown against the Soviet Union G Nazi aviation, including units removed from the Western Front. Atit was assumed that after the first successful operations, part of the bombsinterception and fighter formations will be returned to the Westfor the war with England. At the beginning of the war, the Nazis had not only numerical superiority. Their advantage was that the flightthe cadres who took part in the air attack have already been seriouslynew school of fighting with French, Polish and English pilots. Ontheir side also had a fair amount of experience interacting with their troops,acquired in the war against the countries of Western Europe.Old types of fighters and bombers, such as the I-15,I-16, SB, TB-3 could not compete with the latest Messerschmitts and"Junkers". Nevertheless, in the unfolding air battles, even on the lipsthe dead types of aircraft, Russian pilots inflicted damage on the Germans. From 22June to July 19, Germany lost 1300 aircraft only in the air battles.

Here is what the German General Staff officer Greffat writes about this:

" Behind the period from June 22 to July 5, 1941, the German air forcelost 807 aircraft of all types, and for the period from 6 to 19 July - 477.

These losses indicate that despite the surprise achieved by the Germans, the Russians managed to find the time and strength to provide decisive opposition. ".

On the very first day of the war, fighter pilot Kokorev distinguished himself by ramming an enemy fighter, the feat of the crew is known to the whole worldGastello (the latest research on this fact suggests that the ramming crew was not Gastello's crew, but was the crew of Maslov, who flew with Gastello's crew to attack enemy columns), who threw his burning car onto a cluster of German vehicles.Despite the losses, the Germans in all directions brought into battle everythingnew and new fighters and bombers. They have thrown the front4940 aircraft, including 3940 German, 500 Finnish, 500 Romanianand achieved complete air supremacy.

By October 1941, the Wehrmacht armies approached Moscow, were busycities supplying components for aircraft factories, the time has come for the evacuation of factories and design bureaus of Sukhoi, Yakovlev and others in Moscow, Ilyushin inVoronezh, all the factories of the European part of the USSR demanded the evacuation.

The release of aircraft in November 1941 was reduced by more than three and a half times. Already on July 5, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR decided to evacuate from the central regions of the country part of the equipment of some aircraft instrument factories to duplicate their production in Western Siberia, and after a while a decision had to be made to evacuate the entire aircraft industry.

On November 9, 1941, the State Defense Committee approved the schedules for the restoration and start-up of evacuated factories and production plans.

The task was not only to restore the production of aircraft,but also significantly increase their quantity and quality. In December1941of the year, the aircraft production plan was completed by less than 40percent, and motors - only 24 percent.In the most difficult conditions, under bombs, in the cold, the cold of Siberian wintersbackup factories were launched one after another.technologies, new types of materials were used (not at the expense of quality), women and teenagers stood up for the machines.

Lend-lease deliveries were also of no small importance for the front. Throughout the Second World War, 4-5 percent of the total production of aircraft and other weapons produced in the United States was delivered. However, a number materials and equipment supplied by the USA, England, was unique and indispensable for Russia (varnishes, paints, other chemicals, devices, tools, equipment, medicines, etc.), which cannot be described as "insignificant" or secondary.

The turning point in the work of domestic aircraft factories came around March 1942. At the same time, the combat experience of our pilots grew.

Only during the period from November 19 to December 31, 1942, in the battles for Stalingrad, the Luftwaffe lost 3,000 combat aircraft. Our aviation becameact more actively and showed all its combat power in the NorthernCaucasus. Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared. This title was awardedboth for downed aircraft and for the number of sorties.

In the USSR, the squadron "Normandie-Niemen" was formed, staffed by volunteers - the French. Pilots fought on Yak planes.

The average monthly production of aircraft rose from 2.1 thousand in 1942 to 2.9 thousand in 1943. In total, in 1943, the industryproduced 35 thousand aircraft, 37 percent more than in 1942.In 1943, factories produced 49,000 engines, almost 11,000 more than in 1942.

Back in 1942, the USSR overtook Germany in the production of aircraft - the heroic efforts of our specialists and workers and the "calmness" or unpreparedness of Germany, which did not mobilize the industry in advance under the conditions of war, affected.

In the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, Germany used significant amounts of aircraft, but the power of the Air Force for the first time ensured air supremacy.

By 1944, the front received about 100 aircraft daily, incl. 40 fighters.The main combat vehicles were modernized. Aircraft appeared withimproved combat qualities of Yak-3, Pe-2, Yak 9T, D, LA-5, IL-10.German designers also modernized aircraft. Appeared"Me-109F, G, G2", etc.

By the end of the war, the problem of increasing the range of fighter aircraft arose - the airfields could not keep up with the front. The designers proposed the installation of additional gas tanks on aircraft, and jet weapons began to be used. Radio communications developed, radar was used in air defense. So, April 17, 1945 bombers 18 air army in the Koenigsberg area, 516 sorties were made in 45 minutes and 3743 bombs were dropped with a total weight of 550 tons.

In the air battle for Berlin, the enemy took part in 1500 painful aircraft based on 40 airfields near Berlin. In history, this is the most aircraft-saturated air battle, and one should take into account the highest level of combat training on both sides.The Luftwaffe fought aces who shot down 100,150 or more aircraft (a record300 downed combat aircraft).

At the end of the war, the Germans used jet aircraft, which significantly exceeded propeller-driven aircraft in speed - (Me-262, etc.). However, this did not help either. Our pilots in Berlin made 17,500 sorties and completely defeated the German air fleet.

Analyzing military experience, we can conclude that our aircraft, developed in the period 1939-1940. they had constructive reserves for subsequent modernization. It should be noted in passing that not all types of aircraft were put into service in the USSR. For example, in October 1941, the production of MiG-3 fighters was stopped, and in 1943, the production of IL-4 bombers.

The aviation industry of the USSR produced 15,735 aircraft in 1941. In the difficult year of 1942, in the conditions of the evacuation of aviation enterprises, 25,436 aircraft were produced, in 1943 - 34,900 aircraft, in 1944 - 40,300 aircraft, in the first half of 1945, 20,900 aircraft were produced. Already in the spring of 1942, all factories evacuated from the central regions of the USSR beyond the Urals and Siberia, they fully mastered the production of aviation equipment and weapons. Most of these factories in new places in 1943 and 1944 produced several times more products than before the evacuation.

The success of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's Air Force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force And aground 8818 combat aircraft, and German - 3073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR surpassed Germany by 2,7 ​​times. By June 1944, the German Air Forcealready had only 2,776 aircraft at the front, and our Air Force - 14,787. By the beginning of January 1945, our Air Force had 15,815 combat aircraft. The design of our aircraft was much simpler than that of American, German or British aircraft. This partly explains such a clear advantage in terms of the number of aircraft. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare the reliability, durability and strength of our and German aircraft, as well as to analyze the tactical and strategic use of aviation in the war of 1941-1945. Apparently, these comparisons would not be in our favor and would conditionally reduce such a striking difference in numbers. Nevertheless, perhaps, the simplification of the design was the only way out in the absence of qualified specialists, materials, equipment and other components for the production of reliable and high-quality equipment in the USSR, especially since, unfortunately, in Russian army traditionally take "number", not skill.

Aviation armament was also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, later appearedand a 45 mm cannon.

By 1942, V.Ya. Klimov developed the M-107 engine instead of the M-105P, which was adopted for installation on water-cooled fighters.

Greffoat writes: “Counting on the fact that the war with Russia, like the war in the West, would be lightning fast, Hitler assumed, after achieving the first successes in the East, to transfer bomber units, as well asthe required number of aircraft back to the West. The East mustwere to remain air connections intended for directsupport of the German troops, as well as military transport units and a certain number of fighter squadrons ... "

German aircraft, created in 1935-1936, at the beginning of the war, no longer had the possibility of radical modernization. According to German General Butler "The Russians had the advantage that in the production of weapons and ammunition they took into account all the featureswaging war in Russia and the simplicity of technology was ensured as much as possible. As a result, Russian factories produced a huge amount of weapons, which were distinguished by their great simplicity of design. Learning to wield such a weapon was relatively easy... "

The Second World War fully confirmed the maturity of domestic scientific and technical thought (this, in the end, ensured further acceleration of the introduction of jet aircraft).

Nevertheless, each of the countries went its own way in designing aircraft.

The aviation industry of the USSR produced 15,735 aircraft in 1941. In the difficult year of 1942, in the conditions of the evacuation of aviation enterprises, 25,436 aircraft were produced, in 1943 - 34,900 aircraft, for1944 - 40,300 aircraft, 20,900 aircraft were produced in the first half of 1945. Already in the spring of 1942, all factories evacuated from the central regions of the USSR beyond the Urals and to Siberia fully mastered the production of aviation equipment and weapons. Most of these factories were in new places in 1943 and 1944 years gave products several times more than before the evacuation.

In addition to its own resources, Germany possessed the resources of the conquered countries. In 1944, German factories produced 27.6 thousand aircraft, and our factories produced 33.2 thousand aircraft in the same period. In 1944, the production of aircraft exceeded the figures of 1941 by 3.8 times.

In the first months of 1945, the aviation industry was preparing technicians for the final battles. So, the Siberian Aviation Plant N 153, which produced 15 thousand fighters during the war, in January-March 1945 transferred 1.5 thousand modernized fighters to the front.

The success of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's Air Force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force had 8818 combat aircraft, and the German - 3073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR surpassed Germany by 2.7 times. By June 1944, the German Air Forcealready had only 2,776 aircraft at the front, and our Air Force - 14,787. By the beginning of January 1945, our Air Force had 15,815 combat aircraft. The design of our aircraft was much simpler than American, Germanor English cars. This partly explains such a clear advantage in terms of the number of aircraft. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare the reliability, durability and strength of our and German aircraft, butalso analyze the tactical and strategic use of aviation in the war of 1941-1945. Apparently these comparisons would not be inour favor and conditionally reduce such a striking difference in numbers. Nevertheless, perhaps, the simplification of the design was the only way out in the absence of qualified specialists, materials, equipment and other components for the production of reliable and high-quality equipment in the USSR, especially since, unfortunately, in the Russian army they traditionally take "number" and not skill .

Aviation armament was also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, later a 45 mm caliber gun appeared. By 1942, V.Ya. Klimov developed the M-107 engine to replace the M-105P, which was adopted for installation on water-cooled fighters.

The fundamental improvement of the aircraft is its transformationchange from propeller to jet. To increase flight speedput a more powerful engine. However, at speeds over 700 km/hspeed gain from engine power cannot be achieved. Exithouse out of position is the application of traction.Applicableturbojet / turbojet / or liquid-propellant / rocket engine / engine.the second half of the 30s in the USSR, England, Germany, Italy, later - inThe United States intensively created a jet aircraft. In 1938, lanes appeared.the world's highest, German BMW jet engines, Junkers. In 1940made test flights of the first Campini-Capro jet aircraftnor", created in Italy, later the German Me-262, Me-163 appearedXE-162. In 1941, the Gloucester aircraft with a jet was tested in England.engine, and in 1942 they tested a jet aircraft in the USA - "Airokomet". In England, a twin-engine jet aircraft "Metheor", who took part in the war. In 1945, on the plane "MeTheor-4" was set a world speed record of 969.6 km / h.

In the USSR, in the initial period, practical work on the creation of reactorsactive engines was carried out in the direction of the rocket engine. Under the guidanceS.P.Koroleva., A.F.Tsander designers A.M.Isaev, L.S.Dushkindesignedhoisted the first domestic jet engines. The pioneer of the turbojetactive engines was A.M. Lyulka.At the beginning of 1942, G. Bakhchivandzhi made the first flight to the jetactive domestic aircraft. Soon this pilot diedduring aircraft testing.Work on the creation of a practical jet aircraftresumed after the war with the creation of the Yak-15, MiG-9 using notGerman jet engines YuMO.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the Soviet Union entered the war with numerous but technically backward fighter aircraft. This backwardness was, in essence, an inevitable phenomenon for a country that had only recently embarked on the path of industrialization, which the Western European states and the United States had already traveled in the 19th century. By the mid-20s of the 20th century, the USSR was an agrarian country with a half-illiterate, mostly rural population and a meager percentage of engineering, technical and scientific personnel. Aircraft building, engine building and non-ferrous metallurgy were in their infancy. Suffice it to say that in tsarist Russia they did not produce ball bearings and carburetors for aircraft engines, aircraft electrical equipment, control and aeronautical instruments at all. Aluminium, wheel tires and even copper wire had to be purchased abroad.

Over the next 15 years, the aviation industry, together with related and raw material industries, was created practically from scratch, and simultaneously with the construction of the world's largest air force at that time.

Of course, with such a fantastic pace of development, serious costs and forced compromises were inevitable, because it was necessary to rely on the available material, technological and personnel base.

In the most difficult situation were the most complex science-intensive industries - engine building, instrumentation, radio electronics. It must be admitted that the Soviet Union was unable to overcome the lag behind the West in these areas during the pre-war and war years. The difference in "starting conditions" turned out to be too great, and the time allotted by history was too short. Until the end of the war, we produced engines created on the basis of foreign models purchased back in the 30s - Hispano-Suiza, BMW and Wright-Cyclone. Their repeated forcing led to an overstrain of the structure and a steady decrease in reliability, and, as a rule, it was not possible to bring their own promising developments to mass production. The exception was the M-82 and its further development M-82FN, thanks to which, perhaps, the best soviet fighter during the war - La-7.

During the war years, they were unable to establish in the Soviet Union the serial production of turbochargers and two-stage superchargers, multifunctional propulsion automation devices, similar to the German “commandogerat”, powerful 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, thanks to which the Americans overcame the milestone in 2000, and then in 2500 hp Well, by and large, no one was seriously engaged in work on water-methanol boosting of engines. All this severely limited aircraft designers in creating fighters with higher flight performance than the enemy.

No less serious restrictions were imposed by the need to use wood, plywood and steel pipes instead of scarce aluminum and magnesium alloys. The insurmountable weight of the wooden and mixed construction made it necessary to weaken the armament, limit the ammunition load, reduce the fuel supply and save on armor protection. But there was simply no other way out, because otherwise it would not even be possible to bring the flight data of Soviet aircraft closer to the characteristics of German fighters.

For a long time, our aircraft industry compensated for the lag in quality due to quantity. Already in 1942, despite the evacuation of 3/4 of the production capacities of the aviation industry, 40% more combat aircraft were produced in the USSR than in Germany. In 1943, Germany made significant efforts to increase the production of combat aircraft, but nevertheless the Soviet Union built more of them by 29%. Only in 1944, through the total mobilization of the resources of the country and occupied Europe, did the Third Reich catch up with the USSR in the production of combat aircraft, but during this period the Germans had to use up to 2/3 of their aviation in the West, against the Anglo-American allies.

By the way, we note that for every combat aircraft produced in the USSR, there were 8 times fewer machine park units, 4.3 times less electricity and 20% fewer workers than in Germany! Moreover, more than 40% of the workers in the Soviet aviation industry in 1944 were women, and over 10% were teenagers under 18 years old.

These figures indicate that Soviet aircraft were simpler, cheaper and more technologically advanced than German ones. Nevertheless, by the middle of 1944, their best models, such as the Yak-3 and La-7 fighters, surpassed the German machines of the same type and contemporary with them in a number of flight parameters. The combination of sufficiently powerful engines with high aerodynamic and weight culture made it possible to achieve this, despite the use of archaic materials and technologies designed for simple conditions production, obsolete equipment and low-skilled workers.

It can be objected that in 1944 these types accounted for only 24.8% of the total production of fighters in the USSR, and the remaining 75.2% were older types with worse flight performance. One can also recall that the Germans in 1944 were already actively developing jet aircraft, having achieved considerable success in this. The first samples of jet fighters were launched into mass production and began to enter combat units.

Nevertheless, the progress of the Soviet aircraft industry during the difficult war years is undeniable. And his main achievement is that our fighters managed to win back low and medium heights from the enemy, on which attack aircraft and short-range bombers operated - the main strike force of aviation on the front line. This ensured the successful combat work of the "silt" and Pe-2 on German defensive positions, concentration of forces and transport communications, which, in turn, contributed to the victorious offensive of the Soviet troops at the final stage of the war.