Warplanes of World War 2. American warplanes of World War II

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

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 The aircraft that were in service with the Red Army were multi-brand, had outdated designs and poor technical condition.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 North sea ​​route/ and the implementation of government special flights. It should be noted that civil aviationin 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 in 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" under civil aircraft. 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 aircraft, which was assigned the main role in the upcoming war with the West, has doubled in 4 years, the other types of bomber aircraft, 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.

Big changes before the war 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 the planning of Stalin's attack on Germany (and further for the "liberation" of the Western countries), 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 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 aircraft 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 re-equipment of air units. In accordance with the plans for a future war, the task was 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, stocks of 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 the ground forces directly on the battlefield.

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. Air Force flight crews, especially bombers, 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. On thetheir 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:

" Per 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 central regions parts 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 USA was delivered to aircraft. However, a number of materials and equipment supplied by the USA, England, were unique and indispensable for Russia (varnishes, paints, other substances, devices, tools, equipment, medicines, etc.), which cannot be characterized as "minor" 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 "complacency" 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 ensured air supremacy for the first time.

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, on April 17, 1945, bombers of the 18th Air Army in the Koenigsberg area made 516 sorties in 45 minutes and dropped 3743 bombs 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 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 to Siberia, fully mastered the production aviation technology and armaments. Most of these factories in new places in 1943 and 1944 produced several times more 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 initial period practical work on the creation of reactactive 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, along with related and raw material industries, was created almost 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 to bring their own promising developments usually failed. The exception was the M-82 and its further development, the M-82FN, thanks to which, perhaps, the best Soviet fighter during the war, the La-7, was born.

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.

Backlog as our aircraft industry for a long time made up for in 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, the Third Reich, through the total mobilization of the resources of the country and occupied Europe, caught 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 less than units machine park, 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 production conditions, outdated 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 impact force 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.

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 test 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, which had reigned supreme in aviation since its inception, seemed to be ending. Combat aircraft of the end of the Second World War were the most advanced examples of aviation equipment 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, which played a significant role in the course of 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 air force at the final stage 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 the main force of the armed struggle is ground troops, 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 undoubtedly 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-1930s, the designers tried to combine seemingly incompatible things: the high speed inherent in the high-speed monoplane fighters then coming into life with the 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 wing, which gave a small load per unit of bearing surface, much less than 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 the aerodynamic drag when flying on high altitude and 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 in roll to the actions of the pilot. 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 the R-51B, C and, of course, the R-51D - the best and most famous American fighter of World War II. 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.

Home hallmark"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 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 mass 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 significantly lower than near the ground, aircraft began to reach speeds at which 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 volume of the wing, often used (including on the P-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.

Research 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 creation turned out to be very unusual. Soviet aircraft Yak-3 and La-7. 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 duration combat flight, but perfectly complemented them, embodying the idea of ​​light, a high-speed and maneuverable air combat vehicle designed primarily to combat enemy fighters.

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. main goal such tests were the identification of the main sources of aerodynamic losses and the determination of design measures that contribute to the reduction of aerodynamic drag. Important feature This work consisted in the fact 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 the best fighters of the 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 aircraft. 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 British fighters at the end of the war, they came to the conclusion that the Bf 109G had the worst quality of production, 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 qualified work force. 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, in Soviet cars wood was widely used. 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 in terms of automation were german planes(not only Bf 109, but others).

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 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 those 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 had practically no effect on 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 the combat vehicles of the last war, it is precisely flight characteristics and weapons, which are the main technical components of the combat effectiveness of fighters and bombers. 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 issue 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

After the invention of the first aircraft and structures, they began to be used for military purposes. This is how military aviation appeared, becoming the main part of the armed forces of all countries of the world. This article describes the most popular and effective Soviet aircraft, which made their special contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders.

The tragedy of the first days of the war

IL-2 became the first example of a new aircraft design scheme. The Ilyushin design bureau realized that such an approach noticeably worsens the design and makes it heavier. The new design approach has given new opportunities for a more rational use of the mass of the aircraft. This is how the Ilyushin-2 appeared - an aircraft that earned the nickname "flying tank" for its especially strong armor.

IL-2 created an incredible number of problems for the Germans. The aircraft was initially used as a fighter, but in this role proved to be not particularly effective. Poor maneuverability and speed did not give the IL-2 the ability to fight fast and destructive German fighters. Moreover, the weak rear protection made it possible for German fighters to attack the Il-2 from behind.

Developers also experienced problems with the aircraft. During the entire period of the Great Patriotic War, the armament of the IL-2 was constantly changing, and a place for the co-pilot was also equipped. This threatened that the plane could become completely uncontrollable.

But all these efforts gave the desired result. The original 20mm cannons were replaced with large caliber 37mm ones. With such powerful weapons, the attack aircraft became afraid of almost all types of ground troops, from infantry to tanks and armored vehicles.

According to some recollections of the pilots who fought on the Il-2, firing from the guns of the attack aircraft led to the fact that the aircraft literally hung in the air from strong recoil. In the event of an attack by enemy fighters, the tail gunner covered the unprotected part of the Il-2. Thus, the attack aircraft became actually a flying fortress. This thesis is confirmed by the fact that the attack aircraft took several bombs on board.

All these qualities were a great success, and the Ilyushin-2 became simply an indispensable aircraft in any battle. He became not only the legendary attack aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, but also broke production records: in total, about 40 thousand copies were produced during the war. Thus, Soviet-era aircraft could compete with the Luftwaffe in all respects.

Bombers

bomber, with tactical point vision, an indispensable part of combat aviation in any battle. Perhaps the most recognizable Soviet bomber from the Great Patriotic War is the Pe-2. It was developed as a tactical super-heavy fighter, but over time it was transformed and made the most dangerous dive bomber.

It should be noted that Soviet bomber-class aircraft made their debut during the Great Patriotic War. The appearance of bombers was determined by many factors, but the main one was the development of the air defense system. Immediately developed special tactics the use of bombers, which meant approaching the target at high altitude, a sharp drop to the height of the bombs, the same sharp departure into the sky. This tactic has paid off.

Pe-2 and Tu-2

A dive bomber drops bombs without following a horizontal line. He literally falls on his target himself and drops the bomb only when there are some 200 meters left to the target. The consequence of such a tactical move is impeccable accuracy. But, as you know, anti-aircraft guns can hit an aircraft at low altitude, and this could not but affect the bomber design system.

Thus, it turned out that the bomber must combine the incompatible. It should be as compact and maneuverable as possible, while still carrying heavy ammunition. In addition, the design of the bomber was supposed to be durable, able to withstand the impact of an anti-aircraft gun. Therefore, the Pe-2 aircraft fit this role very well.

The Pe-2 bomber supplemented the Tu-2, which was very similar in terms of parameters. It was a twin-engine dive bomber, which was used according to the tactics described above. The problem of this aircraft was in minor orders for the model at aircraft factories. But by the end of the war, the problem was fixed, the Tu-2 was even modernized and successfully used in battles.

Tu-2 performed a variety of combat missions. He worked as an attack aircraft, bomber, reconnaissance, torpedo bomber and interceptor.

IL-4

The Il-4 tactical bomber rightly earned the title of the most beautiful aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, making it difficult to confuse it with any other aircraft. Ilyushin-4, despite the complicated control, was popular in the Air Force, the aircraft was even used as a torpedo bomber.

The IL-4 has become entrenched in history as the aircraft that carried out the first bombardments of the capital of the Third Reich - Berlin. And this happened not in May 1945, but in the autumn of 1941. But the bombing did not last long. In winter, the front shifted far to the East, and Berlin became out of reach for Soviet dive bombers.

Pe-8

The Pe-8 bomber during the war years was so rare and unrecognizable that sometimes it was even attacked by its air defenses. However, it was he who performed the most difficult combat missions.

The long-range bomber, although it was produced at the end of the 30s, was the only aircraft of its class in the USSR. The Pe-8 had the highest speed of movement (400 km / h), and the fuel supply in the tank made it possible to carry bombs not only to Berlin, but also to return back. The aircraft was equipped with the largest-caliber bombs up to five-ton FAB-5000. It was the Pe-8s that bombed Helsinki, Konigsberg, Berlin at the moment when the front line was in the Moscow region. Due to the operational range, the Pe-8 was called a strategic bomber, and in those years this class of aircraft was only being developed. All Soviet aircraft of the Second World War belonged to the class of fighters, bombers, reconnaissance or transport aircraft, but not to strategic aviation, only the Pe-8 was a kind of exception to the rule.

One of the most important operations performed by the Pe-8 was the transportation of V. Molotov to the USA and Great Britain. The flight took place in the spring of 1942 along a route that passed through the territories occupied by the Nazis. Molotov traveled in the passenger version of the Pe-8. Only a few of these aircraft were developed.

Today, thanks to technological progress, tens of thousands of passengers are transported daily. But in those distant war days, each flight was a feat, both for pilots and passengers. There was always a high probability of being shot down, and a downed Soviet plane meant the loss of not only valuable lives, but also great damage to the state, which was very difficult to compensate.

Concluding a short review that describes the most popular Soviet aircraft of the Great Patriotic War, we should mention the fact that all development, construction and air battles took place in conditions of cold, hunger and lack of personnel. However, each new machine was an important step in the development of world aviation. The names of Ilyushin, Yakovlev, Lavochkin, Tupolev will forever remain in military history. And not only the heads of design bureaus, but also ordinary engineers and ordinary workers made a huge contribution to the development of Soviet aviation.

World War II was a war in which the air force played a key role in combat. Prior to this, aircraft could affect the results of one battle, but not the course of the entire war. A huge leap forward in the field of aerospace engineering has led to the fact that the air front has become an important part of the war effort. Since this was of great importance, the opposing nations constantly sought to develop new aircraft in order to defeat the enemy. Today we will talk about a dozen unusual aircraft from the Second World War, which you may not have even heard of.

1. Kokusai Ki-105

In 1942, during the fighting on pacific ocean, Japan realized that it needed large aircraft that could deliver the provisions and ammunition needed to conduct maneuver warfare against the allied forces. At the request of the government, the Japanese company Kokusai developed the Ku-7 aircraft. This huge twin-boom glider was large enough to carry light tanks. The Ku-7 was considered one of the heaviest gliders developed during World War II. When it became clear that the fighting in the Pacific was dragging on, the Japanese military leaders decided to focus on the production of fighters and bombers instead of transport aircraft. Work on the improvement of the Ku-7 continued, but at a slow pace.

In 1944, the Japanese war effort began to fail. Not only did they quickly lose ground to the rapidly advancing Allied forces, but they also faced a fuel crisis. Most of the Japanese oil industry facilities were either captured or were short of materials, so the military was forced to start looking for alternatives. At first, they planned to use pine nuts to produce a substitute for petroleum feedstock. Unfortunately, the process dragged on and led to mass felling forests. When this plan failed miserably, the Japanese decided to supply fuel from Sumatra. The only way to do this was to use the long-forgotten Ku-7 aircraft. Kokusai installed two engines on the glider, expansion tanks, in fact, creating a flying fuel tank Ki-105.

The plan initially had a lot of flaws. First, to get to Sumatra, the Ki-105 had to use up all of its fuel. Secondly, the Ki-105 aircraft could not carry crude oil, so the fuel had to be extracted and processed at the oilfield first. (The Ki-105 only ran on refined fuel.) Thirdly, the Ki-105 would use up 80% of its fuel on its return flight, leaving nothing for the military. Fourth, the Ki-105 was slow and unmaneuverable, making it easy prey for Allied fighters. Fortunately for the Japanese pilots, the war ended and the Ki-105 program was cancelled.

2. Henschel Hs-132

At the start of World War II, Allied forces were terrorized by the infamous Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber. The Ju-87 Stuka dropped bombs with incredible accuracy, resulting in huge casualties. However, as Allied aircraft reached higher performance standards, the Ju-87 Stuka proved unable to compete with the enemy's fast and agile fighters. Not wanting to abandon the idea of ​​picketing bombers, the German air command ordered the creation of a new jet aircraft.

The design of the bomber proposed by Henschel was quite simple. Henschel's engineers managed to create an aircraft that was incredibly fast, especially when diving. Due to the emphasis on speed and dive performance, the Hs-132 had a number of unusual features. The jet engine was located on top of the aircraft. This, along with the narrow fuselage, required the pilot to take a rather odd position while flying the bomber. The Hs-132 pilots had to lie on their stomachs and look out the small glassed-in nose to see where to fly.

The prone position helped the pilot counteract the force that created the g-force, especially when he quickly climbed to avoid hitting the ground. Unlike most of the German experimental aircraft produced at the end of the war, the Hs-132 could have caused a lot of problems for the Allies if produced in large numbers. Luckily for the Allied ground forces, Soviet soldiers took over the Henschel factory before the prototypes were completed.

3. Blohm & Voss Bv 40

Efforts played a key role in the Allied victory Air force United States and British Bomber Command. The air forces of these two countries carried out countless raids on German troops, in fact, depriving them of the ability to wage war. By 1944, Allied aircraft were bombing German factories and cities almost unhindered. Faced with a significant decrease in the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe (the air force of Nazi Germany), German aircraft manufacturers began to come up with ways to counter enemy air attacks. One of them was the creation of the Bv 40 aircraft (the creation of the mind of the famous engineer Richard Vogt). The Bv 40 is the only known fighter glider.

Given the decline in the technical and material capabilities of the German aircraft industry, Vogt designed the glider as simply as possible. It was made of metal (cabin) and wood (the rest). Even though the Bv 40 could be built even by a person without special skills and education, Vogt wanted to make sure that the glider would not be so easily shot down. Since it did not need an engine, its fuselage was very narrow. Due to the recumbent position of the pilot, the front of the glider was significantly reduced. Vogt hoped that the high speed and small size of the glider would make it invulnerable.

Bv 40 was lifted into the air by two Bf 109 fighters. Once at the appropriate height, the towing aircraft "released" the glider. After that, the Bf 109 pilots began their attack, to which the Bv 40 later joined. To develop the speed necessary for an effective attack, the glider had to dive at an angle of 20 degrees. Given this, the pilot had only a few seconds to open fire on the target. The Bv 40 was equipped with two 30mm guns. Despite successful tests, for some reason the glider was not accepted into service. The German command decided to focus its efforts on creating interceptors with a turbojet engine.

4. Rotabuggy by Raoul Hafner

One of the problems that military commanders faced during World War II was the delivery of military equipment to the front lines. To address this issue, countries have experimented with different ideas. British aerospace engineer Raoul Hafner had the crazy idea to equip everything vehicles helicopter propellers.

Hafner had many ideas on how to increase the mobility of British troops. One of his first projects was the Rotachute, a small autogyro that could be dropped from a transport plane with one soldier inside. This was an attempt to replace parachutes during an airborne landing. When Hafner's idea didn't catch on, he took on two other projects, Rotabuggy and Rotatank. The Rotabuggy was eventually built and tested.

Before attaching the rotor to the jeep, Hafner first decided to check what would be left of the car after the fall. To this end, he loaded the jeep with concrete objects and dropped it from a height of 2.4 meters. The test car (it was a Bentley) was successful, after which Hafner designed the rotor and tail to make it look like a gyroplane.

The British Air Force became interested in the Hafner project and conducted the first test flight of the Rotabuggy, which ended in failure. Theoretically, the autogyro could fly, but it was extremely difficult to control them. Hafner's project failed.

5 Boeing YB-40

When the German bombing campaigns began, the Allied bomber crews faced a fairly strong and well-trained enemy in the face of Luftwaffe pilots. The problem was further aggravated by the fact that neither the British nor the Americans had effective long-range escort fighters. Under such conditions, their bombers suffered defeat after defeat. The British Bomber Command ordered night bombing while the Americans continued their daytime raids and suffered heavy losses. Finally, a way out of the situation was found. It was the creation of the YB-40 escort fighter, which was a modified model of the B-17, equipped with an incredible number of machine guns.

To create the YB-40, the US Air Force signed a contract with the Vega Corporation. The modified B-17 aircraft had two additional turrets and twin machine guns, which allowed the YB-40 to defend itself against frontal attacks.

Unfortunately, all these changes significantly increased the weight of the aircraft, which caused problems during the first test flights. In combat, the YB-40 was much slower than the rest of the bombers in the B-17 series. Due to these significant shortcomings, further work on the YB-40 project was completely discontinued.

6.Interstate TDR

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes, sometimes highly controversial, is a hallmark of military conflicts in the 21st century. While drones are generally considered a new invention, they have been in use since World War II. While the Luftwaffe command invested in the creation of unmanned guided missiles, The United States of America was the first to put into service remotely piloted aircraft. The US Navy has invested in two projects to build unmanned aerial vehicles. The second ended with the successful birth of the "flying torpedo" TDR.

The idea to create unmanned aerial vehicles arose as early as 1936, but was not realized until the Second World War began. The engineers of the American television company RCA have developed a compact device for receiving and transmitting information, which made it possible to control the TDR using a television transmitter. The leadership of the US Navy believed that accurate weapons would be crucial in stopping Japanese shipping, so they ordered the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle. In order to reduce the use of strategic materials in the manufacture of the flying bomb, the TDR was built primarily from wood and had a simple design.

Initially, the TDR was launched from the ground by the control crew. When he reached the required height, he was taken under control by a specially modified TBM-1C Avenger torpedo bomber, which, keeping a certain distance from the TDR, directed him to the target. One Avenger squadron flew 50 TDR missions, flying 30 successful strikes on the opponent. The Japanese troops were shocked by the actions of the Americans, as they turned out to have resorted to kamikaze tactics.

Despite the success of the strikes, the US Navy became disillusioned with the idea of ​​unmanned aerial vehicles. By 1944, the allied forces had almost complete air superiority in the Pacific theater of operations, and the need to use complex experimental weapons disappeared.

7. Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster

At the height of the Second World War, the famous American aircraft manufacturer "Douglas" decided to start developing a revolutionary bomber aircraft in order to bridge the gap between light and high-altitude heavy bombers. Douglas focused its efforts on building the XB-42 high-speed bomber capable of outrunning Luftwaffe interceptors. If the Douglas engineers could make the plane fast enough, they would be able to give most fuselage under the bomb load, reducing a significant number of defensive machine guns, which were present on almost all heavy bombers.

The XB-42 was equipped with two engines, which were located inside the fuselage, and not on the wings, and a pair of propellers rotating in different directions. Given the fact that speed was a priority, the XB-42 bomber accommodated a crew of three. The pilot and his assistant were inside separate "bubble" lights located next to each other. The scorer was located in the bow of the XB-42. Defensive weapons were reduced to a minimum. The XB-42 had two remote-controlled defensive turrets. All innovation paid off. The XB-42 was capable of speeds up to 660 kilometers per hour and contained bombs with a total weight of 3600 kilograms.

The XB-42 turned out to be an excellent front-line bomber, but by the time it was ready for mass production, the war was already over. The XB-42 project fell victim to the changing desires of the US Air Force command; he was rejected, after which the Douglas company began to create a jet-powered bomber. The XB-43 Jetmaster was successful, but did not attract the attention of the United States Air Force. Nevertheless, it became the first American jet bomber, paving the way for other aircraft of its kind.

The original XB-42 bomber is stored at the National Air and Space Museum and is currently awaiting its turn for restoration. During transport, his wings mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again.

8 General Aircraft G.A.L. 38 Fleet Shadower

Before the advent of electronics and high-precision weapons, aircraft were developed in accordance with a specific combat mission. During World War II, this need led to a number of absurd specialized aircraft, including the General Aircraft G.A.L. 38 Fleet Shadower.

At the start of World War II, Great Britain faced a huge threat navy Germany (Kriegsmarine). German ships blocked the English waterways and prevented logistic support. Since the ocean is large, it was extremely difficult to scout the positions of enemy ships, especially before the advent of radar. In order to be able to track the position of the Kriegsmarine ships, the Admiralty needed surveillance aircraft that could fly at night at low speed and high altitude, reconnaissance of the positions of the enemy fleet and reporting them by radio. Two companies - "Airspeed" and "General Aircraft" - simultaneously invented two almost identical aircraft. However, the "General Aircraft" model turned out to be more strange.

Aircraft G.A.L. 38 was technically a biplane, despite the fact that it had four wings, and the length of the bottom pair was three times less than the top. The crew of the G.A.L. 38 consisted of three people - a pilot, an observer, who was located in the glazed bow, and a radio operator, located in the rear fuselage. Since planes move much faster than battleships, G.A.L. 38 was designed to fly slowly.

Like most specialized aircraft, the G.A.L. 38 eventually became unnecessary. With the invention of radar, the Admiralty decided to focus on patrol bombers (such as the Liberator and Sunderland).

9. Messerschmitt Me-328

The Me-328 aircraft was never accepted into service because the Luftwaffe and Messerschmitt could not decide on the functions that it was supposed to perform. The Me-328 was a conventional small sized fighter. Messerschmitt presented three Me-328 models at once. The first was a small non-powered fighter glider, the second was powered by pulse jet engines, and the third was powered by conventional jet engines. All of them had a similar fuselage and a simple wooden structure.

However, as Germany was desperate to find a way to turn the tide of the air war, Messerschmitt offered several Me-328 models. Hitler approved the Me-328 bomber, which had four pulse jet engines, but it was never put into production.

Caproni Campini N.1 looks and sounds very similar to a jet aircraft, but in fact it is not. This experimental aircraft was designed to bring Italy one step closer to the jet age. By 1940, Germany had already developed the world's first jet aircraft, but kept this project a closely guarded secret. For this reason, Italy was mistakenly considered the country that developed the world's first jet turbine engine.

While the Germans and the British were experimenting with the gas turbine engine that helped create the first true jet aircraft, the Italian engineer Secondo Campini decided to create a "motorjet engine" (English motorjet), which was installed in the forward fuselage. According to the principle of operation, it was very different from a real gas turbine engine.

It is curious that the Caproni Campini N.1 aircraft had a small space at the end of the engine (something like an afterburner) where the fuel combustion process took place. The N.1 engine was similar to the jet front and rear, but otherwise fundamentally different from it.

And although the design of the engine of the Caproni Campini N.1 aircraft was innovative, its performance was not particularly impressive. The N.1 was huge, bulky and unmaneuverable. The large size of the "motor-compressor air-jet engine" proved to be a deterrent to combat aircraft.

Due to its massiveness and the shortcomings of the “motor-compressor air-jet engine”, the N.1 aircraft developed a speed of no more than 375 kilometers per hour, much less than modern fighters and bombers. During the first long-range test flight, the N.1 afterburner "ate" too much fuel. For this reason, the project was closed.

All these failures did not inspire confidence in the Italian commanders, who by 1942 had more serious problems (for example, the need to defend their homeland) than wasted investments in dubious concepts. With the outbreak of World War II, testing of the Caproni Campini N.1 was completely stopped, and the aircraft was put into storage.

The Soviet Union also experimented with a similar concept, but air-jet powered aircraft were never put into mass production.

Somehow, the N.1 prototype survived World War II and is now a museum piece showing off an interesting piece of technology that, unfortunately, turned out to be a dead end.

The material was prepared by Rosemarina - based on an article from listverse.com

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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 simultaneously, was so striking that it forced the head of the institute, Major General A.I. 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 the 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 report on the tests of the captured vehicle in Flight research center in Farnborough:

“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 take-off weight than their predecessors, they became faster and more maneuverable due to the use of a new wing improved 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 is “full”, turn as steep 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. Change direction while diving and generally during an attack on high speed it is also difficult for the Me-109 fighter."

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 trembles 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 strafing flight to 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, they received following results according to true (not indicated) 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 made on the flight and combat 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 turns, 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” the Yak-9D aircraft with German fighters. The relatively large supply of fuel adversely affected the Yak’s maneuverability, 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 cars 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 in testing 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. Captured FW 190A-8 No. 682011 and “lightweight” FW 190A-8 No. 58096764 took part in them, the most modern fighters of the Red Army Air Force: 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 included an 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 the lower parts of the center section and the engine. 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 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 amount of kg of weight that one horsepower "carries") and, obviously, at lower values, the aircraft has a higher climb rate. 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./