There is a lot to be said about World War II. There are just a huge number of facts. In this review, attention should be paid to such a topic as aviation of the Second World War. Let's talk about the most famous aircraft that were used in combat.

I-16 - “donkey”, “donkey”. Soviet-made monoplane fighter. It first appeared in the 30s. This happened at the Polikarpov Design Bureau. The first person to take off in a fighter plane was Valery Chkalov. This happened at the end of December 1933. The aircraft took part in civil war, which flared up in Spain in 1936, in a conflict with Japan on the Khalkhin Gol River, in the Soviet-Finnish battle. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the fighter was the main unit of the corresponding fleet of the USSR. Most pilots began their careers by serving on the I-16.

Inventions of Alexander Yakovlev

Aviation of the Second World War included the Yak-3 aircraft. It should be understood as a single-engine fighter, the development of which was carried out under the leadership of Alexander Yakovlev. The aircraft became an excellent continuation of the Yak-1 model. The production of the flying machine took place from 1994 to 1945. During this time, it was possible to construct about 5 thousand fighters. The aircraft was recognized as the best low-altitude fighter aircraft of World War II. This model was in service with France.

USSR aviation has gained a lot since the invention of the Yak-7 (UTI-26) aircraft. It is a single-engine aircraft designed and used from the position of a training aircraft. Production began in 1942. About 6 thousand of these models took to the air.

More advanced model

USSR aviation possessed such a fighter as the K-9. This is the most popular model, production of which lasted about 6 years, starting in 1942. During this time, about 17 thousand aircraft were designed. Despite the fact that the model had few differences from the FK-7 aircraft, in all respects it became a more advanced continuation of the series.

Aircraft produced under the leadership of Petlyakov

When discussing a topic such as World War II aviation, we should note an aircraft called the Pawn (Pe-2). This is a dive bomber, which is the most popular in its class. This model was actively used on the battlefield.

The USSR aviation of the Second World War also included such a flying machine as the PE-3. This model should be understood as a twin-engine fighter. Its main characteristic feature It was an all-metal structure. Development was carried out at OKB-29. The PE-2 dive bomber was taken as the basis. The production process was supervised by V. Petlyakov. The first aircraft was designed in 1941. It was distinguished from a bomber by the absence of a lower hatch for a rifle installation. There were no brake bars either.

A fighter that could fly at high altitudes

During the Second World War, the military aviation of the USSR was supplemented by such a high-altitude fighter as the MIG-3. This aircraft was used in a wide variety of variants. Among the main differences is that it could rise to a height of up to 12 thousand meters. The speed reached a fairly high level. With the help of this they successfully fought with enemy aircraft.

Fighters, the production of which was supervised by Lavochkin

When talking about such a topic as World War II aviation, it is necessary to note a model called LaGG-3. This is a monoplane fighter that was in service with the Red Army Air Force. It was used from the position of a fighter, interceptor, bomber, and reconnaissance aircraft. Production lasted from 1941 to 1944. The designers are Lavochkin, Gorbunov, Gudkov. Among the positive qualities, one should highlight the presence of powerful weapons, high survivability, and minimal use of rare materials. Pine and plywood were used as the main raw materials when creating the fighter.

Military aviation had the La-5 model, the design of which took place under the leadership of Lavochkin. This is a monoplane fighter. The main characteristics are the presence of only one seat, a closed cabin, a wooden frame and exactly the same wing spars. Production of this aircraft began in 1942. At the very beginning, only two automatic 20-mm cannons were used as weapons. The designers placed them in the front part above the engine. The instrumentation was not varied. There wasn't even a single gyroscopic device. And if you compare such an aircraft with those aircraft that were used by Germany, America or England, it may seem that it is very far behind them in technical terms. However, the flight characteristics were at a high level. In addition, the simple design, the absence of the need for labor-intensive maintenance, and the undemanding conditions of the take-off fields made the model simply ideal for that period. In one year, about one thousand fighters were developed.

The USSR also contains mention of such a model as the La-7. This is a single-seat monoplane fighter, designed by Lavochkin. The first such aircraft was produced in 1944. It took off in February. In May, it was decided to begin its mass production. Almost all the pilots who became Heroes of the Soviet Union flew the La-7.

Model produced under the direction of Polikarpov

Military aviation of the USSR included the U-2 (PO-2) model. This is a multi-purpose biplane, the production of which was supervised by Polikarpov in 1928. The main goal for which the aircraft was produced was to train pilots. He was characterized by having good piloting qualities. When the Great Patriotic War began, it was decided to convert the standard models into light, night-time bomber aircraft. The load reached 350 kg. The aircraft was mass-produced until 1953. Over the entire period, we managed to produce about 33 thousand models.

High speed fighter

Military aviation of the Second World War included such a machine as the Tu-2. This model is also known as ANT-58 and 103 Tu-2. This is a twin-engine bomber that could reach high flight speeds. Over the entire period of its production, about 2257 models were designed. The bomber was in service until 1950.

Flying tank

An aircraft such as the Il-2 is no less popular. The stormtrooper also bore the nickname “hunchback.” This was facilitated by the shape of the fuselage. The designers called this vehicle a flying tank. German pilots called this model a concrete plane and a cemented bomber due to its special strength. The production of the attack aircraft was carried out by Ilyushin.

What can you say about German aviation?

German aviation of the Second World War included such a model as the Messerschmitt Bf.109. This is a low-wing piston fighter. It was used as an interceptor, fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. This is the most produced aircraft in the history of World War II (33,984 models). Almost all German pilots started flying on this plane.

"Messerschmitt Bf.110" is a heavy strategic fighter. Due to the fact that it could not be used for its intended purpose, the model was reclassified as a bomber. The aircraft has found wide use in different countries. He took part in combat operations in various parts of the globe. Such an aircraft was lucky due to the suddenness of its appearance. However, if a maneuver battle flared up, this model almost always lost. In this regard, such an aircraft was recalled from the front in 1943.

"Messerschmitt Me.163" (Comet) - missile interceptor fighter. It first took to the air back in 1941 at the very beginning of September. It was not characterized by mass production. By 1944, only 44 models were produced. The first combat flight took place only in 1944. In total, only 9 aircraft were shot down with their help, with the loss of 11.

"Messerschmitt Me.210" is a heavy fighter that acted as a replacement for the Bf.110 model. He made his first flight in 1939. The model had several defects in its design, due to which its combat value was severely damaged. All in all, about 90 models were released. 320 aircraft were never completed.

"Messerschmitt Me.262" is a jet fighter that also acted as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The first in the world to take part in hostilities. It can also be considered the world's first jet fighter. The main armament was 30-mm air cannons, which were installed near the bow. In this regard, heaped and dense fire was ensured.

British-made aircraft

The Hawker Hurricane is a British-made single-seat fighter aircraft produced in 1939. During the entire production period, about 14 thousand models were released. Due to its various modifications, the vehicle was used as an interceptor, bomber and attack aircraft. There were also modifications that involved taking off the aircraft from aircraft carriers. Among German aces, this aircraft was called a “bucket with nuts.” This is due to the fact that it was quite difficult to control and slowly gained altitude.

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British-made fighter that has a single engine and an all-metal monoplane with a wing positioned quite low. The chassis of this model could be retracted. Various modifications made it possible to use the model as a fighter, interceptor, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. About 20 thousand cars were produced. Some of them were used until the 50s. They were mainly used only at the very beginning of the war.

The Hawker Typhoon was a single-seat bomber whose production continued until 1945. It was in service until 1947. The development was carried out with the aim of using it from an interceptor position. It is one of the most successful fighters. However, there were some problems, of which the low rate of climb can be highlighted. The first flight took place in 1940.

Aviation of Japan

Japanese aviation during World War II largely copied the aircraft used in Germany. A large number of fighters were produced to support ground troops in combat. Local air supremacy was also implied. Quite often, World War II aircraft were used to raid China. It is worth noting that the Japanese aviation did not have strategic bombers. Among the main fighters are: Nakajima Ki-27, Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki, Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu, Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien. They also used transport, training, and reconnaissance aircraft. In aviation there was a place for special purpose models.

American fighters

What else can be said on such a topic as World War II aviation? The USA also did not stand aside. For understandable reasons, the Americans took a rather thorough approach to the development of the fleet and aviation. Most likely, it was precisely this thoroughness that played a role in the fact that the industries were one of the most powerful not only in numbers, but also in capabilities. By the beginning of hostilities, the United States had models such as the Curtiss P-40 in service. However, after some time, this vehicle was replaced by the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, and P-38 Lightning. Aircraft such as the B-17 FlyingFortress and B-24 Liberator were used as strategic bombers. In order to be able to carry out strategic bombing against Japan, the B-29 Superfortress model aircraft were designed in America.

Conclusion

Aviation played a significant role in World War II. Almost no battle took place without aircraft. However, there is nothing strange in the fact that states measured their strength not only on the ground, but also in the air. Accordingly, each country approaches both the training of pilots and the creation of new aircraft with a great degree of responsibility. In this review, we tried to consider those aircraft that were used (successfully and not so successfully) in combat operations.

Soviet aircraft from the Great Patriotic War is a topic that deserves special attention. After all, it was aviation that played a huge role in the victory over fascism. Without the winged helpers of the USSR army, it would have been many times more difficult to defeat the enemy. War birds significantly brought the cherished moment closer, which cost the lives of millions of Soviet citizens...

And although at the very beginning of the war our forces lost more than nine hundred aircraft, by the middle of it, thanks to the dedicated work of designers, engineers and ordinary workers, domestic aviation was again at its best. So, what kind of steel birds carried victory to the Motherland on their wings?

MiG-3

At that time, this fighter, designed on the basis of the MiG-1, was considered the highest altitude and became a real threat to the German kites. He was able to climb 1200 meters, and it was here that he felt best, developing the highest speed (up to 600 kilometers per hour). But at an altitude of less than 4.5 km, the MiG-3 was significantly inferior to other fighters. The very first battle involving this aircraft model dates back to July 22, 1941. It took place over Moscow and was successful. The German plane was shot down. Throughout World War II, MiG-3 fighters guarded the skies over the capital of the Soviet Union.

The brainchild of the design bureau of Alexander Yakovlev, which in the 30s was engaged in the production of lightweight sports “birds”. Serial production of the first fighter began in 1940, and at the dawn of the war, Yak-1 aircraft took an active part in hostilities. And already in 1942 Soviet aviation received the Yak-9.

The fighter boasted excellent maneuverability, which made it the king of close combat situations at relatively low altitudes. Another feature of the model is its lightness, achieved by replacing wood with duralumin.

Over the 6 years of production, more than 17 thousand aircraft of this model rolled off the assembly line, and this allows us to call it the most popular among the “birds” of this type. The Yak-9 has gone through 22 modifications, having served as a fighter-bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft, a passenger aircraft, and a training aircraft. In the enemy camp, this machine received the nickname “killer,” which says a lot.

A fighter that became one of the most successful developments of the Lavochkin design bureau. The aircraft had a very simple design, which at the same time was amazingly reliable. The robust La-5 remained in service even after several direct hits. Its engine was not ultra-modern, but it was characterized by power. And the air cooling system made it much less vulnerable than liquid-cooled engines, widespread at that time.

La-5 proved to be an obedient, dynamic, maneuverable and high-speed machine. Soviet pilots loved him, but his enemies were terrified of him. This model became the first of the domestic aircraft of the Second World War period, which was not inferior to the German kites and could fight with them on equal terms. It was on La-5 that Alexey Meresyev accomplished his exploits. Also at the helm of one of the cars was Ivan Kozhedub.

The second name of this biplane is U-2. It was developed by the Soviet designer Nikolai Polikarpov back in the 20s, and then the model was considered a training model. But in the 40s, the Po-2 had to fight as a night bomber.

The Germans called Polikarpov’s brainchild a “sewing machine,” thereby emphasizing his tirelessness and massive impact. The Po-2 could drop more bombs than its heavy “colleagues”, since it could lift up to 350 kilograms of ammunition. The aircraft was also distinguished by the fact that it was capable of making several sorties in one night.

The legendary female pilots from the 46th Guards Taman Aviation Regiment fought with the enemy on the Po-2. These 80 girls, a quarter of whom were awarded the title of Hero of the USSR, terrified the enemy. The Nazis nicknamed them “night witches.”

Polikarpov's biplane was produced at a plant in Kazan. Over the entire production period, 11 thousand aircraft rolled off the assembly line, which allowed the model to be considered the most popular among biplanes.

And this aircraft is the leader in the number of units produced in the entire history of combat aviation. 36 thousand cars took to the skies from the factory floors. The model was developed at Ilyushin Design Bureau. Production of the IL-2 began in 1940, and from the first days of the war the attack aircraft was in service.

The IL-2 was equipped with a powerful engine, the crew was protected by armored glass, the “bird” fired rockets and was the main striking force of domestic aviation. The attack aircraft simply shocked with its invincibility and durability. There were cases when planes returned from battle with traces of hundreds of hits and were able to fight further. This made the IL-2 a real legend among Soviet soldiers, and among the fascists. His enemies called him the “winged tank,” “the black death,” and “the plane made of concrete.”

IL-4

Another brainchild of the Ilyushin Design Bureau is the Il-4, considered the most attractive aircraft of the Second World War. His appearance immediately catches the eye and is etched in the memory. The model went down in history, first of all, due to the fact that it was the very first to bomb Berlin. Moreover, not in ’45, but in ’41, when the war was just beginning. The aircraft was quite popular among pilots, although it was not easy to operate.

The rarest “bird” in the sky during the Great Patriotic War. The Pe-8 was used rarely, but accurately. He was trusted to carry out the most difficult tasks. Since the appearance of the plane was not familiar, it happened that it became a victim of its own air defenses, which mistook the car for an enemy one.

The Pe-8 developed a speed that was enormous for a bomber - up to 400 kilometers per hour. It was equipped with a giant tank, which allowed the “bird” to make the longest flights (for example, get from Moscow to Berlin and back without refueling). The Pe-8 dropped large-caliber bombs (maximum weight - 5 tons).

When the Nazis came close to Moscow, this powerful defender of the Motherland circled over the capitals of enemy states and rained fire on them from the sky. Another interesting fact about the Pe-8 is that USSR Foreign Minister Molotov flew it (only on the passenger version of the model) to the UK and the United States to meet with his colleagues.

It was thanks to the “magnificent seven players” presented above and, of course, other, lesser-known aircraft that Soviet soldiers defeated Nazi Germany and its allies not 10 years after the start of the war, but only 4 years later. The strengthened aviation became the main trump card of our soldiers, and did not allow the enemy to relax. And considering that all the aircraft were developed and produced in conditions of cold, hunger and deprivation, their mission and the role of the creators looks especially heroic!

It was one of the main branches of the military and played a very important role during the fighting. It is no coincidence that each of the warring parties sought to ensure a constant increase in the combat effectiveness of their aviation by increasing the production of aircraft and their continuous improvement and renewal. As never before, scientific and engineering potential was widely involved in the military sphere; many research institutes and laboratories, design bureaus and testing centers operated, through whose efforts the latest military equipment was created. It was a time of unusually rapid progress in aircraft manufacturing. At the same time, the era of evolution of aircraft with piston engines, which had reigned supreme in aviation since its inception, seemed to be ending. The combat aircraft of the end of the Second World War were the most advanced examples of aviation technology created on the basis of piston engines.

A significant difference between the peacetime and war periods of the development of combat aviation was that during the war the effectiveness of equipment was determined directly by experiment. If in Peaceful time While military specialists and aircraft designers, ordering and creating new aircraft models, relied only on speculative ideas about the nature of a future war or were guided by limited experience of local conflicts, large-scale military operations dramatically changed the situation. The practice of air combat has become not only a powerful catalyst in accelerating the progress of aviation, but also the only criterion when comparing the quality of aircraft and choosing the main directions for further development. Each side improved its aircraft based on its own experience in combat operations, 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, it was created big number aircraft that played a significant role during the armed struggle. Among them there are many outstanding examples. A comparison of these machines is of interest, as is a comparison of the 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 undeniably best. Therefore, the choice of cars is to some extent conditional.

Fighters were the main means of gaining air superiority in the fight against the enemy. The success of combat operations of ground troops and other types of aviation and the safety of rear facilities largely depended on the effectiveness of their actions. It is no coincidence that it was the fighter class that developed most intensively. The best of them are traditionally called the Yak-3 and La-7 (USSR), North American P-51 Mustang (Mustang, USA), Supermarine Spitfire (England) and Messerschmitt Bf 109 ( Germany). Among the many modifications of Western fighters, the P-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 vehicles reflected the wealth of combat experience already accumulated by that time by the warring countries. They became, as it were, symbols of military aviation equipment of their time.

Before comparing different types of fighters, it is worth saying a little about the basic principles of comparison. The main thing here is to keep in mind those conditions combat use for which they were created. The war in the East showed that in the presence of a front line, where the main force of armed struggle was ground troops, aviation was required to have relatively low flight altitudes. The experience of air battles on the Soviet-German front shows that the vast majority of them were fought at altitudes of up to 4.5 km, regardless of the altitude of the aircraft. Soviet designers, while improving fighter aircraft and engines for them, could not help but take this circumstance into account. At the same time, the English Spitfires and American Mustangs were distinguished by their higher altitude, since the nature of the actions for which they were designed was completely different. In addition, the P-51D had a much longer range to escort heavy bombers and was therefore significantly heavier than Spitfires, German Bf 109s and Soviet fighters. Thus, since 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 the machines.

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

So what made the best fighters of World War II stand out? 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 designs of these aircraft.

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

“It’s not just a good plane, it’s a Spitfire!” - this assessment by the English test pilot G. Powell undoubtedly applies to one of the last fighting versions of the fighter of this family - the Spitfire XIV, the best fighter of the British air force during the war. It was the Spitfire XIV that shot down the German Me 262 jet fighter in an air battle.

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

The company managed to create an outstanding combat aircraft. This does not mean that the Spitfire was without any shortcomings. They were. For example, due to the low wing load, it was inferior to many fighters in terms of acceleration properties during a dive. It responded more slowly in roll to the pilot’s actions than German, American, and especially Soviet fighters. However, these shortcomings were not fundamental, 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 P-51B, C and, of course, the P-51D - the best and most famous American fighter of the Second World War. Since 1944, it was these aircraft that ensured the safety of heavy American B-17 and B-24 bombers from attacks by German fighters and demonstrated their superiority in battle.

The main distinguishing feature of the Mustang in terms of aerodynamics was the laminar wing, which was installed on a combat aircraft for the first time in world aircraft manufacturing practice. Special mention should be made about this “highlight” of the aircraft, born in the laboratory of the American NASA research center on the eve of the war. The fact is that the opinion of experts regarding 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 drag compared to conventional ones, then the experience with the Mustang diminished the initial optimism. It turned out that in real operation such a wing is not effective enough. The reason was that to implement laminar flow on part of such a wing, very careful surface finishing and high precision in maintaining the profile were required. Due to the roughness that arose when applying protective paint to the aircraft, and even slight inaccuracies in the profiling that inevitably appeared in mass production (slight undulations of thin metal skin), the effect of laminarization on the P-51 wing was greatly reduced. In terms of their load-bearing properties, laminar profiles were inferior to conventional ones, which caused difficulties in ensuring good maneuverability and takeoff and landing properties.

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

In addition to reduced resistance, laminar profiles had better speed properties - with equal relative thickness, the effects of air compressibility (wave crisis) appeared in them at higher speeds than on conventional profiles. This had to be taken into account even then. When diving, especially at high altitudes, where the speed of sound is significantly less than that of the ground, aircraft began to reach speeds at which features associated with approaching the speed of sound already appeared. It was possible to increase the so-called critical speed either by using higher speed 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 a reduction in wing volumes, often used (including on the P-51D) for placement of gas tanks and. Interestingly, due to the much smaller relative thickness of the profiles, the wave crisis on the Spitfire wing occurred at a higher speed than on the Mustang wing.

Research at the English 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 aerodynamic drag coefficient than the Mustang. This was explained by the later manifestation of the wave flow crisis and its “softer” 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 path to creating the Soviet Yak-3 and La-7 aircraft turned out to be very unusual. Essentially, 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 aircraft. The French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen regiment, who fought on the Yak-3, spoke about its combat capabilities this way: “The Yak-3 gives you complete superiority over the Germans. On the Yak-3, two people can fight against four, and four can fight against sixteen!”

A radical redesign of the Yak design was undertaken in 1943 with the goal of dramatically improving flight characteristics with a very modest power plant power. The decisive direction in this work was to lighten the aircraft (including by reducing the wing area) and significantly improve 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 a path of development of aviation technology, extremely difficult to implement, was extraordinary. The usual way to improve the complex of aircraft flight characteristics then was 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 noticeable weight gain.

The designers of the Yak-3 coped with this difficult task brilliantly. It is unlikely that in aviation during the Second World War one can find another example of similar and so effectively completed 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 aircraft's power supply 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 wing load has changed little. During the war, the Yak-3 turned out to be one of the easiest fighters to pilot.

Of course, in tactical terms, the Yak-3 did not at all replace aircraft that were distinguished by stronger weapons and a longer combat flight duration, but perfectly complemented them, embodying the idea of ​​a light, high-speed and maneuverable air combat vehicle, designed primarily to combat fighters enemy.

One of the few, if not the only fighter with an air-cooled engine, which can rightfully be considered one of the best air combat fighters of the Second World War. Using the La-7, the famous Soviet ace I.N. Kozhedub shot down 17 German aircraft (including the Me-262 jet fighter) out of 62 he destroyed on La fighters.

The history of the 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 engine was replaced with a much more powerful two-row “star”). During the 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 leading Soviet aviation research center TsAGI. The main goal Such tests were aimed at identifying the main sources of aerodynamic losses and identifying design measures that would help reduce aerodynamic drag. Important Feature This work was that the proposed design changes did not require major alterations to the aircraft or changes in the production process and could be relatively easily carried out by serial factories. It was truly “jewelry” work, when seemingly mere trifles produced a rather impressive result.

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 the La-5 to the La-5FN, an increase in flight performance was achieved not only due to better aerodynamics, but also thanks to a more powerful engine, then the improvement in the characteristics of the La-7 was achieved solely by means of aerodynamics and a reduction in the weight of the structure. This plane had a speed of 80 km/h more than the La-5, of which 75% (that is, 60 km/h) was due to aerodynamics. Such an increase in speed is equivalent to an increase in engine power by more than a third, 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 to the other fighters discussed here, it had greater survivability, since only this aircraft had an air-cooled engine. As is known, 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 path of evolution: it was equipped with more and more powerful engines, improved aerodynamics, operational and aerobatic characteristics. In terms of aerodynamics, the biggest changes last time were carried out in 1941, when the Bf 109F appeared. Further improvement of flight data was achieved mainly through the installation of new engines. Externally, the latest modifications of this fighter - the 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 Hitler's Luftwaffe. Throughout almost the entire Second World War, 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 position. It turned out to be impossible to combine the qualities inherent in the best Western fighters, designed for relatively high combat altitudes, with the qualities inherent in the best Soviet “medium-altitude” fighters.

Like their English colleagues, the designers of the Bf 109 tried to combine a high maximum 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 wing load, which made it possible to achieve high speed, and to improve maneuverability they used not only the well-known slats, but also flaps, which at the right time the battle could be deviated 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 flaps; A controlled stabilizer was also used. In short, 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, hovering ailerons, and flap release system in combat. As a result, in terms of its maneuverability, the Bf 109 was not very different from other fighters, both Soviet and American, although it was inferior to the best domestic aircraft. The takeoff and landing characteristics turned out to be 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 fuel reserves, an increase in the power of weapons, the necessary structural reinforcements and other related measures. Eventually there comes a time when the reserves of a given design are exhausted. One of the limitations is the specific wing load. This, of course, is not the only parameter, but one of the most important and common to all aircraft. Thus, as the Spitfire fighters were modified from variant 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 the Bf 109G-2 (1942) had 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 load was close to the limit. With its further growth, the flight, maneuverability and takeoff and landing characteristics of the aircraft sharply deteriorated, 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 limited the possibilities for qualitative improvement of the aircraft. But the creators of the Spitfire still had sufficient reserves and continued to increase the power of the installed engines and strengthen the weapons, without particularly taking into account 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 rarely. Judging by captured documents, in Germany, at the end of the war, conducting a comparative study of the aerodynamics of German, American and British fighters, they came to the conclusion that the Bf 109G had the worst quality of production workmanship, and, in particular, for this reason its aerodynamics turned out to be the worst, that with a high probability can be extended to the Bf 109K-4.

From the above it is clear that in terms of the technical concept of creation and aerodynamic design features, each of the compared aircraft is completely original. But they also have many common features: well-streamlined shapes, careful engine bonneting, well-developed local aerodynamics and aerodynamics of cooling devices.

As for the design, Soviet fighters were much simpler and cheaper to produce than British, German and, especially, American aircraft. Scarce materials were used in very limited quantities. Thanks to this, the USSR managed to ensure a high rate of aircraft production in conditions of severe material restrictions and a lack of qualified labor. It must be said that our country finds itself in the most difficult situation. From 1941 to 1944 inclusively, a significant part of the industrial zone, where many metallurgical enterprises were located, was occupied by the Nazis. Some factories were evacuated inland and production was set up in new locations. 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. They were replaced at the machines by women and children who could not work at the appropriate level. And yet, the aircraft industry of the USSR, although not immediately, was able to meet the needs of the front for aircraft.

Unlike the all-metal Western fighters, Soviet aircraft made extensive use of wood. However, metal was used in many of the power elements, which actually determined the weight of the structure. That is why, in terms of weight perfection, the Yak-3 and La-7 were practically no different 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 combat conditions. 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 aircraft (not only the Bf 109, but also others).

The most important indicator of an aircraft’s high flight performance and its combat effectiveness as a whole is the power plant. It is in aircraft engine building that the latest achievements in the field of technology, materials, control systems and automation are primarily implemented. Engine building is one of the most knowledge-intensive branches of the aircraft industry. Compared to an airplane, the process of creating and fine-tuning new engines takes much longer and requires more effort.

During the Second World War, England occupied a leading position in aircraft engine building. It was 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 it was the installation of the English Merlin engine, which was produced in the USA under license by Packard, that made it possible to realize the great capabilities of the Mustang and brought it into the category of elite fighters. Before this, the P-51, although original, was a rather mediocre aircraft in terms of combat capabilities.

The peculiarity of English engines, which largely determined their excellent characteristics, was the use of high-grade gasoline, conditionally octane number which reached 100-150. This made it possible to apply a greater degree of air pressurization (more precisely, the working mixture) into the cylinders and thereby obtain greater power. The USSR and Germany could not meet the aviation needs for 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 installed on the compared fighters was the use of two-speed drive centrifugal superchargers (MCP), 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 completely justified for high-altitude motors, since it significantly reduced the loss of power spent by the motor on pumping. This was a very important factor.

The original was the injection system of the DB-605 engines, driven through a turbo coupling, which, under automatic control, smoothly adjusted the gear ratio from the engine to the supercharger impeller. Unlike the two-speed drive superchargers found on Soviet and British engines, the turbo coupling made it possible to reduce the drop in power that occurred between pumping 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 installed on the La-7, had a similar direct injection system.

A significant factor in increasing the flight performance of the Mustang and Spitfire was that their engines had relatively short-term operating modes at high power. In combat, the pilots of these fighters could for some time use, in addition to the long-term, that is, nominal, either combat (5-15 minutes), or in emergency cases, emergency (1-5 minutes) modes. Combat, or, as it was also called, military mode, became the main mode for engine operation 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 versions of the Mustangs and Spitfires were designed for high combat altitudes, characteristic of aviation operations in the West. Therefore, their engines had sufficient altitude. German engine builders were forced to solve a complex technical problem. Given the relatively high design altitude 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 used a number of extraordinary technical solutions. In terms of its height, the DB-605 motor occupied an intermediate position between English and Soviet engines. To increase power at altitudes below the design one, the injection of a water-alcohol mixture (MW-50 system) was used, which made it possible, despite the relatively low octane number of the fuel, to significantly increase the boost, and, consequently, the power without causing detonation. The result was a kind of maximum mode, which, like the emergency mode, could usually be used for up to three minutes.

At altitudes above the calculated one, the injection of nitrous oxide (GM-1 system) could be used, which, being a powerful oxidizer, seemed to compensate for the lack of oxygen in a rarefied atmosphere and made it possible to temporarily increase the altitude of the engine and bring its characteristics closer to those of Rolls engines. Royce. True, these systems increased the weight of the aircraft (by 60-120 kg) and 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 weaponry has a significant impact on its combat effectiveness. The aircraft in question differed greatly in the composition and arrangement of weapons. 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 part of the 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 large-caliber machine gun armament, while other fighters also had cannons, and the La-7 and Bf 109K-4 had only cannon armament. In the Western Theater of Operations, the P-51D was intended primarily to combat enemy fighters. For this purpose, the power of his six machine guns turned out to be quite sufficient. Unlike the Mustang, the British Spitfires and the Soviet Yak-3 and La-7 fought against aircraft of any purpose, including bombers, which naturally required more powerful weapons.

Comparing the wing and central weapons installations, 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. This arrangement turns out to be more advantageous when an enemy aircraft is attacked from extremely short distances. And this is exactly how Soviet and German pilots usually tried to act on the Eastern Front. In the West, air battles were fought mainly at high altitudes, where the maneuverability of fighters deteriorated significantly. Getting close to the enemy became much more difficult, and with bombers it was also very dangerous, since the fighter’s sluggish maneuver made it difficult to evade the fire of air gunners. For this reason, they opened fire from a long distance and the wing-mounted weapon, designed for a given range of destruction, turned out to be quite comparable to the central one. In addition, the rate of fire of weapons with a wing configuration was higher than that of weapons synchronized for firing through a propeller (cannons on the La-7, machine guns on the Yak-3 and Bf 109G), the weapons were close to the center of gravity and ammunition consumption had virtually no effect on its position. But one drawback was still organically inherent in the wing design - an increased moment of inertia relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, which caused the fighter's roll response to the pilot's actions to deteriorate.

Among the many criteria that determined the combat effectiveness of an aircraft, the most important for a fighter was the combination of its flight data. Of course, they are important not on their own, but in combination with a number of other quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as stability, flight properties, ease of operation, visibility, etc. For some classes of aircraft, training, for example, these indicators are of paramount importance. But for combat vehicles of the last war, it was the flight characteristics and weapons that were decisive, representing 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 of them that played a primary 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 sortie, maneuverability, ability to quickly gain speed, and sometimes service ceiling. Experience has shown that the technical perfection of fighter aircraft cannot be reduced to any one criterion, which would be expressed in a number, formula, or even an algorithm designed for implementation on a computer. The question of comparing fighters, as well as finding the optimal combination of basic flight characteristics, still remains one of the most difficult. How, for example, can you 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 comes 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 the air war as a whole.

It is known that the maximum speed and rate of climb significantly depend on the operating mode of the engine. Long-term or nominal mode is one thing, and extreme afterburner is quite another. This is clearly seen from a comparison of the maximum speeds of the best fighters in the final period of the war. The presence of high-power modes significantly improves flight characteristics, but only for a short time, since otherwise the motor may be destroyed. For this reason, a very short-term emergency mode of operation of the engine, which provided 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 emergency, deadly situations for the pilot. This position is well confirmed by an 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 fairly extensive report prepared at the end of 1944 for the German Chancellor. The report covered the state and prospects of German aircraft manufacturing and was prepared with the participation of the German aviation research center DVL and leading aviation companies such as Messerschmitt, Arado, Junkers. In this document, which has every reason to be considered quite serious, when analyzing the capabilities of the Bf 109K-4, all its data provided correspond only to the continuous operation mode of the power plant, and the characteristics at maximum power mode 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 at maximum take-off weight, could not use even the nominal mode for a long time and was forced to reduce speed and, accordingly, power within 5.2 minutes after take-off. When taking off with less weight the situation did not improve much. Therefore, it is simply not possible 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).

The above graph of the vertical rate of climb (in fact, this is the rate of climb characteristic) clearly shows what kind of increase the use of maximum power could provide. However, such an increase is more of a formal 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 press publishes data on the Bf 109K-4, corresponding specifically to the emergency regime using the MW-50, which is completely uncharacteristic of this aircraft.

The above is well confirmed by combat practice at 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 beyond competition, which was repeatedly noted by pilots of the Soviet Air Force. And here is the opinion of the German combat pilot W. Wolfrum:

The best fighters I encountered in combat were 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

On May 28, 1935, the first flight of the German fighter Messerschmitt Bf.109, the most popular aircraft of this class in the last war, took place. But in other countries in those years, wonderful aircraft were also created to defend their own skies. Some of them fought on equal terms with the Messerschmitt Bf.109. Some were superior to it in a number of tactical and technical characteristics.

The Free Press decided to compare the German aerial masterpiece with the best fighters of Berlin's enemies and allies in that war - the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and Japan.

1. Illegitimate German

Willy Messerschmitt was at loggerheads with the Secretary of State of the German Aviation Ministry, General Erhard Milch. Therefore, the designer was not allowed to participate in the competition for the development of a promising fighter, which was supposed to replace the outdated Henkel biplane - He-51.

Messerschmitt, in order to prevent the bankruptcy of his company, in 1934 entered into an agreement with Romania to create new car. For which he was immediately accused of treason. The Gestapo got down to business. After the intervention of Rudolf Hess, Messerschmitt was still allowed to participate in the competition.

The designer decided to act without paying attention to the military’s technical specifications for the fighter. He reasoned that otherwise the result would be an average fighter. And, given the biased attitude towards the aircraft designer of the powerful Milch, it will not be possible to win the competition.

Willy Messerschmitt's calculation turned out to be correct. The Bf.109 was one of the best on all fronts of World War II. By May 1945, Germany had produced 33,984 of these fighters. However, briefly talk about them tactical and technical characteristics very difficult.

Firstly, almost 30 significantly different modifications of the Bf.109 were produced. Secondly, the aircraft's performance was constantly improving. And the Bf.109 at the end of the war was significantly better than the 1937 model fighter. But still, there were “generic features” of all these combat vehicles, which determined the style of their air combat.

Advantages:

- powerful Daimler-Benz engines made it possible to reach high speeds;

— the significant mass of the aircraft and the strength of the components made it possible to develop speeds in a dive that were unattainable for other fighters;

— a large payload made it possible to achieve increased armament;

— high armor protection increased pilot safety.

Flaws:

— the large mass of the aircraft reduced its maneuverability;

— the location of the guns in the wing pylons slowed down the execution of turns;

- the aircraft was ineffective for supporting bombers, since in this capacity it could not use its speed advantages;

— to control the aircraft, highly trained pilots were required.

2. “I am the Yak Fighter”

Alexander Yakovlev's design bureau made a fantastic breakthrough before the war. Until the end of the 30s, it produced light aircraft, intended mainly for sporting purposes. And in 1940, the Yak-1 fighter was launched into production, the design of which, along with aluminum, included wood and canvas. He had excellent flying qualities. At the beginning of the war, the Yak-1 successfully repelled the Fockers, while losing to the Messers.

But in 1942, the Yak-9 began to enter service with our Air Force, which fought with the Messers on equal terms. Moreover, the Soviet vehicle had a clear advantage in close combat at low altitudes. Yielding, however, in battles at high altitudes.

It is not surprising that the Yak-9 turned out to be the most popular Soviet fighter. Until 1948, 16,769 Yak-9s were built in 18 modifications.

In fairness, it is necessary to mention three more of our excellent aircraft - the Yak-3, La-5 and La-7. At low and medium altitudes they outperformed the Yak-9 and beat the Bf.109. But this “trinity” was produced in smaller quantities, and therefore the main burden of combating fascist fighters fell on the Yak-9.

Advantages:

- high aerodynamic qualities, allowing for dynamic combat in close proximity to the enemy at low and medium altitudes. High maneuverability.

Flaws:

— low armament, largely caused by insufficient engine power;

— low engine life.

3. Armed to the teeth and very dangerous

The Englishman Reginald Mitchell (1895 - 1937) was a self-taught designer. He completed his first independent project, the Supermarine Type 221 fighter, in 1934. During the first flight, the car accelerated to a speed of 562 km/h and rose to a height of 9145 meters in 17 minutes. None of the fighters existing at that time in the world could do this. No one had comparable firepower: Mitchell placed eight machine guns in the wing console.

In 1938, mass production of the Supermarine Spitfire superfighter began for the British Royal Air Force. But the chief designer did not see this happy moment. He died of cancer at the age of 42.

Further modernization of the fighter was carried out by Supermarine designers. The first production model was called the Spitfire MkI. It was equipped with a 1300-horsepower engine. There were two weapon options: eight machine guns or four machine guns and two cannons.

It was the most popular British fighter, produced in the amount of 20,351 copies in various modifications. Throughout the war, the Spitfire's performance was constantly improved.

The British fire-breathing Spitfire fully demonstrated its belonging to the elite of world fighters, turning the so-called Battle of Britain in September 1940. The Luftwaffe launched a powerful air attack on London, which included 114 Dornier 17 and Heinkel 111 bombers, accompanied by 450 Me 109s and several Me 110s. They were opposed by 310 British fighters: 218 Hurricanes and 92 Spitfire Mk.Is. 85 enemy aircraft were destroyed, the vast majority in air combat. The RAF lost eight Spitfires and 21 Hurricanes.

Advantages:

— excellent aerodynamic qualities;

- high speed;

— long flight range;

— excellent maneuverability at medium and high altitudes.

- great firepower;

— high pilot training is not required;

— some modifications have a high rate of climb.

Flaws:

— focused on concrete runways only.

4. Comfortable Mustang

Created by the American company North American by order of the British government in 1942, the P-51 Mustang fighter is significantly different from the three fighters we have already considered. First of all, because he was given completely different tasks. It was an escort aircraft for long-range bombers. Based on this, the Mustangs had huge fuel tanks. Their practical range exceeded 1,500 kilometers. And the ferry line is 3,700 kilometers.

The flight range was ensured by the fact that the Mustang was the first to use a laminar wing, thanks to which an air flow occurs without turbulence. The Mustang, paradoxically, was a comfortable fighter. It is no coincidence that it was called the “flying Cadillac.” This was necessary so that the pilot, spending several hours at the controls of the aircraft, would not waste unnecessary energy.

By the end of the war, the Mustang began to be used not only as an escort aircraft, but also as an attack aircraft, equipped with missiles and increased firepower.

Advantages:

— good aerodynamics;

- high speed;

— long flight range;

- high ergonomics.

Flaws:

— highly qualified pilots are required;

- low survivability against anti-aircraft artillery fire;

— vulnerability of the water cooling radiator

5. Japanese “overdoing it”

Paradoxically, the most popular Japanese fighter was a carrier-based one - the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen. He was nicknamed "Zero" ("zero" - English). The Japanese produced 10,939 of these “zeros.”

So great love to carrier-based fighters is explained by two circumstances. Firstly, the Japanese had a huge aircraft carrier fleet - ten floating airfields. Secondly, at the end of the war, “Zero” began to be used en masse for “kamikazes.” Therefore, the number of these aircraft was rapidly declining.

The technical specifications for the A6M Reisen carrier-based fighter were transferred to Mitsubishi at the end of 1937. For its time, the aircraft was supposed to be one of the best in the world. The designers were asked to create a fighter that had a speed of 500 km/h at an altitude of 4000 meters, armed with two cannons and two machine guns. Flight duration is up to 6-8 hours. The take-off distance is 70 meters.

At the start of the war, the Zero dominated the Asia-Pacific region, outmaneuvering and outperforming US and British fighters at low and medium altitudes.

On December 7, 1941, during the attack of the Japanese Navy on the American base at Pearl Harbor, “Zero” fully confirmed its viability. Six aircraft carriers, which carried 440 fighters, torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighter-bombers, took part in the attack. The result of the attack was catastrophic for the United States.

The difference in losses in the air is most telling. The United States destroyed 188 aircraft and put 159 out of action. The Japanese lost 29 aircraft: 15 dive bombers, five torpedo bombers and only nine fighters.

But by 1943, the Allies had nevertheless created competitive fighters.

Advantages:

— long flight range;

— good maneuverability;

N disadvantages:

— low engine power;

- low rate of climb and flight speed.

Comparison of characteristics

Before comparing the same parameters of the considered fighters, it should be noted that this is not a completely correct matter. First of all, because different countries participating in World War II set different strategic objectives for their fighter aircraft. Soviet Yaks were primarily engaged in air support for ground forces. Therefore, they usually flew at low altitudes.

The American Mustang was designed to escort long-range bombers. Approximately the same goals were set for the Japanese “Zero”. The British Spitfire was versatile. It was equally effective at low altitudes and at high altitudes.

The word “fighter” is most suitable for the German “Messers”, who, first of all, were supposed to destroy enemy aircraft near the front.

We present the parameters as they decrease. That is, in first place in this “nomination” is the best aircraft. If two aircraft have approximately the same parameter, then they are separated by a comma.

— maximum ground speed: Yak-9, Mustang, Me.109 — Spitfire — Zero

— -maximum speed at altitude: Me.109, Mustang, Spitfire - Yak-9 - Zero

— engine power: Me.109 — Spitfire — Yak-9, Mustang — Zero

— rate of climb: Me.109, Mustang — Spitfire, Yak-9 — Zero

- service ceiling: Spitfire - Mustang, Me.109 - Zero - Yak-9

— practical range: Zero — Mustang — Spitfire — Me.109, Yak-9

— weapons: Spitfire, Mustang — Me.109 — Zero — Yak-9.

Photo by ITAR-TASS/ Marina Lystseva/ photo from the archive.

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

In the 20s, and even in the early 30s, USSR aviation had a fleet of aircraft, mostly foreign-made (only Tupolev aircraft appeared - ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which later became the legendary U-2, etc.) d.). The aircraft in service with the Red Army were of multiple brands, had outdated designs and poor technical condition. In the 20s, the USSR purchased a small number of German Junkers-type aircraft and a number of other types to service the air routes of the North / explore the Northern Sea Route / and carry out government special flights. It should be noted that civil aviation practically did not develop in the pre-war period, with the exception of the opening of a number of unique, “demonstration” airlines or occasional flights of ambulance and service aviation.

During the same period, the era of airships ended, and the USSR built successful designs of “soft” (frameless) type “B” airships in the early 1930s. As an aside, it should be noted about the development of this type of aeronautics abroad.

In Germany, the famous rigid airship “Graf Zeppepelin”, which explored the North, was equipped with cabins for passengers, had a significant flight range and a fairly high cruising speed (up to 130 km/h or more), provided by several Maybach-designed engines. There were even several dog sleds 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 5-7 aircraft on board and transported up to 200 passengers, not counting several tons of cargo over a distance of up to 17 thousand km. without landing. These airships were already safe, because... were filled with the inert gas helium, and not hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, complexity of storage and maintenance predetermined the end of the era of airships. Experiments with balloons also came to an end, proving the latter’s unsuitability for active combat operations. A new generation of aviation with new technical and combat performance was needed.

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 eliminated and were in exile or in camps.

Already by the Second Five-Year Plan (1933-37), aviation workers had a significant production base, the basis for the further development of the air force.

In the thirties, by order of Stalin, demonstration, but in fact test, flights of bombers “camouflaged” as civilian aircraft were carried out. The aviators Slepnev, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molokov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.

In 1937, Soviet fighter aircraft underwent combat tests in Spain and demonstrated technical inferiority. Polikarpov's aircraft (type I-15,16) were defeated by the latest German aircraft. The race for survival has begun again. Stalin gave designers individual assignments for new aircraft models, bonuses and benefits were distributed widely and generously - the designers worked tirelessly and demonstrated a high level of talent and preparedness.

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

Heavy bomber aircraft, which were assigned the main role in the upcoming war with the West, has doubled in 4 years, while other types of bomber aircraft, on the contrary, have decreased by half. Fighter aircraft increased two and a half times. The altitude of aircraft was already 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 radios on board aircraft began.

Before the war, great changes took place in the field of aviation materials science. In the pre-war period, there was a parallel development of heavy aircraft of all-metal construction with duralumin skins and light maneuverable aircraft of mixed structures: wood, steel, canvas. As it expands raw material base and the development of the aluminum industry in the USSR, aluminum alloys found increasing use in aircraft construction. There was progress in engine building. The M-25 air-cooled engines with a power of 715 hp and the M-100 water-cooled engines with a power of 750 hp were created.

At the beginning of 1939, the USSR government convened 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, head of TsAGI and a lot others. The People's Commissar of the aviation industry at that time was M.M. Kaganovich. Possessing a good memory, Stalin was quite well aware of the design features of aircraft; all important issues regarding aviation were resolved by Stalin. The meeting outlined measures for further accelerated development of aviation in the USSR. Until now, history has not conclusively refuted the hypothesis of Stalin’s preparation for an attack on Germany in July 1941. It was on the basis of this assumption about the planning of Stalin’s attack on Germany (and further for the “liberation” of Western countries), adopted at the “historic” plenum of the CPSU Central Committee in August 1939 and this fact, incredible for that (or any other) time, of the sale of advanced German equipment and technology in the USSR seems explainable. A large delegation of Soviet aviation workers, who traveled to Germany twice shortly before the war, received fighters, bombers, guidance systems, and much more, which made it possible to dramatically advance the level of domestic aircraft production. It was decided to increase the combat power of aviation, because it was from August 1939 that the USSR began covert mobilization and was preparing 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 August 1939, i.e. before the start of the partition of Poland, showed that the number of first-line aircraft in France was 2 thousand. Of these, two thirds were completely modern aircraft. By 1940, it was planned to increase the number of aircraft in France to 3000 units. British aviation, according to Marshal Burnet, had about 3,000 units, and the potential production was 700 aircraft per month. German industry underwent mobilization only at the beginning of 1942, after which the number of weapons began to increase sharply.

Of all the domestic fighter aircraft ordered by Stalin, the most successful variants were the LAGG, MiG and YAK. The IL-2 attack aircraft brought its designer Ilyushin a lot of excitement. Manufactured initially with protection of the rear hemisphere (two-seater), in anticipation of the attack on Germany, it did not suit the customers with its extravagance.” 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 structure closer to the aircraft " clear skies" Hitler violated Stalin's plans and at the beginning of the war the plane urgently had to be returned to its original design.

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 “On the reorganization of the aviation forces of the Red Army.” The resolution provided for additional measures to rearm air units. In accordance with the plans for a future war, the task was set to urgently form new air regiments, and, as a rule, equip them with new aircraft. The formation of several airborne corps began.

The doctrine of war on “foreign territory” and with “little bloodshed” gave rise to the appearance of the “clear sky” aircraft, intended for unpunished raids on bridges, airfields, cities, and factories. Before the war, hundreds of thousands

young men were preparing to transfer to the new SU-2 aircraft, developed according to Stalin’s competition, of which it was planned to produce 100-150 thousand units before the war. This required accelerated training of the corresponding number of pilots and technicians. The SU-2 is essentially a Soviet Yu-87, but in Russia it did not stand the test of time, because There was no “clear sky” for either country during the war.

Air defense zones with fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery were formed. An unprecedented conscription into aviation began, voluntarily and forcibly. Almost all of the small civil aviation was mobilized into the Air Force. Dozens of aviation schools were opened, incl. ultra-accelerated (3-4 months) training, traditionally officers at the helm or control handle of the aircraft was replaced by a sergeant - an unusual fact and evidence of haste in preparing for war. Airfields (about 66 airfields) were urgently moved to the borders, and supplies of fuel, bombs, and shells were brought in. The raids on German airfields and the Ploieşti oil fields were carefully and in great secrecy detailed...

On June 13, 1940, the Flight Test Institute (FLI) was formed, and other design bureaus and research institutes were formed during the same period. In the war with the Soviet Union, the Nazis assigned a special role to their aviation, which by that time had already gained complete air supremacy in the West. Basically, the plan for using aviation in the East was the same as the war in the West: first to gain air supremacy, and then to transfer forces to support the ground army.

Having outlined the timing of the attack on Soviet Union The Nazi command set the following tasks for the Luftwaffe:

1.Destroy Soviet aviation with a surprise attack on Soviet airfields.

2.Achieve complete air supremacy.

3. After solving the first two tasks, switch aviation to supporting ground forces directly on the battlefield.

4. Disrupt the work of Soviet transport, complicate the transfer of troops both in the front line and in the rear.

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

Germany dealt a crushing blow to our airfields. In just 8 hours of the war, 1,200 aircraft were lost, there was a massive death of flight personnel, storage facilities and all supplies were destroyed. Historians noted the strange “crowding” of our aviation at airfields on the eve of the war and complained about the “mistakes” and “miscalculations” of the command (i.e. Stalin) and assessment of events. In fact, “crowding” foreshadows plans for a super-massive strike on targets and confidence in impunity, which did not happen. The Air Force flight personnel, especially the bomber ones, suffered heavy losses due to the lack of support fighters; the tragedy of the death of perhaps the most advanced and powerful air fleet in the history of mankind occurred, which had to be revived again under enemy attacks.

It must be admitted that the Nazis managed to largely implement their plans for an air war in 1941 and the first half of 1942. Almost all available forces of Hitler's aviation were thrown against the Soviet Union, including units withdrawn from the Western Front. It was assumed that after the first successful operations, part of the bomber and fighter formations would be returned to the West for the war with England. At the beginning of the war, the Nazis had not only quantitative superiority. Their advantage was also the fact that the pilots who took part in the air attack had already gone through a serious training in combat with French, Polish and English pilots. They 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 I-15, I-16, SB, TB-3 could not compete with the newest Messerschmitts. and Junkers. Nevertheless, in the ensuing air battles, even on outdated types of aircraft, Russian pilots caused damage to the Germans. From June 22 to July 19, Germany lost 1,300 aircraft in air battles alone.

Here is what the German General Staff Officer Greffath writes about this:

“During the period from June 22 to July 5, 1941, the German air force lost 807 aircraft of all types, and from July 6 to July 19 - 477.

These losses indicate that despite the surprise achieved by the Germans, the Russians were able to find the time and strength to provide decisive resistance.”

On the very first day of the war, fighter pilot Kokorev distinguished himself by ramming an enemy fighter, the whole world knows the feat of the Gastello crew (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 on an attack enemy columns), who threw his burning car onto a concentration of German equipment. Despite the losses, the Germans brought more and more fighters and bombers into battle in all directions. They sent 4,940 aircraft to the front, including 3,940 German, 500 Finnish, 500 Romanian, and achieved complete air supremacy.

By October 1941, the Wehrmacht armies approached Moscow, the cities supplying components for aircraft factories were occupied, the time had come to evacuate the factories and design bureaus of Sukhoi, Yakovlev and others in Moscow, Ilyushin in Voronezh, all factories in the European part of the USSR demanded the evacuation.

Aircraft production in November 1941 decreased by more than three and a half times. Already on July 5, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR decided to evacuate from the central regions of the country part of the equipment of some aircraft instrument factories to duplicate their production in Western Siberia, and after some time it was necessary to make a decision on the evacuation of the entire aircraft industry.

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

The task was set not only to restore aircraft production, but also to significantly increase their quantity and quality. In December 1941, the aircraft production plan was fulfilled by less than 40 percent, and engines by only 24 percent. In the most difficult conditions, under bombs, in the cold, cold of Siberian winters, backup factories were launched one after another. Technologies were refined and simplified, new types of materials were used (without compromising quality), women and teenagers took over the machines.

Lend-Lease supplies were also of no small importance for the front. Throughout World War II, aircraft supplied 4-5 percent of the total production of aircraft and other weapons produced in the United States. However, a number of materials and equipment supplied by the USA and England were unique and irreplaceable for Russia (varnishes, paints, other chemicals, devices, instruments, equipment, medicines, etc.), which cannot be described as “insignificant” or secondary.

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

In the period from November 19 to December 31, 1942 alone, the Luftwaffe lost 3,000 combat aircraft in the battles for Stalingrad. Our aviation began to act more actively and showed all its combat power in the North Caucasus. Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared. This title was awarded both for the number of aircraft shot down and for the number of combat sorties.

In the USSR, the Normandie-Niemen squadron was formed, staffed by French volunteers. The pilots fought on Yak aircraft.

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

Back in 1942, the USSR surpassed Germany in the production of aircraft - this was due to the heroic efforts of our specialists and workers and the “complacency” or unpreparedness of Germany, which had not mobilized industry in advance for war conditions.

In the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, Germany used significant quantities of aircraft, but the power of the Air Force ensured air supremacy for the first time. So, for example, in just one hour on one of the days of the operation, a force of 411 aircraft was struck, and so on in three waves during the day.

By 1944, the front received about 100 aircraft daily, incl. 40 fighters. The main combat vehicles. Aircraft with improved combat qualities appeared: YAK-3, PE-2, YAK 9T,D, LA-5, IL-10. German designers also modernized the aircraft. “Me-109F, G, G2”, etc. appeared.

Towards the end of the war, the problem of increasing the range of fighter aircraft arose - the airfields could not keep up with the front. Designers proposed installing additional gas tanks on airplanes, and jet weapons began to be used. Radio communications developed, and radar was used in air defense. The bomb attacks were getting stronger and stronger. Thus, on April 17, 1945, bombers of the 18th Air Army in the Königsberg area carried out 516 sorties in 45 minutes and dropped 3,743 bombs with a total weight of 550 tons.

In the air battle for Berlin, the enemy took part in 1,500 combat aircraft based at 40 airfields near Berlin. In history, this is the most aircraft-saturated air battle, it is necessary to take into account the highest level of combat training of both sides. The Luftwaffe featured aces who shot down 100,150 or more aircraft (a record of 300 downed combat aircraft).

At the end of the war, the Germans used jet aircraft, which were significantly faster than propeller aircraft in speed (Me-262, etc.). However, this did not help either. Our pilots in Berlin flew 17.5 thousand combat sorties and completely destroyed the German air fleet.

Analyzing military experience, we can conclude that our aircraft, developed in the period 1939-1940. had constructive reserves for subsequent modernization. In passing, it should be noted that not all types of aircraft were accepted 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.

Aircraft weapons were also improved. in 1942, a large-caliber 37 mm aircraft gun was developed, and later a 45 mm caliber gun appeared.

By 1942, V.Ya. Klimov developed the M-107 engine to replace the M-105P, adopted for installation on water-cooled fighters.

Greffoat writes: “Considering that the war with Russia, like the war in the West, would be lightning fast, Hitler intended, after achieving the first successes in the East, to transfer bomber units, as well as the necessary number of aircraft, back to the West. In the East, air formations intended to directly support German troops, as well as military transport units and a number of fighter squadrons were to remain ... "

German aircraft created in 1935-1936. at the beginning of the war there was no longer any possibility of radical modernization. According to the German General Butler, “The Russians had the advantage that in the production of weapons and ammunition they took into account all the features of warfare in Russia and ensured maximum simplicity of technology. As a result of this, Russian factories produced a huge amount of weapons, which were distinguished by their great simplicity of design. It was relatively easy to learn to wield such a weapon...”

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

Nevertheless, each country followed its own path in aircraft design.

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

Germany possessed, in addition to its own resources, 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, aircraft production was 3.8 times higher than in 1941.

In the first months of 1945, the aircraft industry prepared equipment for the final battles. Thus, the Siberian Aviation Plant N 153, which produced 15 thousand fighters during the war, transferred 1.5 thousand modernized fighters to the front in January-March 1945.

The successes of the rear made it possible to strengthen the country's air force. By the beginning of 1944, the Air Force had 8,818 combat aircraft, and the German - 3,073. In terms of the number of aircraft, the USSR exceeded Germany by 2.7 times. By June 1944, the German Air Force 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 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, simplifying 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 “numbers”, and not skill.

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

The fundamental improvement of the aircraft is its transformation from a propeller-driven aircraft to a jet aircraft. To increase the flight speed, a more powerful engine is installed. However, at speeds above 700 km/h, an increase in speed from engine power cannot be achieved. The way out is to use jet propulsion. A turbojet /TRD/ or liquid jet /LPRE/ engine is used. In the second half of the 30s, jet aircraft were intensively created in the USSR, England, Germany, Italy, and later in the USA. In 1938, the world's first German jet engines, BMW and Junkers, appeared. In 1940, the first Campini-Caproni jet aircraft, created in Italy, made test flights; later the German Me-262, Me-163 XE-162 appeared. In 1941, a Gloucester aircraft with a jet engine was tested in England, and in 1942 a jet aircraft, the Aircomet, was tested in the USA. In England, the Meteor twin-engine jet was soon created, which took part in the war. In 1945, the Meteor-4 plane set a world speed record of 969.6 km/h.

In the USSR, in the initial period, practical work on the creation of jet engines was carried out in the direction of liquid propellant rocket engines. Under the leadership of S.P. Korolev and A.F. Tsander, designers A.M. Isaev and L.S. Dushkin developed the first domestic jet engines. The pioneer of turbojet engines was A.M. Lyulka. At the beginning of 1942, G. Bakhchivandzhi made the first flight on a domestic jet aircraft. Soon this pilot died while testing the aircraft. Work on creating a jet aircraft for practical use resumed after the war with the creation of the Yak-15 and MiG-9 using German YuMO jet engines.

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 that Western European states and the United States had followed in the 19th century. By the mid-20s of the 20th century, the USSR was an agricultural country with a half-illiterate, mostly rural population and a tiny percentage of engineering, technical and scientific personnel. Aircraft manufacturing, engine manufacturing and non-ferrous metallurgy were in their infancy. Suffice it to say that in Tsarist Russia they did not produce ball bearings and carburetors at all for aircraft engines, aircraft electrical equipment, control and aeronautical instruments. Aluminum, wheel tires and even copper wire had to be purchased abroad.

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

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

The most complex knowledge-intensive industries - engine building, instrument making, and radio electronics - were in the most difficult situation. It must be admitted that the Soviet Union was unable to overcome the gap from the West in these areas during the pre-war and war years. The difference in the “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 overstressing of the structure and a steady decrease in reliability, and, as a rule, it was not possible to bring our own promising developments to mass production. The exception was the M-82 and its further development, the M-82FN, which gave birth to perhaps the best Soviet fighter of the war, the La-7.

During the war years, the Soviet Union was unable to establish serial production of turbochargers and two-stage superchargers, multifunctional propulsion automation devices similar to the German “Kommandoherat”, powerful 18-cylinder air-cooled engines, thanks to which the Americans surpassed the 2000, and then 2500 hp mark. With. Well, by and large, no one has seriously engaged in work on water-methanol boosting of engines. All this greatly limited aircraft designers in creating fighters with higher performance characteristics 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 irresistible weight of the wooden and mixed construction forced us to weaken the weapons, 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 have been possible to even bring the flight data of Soviet aircraft closer to the characteristics of German fighters.

For a long time, our aircraft industry compensated for the lag in quality through quantity. Already in 1942, despite the evacuation of 3/4 of the aircraft industry's production capacity, the USSR produced 40% more combat aircraft than Germany. In 1943, Germany made significant efforts to increase the production of combat aircraft, but nevertheless the Soviet Union built 29% more of them. 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 each combat aircraft produced in the USSR there were 8 times fewer machine tools, 4.3 times less electricity and 20% fewer workers than in Germany! Moreover, more than 40% of workers in the Soviet aviation industry in 1944 were women, and over 10% were teenagers under 18 years of age.

The given 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 German aircraft of the same type and contemporary ones in a number of flight parameters. The combination of fairly powerful engines with high aerodynamic and weight efficiency 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 argued that the named types in 1944 accounted for only 24.8% of the total production of fighter aircraft in the USSR, and the remaining 75.2% were older types of aircraft with worse flight characteristics. We can also recall that in 1944 the Germans were already actively developing jet aviation, having achieved considerable success in this. The first samples of jet fighters were put into mass production and began to arrive in 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 recapture from the enemy low and medium altitudes, at which attack aircraft and short-range bombers operated - the main striking force of aviation on the front line. This ensured the successful combat operation of the Ilovs and Pe-2s against German defensive positions, force concentration centers and transport communications, which, in turn, contributed to the victorious offensive of the Soviet troops at the final stage of the war.