Weapons 21/02/20 3 worst Soviet aircraft in the great Patriotic
Many countries have entered the Second world war with outdated types of combat aircraft. This applies, first and foremost, the countries of the antifascist coalition, while the country’s “axis”, the first to start active operations (Germany, Japan), in advance rearmed their aircraft. Qualitative superiority aircraft of the axis who managed to win control of the air over the aircraft of the Western powers and the Soviet Union largely explains the success of the Germans and the Japanese in the initial stages of the Second world war.
the Soviet TB-3.
TB is an abbreviation of “heavy bomber”. Was created in design office of A. N. Tupolev back in the 1930s. Equipped with four piston engines, the aircraft has a top speed of 200 km/h service ceiling was less than 4 km, Although the aircraft was armed with several (4 to 8) 7.62-mm machine guns, with their tactical and technical characteristics (TTX), he was easy prey for the fighters and could be used only under strong fighter cover or against an enemy who was not expecting the attack. TB-3 at low speed and altitude and the enormous size was an easy target for anti-aircraft artillery, including the night as well was illuminated with floodlights. In fact, it is obsolete almost immediately after its adoption. It showed started in the 1937 Japan-China war, where the TB-3 fought on the Chinese side (some Soviet crews).
In the same 1937 the production of TB-3 stopped, and in 1939 it was officially withdrawn from service bomber squadrons. However, its combat use was continued. So, the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war, they bombed Helsinki and has made it a success, as the Finns did not expect the attack. The beginning of the great Patriotic war in the ranks was more than 500 TB-3. Due to the hugetion of Soviet aviation losses in the first weeks of the war, there have been ineffective attempts to use a TB-3 as a night bomber. In connection with the commissioning of more advanced machines, by the end of 1941, TB-3 completely retrained in military transport aircraft.
the Soviet SB-2.
Or ANT-40 (SB – fast bomber). This twin-engine monoplane developed by Tupolev Bureau. At the time it adopted into service in 1936, was one of the best bombers in the world according to its performance characteristics. It showed soon began a civil war in Spain. USSR in October 1936 was put to the Spanish Republic first 31 SB-2 is just there in 1936-1938, the years received 70 of these machines. The fighting qualities of SB-2 was quite high, although their intensive combat use has led to the fact that at the time of the defeat of the Republic survived only 19 of these aircraft. Especially precarious was their engines, so Franco converted the captured SB-2 of the French engines and used them as a school until 1951. SB-2 is also well proven in the skies of China until 1942, although they could be used only under fighter escort without it, they become easy prey to Japanese fighter “zero”. The enemies were better fighters, and SB-2 to the early 40-ies morally completely out of date.
the beginning of the great Patriotic war SB-2 was the main aircraft of Soviet bombers – it accounted for 90% of the cars in this class. On the first day of the war, they suffered heavy losses even on the ground. Their combat use, as a rule, ended tragically. Thus, on 22 June 1941, 18 SB-2 attempted to attack the German crossing of the Western bug. Shot down all 18. 30 Jun 14 SB-2, together with a group of other planes attacked a German mechanized column while crossing the Western Dvina river. Lost 11 SB-2. The next day when you try to repeat the attack in the same area, all nine uchastvovalthe SB-2 was shot down by German fighters. These setbacks have forced that summer to stop the production of SB-2, and the rest of the machines to use as night bombers. The effectiveness of their bombing was low. However, SB-2 continued to be operational until 1943.
the Soviet I-16
Aircraft construction.N. Polikarpov was the main fighter of the Soviet air force in the first year of the war. Total produced about 10 thousand of these machines, almost all of which were destroyed or crashed before the end of 1942. I-16 had many advantages, which emerged during the war in Spain. So, he had retractable landing gear, he was armed with an automatic aircraft 20 mm guns. But the maximum speed 470 km/h was already clearly inadequate to combat enemy fighters in 1941. I-16 suffered heavy losses already in the sky of China from Japanese fighters in 1937-1941 gg. The major drawback was the poor handling. I-16 was purposely made dynamically unstable, because it was assumed that this will hamper the enemy fire on it. It is, first and foremost, it difficult to control their pilots and made it impossible to purposeful maneuvering in combat. The plane would often fall into a tailspin and crashed. The obvious military superiority of the German Me-109 and high accident forced to withdraw-16 production in 1942.
French fighter Morane-Saulnier MS.406
the backwardness of the I-16 is clearly visible when compared to MS.406, which was the basis of French fighter aircraft to the beginning of world war II, but markedly inferior in their performance characteristics then the German Me-109. He speeds up to 480 km/h and while making it into service in 1935, was a world-class aircraft. His superiority over the Soviet cars of the same class impact of Finland in winter 1939/40 G., where, piloted by Finnish pilots they shot down 16 Soviet aircraft, losing only one. But in may-Julynot 1940 in the skies over Belgium and France in the battles with German aircraft, the loss ratio was reversed to 3: 1 more from the French.
Italian fighter Fiat CR.32
Italy, unlike the main axis powers, has done little to modernize its air force by the beginning of the Second world war. The massive fighter was still a biplane Fiat CR.32, taken into service in 1935. For the war with Ethiopia, which had no aircraft, its combat qualities were shiny, for the civil war in Spain, where CR.32 fought for Franco, it seemed satisfactory. At the beginning of the summer of 1940 air battles not only with the English “Hurricane”, but also with the already mentioned French MS.406, slow and poorly armed CR.32 was completely helpless. In January 1941 he had to retire.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
Recommended statesalaska… Share: Comments Comments on the article “3 of the worst Soviet aircraft in the great Patriotic war” Please log in to leave a comment! br>
Share on Tumblr
