OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN THE WEST, THE IL-2 WAS ARGUABLY THE MOST INFLUENTIAL TACTICAL COMBAT AIRCRAFT OF THE WAR.
COURTESY OF VON HARDESTY
OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN THE WEST, THE IL-2 WAS ARGUABLY THE MOST INFLUENTIAL TACTICAL COMBAT AIRCRAFT OF THE WAR.
COURTESY OF VON HARDESTY
SI 2001–133
The Il–2 Shturmovik lingers in historical memory as the signature aircraft of the VVS (Soviet Air Force) in World War II. During the air war over the Russian front, the Soviets placed a key emphasis on tactical air operations. In what they called Combined Arms Warfare, all air units were mobilized to support the ground forces. Unlike the Anglo-American air forces, the Soviets did not develop a strategic air arm using long-range bombers. The Il–2 Shturmovik played a crucial, often devastating, role at the cutting edge of all Soviet offensives in World War II. With an estimated 36,000 built, it was the most-produced combat aircraft in history.
Sergei V. Ilyushin designed his so-called Winged Tank specifically for the requirements of the ground-attack mission. The Il–2 was constructed around a central armored steel shell, which offered protection to the engine, the fuel and oil tanks, and the pilot. It was armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns and two 20 mm (later 23 mm) cannons in the wings, which made it highly effective in attacks on enemy armor and mechanized units. The Germans feared it as the Schwarzer Tod (black death). To the Soviets, it was simply the Shturmovik (a generic term referring to any ground-attack aircraft).
Entering service as a single-seater, the Il–2 eventually was fitted with a rear gunner in the aftermath of high losses in air combat. The absence of armored protection in the rear, however, resulted in a high toll of losses for those airmen assigned as rear gunners. The Shturmovik would receive additional modifications to the wing to correct stability problems and upgrade armament. The IL–2 in the National Air and Space Museum collection received underwing 37 mm cannons to replace the wing-mounted ones.
This Il–2 is a rare aircraft, one of the few surviving examples of its type despite the large numbers produced. It was recovered from a lake near St. Petersburg (Leningrad) in the early 1990s and partially restored before being donated to the Smithsonian in 1995.
Cockpits in World War II Soviet aircraft were routinely austere with minimal attention to pilot comfort. On the control stick, the two buttons in the center are for the machine guns and cannons, while the bomb release and rocket buttons are on the left and right respectively. Originally fitted with a gunsight, later production Shturmoviks had a simplified sight of three aiming circles on the diamond-shaped area of the front windscreen. As World War II progressed, most Soviet frontline aircraft, including the Il–2, were equipped with radios.
IN 1944, THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM’S IL–2 WAS SHOT DOWN AND MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A FROZEN LAKE NEAR LENINGRAD (ST. PETERSBURG). OVER FOUR DECADES LATER, IT WAS PULLED FROM THE MUCK AND RESTORED.
COURTESY OF VON HARDESTY
THE GUNNER’S POSITION WITH A 12.7 MM BEREZIN UBT MACHINE GUN CAPABLE OF 38 DEGREES OF TRAVEL VERTICALLY AND 44 DEGREES HORIZONTALLY.
SI 2009–12501