Aviation in the early 1930s
Building an aviation development base
Clarification of plans for the use of aviation in future warfare
The last preparations
The beginning of the war.
Evacuation of the aviation industry
The situation is improving.
The end of the war
Analysis of domestic and foreign aircraft during the war
9.1. U.S. Air Force
9.2. English Air Force.
9.3. German Air Force.
The birth of the new aviation
1. aviation in the early 30s
Having correctly assessed the decisive role of aviation as the main strike force in the struggle for the spread of Bolshevism and the protection of the state, in the first five-year plan the Soviet leadership took a course to create its own large and autonomous from other countries air fleet.
In the 20s and even in the early 30s, the USSR aviation had a fleet of aircraft, mainly foreign-made /only appeared Tuple's aircraft — ANT-2, ANT-9 and its subsequent modifications, which later became a legendary U-2, etc. /. The planes, which were in service with the Red Army, were multi marooned and had obsolete technical condition. In the 1920s, the Soviet Union purchased a few German Junkers and a number of other types of planes to service the Northern air routes (research on the Northern Sea Route) and to carry out government special flights. It should be noted that civil aviation in the prewar period practically did not develop, except for the opening of a number of unique, “demonstration” airlines or episodic flights of sanitary and service aviation.
In the same period, the airship era ended, and the USSR built in the early 30s successful designs of “soft” (frame less) type “B” airships. Distractedly, it should be noted about the development of this type of aeronautics abroad. In Germany, the famous rigid-engineered blimp Graph Zeppelin, which explored the North, was equipped with passenger cabins, had a significant flight range and a fairly high cruising speed (up to 130 km/h and more), provided by several Payback engines. On board the airship there were even several dog sleds as part of the expeditions to the North.
The American blimp Akron, the world's largest blimp with a volume of 184,000 cubic meters, carried 5-7 planes aboard and carried up to 200 passengers, not counting several tons of cargo up to 17,000 km without landing. These airships were already safe because they were filled with helium rather than hydrogen as at the beginning of the century. Low speed, low maneuverability, high cost, complexity of storage and maintenance predetermined the end of the airship era. Experiments with balloons have also come to an end, proving their unsuitability for active combat operations.
We needed a new generation of aircraft with new technical and operational indicators.
2. Building an aviation development base.
In 1930, our Moscow Aviation Institute was established, because it was crucial to replenish the factories, institutes and design bureau of the aviation industry with experienced personnel. The old personnel of recount education and experience were obviously lacking, they were thoroughly knocked out, were in exile or in camps.
By the time the P Five-Year Plan /1933-37 was over, the aviation industry had a significant production base and the basis for the further development of the air fleet.
In the 1930s, Stalin commissioned demonstrative, but actually test flights of bombers “camouflaged” for civilian aircraft. The aviators Scene, Levanevsky, Kokkinaki, Molotov, Vodopyanov, Grizodubova and many others distinguished themselves.
In 1937, the Soviet fighter aircraft was tested in Spain and demonstrated a technical lag. Polycarpov's planes (type I-15.16) were defeated by the newest German machines. The race for survival began again. Stalin gave the designers individual tasks for new models of aircraft, widely and generously distributed awards and benefits — the designers worked tirelessly, and demonstrated a high level of talent and preparedness.
At the March 1939 Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPU People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov noted that, compared to 1934, the Air Force has grown in its personnel by 138 percent ... The aircraft fleet as a whole grew by 130 percent.
Heavy bomber aviation, which was given the main role in the upcoming war with the West, has grown twice in 4 years, the rest of the bomber aircraft, on the contrary — reduced by half. The fighter aircraft increased two and a half times. The altitude of the aircraft was already 14-15 thousand meters.
The technology of aircraft and engine production was put on the stream, stamping and casting were widely introduced. The shape of the fuselage changed, and the aircraft acquired a streamlined shape.
The use of radio on board the aircraft began.
Major changes occurred before the war in the field of aviation materials science. In the prewar period, there was a parallel development of heavy all-metal aircraft with dual cladding and lightweight maneuverable aircraft of mixed designs: wood, steel and canvas.