The most produced military airplane of World War II – and in history for that matter – was the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack airplane. More than 36,000 were built, and they helped the Red Air Force wreak havoc upon the Germans on the Eastern Front. Below are some fascinating facts about that devastating airplane.
“The Flying Tank”
Nicknamed “The Flying Tank”, the Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack bomber was the most produced military airplane in history, with over 36,000 built. Designed in 1938, the Sturmovik’s most distinguishing feature was a 1500 lbs armored tub that protected the pilot, engine, fuel tank, and radiator, rendering it one of the toughest and most survivable airplanes of its day, nearly impervious to bullets and 20 mm cannon fire from below.
That ruggedness and ability to survive severe punishment gave Il-2 pilots the confidence to press and persist in attacks in the teeth of fierce ground fire that would have been foolhardy or even suicidal to brave in other aircraft. Indeed, it is doubtful that any other ground attack airplane of the Second World War could have consistently withstood the kind of damage Ilyushin Il-2s routinely suffered, and returned to base in flyable condition.
Spearheading Soviet Advances
Prototypes first flew in 1939, and Il-2s entered operational service in May, 1941. Armed with two 23mm cannons, two machine guns, and loaded with up to 1300 pounds of bombs plus 12 rockets, the Sturmovik carried a devastating punch. A punch that became even stronger in 1943, with the introduction of shaped charge bomblets that weighed 3.3 pounds, but were nonetheless able to penetrate the thinner armor atop German tanks. Il-2s carried those bomblets in clusters of 192, to shower on enemy columns.
At war’s beginning, few pilots were able to utilize the Sturmovik’s potential to the full, because of inadequate training. The plane had been introduced to operational squadrons only a month before the German invasion. Between that and inadequate fighter protection, Il-2s suffered appalling losses to German fighters. For example, in the first month of combat, the Fourth Air Regiment lost 55 of its 65 Sturmoviks. Once reasonable fighter protection became available as the Soviets clawed their way back to aerial parity and then supremacy.
As Il-2 pilots gained experience, tactics improved and Sturmoviks began wreaking havoc. During the Battle of Stalingrad, Il-2s helped seal the Soviet victory with a treetop level raid on the main airbase from which supplies were flown to the besieged Germans, destroying 72 cargo planes on the ground, shooting down others, and damaging many more. That crippled an already struggling resupply operation, and hastened the trapped Germans’ surrender.
The Murderous Sturmoviks
By the time of the Battle of Kursk, Sturmovik tactics had been further honed, and new ones introduced. One such was the “Circle of Death” with 8 or more Il-2s flying a circle around a target. Each protected the one ahead with its forward firing machine guns and cannons from enemy fighters. They took turns attacking the target, then rejoining the circle and allowing another plane to leave the circle and attack.
Sturmovik squadrons by then had also learned to operate in close coordination with ground forces to decimate the Germans. One mass Il-2 attack on July 7th, 1943, was credited with the destruction of 70 German tanks in 20 minutes. Against soft targets such as supply convoys and troops caught in the open, Sturmoviks were even more murderous.
So important was the plane to the Soviet war effort that when production numbers fell below expectations, Stalin wrote those responsible ” Our Red Army now needs Il-2 aircraft like the air it breathes, like the bread it eats. … I ask you not to try the government’s patience, and demand that you manufacture more ILs. This is my final warning.” Unsurprisingly, production increased sharply soon thereafter.
Towards war’s end, Ilyushin upgraded the Il-2 Sturmovik to produce the even more formidable Il-10. Nicknamed the “Beast”, variants of the Il-10 remained in service until the early 1970s. During the Second World War, over 36,000 Il-2s were produced. Add in the Il-10, which was based on the same design, just improved and modernized, and the total built soars past 43,000 warplanes, making the platform the single most produced military aircraft design in history.
Some Sources and Further Reading
Gordon, Yefim, and Komissarov, Sergey – Ilyushin Il-2 (2010)
History Halls – World War II Fighters: The Soviet Yakovlev Yak-9
