Thrice Hero of Soviet Union Alexander Pokryshkin near his plane.
Mark Redkin/RIA NovostiAs the Nazi armies advanced into the Soviet Union in 1941, backed with overwhelming air support, catching up with the Luftwaffe in terms of aviation technology became crucial for the USSR – but this turned out to be far from an easy task.
In 1942, as a result of the defeats during the first period of the war, Soviet engineers modernized planes that had been deployed by the Red Army’s air force. An attempt was made to resolve the fundamental technical problem of Soviet aviation—the underperformance of engines. It seemed that at first that this was successful.
The Soviet Yaks were comparable to German fighter planes in terms of speed. However, the first battles in the skies over Stalingrad showed that it was too early to celebrate. New German fighter planes once again left Soviet pilots lagging behind. The latest Messerschmitt models largely restored the situation of 1941.
Yekaterina Mednikova, a test pilot of Yak-1 and Yak-3 planes. The Central Aero Club. Source: Olga Lander / RIA Novosti
This lag in technology could be compensated for by numerical predominance. According to Soviet specialists’ estimates, two Soviet planes were needed for every German plane. The response was a drastic increase in the production of fighter planes, including at the expense of other types of military aircraft, such as attack planes and bombers.
Meanwhile, work continued on the perfection of worthy models already in service. However, it was possible to fully resolve the problem only by beginning construction of new planes for the third year of the war. Not only did the Yak-3 and La-7 fighter planes not yield, but they also surpassed German aircraft.
The process of renovation was not easy: Structural flaws remained and led to a high accident rate. Towards the end of the war more than 15 percent of the Soviet air fleet was registered as defective. Nevertheless, through trial and error the problem of the Red Army air force’s qualitative lag behind the Luftwaffe was resolved.
As a rule, simple numerical superiority in an air battle does not lead to victory. In the sky it is difficult to crush one’s opponent by numbers. In the event of a quality gap between enemy air forces, a more modern fighter plane maneuvering and escaping pursuit can easily destroy several planes in the course of a single battle.
This explains the fact that the Soviet air force, despite having numerical superiority in almost all major battles of the Second World War, often suffered defeats. The Soviet command quickly recognized this reality and devised a way out of this dead end. The air force administration was reorganized. Planes were assigned to separate air armies, which were attached to land armies and fronts accordingly.
The Great Patriotic War. The fighters of the working battalion of the Stalingrad metallurgical plant "Red October" are defending the enterprise. June 1, 1942. Source: Emmanuel Evzerikhin/TASS
The air force cooperated more harmoniously with ground units and accomplished joint tasks. At the same time, radio contact between squadrons and individual planes developed. Previously, pilots needed to agree on combat coordination on the ground. In the air it was almost always necessary to improvise and break down all tactical formations. The German pilots would quickly orientate themselves through radio contact with each other.
From 1942-1943 onwards, Soviet pilots began to do the same, and it did not take long for the results to show. The Luftwaffe’s losses in the summer and fall of 1942 exceeded 7,000 machines—more than 70 percent of all total losses for this period.
The battles during 1942-1943 in the skies over the Volga region and Kursk took place with variable success for the Soviet air force. A difficult process of developing air fighting techniques was underway, of adjusting the communication and cooperation within squadrons. Engineers offered great assistance: In 1943 planes began to be equipped with new radios, which functioned as radars as well.
The aircraft manufacturing industry reached the maximum figures of productivity: The number of engines produced exceeded combat losses threefold. In 1944 the superiority of the Soviet fighter air fleet became overwhelming. As a result, the Germans were forced to take desperate measures: to considerably reduce the flight size of their bombing fleet and strengthen fighter squadrons instead.
The Yakovlev Yak-3 was the most lightweight and maneuverable World War II fighter. The aircraft was also flown by the French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron. Source: Yuriy Korolev / RIA Novosti
The Allies offered considerable support to the Soviet air fleet. Deliveries of American and English fighter planes through the Lend-Lease program amounted to 13 percent of the total number of corresponding engines manufactured in the Soviet Union. Among them were the well-known Air Cobra and King Cobra. It was on just such an Air Cobra that the renowned Soviet pilot Alexander Pokryshkin flew and shot down 65 German planes.
The intensive labor and support of allies paid off in full: Towards the end of 1944, the Red Army air force’s supremacy in the sky was complete. The foundation was laid for the formation of some of the most advanced military air powers in the world.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Subscribe
to our newsletter!
Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox
