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| language |
Some data about the air forces of the decisive WW2 front
(where ~75% of German air and ground forces were destroyed)
During the war at the east, the Russian pilots gained more experience
and their planes became the excellent ones. Our planes have become heavier and heavier,
but the Russians chose another way and built the planes with better climb
and maneuverability. The Russians indeed created the planes with great
aerodynamics.
Friedrich Obleser, Luftwaffe, JG52
Oath: a fighter unit receives Guards' status.
Structure of the Soviet Air Forces
| name | VVS | PVO | ADD (DBA) | Fleets' units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| task | common missions: escort, patrol, cover of ground troops, attack, short-range bombing and recon,... | defense (intercept of bombers/recons) of assigned areas | long-range bombing and recon | naval missions for BF (Baltic fleet), ChF (Black sea fleet), TF (Pacific fleet), SF (Nothern fleet) |
| THE WORLD BEST MISSION | |
On 6th June 1943, Soviet pilot of 88IAP Alexander K. Gorovetz attacked a big group of the Stukas. His alone La-5 shot down 9 (nine!) Ju87s in single combat and forced all other bombers to chaotically drop bombs and to retreat. Ufortunately, he was out of ammo. And when four FW190s arrived, the hero was killed. So 9:1 during one mission is the world best score for a single fighter. These results were confirmed by ground troops which watched this bloody battle in the sky.
Russian nicknames for WW2 combat planes:
| Nation | Designation | Nickname | Meaning | Reason |
| Ил-2 (Il-2) | Горбатый (Gorbatyi) | Hungbacked | silhouette |
|
| Пе-2 (Pe-2) | Пешка (Peshka) | a Pawn | pronuncitation |
|
| И-16 (I-16) | Ишак (Ishak) | a Donkey | pronuncitation |
|
| По-2 (Po-2) | Kукурузник (Kukuruznik) | a Maizer | low flight |
|
| Ли-2 (Li-2) | Иван (Ivan) | male Name | beloved |
| Hurricane | Харитон (Hariton) | male Name | pronuncitation |
| P40 TommaHawk | Томагавк () | an Indean Weapon | pronuncitation |
| Me109 (Bf109) | Худой (Hudoi) | Thin, Lean | silhouette |
| Мессер (Messer) | no meaning | pronuncitation | ||
|
| ФВ189 (FW189) | Рама (Rama) | a window Frame | twin fuselage |
|
| ФВ190 (FW190) | Фоккер (Fokker) | no meaning | pronuncitation |
|
| Ю87 (Ju87) | Лапоть (Lapot) | a Bast Shoe | fixed gears |
|
| Хш126 (Hs126) | Костыль (Kostyl) | a Crutch | silhouette |
|
| До24 (Do24) | Дора (Dora) | no meaning | pronuncitation |
|
| Га138 (Ha138) | Каракатица (Karakatitsa) | silhouette |
German nicknames for WW2 combat planes:
| Country | Designation | Nickname | Meaning | Reason |
|
| I-16 | Rata | a Rat | from Spanish War times |
|
| MiG-3 | Ivan | no comments | |
|
| La-5 | SuperRata | similar nose shape as I-16 | |
|
| Yak | Bull | dangerous | |
|
| U-2 | Rus-Faner | Russian Veneer | no comments |
|
| Il-2 | Schwartzer Todt | Black Death | by ground troops |
| Zement Flugzeug | Concrete Bomber | by fighter pilots | ||
|
| Ju52 | Tante Ju | Aunt Ju | beloved |
| Iron Ann | reliable but slow |
Four stars means the crew of the Il-2 (K.Ryabov and N.Pavlov) achieved four aerial victories.
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| Soviet bomber WW2 aces | |
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| Soviet fighter WW2 aces | |
| Foreign fighter aces in VVS |  
 
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 | Fighter Aces photo gallery (1) |
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| Aces photo gallery (2 - females) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (3) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (4) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (5) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (6) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (7) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (8) |
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| Fighter Aces photo gallery (9) |
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| Bomber Aces photo gallery |
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WW2 aerial victory counts
During WW2, different countries used different score systems and victory criteria for arieal kills count. So results comparison of different nations pilots isn't simple task.
Also, it was hard for the Soviet pilots to confirm theirs claims. Before 1943, planes downed to enemy territory weren't count.
Example: Cantacuzino has 56 confirmed kills, but this actually represents a total of 43 planes shot down.
Example: On 4th July 1943, 7 Soviet planes (2 Hampden, 3 DB-3F of 9GMTAP and 2 Il-2 Sturmavik) attacked a German ships. They were intercepted by 6 Bf109 leaded by commander of 7/JG5 Theodor Wei?enberger One Il-2 was shot down, and one Il-2, two Hampdens and one DB-3F had to dith at a return route during combat damages. Only two torpedo bombers managed to land to a airdrome. German pilots claimed 16 (sixteen!) "victories", including 7 "kills" by Wei?enberger.
| Historical B&W Il-2 / Il-10 photo gallery |
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| Historical B&W Yak's photo gallery |
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| Modern color I-15 / I-16 photo gallery |
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| Historical B&W Lend-Lease planes photo gallery |
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| Historical destroyed fighters photo gallery |
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| Historical destroyed bombes photo gallery |
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| Polikarpov fighters |
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| Mikoyan-Guryevich fighters |
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| Yakovlev fighters |
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| Lavochkin fighters |
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| Biplane bombers |
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| Level bombers |
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| Attack planes |
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| Naval recon planes |
Tactic of Soviet fighter pilots in 1943
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| Characteristics of 1943 fighters | |
| Part 1 (Russian text & drawnings) |
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| Part 2 (Russian text & drawnings) |
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These materials presented by Sergey "Corsar" Efimov
The myph about Luftwaffe chivalry
Oh yes, the German pilots were the knights of the knights! They shot to an
enemy pilots which had to bail out (the habbit from Spanish Civil War times).
And they shot to a helpless civilian collumns which tried to escape the
invasion. Medical trucks and trains were the excellent targets for Luftwaffe pilots:
it so was easy to aim the big red cross.
I read so many memoirs about that...
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