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Ilyushin Il-2 'Sturmovik', QuickTime movie, 470Kb, 260x195.
| | Ilyushin Il-2 'Sturmovik' (assaulter)
Il-2: The Il-2 series was built in larger overall numbers and at a higher rate than any other warplane in history, and was a key instrument in the Soviet defeat of Germany during the 'Great Patriotic War' (1941-45) within World War II (1939-45). The type entered service only three months before the German onslaught of June 1941 and at first was an indifferent warplane, but matured as a rugged and reliable machine that seemed virtually indestructible in the air and was the total scourge of everything German, ranging from the individual soldier to the more advanced tank, on the ground.
The origins of the type can be traced to the Soviet official doctrine adopted in the mid-1930s that air power should be seen not as a means of projecting strategic capabilities deep into the enemy’s rear areas and homeland but as a tactical adjunct of the ground forces. The USSR had previously been the world's leading exponent of strategic air power, but now changed tack to the belief that military success could be achieved only on the land battlefield, where the combination of infantry, armor and artillery would inevitably prevail with the support of tactical air power. The nature of this tactical air support dictated the creation of a complete family of warplane types optimized for good performance at heights below 16,405 ft (5000 m), which was deemed the upper altitude limit of tactical air power. The required types were fighters to protect Soviet areas from incursions by enemy warplanes, short-range and battlefield reconnaissance aircraft, and a mix of bombers (light and medium) and ground-attack warplanes. | |  |
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