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The Soviet forces’ attempt at ground attack would be no more than an annoyance, the Germans believed.īut the Il-2 wasn't the same as the Stuka in time it would be much better. Mindful of the Russian failures in World War I-when factories couldn’t manufacture enough rifles for its soldiers-the Germans were confident that their new enemy wouldn't be able to replace destroyed aircraft, much less increase their numbers.Įven if replaced, how could such an untested aircraft measure up against the Luftwaffe's armada of low-flying, ground-attack Stukas? The aircraft had proven effective in the Spanish Civil War and across Europe. Still, the Soviet pilots took to the sky, each hazarding a few runs before being shot down. While thick armor surrounded the pilot and engine, the structure aft of the cockpit was only plywood, which shredded under fire.ĭozens of Il-2s succumbed to anti-aircraft guns and fighter attacks from the rear. With the attack aircraft only five months into production and never tested even in war games, Soviet pilots had not yet developed the tactics needed to protect each other in flight, and they still lacked proper sights to aim their cannons and bombs. The Germans, however, quickly discovered the Il-2’s weak points. To the dismay of the Germans, the Soviet air force had mobilized the Ilyushin Il-2, a low-flying, single-seat monoplane equipped with automatic cannons, rockets, machine guns, and bombs. Taking aim at the masses of troops and vehicles attempting to cross the river was a new type of Soviet airplane-one that the Germans compared to their Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, a dive-bomber and ground-attack aircraft. The Soviets blew up most of the spans, forcing the Germans to construct pontoon bridges.

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Hitler's plan of conquest called for the capture of Moscow, plus lands to the Volga River-all before winter.īut before the takeover could happen, the Second and Third Panzer Divisions had to cross the Berezina River near Bobruisk-the same waterway Napoleon had crossed in his ruinous invasion. It was early July 1941, two weeks into Operation Barbarossa. Nazi forces were storming the Soviet Union. German forces pushing into the Soviet Union felt nearly invincible-until they met the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik.

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German tank force ww2