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#Post#: 9598--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: vonofterdingen Date: February 3, 2020, 1:29 pm
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The Po-2, or U-2 (as it is listed in game I think) is a plane
that we rarely fly but often see in early war missions over the
eastern front. To some degree, it was an early terror weapon,
due to the way it was used at night not only to attack targets,
but to disturb the sleep of enemy troops. Perhaps the most
famous Po-2 pilots were the Russian “Night Witches” of the 588th
Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards
Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces. These
women pilots were infamous among German troops for their daring
night time raids on German positions, in which they used a
technique to idle the engine near the target and glide to the
bomb release point, with only wind noise left to reveal their
presence. German soldiers likened the sound to broomsticks. The
plane was used in wartime as late as the Korean war.
From Wikipedia:
The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial uchebnyy
("training") role as a flight instruction aircraft) served as a
general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik, NATO
reporting name "Mule". The reliable, uncomplicated concept of
the Po-2's design made it an ideal trainer aircraft, as well as
doubling as a low-cost ground attack, aerial reconnaissance,
psychological warfare and liaison aircraft during war, proving
to be one of the most versatile light combat types to be built
in the Soviet Union. As of 1978 it remained in production for a
longer period of time than any other Soviet-era aircraft.
It is one of the most produced aircraft, and may be the most
produced biplane in history, with as many as 30,000 Po-2s built
between 1928 and 1959.[citation needed] However, production
figures for Polikarpov U-2 and Po-2 bombers and trainers
combined are between 20,000 and 30,000. with production ending
as early as 1952. Correct figures are hard to obtain since
low-rate production by small repair shops and air clubs likely
continued until 1959.
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From the beginning, the U-2 became the basic Soviet civil and
military trainer aircraft, mass-produced in a "Red Flyer"
factory near Moscow. It was also used for transport, and as a
military liaison aircraft, due to its STOL capabilities. Also
from the beginning it was produced as an agricultural aircraft
variant, which earned it its nickname Kukuruznik. Although
entirely outclassed by contemporary aircraft, the Kukuruznik
served extensively on the Eastern Front in World War II,
primarily as a liaison, medevac and general-supply aircraft. It
was especially useful for supplying Soviet partisans behind the
German front line. Manufacturing of the Po-2 in the USSR ceased
in 1949, but until 1959 a number were assembled in Aeroflot
repair workshops.
During the defence of Odessa, in September 1941, the U-2 was
used as a reconnaissance aircraft and as a light, short-range,
bomber. The bombs, dropped from a civil aircraft piloted by
Pyotr Bevz, were the first to fall on enemy artillery positions.
From 1942 it was adapted as a light night ground attack
aircraft.
Nikolay Polikarpov supported the project, and under his
leadership, the U-2VS (voyskovaya seriya - Military series) was
created. This was a light night bomber, fitted with bomb
carriers beneath the lower wing, to carry 50 or 100 kg (110 or
220 lbs) bombs up to a total weight of 350 kg (771 lb) and armed
with ShKAS or DA machine guns in the observer's cockpit.
Wehrmacht troops nicknamed it Nähmaschine (sewing machine) for
its rattling sound and Finnish troops called it Hermosaha (Nerve
saw)[citation needed] as the Soviets flew nocturnal missions at
low altitudes: the engine had a very peculiar sound, which was
described as nerve-wracking, therefore the name. Luftwaffe
pilots were soon given special instructions for engaging these
aircraft. The material effects of these missions may be regarded
as minor, but the psychological effect on German troops was
noticeable. They typically attacked by surprise in the middle of
the night, denying German troops sleep and keeping them on their
guard, contributing to the already high stress of combat on the
Eastern front. The usual tactic involved flying only a few
meters above the ground, climbing for the final approach,
throttling back the engine and making a gliding bombing run,
leaving the targeted troops with only the eerie whistling of the
wind in the wings' bracing-wires as an indication of the
impending attack. Luftwaffe fighters found it extremely hard to
shoot down the Kukuruznik because of two main factors: the
pilots flew at treetop level where they were hard to see or
engage and the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and
the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was similar to the U-2s maximum speed,
making it difficult for the fighters to keep a Po-2 in weapons
range for an adequate period of time. The success of the Soviet
night harassment units inspired the Luftwaffe to set up similar
Störkampfstaffel "harassment combat squadrons" on the Eastern
Front using their own obsolete 1930s-era, open cockpit biplanes
(most often the Gotha Go 145 and Arado Ar 66 biplanes) and
parasol monoplane aircraft, eventually building up to larger
Nachtschlachtgruppe (night attack group) units of a few
squadrons each.
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The U-2 became known as the aircraft used by the 588th Night
Bomber Regiment, composed of an all-woman pilot and ground crew
complement. The unit was notorious for daring low-altitude night
raids on German rear-area positions. Veteran pilots Yekaterina
Ryabova and Nadezhda Popova on one occasion flew eighteen
missions in a single night. The women pilots observed that the
enemy suffered a further degree of demoralization simply due to
their antagonists being female. As such, the pilots earned the
nickname "Night Witches" (German Nachthexen, Russian
Ночные
Ведьмы/Nočnye Ved’my).
The unit earned numerous Hero of the Soviet Union citations and
dozens of Order of the Red Banner medals; most surviving pilots
had flown nearly 1,000 combat missions by the end of the war and
took part in the Battle of Berlin.
The Polish Air Force used these slow and manoeuvrable aircraft
for air reconnaissance and COIN operations against UPA bands in
mountainous area of Bieszczady. Pilots and navigators were
dispatched to look for concentrations of UPA forces and if
needed, engage them with machine guns and grenades. On several
occasions, the UPA managed to bring down some of the Po-2s, but
never captured or operated them.
North Korean forces used the Po-2 in a similar role during
the Korean War. A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by
the Korean People's Air Force, inflicting serious damage during
night raids on United Nations bases.[10] During one such attack,
a lone Po-2 attacked Pyongyang airfield in northwestern Korea.
Concentrating on the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group's parking ramp,
the Po-2 dropped a string of fragmentation bombs squarely across
the group's lineup of P-51 Mustangs. Eleven Mustangs were
damaged, three so badly that they were destroyed when Pyongyang
was abandoned several days later.
On 17 June 1951, at 01:30 hours, Suwon Air Base was bombed by
two Po-2s. Each biplane dropped a pair of fragmentation bombs.
One scored a hit on the 802nd Engineer Aviation Battalion's
motor pool, damaging some equipment. Two bombs burst on the
flightline of the 335th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. One F-86A
Sabre (FU-334 / 49-1334) was struck on the wing and began
burning. The fire took hold, gutting the aircraft. Prompt action
by personnel who moved aircraft away from the burning Sabre
prevented further loss. Eight other Sabres were damaged in the
brief attack, four seriously. One F-86 pilot was among the
wounded. The North Koreans subsequently credited Lt. La Woon
Yung with this damaging attack.
UN forces named the Po-2's nighttime appearance Bedcheck
Charlie and had great difficulty in shooting it down – even
though night fighters had radar as standard equipment in the
1950s. The wood-and-fabric material of the Po-2 had only a small
radar cross-section, making it hard for an opposing fighter
pilot to acquire his target. As Korean war U.S. veteran Leo
Fournier remarked about "Bedcheck Charlie" in his memoirs: "...
no one could get at him. He just flew too low and too slow." On
16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major George H.
Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Soviet-built
Polikarpov Po-2 biplane, the only documented Skyraider air
victory of the war. The Po-2 is also the only biplane credited
with a documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was
lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall
speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying
Po-2.
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In game…
I admit this is not a plane I fly much myself in IL-2. I
frequently find myself behind them in an escort role however.
Even doing escort duty with these is difficult due to their low
speeds. Personally I just do not see well enough to fly night
missions in game. If I did though, I think I would crank up a
run with the “Night Witches.”
#Post#: 9601--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: ben_wh Date: February 3, 2020, 6:10 pm
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A great choice for a plane of the week write-up.
This plane does not get much coverage in the West – even taken
into account the relative low coverage of the Soviet WW2 planes
overall. However (I believe) that it is well-regarded in Russia
and other former republics of the Soviet Union, not for its
superior performance but for its yeoman’s work during the war.
This of course has much to do with the brave pilots who took
this plane to war – including those of the 588[sup]th[/sup]
Night Bomber Regiment mentioned above. These female pilots had
to fight for their chance to serve, and then demonstrated their
heroism by flying regularly in an especially punishing
environment: at night in complete darkness, at tree top, in
open cockpit even in mid-winter over enemy territory in one of
the slowest planes in the theater.
There seems to be a (well deserved) revival of interest in their
stories over the year. Examples from more recent years:
A New York Times short animated piece on Nadia Popova
(
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI3uwt8RU10)
And this Russian TV series ‘Night Swallows’
(
HTML https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGzY25TNHPCp3TFPpD69-FxUc6VrpPwy)
In IL-2 1946, the 4.13.3 update substantially enhanced
representation of this plane in the sim.
[font=calibri]Cheers,[/font]
#Post#: 9604--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: vonofterdingen Date: February 3, 2020, 11:23 pm
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Great material here, Ben. Thank you.
#Post#: 9607--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: Beowolff Date: February 4, 2020, 12:34 am
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Whoa howdy! ;D This is a good one, Von! ;)
I cut my teeth modding this plane into every conceivable mod
type...lol. Most of them not historical of course, but hey
back in the day we had a HUGE MOTHER shortage of bi-wing planes
so basically everybody was glad to get my mods. I even turned
them into WW1 types (the first to do so) and mounted Lewis Gun
and or Vickers atop the top wing...even made some Sopwith Tripe
frankens...lol. GREAT fun and it gave us a taste of WW1 flying
we all craved in those days.
I bet some of those old mods are still flying! haha!
Anyway, during all of this mod action I did a lot of research
naturally and found out quite a bit about it's history.
UNDERRATED? ---YOU BET! This old warhorse did yeoman service
in the war in virtually every role and it deserves MORE
recognition just as those wonderful lady Soviet pilots!
Thanks for doing this one and bringing back some good ole
memories! ;D ;D ;D
Beo
#Post#: 9609--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: JG51_Ruski Date: February 4, 2020, 3:58 am
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Excellent write up Von..You're giving me an education about
planes i normally wouldn't fly,,Thanks
#Post#: 9626--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Polikarpov Po-2/U-2
By: vonofterdingen Date: February 4, 2020, 5:37 pm
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Beo, I remember your WWI aircraft well. I was a little angry
when Deutschmark took his Canvass Knights material out of IL-2.
I thought he had mislead people into thinking he would be doing
a Dawn of Flight style addon. So to promote the WWI planes in
IL-2 (yours I think) I made 3 campaigns (English, German, and
Italian) for them. I have thought of redoing those but never
did.
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