Interview with HSU Sturmovik pilot Alexei Batievskii

[KG26_Alpha]

I had to read it twice to digest it all.

Very interesting opinion he has regarding the Pe-2

>>

— What did you fly there?

In Mozdok, before the war ended, I flew sturmovik over Chechnya. When I was at the courses I flew torpedo bomber.


— What type?

Tu-2. It was a good plane, excellent one, but it came too late. If it would come one or two years earlier, the war might have ended several months sooner, because it was a mighty plane. Pe-2 was an absolute junk. It was created under impressions gained after the Germans started to dive at London and bombed precisely. And we hastily built this Pe-2 machine.
It had an ability to dive, but its bomb load was just 1000 kilograms. It dove rather poorly. It had two engines but no ability to fly on one engine. If one engine failed it couldn’t fly straight, it went with a descent. What kind of a plane is that? Two engine airplanes must have an ability to fly horizontally on one engine.
Our sturmovik Il-2 with a 1600 hp engine could lift 600 kilograms of bombs in overload.



— By the way, did you hang RSs when you took 600 kilograms of bombs?

Of course. Overload — 6 bombs and all the same. RSs and VYa 23mm cannons, 300 rounds per cannon, machine guns, 1500 rounds per barrel. Gunner also had large caliber machine gun with ammunition.
Pe-2 was an unsuccessful plane. Tu-2 had lower speed than dive bomber, but 2500 kilograms of bombs. And it had longer range. It was a great plane, it could fly on one engine.
But it came late, too late... There were not enough engines. This plane was designed by Tupolev in prison.

[zapatista]

good read, thx for posting it !

[swiss]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

This plane was designed by Tupolev in prison.

LOL

Which Soviet airplane was NOT designed in Prison?

[FPSOlkor]

Originally Posted by swiss

LOL

Which Soviet airplane was NOT designed in Prison?

Could you specify your question so I could answer correctly?

[rakinroll]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

I had to read it twice to digest it all.

Very interesting opinion he has regarding the Pe-2

>>

— What did you fly there?

In Mozdok, before the war ended, I flew sturmovik over Chechnya. When I was at the courses I flew torpedo bomber.


— What type?

Tu-2. It was a good plane, excellent one, but it came too late. If it would come one or two years earlier, the war might have ended several months sooner, because it was a mighty plane. Pe-2 was an absolute junk. It was created under impressions gained after the Germans started to dive at London and bombed precisely. And we hastily built this Pe-2 machine.
It had an ability to dive, but its bomb load was just 1000 kilograms. It dove rather poorly. It had two engines but no ability to fly on one engine. If one engine failed it couldn’t fly straight, it went with a descent. What kind of a plane is that? Two engine airplanes must have an ability to fly horizontally on one engine.
Our sturmovik Il-2 with a 1600 hp engine could lift 600 kilograms of bombs in overload.



— By the way, did you hang RSs when you took 600 kilograms of bombs?

Of course. Overload — 6 bombs and all the same. RSs and VYa 23mm cannons, 300 rounds per cannon, machine guns, 1500 rounds per barrel. Gunner also had large caliber machine gun with ammunition.
Pe-2 was an unsuccessful plane. Tu-2 had lower speed than dive bomber, but 2500 kilograms of bombs. And it had longer range. It was a great plane, it could fly on one engine.
But it came late, too late... There were not enough engines. This plane was designed by Tupolev in prison.

I hope il2 plane modellers did not read that kind of russian pilot memories. Otherwise, we are trying to fly in a suspicious software...

[Flanker35M]

S!

Rakinroll, what do you mean? A VVS pilot, even a decorated Hero of the Soviet Union, gives critics to Russian designs and that should be neglected? How about an aircraft mechanic one of squad member knew..this guy had been an IL-2 mechanic during war and said the engine on it was crap. After a few flights it was a heap of scrap and needed to be changed. But usually the plane was just put aside as at that point production kept up more than enough with losses etc.

Memoirs can be used to supplement other data, not as factual data. Can be quite interesting at times to see how they differ or match. There are not many Russian pilot memoirs translated floating around, so very interesting to read them.