FlyPast – August 2018

(John Hannent) #1

GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR TUPOLEV TU-2


285th Bomber Aviation Division
(BAD) – which was mainly
equipped with Pe-2s – the Tu-2s
seeing heavy action, normally
carrying FAB-500 and FAB-1000
high-explosive bombs.
From late 1942 and into
1943, Tu-2s attacked German
airfields, including Smolensk and
Zaporozhye, in occupied Ukraine.
Carried out at 1,300ft with FAB-
100 bombs, the strike on the latter
produced excellent results, with 18
enemy aircraft claimed as destroyed
on the ground.

An April 1943 report assessing
the combat experience of the Tu-2
from December 4, 1942 to January
4, 1943 revealed that Tu-2s flew 46
sorties on the Kalinin Front and 39
on the Southwestern Front. Of the
total, 23 were deemed unsuccessful
due to engine problems, bad
weather, bomb failures, aircrew
errors and other issues.
Nine Tupolevs were
lost or damaged: five
had crash-landed,
two were lost over
Soviet territory

and two failed to return. Five of the
aircraft were repaired and re-entered
service, so just four were ultimately
deemed irrecoverable.

REBORN TU-2S
The Tu-2 was generally well liked
by pilots and crew who found
it fast, robust, powerful and
capable. The main problem was
the unreliability of the

Above
Torpedo-carrying Tu-2S in
three-colour camoufl age.
Unusually for a Soviet
aircraft, it has no tactical
number. ALL MICHAL SEKULA

Below
The fi rst production ‘103V’
at GAZ.166, Omsk, Siberia,
in spring 1942. VIKTOR
KULIKOV COLLECTION


106 FLYPAST August 2018

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