Recent content by stasoid

Never heard of a stiffer resistance in the south, except for a couple of strongholds like Odessa and Sevastopol, other then that, AGS with support of some less motivated romanian troops went through Ukraine like a knife through butter. Kiev was taken in September. That's almost a 1000km east to...

50 caliber on P-47 vs 7.7mm on Hurricane. P-47 was famous with its exceptionally rugged airframe + it had a radial engine vs liquid cooling on H. With over a 1000 kilos of bombs and 10 rockets P-47 can be compared to Il-2 rather Hurricane.

My point is that personal likes and dislikes dont always correlate with technical specs of an aircrafts. It sound like Hurricane's reputation on Eastern Front wasnt as good as it was on other theaters. On the other hand P-39 (see the title of this thread "Brits loved the P-39" :D) first 200...

Il-2's engine had armour protection underneath it. A Hurricane flying at the same altitude as Il-2 could be knocked out by a single bullet from a hand gun. Il-2 could withstand up to 200 hits I-16 could afford loosing up to two of its cylinders (top ones) and still be able to return home.

Yes, I read about this too. Russians installed two ShVAK cannons in each wing. Brits didnt like this idea of Russians altering the original design though.

Was it a good fighter then? Or we're talking about its ground attack capabilities? A liquid cooling engine, no armour... still sounds like a suicide mission.

define mid-war please By mid 1942 there was no Hurricanes left in Russia. Hurricane in Russia was at times compared to Sturmovik for its size, weight and low speed and maneuverability, but it had no armour and no weapon compare to Il-2.

Those supplied through Murmansk and operating mostly in northern Russia had either eight or twelve wingmount 7.7mm machineguns. They were most likely IIA and IIB models. The Soviets made some attemts to re-equip them with cannons with not much success. Never heard of them having rocket...

A ground attack plane needs a cannon. Hurricane had some rifle calibre machineguns. For ground attack Russians had Lagg-3s and I-16s with cannons and rocket launchers. What they needed in 1941 is a good fighter plane. Pilots didnt like Hurricane. Government didnt listen. P-40s and P-39s on the...

This could be subjective but I'm hearing this all the time: two worst fighters on the East were Lagg-3 and Hurricane. I-16 was obsolete in 41' 42', true, but it earned its good reputation earlier in Spanish Civil War and Battle of Khalkin-Gol. I-15s were used mostly as groung attack ac in...

Lagg-3's reputation was similar to the Hurricane's.

In 42' they were happy to get anything available, except maybe for the Harricanes that they often called "flying coffin".

Sorry michaelmaltby, I'm not sure I got what you're saying. Can you elaborate on Finland's gains? Its political system hasnt been changed, neutral status maintained, technological breakthoughs somewhere in 80's (40 years after the war), no territorial gains... what else? High living standards...

USA benefited the most. Politically, militarily, economicaly. Japan, Germany, USSR. Then smaller eastern earopean countries like Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, some of which almost doubled their territories due to pre- post- WW2 events, and eventually gained independence. Finland? I dont see...

When this contract was signed in 1926, Germany was a democracy. Hitler and his gang was nothing but a bunch of hooligans back then. Noone could predict they would come to power. Goering was thrown in jail. Russia was a country of pesants, most of whom couldnt read and write. Germany was a...