Best tank killer aircraft of WW2

Anonymous · Feb 23, 2004

STuka no doubt

bronzewhaler82 · Feb 23, 2004

The Stuka was only armed with a few cannons (unless i'm mistaken ) - the Russian IL2 had bombs, rockets AND cannons, plus as stated earlier, they could take an amazing amount of flak...as i recall Stukas are notoriously easy to shoot down. 8)

Plus as a footnote, not many Stukas were used for this role - surely if they were the best tankbusters this would not be the case?

Anonymous · Feb 23, 2004

Il 2 with 2 37mm was not the norm, only a few were built.
They had 50 rpg and a reduced bombload.
Most had 2 23mm and up to 600 kg bombs and rockets.

Il10 was an improved version that entered service in 1945 I think.

The pony was never equipped as a tank buster as far as I know.
Strafing could send fragments that could damage the radiator.
Clearly not a good choice.

Hs129 could barely fly on 2 engines. It was clearly underpowered.

Th 37mm on the Ju87G was an amazing AT weapon.
But it was more vulnerable then the Il2.

Crazy · Feb 23, 2004

Brings an old argument back to mind. Apparently to attack German tanks on the ground, 'Stang pilots would aim at the ground beneath them, and bounce the bullets up into the unprotected bellies. Like you said, not a very good choice....

It seems to me that early Ju-87 models were equipped with only light guns. Several later versions, however, had big-ass mounted cannon (not sure what caliber?) under the wings. Very effective AT weapon

GermansRGeniuses · Feb 23, 2004

37mm cannon to be exact

kiwimac · Feb 24, 2004

HS-129 with the 70mm cannon.

Gotta be good for you!

Kiwimac[/img]

AVRO · Feb 24, 2004

The chance that a bouncing bullet will go through the underside of a tank at the angle it will hit is ridiculously small.
Especially after it as lost energy from the bounce.
You probably have more chance of winning the lottery.

Hs129 used 1 75mm or 2 37mm Flak 18 like the Ju87G I think.
But that plane was really hard to maneuver because of it's lack of power.
2 engines was more a necessity then an advantage for this plane.

Andrew · Feb 24, 2004

Not forgetting the Mosquito Tsetse , with it's 6 Pounder 57mm Field Gun under the nose , plus 4 X .303 Brownings for aiming said field gun , and capable of carrying 8 Rockets or Long Range fuel tanks , although it was mostly used for U Boat busting .

Andrew

the lancaster kicks ass · Feb 24, 2004

the mosquito was used for almost everything m8!!

cheddar cheese · Feb 24, 2004

did it help in the construction of the transcontinental railway?

kiwimac · Feb 24, 2004

cheddar cheese · Feb 24, 2004

why do you laugh at me!? im being serious 8)

the lancaster kicks ass · Feb 24, 2004

you, serious, na!

Anonymous · Feb 24, 2004

Hi guys!
Sure IL-2 was the best. The more so mass produced.
I could send couple of pics of it but don't know how...

the lancaster kicks ass · Feb 24, 2004

well, that plane's close enough

kiwimac · Feb 25, 2004

Always liked Eric Hartmann's description of how to shoot down an IL-2

"Fly beneath it, even if it is at 0 feet or so, see that small square under the wings, shoot the hell out of it and then run away before his friends get annoyed." (Or words to that effect )

Kiwimac

kiwimac · Feb 25, 2004

More on the Henschel HS 129

Type: Close Support and ground attack aircraft
Origin: Henschel Flugwerke AG
Crew: One
Models: A B
First Flight
Hs 129V-1: Early 1939
Hs 129B: October 1941
Service Delivery:
Hs 129A-0: Early 1941
Hs 129B: Late 1942
Final Delivery: N/A
Number Produced: 841 B-Series (879 total)

Engine:
Hs 129S Series:
Model: Argus As 410A-1
Type: Ari-Cooled inverted V12
Number: Two Horsepower: 495 hp

Hs 129B Series:
Model: Gnome-Rhône 14M 04/05
Type: 14-Cylinder two-row radials
Number: Two Horsepower: 690 hp

Dimensions:
Wing span: 46 ft. 7 in.(14.2m)
Length: 31 ft. 11¾ in. (9.75m)
Height: 10 ft. 8 in. (3.25m)
Wing Surface Area: 312.16 Sq. Ft. (29.00²)

Weights: Hs 129B-1, Typical
Empty: 8,940 lb. (4060 kg)
Loaded: 11,265 lb. (5110 kg)

Performance: Hs 129B-1, Typical
Maximum Speed: 253 mph (408 km/h)
Initial Climb: 1,390 ft/min (425 m/min)
Service Ceiling: 29,530 ft. (9000m)
Range: 547 miles (880km)
Armament:
Hs 129B-1/R1 Hs 129B-1/R-4:
Two 7.92mm MG 17 Machine Guns in nose.
Two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon in nose.

Hs 129B-1/R2:
Two 7.92mm MG 17 Machine Guns in nose.
Two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon in nose.
One 30mm Mk 101 cannon mounted under fuselage.

Hs 129B-1/R3:
Two 7.92mm MG 17 Machine Guns in nose.
Two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon in nose.
Four 7.92mm MG 17 Machine Guns in ventral box.

Hs 129B-2 Series:
Two 13mm MG 131 Machine Guns in nose.
Two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon in nose.
Various weapons were fitted inclusding 37mm BK 3.7 and 75mm BK 7.5. An interesting weapon was a battery of six 75mm smoothbore recoiless rifles that fired downwards and to the rear. This system was fired by an automatic magnetic trigger that fired when the aircraft flew over metal objects. This system was reported to be quite successful.

Payload:
Hs 129B-1/R1:
Fuselage racks for two 110 lb. or 48 fragmentation bombs.

Hs 129B-1/R4:
Fuselage racks for up to 551 lb. of bombs.

Source: http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/hs129.html

SIX 75mm Guns, OMG!

Kiwimac

cheddar cheese · Feb 25, 2004

you, serious, na

im always serious, not a dishonest bone in me 8)

the lancaster kicks ass · Feb 25, 2004

cheddar cheese · Feb 26, 2004

now what have i told you about using that look with me.... 8)

Best tank killer aircraft of WW2

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