Chapter 114 The Black Death Strikes

In medieval Europe, the Black Death was definitely the most terrifying and fearful word for people across the European continent, without a doubt.

The killings caused by this terrible plague that swept across Europe and killed a total of 25 million people far exceeded the cost of any war in European history. Its far-reaching impact is still vivid in memorial sites across Europe even in the 21st century.

When German soldiers in World War II used the name of the Black Death, which was almost directly linked to the god of death, to describe a Soviet weapon, the terrible lethality of these Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft that roared down from the clouds to the German positions on the ground can naturally be imagined.

The fact that the German soldiers, who were famous for their explosive combat power, were horrified to call it the "Black Death (Schwarzer Tod in German)", the excellent performance and powerful power of the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft can be seen from this.

The Mikulin AM-38 12-cylinder inline water-cooled engine equipped in the nose engine compartment of the Il-2 attack aircraft has extremely amazing surging power. At the maximum output power, it can output a powerful thrust of up to 1,600 horsepower for the entire fighter, far exceeding the JU87B-2 Stuka dive bomber equipped by the German Air Force at the same time.

The powerful engine horsepower and wide double-sided wings give the Il-2 attack aircraft extremely powerful weapon mounting capabilities.

Under the maximum combat mounting, the Il-2 attack aircraft performing ground attack missions can carry 8 RBS-132 air-launched ground rockets plus 4 110 kg aerial bombs at a time.

As early as the Nomonhan Battle against Japan, the Soviet Army, which had successfully tested the new weapon of air-launched ground rockets on the Japanese army, can be said to be at the forefront of rocket development. In 1941, the Soviet Army's land-based Katyusha and air-launched ground rocket technology were mature and reliable and put into actual combat.

The RBS-132 air-to-ground rocket, which weighs 51 kilograms per round, can reach a flight speed of 330 meters per second. The 35 kilograms of TNT explosives in its warhead make it quite destructive to ground units.

In many cases, Soviet pilots driving Il-2 ground attack aircraft like to use this air-to-ground rocket to launch sweep raids on German ground armored units.

Although the warhead charge of the RBS-132 rocket is only 35 kilograms of TNT equivalent, it is less powerful than the German divisional 105mm towed howitzer high-explosive shells.

However, since the Il-2 attack aircraft often dives at a 45-degree or even 60-degree attack angle towards the German tanks, the RBS-132 rockets it fired almost all hit the most vulnerable parts of the German tanks, including the hull and turret dome.

The armored dome of the German tanks was so fragile that only a dozen or twenty millimeters of homogeneous steel armor was used for protection. Whether it was the Type 3 or Type 4, it could not withstand such a fierce attack. The RBS-132 rockets that dived straight down at a firing speed of 330 meters per second could even blow the turrets of the German tanks directly off like opening champagne.

The power of the four 110 kg aerial bombs, which were also mounted on the wings, is naturally needless to say. The effective killing radius against non-armored and unprotected soft targets can reach 100 meters. Only one bomb can instantly destroy a squad or even a platoon of unsheltered infantry.

In addition, the wide wings of the Il-2 attack aircraft also have two 20 mm Schwarz cannons and two 62 mm Schkas machine guns. Even if all the mounted weapons are exhausted, it can still guarantee effective killing firepower against ground infantry and lightly armored targets, further increasing its battlefield sustained combat capability.

With powerful firepower and surging horsepower output, the "desperate" Soviet aircraft designers are not done yet. The most praised feature of the Il-2 attack aircraft is not its attack firepower and horsepower output, but its extremely abnormal armor protection among fighters, as its nickname "flying tank" suggests.

As the core of the entire fighter, the entire nose engine compartment of the Il-2 attack aircraft is completely wrapped tightly with 4mm steel armor plates. In order to cause serious damage to the engine of the Il-2 attack aircraft, it is necessary to penetrate this 4mm steel armor plate first, which is undoubtedly a difficult task for most small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery fragments and anti-aircraft machine gun barrages.

The cockpit position extending backward from the nose engine compartment is also completely wrapped and protected by a heavier 6mm steel armor plate in a bathtub U shape. The protective steel plate at the back of the pilot's seat is 12 mm thick, and the bulletproof glass at the front of the cockpit that provides a good view of the flight attack is also 64 mm thick. It is not an exaggeration to describe the Il-2 pilot as "flying a plane in an armored vehicle."

When the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft, which has both firepower protection and excellent maneuverability among attack aircraft, was officially put into the battlefield, the German army, which had never seen this terrible flying monster, was shocked by its powerful ground attack firepower and extremely abnormal defense performance. Nicknames such as "Iron Gustav", "Flying T34" and "Black Death" immediately came from the mouths of the terrified German army.

The Soviet fighter aviation unit, which suffered heavy losses, finally won the temporary victory in the regional air supremacy. As soon as the 16 Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft that took off from the rear airport in the second wave arrived over the battlefield, they saw the German aircraft group retreating in panic.

The Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft pilots, who saw this scene, naturally need not say much. The Il-2 attack aircraft group, which was loaded with various "dry food" prepared for the German ground forces under the wings, immediately dived towards the second line of defense of the Great German Infantry Regiment.

"Oh, damn! It's the Russian flying T34! Get out of the way! Don't gather together! Get out of the way! Hurry up!"

The RBS-132 rockets with cold light flashing under the wings immediately sprayed towards the target with long tail flames amid the exclamations of the German position commander.

The effect of rockets designed to deal with ground armored targets and steel-concrete fortifications on infantry can be imagined. After the first wave of salvos, the rockets that hit the German positions accurately at a launch distance of 600 meters turned into a sea of ​​​​hot fire almost at the same time.

Compared with the Katyusha rocket launcher, the RBS rockets, which are slightly inferior but still powerful, immediately caused great damage to the German positions. Under the terrible roar and whistle of the Il-2 attack aircraft, most of the terrified German soldiers who had nowhere to escape were blown into pieces of limbs and flesh. A small number of German soldiers who were not killed on the spot were either lingering, struggling to crawl, or flying to the ground and unconscious.

After completing a wave of ground attacks at a dive angle of 30 degrees, the Il-2 attack aircraft group immediately roared over the German positions and climbed again. The remaining rockets and aerial bombs that had not yet been launched were shining coldly against the sun's glory.

For the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment, which was struggling to defend its position, the horrific nightmare of struggling with the Black Death had just begun.