The Allies had air supremacy (which is much more then just air superiority) and during daylight hours they could attack any target at will, with the single proviso of avoiding very nasty concentrated Flak guns. If there was any campaign in WWII where conditions were perfect for airpower to demonstrate its ability to kill armour, it was in Normandy in the summer of 1944. The most successful of these were radio controlled anti-shipping missiles. Why Were Tanks Such Difficult Targets for Aircraft During WWII? (1) The only air launched guided weapons in WWII of any significance were German. Kursk 43: the Soviet Air Force’s (VVS) Story Normandy 1944: the RAF’s and USAF’s Story The following examples illustrate this occurrence, and are classic examples of how WWII stories and claims have found there way into the history books. These claims were almost never ratified by corresponding after action ground reports from either the defending or attacking side’s ground forces. This is despite the very exaggerated claims made by aircrew and much immediate post-war aircraft literature on the effects of air attacks on hard (i.e. However WWII was an age where there were very few guided weapons and aircraft had great difficulty hitting small targets, especially if they were well protected.(1) In fact all the so called ‘tank-busters’ proved relatively ineffective against armoured ground targets (AFVs) or even small, defensively deployed, ground targets. In some cases, authors go so far as to claim an aircraft type was the ‘best antidote’ to certain tank types, eg the Tiger I tank’s nemesis in Normandy was apparently the rocket firing Typhoon.ĭid this really happen? Today, many people think about the capabilities of modern combat aircraft when thinking about a WWII aircraft’s ‘tank busting’ ability.
All these aircraft have the distinction of being called ‘tank-busters’ and all have the reputation for being able to easily destroy any type of tank in WWII. These accounts are particularly common in literature relating to later war ground attack aircraft, most commonly the Soviet Ilyushin II, the British Hawker Typhoon, the American Republic P-47, and the German Henschel Hs 129. There are many stories about dozens or even hundreds of enemy tanks being destroyed in a single day, thereby destroying or blunting an enemy armoured offensive. The engine finally seized up, and Emelianenko released the robust landing gear and came roaring down on the rocky soil at more than 60 miles per hour.Modern literature on WWII is replete with accounts of devastating air strikes on tank units. The pilot skimmed the terrain, and every spin of the propeller pulled him ever closer to the safety of the Soviet lines. The experienced pilot knew he had five minutes at best before the engine seized as he frantically maneuvered toward the safety of the Soviet lines. The oil pressure plummeted toward zero, and the water temperature soared. His wingmen dropped their granular phosphorous, which spread the flames that roared even higher into the sky.Įmelianenko worked desperately to pull his plane above the wall of tall pines located beyond the airfield, but the plane was hit in the engine. Emelianenko’s machine guns then erupted, and the bombers caught fire. He worked swiftly, straightening the plane and firing a salvo of rockets into the parked enemy aircraft. Emelianenko had lowered the nose of his plane for the attack when he heard a deafening sound and the craft jolted suddenly as a large hole burst open in his right wing. The Il-2 planes banked slightly to rise above the hill to their front, and the ground gave way as they spotted two rows of German bombers lined up neatly on the airfield ahead. Vasily Emelianenko led an Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, or “Storm Bird,” flight in late June 1942 against a German-held airfield near Artemovsk in eastern Ukraine, flying low up a deep ravine to avoid detection.
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