07-08-2011 MIKROLOTNICTWO - 01 - WRZESIEŃ 1939 (I)

The PZL-37A / B Łoś is a Polish, two-engine low-wing bomber with a full metal structure, with a retractable landing gear. The flight of the prototype took place in December 1936, and serial production continued in 1937-1939. The PZL-37 was the most modern Polish military aircraft built before World War II and the world's first serial aircraft with a laminar wing profile. As a result, it developed a speed in excess of 400 km / h. The plane was among the world's top bombers at the end of the 1930s. By September 1939, 96 Elks had been built, 9 of which were crushed. 40 fought in the Bomb Brigade, while 37 were in the training squadron and in the Aviation Cadet School, and 5 in trials and 5 in repairs. The elk of the Bomb Brigade was fought by the German armored units near Radomsko, Pułtusk and Różan. 23 Łosie were evacuated to Romania, 2 landed in the USSR, 2 were captured by the Germans, and 60 were destroyed. The Romanian air force commandeered Łosie. Romanian characters and numbers from 201 to 220 were painted on them. They were used by Romania, which fought on the side of Germany with the Soviet Union, among others for the bombing of Odessa. Technical data (version B): length: 12.92 m, wingspan: 17.93 m, height: 4.25 m, maximum speed: 412 km / h, practical ceiling: 9250 m, maximum range: 1500 km, armament: fixed - 3 machine guns wz.37 7.92mm caliber, suspended - up to 2580 kg of bombs.The Polikarpov I-16 is a Soviet, single-engine low-wing fighter in a mixed design with a classic tail. The prototype's flight took place in 1933. The I-16 turned out to be one of the most modern fighters of that period. It had retractable wheels, modern wing geometry and the ability to change the "turn" of the propeller. At the same time, however, due to its short hull, it was very difficult to pilot and required a lot of attention from the pilot. I-16 had its baptism of fire during the Spanish Civil War, where about 500 units were delivered to the republican troops. The plane surprised the Frankists with its incredible maneuverability, firepower and speed of climb. In 1939, the I-16s was sent to China, which was fighting against Japan, and there it surprised its opponents again. Initially, the M-22 engine was used as a power unit, but on subsequent versions it was replaced with other power units, min. M-25 or M-63. The I-16 remained in the line on the Eastern Front until 1942, serving as not only a fighter, but also an attack aircraft. Technical data (version I-16 Type 24): length: 6.13m, wingspan: 9m, height: 3.25m, maximum speed: 525km / h, rate of climb: 14.7m / s, practical ceiling: 9700m, range maximum: 700km, armament: fixed - two 7.62mm SzKAS machine guns and two 20mm ShWAK cannons, suspended - up to 500 kg of bombs.The Messerschmitt Bf-109 is a German metal-structure single-engine fighter in a low wing configuration with a classic tail. It turned out to be the basic and most produced Luftwaffe fighter during World War II. The flight of the prototype took place on May 29, 1935, and serial production continued in the years 1936-1945. In total, it is estimated that a total of about 35,000 Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters of all varieties were produced, many of which ended up in the Czech and Israeli air forces after the war. The roots of the Bf-109 go back to the competition announced in 1933 by the Luftwaffe for a new fighter plane. In competition with the He-112, the Bf-109 project initially lost, but thanks to Willie Messerschmitt's intrigues, the project could continue and eventually he was the winner of the competition, becoming the Luftwaffe's primary fighter. Several main variants of the Bf-109 were developed in the course of production. The first pre-production series was the Bf-109B (Berta) with different versions of the Junkers Jumo 210 (A or Da) engine. They were tested in Spain from 1937 during the Civil War. The next version is the Bf-109C (Caesar). They had a different engine than the B version, and extensive armament consisting of two 20mm and 2 HP 7.92mm cannons. These machines also fought in the skies of Spain. The third version is the Bf-109D (Dora) with the Junkers Jumo 210 Da or Daimler-Benz DB 600 engine. It fought in the September campaign, but at the turn of 1939/1940 it was replaced by the E version. The most famous model was the Bf-109E (Emil) with a Daimler-Benz 601A or N engine. It was the first to use a three-blade, not a two-blade propeller. Bf-109E fought in the French campaign, over England, and in North Africa and on the Eastern Front. The ace who started his career on the Bf-109E was the famous Adolf Galland. The next version is the Bf-109F (Friedrich), which, according to the German pilots, was the most aerodynamically perfect. It sowed the changed shape of the fuselage, wings, cabin fairings, but no new engine was used. It was put into service at the turn of 1940/1941. As part of the development of the design, further Bf-109 specifications were developed, of which the G (Gustav) version was produced in the largest number of copies. The most important change increasing the machine's performance was the installation of a new 12-cylinder Daimler-Benz DB605A engine with 1475HP. The armament of the Bf-109G was a pair of 13mm machine guns located in the fuselage in front of the cockpit fairing, and the MG151 20mm or heavier MK108 30mm cannon. The last mass-produced version was the Bf-109K (Kurfirst), which production started in October 1944. A Daimler-Benz DB 605DB or DC unit was used as the engine. The Bf-109K was the fastest version produced during World War II, reaching up to 730 km / h. Apart from that, two versions were created - H and Z, but they were rather experimental versions and their mass production did not start. Subsequent improvements in propulsion and armament made the Messerschmitt Bf-109 one of the most dangerous fighters of World War II, and at the same time showed the great potential of the slightly angular airframe created by Willi Messerschmitt. Technical data (version Bf-109 G-6): length: 8.95 m, wingspan: 9.92 m, height: 2.6 m, maximum speed: 640 km / h, rate of climb: 17 m / s, maximum range: 850 km, maximum ceiling 12000m, armament: fixed - 2 MG131 13mm machine guns and 1 MG151 20mm cannon, suspended - 250 kg bombs, or 2 Wfr missile launchers. Gr. 21.