The review will be quite challenging. It seems to me that night fighters were the strangest category of aircraft of the time.
It is worth starting with the fact that for the entire time of the war, one night fighter was purposefully created and produced in series. Purposefully - this means that it was created exactly as a night fighter, and nothing else. All his other colleagues are rework products.
The advanced and experts have already understood that we are talking about the "Black Widow" R-61, an aircraft that is very difficult both in appearance and in filling.
But about him at one time has already been told, so we will leave "Widow" to stand on the sidelines (joke, after all, he fought), and we will deal with comparisons in the TV series "OBM". And no need to plant No.219 here, it was not created as a "night light".
We will start rightly with the Luftwaffe night aviation. It was Germany's "night lights" that fought the fiercest battles. And from the very beginning of the war, because the day pilots very quickly explained to the British, who began to bomb German cities, who is the boss in the sky. Likewise, the British won the Battle of Britain quite normally. Parity was established by 1940.
In general, the British figured out that it was a little more convenient to turn German cities and their populations into dust at night. If only because you can easily navigate by the stars, and if you lost your way, you could dump bombs on the first town you came across. For the sake of fairness, the Germans acted in exactly the same way.
Night fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe were much smaller in number than daytime, but Kammhuber somehow managed to usurp and adapt all the technical advances in the field of radio electronics, radar, guidance systems and identification systems "friend or foe".
By the way, many understanding people believe that the level of training of pilots-"night-lights" was so high that "victorious" such as Hartman did not see anything there. This was the real elite of the Luftwaffe. Moreover, personal skill did not play a special role here, more important was teamwork with the locator operator, ground guidance stations and aircraft in the group.
Well, plus almost "blind" flights in the night sky, and even with combat episodes.
You can probably not say what the locators were at that time, and how accurate they were.
Radar "Würzburg-Gigant"
Nevertheless, all this progressive electronics did the best it could to cope with the assigned tasks for air defense, together with anti-aircraft batteries and searchlight fields, and … required night fighters!
What the Germans were able to accomplish can be called a small technological feat, because they coped with the release of night fighters.
So what properties should a normal night fighter have?
1. Speed. Even to the detriment of maneuverability, because a night fighter is unlikely to fight with colleagues. But to catch up with the bombers - yes.
2. Range / duration of flight.
3. Maximum protection ahead of bomber shooters fire.
4. Minimal protection of the rear hemisphere.
5. Space for tracking equipment.
In general, according to the documents, the Arado-68 was officially considered the first night fighter, but this completely outdated biplane armed with two machine guns was only suitable for training, nothing more.
So the first was all the same
Messerschmitt Bf.110
He possessed more or less decent speed, sufficient to catch up with the Blenheim or Wheatley, possessed sufficient armament, but with the detection of the 110, everything was sad. And only in 1942, in the 110th modification of G, they installed the Liechtenstein radar and added a third crew member - the radar operator.
In general, the designers of the Messerschmitt did a great job from the modifications C-1, C-2 and C-4, because in the modification G-4 / R-3 it was already a very serious adversary.
Model C had a crew of 2, flew at a speed of 510 km / h at 5000 m, the ceiling was 9600 m, the offensive armament consisted of two 20-mm cannons and four 7, 92-mm machine guns.
The Model G had a crew of 3, a speed at an altitude of 550 km / h, a ceiling of 11,000 m, a flight range of about 1,000 km, an offensive armament of 2 30mm cannons and two 20mm cannons. And radar, which increased the chances of detecting the enemy.
Realizing that a twin-engine plane with a locator was what they needed, the Germans dispersed in earnest. And there were night fighters converted from bombers.
Junkers Ju-88C-2
The first night Junkers was redesigned without too much stress. The nose was made all-metal, the nose compartment was separated from the pilot's by an 11-mm armor plate, which served not so much as protection, but as a support for attaching weapons. Well, they placed one 20-mm cannon and three 7, 92-mm machine guns in the nose.
The aircraft could still take up to 500 kg of bombs into the front bomb bay, but an additional fuel tank was placed in the rear compartment instead of bombs.
In general, it turned out to be slightly weaker in weapons than the Bf 110, but the converted bomber could fly much longer. Plus, field exhaust flame arrester kits were produced for the aircraft, making the Ju-88C-2 very difficult to detect.
By the way, the cunning Germans almost immediately began to draw glazing on the nose, just in case, so that the crews of enemy aircraft would mistake them for an ordinary bomber.
The maximum speed of the Ju-88C-2 was 488 km / h at an altitude of 5300 meters, a service ceiling of 9900 meters, and a flight range of 1980 km.
The latest creation of the Junkers from the 88 model was the Ju.88 G modification. The aircraft received new engines that accelerated it at an altitude of 640 km / h and made it possible to lift a rather impressive battery:
Forward: four MG-151/20 cannons with 200 rounds per barrel.
At an angle upward to the horizon: two MG-151/20 cannons with 200 rounds per barrel.
Back on the mobile unit: MG-131 machine gun with 500 rounds.
In general, the Ju.88 turned out to be a very good heavy fighter. The range of the bomber allowed the aircraft to meet the British far from guarded objects and successfully hit British and American bombers. Although the Americans stopped flying at night at the end of the war, their British allies continued to practice night raids.
The last time the massive use of Junkers night fighters took place on the night of March 4, 1945, in the framework of Operation Gisella, when 142 Ju.88G-1 and G-6 intercepted an armada of bombers over the sea and staged a uniform battle in the air. Despite the fact that British radars detected the approach of the Junkers and the British managed to raise the Mosquito fighters, the Germans shot down 35 four-engine Lancaster ships at the cost of 30 of their planes.
Dornier Do-17Z-7
With the Dornier everything was similar to the Junkers. Actually, why not? The same opaque nose cone, the same support armor plate with weapons mounted on it, the same 20 mm cannon and three 7, 92 mm machine guns. And the possibility of carrying bombs was also preserved, only in the Dornier, unlike the Ju.88, the bombs were left in the rear compartment, and the fuel tank was placed in the front.
The fighter's crew consisted of 3 people: a pilot, a radio operator-gunner and a flight engineer, who in the future is a radar operator. Until the radar was installed, the main duty of the flight engineer was conditional control of the engines and … changing the magazines at the gun.
The maximum speed of the Do-17Z was 410 km / h, the cruising speed was 300 km / h. Practical range 1160 km, service ceiling 8200 meters.
Born at the same time as the Junkers fighter, the Dornier virtually lost the competition and by 1942 was withdrawn from the night squadrons.
But this does not mean that Dornier dropped their hands. No, another bomber has begun to be remodeled there: the Do-217.
Dornier Do-217J
Work on converting the Do 217E-2 into a night fighter began in March 1941. The new aircraft received the designation Do 217J. It differed from the bomber only in its opaque pointed nose cone, inside which there were four 20-mm MG-FF cannons and four 7, 92-mm MG.17 machine guns. Defensive armament consisted of two 13-mm MG 131 machine guns, one of which was at the top in an electromechanical turret, and the other at the bottom in the usual redan for a bomber.
The aircraft, like its predecessor Do-17, retained bomb racks for eight 50-kg SC 50 bombs at the rear of the fuselage, and a 1,160-liter fuel tank was also placed in the front.
It immediately became clear that the plane had completely failed. The Do 217J was so overloaded that its top speed was 85 km / h lower than that of the original Do.217E bomber and was only 430 km / h.
Moreover, the fighter had no speed advantage over the British heavy bombers. True, the British pilots never flew at maximum speed in close combat formation.
Since at the beginning of the war, night fighters did not yet have an on-board radar and aircraft within the framework of the general air defense system, were aimed at the target by commands from the ground. Accordingly, a slow-moving fighter often simply did not have time to take a position for an attack.
It is not surprising that most of the Do.217J-1 night fighters ended up in training units by the end of 1942.
With the advent of the operational onboard radar FuG 202 "Lichtenstein" B / C, the following modification of the Do.217J-2 night fighter appeared.
It differed from its predecessor in the absence of an unnecessary bomb bay and the appearance of an onboard radar inside the aircraft.
It is clear that the shortcomings have remained the same. The Do.217J-2 was still the heaviest night fighter in the Luftwaffe, and was characterized by low speed and poor maneuverability.
But this was somewhat leveled by the presence of an onboard radar, which allowed the pilot to independently detect an enemy aircraft and prepare in advance for an attack.
The maximum speed of the Do.217J-2 was 465 km / h, the service ceiling was 9000 m, and the practical range was 2100 km.
Another attempt to redesign the Dornier bomber is worth noting. This is Do-215B. Actually, this is the same Do-17, but with DB-601A engines. Yes, the plane flew with them better than the original 17th, but it also did not show outstanding results, and therefore was released in a meager series.
Heinkel He.219
Paradox, but this wonderful machine was created as anything, but not as a night fighter. It was noticed that in those days it was a frequent occurrence, when alterations led to remarkable results. Here is the "Owl" - the best example of this, because it was developed as a reconnaissance aircraft, torpedo bomber, high-speed bomber, in general, as a universal aircraft.
The Heinkel designers have created a truly advanced machine, with such real "excesses" as a pressurized cockpit, nose wheel, catapults and remotely controlled defensive weapons. Therefore, in fact, the plane did not go into production until Kammhuber took it up and offered to convert it into a night fighter.
In 1940, Kammhuber submitted a memorandum to the Luftwaffe (read - Goering) command, in which he substantiated the creation of a more powerful fighter than the Messerschmitts in service. Kammhuber noted that the Bf.110s, effectively opposing the Whitleys, Hempdens and Wellingtons, are unlikely to be able to cope with the new British bombers Stirling, Halifax and Manchester once they appear in sufficient numbers.
It was very difficult to "push" the He.219 even for testing, but when, in 10 days of test flights in Holland, the He.219 shot down 26 British bombers, moreover 6 Mosquitoes, which were considered invulnerable before.
The He.219 proved to be easy to maintain, as all units were easily accessible from the outset. In the field, even large units were easily replaced, and six fighters were generally assembled from spare units by service personnel.
Unfortunately for the Germans, Heinkel was unable to build the He.219 in sufficient numbers. In total, 268 vehicles of all modifications were built, which is clearly not enough. And the car was pretty decent in all respects.
The maximum speed is 665 km / h, the practical range is 2000 km, the practical ceiling is 10300 m. Armament: 6 cannons (2 x 30 mm + 4 x 20 mm or 6 x 20 mm) and 1 machine gun 13 mm.
Messerschmitt Me-262V
What is the Me.262, we recently analyzed the whole world, so it remains only to add that they also tried to use it as a "night light". Even with the installed radar. However, it immediately became clear that the pilot was not able to pilot, shoot and stare at the radar screen. This is not modern youth for you.
So the first full-fledged interceptor team, the "Stamp team", was armed with the Me.262A-1 and was aimed at targets by teams from the ground.
Later, full-fledged Me.262V jet interceptors appeared, in which, instead of rear tanks (their absence was compensated for by suspended ones), by extending the cabin by 78 cm, they organized a place for the gunner operator.
The electronic armament consisted of a FuG 218 Neptune radar and a FuG 350 ZC Naxos direction finder. The standard armament consisted of two 30 mm cannons.
Until the end of the war, the Germans managed to create only one air group of night interceptors on the Me.262a-1 / U-1, respectively, there is no talk of any significant achievements.
And ending the review of German night fighters, it is worth mentioning one more "owl", but from a different company.
Fw. 189 Behelfsnachtjoger
In general, it turned out that there were two "owls" on different fronts: No. 219 and FW.189.
We are considering a special night fighter developed by Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG for a highly specialized mission on the Eastern Front. Let me emphasize - ONE task.
The task was at least some intelligible opposition to the armada of Po-2 "sewing machines", which really did chaos at night on the front line of the German defense, and the headquarters received regular greetings.
The use of the Ju.88C and Bf.110G night fighters, which were then in service, turned out to be ineffective. And the Messerschmitt, and even more so, the Junkers did not have sufficient maneuverability at low altitudes, at which the Po-2 was usually used. In addition, both aircraft were too fast for this. The Germans even tried to use the already mentioned biplanes "Arado-68", but nothing good came of this either.
And then they decided to use the "frame". Moreover, by the summer of 1944 it became impossible to use the plane. The 189th won such a tender "love" from the entire Soviet army that it was a matter of honor and further respect to shoot it down despite the cover.
So from the beginning of 1944, the serial FW.189A-1 began to be equipped with the FuG.212C-1 Liechtenstein radar with a conventional antenna group in the bow of the crew nacelle, which made it impossible to deploy any effective fighter weapons there.
For air combat, the upper pivot mount with a 7, 92 mm MG.15 machine gun or with a coaxial 7, 92 mm MG.81Z machine gun was dismantled, and instead of it a rigidly fixed 20 mm MG.151 / 20 cannon was installed.
Sometimes even a 20-mm cannon was considered too powerful a weapon to deal with Po-2 plywood-percale biplanes, and its analogue MG.151 / 15 with 15-mm caliber was installed on the "Owl". To ensure blackout, flame arrester filters were mounted on the engine exhaust pipes.
With these three modifications, the conversion of the reconnaissance aircraft into a night fighter ended. The aircraft was named FW.189 Behelfsnachtjoger - "Night Assistant Fighter".
Thus, about 50 aircraft were converted. There were no documented successes in their work, I would assume that they were near-zero, because it was unrealistic to detect the M-11 motor in space with a locator of that time. And there were no more metal parts there.
Another plus in the karma of a small airplane, which made them recognize themselves as equal to real bombers. Agree, it's one thing to develop a night fighter for the sake of the huge Lancaster, and completely different things to do at least something with the Po-2.
This is where the first part of the story ends. It would be possible to add Ta-154 from Focke-Wulf to this company, but the whole history of this aircraft was more than sad, and it was produced in less than 50 pieces. But the main thing is that the plane could not provide decent resistance to the British fighters.
But in general, despite a certain general mess and misunderstanding of the essence of the problem, the Germans did a tremendous amount of work to create and produce night fighters. Especially Junkers and Heinkel. Another question is that the small number of "night lights" could not prevent the British from making night raids on Germany. Well, what happened after 1944, everyone already knows. The need for night fighters has virtually disappeared.
In the next part we will talk about those who fought on the other side of the front, and then we will deal with comparisons and identifying the best.
