Polikarpov Po-2
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The Polikarpov U-2 or Po-2 served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik (Russian: Кукурузник, from Russian "kukuruza" (кукуруза) for maize).[1] The reliable, uncomplicated and forgiving aircraft, powered by a 99 hp (74 kW) Shvetsov air-cooled radial engine, first flew in January 1928. Initially the Po-2 (it did not take this name until 1944) served as a trainer and crop-duster.
Although entirely outclassed by contemporary aircraft, the Kukuruznik served extensively on the Eastern Front in World War II as a light ground attack and general supply aircraft. German Wehrmacht troops nicknamed the craft the Nähmaschine (sewing machine) for its rattling sound. Its low cost and easy maintenance led to a production run of over 40,000, and manufacturing of the model continued into the 1950s.
The U-2 became famous as the plane used by the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, composed of all-women pilots and ground crew. The unit became notorious for its daring low-altitude night raids on German rear-area positions, veteran pilots Katya Ryabova and Nadya Popova on one occasion flying 18 such missions in a single night. The material effects of these missions was mostly insignificant, but the psychological effect on German troops was much more noticeable. They typically attacked by complete surprise in the dead of night, denying German troops sleep and keeping them constantly on their guard, contributing yet further to the already exceptionally high stress of combat on the Eastern front. It is also likely that further demoralization occurred due to the pilots being female, and causing significant but mostly intangible losses. As such, they earned the nickname Night Witches (German Nachthexen, Russian Ночные Ведьмы). The unit earned numerous Hero of the Soviet Union and dozens of Order of the Red Banner medals; most surviving pilots had flown nearly 1000 combat missions at the end of the war and had taken part in the Battle of Berlin (1945). Their usual tactics involved flying only a few meters above the ground, rising for the final approach, cutting off the engine and making a gliding bombing run, leaving the targeted troops with only the eerie whistling of the wind in the wings' bracing-wires as an indication of the impending attack. Luftwaffe fighters found it extremely hard to shoot down the Kukuruznik, because the stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 exceeded the Soviet craft's maximum speed.
North Korean forces used the Po-2 in a similar role in the Korean War (1950 - 1953). UN forces named it Bedcheck Charlie and had great difficulty in shooting it down - even though night fighters had radar as standard equipment in the 1950s, the wood-and-fabric-construction of the Po-2 gave only a minimal radar echo, making it hard for a hostile fighter pilot to acquire his target.
The Po-2 is featured as the U-2 in the Harry Turtledove alternate history series Worldwar, as one of the few examples of human machinery that has managed to evade destruction from a technologically superior invading alien force.
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[edit] Variants and design stages
- U-2 Prototype: Built as a two-seat primary trainer.
- U-2 Series Model: Built in large numbers and in many different versions. Both as civil and military aircraft. The U-2 also includes light transport, utility, reconnaissance and training aircraft. Power plants included the M-11 radial piston engine of 100 hp (75 kW). Later models were also equipped with uprated M-11 engines of 150 hp (110 kW). Some aircraft were fitted with a canopy over cockpits or cabin, other were fitted with sledges or floats.
- U-2P: Floatplane version, built only in limited numbers.
- U-2S: Air ambulance version, with two litters that could be fitted inside or over the wings. (Including Polish versions, manufactured under license after the war).
- U-2ShS: Staff liaison version.
- U-2SP: Post-war civil transport version, it could carry up to two to four passengers respectively. Other roles included aerial survey, and aerial photography.
- U-2VS: Soviet Air Force version. Armed with one 7.62 mm (0.303-inch) ShKAS machine gun, plus up to 250 kg of bombs or rockets under the wings for land support.
- U-2NAK: Two-seat artillery observation and reconnaissance version.
Similar version for night support use.
- -(Total U-2 manufacture: 33,000)
- CSS-13: Polish version, built in Poland after World War II.
- CSS-S-13: Polish ambulance version, built in Poland after World War II.
- E-23: Research version, built in the Soviet Union in 1934, for research into inverted flight.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Civil Operators
[edit] Military Operators
- Albania (post-war)
- China (post-war only)
- Finland (World War II only)
- Germany (World War II only)
- East Germany (post-war)
- North Korea (post-war only)
- Poland (post-war only)
- Romania (World War II only)
- Soviet Union
- Yugoslavia
[edit] Specifications (U-2)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2, student and instructor
- Length: 8.70 m (28 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 11.40 m (37 ft 5 in)
- Height: 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 33.2 m² (357 ft²)
- Empty weight: 770 kg (1,700 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,350 kg (2,980 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Shvetsov M-11D radial engine, 86 kW (115 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 152 km/h (82 kt, 95 mph)
- Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
- Rate of climb: 2.78 m/s (546 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 41 kg/m² (970 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 60 W/kg (0.04 hp/lb)
Armament
- Guns: 1× 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine gun
- Bombs: 2× 120 kg (260 lb) bombs or
- Rockets: 4× RS-82 rockets
[edit] Notes
- ^ Soviet people later used kukuruznik as a nickname for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, notorious for his indiscriminating introduction of maize all over the Soviet Union; as well as for a plane with similar characteristics, the Antonov An-2.
