Petlyakov Pe-2

Petlyakov Pe-2, nicknamed Peshka, was a Soviet high-speed bomber (skorostnyi bombardirovschik) designed by Vladimir Petlyakov just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Initially it was ment to serve as a heavy fighter, which resulted in its sleek, elegant, aerodynamic lines. However, the Soviet Union watched German conquest closely and learned two things: that twin-engine fighter are rarely a match for the lighter, single-engined machines; and that dive bombers, with their unprecedend accuracy, are a valuable support for the ground troops. Therefore Petlyakov was ordered to redesign his machine for this task.

Petlyakov was so succesful in this task that Stalin ordered him to be released from prison, where he ended as a result of Stalin purges. Pe-2 was an enormous succes of the Soviet aviation design, but the outbreak of Great Patriotic War caught Soviet Air Force (VVS) by surprise. Many airplanes were destroyed on the ground, and factories had to be evacuated to the east of Ural mountains. However, once Pe-2 entered service, it became one of the frontline legends of that conflict.

One of Pe-2's main advantages was that - for a bomber - it was light and manouverable enough to have a big degree of chance to win a dogfight with a single-seater. It was also easy to pull out of dive. On the negative side, its defensive armament had a limited field of fire and many German pilots learned from which angle they should attack to avoid the bullets.

In an ironic twist of fate, Pe-2 claimed the life of the man who created it. On January 12th 1942, he boarded a Pe-2 en-route to Moscow to make it for an important meeting. However, his aircraft suffered from in-flight problems, and the Pe-2 crashed near Arzamas, killing everyone on board. To commemorate him, another of his designes, TB-7 heavy bomber, was renamed Pe-8.

Pe-2 remained in service for many years, despite the changing technology (jet engines) and tactics (pressure was placed on tactical, or battlefield nuclear weapons). Several of them were transfered to Polish Air Force, and were still used in the 1950s. However, lack of servicing made them dangerous to fly. Troubles ith the engines were reported, but no one dared to criticise aircrafts made in the USSR, now Poland's "forced ally".

It resulted in a tragedy on June 10th 1952, when a Pe-2 from 21st Recon Regiment took of from Ławica military airport in Poznań. Its crew was on a practice flight when suddenly one of the engines failed. The pilot made an attempt to make it back to the airfield, but on its way the second engine failed as well. He attempted to land on a bank of Warta river, but he saw - according to various reports - either playing children or workers near the bridge and attempted to divert his plane away from them. The bomber crashed on a busy street, killing its crew and at least six more civilians. Communist authorities were quick to classify the whole incident, announcing that the pilot was to blame, and that had he not panicked he'd be able to make it to the airfield. However further investigation enforced by the army revealed that cylinder gaskets were prone to lossen, resulting in engine failure. Pe-2 were retired soon thereafter. A monument dedicated to the tragedy was unveiled in 2008, containing a piece of aircraft's skin hidden by one of the citizens for 56 years.

This particular Pe-2 is one of four airplanes known to be on display, located in Polish Army Museum, Warsaw.