The Ilyushin Il-2 "Shturmovik" is justly considered to be the best attack aircraft of World War 2, featuring unrivalled capabilities in the demanding role of tank destroyer. Its closest rival was the German Henschel Hs 129 armoured attack aircraft, which was inferior to the Il-2 in many of its flight characteristics. Additionally, just 879 Hs 129s were manufactured, compared with 36,154 Il-2s. In 1942 the "Shturmovik" became the most widespread aircraft in service with the Red Army Air Force, accounting for roughly 30 per cent of its active combat aircraft fleet.
Most Il-2s served with attack aircraft divisions, with elite regiments in these divisions being awarded Guards status following their outstanding exploits in combat. This volume chronicles the hard-fought battles between these elite units and the German Wehrmacht that took place during The Great Patriotic War. Written by a leading Russian aviation historian and illustrated with specially commissioned profile artwork and photographs sourced from official archives, this volume is an important addition to the "Osprey Combat Aircraft" series. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге Il-2 Shturmovik Guards Units of World War 2 (Олег Растренин)