Ilyushin IL-2
The Il-2 is the result of the work of Soviet engineers on the development of an armored attack plane. The idea for constructing such an aircraft appeared in the early 1930s. The first flight was made in October 1939.
During World War II, this assault bomber proved to be very reliable.Thanks to the armor (thickness 5-12 mm), the vital parts of the plane were protected from the effects of the enemy air defense. The plane also showed the ability to act unhindered even in the case of multiple hits. How effective it was, was best evidenced by the names attributed to the plane by German soldiers - “black death” and “tank killer”. It appeared on the Yugoslav battlefield in 1944, and from the beginning of 1945 these bombers began to be operated by Yugoslav pilots. Total of 267 of these planes were used in the Yugoslav Air Force, which remained part of the Yugoslav forces until 1956.
Il-2 which is in the museum’s collection, was obtained from Bulgaria after the end of the Second World War, and was awarded to the museum in 1961.
