Petlyakov Pe-3
Encyclopedia
The Petlyakov Pe-3 was the long-range, night fighter
version of the successful Petlyakov Pe-2
high-speed bomber used by the Soviet Union
during World War II
.
Its design and use followed a comparable path to those taken by the German Luftwaffe
with the Junkers Ju 88
and the British Royal Air Force
with the De Havilland Mosquito
. The Soviets realized the need for a night fighter after the first night bombing of Moscow
during Operation Barbarossa
. The Petlyakov Pe-2 was selected for modification as the most suitable aircraft available.
It was initially used for daylight ground attack missions during the Battle of Moscow
, but this proved to be costly since the aircraft was unarmored. Armor and additional guns were retrofitted to the existing aircraft to make it more effective, but the evacuation of the sole factory building the Pe-3 in October 1941 limited the number of aircraft available and many units of the Soviet Air Forces flying the Pe-3 were either disbanded or converted to other aircraft. Although production was stopped and restarted several times, the aircraft remained in service throughout World War II. Most of the later production runs were given to reconnaissance units.
Three additional fuel tanks, with a capacity of 700 litres (1,479 US pt) were fitted in the prototype, one in the fuselage bomb bay and the other two replaced the ventral gunner's position. The nose armament was reinforced with an additional 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) Berezin UB
K machine gun
with 150 rounds and a fixed 7.62 millimetre (0.3 in) ShKAS machine gun
with 250 rounds was added in the tail cone. Removal of two of the fuselage bomb racks reduced the maximum bomb load to 700 kilograms (1,543 lb), one 250 kilograms (551 lb) bomb on each of the fuselage racks and one 100 kilograms (220 lb) in each of the engine nacelle
s. The electric bomb release system was removed and the bombs had to be dropped using the mechanical system, initially designed as the emergency system. The dive brakes under the wings were also removed. The BSBbis radio was exchanged for the RSI-4 model commonly used in single-seat fighters and the radio direction finder was also removed to save weight. The prototype weighed 5890 kg (12,985 lb) empty and it had a normal take-off weight of 7800 kg (17,196 lb), slightly heavier than the version of the Pe-2 then in production. During testing it demonstrated a maximum speed of 530 km/h (329 mph) at 5000 metres (16,404 ft), a service ceiling of 9000 metres (29,528 ft) and a maximum range of 2150 km (1,336 mi). This was considered adequate and Factory Nr. 39 in Moscow was ordered on 14 August to build five pre-production aircraft for delivery by 25 August. This process proved difficult because drawings had not been made for many of the new parts and they had to be fitted by hand, slowing the production rate.
Slightly more extensive testing of a pre-production aircraft was done by the Air Force Scientific Test Institute (—NII VVS) between 29 August and 7 September. Although they confirmed the initial performance figures, the tests revealed other problems. The lower nose Plexiglas windows cracked when the lower UBK machine gun, a problem initially cured by replacing some of the glazing with a duralumin skin, but this too proved to be too weak, and it was itself later replaced by a steel panel. Pre-production testing also revealed that the casings and links from the large-caliber weapons damaged the skin of the wings and sometimes entered the radiator intakes, where they could cause extensive damage. Revising the shape of the ejector chutes did not help and the casings had to be collected in the nose. Pre-production testing also identified several other specific weaknesses that had to be corrected on the production line. The Pe-3's offensive firepower was too weak and a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) ShVAK cannon
was added. The fire power of the dorsal ShKAS machine gun was too weak and, on the production line, was the weapon was replaced by a 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun. To protect the crew, the production line added frontal armor and extended armor to the rear to protect the navigator. The production line also replaced the RSI-4 radio with model that had greater range and added a camera for the Pe-3's reconnaissance role.Although most of the initial aircraft were delivered without these adaptations, they were modified in the field by factory teams.
The first Pe-3s were issued to the 95th High-Speed Bomber Regiment in the Moscow Military District
and the Regiment's experiences with the aircraft revealed other problems. Firing the guns at night dazzled the pilot and destroyed his night vision and the glare from searchlights through the glazing on the lower nose also blinded the pilot. Crews complained bitterly that the lack of frontal armor made them vulnerable to defensive fire from German bombers. Flash hiders installed on the guns and curtains covering the windows cured the first problems, but the lack of armor could not be rectified immediately. Many aircraft were also fitted with launchers for four to six RS-82 and RS-132 rockets
for ground-attack missions. Another common addition was a launcher for DAG-10 aerial grenades mounted in the tail.
The Petlyakov design bureau addressed these concerns in September and they were tested in the Pe-3bisbis was a suffix used by the Soviets to mark a major upgrade of an aircraft or weapon prototype between September and October. The armament was upgraded with 250 rounds provided for each of the UBK machine guns, a 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 250 rounds was mounted in the nose and a 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun with 180 rounds in boxes replaced the 7.62 mm ShKAS in the dorsal position. Frontal armor was installed and the navigator's seat armor was thickened with a total weight of 136 kg (300 lb). Automatic leading edge slats were fitted and the nitrogen fuel tank pressurization system was replaced by one that used inert gases from the engine exhaust. The crash pylon was moved forward 0.48 metre and the cockpit canopy shortened.
Many of these changes were made to aircraft before Pe-3bis production resumed in April 1942 and combat-use revealed several additional problems that had to be addressed in a second Pe-3bis prototype, which began its State acceptance tests in May 1942. Reloading the nose guns proved to be time-consuming, taking up to 45 minutes, and the night-firing of the port-side UBK continued to blind the pilot. These problems prompted the transfer of both UBK guns to the wing center section where they were installed in a compartment that was hinged at the front to drop down and allow easier access to the guns and their ammunition. The starboard gun was given 230 rounds and the port gun had 265 rounds. This change reduced the capacity of the Nr. 7 fuel tank by 100 litres (211 US pt), but an asbestos bulkhead was added to protect the tank from heat generated by the guns. The changes meant that the cartridge cases from the ShVAK cannon could not be collected, making the skin and lower fuselage vulnerable. These were reinforced with steel sheets to minimize the damage inflicted by the large-caliber cases. The original mounting for the dorsal UBT machine gun provided an excellent field of fire, but lack of aerodynamic balance prevented the gunner/navigator to use its full range. Pressure exerted by the airstream prevented the gunner from traversing more than about 40–50° from the centerline. A twin-petal compensator proved mostly ineffective. The crash pylon was removed to give the gunner more working space. The ammunition box of the UBT was too small, only 30 rounds, and took about a minute to reload. The boxes were deleted and the UBT was given a 200-round belt with an electric drive to help to prevent feed problems. An anti-icing
system was added for the propellers and the pilot's windscreen. The nose glazing was replaced entirely and the crew's armor was increased to a total weight of 148 kg (326 lb). These changes moved the aircraft's center of gravity
forward and the landing gear struts were lengthened, moving the wheels 60 mm (2.4 in) forward, which helped to reduced the chance of the aircraft tipping over.
late in October. Production was restarted in April 1942 with a total of 132 built during the year. All were Pe-3bis models except for eleven Pe-3s that had not been completed before the evacuation. Thirteen were built in 1943 before production was canceled in favor of Ilyushin Il-4
bombers. A final production batch of 19 was built at Zavod Nr. 22 in early 1944, but these were more lightly armed than earlier versions, with only a single ShVAK cannon in the wing center section and one UBK in the nose. The bomb racks in the engine nacelles were eliminated entirely, as was the fixed ShKAS machine gun in the tail. Two DAG-10 grenade launchers were fitted in the rear fuselage, each with ten grenades.
. A few days later six Pe-3s escorted C-47s
carrying a British military delegation flying from Vologda
to Moscow and defeated several German attacks on the transports. Pe-3s strafed German troops columns as they approached Moscow during Operation Typhoon. On 24 October the 95th and 208th Fighter Aviation Regiments, with a total of twenty-seven Pe-3s between them, attacked the German airfield at Kalinin
, claiming thirty German aircraft destroyed for the loss of five Soviet aircraft and pilots, including the commander of the 208th Regiment, Major S. Kibirinym. The 9th, 40th, 54th and 511th Bomber Aviation Regiments also received Pe-3s during September and performed similar missions. Approximately 50 aircraft were lost during the Pe-3's first three months of combat, about 25% of the aircraft produced thus far. This was a very high loss rate and a number of units began to conduct less risky reconnaissance missions to minimize casualties. Pe-3s were issued to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reconnaissance Aviation Regiments in October as well.
With production terminated in October with the evacuation of the factory, the number of available Pe-3s could not sustain as many units and many began to convert to other aircraft or roles. The 40th Fast Bomber Aviation Regiment was re-designated as the 40th Separate Long-range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment on 15 December and mustered five Pe-3s on 1 May 1942 and eleven Pe-3s on 1 January 1943. The 9th Bomber Aviation Regiment was directly assigned to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the end of November 1941 and received the additional task of leading groups of fighters and attack aircraft to their targets because their pilots could not navigate on their own. Over 2000 aircraft were led to their targets in this manner before the regiment was converted to other roles. The 54th Bomber Aviation Regiment appears to have been disbanded on or after 20 May 1942. The 208th Short-Range Bomber Regiment lost ten aircraft before it transferred its surviving pilots and aircraft to the 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment in mid-January 1942 and reformed on the Ilyushin Il-2. On 5 February 1942 the 511th Bomber Aviation Regiment was based at Tula
and lost three of its eight Pe-3s on strength to a German air raid. It was disbanded in late March 1942 for lack of aircraft. The 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment was transferred on 1 March 1942 to the Air Force of the Northern Fleet where it performed convoy escort, ground attack and reconnaissance missions in support of the Fleet. It operated Pe-3s as late as the end of 1942 when some of its crews, which had just picked up new aircraft, were diverted to participate in the Battle of Stalingrad
, although most of the 1942 production aircraft were given to the 2nd, 4th, and 40th Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiments.
A single Pe-3 was captured by the Finns
when one had to make a forced landing in marshy ground near Lake Inari
on 28 November 1942. It was relatively undamaged and was recovered, repaired and placed into service as 'PE-301'. It served with PLeLv 48 and was converted into a photo-reconnaissance aircraft in 1944 before being destroyed by a Soviet bombing raid on the airfield at Lappenranta on 2 July 1944. It had flown over 222 hours in Finnish service.
The Gneiss-2 airborne radar
was evaluated in the Pe-3 beginning in July 1942 and it was sent to both Moscow and Stalingrad for combat trials in late 1942. Another round of trials was conducted by aircraft of the 2nd Guards Fighter Corps of the PVO in Leningrad
between February and May 1943 and it was approved for service the next month. Very few appear to have been deployed as only fifteen were fitted on Pe-3s.
Pe-3bis
Pe-3M
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
version of the successful Petlyakov Pe-2
Petlyakov Pe-2
The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was regarded as one of the best ground attack aircraft of the war and it was extremely successful in the roles of heavy fighter, reconnaissance and night fighter...
high-speed bomber used by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Its design and use followed a comparable path to those taken by the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
with the Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
and the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
with the De Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
. The Soviets realized the need for a night fighter after the first night bombing of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
during Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. The Petlyakov Pe-2 was selected for modification as the most suitable aircraft available.
It was initially used for daylight ground attack missions during the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
, but this proved to be costly since the aircraft was unarmored. Armor and additional guns were retrofitted to the existing aircraft to make it more effective, but the evacuation of the sole factory building the Pe-3 in October 1941 limited the number of aircraft available and many units of the Soviet Air Forces flying the Pe-3 were either disbanded or converted to other aircraft. Although production was stopped and restarted several times, the aircraft remained in service throughout World War II. Most of the later production runs were given to reconnaissance units.
Development
A crash-development program began after the July 1941 German night bombing of Moscow to field a night fighter with heavy armament and long endurance. Only an aircraft currently in production could be used to satisfy the extremely tight deadline and the Pe-2 was selected for modification by the State Commissariat for Defence (—NKO) as the fastest twin-engined aircraft in service. The order only authorized four days to modify the aircraft's fuel, armament and radio systems, but this deadline was met when the modified aircraft made its first flight on 7 August and it passed its manufacturer's trials the following day.Three additional fuel tanks, with a capacity of 700 litres (1,479 US pt) were fitted in the prototype, one in the fuselage bomb bay and the other two replaced the ventral gunner's position. The nose armament was reinforced with an additional 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) Berezin UB
Berezin UB
Berezin UB was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.-Development:...
K machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
with 150 rounds and a fixed 7.62 millimetre (0.3 in) ShKAS machine gun
ShKAS machine gun
The ShKAS is a 7.62 mm machine gun widely used by Soviet aircraft in the 1930s and during World War II...
with 250 rounds was added in the tail cone. Removal of two of the fuselage bomb racks reduced the maximum bomb load to 700 kilograms (1,543 lb), one 250 kilograms (551 lb) bomb on each of the fuselage racks and one 100 kilograms (220 lb) in each of the engine nacelle
Nacelle
The nacelle is a cover housing that holds engines, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. In some cases—for instance in the typical "Farman" type "pusher" aircraft, or the World War II-era P-38 Lightning—an aircraft's cockpit may also be housed in a nacelle, which essentially fills the...
s. The electric bomb release system was removed and the bombs had to be dropped using the mechanical system, initially designed as the emergency system. The dive brakes under the wings were also removed. The BSBbis radio was exchanged for the RSI-4 model commonly used in single-seat fighters and the radio direction finder was also removed to save weight. The prototype weighed 5890 kg (12,985 lb) empty and it had a normal take-off weight of 7800 kg (17,196 lb), slightly heavier than the version of the Pe-2 then in production. During testing it demonstrated a maximum speed of 530 km/h (329 mph) at 5000 metres (16,404 ft), a service ceiling of 9000 metres (29,528 ft) and a maximum range of 2150 km (1,336 mi). This was considered adequate and Factory Nr. 39 in Moscow was ordered on 14 August to build five pre-production aircraft for delivery by 25 August. This process proved difficult because drawings had not been made for many of the new parts and they had to be fitted by hand, slowing the production rate.
Slightly more extensive testing of a pre-production aircraft was done by the Air Force Scientific Test Institute (—NII VVS) between 29 August and 7 September. Although they confirmed the initial performance figures, the tests revealed other problems. The lower nose Plexiglas windows cracked when the lower UBK machine gun, a problem initially cured by replacing some of the glazing with a duralumin skin, but this too proved to be too weak, and it was itself later replaced by a steel panel. Pre-production testing also revealed that the casings and links from the large-caliber weapons damaged the skin of the wings and sometimes entered the radiator intakes, where they could cause extensive damage. Revising the shape of the ejector chutes did not help and the casings had to be collected in the nose. Pre-production testing also identified several other specific weaknesses that had to be corrected on the production line. The Pe-3's offensive firepower was too weak and a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) ShVAK cannon
ShVAK cannon
The ShVAK was a 20 mm autocannon used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was designed by Boris Shpitalniy and Semyon Vladimirov and entered production in 1936...
was added. The fire power of the dorsal ShKAS machine gun was too weak and, on the production line, was the weapon was replaced by a 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun. To protect the crew, the production line added frontal armor and extended armor to the rear to protect the navigator. The production line also replaced the RSI-4 radio with model that had greater range and added a camera for the Pe-3's reconnaissance role.Although most of the initial aircraft were delivered without these adaptations, they were modified in the field by factory teams.
The first Pe-3s were issued to the 95th High-Speed Bomber Regiment in the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
and the Regiment's experiences with the aircraft revealed other problems. Firing the guns at night dazzled the pilot and destroyed his night vision and the glare from searchlights through the glazing on the lower nose also blinded the pilot. Crews complained bitterly that the lack of frontal armor made them vulnerable to defensive fire from German bombers. Flash hiders installed on the guns and curtains covering the windows cured the first problems, but the lack of armor could not be rectified immediately. Many aircraft were also fitted with launchers for four to six RS-82 and RS-132 rockets
RS-82 rocket
RS-82 and RS-132 were unguided rockets used by Soviet military aircraft in World War II.-Development:...
for ground-attack missions. Another common addition was a launcher for DAG-10 aerial grenades mounted in the tail.
The Petlyakov design bureau addressed these concerns in September and they were tested in the Pe-3bisbis was a suffix used by the Soviets to mark a major upgrade of an aircraft or weapon prototype between September and October. The armament was upgraded with 250 rounds provided for each of the UBK machine guns, a 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 250 rounds was mounted in the nose and a 12.7 mm Berezin UBT machine gun with 180 rounds in boxes replaced the 7.62 mm ShKAS in the dorsal position. Frontal armor was installed and the navigator's seat armor was thickened with a total weight of 136 kg (300 lb). Automatic leading edge slats were fitted and the nitrogen fuel tank pressurization system was replaced by one that used inert gases from the engine exhaust. The crash pylon was moved forward 0.48 metre and the cockpit canopy shortened.
Many of these changes were made to aircraft before Pe-3bis production resumed in April 1942 and combat-use revealed several additional problems that had to be addressed in a second Pe-3bis prototype, which began its State acceptance tests in May 1942. Reloading the nose guns proved to be time-consuming, taking up to 45 minutes, and the night-firing of the port-side UBK continued to blind the pilot. These problems prompted the transfer of both UBK guns to the wing center section where they were installed in a compartment that was hinged at the front to drop down and allow easier access to the guns and their ammunition. The starboard gun was given 230 rounds and the port gun had 265 rounds. This change reduced the capacity of the Nr. 7 fuel tank by 100 litres (211 US pt), but an asbestos bulkhead was added to protect the tank from heat generated by the guns. The changes meant that the cartridge cases from the ShVAK cannon could not be collected, making the skin and lower fuselage vulnerable. These were reinforced with steel sheets to minimize the damage inflicted by the large-caliber cases. The original mounting for the dorsal UBT machine gun provided an excellent field of fire, but lack of aerodynamic balance prevented the gunner/navigator to use its full range. Pressure exerted by the airstream prevented the gunner from traversing more than about 40–50° from the centerline. A twin-petal compensator proved mostly ineffective. The crash pylon was removed to give the gunner more working space. The ammunition box of the UBT was too small, only 30 rounds, and took about a minute to reload. The boxes were deleted and the UBT was given a 200-round belt with an electric drive to help to prevent feed problems. An anti-icing
Deicing
For snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
system was added for the propellers and the pilot's windscreen. The nose glazing was replaced entirely and the crew's armor was increased to a total weight of 148 kg (326 lb). These changes moved the aircraft's center of gravity
Center of gravity of an aircraft
The center-of-gravity is the point at which an aircraft would balance if it were possible to suspend it at that point. It is the mass center of the aircraft, or the theoretical point at which the entire weight of the aircraft is assumed to be concentrated. Its distance from the reference datum is...
forward and the landing gear struts were lengthened, moving the wheels 60 mm (2.4 in) forward, which helped to reduced the chance of the aircraft tipping over.
Production
Zavod Nr. 39 built 16 Pe-3s in August, including the prototype, 98 in September and 82 in October before the factory was evacuated to IrkutskIrkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
late in October. Production was restarted in April 1942 with a total of 132 built during the year. All were Pe-3bis models except for eleven Pe-3s that had not been completed before the evacuation. Thirteen were built in 1943 before production was canceled in favor of Ilyushin Il-4
Ilyushin Il-4
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume 2: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2006. ISBN 1-85780-084-2...
bombers. A final production batch of 19 was built at Zavod Nr. 22 in early 1944, but these were more lightly armed than earlier versions, with only a single ShVAK cannon in the wing center section and one UBK in the nose. The bomb racks in the engine nacelles were eliminated entirely, as was the fixed ShKAS machine gun in the tail. Two DAG-10 grenade launchers were fitted in the rear fuselage, each with ten grenades.
Operational history
The first Pe-3s were issued to the 95th High-Speed Bomber Aviation Regiment in August 1941 and it was initially committed to the ground attack and escort roles after retraining through September. It was redesignated as the 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment on 25 September and assigned to the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps of the PVO defending MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. A few days later six Pe-3s escorted C-47s
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
carrying a British military delegation flying from Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
to Moscow and defeated several German attacks on the transports. Pe-3s strafed German troops columns as they approached Moscow during Operation Typhoon. On 24 October the 95th and 208th Fighter Aviation Regiments, with a total of twenty-seven Pe-3s between them, attacked the German airfield at Kalinin
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
, claiming thirty German aircraft destroyed for the loss of five Soviet aircraft and pilots, including the commander of the 208th Regiment, Major S. Kibirinym. The 9th, 40th, 54th and 511th Bomber Aviation Regiments also received Pe-3s during September and performed similar missions. Approximately 50 aircraft were lost during the Pe-3's first three months of combat, about 25% of the aircraft produced thus far. This was a very high loss rate and a number of units began to conduct less risky reconnaissance missions to minimize casualties. Pe-3s were issued to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reconnaissance Aviation Regiments in October as well.
With production terminated in October with the evacuation of the factory, the number of available Pe-3s could not sustain as many units and many began to convert to other aircraft or roles. The 40th Fast Bomber Aviation Regiment was re-designated as the 40th Separate Long-range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment on 15 December and mustered five Pe-3s on 1 May 1942 and eleven Pe-3s on 1 January 1943. The 9th Bomber Aviation Regiment was directly assigned to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the end of November 1941 and received the additional task of leading groups of fighters and attack aircraft to their targets because their pilots could not navigate on their own. Over 2000 aircraft were led to their targets in this manner before the regiment was converted to other roles. The 54th Bomber Aviation Regiment appears to have been disbanded on or after 20 May 1942. The 208th Short-Range Bomber Regiment lost ten aircraft before it transferred its surviving pilots and aircraft to the 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment in mid-January 1942 and reformed on the Ilyushin Il-2. On 5 February 1942 the 511th Bomber Aviation Regiment was based at Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
and lost three of its eight Pe-3s on strength to a German air raid. It was disbanded in late March 1942 for lack of aircraft. The 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment was transferred on 1 March 1942 to the Air Force of the Northern Fleet where it performed convoy escort, ground attack and reconnaissance missions in support of the Fleet. It operated Pe-3s as late as the end of 1942 when some of its crews, which had just picked up new aircraft, were diverted to participate in the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, although most of the 1942 production aircraft were given to the 2nd, 4th, and 40th Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiments.
A single Pe-3 was captured by the Finns
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
when one had to make a forced landing in marshy ground near Lake Inari
Lake Inari
Lake Inari is the third largest lake in Finland and the largest lake in Sápmi. It is located in the northern part of Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle. The lake is 117–119 meters above sea level and it is regulated at the Kaitakoski power plant in Russia...
on 28 November 1942. It was relatively undamaged and was recovered, repaired and placed into service as 'PE-301'. It served with PLeLv 48 and was converted into a photo-reconnaissance aircraft in 1944 before being destroyed by a Soviet bombing raid on the airfield at Lappenranta on 2 July 1944. It had flown over 222 hours in Finnish service.
The Gneiss-2 airborne radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
was evaluated in the Pe-3 beginning in July 1942 and it was sent to both Moscow and Stalingrad for combat trials in late 1942. Another round of trials was conducted by aircraft of the 2nd Guards Fighter Corps of the PVO in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
between February and May 1943 and it was approved for service the next month. Very few appear to have been deployed as only fifteen were fitted on Pe-3s.
Variants
Pe-3- Initial production model, 207 built.
Pe-3bis
- Upgraded version put into production in 1942; 152 of these aircraft were built.
Pe-3M
- Designation sometimes associated with the 1944 production aircraft.
Operators
- Finnish Air ForceFinnish Air ForceThe Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
operated one captured aircraft.
- VVS
- PVO
- Naval AviationSoviet Naval AviationSoviet Naval Aviation was a part of the Soviet Navy.- Origins :...
- Regimental listing:
- 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment
- 208th Fighter Aviation Regiment
- 9th Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 40th Fast Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 40th Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiment
- 54th Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 95th High-Speed Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 95th Fighter Aviation Regiment
- 208th Short-Range Bomber Regiment, later the 208th Fighter Aviation Regiment
- 511th Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 1st Separate Reconnaissance Regiment
- 2nd Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiment
- 3rd Separate Reconnaissance Regiment
- 4th Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiment
- 40th Separate Long-Range Reconnaissance Regiment
- Note that regiments often changed branches