Soviet Air Recon

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Dreamslayer
Posts: 454
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:37 pm
Location: St.Petersburg

Soviet Air Recon

Post by Dreamslayer »

At start of GC USSR has 450 SB-2 (Rcn) in the pool. It seems too unrealistic, Soviet VVS had shortage of recon planes, equipment and in general the air recon had low priority.
I think that better to remove these 450 planes from the pool or move them to "normal" SB-2 bombers if there is a data about their overall number.
FE TB has 8 "mythical" air recon units (RAP) at start (300-302, 304-308). But missed 318 RAP. 318 RAP was subordinated to TransBaikal M.D. , 319 RAP to Far East Front.
panzer51
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:27 am

RE: Soviet Air Recon

Post by panzer51 »

Recon actually was very high priority, the main problem was lack of suitable aircraft. Yak-2 and Yak-4 both were poor planes, disliked by the VVS and had multitude of technical issues. The other problem was absence of photographic equipment (cameras). Basically, most recon planes at the beginning of the war were sitting around without cameras. I don't have any data handy on how many SB-2 planes were available outside of actual units but it could be estimated by subtracting number of planes in units from total produced.
Dreamslayer
Posts: 454
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:37 pm
Location: St.Petersburg

RE: Soviet Air Recon

Post by Dreamslayer »

ORIGINAL: panzer51

Recon actually was very high priority, the main problem was lack of suitable aircraft.
If there was "very high priority" then steps would be taken to create and produce such aircrafts. Yak-2/Yak-4 were not designed for recon, they was used in recon units because there was no alternative.
So in this state recon air-groups got low skills pilots who failed to gain places in more "valuable" kinds (fighter/bomber aviation).
Often recon air-groups at start of the war was used as typical bomber units.
To compensate lack of special recon planes for recon missions was used also almostly any type of aircrafts (with except of very slow or like PS-84 (Li-2)). E.g. first combat usage of IL-2 was for recon missions.
Dreamslayer
Posts: 454
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:37 pm
Location: St.Petersburg

RE: Soviet Air Recon

Post by Dreamslayer »

311 RAP (Leningrad Air Command).
During first days of the war 311 RAP according to pre-war mobilization plan was divided to 4 separate squadrons (116-119 ORAE). One for each Army of Northern Front (23, 7, 14) and last one (116 ORAE) was used as Front's reserve.
Better to remove 311 RAP and change delay for these sep.squadrons. So on the map should be only 116 ORAE (Leningrad Air) and others (117-119) assigned to NF TB.
On 1 June 311 RAP had 31 SB and 19 R-Z.
During reforming (deployment) on 22-24 June:
116 and 117 ORAE - both has 7 SB and 2 Pe-2
118 ORAE - 11 SB
119 ORAE - 5 SB
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