The U-2 biplane (later designated Po-2 and also known to the Germans as the 'Sewing Machine' from the distinctive sound of the small engine) was designed in the late 1920's as a trainer for the Soviet air force. In the years leading up to WWII (and after), it was also used in several civilian roles, the most important being a crop duster. During WWII, it saw use for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, medical evacuation (one stretcher only), liaison work and delivering supplies to partisans (since the U-2 could operate from short grass fields, taking off or landing in less than 500 feet). However, it's most famous (if not most propagandized role) was as a night nuisance bomber flown by female pilots.
Best known as the Night Witches, this was one of three all-female air regiments (each with 30-40 aircraft) the Soviets fielded. Normally operated without a rear gunner (to allow the maximum bomb load to be carried), the U-2 would be flown over German camps at night, often gliding with the engine turned off, to reduce noise; the engine didn't always restart afterwards, shooting and bombing anything the pilot could see. Such attacks rarely caused any significant casualties or material damage, but did cause mild disruption to the Germans and many sleepless nights. Another tactic, used when a target had significant flak defenses, was for two planes to approach the target, then veer off in opposite directions. A third plane would then fly up the middle, while flak guns were engaging the other two planes, and carry out its attack run. The three planes would then regroup, each taking turns making such an attack run. After Russia began taking the offensive in 1943, all the female air regiments were moved to safer areas and finally disbanded in 1945.
While the slow U-2 was highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire, Germans found it quite a challenge to shoot down with their modern fighters; the top speed of the U-2 was just a few miles per hour higher than the stall speeds of the Bf 109 and Fw 190, which, combined with the high agility of the U-2, made it a hard target. The Iron Cross was awarded to fighter pilots who shot the U-2 down.
Over 35,00 U-2's were built, from 1928 into the 1950's, with most rolling off the assembly lines during WWII and a third before it. Some are still in use today as crop dusters in various countries, although they were pulled out of military service in 1951 (reportedly, some were used against UN troops in Korea).
The U-2 uses 3.3 gallons of fuel per hour. Weight includes one 500-lb bomb and no rear gunner; with a gunner or passenger(s) carried, bomb load is significantly reduced.
Subassemblies: Light Fighter chassis with Good streamlining +2,
Light Fighter Wings with Biplane option +2, three fixed wheels +0
P&P: 95 kW aerial HP gasoline engine w/ 95kW old prop with
30-gallon tank [Body]; 4000-kWs batteries
Occ: 2 XCS
Cargo: 9.1 Body, 3.5 Wings
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| Body | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
| Wings | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Weaponry
Aircraft LMG/7.62mm ShKAS [OM:F] (500)
Equipment
Body: medium range radio transmitter and receiver. Wings:
250-lb hardpoint each
Statistics
| Size: 27'x38'x10' | Payload: 0.45 tons | Lwt: 1.07 tons |
| Volume: 144 | Maint.: 94 hours | Price: $4,350 |
HT: 9
HP: 50 [body], 68 [each wing]
| aSpeed: 97 | aAccel: 7 | aDecel: 41 | aMR: 10.25 | aSR: 2 |
| Stall: 40 mph |
Design Notes
Design aSpeed was 86 mph and stall was 34 mph. Historical wing surface
area was 357 sf. The body and wings use the Cloth Armor option. The cost,
weight and HPs of the wings were divided by two to reflect their light
structure. Two passengers could, very tightly, be squeezed into the gunner's
position. When used as a night bomber, the rear MG was frequently removed
and no gunner was carried (in some cases, the MG was then mounted forward,
fired by the pilot).
Variants
Earlier U-2's used a 75-kW engine, giving a top speed of 83mph.