Tu-2 - The Best Soviet Medium Bomber?

On a cold January day in 1941, an aircraft named the "103" took to the sky for the first time over Moscow. However, this maiden flight was unlike many others; it was watched nervously by its creator, Andrei Tupolev, perched atop a prison building. Little did he know that this aircraft, born amidst the turmoil of the Great Purge in the Soviet Union, would go on to become one of the most outstanding bombers of World War II.
Game footage
War Thunder - / warthunder .
00:04 History
Disclaimer - This channel is apolitical. We do not endorse any kind of political view.
Corrections
- The artwork showing the Tu-2 flying over Moscow should have the Soviet bomber with inline engines. Since I couldn't find any model of the prototype with such engines, I decided to use the main production variant (with radial engines).
Sources
Written:
- Tupolev Tu-2 - The Forgotten Medium Bomber by Jason Nicholas Moore
- Soviet Combat Aircraft of The Second World War by Yefim Gordon and Dmitri Khazanov with Alexander Medved
- Red Phoenix Rising - The Soviet Air Force in World War II by Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg
- Soviet Bombers of the Second World War by Jason Nicholas Moore
- Tupolev Aircraft since 1922 by Bill Gunston
- Several other sources like aircraft manuals and tests
Online:
- pobeda75.tupol...
- massimotessito...
- ava.org.ru/inde...
I do not own any of the images used in this video. The owners of such images are identified in the video itself.

[@Enegene_History]

Your aircraft identification quiz from the end of the video reminds me of similiar quizzes in Finnish aviation magazines from the 60's and 70's :) Anyhow, here's my guesses at it: 1. North American B-25 2. Mitsubihsi Ki-67 3. Junker Ju 88 4. Vickers Wellington 5. CANT Z.1007 6. Liore et Oliver LeO 451 7. Martin B-10 8. PZL 37 9. DB-3F/IL-4

[@AllthingsWW2]

Excellent! Maybe I should turn up difficulty next time?

[@Enegene_History]

@@AllthingsWW2 It was already pretty difficult :D

[@FirstDagger]

Love my early Tu-2 in War Thunder, so this video on the history of this aircraft which is little known in the west was nice.

[@MangoTroubles-007]

It is very well known actually and in almost every basic aircraft of WW2 book out there in English

[@idabagus7532]

Hello. Can you make a video about Petlyakov Pe-8 heavy bomber?

[@AllthingsWW2]

I will look into it. But I know very little of the Pe-8. It will take a while. Thank you for your suggestion.

[@N8570E]

You asked for it! #1: North American B-25 Mitchell #2: Mitsubishi Ki. 67 Hiryu (Flying Dragon) #3: Junkers Ju 88 #4: Vickers Wellington #5: Cant Z.1007 Alcione (Kingfisher) #6: Liore-et-Olivier LeO 451 #7: Martin B-10 #8: PZL.37 Los (Moose) #9: Ilyushin Il-4 Thank you for your efforts. May you and yours stay well and prosper.

[@ricardocorbie6803]

Lovely designed bomber with clean graceful lines!! Thanks for your contribution!

[@garynew9637]

Yes, very pretty plane.

[@papalegba6796]

"If it looks right, it flies right". This plane looks right.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

​ @AllthingsWW2 Regarding the B-26 Marauder, Gen Adolf Galland, during one of his lecture tours, was asked which allied bomber was the most difficult to deal with and he said it had to be the Marauder. He said they were difficult to approach because of the armament they brought to bear when in a tight group. And unless the fighters had adequate warning that the B-26s were coming, it was difficult to scramble fighters and climb up to counter the formation in time to actually do anything about them, and then it usually only allowed one pass at most because by the time the fighters turned to attempt another pass the fast B -26s were almost out of sight and any attempts to catch up with them left the fighters low on fuel. This is likely the primary reason the B-26, once effective combat tactics were deployed to exploit its strengths, had such a low combat loss record... losses from accidents notwithstanding.

[@old_guard2431]

Thanks for the vote, my friend. Great plane, never quite lived down its early One-a-Day-into-Tampa-Bay reputation. My uncle’s plane.

[@brianholden2609]

Best WW2 Medium Bomber? you haven't listed it, It would in my opinion have to be the Martin Marauder B26

[@localbod]

Thank you for another excellent and informative video presentation. Keep up the good work. 👍😎

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you!

[@oskar6661]

A plane I never knew about. Assumed it was a re-named Pe-2 when I started the video. Cool stuff.

[@667crash]

The Tu-2 and the Pe-2 were different Planes. The Pe-2 was significantly more popular than the Tu-2, based on the numbers produced.

[@joshmeads]

Really you continue to make videos. Youe videos are some of the best WW2 plane vids on KZbin!

[@UkrainianPaulie]

Best medium. A/B-26 Invader.

[@MangoTroubles-007]

I'm pretty sure that the creator of this channel is either Polish, Australian, or Russian descent, I hear the passion on these plane videos. Great video 😃

[@_b_x_b_1063]

Portuguese

[@AllthingsWW2]

Haha, nothing of the sort. I'm Portuguese and, as far as I know, have no foreign roots. I'm working on the tone for the videos, seeing what works best. I try to be as neutral as I can. Thank you!

[@garynew9637]

​@@AllthingsWW2interesting accent. Don't lose it.

[@old_guard2431]

Sorry, I’m going with the Martin B-26 Marauder just because it was my uncle’s plane until he got taken out by an 88 to the cockpit in a night mission over France, August 1944. (Objectively the B-25 Mitchell had more impact and I love the Peshka from IL-2 Sturmovik Great Battles.) I would like to see the TU-2S in at least a semi-simulator like Great Battles, it seems like a great bomber. Fat chance, unfortunately.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Great video. Best medium bomber would have to be He 111 , long service, multiple rolls, only bomber with green house on the front ! :D I cannot name many of those shown.

[@geesehoward700]

JU-88. Only medium bomber i can think of that did everything including having a day fighter variant. Also had a greenhouse.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

He-111, Mitchell, Wellington, Tu-2, in that order. Marauder should factor in there among the top-5...

[@AllthingsWW2]

He 111 was a workhorse. Just like the Wellington for the British. Ju 88 was possibly the most versatile aircraft of the war, the Mosquito is the only challenger on that front for me. The B-25 was possibly the best overall bomber of WW2, but I would rate the A-26 Invader above it, although it came late in the war. Many people now consider the B-26 Marauder better than both. It always is a question of what do you value more.

[@shawns0762]

I would say the jet powered Arado 234, the 4 engine variant could do 490 mph

[@smigoltime]

Peshka >>>> Tu-2

[@AllthingsWW2]

Do I feel a soft spot for the Pe-2 there? 😉

[@old_guard2431]

Spam the comments, it helps the algorithm. What the *@£€? is the B-10 doing there? #7. Okay, my bad, the Dutch and the Chinese. God help them.

[@Kimdino1]

The best medium bomber of WW2? Only one candidate to my mind - DeHavilland Mosquito.

[@mavislenya1110]

Can you make a video about bf 109 and its all variants and all the differences?

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

Can these sleek aircraft really be considered full on Medium bombers? Dont seem to be in the same class with the B25 and the B26.

[@loveofhistory182]

My favorite medium bombers of WW2 are in that order: 1. B25 in the commerce raider version. 2. A20 also in the commerce raider version. 3. JU88 4. Pe2/Tu2 5. Blenheim IV

[@markstuk]

No mosquito?

[@米空軍パイロット]

​@@markstukAs an efficiency freak, the Mosquito is a thing of beauty to me.

[@jankutac9753]

Why do you call it "TU two" when you know the full name? It should be called "Tupolev two"

[@Rangera-ct1xu]

the best of the photos of the bombers. 1, 3, 5. i feel that the B-26 was the best Medium bomber of WW II and it was not in that list.

[@Redhand1949]

Thanks for this. I always wondered about the configuration similarity bwtween this A/C and the Pe-2, and why this one was not as well-known. It was quite interesting to learn about it. However, I note you no longer use the melancholy background music. A change in format?

[@spencerdawkins]

I wondered about the TU-2 versus PE-2 myself! Did I understand that BOTH designers were "guests" of the NKVD while they worked on their designs?

[@Redhand1949]

@@spencerdawkins I think so.

[@AllthingsWW2]

Hello. Yes I turned off music for this video. I'm exploring some changes to the format. Do you think it was a negative change?

[@Redhand1949]

@@AllthingsWW2 Yes, I do. If not obvious, I really like your channel! I think you should keep the music. It's almost a signature of yours at this point, and it's very appropriate IMO. It has a nice melancholy feel, which is perfect considering that most of the subjects are early war, and in the midst of all the technical and procurement discussion, it's a reminder that you are really talking about people killing each other on a mass scale. I find it particularly in harmony with the discussion of Soviet aircraft, which isn't to say I'm anti-Russian (I'm married to one!) but it fits well with aircraft designers working in Gulags and the consequences of design failures. So, like, keep it for Eastern aircraft, including Czech, Polish, Rumanian, Bulgarian subjects et al, even if you decide to use other theme music for the aircraft of other combatants. But, it works for any WWII aviation subject. Consider RAF Bomber Command and Eighth Air Force casualty rates, for example.

[@AllthingsWW2]

Hello once again. Thank you very much for your firm but very constructive opinion. Do you mind sending me an email to [e-mail], just so we can move this conversation elsewhere? I was also hoping you would give me your opinion on something else. Thank you!

[@Enegene_History]

How many production Tu-2's were built in 1942 before the cancellation?

[@AllthingsWW2]

80 aircraft on the first series

[@Enegene_History]

@@AllthingsWW2 Thanks!

[@yeska62]

It is always a good day when you post another video! 😊

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you!

[@richardpellegren1857]

No mention that the wing design of the ju 88 copied by Russia was an AMERICAN DESIGN !!

[@wojciechkoska3515]

Can you elaborate on the "nasty ones" at the quiz at the end of your video? Great work👍

[@AllthingsWW2]

Hello, and thank you. By "nasty ones," I meant they were more difficult to identify than in previous videos. Still, some people made short work of those! I have to find some even harder for the next video. 😁

[@FlywithMagnar]

Answer to the quiz: 1) North American B-25 Mitchell. 2) Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu. 3) Junkers Ju-88. 4) Vickers Wellington. 5) Cant Z.1007 Alcione. 6) Lioré et Olivier LeO 451. 7) Martin B-10. 8) PZL.37 Łoś. 9) Ilyushin Il-4.

[@AllthingsWW2]

Everything correct! 👍

[@MrSpringheel]

Dude, it was a superb machine!

[@PRISMAS76]

I thought this was a video of a plane, not a anticomunist propaganda

[@MrDino1953]

Simply recounting facts is not propaganda.

[@PRISMAS76]

@@MrDino1953 Show me the sources, a statement with no primary sources is propaganda.

[@AllthingsWW2]

Well, your statement that I'm doing anticommunist propaganda doesn't have any primary source attached to it, does it? What do you actually contest on my video?

[@PRISMAS76]

@@AllthingsWW2 You don't know if Alexander Tupolev was imprissioned by the government or by the faction inside the party that wanted overthrown the Stalin faction, that's why I'm asking for the sourses, because most of the People like this Chanel show that all the important enginner and personalities were imprissioned by the government without know exsactly what happened, that my friend is propaganda!

[@AllthingsWW2]

@@PRISMAS76 This is the transcript from my video: "Andrei Tupolev was a renowned aeronautical designer and director of the TsAGI office (Central Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Institute) when he was arrested on October 21, 1937. He was accused of espionage, sabotage, and being part of the Russo-Fascist party. These accusations, that were seemingly fabricated against Tupolev and many others, occurred during the period known as the Great Purge, when Josef Stalin solidified his leadership of the Communist Party by getting rid of any possible rivals." There are four statements here: - "he was arrested on October 21, 1937" - Factual - "He was accused of espionage, sabotage, and being part of the Russo-Fascist party" - Factual - "These accusations, that were seemingly fabricated" - Although everything I read about this subject says they were fabricated, I was careful enough to say "seemingly" because this is not factual - "occurred during the period known as the Great Purge" - Factual

[@snowy1423]

Good❤

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you

[@FireDragon16180]

Thank you 👍

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you!

[@Karnov1977]

Best WWII era aircraft channel on KZbin!

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you!

[@paulcateiii]

nice work

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you

[@ondrejmaly5797]

Hey man I really like your videos, the entire format is one of the most chill yet informative on yt are you gonna do these for tanks as well? Thanks

[@chpet1655]

The best medium bomber of the war ? I dunno I think that’s a stretch

[@didierdenice7456]

👍 💯

[@AllthingsWW2]

Thank you!

[@rankoorovic7904]

Is the T-4 a medium bomber because that one was much better by all accounts

[@ihorkorotchenko9732]

+

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

"Seemingly fabricated?"

[@xfirehurican]

Tak!

[@robertmann9822]

Do you mean to assert this Tu was better than the Pe-2? If so, reasons should be set forth. I believe the Pe-2 was the better.

[@sidgar1]

He outlines his reasons starting at 8:16. The two planes hade nearly identical speeds, but the Tu-2 had much higher bombload, heavier armament, and greater operational range. The Tu-2 also had better handling and resilience.

[@MrDino1953]

Did you even watch the video before saying the Pe2 was better?

[@AllthingsWW2]

The Pe-2 was better in many optics. What I meant by "better" in this video was that if I were a pilot fighting in WW2, I would prefer the Tu-2. It had an overall better performance. The Pe-2 was available in quantities before, and it was much more cost-effective. That is a major factor if you're trying to win the war.

[@rodneypayne4827]

The Pe2 was extremely vulnerable to enemy fighters and caught fire easy due to the inline engines from German accounts. Tu2s could stay and fight having forward firing pilot aimed cannon,whereas the Pe crews had to fly in formation for mutual gunner support. You make an argument based on opinion instead of research.

[@BYRKIT548]

Tu-2 kopj J-88?

[@AllthingsWW2]

No, it wasn't a copy. The Tu-2 changed from the first to the second prototype based on information available on the Ju 88, but these were relatively small changes.

[@eb-pe8xg]

Tupolev watched nervously...because he didn't want to wind up in Siberia or vanish, never to be heard from again. Great video as always.

[@karlwalther]

Туполев оказался в Сибири. Омск - это Сибирь.

[@MaxKrumholz]

Start production just in 1944 so it's not BEST at ALL