Which WWII Aircraft Was The Best Cannons-Only Tank Killer? | IL-2

[@MrAJRimmer]

Just want to say, thanks for all the hard work making these vids. I realy appreciate all the time and energy you guys put in to your vids.

[@RT-qd8yl]

Ditto! Thank you guys and girls!

[@grimreapers]

Pleasure :)

[@waynesworldofsci-tech]

@@grimreapers Cap, what about Warbirds against different tank generations? Same setup, but Sherman, Leopard, Ariete, etc.

[@mattthemouse1]

You should check the the ammo type for the cannons. The Ju-87’s 37mms were explicitly for tank busting

[@jamesberry3230]

the Mosquito w/ 57mm Molins gun was a Coastal Command aircraft, not a tank killer ,Molins gun was semi-automatic firing w/SAP ammo Hurricane's had two versions of the 40mm S gun one w/ and one w/o the Little John adaptor : AP and API ammo used Ju-87, Il-2, and HS-129 were dedicated ground attack aircraft, Ju-87's BK3.7 used AP but only had 6 rounds per gun all others were fighter aircraft and use HE ammo

[@jansenart0]

Oh panzer of the lake, what is your wisdom?

[@vanguard9067]

A very rare German Wunderwaffe. They only made 12, testing proved they did not work as intended. The crew of the second test vehicle identified the problem, but the SS wanted to be sure.

[@panzerothelake2178]

Don’t overload ferry barges

[@PvtPartzz]

The chances of a flat snow covered piece of land actually being land are not great.

[@oliabid-price4517]

The Stuka had those cannons fitted specifically for anti tank purposes on the Eastern front against Russian tanks, and the Mohlins 57mm artillery gun was fitted to the Mossie to be able to penetrate a certain depth of water AND then the Hull of a U-boat. Remember, the Mossie only needed one round on target too, so it wins. 😁

[@Anarchy_420]

I wish DCS had The Ju87 Stuka and P-38 Lightning! Lol CH wish list ;)

[@nobodyimportant72]

I wonder about the P-38 Lightning which as the 4 50s in the nose plus a cannon.

[@mfreed40k]

Honestly I think it's hard to model damage because of penetrating the rear engine deck. Still I think this was a good experiment. Also why are you using the T-34 instead of the Panther?

[@M3PH11]

in il-2, each tank is seperate DLC unless you buy the £80 tank crew deluxe pack. Osprey did not have panther

[@mfreed40k]

@M3PH gotcha, thank you. I think I missed that part, just heard they were going to use the Panther.

[@williamstammjr6912]

Besides it was perfectly natural for a Stuka or HS 129 to light up a t-34 😉

[@williamzk9083]

Some Me 262 pilots claim great success against Tanks using the Mk 108 30mm gun firing “minen geschuss”. The gun had a relatively low velocity but the rather large rounds had a very high explosive content that could set the engine on fire through the cooling louvers

[@exidy-yt]

That tank damage model is just astounding! This is a great scientific test, I wasn't sure at first if it was going to be all that interesting, but holy Himmler it's fantasic! The killing power of the Mossie and the IL-2 I expected, but not how devastating the Stuka dive-bomber would be in a tank killing role! Absolutely stellar work guys.

[@mptesteroni]

Most likely the Messerschmitt 410's high explosive shells weren't causing shell shrapnel to punch little holes through the armor, but caused a secondary effect called spalling where the HE concussions break off internal metal slivers from the interior walls, which then fly around the crew compartment at high speed and break stuff/people.

[@haytorrock3312]

I think the moilins gun in the tetse mossie was more for busting u boats. They used ap rps as well.

[@rararnanan7244]

The Mollins was originally used successfully as an anti tank gun in the north Africa campaign. It is a proper anti tank gun built for this purpose. The Tse tse mosquitoes used it for anti-shipping work until the rp-3 rockets became available.

[@Maverick966]

The P-39 Airacobra M4 37mm was not designed for anti-tank, only for anti-air, it is a slow velocity cannon, it is comparable in penetration to 20mm while Stuka 37mm are high velocity cannons with high penetration designed for anti-tank.

[@Yorickunderscore]

PBJ-1H was a naval version of the B-25 that was rocking a 75mm canon similar to the one mounted on a Sherman Tank.

[@sharpy3453]

B-25H would be good for this. also, big difference between the hs129 and the mosquito, the mosquito blew it up with like 2 shots, so id say its more effective. another hs129 variants would be the Panzerknacker, 75mm pack 40 gun. and if it is ever added to the game, the Piaggio P.108A with the 90mm Csnnone da 90/53 that was bored to 102mm. i think this is the second largest gun mounted on a plane after the 105 on the ac130.

[@robjohnson5872]

Mosquito tank killer BEST tank killer !

[@rubiconnn]

@@robjohnson5872 I mean nothing can really beat a AGM-65 Maverick. AGM-65 Maverick is best tank filler.

[@saladiniv7968]

the largest gun ever mounted to a plane was a 14inch recoilless rifle. though it seriously damaged the plane during firing tests on the ground and therefore never actually flew. so i guess you're right that the 105 on the ac130 is the largest gun mounted on a plane while flying.

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

Funny looking Panther.

[@grimreapers]

lol yeh we had to switch to T34 at last minute as driver could not drive the Panther.

[@TheCaptainbeefylog]

@@grimreapers life can be tough lol

[@lohrtom]

The IL2 did great. They should make a game centered around it.

[@LondonSteveLee]

They did, it was called IL-2!

[@lohrtom]

@@LondonSteveLee I know….I was yanking everyone’s chain. I’ve never played it though

[@LondonSteveLee]

@@lohrtom Fair enough! 😀

[@VimyScout]

P-47s and Mustang's used to bounce/deflect the rounds up under the soft underbelly of a tank to kill it.

[@jantschierschky3461]

Was actually not that effective.

[@Mojje42]

reports from pilots claimed it work but no proof that it actually did

[@yournamehere4627]

Hey Cap keep the vids coming sir they are quite entertaining to me and the boys lol

[@LondonSteveLee]

Typhoons firing rockets (particularly RP-3s) were very effective against tanks - even heavy tanks and scored many kills.

[@billisaacs702]

Whoever that was who nixed the second mossy run: BOOOOO!!!!!

[@onetime8424]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one!! Very entertaining from the very start!

[@jamesscalzo3033]

Loved the video @Grim Reapers! Can't wait for the next video man! The De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito FB Mk. VI with the Molins Autoloader Variant of the 6-pdr Anti-Tank Gun was one of the Variants commonly known as the "Tsetse Fly" as it flew in and would destroy anything that it came across, However it was Stimied due to a very, Very Late Entry into the War and was only used for Anti-Shipping Strikes in the Spring of 1945 after the Allies had crossed the Rhine River. The More Prominent Load out of the Il-2 Sturmovik was 2 37 millimeter Cannons in the Wings and 3 20 millimeter Guns with 1 in each wing and another right through the Nose like on the P-39 Airacobra. And as for the Henschel Hs-129, the more Popular model was the B-3 with a PaK 40 7.5cm High Velocity Anti-Tank Gun equipped with an Autoloader which held about 12 to 18 Rounds. It's only fault was that because the Engines that were required for it to function properly weren't in existence at the time of it's production, the Recoil from the 7.5cm gun would drop the Hs-129's Speed down below it's stall speed after about 3 shots so the Pilots were trained to not fire more than 3 Rounds at a Target. There's some Gun Camera Footage from Hs-129's on the Eastern Front 1 or 2 Shotting T-34/85's and in some cases even the IS-2 Heavy Tank, albeit from behind and to the Side. Would love to see you guys take on a Convoy in "Il-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles" to see which Aircraft is Best suited for Attacking enemy Shipping, with the Following Sizes. • Convoy Ships: about 12 to 20 Ships including the Liberty Ships and Victory Ships and the Type C1-A and C1-B, Type C2 and Type C3 Ships in a Staggered Formation (say like 3-4-3-4-3 or 4-5-4-5-4 which each Ship about 250 yards (750 Feet) apart). • Escort Ships: truth be told, The only New Ships to "Il-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles" that I know of is the Gleaves-class Destroyer from the U.S. Navy. 8 Ships in a Protective Screen around the Convoy should be Enough of a Challenge for an Attack on the Convoy. Let me know what you guys think about this and I'll catch you in your next video!

[@denisrobertmay875]

I wouldn't call March '44 (1st Submarine Kill) "very late entry into the war" for the "Tsetse" Mosquito.

[@Jeffrey.1978]

@Grim Reapers: Cap, I was just going through rewatching some of your older videos. Would you consider redoing the Taiwan "WarGames 1a-1d" series over again using the latest US 2020 carrier group and Chinese type 055 mods you now have in game to use? That series was awesome and I would love to see it redone again with the updated capabilities you have available in DCS!

[@grimreapers]

Just got to make the DF-17 then will be ready to run that.

[@rubiconnn]

Do the aircraft have ammo type choices in IL-2? If you are using HE ammo you aren't going to do much damage, you need AP ammo for armor piercing. Explosions don't have much effect on armor unless they are shaped charges.

[@jantschierschky3461]

The 87G was used in a steep angle from above, not rear attacks

[@williamzk9083]

Are you sure? Can’t remember Rudel writing about this

[@jantschierschky3461]

@William zk I am sure, that's why the 87G was made for, because it can attack from 70°

[@williamzk9083]

@@jantschierschky3461 They removed the dive brakes as I recall so a steep dive like this would be very short

[@jantschierschky3461]

@@williamzk9083 well still used that way, because the dive is relatively short. Attack was always aimed to the roof and engine compartment.

[@andreartymiuk]

In DCS the Spitfire 's cannons are hugely effective against most tanks I'd you attack from above/rear.

[@Mojje42]

tanks aren't modeled the same in DCS as in IL2

[@hasina1461]

tanks in DCS almost use a health bar system over actual damage model compared to IL2

[@andreartymiuk]

@@hasina1461 Confusing because the video title says DCS when its actually IL2😂

[@Mojje42]

@@andreartymiuk yupp =) but the description says IL2....maybe it's both?

[@accidentalactivist9633]

The Hurricane anti-tank planes were used in the desert to great effect although the Hurri would fly low and level and hit the tanks from the sides. Suspect at that point in the war the armour was significantly less effective.

[@williamzk9083]

The guns muzzle velocity was only 570 m/s however as 100 m/s =220mph the effective muzzle velocity was probably around 700 m/s.

[@lazaglider]

That is a strange looking Panther you've got there, Cap...

[@grimreapers]

lol yeh we had to switch to T34 at last minute as driver could not drive the Panther.

[@williamstammjr6912]

Congratulations on rediscovering Hans Rudel's Kanonenvogel Stuka variant. Twin 37's did a number on Soviet armor

[@solomongray6352]

Wasnt there a B-24 anti sub aircraft variant with a large gun in the front?

[@vanguard9067]

B-25.. I made the suggestion to the Reapers

[@solomongray6352]

@@vanguard9067 Many thanks, Vanguard!

[@LuizBarros99]

Other good tank killers that IDK if they are in DCS are the PBJ and XA-38 each with one American 75mm cannon. The Russians also had three or four other very good prototype tank killers: "Tis Ma" with 2x 20mm ShVAK + either 2 NS-37 cannons, or 2 NS-45; Sukhoi "Su-8" with 8x 7.62mm + 4x NS-45 cannons; Su-6 MGs + either 2x high velocity 23mm cannons, or NS-37 ; and the Tu-1 with 2x NS-45 and 2x NS-23. But I do not think any of these Russian prototype vehicles saw widespread use, or even any adoption. Also War Thunder claims that the NS-45 could use AP-T shells (making it comparable to the NS-37)

[@WhiteWizard62]

Very Nice!

[@hmmjedi]

One thing in about the Jug is that the pilots figured out that they could ricochet the guns so that they bounced under the tanks belly and penetrated the armour there most likely killing the engine or crew before destroying the tank...

[@jantschierschky3461]

Did not work, damaged the road wheels, but did not penetrate into the tank

[@Mojje42]

that was only claimed by pilots to work... no proof of it actually working

[@Alicatt1]

The Hs 129 B-3 had a PaK40 75mm central mounted ant tank cannon I remember building the Airfix kit when I was a spotty teenager

[@dennisvandermarkt8263]

That was a really good one guys. Thanks

[@roderickval]

That was a lot of fun to fly & watch. Action and Education nice

[@emmata98]

2:30 no version with the 37( or 75 mm on the b-3)?

[@andrewsmall6834]

The Australian CA 12 Boomerang would be a great one, it was slow enough to be good for ground support and carried 2 x 20mm canons and 4 x .303 machine guns.

[@johneckert1690]

Another great video with lots of good science involved, and I have been taking notes, a lot of notes throughout these series of videos. We now know what it to kill a World War 2 Panther tank with guns only and I hope this series continues with the Korea conflict, Vietnam War and into modern day tanks and aircraft but first we need to test rockets and bombs on a World War 2 Panther.

[@LuizBarros99]

I'm surprised that they did not give any armor piercing shells for the He-410 30/50mm cannons, in War Thunder they are a menace.

[@ReaReaTheOne]

There should be an Hs-129 with a 75mm

[@DMLogic]

Congrats on getting 1k on Rumble

[@grimreapers]

thx

[@BrockvsTV]

Wonderful video. Only question is this is IL2 right? They why does it have dcs in the title

[@Joel-st5uw]

Dropped in to say the same.

[@grimreapers]

Yeh my bad.

[@BrockvsTV]

@@grimreapers you are forgiven. The video was wonderful. Small mistakes happen. Did not diminish from the overall quality of the video

[@axeleriksson8965]

Great video! More of these

[@wudimusic]

Re-discovered this Gem in VR a while ago.. what a beautiful sim

[@soupfork2105]

This is the top quality content I need to make my breakfast more enjoyable! That first ammorack did make me spill my tea though.

[@thomasshelby5115]

would u ever use the tornado in any capacity and congratulations on 1k on rumble

[@grimreapers]

Yup it is coming to game soon.

[@Revivethefallen]

That was a lot of fun to watch!

[@mrlodwick]

Thank you!

[@JD96893]

brilliant video! I always wondered which tank buster could actually best kill tanks!

[@jdickson1234]

"knackered" always cracks me up.

[@Maverick0451]

Another brilliant science experiment!! This is the kind of data that will come in handy for those Friday multi-generational missions!! If you know what the target is, and have solid data on which aircraft and weapon combinations are most effective, you’ll get your best numbers out of those aircraft!! Anyone that takes the time to read this who isn’t already following and watching on Rumble, PLEASE do so!! Thank you as always Super Cap and your Grim Reapers, this humanoid truly appreciates all that you do!!

[@mrlodwick]

Mosquito FB Mk. XVIII Tsetse.

[@timbaskett6299]

I could see this being a series against different tanks.

[@ogri214]

The HS129 was a very stable gun platform maybe the forerunner of the A10 concept

[@ronaldfinkelstein6335]

The Mk. XVIII Mosquito, with the 57mm gun was an anti SHIPPING aircraft. It was never used for hunting tanks.

[@exidy-yt]

It worked, didn't it? Maybe the British high command should have tried this out IRL!

[@_AnanasIEgenJuice_]

@@exidy-yt Most German armor was on the eastfront. Besides the westfront was full of forests and foliage that would hide tanks and make it difficult to hit from a plane. On the east front it was wide open plains and lots of Soviet armor to attack.

[@ronaldfinkelstein6335]

@@exidy-yt I thought so, as well, when I read about this variant. They didn't make many of them, and they only equipped two squadrons, in Coastal Command

[@rogeranderson8116]

Ju-87 G-2 had 37mm cannons D variants were bomb droppers. Best Stuka tank killer pilot tapped for consult during A-10 design

[@madontherun]

IL2 36,000 were built

[@garyK.45ACP]

No P-38?

[@hasina1461]

wasn't designed to be a tank killer any aircraft can destroy tanks a tank by strapping bombs and rockets to it

[@EfftupSmith]

Still can't work out how the Mossie was so slow against the HS-129 when the Mossie killed the tank with the first plane in in 2 shots. and the HS-129 it was about the 3rd or 4th plane that sniped the driver. It was Tankie both times. Now I know where he got his name.

[@joestevenson5526]

How about a B-25G and H, which had a 75mm cannon out of a M4 Sherman tank, plus 8 .50 cal machine guns. It was used in the Pacific for anti-ship duty. Suppose could fire 4 rounds on a strafing run.

[@steeltribe3967]

Thanks for the effort. Must fire up IL2 again.

[@jdickson1234]

Ooh this looks interesting.

[@jsublett8871]

ok that was a really fun to watch. Cap do more like this.

[@grimreapers]

rgr

[@sebastes0558]

Do they not have the B-25g modeled in DCS? It had a 75 mm cannon in the nose.

[@christopherhanton6611]

good video Hs-129 b-3 was fit with 75mm gun for killing tanks. also ju-88 p ground attack series carried my different guns 75 mm 37 mm and 88 mm.

[@stuartburgess2409]

Mk2 D Hurricane with 40mm vickers S guns is soooo sexy sqdn was called the flying tin openers , the Mossie with the Mohlins cannon is available to see in real life in the DH museum just off the m25 motorway near Hatfield.

[@Michael-rg7mx]

B-25 with a 105mm in the nose? P-51 with twin 40mm on the wings?

[@jantschierschky3461]

Hurricane, not p51

[@sharpy3453]

didnt the b25 only have a 75mm?

[@jantschierschky3461]

@sharpy 345 think you are right, believe the Italians had a plane with a 105mm

[@sharpy3453]

@@jantschierschky3461 102, i had looked it up earlier lol it was a 90mm cannon they bored to 102mm. they only made one

[@grimreapers]

Nice!

[@buxomborin]

P-39 content has made my day! Have a great day warbird humanoids 👍🏻

[@vanguard9067]

@grim reapers I object! You left out the big boy on the block: the Mitchell B-25. Guns: 12-18 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and 75 mm (2.95 in) T13E1 cannon. Who doesn’t want a 75mm cannon:-)

[@grimreapers]

I agree with this.

[@xet1sw156]

Could you repeat this with heavier aircraft i.e. The B-25 G or H models with the 75 mm cannon or the Mosquito MK XVIII armed with the 57 mm six pounder?

[@harryspeakup8452]

Regardless of the mark designation displayed, the 57mm six pounder was what they had modelled in the Mosquito, hence why it took out the tank with one round

[@Davivd2]

No P-38.....The hands down winner wasn't even invited to the party.

[@jantschierschky3461]

P38 was not a tank killer, 20mm was not effective.

[@tgsgardenmaintenance4627]

The Mosquito is a freaking legend!! 😍

[@BaldHeadedManc]

Loopity scoop and a boopity moop

[@PaulMcElligott]

Once you’ve killed the turret crew, you’ve effectively destroyed that tank, at least for the duration of the current engagement, so that should count as a kill.

[@carti9248]

wish il2 had the hs 129 b-3 with the huge 75mm from a panzer 4

[@dennisleighton2812]

Hi guys. I must admit to being surprised not to see the Bristol Beaufighter in the line-up! I would have thought those 4 x 20mm Hispanos might have stood a chance? Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I was under the impression that the Mossie Tsetse and its 57mm Molins gun was basically used in the anti-submarine role? Was it ever actually used against tanks? Great entertainment!

[@Ultrabrezel]

Hey cap, would the title and game not be IL-2 instead of DCS.

[@grimreapers]

thx fixed

[@bulldoguk2086]

what happened to he panther you were going to use?

[@BoraHorzaGobuchul]

Tank damage model seems off. If not armor penetration, at least track damage should've happened in that hail of rounds.

[@M3PH11]

this was fun. shame i had to pause the video for 20 minutes to figure out what game this is coz it's sure as shit not DCS (answer is at 26:24. It's IL-2 Sturmovich: battle of stalingrad). I may actually grab this coz it looks less complicated and (nearly) less expensive to play than DCS but without the super lame economy (and dev) that war thunder has. I will also hearld my return to the series. Not played an IL-2 game since the first one.

[@joetheragman2610]

The Stukas are able to close the range because they are so slow. The closer you are, the faster the impact velocity in relation to the muzzle velocity.

[@erikerice9068]

You guys need to see if you can try that B-25 Mitchell with the 75mm cannon in the nose and see what's what.

[@Noble9863]

The first 37mm guns used in the P-39s and P-63s were pretty lack luster in the AT department. The muzzle velocity on the AP shots were fairly low velocity so the penetration was bad. You’d be lucky to pen the T-34’s armor point blank with the hull angle nullified. There was a higher velocity 37mm gun the Americans made that was used in those modular mounts the A-26s used, but I don’t know of anything else that used them except PT boats. Good effort from the fliers though, entertaining video!

[@1SaG]

The "secrets" of the BK37 are probably its high muzzle velocity and hardcore (tungsten) ammo. It's adapted from an A2A gun, but was specifically modified to kill tanks. IIRC, both the HS 129 and Bf 110 could carry one of those guns under their bellies, but I'm not sure ATM if those configurations are available in IL-2. The 410's 50mm gun was based on an AT gun IIRC (Pak 38), but I doubt even that base-gun would've been able to reliably kill a T-34 using its regular AP ammo. I *think* the T-34 should be one of the hardest targets in game, even when shot from behind ... that sloped armor really makes it hard to kill. Best bet would probably be a 45 degree shot onto the engine deck - still not a very favorable angle, but the armor should be very thin in that spot. I bet that with the more boxier German tanks (Pz III/IV) as targets, results would've been more satisfactory.

[@jdickson1234]

Still a fun view :)

[@kurtreichenbach8927]

That was fun....to bad i had to leave for work.....RB

[@antarashnia84]

That ammo rack was nice

[@waynesworldofsci-tech]

Heh. Reminds me of Keith Laumer’s Bolo stories. Indestructible tank being hit by everything but the kitchen sink. Oh crap, now I have the insane urge to model a Bolo Model L fur DCS….

[@shawnwolf9240]

I wonder if they came from the side horizontally if it would have made a difference. The rounds would have more tank to hit from the side bc if the guns were on the wings then both sides of the guns would hit it. That's just my opinion even though the armor might be thicker

[@glennpettersson9002]

Great vid 👍

[@jdickson1234]

Wow what was that first attack? Over before it pretty much started. A glitch in the Matrix!

[@krismurphy7711]

Top Attack going for the Engine? Side Attack targeting tracks/wheel bogeys???

[@OscarZheng50]

we all know its the me 262 with the 50mm cannon also why is there dcs in the title when you guys are using IL 2

[@peterbrazier7107]

No Hs129 with the 7.5cm gun?

[@ghostviggen]

I would say Mosquito before I even watch the video. Because It’s my favorite WWII aircraft. And I have big hopes that it makes a triumphant return during WWIII.

[@spacemanduke3404]

I found the Stuka trial interesting. The most decorated German pilot, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, flew a Stuka with an antitank gun and had huge success. I wonder if the gun in this video was the same as what he used. Granted, he wasn't attacking German tanks

[@jantschierschky3461]

Well video shows a t34

[@stevenmiller184]

What about the B-25 with the 75mm cannon?

[@jdickson1234]

Feeling like the sim is not handling this realistically.

[@Galm1]

Cap what ever happened to RC and Squidle? I don’t see them in your videos anymore.

[@grimreapers]

Moved house and haven't seen him since.

[@rubiconnn]

I feel like the threshold to kill should have been crew kill. After all that's how most modern weapons disable tanks. They punch very small holes into the sides and kill the crew inside via bits of fragmentation from the armor or from fire.