Romantic Technofreak
13th September 2005, 02:25
After some time I had the chance to create another GOT topic. I am just too busy in the moment, thatīs why I also usually donīt share your interesting other threads, although I would like to do so. This time, I would like to point on an aircraft from a rather unknown part of the world - the Baltic States, here Lithuania in special. Itīs a short one, so I didnīt have to do much[:I];). Source of text is again samoloty.ow.pl, while the translation was done with www.poltran.com once more. Now letīs direct our eyes on
The ANBO VIII
In 1938, the High Command of the Lithuanian Air Force decided to start thorough changes of the aerial equipment, what mainly consisted of machines of foreign origin that were becoming obsolete.
Aircraft of native construction were the reconnoisaters ANBO-IV ans ANBO-41, for advanced training the ANBO-VI was used, for basic training there were the ANBO-V and -51, and the fighter squadrons used the British Gloster Gladiator.
The most adverse situation had to be faced by the Group No. III - the bombers. From 1929, they were equipped with 19 totally obsolete Italian Ansaldo A.120s (in 1938 there were 15 samples remaining). The purchasing of the 14 Gladiators tuned out to be so expensive for the Lithuanian aviation budget, that it was considered not longer to buy a proper aircraft abroad. Thus, the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Air Force, Brigadier General Eng. Atanas Gustaitis, a talented project engineer himself, who had constructed all ANBO aircraft in personal, saw the need to create a native aircraft without foreign help.
The new machine had to be a light bomber, adaptable also as attacker and for direct frontline support. For ground strafing, two fixed machine guns in the wings were foreseen, while the second crew member received a movable gun to protect the aircraft against attacking fighters. The first project work started on May 5th, 1938. The new aircraft, called ANBO-VIII, was an all-metal cantilever low-wing construction with fixed undercarriage, having a long cabin on the back to shelter the crew. Somehow it resembled the Polish reconnoisater and light bomber PZL P.23 "Karas". The first prototype was built at the avaition workshop in Kaunas and was ready for testing on September 5th, 1939.
Several trial flights were carried out from November 22th, to verify the controllability, to record the performance of the aircraft and to eliminate all faults before the start of the serial production was decided.
However, the political situation in 1940 was deteriorating, and it was impossible to put the ANBO-VIII into serial production. The ambitious attempt of the little advanced Lithuanian aircraft industry to construct a bomber of its own was meaning a big progress, but had to be content with building a single prototype. No doubt, it was the most modern aircraft Lithuania had produced before the Soviet occupation in July of 1940. The input to serial production had allowed to gain independence for the Lithuanian aviation from supplies from foreign countries and it enabled the farthest development of the national arms industry.
After the Soviet occupation, the prototype was standing on the so-called department of aerial provision, where it fell in Soviet hands. Its further fate is unknown. Probably, the machine was tested by experts of the Soviet VVS, but after a certain time it either crashed or was scrapped. Perhaps, it even survived until 1941 and fell victim to the German attack on Soviet territory.
General Atanas Gustaitis and many other Lithuanian airmen and officers suffered a tragical fate - they were shot by the Soviets in 1941 after being accused of espionage for Germany.
Sources:
1. W. Rezmer "Litewskie lotnictwo wojskowe 1919-1940", Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikolaja Kopernika, Toruņ, 1999
2. R. Humberstone "Lithuanian Air Force 1918-1940", Blue Rider, London, 1996
3. Different aerial magazines.
See the corresponding site on www.samoloty.ow.pl for technical data and photographs:
http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str285.htm
This fine picture is from airwar.ru:
http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/aww2/anbo8/anbo8-c1.jpg
The ANBO VIII
In 1938, the High Command of the Lithuanian Air Force decided to start thorough changes of the aerial equipment, what mainly consisted of machines of foreign origin that were becoming obsolete.
Aircraft of native construction were the reconnoisaters ANBO-IV ans ANBO-41, for advanced training the ANBO-VI was used, for basic training there were the ANBO-V and -51, and the fighter squadrons used the British Gloster Gladiator.
The most adverse situation had to be faced by the Group No. III - the bombers. From 1929, they were equipped with 19 totally obsolete Italian Ansaldo A.120s (in 1938 there were 15 samples remaining). The purchasing of the 14 Gladiators tuned out to be so expensive for the Lithuanian aviation budget, that it was considered not longer to buy a proper aircraft abroad. Thus, the Commander-in-Chief of the Lithuanian Air Force, Brigadier General Eng. Atanas Gustaitis, a talented project engineer himself, who had constructed all ANBO aircraft in personal, saw the need to create a native aircraft without foreign help.
The new machine had to be a light bomber, adaptable also as attacker and for direct frontline support. For ground strafing, two fixed machine guns in the wings were foreseen, while the second crew member received a movable gun to protect the aircraft against attacking fighters. The first project work started on May 5th, 1938. The new aircraft, called ANBO-VIII, was an all-metal cantilever low-wing construction with fixed undercarriage, having a long cabin on the back to shelter the crew. Somehow it resembled the Polish reconnoisater and light bomber PZL P.23 "Karas". The first prototype was built at the avaition workshop in Kaunas and was ready for testing on September 5th, 1939.
Several trial flights were carried out from November 22th, to verify the controllability, to record the performance of the aircraft and to eliminate all faults before the start of the serial production was decided.
However, the political situation in 1940 was deteriorating, and it was impossible to put the ANBO-VIII into serial production. The ambitious attempt of the little advanced Lithuanian aircraft industry to construct a bomber of its own was meaning a big progress, but had to be content with building a single prototype. No doubt, it was the most modern aircraft Lithuania had produced before the Soviet occupation in July of 1940. The input to serial production had allowed to gain independence for the Lithuanian aviation from supplies from foreign countries and it enabled the farthest development of the national arms industry.
After the Soviet occupation, the prototype was standing on the so-called department of aerial provision, where it fell in Soviet hands. Its further fate is unknown. Probably, the machine was tested by experts of the Soviet VVS, but after a certain time it either crashed or was scrapped. Perhaps, it even survived until 1941 and fell victim to the German attack on Soviet territory.
General Atanas Gustaitis and many other Lithuanian airmen and officers suffered a tragical fate - they were shot by the Soviets in 1941 after being accused of espionage for Germany.
Sources:
1. W. Rezmer "Litewskie lotnictwo wojskowe 1919-1940", Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikolaja Kopernika, Toruņ, 1999
2. R. Humberstone "Lithuanian Air Force 1918-1940", Blue Rider, London, 1996
3. Different aerial magazines.
See the corresponding site on www.samoloty.ow.pl for technical data and photographs:
http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str285.htm
This fine picture is from airwar.ru:
http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/aww2/anbo8/anbo8-c1.jpg