December 20, 1939: Another Soviet division (122nd) is cut off and isolated by the Finns, and attacks on the Mannerheim line are running out of steam. It’s an ugly aircraft, but will seem like an avenging angel to hard-pressed Soviet troops in the coming years: The first Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik takes to the air. In time, over 36,000 of this tough ground attack aircraft will be in service and Stalin – in a very threatening letter to a tardy manufacturer – will describe it as being as necessary to the Red Army as air and bread.
