Ironically named War Is Boring carries an article about the two World War II ground attack aircraft that inspired the design of the A-10. They were the German Stuka and the Soviet Sturmovik.
The Luftwaffe's Junkers 87 Stuka with its dive siren and fixed landing gear is unquestionably the more well-known of the pair. Likely the more important of the two was the Ilyushin 2 Sturmovik, the most prolific warplane ever with 36,000 built. Both were fearsome tank busters and tough, flexible, rugged aircraft that operated from dirt fields near the front lines.
