The international situation was such that three factories in Moscow and Voronezh began preparations for manufacture of the Il-2 even before the second pair of prototypes first flew in Oct 1940. The first production aircraft was accepted before completion of the State Acceptance Trials on 18 March 1941, the 4th Shturmoviki Aviapolk (Ground-Attack Aviation Regiment) being the first to receive the Il-2 in May 1941.
Some 249 had been completed when the Germans invaded, but only 70 had been accepted by the VVS and they were barely operational. It received its baptism of fire on 1 July near Bobruisk with some effect although losses were high.