Hi,
I appologize for a bit longer post.
I tried to summarize all photos of Pokryshkin with P-39s somehow related to him I found on the internet and frame them by some events from Pokryshkin?s WWII period to better understand historical background when particular aircraft and camo/marking was used. Info and photos are taken from this discussion and from different sources on Internet, all mentioned in previous posts.
All those photos show interesting pattern, if not rule. Pokryshkin is near by the either unidentificable (e.g. his?) aircraft or near by identificable but someone?s else aircraft (Rechkalov, Sukhov etc.).April 1943 The first Airacobras arrived to 16 GIAP were 11x P-39D-2, 7x Р-39К-1 and 14x P-39L-1. Together with latter deliveries there were:
Serials 41-384xx (P-39D-x) where xx: 16, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 37, 38, 51, 56, 58 and 62 look like planes from one or two production series and were produced in 1941:
- are older versions (D1, D2),
- armed with 20mm cannon (at least some).
Serials 24xxx, e.g. 42-4xxx were produced in 1942,
- they are newer types (ver. K, L),
- armed with 37cannon.
Pokryshkin flew mostly P-39K-1(?) "13" S/N: 24421 (42-4421).Pokryshkin made a
single combat flight in elder type S/N: 138520 (41-38520), board no? in April.
Pokryshkin flew
also ?130? on 10-Apr-1943 and 17-Apr-1943 according to the ЖБД (журнал боевых действий ? combat book) of the 16 GIAP:
Photos from era before his first HSU Gold Star - no board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane:
23-Apr-1943 P-39N-BE S/N: 29004 (42-9004) arrived to 16 GIAP from 25 ZAP.
10-May-1943 P-39K-2-BE S/N: 24421 ?13? or ?130? sent for general maintenance.
24-May-1943 Captain Pokryshkin awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for the first time.
28-May- 1943, Pokryshkin flew 41-38520 "17" or ?100?? for a single mission.
This plane had been set aside for the regiment commander who did not fly on combat missions.
After 24-Apr-1943 it was given to pilot P. P. Ketov and safely fought to the end of 1943.
Text accompanying the photo: ?Cамолет Покрышкина из киноновостей то ли 42го то ли 43го. Видимо из соображений секретности сняли так что номеров не видно.? ?(Pokryshkin?s aircraft from kino news from year 42/43. To keep in secret photo is made from such angle that no numbers are visible.?
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane.
June/Jul? 1943 Pokryshkin promoted to major, having become commanding officer of his squadron.
23-Jun-1943 Pokryshkin exchanged his old P-39K-1 S/N: 24421 (42-4421) "13? for P-39N S/N: 29004 (42-9004), "100".31-Jun-1943 Division received the order to transfer the Regiment to the Donbass.
3-Aug-1943 P-39N-BE S/N: 29004 (42-9004) damaged in accident with friendly IL-2, sent for repair & maintenance and latter sent to different unit.
Serial number 29004 (42-9004), board number ?100?:
My observation/opinion:
- Plane is undergoing some repair/maintenance - front fuselage is lift up and supported by construction,
- cover on the left main landing gear is missing,
- manufacturer logo and bright stencils visible on the propeller blades, e.g. bladed should have yellow tips,
- tail tip seems to have different color ( demarcation line is visible) ? red without white line?
Igor Zlobin:
?According to the info from historian Oleg Levchenko and after one month in the archive in the city of Podolsk (CAMO) ? I deleted red tail tips on the planes from period spring-summer of 1943.? But he kept yellow tips on the propeller blades.
Pokryshkin is not visible somewhere near by this plane.
So, is this still Pokryshkin?s aircraft on this photo or is it already someone?s else when it was repaired after crasch with Il-2 on 3-Aug-1943 and transfered to the other unit?24-Aug-1943 Major Pokryshkin was awarded the second HSU "Gold Star" medal.
Pokryshkin not at his but Rechkalov?s plane:
September 1943 Pokryshkin flew P-39 (type?) "100" S/N: 219158 ( 42-19158) Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube - S/N: 220136, (42-20136) ?
- No Board Number painted on the fuselage,
- Produced latter than 42-9004 (9004 vs. 20136) and 42-19158 (19158 vs. 20136)
- Although used in the film about Pokryshkin, seems not to be his aircraft.
fall 1943 16 GIAP is based on the Krimean front with the main duty to defend ground troops and ships in the area of Gulf of Sivach.
November 1943 Bad weather conditions limited the air activity, but Pokryshkin started individual flights at low altitude over the Black Sea.
Pokryshkin in front of his Airacobra?
Text in the photo: ?Alexander Pokryshkin (right). 40th years of last century.?
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane. Winter 1943/spring 1944?
Pokryshkin and D.B. Glinka in front of Airacobra:
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane. Winter 1943/spring 1944?
K.G. Vishnevetskiy, A.I. Pokryshkin, N.E. Lavitskiy, D.B. Glinka, B.B. Glinka, I.M. Dzusov, I.I. Babak, G.A. Rechkalov:
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane. Winter 1943/spring 1944?
end of 1943 Pokryshkin was appointed as commander of 16 GIAP with the rank of Lieutnant Colonel.
The 16 GIAP was retired from the front to complete its ranks with new pilots and planes.
7-Nov- 1943 Pokryshkin was in Moscow, proposed to become the commander of the flight school. He refused.
Since Feb-1944 Pokryshkin did not fly nearly as much, he was not allowed to fly because of fear of him getting killed.
Pokryshkin spent a lot of time in the radio bunker, directing his regiment's fights over the radio.
May/Jun? 1944
Pokryshkin returned to the front, he was promoted to colonel and given command of 9th GIAD - Guards Fighter Air Division division, composed by 16, 100 and 104 GIAP:
Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube:
Most of the time he was sitting in a tank with a powerful radio, issuing commands. Pokryshkin was forbidden to perform combat missions, but he sometimes completed successful combat missions with his old unit.
Boris Glinka succeded him as commander of 16 GIAP.
16 July 1944 Pokryshkin shot down two Stukas and one Hs.129.
30 May 1944 Near Yassy, Rumania. Three Ju.87s were shot down by Pokryshkin.
19-Aug-1944 Pokryshkin awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time.
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane.
September 1944. Pokryshkin in the cockpit of Rechkalov's P-39N S/N: 28747 (42-8747):
14-Jan-1945 Pokryshkin?s last victory was another Ju.87
1945 Stills from 1945 movie taken in Germany.
Pokryshkin is again in Rechkalov?s P-39 and he is again greeted by his pilots. The plane is P-39Q S/N: 42547 (44-2547):
In spite of what Pilawskii writes, this second plane had exactly the same markings as the earlier P-39N: victory stars on its nose and RGA on its fuselage...
Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube:
- P-39 ?15? S/N: 4278xxx (44-278xxx) ?
- Produced in the year 1944,
- Although used in the film about Pokryshkin, not his aircraft.
Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube:
- P-39 S/N: xx273 (xx-x273) ?
- Although used in the film about Pokryshkin, not his aircraft.
P-39N, 16th GvIAP, ?50? Pilot - Konstantin Sukhov, Eastern Germany, Spring 1945:
'50' was one of the 16 GIAP's colorful P-39Ns that retained its Buffalo applied white disc. Indeed, it must have done so for quite some time, as Sukhov was photographed piloting this aircraft in eastern Germany during 1945! The aircraft appears to have remained in its delivered condition, save for a red spinner and flash on the fin/rudder, this trimmed in white. Other P-39Qs of this unit demonstrate stars on white discs applied asymmetrically on the wings in the USAAF fashion, and it seems likely that '50' is also so marked.
Using the Autobahn as a runway, flew P-39Q-15 "white 50", Serial Number painted out (originally assigned to K.V. Sukhov).
Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube:
- Board Number painted but I cannot see it correctly,
- Although used in the film about Pokryshkin, not his aircraft.
Pokryshkin, B.B.Glinka (shot down on 14-Jul-1944, did not fly anymore), Rechkalov, Klubov (died on 1-Nov-1944 in La-7 accident) and some others:
No board and serial number visible, not possible to identify that plane.
Any comments and corrections and photos are more than welcome.
Thank you for your help.
Regards,
66misos