Hi Massimo,
thank you and Tapani for interesting photo.
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This was not taken on any parade or exhibition but on a base near Murmansk. Anyway the war between Finland and USSR
was over in October 44 when this image is reported to have been taken.
So technically plane with this colorfull decoration could fly during WWII, but did Galchenko use it also in combats?
- he was awarded HSU on June 6, 1942, but he did not paint Gold medal neither on LaGG-3 nor new La-5F,
- he apparently flew (at least at beginning) La-5F with only standard red stars and black cat,
- his last victory is from October 22, 1944
http://www.airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchenk.htm- profiles show 24 victory stars on this La-5F - final official score. So picture most probably is not from period before October 22, 1944,
- at the end of the war he was deputy of 324 IAD commander, e.g. moreless "grounded" function.
What is the wheather in Murmansk at end of october or in november? Looking at Galchenko's uniform it does not look cold.
What is on the fuselage bellow stripe with victore marks, near to Galchenko right hand? It looks like hole in the fuselage
There is something like presure bomb for painting spray gun in fron of Galchenko, like on this picture:
regards,
66misos