Sovietwarplanes

Hi,
I bought today La-5F kit in 1/72 from AMD Decals that includes also camouflage scheme and decals for Galchenko:

(http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/La-5/Lavochkin-La-5/images/Artwork-Lavochkin-La-5F-259IAD-Maj-Leonid-Akimovich-Galchenko-1944-0A.jpg)

I browsed internet but I cannot find a photo of this particular plane. Could you help me, please, with info whether this is only artificial artwork or it is something real.
This plane has AMT-11/AMT-12 upper surface, but this profile as well as instruction sheet shows nonstandard grey-grey patterns.
Thank you in advance.

      66misos

(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchnk4.jpg)
from  http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchenk.htm

Profile you posted is obviously made after the AML profile.  Profile artist (French?) doesn't know much about the subject:

- Gal Chenko   :-X  :P

cheers,
KL

Hi,
the profile is reported on Osprey- Lagg and Lavockin aces- but without any photo. Says that the diagonal bands were probably an unit emblem, and that victories into a white rectangle were typical of the 7th Air Army on the Karelian front.
There are not photos of this on the Squadron, MBI, Airwar, Profile, Red Star monographs.
Regards
Massimo 

It looks that original source for decorated plane (diagonal band, victory markings, HSU red star award) is following profile made by M. Bikov:

(http://soviet-aces-1936-53.ru/abc/g/galchenk4.jpg)

note says that the plane was prepared for June 1945 Victory Parade.  During the war it probably looked like the plane on the photo:

(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchnk4.jpg)
(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galfly10.jpg)

I've written to the author, I hope that he'll give us some more informations.
Regards
Massimo

Hi,
thank you very much for your excellent info :D
The original b&w photo shows moreless standard grey/grey pattern, at least on left fuselage, left horizontal stabilizer and root of left wing:

(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchnk4.jpg)

(http://www.mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/colors/1943-45-fighters/tem-fighters1943.jpg)

(http://www.mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/colors/1943-45-fighters/la5factory2.jpg)

So there are basically two choices:
1.) relatively "boring" war time marking, only red stars and black cat, no numbers, nothing else,
2.) eye catching, but after war marking with all that stripes, victory marks etc.
It reminds me situation with Kozhedub's L-7 "white 27" :(

     66misos

Looks like the previous numbers are overpainted on back fuselage.
Actually i have a quite fair photo shown this but i couldn't find it.

Saivila

Hi Saivila,
I think so too.
(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchnk4.jpg)

(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t518/66misos/La-5F/130627_La-5FGalchenko_02_zps30e4e070.jpg)

I made demarcation lines between (what I think) original, old painting AMT-11 and AMT-12 and new repaintings. Especially difference between old and new AMT-11 is apparent. That older, darker (due to dirty?) AMT-11 is made as AMT-12 on that artistic profiles.

    66misos

Hi Saivila and Misos,
I think that some repainting was done on trhe wing too to delete the star where not covered by the cat. Besides the photo seems to show a small amt-11 band at the tip of the rudder.
I see dishomogeneous color on the fuselage star too. It looks confused, I wonder if it was a repair only or has something to do with a kremlin star or what else.
Regards
Massimo

Hi,

this I found at WINGS PALETTE:
(http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/336/pics/1_48.jpg)

and this is from AML Decals:
(http://www.eshop.aml.cz/174-367-thickbox/soviet-aces-in-lavochkin-la-5f-s.jpg)

(http://www.eshop.aml.cz/174-366-thickbox/soviet-aces-in-lavochkin-la-5f-s.jpg)

So AML Decals offers 1/72 kit with correctly two versions of decals for Galchenko - war time version and after war "parade" version.

     66misos

Hi Misos,
that is good.
I wonder if they had our same sources, or found anything more.
The black green pattern of n.18 reported on the sheet is strange, all La-5 should have the same one that is symmetrical on the fuselage sides.
Regards
Massimo

Just received from Tapani:

(http://www.mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/la5/galchenkola5f.jpg)


Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo,
thank you and Tapani for interesting photo.

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 (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:
(http://www.airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchen7.jpg)

regards,
     66misos

All i can say that the temperature could be very varied in this time of year juts in October.
Forexample today 22 10 in Finnish Lappland, near Murmansk, weather is about +11 degrees
in the daytime.  I don't see any contradiction if we are talkin' about weather but im not
try say that Murmansk or October  is absolutely truth.  I can see the compressed air
container close on the plane. For engine start.  Plane is perhaps not retired yet.

Regards tt

Hi Saivila,
thanks for respond.
Anyhow, on this photo Galchenko looks like just returned or going to flight:
(http://airaces.narod.ru/all2/galchnk4.jpg)

while here he looks like standing in front of his plane only for photo session purpose:
(http://www.mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/la5/galchenkola5f.jpg)

Regards,
    66misos

Yes. Not pilot suit but army officers "sunday suit."  This is not only a snapshot for sure.
But this aircraft is not look grounded, and perhaps this photo proves only that someones
gonna fly this plane quite soon.  Perhaps demonstration over parade, or transmission flight,
or something.     I think this writing has originally done, and pic released, on soviet days.
Could be a totally wrong rendition but still exists on book printed on two years ago.
First volume of this " Wrecks in Lappland " (not translated, Finnish only ) 
is released about 1989/90. 


Regards tt

Few notes more. Cant say for sure was that photo and text on this older print.
I don't have this book, but if you look carefully there is allso a wrong type identification
on Finnish as LA5FN. 

regards tt

great photo. But I dont see a red/white tail stripe, just white. I also don't see any stars in the panel beneath the cockpit.  Maybe just poor photo reproduction.  But even soo I see sign of another tail band colour.   

(http://soviet-aces-1936-53.ru/abc/g/galchenk4.jpg)

cheers
T

It is a bit strange... I can see two dark lines on the white spinner, but the star is by much more pale, and I can't see starlets on the white rectangle nor the red band on the tail. I wonder if the painting shown in that photo is definitive, and if a further photo does exist.
Perhaps the lines on the spinner aren't red.
Regards
Massimo

Hi Massimo

Ah, The Joy of Profiles! 

The star behind Galchenko left elbow looks to be the same tone as the darker spinner bands. 

Note the profile shows a grey base and tip, the photo shows them 'white'

As for the victory stars, if small [and/or yellow outlined]  perhaps just overwhelmed by the white background in the exposure of the photo, thouh for a posed 'HSU' photo [I assume that is a HSU star? too late and tired to look it up sorry]  then the victory board would be an important part of the image.

be interesting to see a better photo, but I'm always happy to see VVS photos I've not seen before especially if slightly exotic.

cheers
T

Hi,
Coud be a question of exposure? The bands look so uniformly dark.
About the tail: I've tried to darken the image, but no any band appears on the white one, nor stars on the board. I suppose that they were painted later, because such a board without victory stars makes no sense.
Regards
Massimo

looking at the sun  angle, above and behind, I think the victory  stars have gone from the glare of the surrounding white, the lower part of the  star I mentioned is in relative shadow due to curvature of the fuselage.

The tail band looks just white.
Are there any other photos of planes from this unit, with a red/white tail stripe though? 

Or is there another photo from  the Victory day parade showing these details?

cheers
T

Hi,
I posted questions also at Russian war-historical forum http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/0/0.htm (http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/0/0.htm) and got some replies:

Photo of "undecorated" plane in better quality than already posted here:
(http://lib.rus.ec/i/33/390333/pic_85.jpg)
It looks like the fuselage star is not "Kremlin type" but standard one and irregularities of color (horizontal stripes) are caused by scanner.

Qwl99's (from http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/0/0.htm (http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/0/0.htm)) reply:
"Photo is uneven, the tail is lighter and more contrast. Stars on the panel are not visible, because they are very small. Red star on the fuselage is also hard to see. Unfortunately, (I had) only a paper print/copy that I return back to Juri Rybin."

Anyhow, I played with brightness and contrast to get:
(http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t518/66misos/La-5F/131024_La-5FGalchenko_04b_zps758d77ed.jpg)
It looks like white outline of the black cat is a bit brighter than "white" stripe on the tail - see back (and legs) of the cat marked by red arraow. That stripe was painted (several months?) latter after the cat, so I would assume that dirty white would be on cat outline, not on  the stripe.
I wonder that photo is able to show difference between two whites, but it is not able to show difference between white and red. ???
Regards,
     66misos

Hi Misos,
the lighter contour around the cat could be an artifact due to the .jpg compression of the image. This compression method is good where color changes in soft way, but can give alterations where it changes sharply.
In facts you cal see lighter lines also around the borders of the white band.
It would be good to find a better scan, made with 600 dpi resolution in color, them blurried and reduced as resolution, and saved as .jpg of at least level 10. That is, to find the magazine an scan it with this criteria.

Regards
Massimo

I just checked this from the original book "Hylkyretki? Pohjolaan" ("Wrecktrips to the North", 2009). Original looks really be a poor copy. Not a hint of victory markings in the printed picture and tail band is certainly single colour.

Cheers,

AaCee

lighter outline likely result of retouching...