new page on Il-2M

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Jason,

Massimo, that's a very interesting profile, especially with the orange markings. And yes, I would like a copy of any new Il-2 profiles you've done. Thank you!

I'll keep you updated soon.
Hi Misos,

very attractive camouflage, especially that orange color. What it was?
Or. (oranzhevyi) Nitrocellulosic lacquer from 1940 (Marking and livery colors) or MV-3, MV-4 for inscriptions on engines (Interior colors) or custom mix of A-6 gloss yellow oil enamel for fuel tanks and pipes and A-13 gloss red oil enamel for inert gas and fire extinguishers (both also Interior colors)?

I can make your same hypothesis, but I can't know. I am more for a mix.

Many planes of the same unit appear on some videos; I've made some screeenshots.


Another plane of the same unit (I enclose the profile only, the 3 view drawing is linked)

http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/il-2/il2-camo/il-2m/il2m-early--fl-al-3view-617shap2.jpg

I'm thinking to make still one or two profiles from this unit.

Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi, here is another one.


Il-2M White 61 of 568 ShAP presumably in fall 1943 or spring 1944.

The plane looks to have some characteristics of the planes built in Zavod 30 in the first half of 1943, as the black green camouflage, the 20 mm ShVAK guns at the wings and the tunnel canopy, aside other characteristics introduced in late summer or fall 1943: white-red outlined stars (very large) and tall radio mast, probably due to some repair.
There are traces of repainting on the nose, rear fuselage and tail, perhaps with the use of light brown paint too. The unit is said to have worn a white band on the rear fuselage for some time, and this could justify the repainting.
An interesting characteristic is the outline along the fin's edge; according to a veteran, it should be red, shining on the photo; the observation of other photos of planes of the same unit seems to suggest a lighter shade than the star, but it's uncertain.
Other planes of the unit show the later type camouflage and spinners with a lighter front, possibly red.
Image via Vitaliy Timoshenko.

Regards
Massimo

[xan]

Hi Massimo,
what happens with the veterans ? you had at the same time color descriptions by three different veterans (the orange tail, the blue light
tactical number, ant this one)





. Did you find a veterans interview website? or did Timoshenko gives you those testimony ?

As I tolf you in the other topic (il-2 of 1942), I don't say they are not true but too of them are quite inusual so we have to take care with them and try to study all the possibility...

for the red tail one , in the picture, it look very shiny, and without the testimony I would have say silver...

Xan

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Xan,
Tora is very interested to Il-2 (only this, seems) and has collected lots of photos and interviews from many sources. Unfortunately some of the photo are not his own or are unpublished, so he aked me not to show. About the informations, he told that are from veterans. He doesn't write English fluently so the informations are in telegraphic form. I can try to ask more . If you want, you can try to contact him via Scalemodels.ru.
I think that these informations are reliable.
I would have say white, but he showed some photos of other planes of this unit and a brief video. The video is certainly of public domain, I can send it. For the other photos, I can ask.
Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
Vitaliy has rectified the identification of this unit. It is 801 ShAP. All the considerations about red are vain: the color is unknown. It looks silver, and I've redrawn it this way.
Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
further modification. According to Vitaliy, the regimental color on the tail is probably yellow, while the front of the spinner changes according to the squadron;
1st: red
2nd: blue (dark, a9?)
3rd: white or yellow (discordances between what said by different veterans).
The profile was modified with a dark blue nose.
Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,


The plane of Vladimir Abramovich Aleksenko, squadron commander, and later regiment commander, of 15 Gv.ShAP, Leningrad/Baltic area. The photo is thought to be of fall 1943 or summer/spring 1944.

http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=252

 The photo shows a lion painted in white on the left side of the fin, and a thin white band around the fuselage, probably with thin red outlines. Something white, possibly the bort numbers, is vaguely visible between the men.
According to a Russian reconstruction, the plane was numbered white 07 and had a silver painted spinner.
Unfortunately it's not known from which factory the plane came from. I've supposed it is Z.18, but it could also be Z.30.



Here is the pilot with the lion painted in colors on the right side of the fin. Seems that the lion is attacking a prey, that appears as an ill-defined blotch (or perhaps it's only a repair).
Thanks to Vitaliy Timoshenko for the informations.




Plane 09 of pilot Deryabin of 15 Gv.ShAP. This is thought to be similar to the one of Aleksenko.
No lions here, but both the white band and the number 09 on the fuselage look to have a thin red outline.
Note the impressive damage to the elevators.

Regards
Massimo

 

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi all,
here is a new profile. One of the last Il-2s from me I think before passing to some other subject.


Interesting image of plane 'red (?) 21". The size and style of the stars identify it as a plane built in Z.30 in late 1943. The wing can be recognized as a damaged and deformed straight wooden wing.

The divided ammo hatches have created the doubt that this could be an Il2-37, but it seems to see the rear of the rocket rails through the break in front of the aileron, and this characteristic was missing on Il2-37.

The red (?) 21 was contoured, probably in silver paint; the outline of the fuselage star seems too dark to be white, the outline could be silver or even yellow.

The regimental marking on the tail, an interrupted white line with a thin red (?) contour, is particularly interesting, even it the unit and place remain unknown.
On the background, we see the appaently similar 'red 14'.
Image from http://forums-su.com/viewtopic.php?f=194&t=583322
Thanks to Vitaliy Timoshenko for the link and to Aleksandr Ruckovsky for his suggestions.
Here is the artwork. Click on the small profile to see a 3 views drawing.



Regards
Massimo

[barneybolac]

Very nice.

[learstang]

Yes, very nice indeed, Massimo!

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
thank you for your appreciation.
There is a modify due to new informations from Vitaliy:

According to a research based on the memoirs of veterans, planes numbered from 01 to 12 had red numbers and spinners, planes from 14 to 26 had blue ones, and planes from 27 to 38 had yellow ones.

According to the same source, the regimental mark was completed by a white undersurface of the left wing only, from the aileron start to the tip; a thin red longitudinal line divided the white part of the undersurface from the light blue one.

Regards
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi, another one:






white 5 of capt. Boris Lopatin of 667 ShAP was shot down by the German flak on May 25, 1943, during an attack to an airport. The pilot survived and joined the partisans for a while.

http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=10470

The plane has wooden wings, and was supposed built in Z.30 as the apparently similar plane white 7.

The short gun barrels suggest that this plane was armed with ShVAK 20 mm guns instead of the usual VYa-23.

Thanks to Vitaliy Timoshenko.

Regards
Massimo

[learstang]

Another lovely profile, Massimo! I agree that those are ShVAK cannons in the 23-mm type fairings.

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi, one more:

The only available images of an operative transition Il-2 as those of the photo above are these, representing white 5 of an unknown unit captured by Germans, probably in fall 1943.

We recognize the rare combination of the 'roof' type rear canopy and black/green camouflage, produced in July 1943, immediately before the change to 3 shades camouflage. The rocket rails, probably absent due to the damages to the plane, were probably of the early type instead of the later flushed one. Note the absence of the stabilizators and elevators.

The red stars have unusually thin white outlines, probably painted after the delivery of the plane. It is unclear if there is the outer red outline too.
Other interesting characteristics of the plane include the oblique font of the bort number, the white tail cap and the (probably) red front of the spinner (recognizable for its glossy finish).
Thanks to Vitaliy Timoshenko for the scans.



Hi Jason,
I suppose that these drawings are too late for your book. If it is not so, please let me know and I'll send an higher resolution version.

Regards
Massimo

[learstang]

Unfortunately they are too late for the book, which is being formatted now. Still, very nice work!

Regards,

Jason