Yak camouflage patterns

[expositor]

Hello again,

Except for EP's book and his old site, which I did like and frequently lurked, there are no sources that I've been able to find regarding the actual patterns applied to the various marks of Yak fighters. 
Most, if not all photos show one side of the fuselage or the other, with maybe one wing visible, and very few attributable to a particular regiment.  Compared to the Lagg's, there seem to be many different patterns, and none of the early marks' camouflage appears in any way close to the "required" template. 
Contrary to EP, Grib's Yak-9, silver(?) '22' is clearly painted in accord with the template in the back of his book.  But again, many, if not all Yak-1's and some -7's clearly have patterns that aren't. 
Again referring to EP, I appreciate the many nice drawings, but most of the accompanying photos don't quite reflect what is depicted.  This site has many nice profiles as well, but not so much for the earlier Yaks.  Can anyone lead me to a bit more explicit info or plan/profile pic's?

Many thanks!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
I have the project to make such a research utilizing the same method I've already utilized with the Il-2, Il-4 and other types: to collect all the available photos, to divide them by resemblance of the version and pattern, then to obtain drawings of the recurrent patterns and their connection with the type, period and factory.
At the end, this work can confirm or make obsolete the one of EP.
His part on the I-16  was deluding, because all 3 patterns of I-16 were based on one photo each, guessing the camo of the other side, and he didn't see that most of them were variations of the same NKAP pattern http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/i16/i16painting/I16painting-war.htm.
The part on I-153s was deluding again, because I didn't found any common pattern in all the photos I have.
http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/i15/i-153/i-153painting/i-153painting.htm
Unfortunately such a work on Yaks requires months of work.
Some has already done here, http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/colors/1941-43/1941-43.html with a recurrent comparison to the 'standard' pattern of NKAP, but the work has to be much more extended to identify and draw all the main variations.

Regards
Massimo

[KL]

Hi Expositor,

Problem with E. Pilawskii is not what he draws, but what he writes!  He may interpret colours from b/w photos or camouflage on the hidden side of the airplane (known as "dark side of the Moon") however he wants.  It's hard to prove that he is wrong or wright.
But, when he writes how there were no rules/orders re camouflage and how workers could paint planes however they wanted - that is falsification of historical facts.  When he writes that his work is based on research in archives - he is lying.  He hasn't worked in archives and he can't understand Russian.

Cheers,
KL

[expositor]

Thanks Massimo and KL, I appreciate the time and info.  Massimo, I have looked through this site's research pages; your work is impressive, and look forward to the posting of your further research for the Yak fighters.