Hi,
Tapani is working on some profiles of Li-2 and C-47 in Soviet markings.
I would understand the commonalities between the planes of these photos:
Li-2 (probably NB) n.419 features a 3 shades camouflage. The damage on the rudder suggest that it was utilized as a night bomber.
Note the slots for defensive 7,62 ShKAS machine guns on the rear window. The defensive armament included two of them in the rear fuselage, plus a fixed one on the nose and one 12.7 mm UBT on the turret.
About 600 Li-2NB were utilized by the ADD equipping up to 19 regiments; 384 of them were lost during the war.
Unarmed Li-2 n.406 of the 23 OAP GVF (Detachet Aviation Regiment of the Civil Aviation Fleet) in summer 1945.
The inscription on the nose means 'Berlinskiy', an honorary name given to the regiment. The planes are unarmed, and still have a 3-shades camouflage with black undersurfaces.
The first plane was probably a night bomber photographed in 1944 and the second image shows unarmed planes in 1945, but the tail numbers were extremely similar suggesting that they belonged to the same unit. But the unit of the second photo is a transport one.
I wonder if the planes belonged to the same bomber units in 1944, then they were disarmed and converted to the transport role and passed to another unit all together.
Can anyone help to make light on this?
Regards
Massimo
