44 IAP's white 14
By Massimo Tessitori
File updated on August 15, 2004
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This image of late 1941 shows LaGG-3 n.14 of 44 IAP, Leningrad area.
A second aircraft on the background shows the camo scheme of its wings.

 
This aircraft looks to be of series 1 or 2, whose characteristics are:
  • sharp prop spinner;
  • tubular exhaust stacks;
  • 1 UB 12,7 mm mm firing through the propeller shaft;
  • 1 12,7 UB machine gun guns on the left side of the engine cowling, and relative holes on the left side of the cowling;
  • 2  7,62 mm ShKAS machine guns on the engine cowling;
  • engine cowling with dzus locks

    • pointed side plates behind the exhaust stacks;
  • wide flat inlets on engine cowling sides;
  • three slots on left nose panel;
  • recessed outlet on right panel;
  • early oval (?) supercharger intakes;
  • short radio mast;
  • straight rudder with two balance masses;
  • water cooler outlet on the fuselage with small step and long flap;
  • fixed tail wheel;
  • no slats, pitot on the right leading edge.

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Besides, 14 had part of the main gear doors removed, as the most of similar aircrafts.
The characteristic striped camouflage, differing little from aircraft to aircraft, was drawn on the base of photos of n.22 and 14, and with the help of "Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-1945"; here it is said to have been applied at Zavod 153 of Novosibirsk.
The colours, as usual, are AII green and black, with AII blue undersurfaces.

Other painting characteristics are:

  • particularly soft camo demarcation, with sharper ondulations due to green repaintings;
  • white spinner (excluding the rear plate, black);
  • black prop blades (as usual on LaGG-3s);
  • stars on the tail and lower wing surfaces only;
  • light blue lower balance mass.


 

 
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