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part one: historical photos and color profiles By Massimo Tessitori |
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Many images of LaGG-3s equipped with skis during the winter 1942 and
early 1943 are known.
The skis replaced the wheels on the same legs, that remained retractable.
Let's see the single aircraft and pilots more in detail. Click on the
images to view bigger ones.
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Photos of an early type LaGG-3 (8th series?) with skis
on early 1942, after a gear-up landing.
The use of this device seems to have been rare in early 1942, in facts the most of the photos of LaGG-3s with skis depicts planes produced in late 1942 and utilized in winter 1942/43. This plane looks to have the standard green/black camo with red stars and none number. photos from Lavochkin's piston-engined fighters of Yefim Gordon
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Two images of the same plane , a Lagg-3 of 19 IAP at Savasleika
Air Base, near Gorkiy city (nowadays Nizhni Novgorod).
Images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm |
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This plane of 10 IAP at Savasleika Air Base is sustained
by tripods for skis installation.
Images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm |
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Another image of pilots of 10 IAP.
The detail of gunsight and of rear window is interesting for modelers. |
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Three images of planes and pilots of 255 IAP at Savaslejka
Air Base.
The plane on the left (apparently of 23th series) looks to have a black 39 on the rudder and another number, possibly red 39, painted on its fuselage. Drop tanks and rocket rails often appear in planes with skis. Images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm |
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This image of a plane of 426 IAP at Savaslejka Air Base
seems to show that both air brush and hand brush were utilized for white
distemper. Note that the stenciling has been left unrepainted.
Images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm |
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Another image of 246 IAP shows a front view of a ski, possibly during
its installation. The plane is supported by tripods.
The door seems to have been removed from the landing gear leg. Note the drop tanks and the rockets rails. |
| Three images of the ceremony for the delivery of a plane paid with
money of "Gorkovskiy pioner" (i.e. pioneer from the Gorky city.
Pioneers was a childrens organization, sort of boyscouts).
The pilot depicted below is St.lt. Maksumenko. The third image shows a writing behind the rear window. First 4 lines say Podarok slavnym sovetskim lyotchikam. vozdushnikh sil RKKA", last two lines probably "from ******* ". images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm |
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Three images of a plane (black 61?) of 737 IAP at Savasleika Air Base..
Images from http://www.airforce.ru/history/savasleika/index.htm
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The devices under the wings are the so-called VAPs (=vylivnoy aviacionniy pribor), containers to spill chemical weapons, napalm, or (more likely) smoke curtains. This is the only image of LaGG-3, for what I know, to show this device. |
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Three images of a bad-landed plane, possibly of 23th series.
The details of the ski from below are noteworthy. The water cooler has been dwelled from the plane and lies on the ground. On the photo below, we see the plane on a GAZ-AA 1,5 ton lorry. photos from Lavochkin's piston-engined fighters of Yefim Gordon |
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Left: this wrecked plane has its fuselage broken after
a gear-up landing.
The image allows to see the partial white camo of wings, and the lower surface of the head-up tail ski. |
photos from LaGG-3 in action |
 This plane is a strange hybrid of an early type Lagg (tail and fuselage)
and late type propeller.
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This plane looks to be of 23rd series with single-stack exhaust and
no slats, but it has already the large spinner for VISh-105SV propeller.
Note that the black paint of the spinner looks darker than the one of the camouflage. photos from LaGG-3 in action |
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photo from LaGG-3 in action |
 This plane (possibly of 29th series) is noteworty for the lack of sliding hood, radio mast and landing gear doors. |
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These images show Lagg-3 n.41, belly-landed on winter 1942/43.
The plane looks of series 29, with large spinner for VISh-105SV propeller, no slats. The tail sky is clearly visible, while the photos doesn't show skis on the main landing gear, but they could have been lost during the landing. Below: two photos of the same plane, probably during the spring of 1943.
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These images show a LaGG-3 wrecked, probably during the spring of 1943.
Its numeral looks to be red 75. The plane looks of series 23/29, with large spinner for VISh-105SV propeller, no slats, with skis, rocket rails and D3/40 racks for auxiliary tanks.
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