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The fourth plane flown (or could be flown) by Pokryshkin - P-39N-5, serial
no. 219158, board no. "100" from winter 1943 .
Pokryshkin returned to the front on May/Jun 1944 after he was promoted to colonel
and given command of 9th GIAD - Guards Fighter Air Division division, composed
by 16, 100 and 104 GIAP.
Screenshot from the doc film about Pokryshkin found on Youtube:
Most of the time he was sitting in a tank with a powerful radio, issuing commands.
Pokryshkin was forbidden to perform combat missions because of fear of him getting
killed. He spent a lot of time in the radio bunker, directing his regiment's
fights over the radio. However, he sometimes completed successful combat missions
with his old unit. He shot down two Stukas and one Hs.129 on 16 July 1944 and
on 30 May 1944 near Yassy, Rumania he shot down another three Ju-87s by Pokryshkin.
The profile of Pokryshkin’s late Cobra is hypothetical. There is no known
direct evidence about it. The profile is based on the indirect info and analogies.
I have info about this P-39 from Igor Zlobin. When I asked him via email where
he has info about S/N: 219158 from, he replied:
“Information about this number (e.g. S/N: 219158) is from historian Levchenko.
He refers to the order he found in the archives and according to which aircraft
technician Chuvashkin, was awarded. As it is known Chuvashkin maintained Pokryshkin’s
planes throughout the war. Order for awarding is for time period autumn 1943.
I have no other information.”
Unfortunately I did not find any info about it in Tabachenko's book.
Tabachenko writes in his book (pg. 252) - Grigory Chuvashkin, technician of Pokryshkin's
plane, was awarded on November 6, 1943, because he successfully prepared plane
for 158 flights, while, as written in the 16GIAP documents, "pilot on the
plane "Aircobra" which was maintained by Chuvashkin shot down 16 enemy
planes, while 5 of them were shot down during the battle of Melitopol.
Other P-39N-5 with similar serial numbers (218691, 219052 and 219098) arrived
to 16th GIAP on the end of September 1943.
Red star with white & red outline since 3-Sep-1943 (Order NKO no.267).Pokryshkin's
P-39 S/N: 219158 seems to be more and more real.
Following Main feature list should go to that section, just after the paragraph
“Most of the time … seems to be more and more real.” and just
before 3-view profile:
Main features:
- Aeroproducts propeller spinner is red,
- propeller spinner with the 37mm cannon with red painted cannon cover,
- black propeller blades with yellow stencils and yellow tips,
- red tail tip,
- still in US the new standard USAAF marking was changed to “Bufallo Type”
marking, e.g. to white circles with red stars while white bars were overpainted
Olive Drab and Neutral Grey. Subsequently in Soviet Union white circles were
overpainted green (blue on underwing) and red stars changed to soviet late standard,
- red stars with thin white and red outline were added also to the right upperwing
and left underwing.
- no victory marks.
I found this in the book "Triumf a tragedie. Sovietsti stihaci letci v
bojich II. svetove valky." (Triumph and tragedy. Soviet fighter pilots during
WWII.), authors Milos Sedivy a Valerij Dymich:
"No machine Bell P-39 did not survive in Russia. Even A.I. Pokryshkin's
popular "Sotka", which was damaged during a training flight in 1947
and ended in soviet melting furnace."
Interesting info. One "Sotka" was damaged in summer 1943 by Il-2 during
landing. Another "Sotka" survived WWII and was damaged and destroyed
latter.
These photos shows red stars with white outline right on the upperwing: | |
Red spinner and red tail tip with thin white stripe is based on this photo. Again, there is no visible number on that plane and also red star on the
fuselage is missing on the typical position - rough retouch? |
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Unknown P-39 from document movie about Pokryshkin wearing red stars with white outline on the upperwings: |