Updated on March 15, 2005
file name: ruman2b.html
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This captured aircraft was repainted in Rumanian markings and flown
at Brasov by ARR's top ace Cpt 'Bazu' Cantacuzino, and used as an "aggressor"
for training purposes. It looks to have been left with uniform Russian
green color for some time. |
These subcessive photos look to show some camouflage bands over the
original painting; they were probably applied in a second time.
Soviet troops seized this aircraft from the Rumanians during September
of 1944, after the Rumania has broken its alliance with Germany and established
a new one with the Soviet Union.
The caracteristcs are:
-
short nosed, without slats;
-
it has the radio mast, but radio wires an their attachment on the tail
don't appear on the photos;
-
there is a thin metallic stripe to cover the gap behind the spinner, as
on late MiG-3s;
-
it has thin metal triangles on the oil coolers outlets, as the later long-nosed
MiGs, that is unusual for early short-nosed ones;
-
there are four added cooling slots on the fuselage sides;
-
the demarcation between light blue and upper colors is conserved nearly
everywhere, as the fading off on the wingroots; this probably means that
the light blue and green were the original Russian colors; the green surfaces
were partially repainted with Rumanian green and brown;
-
the white E.19 on the vertical stabilizer referred to Escadrila 19 observatie
(19th Spotting Squadron) based at Melitopol during 1941. Below it there
is a large white "2". On the rudder there were the 3 colors of the Romanian
flag. It had the Micheal's cross followed by the yellow line between
the cockpit and the tail;
-
the wingtip were yellow for recognition and to cover the wing stars, both
on the uppersurfaces and on the undersurfaces, extending till the mid of
the ailerons;
-
there are probably Michael's crosses on the wings in four positions, on
the green/light blue surfaces;
-
it's likely that Rumanian colors extend partly on the wing uppersurfaces,
even if the photo below shows a strong reflex (probably a wet surface)
and nearly nothing is recognizable, only a confirmation to the presence
of yellow wingtips.
photos from Aeromagazin Romania, various issues 2002