P-39D-2, serial number 41-38520, no board number
Updated on Novembefr 23, 2013
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This is the profile of the P-39D-2, serial no. 41-38520 (138520), no board no. from April/May 1943.
This plane was delivered to 16th GIAP on 22-Apr-1943. Pokrishkin flew this plane once in April once or very rarely. From April 24, 1943 it was "personal" plane of P.P. Ketov. It survived till end of 1943. No tactical Number is known for this P-39D-2.
Neither this plane is photo documented with visible board no. together with serial no. Only 2 photos showing Pokryshkin standing in front of some P-39D-2 could represent this plane:
 - big hole in the Curtiss-Electric propeller spinner with 37mm cannon,
- bright stencils on the propeller blade positioned close to its root, e.g. black blades with yellow tips:

Pokrishkin photographed in front of his P-39D-2 (41-38520) on 28.05.1943 at Popovicheskaya airfield (V. Romanenko, "Aerokobri vstupyut v boi"). http://www.stoletie.ru/fotoreportazh/nepobezhdennyj_pokryshkin_2010-11-12.htm

 

This plane was not in 16 GIAP yet when Pokryshkin already flew P-39 board no. 130, so it is quite safe to not consider this plane as Pokryshkin's one. Was P-39D-2 138520 comander’s plane? But is it possible that Isaev, commander of 16th GIAP was without his personal plane untill 22-Apr-1943?


Main differences between this P-39D2 and previous P-39K-1 were:
- nose vents are missing,
- 20mm cannon instead of 37mm cannon,
- Curtiss-Electric propeller instead of Aeroproducts propeller.

 

 

Another plane with similar serial number:
     - red star on the right upperwing without any (visible) circle bellow it,
     - red star on the fuselage without any (visible) circle bellow it,
     - black propeller blades with bright (yellow) stencils and yellow tips,
- no producer’s logo on propeller blades,
     - original small size board number: