Yak-3, Marcel Albert, 1 iap “Normandie”, 303 iad

By Michal Sekula

Updated on April 4, 2020

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Marcel Albert joined the Normandie fighter group, a Free French fighter unit that was being sent to the Soviet Union to help fight the Germans in late 1942. The unit become a part of 303 iad (air fighter division).
His score totaled 23 victories (including 15 shared) in 262 combat missions, making him the second highest-scoring French ace of World War II. Marcel Albert became Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet highest Union's decoration, in 27 November, 1944.
In November 28, 1944 the regiment was awarded the name Niemen for its participation in the Battle of the Niemen River and colonel Pierre Pouyade gave the order to paint the White Lighting, the emblem of Normandie-Niemen, on the Yaks.
Yak-3 belonged to Marcel Albert from the Normandie-Niemen regiment, 303 iad, spring 1945:

 

The plane is camouflaged in standard blue grey AMT-11 and dark grey AMT-12 on the upper surfaces and light blue AMT-7 on the under surfaces according to the NKAP 1943 order from the summer 1943. There are local repainting visible on the fuselage, probably covering original fuselage numbers. The French tricolor was painted on the propeller spinner.
The picture in the full resolution should be published in the book Soviet Fighters of the Second World War by Jason Nicholas Moore.
Standard NKAP 1943 grey-grey camouflage for fighters:


 

Photos of the original:

 

 

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