Profile Galleria
By Bob Pearson
This month we have a selection of profiled dedicated to the Soviet Armed Forces. Starting from the early beginnings of the Soviet Air Force, we start out with a set ofSopwith Snipes. After that, the Polikarpov I-153, LaGG-3, Yak series of fighters, and a profile of the Krivak ASW frigate.
The Snipes and Yaks can be found on separate pages, so we'll start here with the Polikarpov I-153.
An I-153 operated by an unidentified unit in the MInsk area in mid-1941. Uppersurfaces are green mottle over aluminum, while the undersurfaces are in blue.
Polikarpov I-153 IT-15
Lentolaivue 6
3rd Flight
Finnish Air Force
October 1942
21 I-153s were operated by Finland, these were either captured from the Soviets or bought from Germany. White 5 is seen here as it appeared on 30 October 1942 with olive drab and black/green uppersurfaces over RLM65 bottom.
Polikarpov I-153
Chinese Air Force
Another user of the I-153 was China. Any other information on these aircraft would be welcome.
Thanks to Robert Karr, Chris Banyai-Riepl, Will Riepl and Erik Pilawskii for their help in these profles.
LaGG-3
The profile depicts an aircraft of the 44 IAP in the Leningrad area, probably in the early spring of 1942. "White 15" is clearly a very early machine, possibly of the first several series. It appears to be a five-gun model LaGG-3, and has had its sliding canopy removed (as seemed to be quite common in the 44 IAP). The pilot of this aircraft is unknown, but the photograph was found in the possession of the brother (Andrei) of the 44 IAP's (11 GIAP) leading ace, Alexandr Savushkin.
The aircraft is finished in dark green and black/green uppersurfaces and blue undersurfaces, with stars on the rudder and bottom of the wings only.
Thanks to Erik Pilawskii and Matt Bittner for their help in this profile
KRIVAK
The Krivak I class ASW frigate entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1970, with the Krivak II entering service between 1976 and 1981. There is also a Krivak III, but that falls outside this article. They were designed as an ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Frigate, but in 1978 were redesignated as Patrol Ships.