ik, first let me say that sometimes I'm so full of toejam it's scary <whew!> Okay, got that out of the way <reality check!> About the La-5FN weight. Actually, there is no one weight I have that is given. Basically, it's a range from 7100-7500lbs., roughly speaking. The weight I used for the calculation was an average, 7323lbs. Why there is a range of weights might have to do with the fact that the La-5FN could carry about 400lbs of bombs. But, to be honest I can't say for sure. Hence, my average. As to the Finnish 109 ace, either he was a very skilled pilot, or he fought a La-5 or La-5F, either of which was inferior to the 109. Still, who's to say it couldn't have happened to a La-5FN.
Hangtime, don't worry, I have a healthy amount of respect for the P-51. Any plane that can choose when to leave, can also decide when
I get to leave too
Pongo, Pyro's suggestion is a very good one, but like he said, only if you're really into the VVS (it's pricey). I have a similar book, called
Stalin's Eagles, which is also expensive, but widens its focus not only on the aces, but also the air regiments and air divisions. But like
Stalin's Falcons, it doesn't contain very personalized accounts of the pilots. One book to think about is
Red Phoenix by Von Hardesty. Though written during the Seventies, it is still pretty good, and does contain some personalized accounts from pilots. Also, it discusses the evolution of air combat in the VVS in surprising detail.
juzz, I think air combat in the Russian front was one of great transition. The military purges of 1937 was a great blow to the Soviet military, and resulted in a severe drop in leadership and military expertise. The Soviets had learned much from their combat in Spain with the Germans, and adopted many of their ideas (
rotte, etc.), but these advocates and leaders were gone by 1938, victims of Stalin's paranoia. Thus, when war with Germany started the Soviets had reverted to 3-man 'V' formations and horizontal combat. The Germans used the lessons learned from the Condor Legion to great effect, adopting the superior vertical form of air combat. The result was that the VVS mainly tried to fight the Luftwaffe from a TnB point of view, but the Germans BnZ'ed them to death. And no aircraft is better for a tight BnZ than a 109. It wasn't until very late in '42, on, that the VVS began to adopt the vertical form of air combat, or E-fighting. But when they did adopt E-fighting, it was across the board, from aircraft design to pilot training.
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129 IAP VVS RKKA
