This 16th GIAP P-39Q was flown by Konstantin Sukhov. Sukhov joined the Red Army in 1940 and flew his first combat flights during March 1943 in I-16 and I-153 aircraft while assigned to 84th IAP. In May '43, he and twelve other pilots, together with six P-39s, were transferred to the 16th GIAP, where he flew Airacobras until the end of the war. He shot down 22 enemy planes in total and was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union after the war.
Lend-Lease Airacobras P-39 came to Soviet Union wearing either Bell's transport marking (red star in white circle), in which case there was no need to paint red stars, or with the standard USAF marking - then red stars were painted over white stars while blue discs were either kept or overpainted with green. Sukhov's aircraft retained its Bell markings.
16 GIAP is the featured P-39 outfit in this month's
Battle of the Western Kuban Aces High scenario.
