Lavochkin La-5, Czechoslovak users

 

The Lavochkin La-5 was also employed by Czechoslovakia. The first Czech unit to be equipped with the La-5 was the 1st Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment (1st CS.IAP) of the Soviet Air Force (VVS) which was formed in late May 1944 in Moscow, by former RAF Czechoslovak pilots. 
The 1st CS.IAP was formed at Ivanovo and Kubinka air bases, and, after taking some formation with the La-5UTI (the two-seater trainer variant of the La-5) by June 1944 it was declared as combat ready. 
During the Slovak National Uprising, Jan Golian (leader of the Slovak rebels) asked the USSR for help, so the VVS sent the 1st CS.IAP which was stationed at Proskurov airfield, near Lviv, in the Ukrainian SSR. On 17th September 1944 they were rebased to Zolna airfield and, by 18th September they were already in action as they attacked the Luftwaffe base in Piest'any (Bratislava) destroying various enemy fighters. Shortly later, on the 20th they also attacked the Malacky-Novy-Dvor air base destroying more Luftwaffe aircraft to prevent them from intercepting American bombers of the 15th Air Force. Those attacks took the Germans by surprise, so they had to move both Schlachtgeschwader 77 and Jagdgeschwader 52 from southern Poland and Hungary respectively to fight against 1st CS.IAP.  During the Slovak National Uprising they provided aerial support by attacking German artillery positions and strafing ground troops, having to overcome the unsuitability of the La-5FN for the ground support as it lacked armour. 
When the uprising failed and the Germans retook the Slovak land, the 1st CS.IAP escaped back to Soviet lines. It was during this period that the unit flew a total of 573 sorties and destroyed 13 enemy aircraft with ten casualties. 
The unit was transferred to the newly created 1st Czechoslovak Independent Combined Air Division on 25th January 1945 and it served during the Soviet advances in southern Poland and Czechoslovakia providing aerial support to the 4th Ukrainian Front. 
After spending some time at Przemysl airfield the 1st CS.IAP was transferred to Poremba airfield from where they took off in their last mission escorting a formation of eight Il-2 Shturmovik attack planes bombing the village of Olza, in southern Poland. 
There was a second Czechoslovak Fighter Regiment undergoing training, but the war in Europe ended before their training could be completed. 

After the war, the Czechoslovak Air Force (CAF) was re-founded with, among many others, 31 La-5FN and La-5UTI fighters and trainers respectively, making Czechoslovakia, the only foreign user of the La-5.
The La-5FN was designated as 'S-95' in CAF service and the type had to be constantly overhauled as they were phased out in the USSR back in 1945. In July 1946 a group of Soviet specialists declared all but two La-5 non-airworthy and directed the fighters to be scrapped, discarding the order for an additional force of 60 La-7 (the successor of the La-5) to be delivered. 
After a further inspection by the CAF and the Czechoslovak Scientific Aviation Institute,  the La-5 were declared mostly flyable, except for aerobatics purposes. However, on static tests carried out on both La-5FN and  La-5UTIs, the wooden parts showed signs of exhaustion and so, every La plane was grounded on 13th December 1946.
Anyway, after further inspection, it turned out that the wooden airframe and other parts, were already counted in their calculations, so, during 1947 the La-5 was admitted again into the CAF. By 1st July 1948 the CAF had 23 La-5FN and LA-5UTI in strength but, by late 1948 the type was already being withdrawn from service. 
The last official unit to employ the La-5FN and La-5UTI was the Bezpecnostní letectvo, the aerial branch of the SNB (Czechoslovak National Police which existed from 1945 to 1991). 

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Czechoslovak_Fighter_Air_Regiment

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sbor_národní_bezpečnosti 

4th https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezpečnostní_letectvo (translated)

Lavochkin La-5, Various users

 

The Lavochkin La-5 was a Soviet fighter aircraft from the World War 2 which was a development of the earlier LaGG-3. It was one of the most capable Soviet designs of the time and as such, it was used also by the following users:

• Germany: The Luftwaffe managed to capture a La-5F somewhere in Ukraine in 1943, and at least two La-5FN at the Gross-Schimanen airfield in East Prusia. One of those FN was captured in September 1944 and was tested extensively at Rechlin Test Centre. Despite showing inferior performance due to a long service record on the Eastern Front of the captured machines, (they were generally slower than the ones tested at the USSR by the Soviet Air Force -VVS-) the Germans felt that the aircraft showed good flying characteristics in every stage of flight with some exception at the diving phase, when the controls showed some stiffness. 
  Additional testing also showed that it was an excellent lo-to-medium dogfighter, particularly at the style of combat present at the Eastern Front and, furthermore, it had a better climb rate than the majority of German fighters up to 3.000 m (9842 ft). 
  The previous model, the La-5F, was captured, as stated previously, in 1943 in Ukraine, after a Soviet pilot made a forced landing on a German airfield and was tested by one of Luftwaffe's test pilots, Hans-Werner Lerche. 
• Poland: Poland got a single La-5FN in 1945 after the war when the Air Force of the Polish Army considered for a brief period of time about equipping some fighter aviation regiments with the La-5FN, so they received a single La-5FN to be flight tested, painted in Polish markings. However, the proposal was discarded soon as the Yakovlev Yak-9P was picked as the backbone for the Polish fighter aviation and, therefore, no flight testing were carried out with the single La-5FN, which is believed to be have been scrapped in 1949.
  

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-5
2nd Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action
3rd https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/La-5/pages/Lavochkin-La-5F-captured-by-German-Forces-01.html

Albatros G.III

 

The Albatros G.III was a German bomber of the The Great War. It was based on the Albatros G.II, a previous design of the Albatros firm, that never went beyond the prototype stage, as it was critically underpowered. 
The G.III used an identical plywood covered fuselage and was powered by a pair of Benz Bz. IV inline engines yielding 220 hp each, set in a pusher configuration. For comparison, the G.II was powered by two Benz Bz. III each one rated at 150 hp.
The Bz. IV engines improved the rate of climb and allowed for a heavier bombload. The airfoil area was unchanged and, in order to further improve the payload capability, upper wing span was increased to allow for more lifting area. Manoeuvrability was improved thanks to fitted aerodynamic balances that reduced pilot's control forces, however, in order to harmonize those forces, the aerodynamic balance on the rudder was deleted. 
The landing gear was also revised, so the nose wheel, present at the G.II, was deleted and dual wheels were fitted in every main gear. More traditional interplane bracings were employed, however, the G.III employed the single-bay configuration so typical of the time. The engines' installation was similar to that of the G.II, but it was more streamlined as the Bz. IV engines were more powerful. It seems that the engines suffered from cooling problems as every available photo show them without cowling panels, in spite of its negative effects on streamlining. 
It was armed with two Parabellum MG14 machine guns, one placed in the bomb aimer's position, just on the nose and another one on the observer's position, just aft the pilot's cockpit. It could carry up to 325 kg (720 lb) of bombs in a semi-recessed bomb bay under the fuselage, plus some additional smaller bombs fitted in bomb carriers placed at the sides of the nose.

The G.III, when compared to the G.II, was a much improved machine. However, when compared to its rivals, namely, AEG G.III, Friedrichshafen G.II or Gotha G.III , among others, it suffered from lighter payload and worse flying characteristics. Anyway, Idflieg (the bureau of aircraft production during World War I) ordered some few (10 or 12) of them for evaluation purposes. In early 1917 some were deployed with Kagohl. 4 (Kampfgeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung - Combat Squadron of the Highest Army Command) in the Balkans front, while others were deployed with Kagohl. 2  somewhere in the Western Front. In April 1917 there were a total of nine G.III at the frontlines, while there was only one by the end of that same year. 
The Albatros G.III made a very limited contribution to the German war effort and was the least successful of the G-type medium bombers. Because of this, Albatros abandoned the development of medium bombers and focused on their more successful fighters and two-seater aircraft.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_G.III
2nd https://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft25761.htm
3rd Aeronaut Books - Great War Aviation Centennial 26 - Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.3 Bombers, Seaplanes, J-Types

Albatros C.V

 

The Albatros C.V was a German military reconnaissance biplane of the First World War era. It was developed around the newly developed Mercedes D.IV engine rated at 220 hp of power. This engine made Albatros' previous designs unpractical, so they had to redesign them. These redesigns included the decision to enclose the engine with removable panels and the inclusion of further aerodynamic improvements such as a large propeller spinner. 
The fuselage of the C.V looked like the one of the C.III and many other prior aircraft of Albatros. This consisted of slab-sided plywood with some variations, like the employment of an integral vertical fin. It also featured a balanced-rudder with a steel-tube structure and fabric covering with an elevator redesigned to use a one-piece control system without any division. It was armed with a single forward-firing LMG 08/15 synchronised machine gun (albeit it was not always present) plus another single Parabellum MG14 mounted on a rotating scarf ring in the observer's position. It could also carry up to 180 kg -400 lb- of bombs and could also be fitted with a radio set, depending on the mission type.
Wings had greater span than that of the C.III and undercarriage was fixed. Engine was cooled using radiators fitted to the sides of the forward fuselage, just above of the leading edge of the lower ring. 
Early flight testing didn't live up to its expectations as it was found the aircraft to be demanding and cumbersome to fly. This caused the design team to make some changes, with the original, unaltered design being called "C.V/16". These changes included the reorientation of the exhaust manifold from a horizontal to a sideways position, with a new aerofoil-shaped radiator arrangement was installed within the central section of the upper wing. The most important redesign feature was the inclusion of a completely new lower wing with an elliptical tip profile and the alteration of the upper wing, with large rectangular balanced sections and balanced elevators with internally-sprung tailskid. This redesigned type had the denomination of "C.V/17" and it showed better handling and performance. 
It was also Albatros' first redesign of their both B and C types' fuselage since Ernst Heinkel leave the firm for Hansa-Brandenburg. 

It was introduced into service by the Luftstreitkräfte in 1916 with an initial batch of 75, but they were not satisfied with its performance as it couldn't cope with the reliability of the Albatros D.III fighter, which was the backbone of Luftstreitkräfte's fighter force. This was attributed to the unreliability of the Mercedes D.IV engine, which suffered often of crankshaft failures among other deficiencies. In January 1917 a second batch of 50 aircraft was also delivered to the western front (where all of the C.Vs were deployed), these being of the C.V/17 type. However, as Mercedes couldn't solve those issues with the D.IV engine, its production was discontinued, halting the production of the C.V, together with other types. 
Total production numbers vary. some sources -wikipedia- claim a total of 424 machines were manufactured, however, Aeronaut Books -more reliable- lower that number to 125, more believable. Anyway, by August 1917 the C.V was withdrawn from the frontlines, with 84 out of 125 built, still in inventory in December, yielding an impressive survival record. Some few were employed as trainers after their withdrawal, but most schools preferred the more popular B.II, C.I and C.III, as they were easier to fly. 
One C.V was used as a testbed for the 2 cm -0.39 in- Becker cannon. This gun was fixed in the rear cockpit and fired downwards, making pilot's cockpit very cramped as he sat in the rear cockpit, so he had to share its space with the cannon, while the observer sat in the front where he had to load the cannon. These trials took place in October and November 1917.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_C.V
2nd Aeronaut Books - Great War Aviation Centennial 25 - Albatros Aircraft of WWI Vol.2 Late Two-Seaters

DAR 1 Peperuda

 

The DAR 1 Peperuda (Bulgarian for 'Butterfly') was a Bulgarian two-seater aircraft of the 1920s.

It was designed by the German engineer Hermann Winter who, after arriving in Bulgaria in the early 1920s, visited DAR's facilities at Bozhuriste (Sofia) and was convinced about the capabilities that such industries offered, specially employing pieces from remaining aircraft (that Bulgaria was forbidden from using) left-over from the Great War at the time, namely the German DFW C.V which was used by the Bulgarian Army Aviation Corps during the Great War.
Given that the DFW C.V was repaired in great numbers during wartime, DAR's (Bulgarian for 'State Aircraft Workshops') workers were familiar with the type so Winter picked a design which did not differ too much from the original C.V. The resulting design was named 'DAR Uzunov 1', Uzunov, in memory of Ivan Uzunov, a pilot who died in 1925 testing an Austrian advertising aircraft.

The DAR 1 was made entirely out of wood and was powered by a 60 hp Walter NZ radial engine, and flew for the first time on 16th November 1926 at the hands of Captain Marko Parvanov (a Bulgarian aviation hero who was the first Bulgarian to shoot down an enemy aircraft) with engineer Winter as a passenger. 
A further improved version was also made, this time with little to no design improvements, except that it was powered by a 85 hp Walter Vega engine, this was called 'DAR 1A'. 
Both variants were put into production in 1926 and a total of twelve DAR 1 and eight DAR 1A were manufactured between 1926 and 1928. They were assigned to the, then clandestine, flight school at Kazanlak and the Yato fighter squadron (another clandestine unit). The U-1 was well liked by the pilots who praised its good flying capabilities with its exceptional stability at lower speeds, making the type ideal for training duties. Many Bulgarian pilots learned to fly in an U-1, as well as some Soviet pilots such as Boris Ganev, Nikola Vatov and Zahari Zahariev, who would later be declared hero of the Soviet Union. 
It is also reported that the U-1 was used through the 1930s and the early 1940s by the Bulgarian Civil Air Service as glider tugs.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAR_1
2nd https://www.airwar.ru/enc/other1/daru1.html (translated)

Supermarine Spitfire. American Users, part seven. The Spitfire in USAAF service. Part three, some more USAAF squadrons.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire was also employed by the USAAF in the following squadrons:

• 2nd Fighter Squadron: This formation operated the Spitfire in England, Algeria, French Morocco, Sicily, and the Allied advance into Italy where, in August 1944 they were replaced by the P-51 Mustang.
• 4th Fighter Squadron: This unit was relocated from the Third Air Force to the Eighth, where, while stationed in Belfast, they were equipped with the Spitfire and, shortly later, were assigned to the Twelfth Air Force in late 1942 to take part in Operation Torch and the Allied advance through Morocco and Algeria and the Tunisian campaign during the first half of 1943. 
  In July 1943 they saw action during the Allied Invasion of Sicily and, in October, they took part in the Liberation of Corsica. Then they were rebased to the Italian mainland, where they replaced the Spitfires with P-51 Mustangs. 
• 5th Fighter Squadron: This squadron was deployed to the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) in August 1942 and had to replace their P-39s with Spitfires (and both pilots and mechanics undergo an intensive formation training course for two months) and, during the fall of 1942 they flew some escort missions for the B-17 and the B-24. 
  They were assigned to the Twelfth Air Force and took part in the advances on Algerian and Tunisia and, later, the Invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy, where they replaced the Spitfires with P-51 Mustangs as they needed longer range fighters to escort bombers operating in the Balkans. 
• 14th Photographic Squadron: This unit was trained with the Spitfire Mk.V fighter in July 1943 and, shortly later, it was equipped with the PR.XI (a photo-reconnaissance variant of the Spitfire). From August 1943 until April 1945 they flew the Spitfire PR.XI over mainland Europe, including the first Spitfire recon mission over Berlin in March 1944. The PR.XI was only replaced by a recon-variant of the P-51 after the war in Europe was over in May 1945.
• 308th Fighter Squadron: This formation was deployed to the European Theatre of Operations in June 1942, but had to replace their P-39s and P-40s with Spitfires as they were deemed inadequate for the ETO. This delayed their entry into action for two months, as both pilots and mechanics had to undergo an intensive course on the Spitfire, so they didn't see any action until 18th august 1942 when they attacked German positions on occupied France. 
  They were assigned to the Twelfth Air Force and rebased to Gibraltar to take part in Operation Torch and the Allied advances through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. They took part in the Invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and continued to provide aerial support fo the Allied Fifth Army in their advance northwards through the Italian mainland. As they had to escort bombers to attack Axis oilfields in the Balkans, they replaced the Spitfire with the P-51 Mustang in the summer of 1944.
• 334th Fighter Squadron: This squadron flew the Spitfire from their arrival at England until they were replaced by the P-47 Thunderbolt in 1943. They were always part of the Eighth Air Force.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Fighter_Training_Squadron

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Fighter_Squadron

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Flying_Training_Squadron

4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Fighter_Squadron

5th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/308th_Fighter_Squadron

6th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/334th_Fighter_Squadron

Supermarine Spitfire. American Users, part six. The Spitfire in USAAF service. Part two, some USAAF squadrons.

 

 The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) also employed the Supermarine Spitfire in some units, such as the following ones:

• 307th Fighter Squadron: This squadron was deployed from the 3rd Air Force to the 8th Air Force in June 1942, to take part in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), where their P-39s and P-40 were deemed unsuitable, so they were equipped with the Spitfire Mk.V. As they were part of the 31st Fighter Group, their first combat action took place over occupied France on 18th August 1942, attacking enemy positions. 
  The squadron, together with the whole 31st Fighter Group was redeployed to Gibraltar to provide aerial support for Operation Torch and then to former Vichy France airfields in north-western Africa, namely Morocco and Algeria. 
  They served through both Tunisian, Sicilian campaigns and the advance into mainland Italy until 12th Air Force's bombers operations required longer range escorts to operate over Central Europe and the Balkans, so their Spitfires were replaced by P-51s in August 1944.
• 309th Fighter Squadron: This unit was initially deployed to the ETO in early 1942. It was equipped with Bell P-39 Aircobras and Curtiss P-40 Warhawks. However, as they were deemed unsuitable for that theatre, they were soon re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.V, after a two months training for both mechanics and pilots after which they were rebased to south-east England, where, in August 1942, they flew their first combat mission over occupied France. 
  They were transferred in November to the 12th Air Force to provide aerial support in Operation Torch. Time, when they were based in Gibraltar and former Vichy-France airfields in north-western Africa. 
  They went through the Tunisian campaign, Sicily landings and the invasion of mainland Italy and, since 12th Air Force's bombers required longer range escorts in operations over Central Europe and the Balkans, the 309th Fighter Squadrons spitfires were replaced by P-51s in August 1944.
• 335th Fighter Squadron: This squadron was formed under Royal Air Force (RAF) command as No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron. The unit was transferred to the USAAF on 22nd August 1942 together with other Eagle squadrons and it was activated shortly after, on 12th September. It was assigned to the 4th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force and it operated from Debden. The unit flew the Spitfire Mk.V until February 1943 when it was replaced by the P-47 Thunderbolt. 
• 336th Fighter Squadron: This formation was RAF's No.133 (Eagle) Squadron that was transferred to the USAAF on 22nd August 1942. They were initially equipped with the Spitfire Mk.V and were based at Debden, England where they flew the Spitfire until it was replaced by the P-47 Thunderbolt in April 1943.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/307th_Fighter_Squadron

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/309th_Fighter_Squadron

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/335th_Fighter_Squadron

4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/336th_Fighter_Squadron

5th https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/335th_Fighter_Squadron

6th https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/336th_Fighter_Squadron