Прочее; Авиатехника; Сайт `Моделизм на airforce.ru`; 1936-1945 гг.;
Re: Неизвестные Яки...
Spasibo za korrektsii russkogo jazyka!
According to unconfirmed info Smrinov´s Yak-1 made a forced landing (deserted?) to one of the bases of the Slovakian Staffels (13./JG 52) in Crimea summer 1943. A photo which could be the same aircraft was published in the memoirs of Hauptmann Lipfert (JG 52), but there are no details about the pilot.
Concerning the Rechlin exhibition, I enclose here the (corrected) photo caption from Red Stars Vol.4:
"(Bottom) A rare photo from a German equivalent of the BNT comparative exhibition: captured allied and German aircraft are displayed at Rechlin 3 September 1943. The following aircraft can be seen: Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB (EJ956), an Airacobra in Soviet colors, one Yak-1b and one Yak-7B fighter (inscription "To the Stalin eagle Leonid Smirov from the workers of the Frunze rayon of Saratov"), a LaG-5 radial engine fighter ("84" inscribed "Eskadrilya Valerij Chkalov"; of 3 IAK or 4 GIAP VVS KBF), B-17F-27-B0 Flying Fortress (41-24585 "Wulf Hound", captured 12 December 1942, DL+XC in Luftwaffe) and B-24D Liberator (41-23659 "Blonde Bomber II", with Italian civil registration I-RAIN) in the rear.
The Airacobra was captured in damaged condition in spring 1943. After repair by Espenlaub Flugzeugenwerke it was flown by Hans-Werner Lerche to Rechlin on 12 June 1943 (code GE+PV). It was later used in the German movie “Panzer greifen an” with repainted red stars (flown by Lerche).
In front of the American bombers a number of German fighters (Bf 109s and Fw 190s) are parked."
No info concerning the origin of the Airacobra is known!!
