Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part three. Czechoslovakia, part two.

 

At the end of summer 1945 the Czechoslovak Squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) returned en masse from Great Britain to Czechoslovakia.
At that time this force consisted on three squadrons equipped with the Spitfire Mk.IXe, which in the Czechoslovak designation of military aircraft types, the Spitfire was given the number 'S-89', coming from the Czech word stihaci which means 'fighter'. The Spitfires were no re-numbered and kept their original RAF registrations.
After their arrival in Czechoslovakia the squadrons were reformed following the Soviet organizational doctrines into air divisions (letecká divize), each of them with two air fighter regiments (stihaci letecký pluk) each regiment corresponding to a RAF squadron. The Spitfires were kept in active service until the very late 1940s when the communist coup d'état took place in 1948 and the new government imprisoned all wartime Czech pilots and forced the acquisition of Soviet fighters to replace the Spitfires, namely the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 which was also manufactured locally under the designation of S-102.
In the meantime, Spitfires were also employed by the Military Aviation Academy (Letecka Vojenská Akademie) and many were also transferred the Militia Aviation (Bezpecnostní Letectvo - a policial gendarmerie corps). Under this command the Spitfires received civilian registrations, all of them starting with the code 'OK-'. 
Single fighters were transferred for experimental purposes to the research center (Vedecký Letecký Ústav) based at Letnany airport, close to Prague. For this purpose, they received individual tactical markings. 
As stated previously, most units operated the type until late 1947, with the exception of the Military Aviation Academy, which operated the type until 1948. The Spitfires were kept in storage until late 1948 when they were sold to Israel.

In total there were three Letecká Divize (numbered as 1, 2 and 3) and a total of six fighter regiments, 10 and 12 Stíhaci Letecký Pluk, under 1 Letecká Divize, 4 and 5 Stihaci Letecký Pluk under 2 Letecká Divize and 7 and 8 Stihaci Letecký Pluk under 3 Letecká Divize.

Sources:
1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire Part 3 (translated)
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#Czechoslovakia

Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part two. Czechoslovakia, part one.

 

Many of the Czechoslovak squadrons in exile employed the Supermarine Spitfire in any of its variants. The following Czechoslovak-manned unit were:

• No.310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron: In October 1941 this squadron was re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk.II and operated in Wales from December 1941 until April 1942. In May it was moved to Exeter and, during the months of July to September 1943 the squadron operated the Spitfire Mk.VI, before switching back to the Spitfire Mk.V which had adopted back in November 1941. 
  During January 1944 the squadron got the Spitfire Mk.IX in charge, changing from a pure fighter unit to a fighter-bomber one and took part in the north-western European campaign during 1944. 
  Shortly after the end of the war in Europe, on 31st August 1945, the squadron was rebased to Prague-Ruzyne, where it was transferred to the newly reformed Czechoslovak Air Force on 15th February 1946.
• No.312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron: This unit transitioned from the Hawker Hurricane to the Spitfire Mk.II in October 1941 and to the Mk.V in December 1941. After taking part in various aerial campaigns defending the aerial space of England during 1942, when it provided aerial support for the raid on Dieppe, and 1943, the squadron switched to the Spitfire Mk.IX in January 1944 to take part in the preparations for Operation Overlord. The squadron was part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force and, as such, operated from British Air Bases located in England until the end of the war. 
  On 24th August 1945 they were rebased to Prague-Ruzyne and, on 15th February 1946 they were transferred to the Czechoslovak Air Force.
• No.313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron: This formation was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.I from the its inception in May 1941. They were assigned to the defence of south-western England and, in October 1941 they switched to the better Spitfire Mk.V. 
  They flew the Spitfire Mk.VI for a brief period of time, from June to July 1943, operating from south-eastern England. 
  Just like the other Czechoslovak squadrons, they were re-equipped with the Mk.IX in February 1944, type which operated until July, when they flew the Mk.VII, before switching back to the Mk.IX in October 1944. During this time they operated from British airfields in south-east England.
  On 24th August 1945 they flew to Prague-Ruzyne, where they were transferred to the Czechoslovak Air Force on 15th February 1946.

The Spitfire was also operated at wing level by the No.134 (Czechoslovak) Fighter Wing, which was the parent unit comprising all the above mentioned fighter squadrons.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._310_(Czechoslovak)_Squadron_RAF

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._312_(Czechoslovak)_Squadron_RAF

3rd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._313_(Czechoslovak)_Squadron_RAF

4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._134_Wing_RAF

Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part one. Belgium.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire was also employed by Nos. 349 and 350 squadrons, composed by Belgians during World War 2.

• No. 349 Squadron: This unit switched their Curtiss Tomahawk for Spitfires Mk.V-s in June 1943 and was rebased to southern England to take part in bomber escort duties and fighter sweeps over mainland Europe. The squadron took part in Operation Overlord and kept the same role, escorting bombers and providing some ground support. In August 1944 the unit was rebased to France performing armed reconnaissance missions. 
  In February 1945 they returned to England to be re-equipped with the Hawker Tempest, however, the pilots did not appreciate the aircraft and opted for the Spitfire Mk.IX instead. They were rebased to the Netherlands and finally to Belgium, where it was transferred to the Belgian Air Force on 24th October 1946. 
  Once in Belgian command (renamed as '349e Escadrille') it was equipped with the Spitfire Mk.XIV. 
  
• No.350 Squadron: This formation acquired the Spitfire Mk.II in November 1941 and shortly later, in February 1942 they transitioned to the Mk.V and were assigned to convoy protection duties over the Irish Sea. In April 1942 they were relocated to south-east England where they carried out many offensive sweeps over occupied France. They took part in Operation Overlord and, in August 1944 they engaged many V-1 flying bombs attacking England. The squadron was rebased to Belgium in December 1944, where it remained until the end of the war. 
  On 15th October 1946 it was transferred to the Belgian Air Force, was renamed to 350e Escadrille, and kept their Spitfire Mk.XIV until July 1949 when they were replaced by the Gloster Meteor. 
  

Aside from those two squadrons, the École de Pilotage Avancée (Advanced Flying School) also employed the Spitfire Mk.IX. Those were supplied from RAF surplus stockpiles in August 1947 when 28 machines were ordered, followed by 18 second-hand more, as attrition was taking a toll on the Mk.IX-s. 
In 1952 a demonstration team was created for a short period of time but an unfortunate accident led to the disbandment of that unit. They were gradually written off and acquired by Cogea Nouvelle of Oostende which used them as target tugs. Most of them survived and were used for filming, some of them appearing in the 1969 movie Battle of Britain.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/349th_Squadron_(Belgium)
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/350th_Squadron_(Belgium)
3rd https://www.belgian-wings.be/supermarine-spitfire-lf-ixc-e

Lavochkin La-5 In Soviet Service. Part four.

 

In the summer of 1943 a two-seater variant of the La-5F was adapted by the Lavochkin Design Bureau. The La-5UTI (which stands for 'Fighter-Trainer' in Russian) was a simple adaptation of the single seat La-5F with a second cockpit placed just aft the radio bay. Instructor's cockpit was equipped with duplicate flight controls and the front cockpit ones (where the pupil sat) were automatically disconnected every time the instructor took control. Both cockpits were fully enclosed by sliding canopies. 
Given its non-combatant role, the La-5UTI lacked many features when compared to the fighter, as many were deleted to save weight. Armor glasses behind windscreen, pilot's head and the back seat were eliminated, as well as the wing fuel tank fire suppression system. The small cockpit air inlets in front of the canopy, present at both the La-5F and La-5FN were also deleted.
The La-5UTI also lacked oxygen equipment and, initial versions also lacked RSI-4 radio, hence the absence of radio mast and tail stub. Given the irruption of the second cockpit, the La-5UTI fuel capacity was also lower.
The La-5UTI was armed with a single 20 mm ShVAK cannon fitted into the port side on the nose, however both cannon ports and breech fairings, present on the La-5 were retained. The cannons were sighted with the standard PBP-1B sight. Any bomb-carrying equipment was also deleted. As a result the trainer variant's take-off weight was nearly identical to that of the La-5F single-seat fighter.

The La-5UTI prototype was tested at the Scientific Research Institute between 3rd and 30th September 1943 and showed performance and handling characteristics similar to those of the La-5F. 
Both the UTI prototype and initial batches were equipped with an aft-sliding rear canopy with a squared off rear frame, however in later batches the rear canopy was redesigned with the rear frame slanted to the rear, providing better visibility for the instructor in the rear cockpit. Early UTIs also lacked an external grab handle on the port side of the rear canopy, but it was fixed on every later aircraft.
The La-5UTI was powered by the same ASh-82F engine that powered the La-5F, however, when State Aircraft Factories switched production to the La-5FN, the UTIs switched also to the ASh-82FN engine, which were also equipped with the RSI-4 radio system. 
La-5UTI was manufactured from 1943 well after La-5FN production ceased at the State Aircraft Factories. Many La-5UTIs also served with La-7 equipped fighter regiments because the La-7UTI did not become operational until the spring of 1946 and, since the La-7UTI was only made in limited numbers, the La-5UTI remained as the standard trainer for both La-5 and La-7 pilots.
An unknown number of either La-5, La-5F and La-5FN were converted to La-5UTI trainers at special maintenance facilities of the VVS (Soviet Air Force). Those aircraft held most of the attributes of the the factory-built UTIs, including the original engines.  Those UTIs had also their armour removed, while some managed to keep their RSI-4 radios, albeit without radio masts with the wire running from the fin to the fuselage centreline behind the canopy. 

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-5

Lavochkin La-5 In Soviet Service. Part three.

 

The Lavochkin La-5FN was a variant of the regular La-5F with a fuel injected engine, a supercharger air intake, a revised exhaust flap and better radio antennas. 

The first exemplar of the La-5FN rolled out of State Aircraft Factory No.21 in March 1943, together when the first La-5Fs were being delivered to various fighter aviation regiments of the Soviet Air Force (VVS) and the Soviet and the National Air Defence Forces (PVO), that is why it is considered as a parallel development instead of its successor. 
The La-5FN was powered by an 1850 hp ASh-82FN engine that yielded almost 150 more horsepower than the ASh-82F, as the ASh-82FN was an improvement of the ASh-82F. Some late production La-5FN were powered by the ASh-82FNV engine which was still rated at 1850 hp but was optimized for higher altitudes. 
Production variants of the La-5FN differed from those of the La-5F in two ways. First, the La-5FN had a long supercharger intake trunk on top of the cowl and second, the exhaust flaps were split into seven separate outlets on each side of the fuselage, in a similar arrangement to that of the German BMW 801 engine employed on the Focke-Wulf Fw.190A. Those outlets were covered by a single flat plate. 
Another additional improvement made on production La-5FNs was the inclusion of an additional duralumin side panel under the cockpit, however, those were not present at the La-5FN prototype.
The radio antenna arrangement was also revised and, although initially it was a copy of the one present at the regular La-5F, it was changed in mid production variants. However, that configuration proved to be problematic and many pilots and mechanics reverted to the original La-5's arrangement. In the late batches the antennas were revised further and the masts were deleted with the cable running straight into the rear canopy glazing.
Most of the La-5FN also received thicker armoured glass. 
In April 1943 the La-5FN was tested against a regular La-5F at the Scientific Research Institute in Sverdlovsk with great results overall. It was faster than the La-5F at every altitude and it had better climb rate with the same armament; two nose mounted 20 mm ShVAK cannons and it had provision for up to 100 kg (220 lbs) of bombs under each wing. 

The La-5FN was the first fighter made by Lavochkin Design Bureau that could equal the Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 in terms of performance, specially at top speed. It was, however, slower than the Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-3.
In April 1943 various mock combat duels were carried out a Lyubertsi Air Base (Moscow) between a pre-production La-5FN and a captured Messerschmitt Bf.109G-2. Those tests showed that the La-5FN was faster than the Bf.109G-2 at low and medium altitudes, where most aerial combat took place on the Eastern Front. Besides, the La-5FN could manoeuvre differently in the vertical plane, further helping proper combat tactics against German fighters.
Production batches varied depending on the availability of the raw materials and craftmanship due to war shortages. 

The La-5FN saw combat for the first time during Operation Citadel, the offensive on Kursk in July 1943. The arrival of the La-5FN to the frontline, proved problematic to both Luftflottes 4 and 6 as they heavily committed to provide close aerial support to German forces around Kursk. The fourteen La-5FN of the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment took part in 25 aerial engagements during summer 1943 and claimed 33 German aircraft, 21 of which Focke-Wulf Fw.190As and three Bf.109Gs.
Soviet top ace, Major Ivan N. Kozhedub scored his first kills flying a La-5 and later a La-5FN during the Battle of Kursk. Later, during the Soviet offensive on the Dnieper in December 1943, Kozhedub scored an additional eleven victories in just ten days. 
Later, in 1944 he shot down eight more German aircraft in just one week flying over Romania. He was, together with Aleksandr I. Pokryshkin, awarded the title of 'Hero of the Soviet Union', they were the only pilots awarded with that title. 

During 1943 a total of 5048 La-5F and La-5FN were manufactured by four State Aircraft Factories in the USSR. Most of them, 91%, were produced at GAZ-21 factory in Nizhny-Novgorod. GAZ-381 in Yaroslav produced 240 with 184 La-5F and La-5FN were assembled at GAZ-99 at Ulan Ude. Only 5 aircraft were produced at GAZ-31 in Tbilisi. 
Production decreased during 1944 with 3826 La-5FNs manufactured at State Aircraft Factories in Nizhny-Novgorod, Yaroslav and Ulan Ude. Production decreased as it was switched to the new Lavochkin La-7 in April 1944. However both La-5FN and the La-7 were produced in parallel until the La-5FN production was discontinued in November 1944. By then a total of 9920 La-5 in every variant had been produced.
After the war the La-5FN was gradually replaced by either the better La-7 or a jet fighter as they were beginning to overtake propeller fighters. However its main reason was related to the speed at which they were manufactured. The wooden airframe was not designed to last for a long time as it was developed in conditions of total war and its calculated combat life was shorter than its mechanical life, hence La-5's wooden components were not treated with chemicals designed to inhibit rot, so wood fungi and rot began to damage the wooden parts of the aircraft redeeming them unsafe to fly over a long period of time. 

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-5

Lavochkin La-5 In Soviet Service. Part two.

 

The Lavochkin La-5F got its name from the ASh-82F engine, where the letter 'F' stands for 'boosted' in Russian. This engine , initially denominated as ASh-82A, was considered as an interim powerplant for the La-5 as it was considered as 'immature' as it suffered from overheating, so attempts to fix that problem, resulted in the ASh-82F. 
The new radial engine yielded better theoretical results than its predecessor, so the first ASh-82F-equipped La-5 rolled out from the factories in December 1942, as some very late production La-5s were fitted with the new ASh-82F engine. 
The La-5F, however, had many more characteristics apart from the new engine. It had an entirely new canopy design which allowed for a 360º view (something that the La-5 lacked) with its subsequent cut in the rear fuselage decking.
The cockpit was equipped with a 66 mm (2.5 inch) thick armoured glass panel to protect pilot's head and shoulders. The windscreen was also redesigned to include a horizontal frame on top. This change was initially made in the La-5 in order to include a 55 mm (2.1 inch) thick armoured glass panel. A rear view mirror was also added, however most of the pilots removed it. 
The La-5F was equipped with a better gun-aiming system, better cockpit ventilation and, although the initial batches were equipped with the same radio system the La-5 had, the radio system was also improved gradually with the new batches, resulting in various antenna mast and aerials configurations throughout the manufacture process. 
The fuel tank arrangement was also revised in order to make the aircraft lighter, to match its performance to that of the German Messerschmitt Bf.109G.
The first La-5F rolled out from State Aircraft Factory 21 at Nizhny-Novgorod in March 1943 and in April one La-5F was tested at the Soviet Air Force's Scientific Research Institute in Sverdlovsk. Those tests showed that La-5F's top speed was only 10 km/h (6.2 mph) better than the one of the La-5 but it had much better climb rate. 
The La-5F served mainly with the Fighter Aviation Regiments (IAP for Russian terminology) of both the Soviet Air Force (VVS) in the Eastern Front, and the Fighter Aviation Regiments of the National Air Defence Forces (PVO). The units of the PVO were assigned to defend the aerial space of major Soviet cities and industrial centres. 
During World War 2, USAAF's 8th and 15th Air Forces carried out various ferry bombing raids against Germany from Soviet territory, the first of which took place on 2nd June 1944 when 128 Boeing B-17 bombers and their escort took off from Italy, bombed the railroad marshalling yards in Debrecen, Hungary and landed at Poltava and Myrhorod, in the Ukrainian SSR. The aerial escort over Soviet air space was provided by the 210th Fighter Aviation Division of the PVO, with most of its IAPs being equipped with the La-5F. 
On 21st June 1944 USAAF's 3rd Air Division bombed the synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, Germany, while enroute to Poltava. In retaliation the Luftwaffe attacked Poltava shortly after midnight with a force of eighty Junkers Ju.88 and Heinkel He.111 destroying fourty-four out of 72 B-17s and damaging the remaining ones. No Soviet fighters engaged the attacking force and this grew some tensions between the Americans and the Soviets about shuttle bombing operations, although they continued until September 1944.

Sources:

1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-5

Lavochkin La-5 In Soviet Service. Part one.

 

The Lavochkin La-5 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of the World War 2 which was itself an improvement from the previous LaGG-1 and LaGG-3. 
The LaGG-1 was underpowered and the LaGG-3, couldn't overcome that lack of power, in spite of its lighter airframe and stronger engine, so in early 1942, LaGG-3 factories were converted to manufacture the Yakovlev Yak-1 and Yak-7. 

In late 1941 Lavochkin worked unofficially to improve the LaGG-3. The work centred mainly in replacing the underpowered Klimov M-105 inline engine of the LaGG-3 with a stronger Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine. The nose section was replaced with one taken from a Sukhoi Su-2, as the Su-2 was also powered by the Shvetsov engine. 
The new engine required a shift in aircraft's balance and some other fittings but by December 1941 it was completed. However, ground testing showed several problems with the new engine so its maiden flight was delayed and it wasn't until March 1942 took off with Aleksei I. Nikashin, a highly experienced pilot of the Soviet Air Force Scientific Research, at the commands. 
The prototype showed good flying characteristics, although it didn't completely overcome the flaws present at the LaGG-3. Therefore, many detail improvements were made before the La-5 prototype was passed to Scientific Research Institute for state acceptance trials in April 1942.
Overall, in the evaluation made by the Scientific Research Institute, the radial engine-powered La-5 demonstrated its superiority over the LaGG-3 and they considered that it had potential to be an excellent fighter, at least for VVS' (Soviet Air Force) standards of the time. Trials were carried out in less than a month and the aircraft was given green light for mass production by the People's Commissariat for Aviation Industry (NKAP), beginning mass production in July 1942. At first the new fighter was called 'LaG-5' but since Mikhail Gudkov, one of the original designers of the LaGG-3 was no longer involved in the programme, both letter Gs were dropped, although Gorbunov was still involved.
However, since there were doubts about La-5's empirical performance at the battlefields, for a time both LaGG-3 and the La-5 were manufactured alongside each other at the State Aircraft Factories, so new features and improvements were introduced in both types.

The first production batch of the La-5 was basically a LaGG-3 with the ASh-82A engine and many inherited features, such as the widescreen, canopy or pitot tubes, which were improved upon the war was going on. 
The main differences between the prototype and the production series were the inclusion of armament (two 20 mm ShVAK cannons mounted in the forward fuselage), which also required the adaptation of enlarged breech gun covers on the nose, plus some added fairing, an ASh-82A engine, as already mentioned and an enlarged oil cooler, situated below the engine. It could also carry up to 50 kg (110 lb) of bombs in underwing racks, although very few La-5s were equipped with underwing racks. It was also equipped with radio system, although not in every aircraft. 
The Central Aerodynamic Institute (TsAGI) tested the first branches of the La-5 against the prototype and found a considerable loss of speed, mainly due to the poor coupling of the engine to the fuselage, given wartime shortages in the factories. This problem was addressed over the time. 

The first La-5 were assigned to VVS' Fighter Regiments (the Soviet equivalent to a squadron sized unit) in the fall of 1942, although in August it seems that some few of had the type in their ranks. The main foe of the La-5 at the time of its introduction was the German Messerschmitt Bf.109G-2 which was superior to the La-5 in every aspect as checked after having captured on in the Stalingrad area. 
Anyway, most Soviet fighter pilots, used to fly the MiG-3, the LaGG-3 or even the Polikarpov I-16 were quickly accustomed to their new fighter and were pleased by the performance improvement. Ground crews were also satisfied as it was easier to maintain and, therefore, to enhance La-5's service rate.
The La-5 saw action during major Soviet battle from the fall of 1942 to the summer of 1943 when it was gradually replaced by more advanced variants of the type, although some remained in service until well entered 1944. 
The first produced La-5s were deployed straight from production lines to the Stalingrad area and the La-5 was also deployed in the Kuban area fighting Luftwaffe's Luftflotte 4 over the North Caucasus during that campaign that took place between April and May 1943. 
The La-5 was also widely employed in July 1943 at the Battle of Kursk. It was during the course of this battle that Ivan N. Kozhedub, later to be USSR's top ace, made his combat debut in a La-5. 
One La-5 was captured by the Germans on 30th July 1942 when Lt. Col. Nikolai Vlasov flew made an emergency landing at Larisov airfield, near Ostrov in Pskov, while a second La-5, belonging to the famous Valery Chkalov squadron was also captured and tested at the Rechlin Test Centre. 
During the whole year of 1942 a total of 1.129 La-5 were manufactured at State Aircraft Factory 21 in Nizhny-Novgorod, while State Aircraft Factory 31 at Tblisi built additional 22 machines. In comparison a total of 2.771 LaGG-3 were built during that same year. 
This was because the La-5 was regarded as an interim step to adopt the M-82/ASh-82A radial engines without disrupting production lines. This gave Lavochkin Design Bureau enough time to develop a more sophisticated variant of the La-5 eliminating the lack of backward visibility and its short range. The last Shvetsov M-82F powered La-5s were delivered in early 1943.

Sources:
1st Signal Squadron - Aircraft In Action 169 - La5-7 Fighters in Action
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavochkin_La-5