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 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, 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)