The Lavochkin La-5 Family

The Lavochkin La-5 family was created through the merging of the inline LaGG-3 airframe with a radial engine, and the resulting aircraft went on to become one of the most successful fighter designs of the Second World War. Below are a few illustrations of this famous fighter.

La-5, White 15, Museum of Defense of Leningrad, 1945.
The most commonly seen photos of this plane show it in the Museum of Defense of Leningrad in 1945. It has been re-painted in a manner not authentic to its wartime appearance, the colors being A-24m green over AMT-7 blue. While the upper surface color is wrong, the detail in the mouth is quite precise. The Guards badge under the cockpit is modified from the original, as it features the word ‘Slava’ (Glory) in the flag instead of the actual ‘Gvardiya’.

PROFILE ERRORS: This profile has several errors in it, as it was created before full information on it was received. The spinner and rudder should actually be white, and the white outline of the tail star should have a thin red outline over the white rudder. Also, as this was an example in a museum, all traces of exhaust staining are gone, and the metal exhaust plate should be painted over in green.

La-5F, White 14, 240 IAP, spring 1944, Yassy, Pilot Ivan Kozhedub.
Originally finished in AMT colors, Kozhedub’s White 14 was painted over the entire upper surfaces with Wood Aerolak.

La-5FN, White 52, 322 IAD, Pilot N. Pushkin.
Finish is AMT-11/12 over AMT-7, while the spinner is red and the front end of the cowling in yellow. The inscription, Mongol’ski Arat, means “Mongol Warrior”, and adorned many of this Division’s aircraft. This machine is probably from the 2 GIAP, as were many ‘Mongols’, but not all of them.

See Correction in the August 2003 issue.

La-5FN, White 185, unknown unit, location and pilot.
Finish is AMT-11/12 over AMT-7 and is quite worn. The AMT-12 under the cockpit in particular is heavily worn down. There are four white stripes on the tail. The worn appearance and high number suggest that this plane was part of a training unit, but no evidence proves that one way or another.