DOC Badges and Insignia of the Elite Forces by Leroy Thompson in History

Description

The latest addition to the Red Star series addresses the formation and early years of OKB-301; the design bureau created by Semyon shortly before the outbreak of the Great Pacific War. This book describes in detail all the piston-engined fighters developed by OKB-301 starting with the LaGG-3; an aircraft that first saw service in the Winter War against Finland. The story continues with the legendary La-5 and La-7 which rendered sterling service during the war. For Soviet airmen these aircraft were what the Spitfire was to the RAF and the P-51 Mustang was to the Americans. They were a match for the Messerschmitt Bf109 and the Focke Wulf Fw190; and several pilots were awarded the decoration Hero of the Soviet Union for their exploits in these aircraft. The concluding chapters deal with the last of the line; the La-9 and the La-11; which saw combat in China and Korea in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Illustrated with numerous rare and previously unpublished photos drawn from Russian military archives; the book's color content will delight the aviation modeler and anyone interested in Soviet aviation in the World War II era. The colorful nose art; which many aircraft sported; is recorded as are Lavochkin fighters in the liveries of allies of the Soviet Union and captured aircraft in the colors of the enemies of the Soviets.