Fw 190D-9/U5

[comrade harps]

Black 40, 310 Sqd, Czechoslovakian Air Force, Plzeň-Lině, Czechoslovakia, August 1945


Following the Separate Peace of August 1945, the new German government quickly set about restoring Czechoslovakia's sovereignty. With aircrew demobilised from the R.A.F., the Luftwaffe and the Nazi-era Slovak air arm, the Czechoslovakian Air Force was established as a fighter force, initially equipped with the Bf 109G-6 but receiving a mix of Bf 109G-10s (and later K-2s) and Fw 190D-9s late in the year. Because Czechoslovakian Communist units flying with the Socialist Union Air Force were already using the nation's pie-chart tri-colour national marking, the anti-Red air force adopted a roundel similar to the R.A.F.'s.

Named after a Czech squadron formed in the R.A.F., 310 Squadron was established September 1944 with second-hand Bf 109G-6s and was staffed by ex-R.A.F. personnel. In December, they began to convert to the Fw 190D-9. With the launch of the Red's night bomber offensive in April, 1945, the unit began flying Wilde Sau-like missions and began receiving the Dresden radar equipped U5 night fighter in May. The Dresden radar was small and could be operated by the pilot of a single seat fighter; it was similar to the American ASH airborne radar and also fitted to the Ta 183A-1/U1.

[matrixone]

Nice backstory and a very colorful Dora!

Matrixone

[NARSES2]

 

[Draken35]

Excellent!

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Nice backstory and a very colorful Dora!

Matrixone

Can't put it any better!

[ysi_maniac]

  Dora rules

[comrade harps]

Thanks guys.

The kit is the Airfix 1/72nd. I built one when I was a kid and had been looking for a reason to whif one up for a while. The idea to make it a noctural job came from seeing how dark many of the undersurfaces on Doras appeared to be in photos, esp. under the cowling and on the undercarraige fairings.

I'll post the just finished Wilde Sau Ta 183 soon!

[Taiidantomcat]

Love the paint scheme and those roundels are just awesome 

[Army of One]

Love the paint scheme and those roundels are just awesome 

Agreed.....

[Green Dragon]

Nice Dora Comrade! Like the colour scheme lots. Roundels remind me of the pre Soviet Imperial Russian Air Force.

Paul Harrison

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Dora rules

Completely agree, really must think about doing a What If D9 next year..... Maybe Egyptian as an adversary for those Israeli P-47's   - Really like that camo scheme, very believeable, Comrade H, like the back-story  

Ian