Free Polish LaGG-3P Strafer

[comrade harps]

LaGG-3P Strafer
White 20, 1st Fighter Regiment "Warszawa"
People's Polish Air Force
Grigoryevskoye, winter 1942-43



The engineers and mechanics of the Free Polish 1st Fighter Regiment "Warszawa" modified their LaGG-3s to a variety of standards, collectively known as LaGG-3Ps (P for Polish). This version, photographed during the winter of 1942-43 at the Pole's main base and logistics centre, Grigoryevskoye, is believed to be one of between 15 and 20 converted to Strafer standard.




The Strafer's armament consisted of four 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns (two in the fuselage and two in the wings, with the magazines located within the wings and the guns firing from under-wing gondolas) with a 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propeller hub. Several Strafer standards appeared to have been built, photographs showing variations in exhaust, rudder and tail-wheel installations. White 30 appears to be an early series LaGG-3. It features an externally balanced rudder and fixed tail wheel (although it may have a retractable tail wheel, but with the doors removed to save weight and complexity), but a later exhaust. Strafers typically appear to be customised hybrids of older airframes with selected features from later series, such as the individual exhaust stacks seen on White 20. Indeed, White 20's starboard aileron has a solid application of winter camouflage, which is inconsistent with the remainder of the plane, suggesting that it is a cannibalised part.






The Strafer came from a demand for "more frequent bullets". The LaGGs were being used to provide close air support against infantry, road and rail interdiction and flak suppression for the IL-2s of the Free Polish 2nd Bomber Regiment "Kraków". Observing that they were mostly hitting soft targets, some influential Polish pilots wanted a greater saturation of their quarry, preferring rate of fire over caliber. As a consequence, they selected older airframes with the fuselage-mounted 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns in preference to later machines with 12.7mm Berezin UB guns.




Note also that the main undercarriage wheel covers have been removed. This was common on LaGG-3s during winter.

[Captain Canada]

Beauty ! Love the colours and pattern....and it even carries to the propeller !

[PR19_Kit]

I don't think I've ever seen a camo'd prop before, brill idea. 

[NARSES2]

As above I really like the camouflage  Suits the aircraft well

[Weaver]

Very nice cammo - well done! 

Minor point: your text refers to "white 30" when the plane is "white 20".

[comrade harps]

Weaver said:

Minor point: your text refers to "white 30" when the plane is "white 20".

Fixed! Thanks for the correction.

PR19_Kit said

I don't think I've ever seen a camo'd prop before, brill idea.

Unfortunately, not an original idea. I discovered MiG-3s and LaGG-3s with prop camo during my research:




This is a Red Star kit that I purchased at the 2014 Model Expo Swap & Sell for $5. Pretty basic and crude, but a good camo can distract the eye a bit. Thanks for your words of appreciation.

[Logan Hartke]

I encountered a lot of camouflaged propellers when I did the Hungarian Heinkel profiles, too.

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20962.msg621648.html#msg621648
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20962.msg641514.html#msg641514

They camo-ed the props on their real-life He 112s and He 46s.







Cheers,

Logan