Friday Update, June 01, 2012

[carguy_]

Originally Posted by BlackSix

Good day everyone!
The plane we’re showing today is the famous Soviet LaGG-3 fighter that bore the brunt of the fighting alongside the I-16, Yak-1 and the MiG-3 in the most difficult early years of the war. Opinions on its quality differ greatly, however this forefather of the fearsome Lavochkin line of fighters remained in service with the Soviet VVS until the very end of the war.

Good news, BlackSix.
I sincerely hope you can model those VVS planes right this time.

Originally Posted by carguy_

Good news, BlackSix.
I sincerely hope you can model those VVS planes right this time.

Based on statement "fearsome Lavochkin" it will be definitelly correct...

[Osprey]

Fearsome to their own pilot, what with the awful build quality, wings peeling apart etc.....

[xpzorg]

Originally Posted by Osprey

Fearsome to their own pilot, what with the awful build quality, wings peeling apart etc.....

Yes it's strangely, how planes with wooden body, made by children can fly more perfect than other aircrafts of this era

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by xpzorg

Yes it's strangely, how planes with wooden body, made by children can fly more perfect than other aircrafts of this era

That must be why any German pilot needing to add 30 kills a month to his tally just popped over to the Eastern front........JAT

[robtek]

That was because of the abundance of targets with strict orders they couldn't deviate from.

[Osprey]

A little simplistic don't you think?

[xpzorg]

Originally Posted by Osprey

That must be why any German pilot needing to add 30 kills a month to his tally just popped over to the Eastern front........JAT

The killed 30 airplanes in month in first two years of war because vvs pilot training include only take off and landing, so veterans say non-fight casualties was far more extensive.
Try to imagine your chance to survive on ATAG after only some training hours of landing and take off.
I hear the voice of Western propaganda in your head.
So in second part of 1943 situation has dramatically changed.

[csThor]

Originally Posted by xpzorg

The killed 30 airplanes in month in first two years of war because vvs pilot training include only take off and landing, so veterans say non-fight casualties was far more extensive.
Try to imagine your chance to survive on ATAG after only some training hours of landing and take off.
I hear the voice of Western propaganda in your head.
So in second part of 1943 situation has dramatically changed.

Soviet pilot training was inadequate even before the war - and in late 1941 and 1942 it was abysmal (hence the "Take-off - Landing" designation for green pilots). Added to this, however, must be the lack of radios in most aircraft until late 1943, a totally whacky doctrine (which chained soviet pilots to a task/target and forced them to fight in any situation) and of course the fact that the Luftwaffe was very much the "elite" institution with regards to pilot training that it wanted to be itself at least until late 1942.

And even in late 1943 the major reasons the VVS loss rate went down considerably was the influx of many new units on their side and the withdrawal of most of the german fighter force after Kursk (back to Germany). The VVS learned much, mind you, but it still suffered far too many losses simply because of unimatinative tactics and a general stubborn adhesion to its inefficient doctrine.

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by xpzorg

The killed 30 airplanes in month in first two years of war because vvs pilot training include only take off and landing, so veterans say non-fight casualties was far more extensive.
Try to imagine your chance to survive on ATAG after only some training hours of landing and take off.
I hear the voice of Western propaganda in your head.
So in second part of 1943 situation has dramatically changed.

That seems contradictory to what Manu just said. Which is it?

As for Western propaganda, I can't say what it's like from behind the iron curtain what with all those statues of leaders and state controlled TV but I don't think it's 'propaganda' when you have so many VVS pilots getting shot down despite superior numbers. Are you saying that this didn't happen? It's certainly not something that the BBC has spent resources rubbing into the UK populace from my experience.