Communism at its best...

[Yossarian]

The British used to do it too, it cost £5,000 to buy/build a Spitfire and £50,000 to buy a TBM off the Americans. The public were encouraged to have garage sales and the like to save up money to buy aircraft.

The Soviets did it with tanks also.

About the gunners on IL's, it was because the gunner was added in later variants and the only space for them was outside the armour tub which the pilot sat in. Most Soviet penal battalions were infantry and used in the first wave and clearing minefields, basically anything that was a suicide mission.

[towman]

See, stalin was a nice person, when he wasnt being a bastard.

Lol, this has nothing to do with Stalin being nice, this is pure communist propaganda, the story just "sounded good" for the agenda. I wouldn't be surprised if the family of Lenochka was forced to give up the little money they had for the greater good and they starved to death later, at least the a "good" story came out of it.