History[]
Assigned to 524 IAP of the 7th Air Army as Silver 71, this LaGG-3 was shot down by Finnish a/a artillery on March 6, 1942, near Nurmoila air base on the Olontets isthmus. The landing was good; the pilot survived, but shot himself before being captured.
The aircraft was probably of 4th/7th series, and its characteristics were:
- sharp prop spinner;
- tubular exhaust stacks;
- 1 ShVAK 20 mm firing through the propeller shaft;
- 1 12,7 UB machine gun guns on the left side of the engine cowling, and relative holes on the left side of the cowling;
- 2 x 7,62 mm ShKAS machine guns on the engine cowling;
- engine cowling with fast locks on lower panel only;
- rounded side plates behind the exhaust stacks;
- rectangular supercharger intakes;
- long radio mast;
- straight rudder with upper balance mass only;
- fixed tail wheel;
- no slats, pitot on the right leading edge.
According to the Finnish book "Punatähtestä hakaristiin" (from red star to swastika), this plane was restored as LG-1, while Black 29 was utilized only for spare parts.[N 1]