Book Review of
Lavochkin La-5
Monographs English Version 75
No. 3076
Kagero Publishing
ISBN: 9788366673465
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $33.95
Kagero Publishing
ISBN: 9788366673465
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $33.95
HISTORY:
The Lavochkin La-5 (Лавочкин Ла-5) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a development and refinement of the LaGG-3, replacing the earlier model's inline engine with the much more powerful Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine. During its time in service, it was one of the Soviet Air Force's most capable types of warplane, able to fight German designs on an equal footing.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer: Lavochkin
Designer: Semyon Lavochkin
First flight: March 1942
Introduction to service: July 1942
Primary user: Soviet Air Force
Number built: 9,920
Developed from: Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3
Variants: Lavochkin La-7
THE BOOK:
Kagaro is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is soft-cover of 88 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format
The cover art shows a color illustration of a La-5 shooting down a German Me-109 in flames above the clouds.
The La-5 is in a wave pattern camouflage of two shades of green over a light-blue under-carriage. It has a white spinner and rudder flap. It has a long white patriotic slogan in Russian on its sides over the Soviet Air Force red star, followed by white no. 33. This aircraft appears twice again inside the book.
The Me-109 just shows its light blue bottom, yellow nose and wing tips.
The book contains 116 black and white photos. The black and white photos include:
Photos of engineers, the inside of the motor manufacturing factory, several different motors. Line drawings, weapons, photos of Polikarpov, LaGG and three photos of the Polikarpov I-185.
Two photos of the Sukhoi SU-2 (one shown on skis), and a photo of the SU-8.
Two photos of the Mig-3 and one of the Mig-5 (DIS-200).
A photo of the Yak-2M-82 and two photos of the Yak-7M-82.
Three photos of a IL-2. Manufacturer not named.
A photo of a ShVAK cannon.
A Gudkov GU-82 fighter.
Eight photos of a LaGG-3.
Forty-two photos of La-5s and La-5Fs, one shown crashed.
A photo of a Mikoyen I-211.
A photo of the inside of a La-3s cockpit, gunsight and bomb slung under it.
Photo inside the La-5 manufacturing factory.
Two photos of a German Me-109G-2.
There are 4 data lists and 3 line drawings.
There is a 1/48th scale line-drawing 7-view of the La-5, its dashboard and wing internal spars.
A second 1/48th scale line-drawing is another 7-view of the La-5 and its fuselage internal bulkheads.
There is a 1/48th scale line-drawing of side-views of the La-5, with a top and bottom view.
There are four 1/72nd scale 5-view line drawings showing also the bulkheads and wing spars.
The title page of the book shows a whopping total of 88 other aircraft books that Kagero publishes. However, this is worthless, because the images are super-tiny and dark and impossible to read the titles. A waste of time for Kagero to put in a book this way.
A page in the book recommends Kagero’s two A6M Reisen Japanese Zeke books numbers 72 and 73.
Another page recommends their A5M Japanese Claude book, number 75.
There are 10 color side profile illustrations at the end of the book. The last two are the ones on the book’s back cover (already described above).
The 1st one is a La-5. It is overall winter-white, with a bright bare metal panel on the sides of the nose and a light blue under-carriage . A yellow patriotic slogan in Russian “Za Rodinu !” (For the Min on its side. Soviet Red star on fuselage sides and rudder and black fuselage no. 31.
It was flown by Pilot, Guards Capt. I.P. Lavieykin, winter 1942-43.
The 2nd one is a La-5 - in a wave pattern of two shades of green and also the bright metal panel on the sides of its nose and light blue under-carriage. It has 8 small white stars, high on its sides as victory markings. Red star on fuselage side and rudder and large white fuselage no. 86.
It was from the 21st IAP, Pilot, Capt. I.T. Borisov, Spring 1943.
The 3rd one is a La-5 in the two shades of green, with a yellow nose and light blue undercarriage and he bright metal panel on the sides of the nose. A long white patriotic Russian slogan over the Soviet red star on its side, followed by a large white no. 02. Red star again on the rudder.
The 4th one is a La-5, in the two shades of green, with a white spinner and rudder flap and the metal panel on the sides of its nose and the light-
blue undercarriage. It has the same white patriotic Russian slogan on its side as the 3rd one did, followed by large white no. 33. This is the La-5 shown on the cover art and a third time in black and white in the book.
The 5th one is a La-5 in the 2 shades of green pattern with a light-blue under-carriage again. It has the bight metal panel on the sides of its nose. It has a white lightning bolt down the length of the fuselage with Large no. 57. The rudder has 3 white vertical bars across it and the Red star. Red star on fuselage sides also.
The 6th one is a La-5FN. It is in a wave-pattern camouflage of two shades of grey with a light blue undercarriage and the bare metal panel. It has a red nose and two vertical white bars across the rudder. The Soviet Air Force red stars are both outlined in white on the fuselage sides and rudder. It carries a huge white no. 93 on its sides.
It is from the 32nd GIAP, pilot, Guards Major V.A. Orehov, Summer 1943.
The 7th one is a La-5F. It is in the 2 greens wave camouflage, with a light blue undercarriage and the metal panel on the sides of its nose again. It has a white spinner and a huge white no. 31 on its sides that is followed by a row of 10 small red stars outlined in white that are victory markings and the Soviet red star next and on the rudder.
The 8th one is also a La-5f in the same overall color scheme as no. 7 above. It carries white no. 19 on its sides, with the red star there and on the rudder.
The 9th and 10th ones are the ones on the back cover (already described above).
This is a neat book about the La-5. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a La-5 and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the North American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Lavochkin La-5 (Лавочкин Ла-5) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a development and refinement of the LaGG-3, replacing the earlier model's inline engine with the much more powerful Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine. During its time in service, it was one of the Soviet Air Force's most capable types of warplane, able to fight German designs on an equal footing.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter aircraft
National origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer: Lavochkin
Designer: Semyon Lavochkin
First flight: March 1942
Introduction to service: July 1942
Primary user: Soviet Air Force
Number built: 9,920
Developed from: Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3
Variants: Lavochkin La-7
THE BOOK:
Kagaro is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is soft-cover of 88 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format
The cover art shows a color illustration of a La-5 shooting down a German Me-109 in flames above the clouds.
The La-5 is in a wave pattern camouflage of two shades of green over a light-blue under-carriage. It has a white spinner and rudder flap. It has a long white patriotic slogan in Russian on its sides over the Soviet Air Force red star, followed by white no. 33. This aircraft appears twice again inside the book.
The Me-109 just shows its light blue bottom, yellow nose and wing tips.
The book contains 116 black and white photos. The black and white photos include:
Photos of engineers, the inside of the motor manufacturing factory, several different motors. Line drawings, weapons, photos of Polikarpov, LaGG and three photos of the Polikarpov I-185.
Two photos of the Sukhoi SU-2 (one shown on skis), and a photo of the SU-8.
Two photos of the Mig-3 and one of the Mig-5 (DIS-200).
A photo of the Yak-2M-82 and two photos of the Yak-7M-82.
Three photos of a IL-2. Manufacturer not named.
A photo of a ShVAK cannon.
A Gudkov GU-82 fighter.
Eight photos of a LaGG-3.
Forty-two photos of La-5s and La-5Fs, one shown crashed.
A photo of a Mikoyen I-211.
A photo of the inside of a La-3s cockpit, gunsight and bomb slung under it.
Photo inside the La-5 manufacturing factory.
Two photos of a German Me-109G-2.
There are 4 data lists and 3 line drawings.
There is a 1/48th scale line-drawing 7-view of the La-5, its dashboard and wing internal spars.
A second 1/48th scale line-drawing is another 7-view of the La-5 and its fuselage internal bulkheads.
There is a 1/48th scale line-drawing of side-views of the La-5, with a top and bottom view.
There are four 1/72nd scale 5-view line drawings showing also the bulkheads and wing spars.
The title page of the book shows a whopping total of 88 other aircraft books that Kagero publishes. However, this is worthless, because the images are super-tiny and dark and impossible to read the titles. A waste of time for Kagero to put in a book this way.
A page in the book recommends Kagero’s two A6M Reisen Japanese Zeke books numbers 72 and 73.
Another page recommends their A5M Japanese Claude book, number 75.
There are 10 color side profile illustrations at the end of the book. The last two are the ones on the book’s back cover (already described above).
The 1st one is a La-5. It is overall winter-white, with a bright bare metal panel on the sides of the nose and a light blue under-carriage . A yellow patriotic slogan in Russian “Za Rodinu !” (For the Min on its side. Soviet Red star on fuselage sides and rudder and black fuselage no. 31.
It was flown by Pilot, Guards Capt. I.P. Lavieykin, winter 1942-43.
The 2nd one is a La-5 - in a wave pattern of two shades of green and also the bright metal panel on the sides of its nose and light blue under-carriage. It has 8 small white stars, high on its sides as victory markings. Red star on fuselage side and rudder and large white fuselage no. 86.
It was from the 21st IAP, Pilot, Capt. I.T. Borisov, Spring 1943.
The 3rd one is a La-5 in the two shades of green, with a yellow nose and light blue undercarriage and he bright metal panel on the sides of the nose. A long white patriotic Russian slogan over the Soviet red star on its side, followed by a large white no. 02. Red star again on the rudder.
The 4th one is a La-5, in the two shades of green, with a white spinner and rudder flap and the metal panel on the sides of its nose and the light-
blue undercarriage. It has the same white patriotic Russian slogan on its side as the 3rd one did, followed by large white no. 33. This is the La-5 shown on the cover art and a third time in black and white in the book.
The 5th one is a La-5 in the 2 shades of green pattern with a light-blue under-carriage again. It has the bight metal panel on the sides of its nose. It has a white lightning bolt down the length of the fuselage with Large no. 57. The rudder has 3 white vertical bars across it and the Red star. Red star on fuselage sides also.
The 6th one is a La-5FN. It is in a wave-pattern camouflage of two shades of grey with a light blue undercarriage and the bare metal panel. It has a red nose and two vertical white bars across the rudder. The Soviet Air Force red stars are both outlined in white on the fuselage sides and rudder. It carries a huge white no. 93 on its sides.
It is from the 32nd GIAP, pilot, Guards Major V.A. Orehov, Summer 1943.
The 7th one is a La-5F. It is in the 2 greens wave camouflage, with a light blue undercarriage and the metal panel on the sides of its nose again. It has a white spinner and a huge white no. 31 on its sides that is followed by a row of 10 small red stars outlined in white that are victory markings and the Soviet red star next and on the rudder.
The 8th one is also a La-5f in the same overall color scheme as no. 7 above. It carries white no. 19 on its sides, with the red star there and on the rudder.
The 9th and 10th ones are the ones on the back cover (already described above).
This is a neat book about the La-5. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a La-5 and to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. They are the North American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.