Рыбин, Ю. В. Советские асы на Харрикейнах в годы Второй Мировой Войны / Юрий Рыбин . – [Б. м. ] : Osprey Publishing, 2012. – 97 с. : ил., портр. – Англ. яз.

The first Curtiss P-40s to reach the USSR w ere Tomahawk IIs supplied by the RAF. They proved to be demanding aircraft from a servicing standpoint, which created considerable difficulties in the primitive conditions of Soviet frontline airfields. This aircraft, AH965, was flown by ace Stepan Ridnyi of 126th IAP during the w inter of 1941-42 The Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter was plagued by numerous design and production defects when it first entered service, but its major tactical shortcomings w ere poor range and a lack of modern radio communications equipment coolant mixture, powerplants being known to fail through overheating caused by only brief periods of oil starvation. Overheated metal fragments from the camshaft bearings would find their way into the coolant and cause total engine failure. In 1942 such failures in Allison engines reached ‘epidemic’ proportions. The most widely used fighter during this period was the Yak-1. Easy to fly, even by pilots with inadequate training, it had reasonable firepower with one 20 mm ShVAK cannon and two synchronised 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. In some units additional weaponry in the shape of six RS-82 rockets and up to 200 kg of bombs could be carried as external stores. But even this aircraft was far from perfect. First and foremost, the Yak-1 was put into mass production before the prototypes had undergone all the necessary testing. The result was a string of serious defects. Most of the shortcomings were eventually eradicated, but the necessary remedial work continued throughout the aircraft’s service career. Some defects remained unresolved. They included low critical roll-over angle, incomplete fuel feed from port and starboard tanks, oil being forced out of the breather tank and failure of the reduction gear shaft seal and other seals in the liquid cooled M-105P engine. In addition, engines constantly overheated, and together with fuel tanks and hydraulic systems, they also leaked. The windscreen was 11 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com HURRICANES IN SOV I E T SERVICE