~ Monthly Profile ~
June 2006
~ Monthly Profile ~
June 2006
Il-2 AM-38F "White 25"
Unit, Location and Pilot unknown.
There have been many photograph captions and attributations made of this aircraft, but to date nothing specific has been confirmed. The surrounding landscape, to my eye, suggests eastern Germany, perhaps on the way to Berlin. Indeed, there are several photographs showing Il-2s which appear to be from this same flight, and in one the aircraft are shown passing over what looks to be part of Berlin. If true, that suggests a date of 1945, obviously.
Whatever the case, "White 25" looks to have been somewhat painted up. The trim is extensive and looks to be quite freshly applied, indeed extending from spinner to rudder. In fact, the forward portion of the arrow/bolt seems to have been painted (or repainted, perhaps) over the considerable exhaust staining on the cowl. One wonders if the crew might have known that they were going to be photographed during the flight?
The aircraft is a fairly typical Il-2 of the period finished in AII lacquers Green/Brown/Blue. The camouflage application appears to be of the 'central blob' variety, but the poor quality of the image (a still from 16mm movie film, in fact) makes any definitive statement impossible. The construction method of the wing is indeterminate, and shown as wooden in the illustration. The rear canopy has been removed from "25", and four RS132 rockets are visible under the wings.
