Soviet a/c markings

[silence]

I have a La-5 kit I'm going to be starting soon, and it neither shows nor provides red stars for the upper wing surfaces.

Was this normal for Soviet planes - or even unusual?

 

[Wurger]

All La-5/5F/5FN/7 didn't have Red Stars painted at tops of wings. It was because the plane started service at the end of 1941. And these Russian national markings were painted on both sides of aircraft wings till June 1941. After the date these Red Stars were applied on undersides of all planes only.

 

[silence]

Good to know. Thanks!

Any idea why they did that?

 

[meatloaf109]

Camouflage mainly. That and when you have to do a snap decision as to what aircraft is enemy or friendly, a blur of color is harder to recognize than none at all.
When you consider the variety of wing markings of Germany and her allies, none on the tops of your own makes perfect sense.
There is an excellent example of this at the U.S.A.F. museum in Dayton Ohio. They have a board mounted up high, with various national insignia on it. British, French, German, Russian, and the early American types.
When you are close, you think, "Shoot, I could see the difference", but when you go back to the designated viewing area, (some 100 feet or so), it is almost impossible to tell the difference on any of them. A German cross is practically the same as a roundel.
Now, try to do the recognition in the adrenaline pumping arena of combat.
This is why the "Bar" was added to the American insignia.
It broke up the blur.

 

[N4521U]

And they saved red paint for other more impotant stuff.
What? I have no idea.

 

[Airframes]

To pain red things red, of course!
Yep, the 'bars' were added to the US star in a roundel, so that they would appear as a rectangle at a distance, thereby making them totally different to a German cross, or Japanese marking, both of which appear as a circle or square at longer range, where colours can merge and be indistinct, especially in 'high light' conditions.