Hello,
While recently looking through the Air Britain Archive Special No.5, page 118 I came across the RAF serial number BX238. From searching further I could find nothing more of it in the book ?
However, that serial number was for a Bell Airacobra I.
It was one of 300 accepted under Contract A- 1476 ( see Air Brit's "The British Commission & Lend-Lease", page 106.
192 of these a/c were diverted to the US, 40 whilst in the US and the remaining 152 after export to the UK.
Net receipts are listed as only 108, so I assume that some were lost at sea ?
Anyway back to BX238.
How does this serial number end up in the AB arch 5 ?
I took up Carl-Fredrik Geust's "Red Stars " No.3.
Inside the front cover there is a colour profile of Airacobra Yellow"16", with the serial number BX728,( I think that it should have been BX328 ).
On page 32 at the bottom there is a picture of an Airacobra (and its pilot)with tail number "16", and text which says "Capt. I.V. Bochkov, 19 Guards IAP, in front of his P-400 Aircobra, East Karelia 1942. Bochkov was killed in action on April 4th 1943".
I think that his a/c was BX238 Yellow "1jpg
Found on the www -
http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/englis...39/Bochkov.jpg
Anyone know what happened to Capt. Bochkov and/or his a/c ?
Did the Fin's try to repair the crashed a/c, hence it being recorded in the AB archive special No.5 ?
Many thanks
Alex