La-7

1. Lead

The Lavochkin La-7 was the Soviet Union’s best fighter of the Second World War, and one of the best fighters of the war as a whole. Designed by Semyon Lavochkin and his team, the La-7 was a development of the La-5, which had been the Soviet Union’s first fighter that could match the German Bf 109 and Fw 190 on equal terms, and the La-7 was faster, lighter and better armed than its predecessor, with a top speed of about 680 km/h, which made it one of the fastest fighters of the war at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place. About 5,753 La-7s were built, between 1944 and 1945, and the type was flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, including Ivan Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories, the highest score of any Allied pilot, and who flew the La-7 in the last year of the war, and who shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter in an La-7, in one of the most famous actions of the air war on the Eastern Front. The La-7 remained in service after the war, in the Soviet Union and in other countries, until the early 1950s, and it is remembered today as the fighter that won the air war on the Eastern Front, and as a symbol of Soviet aviation skill.

The La-7’s story is a story of Soviet aviation, and of the men who designed and flew it. Lavochkin, who had designed the LaGG-3, which had been a disappointment, and the La-5, which had been a success, designed the La-7 as the ultimate development of his wooden fighter, using a lighter airframe, a more powerful engine and a better armament, and he produced an aircraft that was, at low altitude, faster than any German fighter, and that could out-turn and out-climb the Bf 109 and the Fw 190. The La-7’s pilots — Kozhedub, Rechkalov, and many others — were among the best pilots in the world, and they flew the La-7 in the battles that won the Eastern Front, from the Ukraine to Poland to Berlin, and they proved that Soviet aviation, which had been almost destroyed in 1941, had become, by 1944, one of the best in the world.

2. Key Facts

Type	Single-seat fighter
Origin	Soviet Union
Designer	Semyon Lavochkin, Lavochkin Design Bureau (OKB-301)
Manufacturer	GAZ-21 (Gorky); GAZ-99 (Ulan-Ude); GAZ-381 (Moscow)
First flight	January 1944 (La-7 prototype)
In service	1944–1950s
Produced	1944–1945; about 5,753 built
Crew	1
Length	8.60 m
Wingspan	9.80 m
Height	2.54 m
Empty weight	About 2,605 kg
Maximum take-off weight	About 3,400 kg
Engine	Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial, 1,850 hp
Maximum speed	About 680 km/h at 6,000 m; about 640 km/h at low altitude
Range	About 635 km (internal fuel); about 1,000 km with drop tank
Service ceiling	About 10,750 m
Armament	2 × 20 mm ShVAK cannon (later 3 × 20 mm); up to 200 kg bombs or 6 × RS-82 rockets

3. Background and Development

From the LaGG-3 to the La-5

The La-7 was the last development of a line of fighters that began with the LaGG-3, which was designed by Semyon Lavochkin, Vladimir Gorbunov and Mikhail Gudkov, and which entered service in 1941, and which was a disappointment, because it was heavy, slow and underpowered, and because its pilots called it the “varnished guaranteed coffin”, a play on its designation, LaGG, which in Russian sounded like “lakirovanny garantirovanny grob”, or “varnished guaranteed coffin”. Lavochkin, who understood the LaGG-3’s faults, redesigned it with a new engine, the Shvetsov ASh-82 radial, and the result was the La-5, which entered service in 1942, and which was a success, because it was faster, more manoeuvrable and better armed than the LaGG-3, and because it could match the German Bf 109 and Fw 190 on equal terms, at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place. The La-5 was the Soviet Union’s first fighter that could fight the Germans on equal terms, and it was flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, including Ivan Kozhedub, who scored his first victories in an La-5.

Lavochkin’s Refinement

In 1943, Lavochkin set out to improve the La-5, and this section explains what he changed and why the result was the best Soviet fighter of the war. The La-7 used a lighter airframe of wood and plywood, with metal spars in the wings, and it was about 100 kilograms lighter than the La-5, and about 30 km/h faster, with a better climb and a tighter turn, so that one Soviet test pilot called it the best fighter we have ever had. Its engine was the Shvetsov ASh-82FN, a 14-cylinder radial giving 1,850 horsepower, fitted with fuel injection and a new supercharger, and it was one of the most powerful engines built in the Soviet Union during the war, also powering the La-5FN and the Tu-2 bomber. The aircraft also had a new propeller, a revised cowling with the oil cooler moved, and a new canopy that gave the pilot a better view. The La-7 first flew in January 1944, entered service in the summer of 1944, and was issued to the Guards fighter regiments, the elite regiments of the Soviet Air Force, flown by the leading aces.

A Lighter, Faster La-5

In 1943, Lavochkin set out to improve the La-5, by making it lighter, faster and better armed, and the result was the La-7, which first flew in January 1944. The La-7 used a lighter airframe, made of wood and plywood, with metal spars in the wings, and it used a more powerful engine, the Shvetsov ASh-82FN, which gave 1,850 horsepower, and which was fitted with fuel injection, and it used a new propeller, and it had a revised cowling, with the oil cooler moved, and a new canopy, which gave the pilot a better view. The La-7 was about 100 kilograms lighter than the La-5, and it was about 30 km/h faster, and it could climb better, and it could turn better, and it was, in the words of one Soviet test pilot, “the best fighter we have ever had”. The La-7 entered service in the summer of 1944, and it was issued to the Guards fighter regiments, which were the elite regiments of the Soviet Air Force, and which were flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces.

The ASh-82FN Engine

The La-7’s engine, the Shvetsov ASh-82FN, was a 14-cylinder radial engine, which gave 1,850 horsepower, and which was one of the most powerful engines built in the Soviet Union during the war. The engine was fitted with fuel injection, which improved its performance at high altitude and in negative-G manoeuvres, and it was fitted with a new supercharger, which gave it more power at altitude, and it was the engine that powered the La-5FN, the La-7 and the Tu-2 bomber, and which was one of the most successful Soviet engines of the war. The ASh-82FN was reliable, it was powerful, and it was available in large numbers, because it was built in factories across the Soviet Union, and it was the engine that made the La-7 the fastest Soviet fighter of the war, at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place.

Entering Service in 1944

The La-7 entered service in the summer of 1944, and it was issued to the Guards fighter regiments, which were the elite regiments of the Soviet Air Force, and which were flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, including Ivan Kozhedub, who was issued an La-7 in the summer of 1944, and who scored most of his 62 victories in the La-7, in the last year of the war. The La-7’s entry into service coincided with the Soviet offensive in the summer of 1944, Operation Bagration, in which the Soviet Army destroyed the German Army Group Centre, and in which the Soviet Air Force, flying La-7s, Yak-3s and other fighters, won air superiority over the Eastern Front, and never lost it again. The La-7 was the fighter that won the air war on the Eastern Front, and it did so in the last year of the war, when the Soviet Union was winning on the ground and in the air, and when Germany was losing, on both fronts.

4. Design

Wooden Airframe and Radial Engine

The La-7 was built of wood, with a fuselage made of plywood and balsa, and with wings made of wood and plywood, with metal spars, and it was powered by a Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial engine, which was mounted in the nose, and which was covered by a cowling that was designed to reduce drag and to improve cooling. The wooden construction made the La-7 light, which made it fast and manoeuvrable, and it made it easy to build, because it could be built by firms that had never built an aircraft, and it made it easy to repair, because a damaged wooden panel could be replaced by a carpenter, without the need for a metalworker. The wooden construction was also a necessity, because aluminium was in short supply in the Soviet Union, and because wood was available, and because the Soviet aircraft industry had learned to build wooden aircraft, from the LaGG-3 and the La-5, and it could build the La-7 quickly and in large numbers, which was essential in a war in which aircraft were lost in large numbers and had to be replaced quickly.

Armament and Cockpit

The La-7’s fighting power came from its guns, and its pilot’s chances came from the cockpit that protected him, and this section looks at both. The aircraft was armed with two 20 mm ShVAK cannon, mounted in the nose above the engine and synchronised to fire through the propeller, and later versions carried three, which gave the La-7 a heavier armament than the La-5 and allowed it to destroy a German fighter with a short burst. The ShVAK fired a shell of about 96 grams at a muzzle velocity of about 800 metres per second, at about 800 rounds per minute, and it was a reliable weapon used on many Soviet fighters, including the La-5, the La-7 and the Yak-3. The La-7 could also carry up to 200 kg of bombs, or six RS-82 rockets under its wings, for ground targets, although it was primarily a fighter. The cockpit gave the pilot a good view forward and to the sides, though the view to the rear was poor, and the pilot sat on an armoured seat behind a bulletproof windscreen, with protected fuel tanks, a radio, a gunsight and instruments for flying at night and in bad weather.

Two or Three 20 mm Cannon

The La-7 was armed with two 20 mm ShVAK cannon, mounted in the nose, above the engine, and synchronised to fire through the propeller, and later versions were armed with three 20 mm cannon, which gave the La-7 a heavier armament than the La-5, and which allowed it to destroy a German fighter with a short burst. The ShVAK cannon fired a shell of about 96 grams at a muzzle velocity of about 800 metres per second, and it had a rate of fire of about 800 rounds per minute, and it was a reliable and effective weapon, which was used on many Soviet fighters, including the La-5, the La-7 and the Yak-3. The La-7 could also carry up to 200 kg of bombs, or six RS-82 rockets, under its wings, for use against ground targets, although it was primarily a fighter, and it was used as a fighter-bomber only when it was needed to attack German troops and vehicles on the ground.

Pilot Protection and Visibility

The La-7’s cockpit gave the pilot a good view, particularly forward and to the sides, although the view to the rear was poor, as it was on most fighters of the time. The pilot sat on a seat with armour behind it, and the cockpit was fitted with a bulletproof windscreen, and the fuel tanks were protected, which was an improvement on the La-5, and which made the La-7 more survivable than its predecessor. The La-7’s cockpit was roomy, by Soviet standards, and it was fitted with a radio, with a gunsight and with instruments that allowed the pilot to fly at night and in bad weather, although most fighting on the Eastern Front took place in daylight, and at low altitude, where the La-7 was at its best. The La-7’s pilot protection was adequate for its role, and it was a sign that the Soviet Air Force had learned, from the losses of 1941 and 1942, that a pilot who survived was more valuable than a pilot who did not, and that an aircraft that protected its pilot was worth the weight.

Performance at Low Altitude

The La-7’s performance was best at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place, and where its speed, its climb and its turning ability were superior to those of the German Bf 109 and Fw 190. The La-7 could reach a top speed of about 680 km/h at 6,000 metres, and about 640 km/h at low altitude, and it could climb to 5,000 metres in about 4.5 minutes, and it could turn more tightly than the Bf 109, and it could out-climb the Fw 190, which was the fastest German fighter at low altitude. The La-7’s performance at low altitude was its greatest strength, and it was the reason why it was so successful on the Eastern Front, where the fighting was at low altitude, over the battlefield, and where the La-7’s speed and manoeuvrability allowed it to win dogfights against German fighters that were, on paper, just as good, but that were flown by pilots who were increasingly inexperienced, as Germany lost its trained pilots and could not replace them.

5. Variants

The La-7 and Its Developments

Variant	Years	Key features	Production
La-7	1944–1945	2 × 20 mm ShVAK; ASh-82FN, 1,850 hp; standard fighter	About 5,753
La-7 (3-cannon)	1945	3 × 20 mm ShVAK; heavier armament	Included above
La-7UTI	1945	Two-seat trainer; dual controls	Small numbers
La-9	1946–1948	Post-war development; all-metal; 4 × 23 mm cannon	About 1,559
La-11	1947–1951	Long-range escort fighter; development of La-9	About 1,182

The La-7 was produced in a single main variant, with only minor changes during production, as the Soviet factories improved the aircraft and as they fitted three cannon to later versions, instead of two. The La-7 was followed by the La-9, which was an all-metal development of the La-7, with four 23 mm cannon, and by the La-11, which was a long-range escort fighter, developed from the La-9, and which served in the Korean War, where it was used by the Soviet Union and by China. The La-7’s design, which was the ultimate development of Lavochkin’s wooden fighter, was the basis for the La-9 and the La-11, which were the last piston-engine fighters built in the Soviet Union, before jet aircraft replaced them, and which are a reminder that the La-7 was not only a fighter of the Second World War, but the ancestor of the Soviet Union’s last piston-engine fighters.

The Trainer and Post-War La-9

The La-7 did not end with the war, and this section follows the type into its trainer version and into the post-war fighters that were developed from it. A small number of La-7s were built as two-seat trainers, the La-7UTI, with dual controls and a second cockpit behind the first, so that an instructor could take over from a student, and they were used by the Soviet Air Force in the last months of the war and after it, to train pilots for the La-7 and for the La-9. The La-9, developed from the La-7, was an all-metal fighter with four 23 mm cannon, which entered service in 1946 and served in the Soviet Air Force and in the air forces of China, North Korea and Romania until the early 1950s. The La-11, developed from the La-9, was a long-range escort fighter with a larger fuel capacity, and it served in the Korean War, used by the Soviet Union and by China against American aircraft, proving itself a capable fighter even though it was a piston-engine aircraft in a war fought with jets. Together, the La-9 and the La-11 are the La-7’s legacy, as the last piston-engine fighters built in the Soviet Union.

The La-7UTI Trainer

A small number of La-7s were built as two-seat trainers, the La-7UTI, with dual controls, for training pilots to fly the La-7, and for training pilots who had flown other fighters to fly the La-7. The La-7UTI was identical to the standard La-7, except for the second cockpit, which was behind the first, and for the dual controls, which allowed the instructor to take over from the student, and it was used by the Soviet Air Force in the last months of the war, and after the war, to train pilots for the La-7 and for the La-9. The La-7UTI is a reminder that the La-7 was not only a fighter, but a trainer, and that the Soviet Air Force, which had lost many pilots in the war, needed to train new pilots quickly, and that it needed a trainer that was based on the fighter that those pilots would fly in combat.

The La-9 and La-11

The La-9, which was developed from the La-7, was an all-metal fighter, with four 23 mm cannon, and it entered service in 1946, and it served in the Soviet Air Force and in the air forces of other countries, including China, North Korea and Romania, until the early 1950s. The La-11, which was developed from the La-9, was a long-range escort fighter, with a larger fuel capacity, and it served in the Korean War, where it was used by the Soviet Union and by China, against American aircraft, and where it proved to be a capable fighter, even though it was a piston-engine aircraft, in a war that was fought with jet aircraft. The La-9 and the La-11 are the La-7’s legacy, and they are a reminder that the La-7’s design, which was the ultimate development of a wooden fighter, was the basis for the Soviet Union’s last piston-engine fighters, and that it influenced Soviet fighter design for a decade after the war.

6. Operational History

Operation Bagration, Summer 1944

The La-7 entered service in the summer of 1944, in time for Operation Bagration, the Soviet offensive that destroyed the German Army Group Centre, and in which the Soviet Air Force, flying La-7s, Yak-3s and other fighters, won air superiority over the Eastern Front. The La-7s were issued to the Guards fighter regiments, which were the elite regiments of the Soviet Air Force, and they flew in the battles over Belarus, over Poland and over the Baltic states, where they shot down German aircraft, and where they protected Soviet bombers and Soviet ground troops, and where they proved to be superior to the German Bf 109 and Fw 190, at low altitude, where most fighting took place. Operation Bagration was the La-7’s first test, and it passed it, and it was the battle in which the La-7 proved that it was the best Soviet fighter of the war, and that it could win the air war on the Eastern Front.

Kozhedub and the Aces

No account of the La-7 is complete without its pilots, and this section tells the story of the aces who made the aircraft famous. Ivan Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories, the highest score of any Allied pilot, flew the La-7 in the last year of the war and scored most of his victories in it, in the battles over Poland and Germany in 1944 and 1945, and he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union three times. His most famous action came on 19 February 1945, when he shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter in an La-7, attacking it from below as it was landing and hitting its engine with a burst from his cannon, in one of the few times in the war that a piston-engine fighter shot down a jet. Other La-7 aces included Grigory Rechkalov, who scored 56 victories and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice. The aces preferred the La-7 because it was fast, manoeuvrable and well armed, and because it gave them the best chance of surviving and of winning.

Ivan Kozhedub, 62 Victories

Ivan Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories, the highest score of any Allied pilot, flew the La-7 in the last year of the war, and he scored most of his victories in the La-7, in the battles over Poland and Germany, in 1944 and 1945. Kozhedub was a Guards pilot, and he was the most successful Allied ace of the war, and he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union three times, which was the highest honour in the Soviet Union, and which was awarded to only a handful of men. Kozhedub’s most famous action was on 19 February 1945, when he shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter, in an La-7, by attacking it from below, as it was landing, and by firing a burst from his cannon that hit the jet’s engine and caused it to crash. Kozhedub’s victory over the Me 262 was one of the few times in the war that a piston-engine fighter shot down a jet fighter, and it is a reminder that the La-7, which was a piston-engine fighter, could defeat even the most advanced German aircraft, when it was flown by a skilled pilot.

Other La-7 Aces

Other La-7 aces included Grigory Rechkalov, who scored 56 victories, and who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice, and who flew the La-7 in the battles over Poland and Germany. The La-7 was flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, and it was the fighter that they preferred, because it was fast, because it was manoeuvrable, and because it was well armed, and because it gave them the best chance of surviving and of winning, in the battles that won the Eastern Front. The La-7’s aces are a reminder that an aircraft’s success is not only its design, but the pilots who fly it, and that the La-7, which was flown by the best pilots in the Soviet Air Force, was the best fighter in the Soviet Air Force, because it was flown by the best.

The Advance to Berlin

In 1945, the La-7 fought in the advance to Berlin, in the battles over Poland and Germany, where it shot down German aircraft, and where it protected Soviet bombers and Soviet ground troops, and where it proved to be superior to the German fighters that it met, which were flown by increasingly inexperienced pilots, as Germany lost its trained pilots and could not replace them. The La-7 was in the air over Berlin in April 1945, when Soviet troops entered the city, and it was one of the aircraft that flew over the Reichstag, when the Soviet flag was raised over the building, and it was a symbol of the Soviet victory, and of the air war that the Soviet Union had won, on the Eastern Front, in the last year of the war. The La-7’s service in the advance to Berlin was the last of its wartime service, and it was the battle in which the La-7 proved that it was the best Soviet fighter of the war, and that it had won the air war on the Eastern Front.

7. Performance and Specifications

Speed, Climb and Armament

Specification	La-7
Engine	Shvetsov ASh-82FN, 1,850 hp
Maximum speed	About 680 km/h at 6,000 m
Speed at low altitude	About 640 km/h
Climb to 5,000 m	About 4.5 minutes
Range	About 635 km
Service ceiling	About 10,750 m
Empty weight	About 2,605 kg
Maximum take-off weight	About 3,400 kg
Armament	2 × 20 mm ShVAK (later 3 × 20 mm)
Bomb load	Up to 200 kg
Number built	About 5,753

The table shows the La-7’s performance: it was fast, it climbed well, it had a good range for a fighter of its time, and it was well armed, with two or three 20 mm cannon, which was enough to destroy a German fighter with a short burst. The figures are the values most commonly given in the published histories, and they vary slightly between sources, because different aircraft were tested at different weights and with different equipment, and because the La-7 was built in many factories, with slightly different equipment. The reader should treat the numbers as approximate, and as a guide to the aircraft’s capability rather than as exact measurements for a single aircraft.

Comparison with the Bf 109 and Fw 190

Compared with the German Bf 109G, which was the main German fighter on the Eastern Front, the La-7 was faster at low altitude, it could turn more tightly, and it could climb better, although the Bf 109 was faster at high altitude, and it had a better rate of climb at high altitude. Compared with the Fw 190A, which was the fastest German fighter at low altitude, the La-7 was about as fast, it could turn more tightly, and it could climb better, although the Fw 190 was more heavily armed, with four 20 mm cannon and two machine guns, against the La-7’s two or three 20 mm cannon. The La-7’s advantage was that it was designed for the low-altitude fighting on the Eastern Front, where most fighting took place, and where its speed, its climb and its turning ability were superior to those of the German fighters, and where its pilots, who were increasingly experienced, could use those advantages to win dogfights against German pilots who were increasingly inexperienced.

Why the La-7 Was the Best Soviet Fighter

The La-7 was the best Soviet fighter of the war because it was fast, because it was manoeuvrable, because it was well armed, and because it was flown by the Soviet Union’s best pilots, in the last year of the war, when the Soviet Union was winning, and when Germany was losing. The La-7’s design, which was the ultimate development of Lavochkin’s wooden fighter, was a triumph of Soviet aviation, and it showed that the Soviet aircraft industry, which had been almost destroyed in 1941, had become, by 1944, one of the best in the world, and that it could build a fighter that was as good as any fighter in the world, at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place. The La-7’s success is a reminder that an aircraft’s value is not only its design, but the pilots who fly it, and the tactics that are used to employ it, and the industrial system that builds it in large numbers.

The ShVAK Cannon

The La-7 was armed with two 20 mm ShVAK cannon, which fired a shell of about 96 grams, at a muzzle velocity of about 800 metres per second, and at a rate of fire of about 800 rounds per minute, and which were mounted in the nose, above the engine, and synchronised to fire through the propeller. The ShVAK cannon was a reliable and effective weapon, which was used on many Soviet fighters, including the La-5, the La-7 and the Yak-3, and which could destroy a German fighter with a short burst, at close range, which was the range at which most dogfights on the Eastern Front took place. Later La-7s were armed with three ShVAK cannon, which gave the aircraft a heavier armament, and which allowed it to destroy a German fighter even more quickly, although the third cannon made the aircraft heavier, and it was fitted to only a small number of La-7s, in the last months of the war.

8. Operators

The Soviet Union

The La-7 was used by the Soviet Union, from 1944 to the early 1950s, and it was the standard fighter of the Soviet Air Force in the last year of the war, and it was flown by the Guards fighter regiments, which were the elite regiments of the Soviet Air Force, and which were flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces. The La-7 was operated by the Soviet Air Force on the Eastern Front, in the battles over Belarus, Poland and Germany, and it was used after the war, in the Soviet Air Force and in the Soviet air defence forces, until it was replaced by jet aircraft, in the early 1950s. The La-7 was a Soviet aircraft, designed by a Soviet designer, built in Soviet factories, and flown by Soviet pilots, and it became a symbol of Soviet aviation skill and of the Soviet victory on the Eastern Front.

Other Users

After the war, the La-7 passed from Soviet hands into the hands of allies, and this section follows it into Czechoslovakia, Poland and China, and into the Korean War through its successor. Czechoslovakia, Poland and China were issued La-7s by the Soviet Union and used them as their standard fighters, until they were replaced by jet aircraft in the early 1950s, and the Chinese La-7s were used in the Chinese Civil War and in the early years of the People’s Republic of China. The La-7 itself was not used in the Korean War, because it had already been replaced by jets, but its successor, the La-11, developed from the La-7, was used there by the Soviet Union and by China against American aircraft, and it proved to be a capable fighter even though it was a piston-engine aircraft in a war fought with jets. The La-7’s use by so many air forces is a measure of its success, and it ensures that the aircraft is remembered not only as a Soviet aircraft, but as an aircraft of the Soviet bloc as a whole, and as a symbol of the Soviet aviation industry that supplied fighters to its allies after the war.

Czechoslovakia, Poland and China

After the war, the La-7 was used by Czechoslovakia, by Poland and by China, who were issued La-7s by the Soviet Union, and who used them as their standard fighters, until they were replaced by jet aircraft, in the early 1950s. The Czechoslovak La-7s were used by the Czechoslovak Air Force, and the Polish La-7s were used by the Polish Air Force, and the Chinese La-7s were used by the Chinese Air Force, in the Chinese Civil War, and in the early years of the People’s Republic of China. The La-7’s use by so many different air forces is a measure of its success, and it ensures that the aircraft is remembered not only as a Soviet aircraft, but as an aircraft of the Soviet bloc as a whole, and as a symbol of the Soviet Union’s aviation industry, which supplied fighters to its allies after the war.

The La-7 in Korea

The La-7 was not used in the Korean War, because it had been replaced by jet aircraft, but its successor, the La-11, which was developed from the La-7, was used in the Korean War, by the Soviet Union and by China, against American aircraft, and it proved to be a capable fighter, even though it was a piston-engine aircraft, in a war that was fought with jet aircraft. The La-7’s design, which was the ultimate development of a wooden fighter, was the basis for the La-11, and the La-11’s service in Korea is a reminder that the La-7’s legacy continued after the Second World War, and that it influenced Soviet fighter design for a decade after the war, until jet aircraft replaced piston-engine fighters entirely.

9. Legacy and Influence

The Best Soviet Fighter of the War

The La-7’s legacy is, above all, its reputation as the best Soviet fighter of the Second World War, and as one of the best fighters of the war as a whole. The La-7 was faster, more manoeuvrable and better armed than any other Soviet fighter, and it was flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, including Ivan Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories, the highest score of any Allied pilot, and who flew the La-7 in the last year of the war. The La-7’s success is a reminder that Soviet aviation, which had been almost destroyed in 1941, had become, by 1944, one of the best in the world, and that it could build a fighter that was as good as any fighter in the world, at low altitude, where most fighting on the Eastern Front took place. The La-7 is remembered today as the fighter that won the air war on the Eastern Front, and as a symbol of Soviet aviation skill.

Kozhedub and the Aces

The La-7’s legacy is also the legacy of its pilots, above all Ivan Kozhedub, who is remembered as the highest-scoring Allied ace of the war, and as a symbol of Soviet aviation skill and of Soviet courage. Kozhedub’s 62 victories, most of them in the La-7, are a record that has never been matched by an Allied pilot, and his victory over a Me 262 jet fighter, in an La-7, is one of the most famous actions of the air war on the Eastern Front. Kozhedub’s story is told in Soviet books and films, and in the museums that commemorate the Great Patriotic War, where the La-7 is displayed as the aircraft that Kozhedub flew, and as a symbol of the Soviet victory. The La-7’s aces are a reminder that an aircraft’s success is not only its design, but the pilots who fly it, and that the La-7, which was flown by the best pilots in the Soviet Air Force, was the best fighter in the Soviet Air Force, because it was flown by the best.

The La-7 in Popular Culture

In popular culture the La-7 is remembered as the fighter of Ivan Kozhedub, and it appears in films, in books and in model kits, and it is one of the most modelled Soviet aircraft in the world, with kits in every scale and in every variant. The La-7’s story — a wooden fighter, built by Soviet craftsmen, that could outfly German fighters, and that was flown by the highest-scoring Allied ace — is one of the most inspiring stories of the Eastern Front, and it has been told in the books of Kozhedub and of other Soviet aces, and in the films about the Great Patriotic War, where the La-7 is shown as the fighter that won the air war on the Eastern Front. The La-7’s place in popular culture is a measure of its fame, and it ensures that the aircraft will be remembered, not only as a weapon, but as a symbol of Soviet aviation skill and of the Soviet victory.

The La-7 in the Soviet Air Force After the War

After the Second World War, the La-7 remained in service in the Soviet Air Force, until the early 1950s, when it was replaced by jet aircraft, and it was used as a fighter, as a trainer and as a reconnaissance aircraft, in the Soviet Union and in other countries, including Czechoslovakia, Poland and China, who were issued La-7s by the Soviet Union. The La-7’s post-war service is a measure of its success: it was built for the Second World War, but it remained in service for a decade after the war, because it was fast, because it was manoeuvrable, and because it was well armed, and because no other Soviet fighter could do the things that it could do, at low altitude, where most fighting took place. The La-7 was finally retired in the early 1950s, when jet aircraft, which were faster and which could fly higher, replaced it, and when the wooden construction that had made it so successful became obsolete.

10. Surviving Examples

Museums in Russia

Only a handful of La-7s survive, because most were scrapped after the war, and because the wooden construction that made the aircraft so successful also made it difficult to preserve, as wood rots and as glue deteriorates. Surviving La-7s are held in museums in Russia, including the Central Air Force Museum at Monino, near Moscow, where an La-7 is displayed, and the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, where an La-7 is displayed as the aircraft flown by Ivan Kozhedub. The museums display the La-7 with its wooden airframe and its ASh-82FN engine, so that visitors can see how the aircraft was built, and can learn about its design and its history, and about the pilots who flew it, above all Kozhedub, whose La-7 is the most famous La-7 in the world.

Museums Abroad and Airworthy Examples

Only a handful of La-7s survive, because most were scrapped after the war and the wooden construction that made the aircraft so successful also made it difficult to preserve, and this section tells the reader where the survivors outside Russia can be found. Museums in Europe and in the United States hold La-7s, including the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where one is displayed, and the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where one is displayed as an example of Soviet fighter design, and the aircraft in these museums stand as examples of the fighter that won the air war on the Eastern Front and as reminders of the Soviet contribution to the Allied victory. For most visitors, the easiest way to see an La-7 is at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino, near Moscow, or at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, where Kozhedub’s La-7 is displayed, while visitors who cannot travel to Russia can see one at Washington or at Duxford. The surviving examples are preserved with care, and they are displayed as examples of the best Soviet fighter of the war, and as a memorial to the pilots who flew it, above all Kozhedub, whose 62 victories remain the highest score of any Allied pilot.

Europe and the United States

Surviving La-7s are also held in museums in Europe and in the United States, including the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where an La-7 is displayed, and the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where an La-7 is displayed as an example of Soviet fighter design. The La-7s in these museums were built in the Soviet Union, and they are displayed as examples of the aircraft that won the air war on the Eastern Front, and as reminders of the Soviet Union’s contribution to the Allied victory. The La-7s in Europe and in the United States are the easiest to see for visitors in those countries, and they are displayed as examples of one of the best fighters of the Second World War, and as a symbol of Soviet aviation skill.

Seeing a La-7 Today

For most visitors, the easiest way to see a La-7 is at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino, near Moscow, where an La-7 is displayed, or at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, where Kozhedub’s La-7 is displayed. Visitors who cannot travel to Russia can see a La-7 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., or at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where La-7s are displayed as examples of Soviet fighter design. The La-7’s wooden construction makes it difficult to preserve, but the surviving examples are preserved with care, and they are displayed as examples of the best Soviet fighter of the Second World War, and as a memorial to the pilots who flew it, above all Ivan Kozhedub, whose 62 victories remain the highest score of any Allied pilot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the La-7?
The Lavochkin La-7 was the Soviet Union’s best fighter of the Second World War, designed by Semyon Lavochkin. It was a development of the La-5, powered by the Shvetsov ASh-82FN engine, and about 5,753 were built.

How fast was the La-7?
The La-7 had a maximum speed of about 680 km/h at 6,000 metres, and about 640 km/h at low altitude, which made it one of the fastest fighters of the war at low altitude.

Who flew the La-7?
The La-7 was flown by the Soviet Union’s leading aces, including Ivan Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories, the highest score of any Allied pilot.

Did a La-7 shoot down a Me 262 jet?
Yes. On 19 February 1945, Ivan Kozhedub, flying an La-7, shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter, by attacking it as it was landing.

How many La-7s were built?
About 5,753 La-7s were built between 1944 and 1945.

Where can I see a La-7 today?
Surviving La-7s are displayed at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino, near Moscow, the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, “Lavochkin La-7” — production of about 5,753, specifications, Kozhedub’s 62 victories and the Me 262 victory.
2. Central Air Force Museum, Monino — surviving La-7s and the history of the aircraft.
3. Yefim Gordon and Dmitri Khazanov, Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume One: Single-Engined Fighters (Midland Publishing, 1998) — La-7 development, design and service.
4. Hugh Morgan, Soviet Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Publishing, 1997) — Kozhedub, Pokryshkin and the La-7 aces.
5. William Green, Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters (Macdonald, 1961) — La-7 specifications and comparison with German fighters.
6. National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. — the La-7 in the museum’s collection.