Based in Central Europe Kagero Publishing House is the biggest publisher and exporter of English-written publications about military history, release nearly 60 titles every year. Kagero was founded in 1995, and began by delivering military titles in Polish. Their success led Kagero to start releasing books in English in 1998. Authors from Poland, Canada, USA, Australia and Great Britain, who were invited to cooperation, gave a beginning to a new range of products, which have put them on a position of one of the most recognized publishers on the market. Kagero has released more than 550 publications. Kagero is managed by Damian Majsak and his wife Joanna.

Kagero’s Lavochkin La-5, is one of the latest in their Monographs series. This edition is in their standard 8.25” x 11.75” format softbound publication that is 96 pages (excluding covers). I counted 123 black and white period photographs. Alexsander Kazakow contributes 10 color 1/32 side profiles along with fourteen pages of 1/72 and 1/48 line drawings. This volume also includes a two-sided fold out 11.5” x 16” featuring 1/32 scale drawings of the Lavochkin La-5 Type 37, accompanied by fuselage and wing section views.

Dariusz Paduch starts off with this first volume focusing on the background of the Lavochkin La-5 radial engine fighter that evolved from the LaGG-3 inline engine fighter. Most of this background is devoted to developing the radial engine that would power not only the La-5, but many other Soviet aircraft. Page 12 illustrates just some of the issues that arose by highlighting the very young age of the workers in the upper photograph. Of course this inexperience affected not just engine manufacture, but everything to do with manufacturing the aircraft and all its sub-assemblies. The photographs on Page 33 help illustrate the relatively easy modification of the LaGG-3 inline engine to mounting the M-82 radial engine. Wooden slats made the transition from the elliptical fuselage to the circular engine cross-section. Dariusz Paduch finishes this volume introducing the La-5F in 1943. Period photographs of the La-5F are on Page 74 where of note are the two female armorers working on a LA-5F’s gun.

There are currently no surviving LA-5 fighters, although the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach arguably has a wreck that could possibly be restored. This wreck is essentially the metal cockpit section with engine bearers. [The La-5 on display in Moscow is a reproduction and the Moscow Aviation Institute wings is ‘maybe’ a five foot wing section] This museum does have a Korean War era Lavochkin La-9 that is the only one of six examples left that is flyable.

The sections include:

• Introduction
• Bumpy Road
  • Key Characteristics of the M-71 and M-82 Engines [Table]
  • Key Characteristics of Gudov Gu-82 (1st Prototype) [Table]
  • Designation Conventions of the M-82 Engines [Table]
  • Key Characteristics of the Yakolev Yak-7 M-82 [Table]
• LaGG-3 with a Brand-New “Heart”
  • Comparison of Performance Characteristics of Fighters Powered by the M-82 Engine [Table]
• Preparations for Full-Scale Production
• Improvements and Modifications
• Lavochkin La-5F
• List of Abbreviations
• Selected Bibliography
• Line Drawings {1/48} :
  • Lavochkin La-5 Type 37
  • Lavochkin La-5UTI Type 43
  • Lavochkin La-5 Type 39
  • Lavochkin La-5F
  • Lavochkin La-5FN Type 39
  • Lavochkin La-5FN Type 41
• Line Drawings {1/72} :
  • Lavochkin La-5 Type 37
  • Lavochkin La-5 Type 39
  • Lavochkin La-5FN Type 39
  • Lavochkin La-5FN Type 41
• Color Side Profiles {1/32}

I really enjoyed the use of first person accounts throughout this book as they provide valuable insights, even if they may be colored by the Soviet political process. I also loved how Dariusz Paduch was able to present an overall view on the importance of the radial engine, not only for the La-5, but the other Soviet fighters that were in development at the time like Polikarpov’s I-185. I am really looking forward to the next volume that should be out soon that will focus on the La-5F and La-5FN.

I consider the Kagero Monographs series an essential reference for model building. You get period photographs, great line drawings in scale, and beautiful color illustrations. All of the color illustrations in this volume are side profiles, where upper and lower surface illustrations are often included. Hopefully they will show up in the second part on the La-5This being the seventy-sixth volume, they have managed to cover quite a few aircraft. If you have any of their previous books in the Monographs series, you know how great a value this book is. Highly Recommended!

My thanks to Casemate, Kagero, and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!