Both the Hurricane and Spitfire had something that the Yak and the LaGG didn't have..... armour plating behind the pilot's seat and a firewall between the cockpit and the fuel tank.
The I-i53 ahd a terrible reputation for the airflow blowing through the undercarriage well turning the cockpit into a blast furnace when the non-self sealing or armoured fuel tanks caught fire. It is because of this that Soviet pilots never felw with the canopy cover ftted, as they needed to escape in a hurry when hit.
|