The British used to do it too, it cost £5,000 to buy/build a Spitfire and £50,000 to buy a TBM off the Americans. The public were encouraged to have garage sales and the like to save up money to buy aircraft.
The Soviets did it with tanks also.
About the gunners on IL's, it was because the gunner was added in later variants and the only space for them was outside the armour tub which the pilot sat in. Most Soviet penal battalions were infantry and used in the first wave and clearing minefields, basically anything that was a suicide mission.
Last edited by Yossarian; 09-09-2009 at 05:34 PM.
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