c/n 301060. The ‘Sturmovik’ played such a critical role on the Eastern front that Stalin himself referred to it as “as essential to the Red Army as air and bread”. This goes some way to explaining why some 36,183 of all variants were built between 1941 and 1945. The ‘m3’, also known as the ‘Type 3’, had metal outer wings with swept leading edges and straight trailing edges, increasing the types’ manoeuvrability and balance. On display in Hangar 6A (the first new hangar near the entrance) at the Central Air Force museum, Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia.