soc.history.war.world-war-ii

Although the Russians were not allowed to paint decadent western pin-
up art on their a/c, Stalin did allow them to paint patriotic slogans
such as "For Stalin" or "For the Motherland" on their a/c. You will
see these slogans in many pictures of Soviet a/c of WW2.

There is also the story of female Soviet pilot Lilya (Lidya) Litvak
painting a white rose on the side of her fuselage near the cockpit of
her Yak-1b... but no photographic proof exists. I believe this was
just a myth based on Lilya's love OF flowers that she reputedly
carried in her cockpit and her legend as "The White Rose of
Stalingrad". However, the Germans learned of her quickly and in the
end they relentlessly singled out her plane for destruction. Her
markings were known, but perhaps at one time the rose was actually on
there for recognition. Only the Russians know for sure, but you can
never really tell historical fact from propaganda of any account of
the "Great Patriotic War" through "official" Soviet sources of that
time period.

Rob

p.s. To the poster who remarked "Americans" as a reason to fight- the
Soviets certainly needed no Americans to win their war at all. THEY
were the ones that swallowed up the bulk of the German Army and bled
it dry- not the US, nor Britain, nor partisans, nor anyone else. The
defense of the Motherland and revenge was good enough for the Soviets.