Wartime is full of a variety of events and facts: some to this day put researchers and ordinary people, while others are simply curious and are of interest to everyone who is not indifferent to the topic of war. One of these interesting facts is the practice of putting stars on the fuselage of a fighter, or rather, the difference in it. After all, some five-pointed symbols were completely painted over, while others were additionally outlined.
Perhaps anyone who at least once watched a Soviet or domestic film about aviation during the Great Patriotic War not only knows about the very fact of drawing these signs on airplanes, but can also explain their meaning.
Often, when flying out on a mission, even if it consisted only of reconnaissance of the area, they encountered enemy aircraft and engaged in battle. If everything ended not just in victory, but in a shot down by an enemy vehicle, then the fighter's fuselage was decorated with a star - a symbol of victory over the enemy.
Of course, the number of such marks could be different, depending on the number of flights and the skill of the pilot, so dozens of stars can be seen on some aircraft. This practice also played the role of a kind of psychological pressure on the enemy: when he sees that he is being attacked by a car, literally all painted with stars, he realizes that the pilot in the cockpit opposite is a real ace, and the battle will not be easy.
Interesting fact: the number of stars on the fuselage of individual fighters really amazed even experienced pilots. Indeed, on the planes of some aces, marked with the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, one could count more than fifty five-point marks.
However, attentive people often note for themselves a curious difference between the stars on different cars: some are simply painted over, while others were additionally outlined with paint of a different color. And, as it turns out, the reason for such differences was not at all the aesthetic preferences of the painter.
The fact is that most often a group of pilots on several aircraft took part in combat missions. And when an enemy vehicle is knocked down, it is rather difficult to find out who exactly fired the decisive shot. That is why, in such cases, red stars were drawn on the fuselages of fighters who took part in the operation according to the number of destroyed enemy vehicles, and then they were outlined with white paint.
Continuing the topic: a little more about paint and aviation - Why all planes are painted exactly white