Actually, Yak-9DD ("Dalnego Dejstviya", or "long range") did exist and about 400 of them were built. Here's a photo:
http://www.aviation.ru/Yak/Yak-9DD.jpg The fighter was developed for long-range bomber escort missions and was equipped
with a US-made SCR-274N radio (http://www.battlefield.ru/radio/pics/radio_016.jpg). The Yak-9DD's max. range was 2285 km
and it could stay airborne for 6.5 hours. Yak-9DD was called by the pilots the "flying fuel tank" and it had only marginal
speed advantage over the bombers it escorted (mainly the Tu-2) when fully fuelled. A squadron of Yak-9DDs was used for
escort of Soviet C-47s from Italy to supply Yugoslav resistance. These fighters were also used to escort US B-17s and B-24s
that attacked targets in the Balkans and in Hungary taking off from Bari in southern Italy and landing at Poltava, where
they would refuel for a return trip.

The US flights from Bari to Poltava usually numbered 50-60 bombers and escort fighters (usually P-38s flown by US pilots).
There was an incident in November of 1944, when one such flight of about 50 US aircraft engaged a Soviet armored column
near Nis, Yugoslavia. These were intercepted by the fighters of the Soviet 866th fighter regiment. The Soviet pilots were
ordered not to open fire, but, being unable to establish radio contact with the American pilots... Four P-38s were shot
down (one by AAA fire) and two Soviet fighters were lost (one pilot was killed and one bailed out). The US planes destroyed
several Soviet vehicles killing a Soviet general. American explanation for the incident was that the lead P-38 believed
that the group got off-course and was over Pristina (marked on their maps as still under German control), while in fact the
Americans were near Nis just slightly off their usual route.

You can find a detailed account of these US bombing missions and the encounter between P-38s and the Soviet fighters over
Nis in "The Sky of My Youth" by Maj. Gen. Boris Smirnov, a Soviet ace pilot and the commander of the Soviet 288th fighter a
viation regiment during the Second World War.
--
Venik
www.aeronautics.ru



"Stephen Harding" wrote in message ...
Cub Driver wrote:

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 15:05:54 -0500, Stephen Harding
wrote:

In fact, I don't think that many bomber raids against
Axis targets even originated from Soviet controlled
territory throughout the war

I can't think of any. Didn't the few planes that landed at Russian
bases simply refuel and return empty?

I think that initially that was the case, but as the war
progressed, some raids actually originated from Soviet
controlled territory.

The number of them was exceedingly small as I understand
it. The Soviets didn't really seem comfortable having US
bomb groups working from their territory. Cooperation was
never especially good.

This leads me to believe the Yak-9DD either didn't really
exist, or more likely, was just an experiment in range
enhancement with no real practical use for the Soviets.


SMH