About the book: 2012 / Legendary planes of the Hero of Socialist Labor S.A. Lavochkin is rightfully considered one of the symbols of Victory. Although his first-born LaGG-3 turned out to be frankly unsuccessful, “earning” the nickname “lacquered guaranteed coffin,” the installation of a new engine and improvement of the design literally transformed this heavy, clumsy machine, turning it into the best fighter of the Great Patriotic War - the famous La-5, La-5FN and La -7 first seized air supremacy from the Germans, and then broke the back of the Luftwaffe. It was on these planes that two of the five best Soviet aces fought, and Ivan Kozhedub was the first to shoot down the newest Me.262 jet. It was Lavochkin who stood at the origins of Soviet jet aviation - it was his fighters who were the first to overcome the supersonic barrier, and the intercontinental cruise missile "Storm" - the thermal barrier. It was in his design bureau that the first domestic drones and anti-aircraft guided missiles were created, covering Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Breaking through the veil of total secrecy that surrounded Lavochkin’s projects for many decades, this book piece by piece restores the creative biography of the great aircraft designer and the true history of his aviation masterpieces.