What Kind of Yak is This?

[John Thompson]

While saving most of the images in this Yak-1b walkaround:
http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_cid_198.html
...I noticed something which I thought was odd; this image in particular shows it well:
http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_id_5480.html?cid=198&min=60&orderby=dateA&show=12

This Yak-1b has wing root intakes on *both* sides, not just the left wing as in all Yak-1b drawings I've ever seen, including those in "First Yak". The aircraft in the walkaround has all the other features of a normal Yak-1b, except for the right-wing intake, so it's not a Yak-3, or a Yak-1 "Moskit" as shown in the AJ Press Yak-1/Yak-3 monograph. So, what is it? A "sort-of" Yak-1b, made from a Yak-1b fuselage, with Yak-3 wings?

John

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
I think that the plane was repaired with Yak-3 wingroot fairings. Note that there is no any duct inside the wingroot intakes, but only the wing leading edge and some struts. Compare it with the photo of Yak-3 in the same site.
To tell the truth, the drawing of Yak-1b on Piston-emgined yak fighters of Yefim Gordon shows two wingroot intakes, but I found only two photos showing the right wingroot of the Yak-1b, and none shows the intake on it.
Massimo

[John Thompson]

Thanks, Massimo - you are right! I was directed to the following page by "KK" on airwarfareforum:
http://airaces.narod.ru/all4/erymin_2.htm

This paragraph is from the Babelfish translation of that page, regarding the restoration of Eremin's Yak-1b for display in the city of Saratov:
"On 25 May, 1944, aircraft they transmitted to 32-1 repair air brigade for the sending into Saratov on the request of the inhabitants of city. They there established it on the central area. With the transportation and the assembling Yak-1B it lost the wing fillets and some other details. Therefore with the first restoration in 1944 it obtained the missing parts of Yak-3, since the production of aircraft Yak-1 by that time was already ended."

Thanks also for referring me to Gordon and Khazanov's book - looking at the Yak-1b drawings on pages 38 and 39, I am guessing that these drawings were based on the the Saratov Yak-1b, and this must be the reason they show the Yak-3 intakes as installed on this aircraft during its restoration. I've learned another lesson about trusting drawings, colour profiles, or images of restored aircraft without checking other sources! 

John

[Dark Green Man]

an accurate measurement of the wing would reveal the truth : if the wing is 9.2 meters wide then it is from a Yak-3,if it is 10 meters then it's from a Yak-1b.
it seems very likely to me that they did just put the Yak-3 wing and Carmin's sleeves (and landing gear?) on to the Yak-1b, the structure is very similar.

although Yakovlev's Piston-Engined Fighters is an excellent book , the drawings in it are very bad.
the best drawings for the Yak-1 are from Pervyi Yak (First Yak) by Kuznetsov.
(and of course Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours...)

[Massimo Tessitori]

it seems very likely to me that they did just put the Yak-3 wing and Carmin's sleeves (and landing gear?) on to the Yak-1b, the structure is very similar.

Yak-3 wings should have the outlets for oil coolers behind the landing gear bays. If present, they would be clearly visible on these photos.
Massimo

[Massimo Tessitori]

This paragraph is from the Babelfish translation of that page, regarding the restoration of Eremin's Yak-1b for display in the city of Saratov:
"On 25 May, 1944, aircraft they transmitted to 32-1 repair air brigade for the sending into Saratov on the request of the inhabitants of city. They there established it on the central area. With the transportation and the assembling Yak-1B it lost the wing fillets and some other details. Therefore with the first restoration in 1944 it obtained the missing parts of Yak-3, since the production of aircraft Yak-1 by that time was already ended."

Hi John,
this is interesting. Do you know if the painting is accurate? I see light blue oversprayed to the light grey of the landing gear and its bays. Did you find photos of that age to compare the accuracy of the slogan?
Massimo

[John Thompson]

This paragraph is from the Babelfish translation of that page, regarding the restoration of Eremin's Yak-1b for display in the city of Saratov:
"On 25 May, 1944, aircraft they transmitted to 32-1 repair air brigade for the sending into Saratov on the request of the inhabitants of city. They there established it on the central area. With the transportation and the assembling Yak-1B it lost the wing fillets and some other details. Therefore with the first restoration in 1944 it obtained the missing parts of Yak-3, since the production of aircraft Yak-1 by that time was already ended."

Hi John,
this is interesting. Do you know if the painting is accurate? I see light blue oversprayed to the light grey of the landing gear and its bays. Did you find photos of that age to compare the accuracy of the slogan?
Massimo

Hi Massimo! All I can offer is the photos on the following two pages:
http://airaces.narod.ru/all4/erymin_2.htm
http://www.monino.ru/index.sema?a=articles&pid=16&id=103

If I remember correctly, there was a mention on the first page of some repainting after the restoration to correct the "orthography" of the script; you should go to the Babelfish on-line translation site to get the English text.

John

[Dark Green Man]

Yak-3 wings should have the outlets for oil coolers behind the landing gear bays. If present, they would be clearly visible on these photos.
Massimo

I was more or less referring to the difference in wingspan (this would make the Yak-1b look 'clipped') but yes you are correct.
they apparently modified this as I don't recall the outlets in the photos.
p.s. John, thanks for providing some interesting URL's...some interesting reading to do.
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[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi Massimo! All I can offer is the photos on the following two pages:
http://airaces.narod.ru/all4/erymin_2.htm
http://www.monino.ru/index.sema?a=articles&pid=16&id=103

Hi John,
nice page. The white Yak-1 looks to have the same inscription, but in red.
The camo looks sharper than the one of recent photos, with neat black bands. I see two red stripes on the tail that I don't remember on the walkaround.

[Dark Green Man]

Boris Eremin was gifted with several aircraft.
possibly as many as 5 or 6 (can't seem to find where I read that)
sadly , I don't think the machine at Saratov represents any one machine that he flew
but is just a general representation.
(the Winter Yak-1b's seem to best photographed, perhaps they should have done one of these)

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[John Thompson]

Boris Eremin was gifted with several aircraft.
possibly as many as 5 or 6 (can't seem to find where I read that)
sadly , I don't think the machine at Saratov represents any one machine that he flew
but is just a general representation.
(the Winter Yak-1b's seem to best photographed, perhaps they should have done one of these)

[/color]

You may be right, although a translated version of the airaces.narod.ru page that I linked above does describe in some detail (quite a bit of detail, actually) the history of this specific Yak-1b, even to its serial number, and relates this particular aircraft to its donor. If this description is correct, the Yak-1b at Saratov is an aircraft that was flown extensively by Eremin, over a relatively long period of time. It was taken out of service because of various kinds of damage which eventually made it unsafe to fly, and then (apparently after a period of sitting idle) taken to Saratov to be restored and put on display. Unfortunately the Babelfish translation doesn't have its own unique URL, so I can't link it, and a copy-and-paste of the whole text would make this an awfully long post!

Regarding the originality of the markings and camouflage, it does say the following, though:
"At the same time lower camera hatch was sealed, the equipment of cab is changed. From one restoration to the next painting machine and grant inscription (its for the first time changed during May 1943, after removing orthographical error in writing of the surname of donor) changed. On the cowling it was represented the 8 (number of biased on this Yak-1 enemy aircraft), then 14 (total number of biased machines on the grant "yaks" Of f. p. golovaty) asterisks. Thus, from the initial version of destroyer it remained sufficiently little. In all, with the resource 300 it is hour, aircraft flew 102 hours 25 minutes."

It's quite interesting, and I very much recommend you have a go at it with Babelfish. The translation is quite good and it can be easily understood, with a bit of imagination.

John