Yak-7b or Yak-9 of Mikhail Semyonovich Mazan, 85 GvIAP

[Kalish-Nikov]

Hello all!

I am looking for information regarding a striking shark-mouthed Yak fighter that I first saw in "Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-45" by Erik A. Pilawskii. There is a profile of the aircraft in the Yak-7 section (p.148), but the supporting black and white photograph is strangely placed in the Yak-9 section (p.188).

While Erik was unable to identify the pilot or unit correctly at the time of the book's publication, the Russian website "Airaces" (see ... http://airaces.narod.ru/all10/mazan.htm) shows a photo of Mazan and both a port and starboard view of the aircraft nose.

I was curious as to where Erik got the number "white 16" for the profile in his book? I have been able to track down any other photographs of this aircraft save for a photo from another Russian site that shows Mazan (again misidentified), with a slightly different version of the shark-mouth artwork.

Also, can anyone confirm my suspicion that this aircraft is indeed a Yak-9 and not a Yak-7b? I do not see any ejector chute on the right of the nose or a bulge on the top cowling for a UBS machine gun, which for me would indicate a Yak-9. However, the photographic quality is not particularly good and it's quite hard to say for sure. Such is the nature of VVS research, amirite?

Any assistance or insight would be greatly appreciated!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,
thank you for having identified the pilot of this interesting plane.
The photos on the page you've linked seem to show two different planes, painted in similar but not identical way. Besides the upper one seems to have a spiral painted on its spinner.
Regards
Massimo

[Kalish-Nikov]

Thanks Massimo. I agree, the picture of the right side of the nose on the "Airaces" Russian website does show an aircraft painted similarly, but not identically to the one shown on the left side. If this is indeed M.S. Mazan, then this Yak might be a different one in the picture or possibly the same aircraft with a slightly modified nose art - I can only speculate at this point.

However, I have found another Russian "Airaces" webpage which I believe shows the right side of Mazan's Yak, but is incorrectly attributed to another ace who flew with a shark-mouthed Yak-9 named Abrek Barsht Abramovich - http://airaces.narod.ru/all14/barsht1.htm

I have still to find conclusive evidence that this Yak is indeed a Yak-9 and numbered "white 16".

[KL]

Last link photo almost certainly shows Abrek Arkadevich Barsht and Yak-9 he flew in late 1944 and in 1945



This should be the same pilot and the same plane as on the following photo:



few portraits that may help to recognize the pilot...


 


Stankov's drawings signed by Barsht (take this with grain of salt; author tends to make up things - Barsht had 4 victories, definitively not 8 victories that Stankov mentions). Note the fictional 3-gray camouflage scheme!!!



and a profile made by an artist who heavily relayed on Stankov's drawings, but at least had it in more accurate 2-gray scheme

[Kalish-Nikov]

Hello KL. Thank you for your reply (and correcting my Russian grammar).

I'm not quite sure that Barsht is pictured alone with the Yak, but it is really hard to tell.

The shark-mouth in one of the pictures is clearly different than the shark-mouth nose art in another (the one that is attributed to Mazan has "eyes" and a longer "mouth"). If the pilot is indeed Barsht, then this might indicate that he flew at least two shark-mouthed Yaks. Or was he posing beside Mazan's Yak? Or was Mazan posing with Barsht's Yak? Again, the possibilities give me a slight headache!

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi, seems really that the second photo on the page of Mazan is of the plane of Barsht. It's difficult to recognize the pilot on the scan, but it doesn't seem to have the narrow face and big nose of Mazan.
About the strange 3-shades camo: the plane certainly came out of the factory with two greys, but it's possible that had visible repaintings.
probably on the front of fuselage, whe part most subject to chipping and repaintings.
Regards
Massimo

[KL]

I'm not quite sure that Barsht is pictured alone with the Yak, but it is really hard to tell.

It is sometimes hard to recognize person on a poor quality photo, but the pilot on the first photo is always identified only as Barsht. Not only on "Airaces" webpage (you are saying "Mazan's Yak, but is incorrectly attributed to another ace who flew with a shark-mouthed Yak-9 named Abrek Barsht Abramovich"), but in many other sources including Stankov's book.  

Try to compare Mazan's portraits

 



with the pilot on the "questionable photo"

The shark-mouth in one of the pictures is clearly different than the shark-mouth nose art in another (the one that is attributed to Mazan has "eyes" and a longer "mouth").

There are differencies, but it could be the same plane photographed at different times.  White outline and "eyes" were probably a later addition...



you can only see the width/hight of the "mouth" on the photo above. The length of the "mouth" on all profiles is guessed, IMHO the "mouth" should be longer.    
    

[KL]

About the strange 3-shades camo: the plane certainly came out of the factory with two greys, but it's possible that had visible repaintings.
probably on the front of fuselage, the part most subject to chipping and repaintings.

How about the tail in plan-view?  There are two "elegant" light blue bands between dark and medium gray fields.  I have to admit that it looks more attractive than standard 2-gray scheme.
IMHO, the profile artist used light blue-gray to make the plane more attractive, not because he had any evidence about the repainting in field.

[Kalish-Nikov]

Humm. Interesting theories. However, I find it more likely that the right-side profile of Mazan's Yak (the one featured here: http://airaces.narod.ru/all10/mazan.htm) with the painted spinner and what appear to be "whiskers" to be the later version.

I was wondering if the 118 OKRAP (Artillery Reconnaissance Air Regiment) was based on the same airfield as 85th GvIAP. From what I can see both were active in Ukraine, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. I know that Mazan was on the 2nd Ukrainian Front and Barsht was on the 1st Ukrainian Front, but could they have shared a base at one time - I wonder.

Any thoughts?

[dancho]

Looks like they had a whole squadron of shark-mouthed Yaks.  The Flying Sharks.

[Massimo Tessitori]

How about the tail in plan-view?  There are two "elegant" light blue bands between dark and medium gray fields.  I have to admit that it looks more attractive than standard 2-gray scheme.
IMHO, the profile artist used light blue-gray to make the plane more attractive, not because he had any evidence about the repainting in field.

It can be a fantasy. As it is drawn, it looks an elaboration of the 'serpentine' pattern discussed time ago, but the photos don't support that it had this rare pattern.
If we look at plane 70, on the background of the sharkmouthed one on SAFFC p.188, we see the side of the rear of the fuselage with dark colors, as from NKAP pattern. I would use this to draw the plane, admitting that the numbers are right.
Regards
Massimo

[KL]

I am looking for information regarding a striking shark-mouthed Yak fighter that I first saw in "Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-45" by Erik A. Pilawskii.

... another ace who flew with a shark-mouthed Yak-9 named Abrek Barsht Abramovich - http://airaces.narod.ru/all14/barsht1.htm

Looks like they had a whole squadron of shark-mouthed Yaks.  The Flying Sharks.

Only because a group of American volontiers had shark mouth painted on their P-40 fighters, people think that every plane with a jaws drawing has to be "a shark"! 



Soviet WWII pilots didn't know much (if anything...) about the "Flying Tigers", their victories, their planes and their markings.
Yak fighters discussed in this thread didn't have shark mouth painted on their engine cowlings - it was a crocodile jaw !!!

First Soviet plane with a crockodile jaw drawing was the ANT-9 KROKODIL



This ANT-9 represented a satirical magazine "Krokodil", published since 1922



Several VVS planes during the GPW had a crocodile mouth painted on their noses.  Those crocodile-mouthed planes belonged to various units, were either bombers/recce planes (i.e. Pe-2) or fighters (Yak fighters):

[learstang]

Crocodile jaws - I like that! Nice pictures, Konstantin!

Regards,

Jason

[Massimo Tessitori]

Hi,

Yak fighters discussed in this thread didn't have shark mouth painted on their engine cowlings - it was a crocodile jaw !!!

In general it can be, but this one has a gill behind its eye.
http://airaces.narod.ru/all10/mazan4.jpg
I think that only sometimes they had a clear idea of the animal to represent.

Regards
Massimo

[KL]

Yak fighters discussed in this thread didn't have shark mouth painted on their engine cowlings - it was a crocodile jaw !!!

In general it can be, but this one has a gill behind its eye.



I think that only sometimes they had a clear idea of the animal to represent.

Regardless of the gills or what you think, other pilots in Mazan's regiment saw this drawing as a crocodile mouth. Following is a description of an aerial combat from memoirs written by Dmitriy Panov.  In 1944 Panov was a  85 giap combat pilot and regiment's political commissar:

И вдруг на высоте примерно 100 метров мы увидели начало дуэли: наш "Як" повис на хвосте "Мессершмитта", и, мотаясь за ним в глубоком вираже, явно не собирался от него отставать. Судя по огромному крокодилу, нарисованному на борту нашего самолёта - животное широко раскрывало пасть с белыми зубами, имело жёлтые глаза, и растопыренные лапы с белыми когтями, это был самолёт Миши Мазана....

Google translation:
And suddenly, at an altitude of about 100 meters, we saw the beginning of the duel: our "Yak" hung on the tail of a "Messerschmitt", and chased him in a tight turn; it was clear he was not going to leave him. Judging by the huge crocodile drawn on board of our aircraft - the animal's mouth opens wide with white teeth, had yellow eyes and splayed legs with white claws, it was the plane of Misha Mazan.


From interview with another 85 giap pilot, I.S. Prozor at http://iremember.ru/memoirs/letchiki-istrebiteli/prozor-ivan-semenovich/

В воспоминаниях некоторых летчиков я прочитал, что в вашем полку самолеты у многих летчиков были разрисованы. Что, например, у Михаила Мазана на его самолете была нарисована пасть крокодила.

Да, у нас в полку у всех опытных летчиков самолеты были разрисованы. Кто бы что ни выдумал, все разрешали. Но как только война кончилась, на второй же день приказали все закрасить.

Google translate:
In the memoirs of some pilots I read that in your regiment aircraft of many pilots were decorated. That, for example, Mihail Mazan on his plane had a mouth of a crocodile.

Yes, in our regiment planes of all experienced pilots were decorated. Everything was allowed. But once the war was over, two days later it was ordered to over-paint everything.


So, it was a crocodile...



Hope this helps, 
KL