Three digits codes in the Transcaucasian Military District.

Updated on April 2, 2023

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The Transcaucasian Military District, incuding Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, had two fighter units that received MiG-3s even before the war outbreak, 25 IAP and 50 IAP. These planes preserved the prewar livery with green uppersurfaces and light blue undersurfaces, and the prewar positioning of national markings, up to 1942 and perhaps later.

Starting with August 1941, they generalized a three-digit coding on the fuselage that replaced the previous prewar system that utilized colored numbers on the rudder. In most cases, the first number of the digit was the same of the regiment, while the following were of the plane inside the regiment.

25 IAP

 

Planes of 25IAP usually had a tactical number starting with 2; the second digit seems to be the number of the squadron; the third number was individual, sometimes coincideng with the last digit of the serial number.

On 25 May 1942, 25 IAP received the MiG-3s of 50 IAP, whose number started by 5.

Remains of plane 220 of the 2nd squadron of 25 IAP aside plane 564 on the airport of Kerch, in Crimea, captured by Germans in May 1942.

Plane 220 was an early type MiG-3 with the typical prewar livery; three digit numbers were probably painted on in August 1941.

The plane seems to show a red cap with white underline on the tip of its fin. It is unclear if it had a radio mast when still operational.

Image from MiG piston-engined fighters of Gordon and Dexter

 

Below: reconstruction of plane 220

MiG-3 s/n 3165 with tactical number 225 flown by Lieutenant B.K. Lobenko of the 2nd squadron of 25 IAP. It suffered an accident at the Kobuleti airfield on April 10, 1942.

 

Below: reconstruction of plane 225

 

 

MiG-3 s/n 3129 tactical number 233 flown by Lt. A.G. Novikov of the 3rd squadron of 25 IAP. The plane was destroyed in an accident on 18 November 1941at the Meriya airfield.

 

Interesting photo of a plane of 25 IAP on the captured airport of Kerch in May 1942. The number is partially hidden, it could be 214, 224 or 234.

The plane has strange light areas on the rear fuselage and tail, they could be due to stripping down the skin by souvenir hunters. A red band with white underline is still visible on the fin.

This plane seems numbered 234.

 

The plane s/n 3249 flown by junior lieutenant Pavel Pospelov, shot down in an air battle on June 28, 1942. The number is not fully readable, it could have been 239 (2= 25 IAP, 3= 3rd squadron, 9= last digit of the serial).

As usual, it has a red cap with white underline. it is unclear if it was equipped with radio mast.

Left:

MiG-3 s/n 3196 with tactical number 306 flown by Jr. Lieutenant P.F. Dolsky of the 3rd squadron of the 25th IAP. It was lost in am accident during takeoff from Adjikabul airfield on on 4 November 1941.

The number 306 is a bit strange because usually the planes of this unit had a number starting for 2. Besides its color is hard to tell, it appears much darker than the light blue of the uppersurfaces but lighter than AII green or red.

Image from M-Hobby 3/2019, article of M.Timin.

 

Below: profile of plane 306 of 25 IAP. The color of the number was drawn in accordance to the profile of M-Hobby.

 

50 IAP

 

Planes of 50 IAP had a tactical number starting with 5; the second digit seems to be the double of the squadron number; the third number was individual, sometimes coincident with the last digit of the serial number. Some, if not all, seems to have had a red cap with thin white underline.

50 IAP left its MiG-3s to 25 IAP on 25 May 1942.

Above:

MiG-3s with tactical numbers 561 and 564 of the 3rd squadron of the 50 IAP, captured by Germans in the airfield of Kerch in May 1942. The photo shows that the number 561 was not white nor red, it could hypothetically have been silver.

Image from M-Hobby 3/2019, article of M.Timin.

 

 

Below: profile of plane 562

 

Above: MiG-3 s/n 3252 n. 562 of pilot Lieutenant A.P. Puchkov, deputy commander of the 3rd squadron of the 50th IAP. The plane was lost in an accident on 17 November 1941 at the Nasosnaya airfield. Image from M-Hobby 3/2019, article of M.Timin. The number on the photo seems not white, maybe it could have been light blue, yellow or silver. The photo doesn't show the fin, so we don't know if the plane had a red-white cap as n.564, that looks possible.

Image from M-Hobby 3/2019, article of M.Timin.

 

 

Below: profile of plane 564 of 50 IAP.

Plane 564 of 50 IAP of the 3rd squadron of the 50 IAP, captured by Germans in the airfield of Kerch in May 1942, appears on at least three photos, one of which aside to plane 220 of 25 IAP.

The number on the fuselage is of uncertain color, it could seem white or silver. There is a red-white cap on its tail. The light areas are likely due to damage to the skinning, not to an improvised camouflage. One of the photos show the radio mast installed.

Images from MiG piston-engined fighters of Gordon and Dexter and from Image from M-Hobby 3/2019, article of M.Timin.