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Updated on 13 May 2023
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photo from "MiG-3 Fighter" by A. Medved, D. Khazanov, M. Maslov. |
This photo represents the MiG-3 of leytenant S.D. Baikov of 34 IAP
of 6 IAK PVO of Moscow. |
Some photos, published years after the one above, show a concert made for the men of 34 IAP. On the photos, one of the planes appear to be the same of the photo of Baikov recognizable for the characteristic stripes on the nose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up9aNZlRti4&list=PLLQuhL-tkmeE3-yyuBHy94bWhqJ4MSBuN&index=20 |
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The stripes camouflage seems to arrive more or less to the cockpit; the wings were camouflaged in different way. The pitot probe isn't visible; this suggests that it was under the wing, typical the wing consoles equipped by slats on the leading edge. |
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Image of the same plane from the other side. The stripes are still recognizable on the nose, but the wings and the rear of the fuselage seem to show a camo with black bands over green; a wave mirror of blurred lines made with a lighter color, probably light brown, is overposed both to the green and the black. Some light oblique lines seem to run aside the black lines on the nose side. We can recognize red stars both on the fuselage and tail sides; no numbers are visible on the fuselage or fin, but it can't be excluded that there is some number on the rudder, on the areas not shown on this photo. It seems to see metal stripes running above and below the exhaust tubes on the left side; this would be strange because they would not be standard on early type MiG-3, and aren't visible on the right side. Perhaps the plane was repaired adapting parts from another plane.
Below: a reconstruction of the look of this plane. It is possible that there was an unknown number on the lower part of the rudder. |
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Apart for the 'zebra' plane, other MiG-3s appear, only partially, on the photos of the concert. The one on the other side is a wartime production MiG-3, recognizable for the different fairing on the exhaust pipes. Another one is vaguely visible on the right, hidden by the piano. On the background some Li-2s are recognizable. | |
The image of the pianist shows further planes behind it, both MiG-3s and Li-2s. No any MiG shows visible numbers on its fuselage, fin and top of the rudder. If there was any number, it could have been on the lower part of the rudder only. |
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Detail of another MiG-3 of late production, probably the hidden one of the photo above. | |
Another wartime produced MiG-3, probably one of those on the left side of the pianist. | |
Good image of a pilot, showing some details of the arrangement and the lock of the canopy. Surprisingly, another MiG with zebra stripes on the nose is visible on the background, but it couldn't have been the same of Baikov because the exhaust pipes feature the typical fairing of late MiG-3s. So, it seems that there were at least two zebras in 34 IAP. |
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Massimo Tessitori