MiG-1 in service in June 1941

last updated on February 16, 2023

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The aircraft type was officially named MiG-1 in December 1940; this name was already unofficially used in the factory to design the aircraft, that was still officially named I-200.
It is not clear if all the production planes were at this point equipped with the rearward-sliding canopy, or if some of them had still a hinged canopy as for the prototypes. Some sources claim that first 8 MiG-1 had a canopy as that of I-200 prototypes, but the hurrily built MiGs were usually updated by factory brigades, and it looks likely that the old style canopies were replaced before the war's outbreak.
By the end of 1940, all 100 MiG-1s were built, and the first 20 of them were delivered to the VVS within the year, with the rest delivered in early 1941.  The first operative units to receive the new aircraft were 31st IAP at Kaunas Air Base, in Lithuania, and 41th IAP at Belostok Air Base, in Soviet-occupied Poland.
It was necessary to conduct tests of series I-200 under operative conditions. During the period from December 1940 to February 1941, pilots and ground crew of 41th IAP conducted operative tests at the Kachinskeye Military School for Pilots. The supervision was by the test pilot Suprun.
Before these tests, the retraining of crew was taken in charge by NII VVS, that started with the pilots of 146th IAP.

Pre-war photos of series MiG-1 are exceedingly rare. Sadly, nearly all the few photos available of this type are of German origin, and represent wrecked or captured ones. Besides, photos of captured ones usually show airframes that had been vandalized by souvenir-hunting Germans.
 

The aircraft MiG-1differs from early type MiG-3 for:


The general finish is similar to the most of early MiG-3s:


from Barbarossa victims

This photo of an operational MiG-1 captured by Germans show the shorter radiator than the MiG-3 and the different undercarriage covers. The foldable flap to cover the wheel was usually removed on operational MiG-1, probably it gave aerodynamic problems when the landing gear was lowered on landing approach.

A piece of fabric has been removed from the rudder by some souvenir hunter; its shape suggests that it could have had a 7 painted on.
It seems to be a man sitting in the shadow, partially covering the main undercarriage.

 

Left:

These photos show many operational MiG-1s captured by Germans; they belonged to 31 IAP based at Kaunas air base. 
Another unit to receive MiG-1 was 41 IAP based on the former Polish airport of Bialystok.

Large numbers of MiGs were captured because most Soviet pilots were not fully comfortable or trusting of the new MiG’s tricky flight characteristics, and preferred to evacuate the airfields flying older types, such as I-153 and I-16.

One example bears the yellow (?) number 5 on the rudder, while another has a red 6 with white outline; many examples appear without any number; not all of them are positively identified as MiG-1 and could be MiG-3s.

Images from Barbarossa victims

 

below: two photos of Red 6 of 31 IAP (from Scalemodels.ru)

 

 

Below: profiles of MiG-1 yellow 5 and red 6.

 

 

MiG-1 Red 8, probably of 31 IAP on the Kaunas airfield.

 

MiG-1 white 7, probably of 31 IAP. On the first image the plane looks remarkably well preserved.

The second photo seems to show a 7 on the rudder, but it is not clear if it was the same plane.

 

 

Below: profile of White 7.

Left:

two MiG-1, probably of 31 IAP, abandoned on the captured airfield of Kaunas.

The planes appear not in flight conditions, and many parts as the propellers and the engine cowling are missing.

Plane 11 looks characterized by one digit with white outline and one without; it seems to have a red cap on the rudder onlu, and no radio.

Plane 10 seems to have a radio box visible under the rear part of the canopy.

 


 

Disclaimer

This work collects also a lot of photos and drawings from many sources, not always identified and mentioned.
If someone has some rights on the images here reproduced, please email to me and I shall provide to remove or to credit them.
While the historical photos are of public domain (except where otherwise stated), my color profiles and coloured photos are copyrighted.
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Massimo Tessitori