MiG-3s in the Baltic (June 1941)

Updated on April 29, 2022

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Baltic Special Military District (PribOVO, later Northwest front);

The unit of the Air Force of the Red Army (VVS-KA) in the Baltic Area were included in a command structure called Baltic Special Military District (PribOVO); later this structure was renamed Northern Front.

Here are the units known to be equipped with MiGs at the date of 22 June 1941:

 

7 SAD (Mixed Air Division) with this regiment equipped with MiGs:

10 IAP Shaulai AB, 23 MiG-3 and 36 I-16

 

8 SAD (Mixed Air Division) with these regiments equipped with MiGs :

15IAP, Kaunas, 62 MiG-3 and 62 I-16, I-15bis

31 IAP, Kaunas and Alytus AB, 54 MiG-1 and MiG-3, 32 I-16 and I-15bis, 1 SB

 

Very few photos of prewar operative MiG-3s are of Soviet origin. The main photographic documentation on typical prewar MiG-3s is due to the photos of wrecks and of captured planes taken by German occupants on Soviet captured airports, particularly in Lithuania. 15 IAP and 31 IAP (Fighter air Regiment), both part of the 8 SAD (Mixed air division), were stationed on the airports of Kaunas, Kaunas 2-Karmelava, Alytus, Prienai-Pociunai and Vincai, at only 50 km from the Eastrn Prussia border.

Besides, 7 SAD was stationed in the same area and included the 10 IAP, equipped with 23 MiG-3 and 36 I-16, that was based on the airport of Shaulai.

15 IAP and 31 IAP are particularly well covered by the photos made by German invaders to the numberous MiG-3s left on the airport of Kaunas. Just, it is difficult to distinguish the planes of these units photographed on the same places, that seem numbered in the same way and often, if not always, with the same fonts. The complication is increased by the fact that 8 MiG-3s of 15 IAP were left to 31 IAP. Captions of photos are not always reliable, too.

They were attacked by German bombers and fighters at the dawn of 22 June 1941, destroying and damaging a large number of planes. Alytus was captured by German ground troops on 22-23 June, and Kaunas on 24-25. At Kaunas, the invaders found 86 planes, including many MiG-1 and MiG-3; some of them were completely destroyed, other ones were only marginally damaged, or were already on repair at the time of the attack, so Soviets hadn't the possibility to fly them when they evacuated the airport.

At the outbreak of the war, the typical prewar numbering systems were still in use.

The most typical of these consisted in numbers from 1 to 15 on the rudder, applied on the rudder without relation with the serials (that were written in factory on the rudder and fin, but are too small to be seen on the most part of the photos). The system is well described in the article of M.Timin on M-Hobby 12/2018.

After 1938, the air force switched to the regimental system;

 

Right: the numbering of MiG-3s of 15 IAP, that was stationed in the Kaunas air base, Lithuania, in early summer 1941. The drawing aside is from M-Hobby 12/2018.

The fighter regiments consisted of 4 squadrons of 15 aircraft each. Each squadron had colored numbers from 1 to 15 of the following color:

  • 1 squadron: red with white outline;
  • 2 squadron: blue with white outline;
  • 3 squadron: yellow;
  • 4 squadron: white.

31 IAP had similar numbering system with the same colors, but the fonts were slightly different.

 

GALLERY OF PROFILES

 

 

White 2 of 15 IAP

 

 

Plane white 2 of 15 IAP was a typical prewar production one. The image shows the wiring for the radio aerials, so we know that the plane had a radio mast even if it is hiddel by the German soldiers on the photo.

 

Red 4 of 15 IAP

 

Damaged MiG-3 'Red 4' of 15 IAP; probably it was on repair already before the German attack, and the bending of the lower prop blades was due to the Germans that pulled it aside to make space for their planes on the occupied airfield.

Image from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

 

 

 

White 5 of 15 IAP

 

 

 

 

 

Above left:

MiG-3 White 5 of 15 IAP s/n 2373 suffered an accident at Kaunas airfield on 06/06/1941, before the German attack. Note the bent wheel, probably due to a break of the scissors while landing; the other leg collapsed, and this looks the likely cause of the accident.

Below left:

the same plane was abandoned still unrepaired; the wreck was still at the Kaunas airfield after the arrival of Germans.

http://ava.org.ru/iap/15.htm

 

Blue 8 of 31 IAP

MiG-3 blue 8, presumably of 31 IAP on the Kaunas airport. The plane looks intact.

Surprisingly, it looks to have a sharp light area on the stabilizator and on the outline of the elevator that doesn't seem due to shadows; it looks an area painted with some distinctive color, probably light blue, the same of the undersurfaces.

The broken tail of the closer plane could be of 'White 11' of 31 IAP, and was due to a prewar accident.

Image from the web

http://ava.org.ru/iap/15.htm

 

Yellow 8 of 15 IAP

 

 

Plane Yellow 8 of 15 IAP was abandoned on the Kaunas airfield. The photo shows it with panels removed, broken windshield and bullet holes. The light spots near the bullet holes are yellow primer, visible through the tissue layer lacerations.

The internal details visible after the remotion of the side panels are noteworthy.

Some repainting, likely green, is visible on the tail.

Image Jean Koennig

 

 

 

 

Red 8 of 31 IAP

 

MiG-3 Red 8 of 31 IAP, Mitava airport, Latvia. The plane is a MiG-3, identifiable by the shape of the water cooler under the fuselage, but it could be mistaken for a very similar MiG-1 of which some photos are known.

 

Images from Barbarossa victims, of T.J. Kopanski, ed. Mushrooms and from the web.

 

Yellow 9 of 15 IAP

Plane Yellow 9 of 15 IAP.

Images: www.luftwaffe.be and from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion

 

 

White 11 of 31 IAP

Plane White 11 of 31 IAP, serial 2166, was flown by the commander of the 4th Squadron, Lieutenant G.I.Gagushin. It was damaged on a collision with another MiG-3 on 2 June, before the war outbreak, and left unrepaired on the Kaunas airfield.

Note the unusually high position of the red star on the fuselage.

Image from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

 

White 12 of 15 IAP

Plane White 12, presumably of 15 IAP, is the subject of this good color photo. The plane made a belly landing, as can be guessed from the bent prop blades..

Image Pixpast

 

Red 12 of 15 IAP

Red 12 of 15 IAP seems exposed in a show of captured Soviet material.

Image from propjet.ucoz.ru

 

Blue 13 of 15 IAP

 

Plane Blue 13 of 15 IAP was abandoned on the Potsunai airfield due to some damage.

Note the bent side panel, probably due to some peeping German soldier.

Image from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

 

Red 14 of 31 IAP

 

 

Plane Red 14 of 31 IAP was already on repair when the airport of Kaunas was captured; it was sustained by a support and lacking of the right wing and relative landing gear leg. Note that the font of the 4 is slightly different from 'Red 4' of 15 IAP shown above.

Below: the same plane lying on the ground.

http://ava.org.ru/iap/31.htm

 

Red 15 of 15 IAP

 

 

Plane Red 15 seems to show the typical fonts of 15 IAP (better visible on the enlarged detail), but it is hard to distinguish it from planes of 31 IAP.

Strangely, the ground looks snowy; perhaps the plane remained on its airport up to the following fall.

Image

 

 

1 of 42 IAP/10 IAP

 

 

 

 

Left:

this MiG-3 transferred from 42 IAP to 10 IAP on 22 June 1941 was abandoned on the Siaulai airfield. The plane had problems with the armament, and was not combat ready.

It was characterized by the crudely applied number 1, probably yellow or blue, and by a sort of dot of difficult interpretation above it, that probably distinguished the plane of a squadron commander. On the left side only, the painting was extended to the trim tab.

Note that the number was a bit larger on the right side.

Image from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

 

 

2 of 42 IAP/10 IAP

MiG-3 n.2 transferred from 42 IAP to 10 IAP on 22 June 1941 was abandoned on the Siaulai airfield.

Image from Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

 

Bibliography and links:

 

M-Hobby 12/2018 and 4/2019, articles of M.Timin

Barbarossa Victims, of T. J. Kopanski, ed. Mushroom

Luftwaffe Airfields 1935-45, The Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania By Henry L. deZeng IV

Aviacia i vremia 2-2011, article by Sergey Moroz

Air battles over the Baltic of M. Timin, ed. Helion.

Istrebitel MiG-3, of Medvedv, Khazanov, Maslov, ed. Rusavia

http://ava.org.ru/iap/494.htm

http://ava.org.ru/iap/15.htm

http://ava.org.ru/iap/31.htm

propjet.ucoz.ru

 

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.
If someone is interested in any use of them, please email me; higher resolution version is available for printing purposes.
If someone has questions, critiques or corrections, or some further images to show, please email to me.
Massimo Tessitori