Yak-1, M.D. Baranov, 183 iap, 269 iad

By Michal Sekula

Updated on April 10, 2020

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Mikhail Dmitrievich Baranov was born in October 21, 1921. He participated in the fights of the Great patriotic War since June 1941 within 183 iap at Stalingrad front on July 13, 1942. On August 6, 1942 Baranov shot down 3 planes plus fourth plane hit by taran and bailed out on parachute. A week later, in August 12, he was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union for 20 aerial victories and 6 planes destroyed on the ground.
Newspaper “Pravda” published an article about him on August accompanied with photos of Yak-1 with 24 victory stars. His original plane was destroyed in taran during his the most famous fight – with maximum 20 victory starlets, if any painted on it. So when journalists from newspaper Pravda came to 183rd iap to make photos for article, another at least two planes „on-hand“ (one with and another without little areal mast behind the cockpit) were decorated with victory stars and slogans just for the photo sessions purpose.
M.D. Baranov died in January 1943 during training flight after his return from hospital.


The plane is camouflaged in the green AMT-4 and black on the upper surfaces and light blue AMT-7 on the under surfaces according to the NKAP order from the summer 1941.
This profile in the full resolution should be published in the book Soviet Fighters of the Second World War by Jason Nicholas Moore.

Interesting info from the VIF at https://www.vif2ne.org/nvi/forum/0/archive/56/56173.htm:
"...veteran from the same regiment as Baranov told me how it was in their regiment - The correspondents came, the victory starlets were immediately painted and photos were immediately shot. Baranov did not fly in this plane either before or after!"
According to https://www.vif2ne.org/nvi/forum/0/archive/75/75178.htm:
"You can clearly see (on the photo fron the left) that the "decor" is staged - for the photo session. It is a pity that no other photos from 183 iap are known that could show the style/font of the fuselage numbers. And I also heard from the veteran form that regiment that the board number "1" is also staged, the original number was "17."

View from the left:
- 24 victory starlets,
- field of the starlets on the bottom does not reach to the edge on the fuselage,
- inscription goes to the oposite side over the top,
- tiny antena mast is not visible:


 

 


The plane looks strongly weathered while area between the cockpit and the tail seems to be freshly repainted to look nice at the photo in the newspaper. Even the big red star is freshly repainted on some its parts.


 

View from the right:
- inscription from to the oposite side is not visible not the top of the fuselage,
- only 23 victory starlets,
- field of the starlets is bigger and on the bottom it reaches reach the edge on the fuselage,
- tiny antena mast is clearly visible:


 

 

 

 


Disclaimer:

this work collects a lot of photos from many sources, not always identified and mentioned.
If someone has rights on the images reproduced on this site, please don't feel hurted, email to me and I shall provide to remove or to credit them.

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