Yak-9D, M.I. Grib, 6 giap VVS ChMF

By Michal Sekula

Updated on April 20 , 2020

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Mikhail Ivanovich was born in October 2, 1919. He fought in GPW from June 1941 in different regiments within Airforce of Black See Fleet. He served in 8 iap, latter renamed to 6 giap, until end of WWII. By August 1942 he achieved 10 aerial victories. And so in October 23, 1942 he was awarded by Gold Medal of Hero of the Soviet Union. Grip HSU, 22 victories. His total score during WWII was 10 individual and 12 group victories.
More about Yak-9 family in English at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-9 and in Russian (with line drawings etc.) at http://www.airfield.narod.ru/yak/yak-9/yak-9.html and https://coollib.com/b/261705/read.


Yak-9D, M.I. Grib, 6 giap, part of VVS ChMF (Air Force of the Black See Fleet):


 

 

 


The plane is camouflaged according to the NKAP 1943 order with blue grey AMT-11 and dark grey AMT-12 on the upper surfaces with light blue AMT-7 on the bottom surfaces.
Grib’s plane, same as other ones, is weathered and colors are bleached hard matt, while engine cover is darker and glossy - it is either repainted or dirty and greasy due to regular manipulation. Left wing looks at least partially repainted – colors are dark and borders of camouflage colors are more sharp and straight than on the rest of the plane.
Red Banner and Guard Unit emblems are painted on the nose. 6 starlets painted on the tail symbolize aerial victories.
The profile in the full resolution should be published in the book Soviet Fighters of the Second World War by Jason Nicholas Moore.
I also colorized the well-known photo some time ago:

 

Photo of the original:


Yak-9/-9D/-9B had 20mm motor cannon with internal cartridge shell accumulation and 12,7mm cowling machine gun with external shell ejection through the wing root.




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.

massimo.tessitori(nospam)@libero.it

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