US Naval Aviation Training Division

MIG-3

Aeroplane identification poster, published 1942

63 x 47 cm

A particularly unusual style of aeroplane identification poster, owing to the very arty images. Most such posters rely on very plain silhouettes, this series – and we have several in this series; view them here – have a much more arty approach to the task with shading and an interesting angle view.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-3 was a Soviet fighter and interceptor aircraft used during World War II. It was a development of the MIG-1 by the Experimental Design Department of Factory No. 1 to remedy problems found during the MIG-1’s development and operations.

On 22 June 1941, at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, some 981 MIG-3s were in service with the Soviet Air Forces, the Soviet Air Defence Forces, and Soviet Naval Aviation. The MIG-3 was difficult to fly in peacetime and much more so in combat. Originally designed as a high-altitude fighter-interceptor, combat over the Eastern Front was generally at lower altitudes, where it was inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 (a poster of which is available in our storefront) as well as most of its Soviet contemporaries. It was also pressed into service as a fighter-bomber during the autumn of 1941 but it was equally unsuited for this. The losses suffered in combat were very high, in percentage the highest among all the VVS fighters, with 1,432 shot down.

Condition: generally very good.

If you are interested, please email info@manningfineart.co.uk or call us on 07929 749056.