MiG-3 climb rate, what to expect?

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

I was just as confused by that bit, but I suppose there was some pun or inside joke from 55 IAP going on. If anyone's Russian is better than mine please help. You can find the original here: http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/pokryshkin2/01.htmlGoogle Translate does a horrible job translating the nuances (hence I am referring to my broken Russian instead) but you can get the general bits just as easily.

 

— Ну как, нравится машина?

Все промолчали, не решаясь дать оценку МИГу после столь короткого знакомства.

— Красивый, — осторожно заметил я. — И мотор, наверно, мощный. Но оружие, кажется, слабовато.

— Слабовато? — удивился майор. — Крупнокалиберные пулеметы БС, два "шкаса". Разве этого мало?

— Пушку бы надо установить на него, товарищ командир. "Юнкерса" не так-то просто сбить.

— Просто и рубаху не наденешь, — отпарировал Иванов. — Надо уметь. Если на МИГах пойдем на перехват, "юнкерсам" несдобровать. А может быть, на "ишачках" будем летать? — с улыбкой спросил он.

Мы все одобрительно заговорили о МИГах.

 

[Brano]

IIRC he referred to pokryshkins unusual outfit.Due to hot weather he was dressed/flew only in shirt.Don't ask me about pants

[Brano]

But more probably he referred to the saying/proverb that it is hard to let go well known things and learn new one

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Thanks for the clarification Brano, makes sense now. I presume you've read the book in Slovak, right? It makes me wonder why so many memoirs of Soviet pilots, generals, soldiers and politicians made it to English then and now but Pokryshkin's and Kozhedub's never did - same for Rechkalov, Yestgineev and other aces of the time who penned lots of works.

[Brano]

In Slovak and Czech language.I have both book editions Well,Soviet aces were/are not that much glorified then their German counterparts in the West.It's a pitty,cause Sasha's memoires are one of the best I've read.And I have Hartmann,Sakai,Rudel books,just what comes quickly on top of my head, plus many others.

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

It's a sad thing. That being said, I'm still very happy that Mariinsky, Kaberov, Emilianenko, Yegorova and other pilots have made their well-deserved way into the English language. I can only hope Sasha's works together with many other ones can make it so that the world can see the air war in the East in its true colours. By the way, by Sasha's book you mean Poznat' Sebya V Boyu or Nebo Voiny?

 

On a side-note, this website has some snippets and such translated to English from all kinds of combatants: http://iremember.ru/en/

[Brano]

Yes,both titles mentioned by you.They are slightly different editions but essentially the same.I think one of them is original and second kind of reedition.Interesting point is,that when his 55.IAP has been reequipped with yaks in 1942,he still kept for a short period of time one mig salvaged on one of the abandoned airfields.

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

I read about that story - I've seen people have likes and dislikes about aircraft, but nobody who hated anything like Pokryshkin hated the Yak. If I remember correctly he only stopped that habit after seeing a MiG-3 that was kept beyond the conversion flipped over with the dead pilot inside.

 

I wonder just how screwed up was that Yak-7 though. Many pilots talk about mechanics working some one or two days non-stop to get everything tightened up and ready to go - basically whatever the people forgot or did poorly at the factory. Then the pilot gave it a check-ride, landed, passed on which quirks did it still have and the mechanic was back to work until it was within the desired performance range.

 

Surely there will be the Pokryshkins of their time bringing MiG-3s to the fight against Bf-109Gs and all

[Brano]

And he was not very fond of comrad Yakovlev as well.He mentioned meeting him in 1944 when the tests of new Yak-3 and La-7 fighters were ongoing.He said something about cobra being still better then Yak and their relations remaind "tense". To add to the story,Yakovlev in his memoires never mentioned this meeting with Sasha during war.He did admit that they met only after war

Yakovlev was very unpopular amongst other constructors,because he was Stalins protege and thanks to this relationship also became chief of NKAP.He was more of an political opportunist then aircraft designer.It is a miracle that Lavochkin survived alongside.