IL2: STURMOVIK - MiG-3 series 24 - Key Art

At the beginning of the war, the MiG-3 interceptors were concentrated in the western military districts of the USSR. Together with older fighters like the I-16, they were hit hard by the Luftwaffe. Unfortunately, the pilots did not have time to master these difficult to handle machines before the war, so almost 75% of them were lost within a few days. But even under these critical conditions the MiG-3 showed what it was capable of in skillful hands - probably the first Soviet air kill of the war was claimed by Sokolov of the 129th IAP flying a MiG at 4 am on June 22. The later famous ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Pokryshkin also shot down his first Messerschmitt in a MiG-3 on June 26th. Despite the unsuccessful debut in front-line combat, MiG-3s performed well in air defense units - for example in the 12th GIAP (Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment), which operated from Vnukovo airfield and defended the skies over the capital during the Battle of Moscow.
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