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05 - WWII - Eastern Front
Enemy At The Gate by Mark Postlethwaite
A dramatic new print of Yak-1s of the 11th Soviet Fighter Regiment attacking advancing German forces during the defence of Moscow in December 1941.
In the critical days of the Battle of Moscow in October 1941 the Wehrmacht was as close as 10km North West of the city, No. 11 Fighter Regiment was carrying out the task of strafing enemy ground troops. The Yak-1 fighter had no armour plating except for the seat back and a small bullet-proof windscreen. Its original armament was not adequate for strafing tasks, but it was soon armed with under-wing unguided rockets.
The strafing missions flown by the 11th Fighter Regiment were flown from the Central Airfield in the city itself and took about 18 minutes from take-off to landing. That winter, the snow on the airfields was not rolled flat so the wheels of the fighters were replaced with skis.
Lieutenant General Stepan Anastasovich Mikoyan was born in 1922. He is the son of Anastas Mikoyan who rose through Communist Party ranks to become a full member of the Politburo of the Soviet Communist Party. Anastas was a member of the Soviet Government from 1926 until 1964 when he became the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Mikoyan's flying career started in 1941 when, having graduated from the Kacha Military Aviation Fighter Pilot School, he joined the 11th Fighter Regiment in the Defence of Moscow and later Stalingrad. His first crash-landing was a lucky escape, especially as he had been attacked by Russian fighters.
After WW2 he studied at the Military Aviation Engineering Academy, from where he graduated in 1951 to become a test pilot at the Research Flight Test Institute of the Soviet Air Force. During this fascinating period he was test-flying the early jet fighters such as the MIG 15 and MIG 17. He was also analysing their combat effectiveness in comparison to the West?s Sabre and other new designs fighting in the Korean, and later Vietnam, wars. From 1959 he headed the Fighter Testing Division of the Institute and in 1965 he became the Institute?s second in command.
During his long flying career, Stepan flew 102 types of fighter, bomber and other military aircraft. He was a key figure in the rapid development of aircraft and equipment for the Soviet Air Force during the Cold War period. Many of the aircraft he flew were designed by his uncle, Artem Mikoyan, a person who influenced Stepan?s career in aviation from an early age.
He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union in 1975 and was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Prints are signed by General Stepan Anastasovich Mikoyan and the artist.
Edition size: 250 signed and numbered
Print size: 24"w x 16"h
