Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

One of the nicest photographs I've found lately online was this shot of a shot down YAK-1 "No 16" with the cockade of the Normandie Niemen Group. Does anyone know anything more?

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

No Reply? Surely some of our French enthusiast can help me determine the pilot of this airplane.
It's an early YAK-1 from the first batch supplied to the N-N regiment, because of the early red star without any white outline and the French cockade under the cockpit. The spinner should be in blue/white/red. There are two pictures in "Normandie-Niemen" by C.J. Ehrengardt (Heimdal-1989), that show YAK-1s with similar markings.

One pilot, Yves Mahe, was taken POW on May 7,1943. From the condition of the A/c, it is quite possible that the pilot was made POW

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

actually it is a Yak-1b , which is a late production Yak-1
Regiment Normandie was equipped with Yak-1b then Yak-9D and Yak-9T and finally the Yak-3
Zavod 292 at Saratov put plain red stars in six positions on all the Yak-1's they made;any additional edging was applied at PARM's or in the field.
off the top of my head I do not know who flew the #16 machine.
when I find my references I might be able to answer the question.
any idea when this photo was taken?

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

Aspirant Yves Mahé flew #16.119 on his fateful sortie.
As French pilots used indifferently the first or the last part of their aircraft serial, this one may be Mahé's.
He landed wheels up on a road between Spas-Demensk and Kirov. The Yak hit a log across the road but the pilot was unhurt.

Chris Ehrengardt

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

Thank you gentlemen!. The picture was from Ed West 's LW E-Bay expired auctions.

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

I bought this photo a while back (for a small fortune). Thanks for the identification.

Re: Shot Down YAK-1 from the Normandie Niemen
 

Hello, The spinner of the Mahe's Yack dont have a "Blue-White-Red" spinner. It's crashed in a birch forest. And the wreck is fragmented.

Here are three additional information for the identification of Yves Mahé's Yak-1b.