Captured Soviet Aircraft of the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kaunas Airfield, June 1941

August 10, 2025 - Reading time: 7 minutes

Abandoned Soviet I-15bis, I-153, I-16, UTI-4, and MiG-3 fighters of the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment, captured by German troops at Kaunas airfield in June 1941.

This rare wartime photograph shows a collection of Soviet fighter aircraft left behind at the Kaunas airfield in Lithuania on 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa. The aircraft belonged to the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 8th Mixed Aviation Division of the Red Army Air Force.

The planes visible include Polikarpov I-15bis and I-153 "Chaika" biplanes, the monoplane I-16, UTI-4 trainer aircraft, and the more modern MiG-3 interceptors. At the outbreak of the German invasion, many of these machines were in non-operational condition — some lacked propellers and engines, while others awaited transfer to different units.

The 4th Squadron of the regiment, based at Kaunas, was officially rated as "limited combat ready", with 10 trained crews and 48 aircraft in total, of which several were unserviceable. Although the regiment had 30 pilots, many had not yet mastered the new MiG-1/MiG-3 fighters and continued their training on the older UTI-4 trainers, even on the eve of the war.

Within hours of the invasion, the Kaunas airfield was overrun by advancing Wehrmacht troops, and these grounded aircraft fell into German hands without a fight. The image serves as a stark reminder of the unpreparedness of Soviet aviation in the Baltic region during the first days of the Eastern Front in World War II.

Short description for homepage (англ.):
Abandoned Soviet I-15bis, I-153, I-16, UTI-4, and MiG-3 fighters of the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment, captured by German troops at Kaunas airfield in June 1941.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: M. Timin, Air Battle for Stalin’s Baltic, Yauza, 2018
📍 Location: Kaunas, Lithuania, USSR
📅 Date of photo: June–July 1941
📷 Photographer: Unknown

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