Wehrmacht infantrymen pose with a captured Soviet I-153 “Chaika” fighter during Operation Barbarossa, USSR, 1941.
This World War II photograph shows German infantrymen posing beside a captured Soviet Polikarpov I-153 "Chaika" fighter during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941. Like many similar photographs taken by German soldiers and military photographers, the image was intended to document the rapid advance of the Wehrmacht and the large quantities of Soviet equipment abandoned or captured during the first weeks of the invasion.
The I-153, nicknamed "Chaika" ("Seagull") because of its distinctive gull-shaped upper wing, represented the final stage in the evolution of Soviet biplane fighters. Introduced in 1939, it featured retractable landing gear, excellent maneuverability, and an armament of four machine guns. Although highly capable by late-1930s standards, it was already becoming obsolete against modern monoplane fighters such as the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E and Bf 109F.
Despite its age, the I-153 remained in widespread frontline service in June 1941. Many aircraft continued flying combat missions during the desperate battles of the opening months, often escorting bombers, attacking advancing German columns, or defending Soviet airfields. Others were destroyed on the ground, damaged during hurried withdrawals, or abandoned when repairs became impossible amid the rapidly changing front.
Photographs like this should therefore be viewed with historical context. While they undoubtedly illustrate genuine Soviet losses, they also formed part of German wartime propaganda, emphasizing battlefield trophies and the apparent collapse of Soviet resistance. In reality, many captured aircraft were already damaged, mechanically unserviceable, or left behind after emergency evacuations of frontline air bases.
Today, this image serves as a valuable historical record of both the difficult opening stage of the Eastern Front and the final combat service of one of the Soviet Union's last operational biplane fighters.
Technical photo data:
📍 Location: USSR (exact location unknown)
📅 Date: Summer 1941
📝 Event: Operation Barbarossa, captured Soviet Polikarpov I-153 fighter
📷 Author: Unknown German photographer
Recommended literature:
- Gordon, Yefim & Khazanov, Dmitriy — Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War.
- Maslov, Mikhail — Polikarpov I-153.
- Bergström, Christer — Barbarossa: The Air Battle, July–December 1941.