German Soldiers with Captured Soviet I-153 "Chaika” Fighter, 1941
September 23, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes
Wehrmacht infantrymen pose with a captured Soviet I-153 “Chaika” fighter during Operation Barbarossa, USSR, 1941.
This World War II photograph shows German infantrymen of the Wehrmacht posing next to a captured Soviet Polikarpov I-153 “Chaika” fighter aircraft during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa in 1941. The damaged biplane, abandoned by the Red Air Force, became a battlefield trophy eagerly displayed by German soldiers.
The I-153 “Chaika” Fighter
The Polikarpov I-153, nicknamed “Chaika” (“Seagull”) for its distinctive gull-shaped upper wings, was one of the last biplane fighters of the Soviet Air Force. Introduced in the late 1930s, it combined maneuverability with a retractable landing gear and four machine guns. However, by 1941 it was already outdated compared to faster and more heavily armed German aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
Operation Barbarossa and Air Losses
When Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Soviet Air Force suffered devastating losses. Thousands of planes were destroyed on the ground or abandoned in the chaos of retreat. The I-153, despite being obsolete, was still widely deployed and became one of the most frequently photographed Soviet aircraft captured by the Wehrmacht.
Symbol of a Changing War
This image illustrates the dramatic imbalance between the Luftwaffe and the Red Air Force in the summer of 1941. Yet within a few years, the situation would shift: Soviet aviation introduced modern fighters like the Yak-9 and La-5, eventually regaining air superiority. The captured “Chaika” in this photograph stands as a symbol of the desperate early months of the Eastern Front.
Technical photo data:
📍 Location: USSR
📅 Date: 1941
📝 Event: Operation Barbarossa, capture of Soviet I-153 fighter
📷 Author: Unknown German photographer
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