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The Soviet State Industries began producing the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 for the Red Army Air Force in 1941. Designed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich it had a maximum speed of 407 mph (655 km) and had a range of 510 miles (820 km). It was 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m) long with a wingspan of 33 ft 9 in (8.15 m). The aircraft was armed with three machine-guns and carried 440 lb (200 kg) of bombs. Along with the Lavochkin LaGG-3 it helped the Soviet Union gain air supremacy on the Eastern Front during the Second World War.

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(1) Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz (1947)

Last spring the Germans had constructed huge tents in an open space in the Lager. For the whole of the good season each of them had catered for over 1,000 men: now the tents had been taken down, and an excess 2,000 guests crowded our huts. We old prisoners knew that the Germans did not like these irregularities and that something would soon happen to reduce our number.