Yak-1

The pursuit of better performance continued until all the possibilities for improvement were literally squeezed out of the Yak-1's mixed design characterized by an all-wooden wing. In the process, alterations to the basic design gave birth to new, more advanced types - the Yak-9 in 1942 and Yak-3 in 1944. Still, given the high degree of manufacturing optimization achieved at Saratov factory, it was decided to keep the fighter that was rapidly becoming obsolete in production. Its latest version - the Yak-1b - contributed significantly to the wartime effort of the Soviet Union. These developments as well as some interesting facts from the Yak-1/1b history are covered in the current volume.