Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 in East Germany and re-unified Germany

Just like every other Warsaw Pact country, East Germany employed the MiG-19 in small scale. In fact, only one unit of the Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee (Air Component of the National People's Army - LSK) operated the type.
A contract was signed on 5th September 1958 between East German and Soviet governments to delivery 12 Soviet MiG-19S for a valour of 17.25 million Ostmark. From March to September 1959, East German technicians underwent conversion training at Savasleyka Air Base, in the USSR, with the first 12 pilots taking training courses on the type from June to September.
The 1. Staffel (Squadron) of the Fliegergeschwader 3 (Air Wing 3) was the first unit to be equipped with the fighter in August 1959. However, for various kinds of reasons, the MiG-19s weren't operational until 1961. They relegated the outdated MiG-15bis, which were assigned to training units and had to serve alongside the MiG-17F in the FG.3.
The unit was renamed as Jagdfliegergeschwader 3 (JG.3) in January 1961 and eventually received the nickname of "Wladimir Komarov". The first squadron of this unit was equipped with MiG-19Ss until 1st September 1963 when it was re-equipped with the much capable MiG-21F-13.
Some of the East-German MiG-19 were unusual as they had a small strake aerial for the ARK-3A ADF at the junction and fin fillet like SM-12/2 and 12/3 prototypes.
Every MiG-19S serving with the LSK had a secondary strike role and therefore they were equipped with pylons on the wing leading edge for equipping ORO-57K FFAR pods. These changes were made at the Flugzeugwerft Dresden, later known as Elbe Flugzeugwerke.
At the same time, the 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) received a batch of 12 second-hand MiG-19PM interceptors in October 1959. After completing their training, the German MiG-19PM pilots took part in a gunnery exercise at a training ground in Krasnovodsk, in Turkmen SSR. These PMs remained in service until 1968 when they were replaced by MiG-21SPS.
Given that the MiG-19 was the first supersonic fighter of the LSK, it was surrounded by strict security measures with the storage areas well restricted for every person not associated with the fighter.
On 1st September 1963 every surviving MiG-19 was transferred to a single unknown squadron which kept on operating a mixture of MiG-19S and MiG-19PM until 1968 when they were replaced by MiG-21SPS. The last flight of a MiG-19 with the LSK took place on 25th October 1968 at the hands of Hpt. Harald Galfe. Every MiG-19 was put into storage.
A second unit, FG.8 at Marxwalde Air Base, in Brandenburg, was to be equipped with the type, but they never received it and transitioned straight from the MiG-17F to the MiG-21F-13 as the much better MiG-21 became available earlier than expected and the MiG-19 wasn't very popular among LSK personnel.
It wasn't popular because it was hard to maintain, it suffered from low reliability (partly because of the shortage of spare parts) and it had a high attrition rate. All those factors gave the type the nickname of the "Widow Maker" among the German pilots, specially when half of them, 6, were lost in crashes.
After German reunification, the Luftwaffe received the storaged MiG-19s and some of them were repainted and sent to museums while others were put as gate guards.

Sources:
1. Midland Publishing - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19#Operational_history
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbe_Flugzeugwerke

WSK-Mielec Lim-5, other variants

The Lim-5 was built in various variants. There was the Lim-5R which was a reconnaissance variant of the regular Lim-5, fitted with an AFA-39 camera placed under the cockpit. Only 36 exemplars were converted from regular Lim-5 in 1960 and them all served with the Polish Air Force.
The Lim-5M was an attack variant sourcing from an study made in the late 1950s looking for a light attack aircraft based on the Lim-5. As both the MiG-17 and the Lim-5 could only carry 250 kg of bombs underwings, which replaced their external fuel tanks. After the prototype, designated as 'CM' flew for the first time on 2nd June 1959, some months later, in 1960, the Poles began the production of an attack aircraft, the Lim-5M. It introduced many modifications to the fighter, most of which stressed on allowing the modified plane to be based on ground airfields. It had double undercarriage wheels, a braking parachute and sockets for RATO (Rocket Assisted Take Off). The wing sections close to the fuselage were noticeably thicker, as they contained additional fuel tanks. Instead of the two bombs, it could carry two launchers for eight 57 mm S-5 air-to-ground rockets. Sixty of them were built from 1960 until May 1961 and, in November 1961 they started to serve with the Polish Air Force, where they weren't successful as thicker wings decreased performance and made flying tricky, while increased drag meant that increased range wasn't achieved.
The Lim-5P was a Polish licensed version of the MiG-17PF. It was equipped with the Izumrud 5 (RP-5) radar and 130 of them were manufactured by WSK at Mielec from 1959 to 1960. As it was a copy of the MiG-17 it was powered by the Klimov VK-1F (named in Poland as Lis-5F) and although not many of them were built, some of them were exported. They were exported to Bulgaria, Indonesia (which we couldn't find reliable pics of them, so the drawings are speculative) and East Germany. They also served with the Polish Air Force were they were kept active until the 1980s when they were written off. At least one of them was experimentally fitted with ventral cameras under the cockpit at starboard, similar to the Lim-5R.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-Mielec_Lim-6
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klimov_VK-1
3. https://www.valka.cz/WSK-Mielec-Lim-5-t196637
4. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/44624
5. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/80676
6. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/80677
7. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

WSK-Mielec Lim-5

In 1955, Poland bought a license for manufacturing the Soviet MiG-17F, which was the backbone of the Warsaw Pact's fighter force. The licensed aircraft was given the denomination of "Licencyjny mysliwiec" which translates to "Licensed fighter". The first Lim-5 rolled out of the factories on 28th November 1956, replacing this way the production of the WSK-Mielec Lim-2 (a licensed production of the MiG-15bis).
The Lim-5 was virtually identical to the regular MiG-17F. It was powered by a Polish copy of the Klimov VK-1F engine with 5046 lbf of maximum thrust and 7423 lbf with afterburner. It was armed with one 37 mm N-37 cannon and two 23 mm NR-23 cannons placed under the nose. It also had provisions for underwing bombs.
Production ranged from 1956 until 1960 and, when production ceased, with 448 Lim-5 manufactured, it had become Poland's basic fighter. In fact it was the backbone of Polish Air Force's fighter force during the 1950s and the 1960s until it was replaced by more modern types such as the MiG-21 in the 1970s.
The type was exported also to various countries:

• East Germany: One-hundred and twenty Lim-5 were sold to the East German Air Force during the late 1950s. Apparently some of them had the mast at the opposite side. Just like the MiG-17F some of them were either converted to light bombers or sold to African countries. Anyway, they were replaced during the 1970s by more modern types and put into storage. When Germany was reunified, as the type was considered old and outdated for the modern Luftwaffe, they were sold to Guinea-Bissau.
• Egypt: Many of the Egyptian MiG-17F that fought in the Six-days war were Polish-built Lim-5. It's known that the Polish government sold an undefined number of Lim-5 fighters to the Egyptian Air Force. As we couldn't find a pic of a genuine Lim-5 under Egyptian command, the colours and the registration should be considered as speculative.
• Guinea-Bissau: The Guinea-Bissau Air Force bought some second-hand Lim-5 from Germany after the German reunification, as they were outdated for the modern Luftwaffe's standards. Nowadays they are put into storage. 
• Indonesia: The Indonesian Air Force had 20 Lim-5 in active service during the 1960s. Not much more is known, but most probably they were written off during the 1970s.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL-Mielec_Lim-6

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea-Bissau_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Air_Force

6. https://www.valka.cz/WSK-Mielec-Lim-5-t196637

7. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF, part three, European Users 2

With almost 700 machines manufactured, the MiG-17PF was exported to most (if not every) countries inside the Warsaw Pact. In many of these it was the first radar-equipped jet fighter. According to our sources, 698 machines were manufactured between 1954 and 1956 alone at Aerial Factories number 21 and 31 located at Gorky and Tblisi respectively. Among the various users the MiG-17PF served with, apart from those we posted in the first part (or part two, depending on your way of counting) are the following ones:

• Bulgaria: In 1955 the Bulgarian People's Air Force received a batch of MiG-17F and PFs. They served for a long time alongside the more advanced MiG-19, until the late 1970s when they were replaced by the MiG-21 and MiG-23. In fact, by 1989 there wasn't any MiG-17 of any kind in active role with the Bulgarian Air Force.
• Czechoslovakia: The Czechoslovak Air Force bought some few MiG-17PF from the USSR and got them into service. They also obtained a license to manufacture it locally under the designation of Aero S-104. We didn't find exact numbers of the production of the S-104, but they were manufactured at Aero Vodochody, in Prague, from 1956 until at least 1962 (if not later). They served until the very late 1970s when they were replaced by more modern types.
• East Germany: In 1956, with the creation of the Air Forces of the National People's Army, the MiG-17PF was supplied to the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee). It was, together with the regular MiG-17F the main bulk of the NVA fighter force. The PFs served alongside more advanced types like the MiG-19 until being replaced by more advanced types in the fighter role, namely the MiG-21 or the MiG-23.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

5. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-17PF-kod-NATO-Fresco-D-t44624

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F, part six, various European users

The MiG-17F was the main fighter of many Warsaw Pact Users, among them, the following ones:

• Bulgaria: During the mid-to-late 1950s, the People's Republic of Bulgaria was supplied with batches of the newest Soviet jet fighters. The MiG-17F was active in the Bulgarian People's Army Air Force through the 1960s until the 1970s when it was withdrawn following a modernization period of the Bulgarian Air Force.
• Czechoslovakia: Some few MiG-17F served with the Czechoslovak Air Force before being locally produced as the Aero S-104. One of them was the personal aircraft of Gen. Jozef Kúkel who was the commander in chief of the 10th Air Army. Further details are unknown.
• East Germany: In 1956 the Soviet Union provided the newly established East German Air Force with many jet fighters and bombers, among them the MiG-17F. It served as their main interceptor/fighter until 1962 when the MiG-21 was introduced. After that, some of them were modified with added pylons to attach either bombs or rocket launchers. These modified machines were commonly known as the East German fighter-bomber and, while some of them were kept in active until the late 1980s, most of them were sold to African countries like Mozambique.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, part two, European users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft made mainly in the USSR from 1952 and operated by many world's air forces in many variants. It was an advanced development of the previous MiG-15 which showed excellent results during the Korean War. It was also built under license in China, as Shenyang J-5 and in Poland as WSK-Mielec Lim-6.
It was employed in combat for the first time during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and later proved to be effective against the more advanced supersonic fighters of the United States during the Vietnam War. Prior to the official NATO designation, it was known by the United States Air Force as Type 38.
The first variant, called just "MiG-17" (NATO code "Fresco-A") was the basic fighter version powered by the Klimov VK-1 engine which delivered a power of 26.48kN (5952lb) of thrust, with some versions retrofitted later with the improved Klimov VK-1A which yielded 26.87kN (6041lb) of power.
It was armed with a single 37mm N-37D cannon, two 23mm NR-23 cannons and could carry up to 250kg of bombs or external fuel depots, which was the most usual underwing addition.
The basic variant, was used, among others, by the next European users:

• Albania: Just before the Soviet-Albanian Split of 1955, the Albanian People's Army Air Force received some MiG-17s. Their operational use and/or fate is unknown and, as we couldn't find graphical evidence, the drawing should be taken as speculative.
• East Germany: The first fighters of the Air Forces of the National People's Army, founded in 1956, were MiG-17s and MiG-17Fs which served together until mid-1960s when they were replaced by the more advanced MiG-19 and MiG-21.
• USSR: The main user of the MiG-17. More than 5467 exemplar built in many Soviet factories from 1952 until 1955. They were the main Soviet fighter until 1955 when they were gradually replaced by the more advanced variant MiG-17F. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Air_Force

4. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/49437/

Aero L-29, part three, Czech and East German users

The Aero L-29 was a jet-powered aircraft which featured a straightforward and simple design and construction. It used a mid wing with a T-tail arrangement. Wings were unswept and air intakes were placed at the wing roots. Undercarriage was reinforced and able of withstand considerable amount of stress. It was relatively unpowered but even yet, it showed many favourable characteristics in its flight performance, like handling ease. The primary flying controls were manually operated and both flaps and airbrakes were actuated using hydraulic systems.
Most of the aircraft were powered by the Czech-designed Motorlet M-701 engine which delivered 1960lb of thrust (8,7kN). Between 1961 and 1968 approximately 9250 engines were completed and no less than 5000 of them were destinated to the L-29. The student and the instructor were placed in a tandem layout underneath separate canopies with the instructor's position placed in a slightly position to better oversee the student. Both posts were provided with ejection seats which were interlinked to fire in a synchronised manner to avoid any possibility of mid-air collision between the two ejector seats.
During the mid 1990s many were sold to private owners to use them in the private civil sector with many technical changes like the removal of military related equipment such as gunsights, the replacement of avionics with western-made ones and so on.
As we said previously, the Aero L-29 was the main trainer of the Czechoslovak Air Force since the 1960s and it was kept in active use, together with the Aero L-39, until the mid-1990s when it was withdrawn from service and many of them were sold to private owners to use them in aerial shows. The type also served with the East-German Luftwaffe from the mid-1960s until the late 1980s when it was withdrawn from service.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Air_Force

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis, various European users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis, which basically was an improved variant of the MiG-15, was introduced in 1950 and soon equipped the fighter force of many eastern bloc/Warsaw pact countries. Among those countries, there are the following:

• Bulgaria: After the end of the Korean war, where the MiG-15bis showed its capabilities, in 1955 the old propeller-driven Soviet-build fighters were replaced by MiG-15 and MiG-15bis entering the Bulgarian Air Force in the jet age, even if they had been already operating a very small number of Yakovlev Yak-17 fighters. They were gradually replaced by the MiG-17 during the next years.
• German Democratic Republic: When the Air Forces of the National People's Army was formed in 1956, they were initially equipped with the MiG-15bis which were replaced soon after with the introduction of the MiG-17F/PF and the MiG-15bis was soon relegated to advanced trainer duties.
• Hungarian People's Republic: Like other neighbouring countries of the eastern bloc or Warsaw Pact, until mid-1950s their Air Forces were equipped with World War II Soviet propeller aircrafts even if they received a small amount of Yakovlev Yak-23 as interim fighters. As that material had to be modernized, they received both MiG-15 and MiG-15bis which replaced every previous fighter type and were replaced by the more advanced MiG-17
• Socialist Republic of Romania: The Air Force of the Socialist Republic of Romania received their first jet aircrafts in 1951. They were an amount of Yakovlev Yak-17UTI trainers which were used to train pilots into the usage of jet aircraft. Soon after, in 1954, the Romanian Air Force received both the MiG-15 and MiG-15bis which replaced the old propeller-driven outdated fighters, which, in Romania, some of them were still Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_Air_Force