Mikhail Grib wasborn on 2 October 1919 in the village of Pleskachovka (Ukraine).

From 1925, he lived in Odessa and joined the Navy in 1937.

He graduated from Yeyskoye Military Aviation School of Naval Pilots in 1940.

He served in the Air Force of the Black Sea during his career.

When Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, mladshiy leitenant Grib served in 9 IAP-ChF and with this unit he flew Polikarpov I-153s and Yak-1s.

On 8 August, mladshiy leitenant Aleksandr Bondarenko and mladshiy leitenant Grib claimed a shared He 111 over Berezanskiy estuary together with a third pilot.
Mladshiy leitenant Bondarenko claimed an additional He 111 over Khadzhibeyevskiy estuary during the day.

On 3 November, Aleksandr Bondarenko and Grib claimed a shared Ju 88 over Bakhchisaray.
Grib claimed an additional He 111 over Simferopol' during the day.

He was posted away from 9 IAP-ChF in December 1941 when he was posted to 7 IAP-ChF.
With this unit, he continued to fly Yak-1s.

In March 1942, he was posted away from 7 IAP-ChF to 8 IAP-ChF.
With this regiment he was to fly Yak-1s, Yak-9s and Yak-3s.

On 3 April 1942, the regiment became a guard’s unit and renamed to 6 GIAP-ChF.

On 22 April, Aleksandr Bondarenko and Grib claimed a shared Bf 109 over Mamashay.

Grib and Konstantin Alekseyev claimed a shared He 111 over Mamashayskaya valley on 21 May.

Two days later, on 23 May, Grib and Konstantin Alekseyev claimed a shared Bf 109 over Bel'bek.
Grib claimed a second Bf 109 as a shared together with Ivan Kalinin over Chorgun later the same day.

On 23 October 1942, starshiy leitenant Grib was decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union (no. 716) and the Order of Lenin.

During 1942, he was lightly wounded in air combat.

On 25 March 1943, 6 GIAP-ChF’s kapitan Mikhail Grib and his wingman, starshiy leitenant Nikolay Lazutin, were airborne when an incoming formation of 27 Ju 87s from I./StG 3 escorted by four Bf 109 Gs from II./JG 52 was reported. Six more Yak-Is were scrambled from Gelendzhik, but before these had reached combat altitude, Grib and Lazutin had intercepted the German fighter escort and shot down one Bf 109 each with Grib’s claim being reported over Cape Doob.
These claims correspond to II./JG 52s loss of two Bf 109s, with Feldwebel Werner Mielenz from 6./JG 52 (BF 109 G-4 WNr. 19242 yellow 9+, which suffered 45 % damage) wounded and eight-victory ace Leutnant Herbert Kirnbauer from 5./JG 52 (Bf 109 G-2 WNr. GF+EM) getting killed when he crashed into the sea. The attack was so violent that one of the German pilots, Feldwebel Viktor Petermann, afterward reported that they had been bounced by eleven Yak-Is.
Gribs and Lazutin efforts allowed the other naval Yak-1 pilots to attack the Stukas, claiming four of these shot down, one of these being claimed as a shared by starshiy leitenant Aleksandr Kostiuchkov together with another pilot. I./StG 3 recorded two of its radio operators wounded in fighter attacks at Gelendzhik but no lost aircraft. The Soviet fighter attack caused the Stuka fliers to miss their target, the transport ship Akhileon and the escort vessel SKA-065.

During 1943, he was heavily wounded in air combat.

On 23 January 1944, 6 GIAP-ChF was in combat in the Kerch area and made several claims. Grib claimed one Bf 109 over Dzhardzhava station, Mikhail Kologrivov claimed a second Bf 109 over Kerch, Aleksandr Rumyantsev claimed a third while Stefan Voitenko claimed a Ju 87 over Katerlez.

The Yak-9s from 6 GIAP-ChF was in combat with Bf 110s over Khersones lighthouse on 10 May 1944. Three were claimed by Grib, Boris Akulov and Stefan Voitenko.

Since combat ended in the Black Sea Area by 1945, major Grib was sent to the Higher Officer Courses of the Navy Air Force in February 1945.

Major Grib ended the war with 1 biplanevictory and a total of 10.
These had been claimed during 404 combat missions and 75 air combats.

After the end of the war he continued to serve in the Navy aviation.

In 1955 he graduated from the Naval Academy and was sent to the Urals (Perm) for further service, commanding the 87 IAD. After the transformation of the division, polkovnik Grib continued his service as the chief of aviation of the 20th Air Defense Corps.

From 1968 he was in the reserve and lived in Rostov-on-Don.

Grib died on 11 July 2003.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1941
1	06/08/41		1	He 111	Destroyed	I-153		Khadzhibeyevskiy estuary	9 IAP-ChF
	08/08/41		1/3	He 111	Shared destroyed	I-153		Berezanskiy estuary	9 IAP-ChF
2	02/11/41		1	He 111	Destroyed	Yak-1		Kacha	9 IAP-ChF
	03/11/41		1/2	Ju 88	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Bakhchisaray	9 IAP-ChF
3	03/11/41		1	He 111	Destroyed	Yak-1		Simferopol'	9 IAP-ChF
	08/11/41		1/2	Hs 126	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Mamashayskaya valley	9 IAP-ChF
	1942
4	12/02/42		1	Do 215	Destroyed	Yak-1		Blagoveshchenskoye	7 IAP-ChF
	16/04/42		1/2	Ju 88	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Sevastopol	6 GIAP-ChF
	22/04/42		1/2	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Mamashay	6 GIAP-ChF
	24/04/42		1/2	Ju 88	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Al'ma	6 GIAP-ChF
	19/05/42		1/2	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Bel'bek	6 GIAP-ChF
	20/05/42		1/2	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Sevastopol	6 GIAP-ChF
	21/05/42		1/2	He 111	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Mamashayskaya valley	6 GIAP-ChF
	22/05/42		1/2	Ju 88	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Kacha	6 GIAP-ChF
	23/05/42		1/2	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Bel'bek	6 GIAP-ChF
	23/05/42		1/2	Bf 109	Shared destroyed	Yak-1		Chorgun	6 GIAP-ChF
	1943
5	04/01/43		1	FW 189	Destroyed	Yak-1		Novorossiysk	6 GIAP-ChF
6	25/03/43		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	Yak-1		Cape Doob	6 GIAP-ChF
	1944
7	23/01/44		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	Yak-9		Dzhardzhava station	6 GIAP-ChF
8	10/02/44		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	Yak-9		Lake Cherlakskoye	6 GIAP-ChF
9	03/04/44		1	Bf 109	Destroyed	Yak-9		Cape Chauda	6 GIAP-ChF
10	10/05/44		1	Bf 110	Destroyed	Yak-9		Khersones lighthouse	6 GIAP-ChF

Biplane victories: 1 and 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 10 and 12 shared destroyed.
(a) Claimed in combat with II./JG 52, which lost 2 Bf 109 Gs (1 pilot WiA and 1 pilot KiA). 6 GIAP-ChF claimed 2 Bf 109s without losses.

Sources:
All aces of Stalin 1936-1953 – Mikhail Bykov, 2014
Black Cross/Red Star Volume 4 Stalingrad to Kuban - Christer Bergström, 2019 Vaktel Förlag, Eskistuna, ISBN 978-91-88441-21-8
Deutsche Luftwaffe Losses & Claims -series - Michael Balss
Soviet Aces 1936-1953
Soviet Fighter Pilots 1936-1953 - Mikhail Bykov