Mikhail Yakushin was born on 20 March 1910 in the Moscow suburbs.

Like many Soviet youths at that time, he decided to become a military flier. After graduating from the military pilot training school, he was assigned to the 70th Separate Detachment based in Baku (in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan). There he flew Polikarpov I-I6 fighters with M-22 and M-25 engines. As his colleagues remembered, Yakushin was by nature a restrained man accustomed to expressing his thoughts succinctly and clearly.

During the spring of 1937, Leytenant Yakushin volunteered for service in the Spanish Civil War and he left Baku together with the second group of Soviet volunteers, which was sent to Spain. The group consisted of Yakushin, Ivan Yeremenko, L. Rybkin, I. Trophimov, M. Petrov, S. Shelyganovand and I. Karpov.
They travelled through France with Dutch passports - they didn't speak either foreign language fluently! Not without adventures the Soviet fliers arrived at their destination in May 1937.
During his time in Spain he flew under the name 'Carlos Castejón'.

After arrival, an escuadrilla of I-16 fighters, designated 1a/Gr. 21, was organised under the command of Ivan Yeremenko. Initially this unit performed defensive duties over Cartagena and Alicante covering ship and transports from insurgent air raids. During a period of forced inaction in June 1937, half of the group was sent to Los Alcazares airfield, where it was re-equipped with I-I5 biplanes. The new escuadrilla was designated 1a/Gr. 26.
Yakushin served in this escuadrilla as a Leitenant.

The escuadrilla had already become operational two days after the Brunete campaign began and where aviation played considerable role. The insurgents increased their presence in the air battles by using German and Italian units armed with the newest aircraft. Nevertheless, Soviet fliers gained considerable success there, claiming numerous enemy aircraft shot down.

On 1 July, the escuadrilla was ordered to conduct reconnaissance flights over all of the enemy highway roads coming to Madrid from the west. In the morning, they started the planned flights; however, no results were gained at first.
As the day was tending to the evening, the command decided to conduct the last flight of the day by the whole escuadrilla.
Twelve aircraft took off along a road to Avila. Some 30-40 kilometres from the front line, over the region of Toledo, they met and engaged an equal number of CR.32s.
Yakushin described the combat:

“I cannot describe the battle in full as this is impossible. 24 aircraft fought over the small space in the sky. All around, grey biplanes with black crosses and green ones with Republican insignia. Burning aircraft and parachutes appeared, but whose? Gradually, ours became all more numerous and only our I-15s remained in the air by the end of this battle. One of them reformed the escuadrilla with signals; this was aircraft of Captain Yeremenko which came from the east,...”

The basic task of the escuadrilla task at this stage of the operations was cover of the capital, for which they were based at Campo Soto airfield.

On 6 July, during the battle of Brunete, Anatoly Serov ('Rodrigo Mateu') and Yakushin claimed a shared Fiat CR.32.

In the early morning on 7 July Kaptain Ivan Yeremenko was ordered to take his escuadrilla and fly towards Madrid to join with Lakeyev's escuadrilla in the air. Meanwhile the escuadrilla of Aleksandr Minayev was flying over the front line. The antiaircraft defence opened fire upon the Republican fighters over the Delicias railroad station. Fiat CR.32s appeared from the Princess Bridge side. Dogfights began over the Delicias railroad station, Andalusia Bridge, and Tobacco Manufacture. A group of Ju52/3ms and Do17s appeared from the western side and Minayev's escuadrilla flew to intercept the bombers but Fiats attacked the l-l5s and dispersed them.
Jose Redondo, the Spanish pilot of one of the I-15s, was wounded and L. Rybkin shielded him, but both were forced to fight nine Fiats. One Fiat collided with another and was set on fire. Rybkin and Redondo joined with M. Petrov and I. Karpov whom had flown to help. At that moment Yakushin, Yeremenko, and Anatoly Serov attacked the leading group of Fiats from above. One Fiat was shot down and the pilot bailed out. Pilots of I-15s and 1-16s had seen four Bf-109s in the area, but they did not attack the Republican fighter.
The I-15 of the Austrian Walter Korrows was attacked by a Fiat and was shot down. Yakushin attacked this Fiat and destroyed it in the air.
Serov claimed two CR.32 during this day.
It seems that the Fiat CR.32s involved in this combat were from XXIII^o Gruppo led by Maggiore Zotti; they claimed three l-l5s and three 1-16s for the loss of two Fiats - Gino Passeri (killed) and Alfonso Mattel (parachuted safely).

Yakushin claimed a CR.32 on 8 July.

The Republican squadrons were effective in defending the airspace above Madrid by day, but the enemy exploited the night to bomb the city. Faced with this situation Anatoly Serov and Yakushin, both experienced night pilots in their own country, having obtained authorisation from the high command, set about organising a night fighter group comprising of Viktor Kuznetsov (CO), Serov, Leonid Rybkin, Yakushin and Vladimir Sorokin.
It was no easy task, given that the airfields did not have the necessary infrastructure for night operations (beacons, searchlights, etc). They set up some car headlights and lit bonfires along the runway, which the ground personnel covered over at the first sign of enemy presence, and training began at Alcalá de Henares, whose airfield was the most suitable.

On the night of 18 July Yakushin intercepted a Ju 52/3m. The Junkers opened fire and slightly damaged the I-I5, which, however, landed successfully.

The experiment was put into practice on 25 July. Yakushin took off first to patrol at 3000 meters altitude, followed by Serov, at 2600 meters.
Yakushin sighted an enemy three-engined aircraft heading for Madrid. Closing in from astern he opened fire with his four machine guns almost at point blank range - about 40 meters - and exhausted his ammunition. The rounds hit home but the aircraft did not go down, and it altered course and sped off toward its own lines.
Back on the ground a disappointed Yakushin discussed the unsatisfactory result with Serov. They decided that if they were to set the Junkers alight they would have to concentrate their fire on the fuel tank, which was located at the union of the right wing with the fuselage.

The next night of 25-26 July, informed that enemy aircraft were bombing the Republican lines in the area around the Escorial, Serov and Yakushin headed for the front, flying over it by night for the first time. Aided by the glow from the fires, they found the patrol zone.
At 01:42 Yakushin spotted an enemy bomber. Turning through 180 degrees he closed in from astern, at the same height and to the enemy’s right. Closing in as near as he could he opened fire, and instantly flames appeared along the Junker’s fuselage. The enemy gunner tried to fight off the attack but Yakushin carried on firing, following the aircraft down until it hit the ground beside the El Escorial - Robledo de Chavela highway. This was Ju 52/3m “22+76” from 3.K/88 of Berndt. The enemy aircraft crashed near Valdemorillo and Colmenar. The crew of the German aircraft consisted of Leutnant Leo Falk, Feldwebel George Übelhack, Unteroffizier Fritz Berndt and Unteroffizier Walter Brötzmann, which all were killed. The navigator Unteroffizier Heinz Bottcher survived and was captured. The Germans erected a commemorative tablet there, in memory of their dead comrades.
This was the first Republican night victory during the Spanish Civil War.
Lately a historian and archaeologist found the commemorative tablet. It was very damaged, so he is restoring it at his home. Once finished, the tablet will be presented to the Spanish Air Museum; a copy of it will be erected at its original location.

For these night patrol flights, the Republican government awarded Yakushin and Anatoly Serov with golden watches and personal cars.

On 14 August Yakushin claimed a Ju 52/3m.

All Russian pilots flying the I-15 were to serve only six months of combat in Spain. It was recognised that many fliers did not endure aerial battles for long, mostly because of the psychological stress of combat, especially after the appearance of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Very frequently they fell seriously ill after having been exposed to nervous shock, haemorrhage of the brain, and physical exhaustion from over-work. Many of them couldn't endure the climate, they did not eat, only drinking table water because of the constant heat. Weariness was often reflected on eyes.

Yakushin return to Russian from his “official business trip” in October 1937 after having been awarded the Order of the Red Banner and went on to service in the Soviet Air Force.
His 180 flight hours in Spain included eight night sorties and 25 aerial engagements.

Back in the Soviet Union, an acrobatic unit with five I-16s was formed under the command of his friend Anatoly Serov, together with Yakushin and was called 'Red Five'.

It is possible that Yakhusin also served as a volunteer in the Sino-Japanese War in 1938. Until June 1938 the Soviet volunteers fought only on the main approaches, defending the large cities of Nankin, Nanchang and Wuhan. During this time a group of ten I-15bis led by Kapitan Yakushin is reported to have arrived in China.

Later in 1938 he was promoted to Chief of the Air Inspectorate of the Soviet Union.
A Sidorenko was appointed as flight commander to replace him in the acrobatic unit.

On 22 June 1941 Yakushin, being a member of the inspection group of the General Staff, arrived by air at one of the airfields of the 11th Mixed Aircraft Division in the region of Stariy Dvor. On hearing of the attack on the USSR by German troops, Yakushin ordered to the Regiment Commander to shift a half of his aircraft to a reserve air field in the region of Lidda. His school-mate from flight school, 9th Mixed Aircraft Division Commander Brigade-General Sergey Chernikh (also a participant of the war in Spain) had little time - almost all of his aircraft were annihilated on the ground (Hero of the Soviet Union S. Chernikh was executed on 27 July together with a group of other commanders blamed for the failures in the early period of the war).
Even then, when many of Soviet aircraft had already been burnt on the airfields, some commanders still did nothing because of the threat of severe penalties for any provocations against the Germans. Any display of personal initiative by a commander or voluntarily-made orders were forbidden under threat of tribunal These prohibitions also applied to Yakushin, who notwithstanding orders, risked his own life attempting to save aircraft.

In July 1941, Major Yakushin was appointed as a superior of one of the AF sectors of Moscow and later he became Deputy Commander of the 6 IAP.

Polkovnik Yakushin commanded the 215 IAD during the battle of Kursk in July 1943. At the time the 215 IAD consisted of 156 IAP (La-5), 263 IAP and 813 IAP.

He finished the war as commander of the 215 IAD. Included in this division was the 8 IAP under the command of another veteran from Spain, A. S. Osipenko. The 215 IAD operated over East Prussia during 1944.

Yakushin claimed 5 biplane victories in Spain.

After the war, he served in several command posts.

Mikhail Yakushin retired from Air Force with the rank of General Major.

He passed away in Moscow on 5 July 1999.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1937
1	01/07/37 (a)	evening	1	CR.32	Destroyed	I-15		Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
	06/07/37		½	CR.32	Shared destroyed	I-15		Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
2	07/07/37	a.m.	1	CR.32 (b)	Destroyed	I-15		Brunete	1a/Gr. 26
3	08/07/37		1	CR.32	Destroyed	I-15		Brunete	1a/Gr. 26
4	26/07/37	night	1	Ju52/3m (c)	Destroyed	I-15		Valdemorillo and Colmenar area	1a/Gr. 26
5	14/08/37		1	Ju52/3m	Destroyed	I-15			1a/Gr. 26

Biplane victories: 5 and 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 5 and 1 shared destroyed.
(a) Some sources states that the date was 30 June 1937.
(b) Probably claimed in combat with CR.32 from 23^o Gruppo, which claimed three l-l5s and three 1-16s for the loss of two Fiats - Gino Passeri (killed) and Alfonso Mattel (parachuted safely). The Soviet pilots claimed three Fiat CR.32s.
(c) Ju52/3m “22+76” from 3.K/88. Leutnant Leo Falk, Feldwebel George Übelhack, Unteroffizier Fritz Berndt, Unteroffizier and Walter Brötzmann were killed. Unteroffizier August Heyer was captured.

Sources:
Caballeros del aire de la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939)
Carlos Castejon - Soviet Volunteer in the Spanish Civil War - Igor Gordelianov and Mikhail Zhirokhov with editorial assistance by Richard Karbowski, 2002 Small Air Forces Observer no. 100 kindly provided by Mikhail Zhirokhov
Kursk – The Air Battle: July 1943 – Christer Bergström, 2007, Chevron Publishing Limited, ISBN 978-1-903223-88-8
Polikarpov I-15, I-16 and I-153 Aces - Mikhail Maslov, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-981-2
Soviet Fighters in the sky of China, Part III - Anatolii Demin, 2000 Aviatsiia Kosmonavtika 11 (translated by George M. Mellinger)
Stalin's Falcons - Tomas Polak and Christhoper Shores, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-01-2
The Legion Condor - Karl Ries and Hans Ring, 1992 Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 0-88740-339-5
Much additional information kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso.
Additional information kindly provided by Vladislav Arhipov and Carlos Casas.