Editing Polikarpov I-15 (section)

==Operational history==
[[File:Chinese Polikarpov I-15bis.jpg|thumb|Chinese Polikarpov I-15bis with pilot Xu Jixiang of the [[Development of Chinese Nationalist air force (1937–1945)#Units of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force 1937–1945|17th PS, 5th PG]] who fought the new [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service|IJNAF]] [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero|A6M ''Zero-sen'']] air-superiority fighter on 13 September 1940 in the I-15bis during the [[Bombing of Chongqing|Battle of Chongqing]]<ref>Cheung, 2015, pp. 76, 80-81. Hsu Chi-hsiang (徐吉驤-Xu Jixiang) was shot down in his I-15bis in the air-combat debut of the A6M Zero on 13 September 1940... a 20mm shell went through his amenities kit blowing all the bristles off his toothbrush... Hsu would exact some personal revenge on 04 March 1944 over the Japanese airbase at Chiung-Shan (Qiongshan) on Hainan island... shooting down the lead Zero in a flight of three... the flight leader or perhaps the instructor</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=蔡|first=乔治|date=|title=九一三壁山空戰|url=http://www.flyingtiger-cacw.com/new_page_739.htm|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-23|website=www.flyingtiger-cacw.com|quote=他的性能遠在伊-152(bid)、伊-16-10之上，可以認為，敵我雙方的戰機性能差了一個數量級還多，如此之下，如何還能奢談“取勝”？在戰鬥中，徐吉驤的座機被莫名日機連續咬尾多次，遭受了十幾次攻擊，已經被打得體無完膚，敵機射彈密集，徐吉驤座機上連細細的翼間張線都被打得卷起來了。徐吉驤感到自己四周的防彈鋼板被子彈敲得叮叮作響，所幸他還沒有中彈。最後，他座機發動機的潤滑油漏光了，這架伊-152在璧山上空停車。徐吉驤迅速判斷了一下形勢，決定不跳傘，以免被兇殘的日機沖傘射擊。他躲掉日機攻擊後奇跡般的迫降在一片稻田裡，飛機被摔得七零八落。幸好燃油、滑油均已耗盡，飛機沒有燃燒。徐吉驤機智地躲在座機殘骸內，等盤旋在頭頂的兩架日機離去後，才爬出完全損壞的座機。}}</ref>]]

===China===
In August 1937, the Chinese [[Kuomintang]] Government signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR, and in autumn of the same year, the Soviet Union commenced to ship I-15s as a part of a programme of military aid to the [[Republic of China Air Force|Chinese Air Force]] (CAF) in its defensive war against Japan. More than 250 Soviet pilots volunteered to fly the 255 I-15s supplied to China in autumn 1937. By 1939, the total number of Polikarpov biplanes delivered to CAF reached 347 I-15/I-15bis.<ref name="Maslov p. 33">Maslov 2010, p. 33.</ref> The I-15bis also saw a great amount of action in the [[Soviet–Japanese border conflicts]] along the [[China–Mongolia border]]. From 1938 to 1941, I-15s in the [[Development of Chinese Nationalist air force (1937–1945)|Nationalist Air Force of China]], fought many major battles, and skirmishes against invading and occupying Japanese forces, including the [[Battle of Taierzhuang]], the [[Battle of Wuhan]], the [[Battle of South Guangxi]], the [[Bombing of Chongqing|Battle of Chongqing-Chengdu]], etc. The tough [[biplane]] was quite clearly outmatched during the debut dogfight against the new [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] fighter over [[Chongqing]] on 13 September 1940, although I-15bis pilots Maj. [[Zheng Shaoyu]], Lt. [[Gao Youxin]], and Lt. Xu Jixiang were able to target and damage some of the Zeroes, with Lt. Gao believing he had shot one down (all Zeroes returned to base in [[Wuhan]], with four Zeroes suffering some damage); all three of those pilots survived the battle.<ref>Cheung, 2015, pp. 74-75. Lt. Gao had shot A6M Zeroes of the tails of other Chinese fighters in the melee over Chongqing on 13 September 1940, closing in to 160 ft of one... claiming one shot down...</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Chen|first=C. Peter|title=Gao Youxin|url=https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=965|access-date=2020-11-27|website=WW2DB|quote=<In Sep 1940 (9/13/1940), Lt. Gao Youxin flew against the new A6M Zero fighters, damaging one... he had claimed a victory but no A6M fighters were lost in that action.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=萨沙|first=资深中国近代军事历史作家|date=2019-05-09|title=永不归航的红色年轻战鹰：1位"八路军"青年战士的抗日空战|url=https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/65241552|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-12-21|website=知乎专栏|language=zh|quote=<郑少愚在此战中第五次受伤，他的右手和左足均中弹负伤，座机更被击成重伤。他虽然受伤，但依旧表现英勇。根据《空军第一路司令官毛邦初关于敌我空军交战情况的战斗要报》（1940年9月13日）中记载：“总领队郑大队长虽手足均受弹伤，但仍奋勇迎敌，援救友机多架，战斗终结，掩护各机飞返遂宁。}}</ref>

Pilot Captain Shen Tse-Liu is credited with 4 victories in his I-15bis, the most with the aircraft in the war.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese biplane fighter aces - Shen Tse-Liu |url=http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/china_tse-liu.htm |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=surfcity.kund.dalnet.se}}</ref>

===Mongolia===
In 1939 Polikarpov fighters were extensively used during the [[Battles of Khalkhin Gol]] fought around the [[Khalkha River]] in [[Dornod Province]]. The battles were fought during 11 May–16 September 1939, and involved more than 600 planes. When hostilities commenced, the only I-15bis in the area were 14 aircraft of 70th IAP. Their number increased in the following weeks: on 23 May, 35 I-15bis from 22nd IAP arrived from the Trans-Baikal region.<ref name="Smith" /> However the Mongolian Polikarpov pilots had been hastily trained and they suffered heavy losses against the more experienced Japanese pilots. During this conflict, the Soviet Union, Mongolia and Japan lost more than 200 aircraft each.<ref name="Maslov p. 42">Maslov 2010, p. 42.</ref> 10 aircraft were delivered to the [[Mongolian People's Army|Mongolian People's Army Air Force]] in mid-July 1939 and flight personnel were trained for [[Rear (military)|rear]] air defence. Afterwards, they received more than 30 aircraft in March 1942.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Spain===
The I-15 was used extensively in combat by the Republicans in the [[Spanish Civil War]] and proved to be one of the best fighter biplanes of its time. The Nationalists called the fighter "Curtiss", apparently believing it to be the [[Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk]].
The first batch of 25 Polikarpovs arrived in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]], Spain, on 28 October 1936,<ref name="Smith" /> with 15 pilots, led by future ace [[Pavel Rychagov]]. A few days later a further group of 10 pilots and 15 aircraft arrived in [[Bilbao]].<ref name="Maslov p. 16">Maslov 2010, p. 16.</ref><ref name="Smith" />

The Soviet pilots first went into action 4 November, when I-15s shot down two [[Junkers Ju 52]]/3ms and two CR.32s over Madrid, and forced a third Ju 52 and a Heinkel two-seater to crash-land.<ref name="Smith" /><!--was this attributed to the Red AF pilots, or Spaniards?--> No losses were reported among the Soviet pilots. During the next two days, ''Chato'' pilots claimed 12 more victories, at the cost of two I-15s lost.<ref name="Maslov p. 18">Maslov 2010, p. 18.</ref>

On 16 November, while dogfighting with [[Fiat CR.32]]s over Madrid, future ace Rychagov was shot down <ref name="Maslov p. 17">Maslov 2010, p. 17.</ref> and four days later the number of combat-ready Polikarpov in the central area had fallen to 15 aircraft: seven had been lost in combat, two had force-landed and one was undergoing repair.<ref name="Maslov p. 18"/>

In December 1936 and January 1937, two more shipments of 30 aircraft arrived in Spain, making it possible to form four full-strength I-15 squadrons.<!--Were they organized under a superior command? That's suggested by "4-squadron combat unit"--> Until the spring of 1937, central Spain was the main war theatre for I-15s. And in May 1937, another batch of 31 Polikarpov landed in Spain, taking the total number of I-15s delivered to 116.<ref name="Maslov p. 21">Maslov 2010, p. 21.</ref>

''Chato'' losses in the Spanish Civil War were comparable to those of its principal rival, the [[Fiat CR.32]]. By 1 January 1939, 197 Polikarpovs had been lost: 88 shot down by enemy aircraft and nine by anti-aircraft artillery, 27 destroyed on the ground and 67 written off in accidents.<ref name="Maslov p. 24">Maslov 2010, p. 24.</ref>

===World War II===
More than 1,000 I-15bis fighters were still in Soviet use during the German invasion when the biplane was employed in the ground attack role. Many were destroyed in the opening hours of the invasion sitting in neat rows on their runways.<ref name="Smith" /> By November 1943, all examples still in service had been relegated to second line duties.<ref name="Smith" />