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It was January of 1944 when the Soviet Union launched their first ever aircraft to the other side of the planet. But, getting there wasn't enough for them, they also wanted to make it back alive. But every mission usually came with a hefty price tag and this one would be no exception. The M41 was equipped with a crew of two, an engine capable of carrying 8 tonnes, and a speed top speed is 365 km/h (equivalent to 280 mph). It had a maximum range of over 3,000 kilometres (1,850 miles) and could carry up to 450kg (990lbs) in payloads. It was the Soviet Air Force's answer to the German Junkers Ju 52/3m, which was a workhorse for Germany during World War II. The project was a complete success and made it to production status in September of 1943. It was a great achievement for Sergei Ilyushin, who also created the IL-2 Sturmovik that helped cripple the German army during World War II. In March of 1943, Stalin ordered that other planes should be built with similar characteristics as the M-4 (they also became known as M-4s). In support of their other aircraft, they needed smaller airplanes because they couldn't afford to lose any workers in maintenance. The first prototype of the M-4 was assembled in June of 1943, but it proved to be underpowered and couldn't bear the weight. To help produce more M-4s, they enlisted help from other factories. To improve the engines, other shops were asked to submit their suggestions. One day, someone brought in a design for an aircraft with one engine located at each wingtip. After examining the design, they put it into production as the Pe-2. The first batch of M-4s wasn't ordered until May of 1944 because the code-name for this type was initially 40M (for Mikoyan). By the time it reached production, it was changed to M41. It quickly became known as the "Siberian Mouse", due to its small size of 1.5 metres (5 feet) and its extremely small wingspan of 2 metres (6 feet). The first aircraft was airborne on April of 1944. The first unit equipped with these planes was the 486th Gvardiya (486th Guards Fighter Regiment). They were sent down to the front line on May 14, 1944 near Kirovograd, which is located in southern Ukraine. The 486th was a two-seat unit. They were ferried on the wings of a transport plane and dropped into a net on parachutes. At first, some pilots were afraid of being trapped in the back seat while being surrounded by German troops. For them, it felt like they would be forced to just wait for death while seated behind their comrades who were flying off the battlefield. The 486th's first M-4 flight missions had some problems. Pilots would attempt to take off from small, muddy pads so it took several tries before they could succeed. cfa1e77820