Why does the MiG-15 have a cruciform tail?
The tail position is a compromise which is influenced by these factors:


Interference with the wing's wake: The tail should be outside of the boundary layer flow coming off the wing root at all normal angles of attack. A high tail can cause a deep stall, something that was not known in 1947. Today all similar designs try to get the tail surface below the wing's wake.
Lever arm: By mounting the tail higher up on the swept vertical tail, its lever arm (in horizontal direction) can be increased without lengthening the tailpipe. A longer tailpipe means more mass and more internal drag and is best avoided.
Flutter: The higher the horizontal tail is along the vertical, the higher the danger of flutter. Here the longer lever arm (now in vertical direction) will lower the eigenfrequency of the bending mode of the vertical and the torsion mode of the rear fuselage. I suspect that for that reason the full T-tail was not chosen.


Mounting the horizontal smack in the middle of the tailpipe would require a heavy spar there to carry the bending moment across the fuselage. Mounting it on the vertical tail allows for a much lighter construction.