Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

The VVS had a small detachment at Bari, Italy during 1944 with a dozen C-47 transports and 12 x Yak-9DD fighters to help Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia. This under nominal control of the RAF 334 Wing.

I wonder if the detachment suffered any air loss in that period?

Furthermore, the group seems to have been called AGON - Special Duties Air Group (?), but am looking for the Russian term for it.

Thanks for any info.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

No idea about that time period, but later Lt. Boris Vasilevich Arsenev (1921-1945), one of the 12 Yak-9DD pilots in Bari, Italy was killed over Baracska-Ráckeresztúr, Hungary on January 8, 1945 in a dogfight with Bf 109s in his new, Yak-9T/M (serial: 2515344, engine: 415-2536), belonging to 17 VA, 288 IAD, 611 IAP, 1st Squadron.

Gabor

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Some info on the 12 Yak-9DD pilots in Italy in the summer of 1944:

- Maj. Ivan Ivanovich Ovcharenko - Sq. commander - crashlanded Yak-3, S/N: 4516 on January 15, 1945 in Hungary (17 VA, Stab. 288 IAD)
- Capt. Victor Aleksandrovich Shukin - Deputy Sq. commander - flew Yak-3, S/N: 1515 & 310055 over Hungary & Yak-3 S/N: 1711 between April 4-30, 1945 over Austria (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- Lt. Boris Vasilevich Arsenev - KIA over Hungary on January 8, 1945 in his Yak-9T/M, S/N: 2515344 (17 VA, 611 IAP)
- Lt. Aleksandr Mikhailovich Bebin - Bf 109 victory over Hungary on March 21, 1945 in his Yak-3 (17 VA, 866 IAP)
- Lt. Aleksandr Efimovich Bogdanov
- ml.Lt. Dmitrii Dmitrievich Kostin - shot down over Hungary on January 14, 1945 in his (original???) Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115334 (17 VA, 611 IAP)
- Lt. Ivan Sergeevich Malakhov
- Lt. Valentin Borisovich Merkulov - Flight leader - shot down over Hungary in his Yak-9, S/N: 9102 on ~December 25, 1944 (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- Lt. Petr Konstantinovich Rogachov
- st.Lt. Ivan Ivanovich Soshnikov* - Sq. navigator - shot down over Hungary on November 21, 1944 in his (original???) Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115315 (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- st.Lt. Ivan Fedorovich Sichev - Flight leader
- ml.Lt. Mikhail Mikhailovich Rudenko - belly landed in Hungary on March 17, 1945 in his Yak-3, S/N: 310044 (17 VA, 659 IAP)

*Soshnikov returned safely on December 25, 1944 without his plane!

Cheers,
Gabor

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Gabor

A side comment ,in 1944 and to my knowledge no VVS YAK-9's or other Russian fighters were stationed at Foggia Main or Bari in conjunction to Tito close air support and escorts , in 1944 however most of the air drops for Tito partisans were performed by A-20's from Balti, Moldova escorted by YAK-9's which landed in Bari and returned back to origin after a few days at San Severo and Foggia Main. As into the VVS LI-2's or DC-3's stationed overthere I have also no information, nor of any losses in 1944 if at all.

BR
Alex K

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Gents,

Thanks for the info. The losses appear to be from the period after the Russians had moved from Italy to a base in Yugoslavia after the liberation of latter country.

As a last question: when establishing the detachment at Bari, I understand the transports flew from Russia via the Mideast (Iraq - Egypt...) and the fighters straight from Beltsy (now Balti, Moldova) to Bari?

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Looks like all Yak-9DD fighter pilots, participating the Yugoslavian/Italian missions in 1944 later ended up in one of the regiments (611, 659, 866, 897 IAP) of the 17 VA, 288 IAD.

Kostin, for instance, lost his planes several times:

On November 21, 1944 -along with Soshnikov (Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115315, engine: 425-529)- he lost orientation, ran out of fuel and crashlanded at Pécs (Hungary)-NW, approx. 40 km in his Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115311, engine: 425-339. (Both: 17 VA, 288 IAD, 659 IAP)

On January 3, 1945 during the relocation from Madocsa, Hungary to Székesfehérvár, Hungary, he belly landed near Székesfehérvár. Plane broke, pilot unhurt.

A few days later, on January 14, 1945 Kostin was shot down in a frontal attack dogfight with Bf 109s in Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115334, engine: 415-2538. Plane broken, pilot unhurt again. Returned on foot on January 23, 1945.

On May 5, 1945 he broke another 659 IAP fighter: Yak-9M, S/N: 3115321, engine: 425-1268. Kostin was unhurt again.

He was an exceptionally lucky guy ;-)))))

Cheers,
Gabor

Notes:
- S/N: xx153xx - Novosibirsk, factory No.153 built Yak-9s
- Soviet "IAP" = U.S. "FG"
- Sorry, on November 21, 1944 Soshnikov was not shot down, he just lost orientation during a mission, ran out of fuel and crashlanded. Returned on December 25, 1944.

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Leendert

The single thing I am aware of are the A-20's escorted by YAK-9D's from Balti flying over Romania in Sept and October 1944 flying air drop missions for Tito's partizans then remaining for a few days in Italy before returning back to Balti. Rest of other details are unknown to me . Over Yugoslavia they encoutered heavy flak though accomplished the mission unscaved ,

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Gabor

An interesting fact ,on August 25, 1944 Maj.Nyuhtikov a 861 BAP A-20 plt. was assigned a unique mission in the history of his war time . On the eve of Aug 24,44 he got assignment as flight leader of several A-20 Bostons escorted by 20 Yak-9DD to fly from Balti Moldova over part of the occupied Romanian territory , Bulgaria and over Yugoslavia on purpose to drop supplies to Tito then land at Foggia main . During this mission at some point in time one Yak-9DD was hit by AA either over Bulgaria or Serbia and may have gone down or may have performed an emergency landing somewhere . Do you have any records on such event ? Also was this 659 or 866 IAP which escorted 861 BAP ?

Alex K

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Sorry, no, that area -and especially time frame- is too far from my research. I know only about the 3 lost 866 IAP Yaks at Nis on November 7, 1944 in 'friendly' dogfight with 82 FG P-38s.
Gabor

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Thanks Gabor I am aware abou the incident whereby 82nd FG straffed Lt.Gen.Kotov's Army leading to his death and the retaliatory measures by VVS something I researched in the past and still researching .

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Yes, 2 Yak-9Ts (№1215370, №2415351), 1 Yak-9M (№2715396), a P-38J (43-28662) and 2 P-38Ls (44-24392, 44-24035) went down. It was one of the most serious 'friendly fire' incident of the war.

Gabor

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpo...54&postcount=4

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

This how it was especially involving the death of Lt.Gen.Kotov. This type of hidden disputes between US and Russian Forces seems to continue as we speak . They did not end there, in Berlin in Korea, Cuba ,Vietnam, nor Middles East etc ...Americans and Russians will never get along and it seems that one day we may all pay the ultimate price for their Burger King and Vodka unsettled differences

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Hope not... ;-))))

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

yeah

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Alex,

On August 25, 1944 17 VA, 659 IAP Yaks escorted A-20 Bostons of 17 VA, 244 BAD, however, the Yak losses this day were from 866 and 897 IAP: ml.Lt. Victor Vasilevich Yablochkin (866 IAP) later returned and was killed on March 8, 1945 in his Yak-3, S/N: 310099 from Tbilisi (engine: 422-166) in dogfight with -probably Hungarian- Bf 109s over Dömsöd, Hungary. Other Yak loss was Yak of famous 897 IAP squadron commander: Capt. Pavel Petrovich Karavai, who also returned later.

So no clue about the Yugoslav mission, perhaps the escort was from a spec. Yak-9DD group, not from a regular 288 IAD regiment.

Gabor

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

AGON was set up in accordance with the soviet GKO (State Defense Committee) decree in june 1944 and was subordinate to the chief of the soviet military mission in yugoslavia, lieutenant-general N. V. Korneev and an squadron (эскадрилья) of 12 Yak-9DDs escorted those cargo aircrafts from august. but i can't find any russian info to point out the loss of those fighters in that period.
and about AGON: it's the abbreviation of russian "Авиа-Группа Особого Назначения", literal translation is "air group of special purposes". but Leendert, i have to say that Авиагруппа (Aviagruppa), strictly speaking, is not equals to Group. Aviagruppa is just a temporary formation under the single command, especially for those reserve, transport or task groups. one Aviagruppa always consisted of 3 —8 regiments while the AGON in Bari had only 12 transporters for a squadron.

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Thanks for this update. In my vew the YAK-9DD based at Balti ,Bivolari and elsewhere in Moldova were part of 5th VA , to my knowledge 17 VA did have fighters based in Moldova during that time frame . Therefore 6 IAP / 427 IAP , 149 IAP , 178 IAP may come in question. The YAK Polk selected must have had some prior long range training in order to fly such specific mission .From Russian records I was never able to determine which Avia Polk escorted the Bostons. 659 IAP was on Aug 25 not located at Balti but Ratzdelnaya and after Aug 31, 44 at Izmail and Galati . I therefore doubt that 20 fighters from this group were dispatched to Balti. Russian aviation history ends sometime with guessing . One last thing, YAK-9DD's from a Poltawa and Pyriatin Avia Polk escorted 15th AF bombers during one or two Frantic Missions to Romania eventually elsewhere as such there is also a great possibility that this Polk was dispatched from Poltawa to Balti specifically for this purpose due to their long range experience and prior joint training with 15th AF crews from Italy.

BR
Alex

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Well, my guess is that it was only a temporarily selected, politically trustworthy group of skillful pilots, not a regular air unit. But: those 12 Yak-9DD pilots (at least most of them) later showed up in various regiments of 17 VA, 288 IAD.
Gabor

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Yes, thats why my guess is Poltawa Air Regiment ! not from 17 or 5 VA assets ! possibly 86 GvIAP

Re: Russian Air Detachment - Bari - 1944
 

Thanks for all the info that has come to dazzle me. I sure have quite some catching up to do when it comes to the air war in those regions.

Regards,

Leendert