First Yak9 shot down
 

Hi,

I would known the date for the first recorded Yak-9 shot down in aerial combat

thank you in advance

Alessandro

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Tough question, but: 3 VA, 256 IAD, 91 IAP was one of the first fighter regiments that was equipped with Yak-9s. Many Yak-9s from Novosibirsk, Factory No.153, batch No.01 and No.02 were in 91 IAP service on June 19, 1943 (ЦАМО ф.35 оп.11287 д.1660 л.233), such as:

0115321
0115338
0115339
0115340
0115341
0115342
0115344
0115345
0115346
0115347
0115350
0215301
0215303
0215304
0215305
0215314
0215315
0215316
0215317
0215318
0215319
0215320
0215323
0215324
0215333
0215336
0215342

In 91 IAP, мл.л-т Голубев Николай Николаевич was killed in a Yak-9 on this day, on June 19, 1943, but he died in an aircraft accident. мл.л-т Коробейников Александр Григорьевич died a few days earlier on June 13, 1943, but his aircraft is unknown. So perhaps the 91 IAP had the very first Yak-9 combat loss, - but definitely they had a few of the first losses of this new model.

Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Very interesting list Gabor

Did these two batches start with 001, ie 01153001 or somewhere higher and/or did they use black out numbers as well?
I am very much lost when it comes to Soviet WW 2 production details, but I collect snippets like this.... :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hello Gabor,

don't know when 1st Yak-9 was downed but it was certainly before 19.Jun.43:

26.May.43 Yak-9 No.0130 Sgt Barabanov M.S. (15.IAP 278.IAD) was downed by Bf109 near Kievskoye (Kiewskoje) (Kuban area). Pilot baled out, WIA.
26.May.43 Yak-9 No.0416 Lt Bykov V.N. (15.IAP 278.IAD) FTR in the same area

Best regards,
Andrey

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Very first combat loss occurred on March 15, 1943 with 32 GIAP Ml.Lt. Vladimir Gnatenko failed to return from air combat with pilots of either I/JG54 or II/JG54 in Staraya Russa area.

Then go losses of 163 IAP on May 9 and May 10.

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Thank you!

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Andrey, Nikita, thank you. In this case Barabanov flew Yak-9 S/N: 0115330, while Bykov flew 0415316. Soviet regiment diaries, etc. very often used only the short version of the AC serial numbers, ignoring the factory number part. (Only batch and plane in batch no.) It was sometimes painted on the fin of the plane with dash, eg.:
S/N: "0115330" = "0130" = "01-30". (All the same plane.)
It is easy to know if these planes were built in Novosibirsk, or Omsk as these two main Yak-9 aircraft factories made their serial numbers in a different way:

Factory 153 (Novosibirsk): xx153yy (Most of Yak-9B, Yak-9D, Yak-9DD, Yak-9T, - and after batch No.25: Yak-9M fighters)

Factory 166 (Omsk): xx166yyy (Most of Yak-9D, Yak-9R, Yak-9U fighters)

...where x=digits of batch No., y=digits of plane within that batch.

So a 4 digit serial, like Barabanov's 0130 was from Novosibirk as 0115330, but a 5 digit serial, like 16036 (мл.л-т Андреев Арсений Емельянович's (KIA, 17 VA, 288 IAD, 659 IAP) Yak-9D on December 22, 1944 in Hungary) was No.16166036 from the Omsk factory.

This means that eg. Yak-9 No."01153001" never existed, only 0115301, or 01166001. I hope this helps.

Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Thanks Gabor
My mistake :o Too many digits....
Also thanks for the extra details. Much appreciated!
Cheers
Stig

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hello,
in the log of combat operations and the journal of combat losses of the 3rd Guards IAD ml.lt. V. Gnatenko in the last mission was on Yak-1.
Best regards,
Kirill

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Thanks Kirill, so the first Yak-9 combat loss was not his plane. BTW, 91 IAP also had 0315323 and 0315324 from batch No.03 on June 19, 1943. Thanks,
Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Then a mistake in operational reports. However, a handful of Yak-9s participated in this mission, loss report can clear this up if exists.

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Perhaps there is a mistake somewhere. In that flight there were 8 Yak-9 and 6 Yak-1. The loss of two Yak-1 (lt. Gnatenko and st.lt. Garam).

addition:
Comrade suggested that there are other documents (mainly 1 Guards IAK), which indicates a slightly different information (on the number of missions, composition and fights), but in what fight and on which plane was the loss of lt. Gnatenko there is no single-valued data. St.Lt Garam returned the next day with the plane.

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hi folks,
Here are some Yak-9 losses from the first 2 batches of the Novosibirsk Factory No.153 in 1943 that I know of. As you see, the 16 VA, 273 IAD regiments (IAPs) had significant losses in early July, 1943, yet all of these losses were suffered later than eg. the ones of the 91st IAP still in June.

Yak-9, S/N: 0115322 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0115365 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215321 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215335 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215338 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215346 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215359 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215361 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215374 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215386 - 3 VA, 256 IAD, 91 IAP, shot down on November 6, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215389 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 7, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215392 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215395 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215397 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, destroyed on the ground on July 5, 1943
Yak-9, S/N: 0215398 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943
.................................................. .................................................. ......
Yak-9, S/N: 0315301 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 7, 1943
...etc.

Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hi Gabor, do you have names of the pilots for these losses that you might share with us?

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

There are many names by date and regiments, but I cannot match them to the listed Yak serials, only as a small group of the potential pilots.

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

That would certainly be helpful if you would be so kind as to share what you do have

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hi folks,

Finally I was able to match most of the pilot names to their lost Yak-9s. Note, that these planes were mainly lost in the hottest dogfights over the Kursk area:

Yak-9, S/N: 0115322 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Ивилев Тимофей Степанович (KIA)
Yak-9T, S/N: 0115360 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: л-т Свитнев Николай Петрович, bailed out
Yak-9T, S/N: 0115365 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: м-р Плотников Владимир Михайлович (KIA)
Yak-9, S/N: 0215321 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: л-т Кулиняк Семен Устинович (MIA)
Yak-9, S/N: 0215335 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943, pilot: гв.к-н Морозов Иван Андреевич (KIFA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215338 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Дружинин Александр Федорович (MIA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215346 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943, pilot: с-т Талышев
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215359 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Николаенко Василий Никифорович, returned
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215361 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Архиреев Григорий Данилович (MIA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215374 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Скобелев Михаил Дмитриевич (MIA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215386 - 3 VA, 256 IAD, 91 IAP, shot down on November 6, 1943
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215389 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 157 IAP, shot down on July 7, 1943, pilot: л-т Тимофеенко Владимир Федорович, returned
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215392 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Павленко Адам Андреевич
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215395 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: л-т Голяцкий Алексей Федотович, bailed out (KIA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215397 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, destroyed on the ground on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Мотяш Анатолий Семенович (KIA)
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215398 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 163 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: ст.с-т Собур Леонтий Герасимович, returned
Yak-9, S/N: 0315301 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 7, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Ванышев Иван Васильевич (MIA)
Yak-9, S/N: 0315329 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 6, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Пенкин Виктор Федорович
Yak-9, S/N: 0315390 - 16 VA, 273 IAD, 347 IAP, shot down on July 5, 1943, pilot: мл.л-т Остапенко Алексей Ефимович (MIA)

Ref.:

ЦАМО, Ф. 6-го иак. Оп. 1. Д. 6., Л. 1–77,
ЦАМО, Ф. 157 иап. Оп. 429906, Д. 1., Л. 55,
ЦАМО, Ф. 163 иап. Оп. 700461, Д. 1., Л. 33–39,
ЦАМО, Ф. 347 иап. Оп. 239656, Д. 1., Л. 36–40,
ЦАМО, Ф. 347 иап. Оп. 487045, Д. 1., Л. 1, 2.

I hope this helps.
Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Dear Gabor,

Please write a goddamn book about all this one day. Do not let your research and knowledge be wasted.

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Gabor:
Yak-9D, S/N: 0215386 - 3 VA, 256 IAD, 91 IAP, shot down on November 6, 1943
Previous thread gave us these details, if it helps...
91 IAP lost Yaks of Mayor Aleksandr Sergeevich Romanenko (attributed to AAA, possibly friendly), pilot Grevtzov and (Lt. Mikhail Mikhaylovich?) Shilov

Here's the link:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=34143

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Can I also echo that ? :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Thanks Nick, yes, probably that Yak belonged to one of those three pilots. Cheers,
Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

See? That's two of us...

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Do not worry, nothing is wasted. Our Aircraft Museum that I belong to has all of my stuff. I already wrote a book in 2013 called: "Bostons in the Hungarian sky and soil". 270 p., full of data such as: dates, crews, serials, locations, markings, etc. for the operations and losses of the Soviet AF over Hungary during WWII. (It is in Hungarian, but pics and charts need no language knowledge.) Cheers,

Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Erik Pilawskii's Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-1945 writes that on January 5, 1943 Capt. Ivan Mikheevich Kornienko of 270 IAP led 9 brand new Yak-9s against 15 Bf 109s in the Stalingrad area. After a bitter dogfight 8 Bf 109s and only 2 Yak-9s were lost. If so, these 2 Yak-9s could be the first Yak-9 combat losses after the introduction of this new model in December, 1942.

Problem is that I have absolutely no evidence that Kornienko really flew a Yak-9 on this mission. What I know for sure is that he flew I-16, I-153, (LaGG-3), Yak-7 and Yak-1 during his career, but no record of the Yak-9 model at all. Further investigation is needed.

Gabor

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Hi Gabor,

finally possible Yak-9 losses in Stalingrad area early '43. This was my time idea about first Yak-9 shot downed. In many source i have found Yak-9 introduction in late Stalingrad fighting, but i don't now how reliable this statement was.
Thank you!

Re: First Yak9 shot down
 

Well, the 270 IAP used Yak-9s during the war indeed, but Capt. Ivan Mikheevich Kornienko's personal record does not mention that he really flew this model, only the Yak-7 and Yak-1 (B, I think). Since the Yak-9 was introduced in December, 1942, it is entirely possible that the first losses took place in January, 1943 in the Stalingrad area, probably from the first 2 batches of the production: 01153xx, 02153xx.