Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

I translated this article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann reaching his 200th victory. It's with his permission that I am placing it here. I've attached two scans with the article and having not attached anything here before I'm hoping that there is no problem with it.

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

Thanks Nokose

Very interesting article!
I for one would be interesting in more...:)

Cheers
Stig

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

Nokose

By chance I've met Hartmann several times during his life time, he
lived in Baden Wuerttenberg just to 2 1/2 hrs drive from my location
and despite his victories against the Soviets he was not a Nazi
but a hot blooded fighter pilot who always shown regrets for what
he caused in WWII.

Already then he reminded me that some of he stuff he told to the
Russian interrogators was partially not correct and some misleading .

He claimed that the 10 air kills in one day story was near Kirowograd
and on March 2, 44 just less than a month before getting dispatched
to Crimea. Worth to remember that on Feb 22, 44 Hartmann was involved
on forced landing accident South West of Uman.

Two months later Dementschenko & Korolyov ( 6 x kills ) will
be lost over Romania and indeed Dementschenko's ME-109
would be confirmed on March 2, 44 which brings me to conclussion
that the battle took place on same day. Irronically Korolyov would again
meet JG52 fighters and this time would became Hartmanns victim.

May I ask you based on what evidences Hartmann's claim is shiffted
back to February 26, 1944 and what's Egorov's story date ?

Also the Oak Leaves Cluster were awarded by Hitler in March at Bechtesgaden
in Bavaria and not in Berlin together with Barckhorn, Krupinsky and Wiese .

Thanks

PS : there was a story circulating on books that Hartmann hit one of
his Russians captors though remained unscaved from the incident.
This is also something which in fact never existed during his
Soviet captivity.

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

Gentlemen, I did not do the research for this article and Nikita is the author so I can not provide any answers but believe this is a combat history of the events. It is a partial answer to a subject that is a very "hot potato" to handle and answer. Nikita is the one that deserves the credit for doing this very interesting article.

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

You can see it by yourself in Tony Wood list:

26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 381: at 3.000 m. 09.08 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 526
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 384: at 3.000 m. 09.16 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 527
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 524: at 4.000 m. 11.45 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 528
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 521: at 3.000 m. 11.48 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 529
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 514: at 3.000 m. 11.53 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 530
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 524: at 2.500 m. 11.58 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 531
26.02.44 Oblt. Walter Krupinski 7./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 522: at 3.500 m. 12.00 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 315
26.02.44 Ltn. Friedrich Obleser 8./JG 52 Pe-2 £ 19 452: at 3.000 m. 12.02 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 360
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 524: at 2.000 m. 12.03 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 532
26.02.44 Maj. Günther Rall Stab III./JG 52 Il-2 £ 19 634: at 500 m. 12.41 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 79
26.02.44 Maj. Günther Rall Stab III./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 522: at 2.500 m. 14.37 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 80
26.02.44 Fhj.Fw. Herbert Bachnick 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 562: at 2.000 m. 14.36 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 533
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 552: at 2.500 m. 14.40 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 534
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 531: at 3.000 m. 14.45 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 535
26.02.44 Ltn. Erich Hartmann 9./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 512: at 2.000 m. 14.50 Film C. 2032/I Anerk: Nr. 536
26.02.44 Oblt. Walter Krupinski 7./JG 52 Airacobra £ 29 522: at 3.500 m. 12.00 Film C. 2032/I Erased: -?-

otherwise if correct date is March 2, 1944 then Hartmann overclaimed considerably on this date as no matching Cobras were lost.

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

Nikita,

Yeah definitely, the Abschuss Liste shows other date, though most of the WWII claims even those of the main Luftwaffe
aces were not correct some exagerated and some fabricated ...likewise the Soviets claims, facts confirmed on Batz
Lipfert and other books and memoirs. As an example take this and I am certain you know it,Pokrishkin PR'ed as the one who shot
down SS R.Heydrich in 1941 when in fact the SS pervert was brought down by flack same about Retchkalov whose scores had to be
homologated upwards way after the war's end .....though most typical example is this of Hartmann claiming in Bucharest area 4 P-51
when in fact the 15th AF didn't lose even one on that day nor Hartmann was on that perimeter at all . Talking with him about this
error , he stated in 1984 that he can't remember nor had any records on this claim .

On other strange example is this Batz shoting down during 1st Iasi-Chisinau campaign 16 VVS planes within few hrs ,
when other pilots of his group were claiming in group or alone half of Batz's victims.

Therefore,as good rule of thumb, as one pilot's saying goes , you need to use various fixes in order to determine your exact
radio location ...and none of the WWII claims can be considered as accurate.

In any case thanks for your article and efforts

Re: Article by Nikita Egorov on Erich Hartmann
 

Thanks a lot Nikita for sharing the article!
And thanks Nokose for the translation and for posting it here!

Juha