Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Several times I have met with e few information,that Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets (2 HSU) had served in China on the begining of 1938.
And even had claimed a victory there? Very strange ?!?

Knowing several of his biographes edited in Russian language, I have never met/found any information confirming it (like in the Abrasov book, about air war in Spain, edited in Russia a few years ago).

So in my opinion information about his service in China is not correct!
Can someone add something new to this?

Regards,
Mirek Wawrzyński

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

No, he didn't served as volunteer in Sino-Japanese War, but he served at Nomonhan in 1939

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Hello Mirek,

The only source I could find that claims that he made a claim in China on 29 April 1938 is Polak's "Stalin's Falcons", which is somewhat dated (published 1999).

In Soviet Fighters in the sky of China, Part II by Anatolii Demin, 2000 Aviatsiia Kosmonavtika 10 (translated by George M. Mellinger) his name isn't mentioned among the Soviet pilots making claims in this combat.

However later in this articles series he is mentioned together with Kravchenko in "Quickly a group was organized there of fighters with Chinese and Spanish experience, the best known of them being S. A. Gritsevets and G. P. Kravchenko, who again distinguished themselves in air combat and became the first Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union." It seems that I've always have misread this as a statement that Gritsevets also was in China (thus verifying Polak's claim) .

Thus I'm bound to agree with you that it seems that he in fact wasn't in China.

Thanks Mirek to bring up this interesting subject!

Hopefully there are more readers on this forum that can add more to the story about this interesting pilot.

Best wishes/Håkan

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

I have details of Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets' early service as follows: Gritsevets joined RKKA in 1931. He was sent to 3rd Military School of Pilots and Observers at Orenburg and graduated as a pilot in 1932 In September 1932 he was posted to Kievsky Fighter Aviation Detachment and in 1933 to the 1st Red Banner Fighter Aviation Eskadrilya im.Lenina in the Transbaikalsky Military District, were he served as Flight (Zveno) commander. In 1935 he led record flight of six I-16's on the Bochkarevo-Spask Dalny route with landing at Khabarovsk, completing this flight in 3 hours ten minutes. In 1936 Gritsevets was posted to aerobatic and air combat course at the 8th Military School of Pilots in Odessa, and after completing the course he remained at this school as instructor. In 1938 St. Lt Gritsevets was posted to 20th Military School of Pilots at Kirovabad were he trained Spanish airmen to fly Soviet fighters. It's there he had volunteered for service in Spain.

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Hi, thanks for fast responce

Working on his biography, I have met in several sources quite strange information, that he was in China, but I can not confirm this in some of his Russian biographies. So it is ofcourse a wrong data.

Polak's book is quite old. I think, that some writers simple mentioned him in one raw like Kravchenko (he was in fact in China and in Chalchyn-Gol, and over Poland in IX 39 to like Gritzeviest).
They both had returedn from Chachyn-ol on 12.09.1939 came to Moscow to met first with Voloshylov on special dinner (Central Building/ of Red Army) and leater, the same day, they both + others had met with J.W. Stalin on Kreml.
Next day both had departed on Wester border to take command of the fighter units. Gritzeviets was nominated to take command of 58. Fighter Air Brigade (he took it) and during duites he was KIFA on own Bolbasovo airfiled about 19.50 at 16.09.39. He flow, If I am right, on I-15bis and major Petr Chara, pilot who rolled on Gritsevits plane, was in I-16.

This informatin supported by Andriej (thanks) are correct, if concern his carrer before Spain combat tour.
In Spain (on speckomandirovku) he was since 10.06.38 up to 28.10.1938, but the last combats he fought was on 4.10.38, he claimed 1 Me 109, next day he had done a flight, but without combat.

Regards,
mw

Re: I-16 of Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets from Spain
 

BTW, just know I have seen on Russian forum a color drawing of I-16 typ 10 from his service in Spain. Interesting, :-)

http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/0/0.htm

http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/files/Mik...3406)_gt10.jpg

http://vif2ne.ru/nvi/forum/files/Mik...3406)_gt10.jpg

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Mirek - there is a description of 3 a/s of that ace.

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

His last flight and a little byo, with photos.

http://www.sb.by/post/91071/
http://www.sb.by/post/91137/

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Evgeny, you are rigth, there are description of his planes (pity there were no photos) but all in Russia. Most readers of this side do not read Russian.

Second. This is very good articel about him, very usefull.

BTW, I have ommited underline, that yeasterday (16.09.2010), it was 71 years ago, when he died in KIFA, during preparation of Soviet invasion on Poland, which had began several hours later, early morning on 17.09.1939.
This is other kind of story, but it was also a reason to hidden his death before people - on the begining of new war such a great loss.

Today in Poland, there is second important day concerning war in 1939, Soviet agression on Poland.

Reards,
mirekw

Re: Mayor Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets in China?
 

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

I made some progress with my endeavour to define the claim list of Sergey Gritsevets: He is offially credited with 10+30sh kills. The dates of 10+20sh kills are known. Mikhail Maslov suggests that his shared kills probably reflect the kills claimed by the unit he commanded. He commanded 5 Escuadrilla de Caza and was in Spain from 10Jun until 26Oct1938. In this period an additional 9 kills are credited to his squadron, which cannot be found in his usual victory lists. Furthermore, another kill on 5Oct is indicated by Tomas Polak. This neatly adds up to 10+30sh kills. The decimals of 5 shared kills are known. An Escuadrilla has 12 pilots therefore, I think that the Escuadrilla kills can be counted as 1/12. Now I need to find the decimals of the remaining shared kills:
20.07.1938 sh Bf109
22.07.1938 sh CR32
24.07.1938 sh Ju52
05.08.1938 sh CR32
18.08.1938 sh CR32
18.08.1938 sh CR32
23.08.1938 sh Bf109
24.08.1938 sh CR32
26.08.1938 sh He51
03.10.1938 sh CR32
04.10.1938 sh Bf109
05.10.1938 sh Bf109
07.08.1939 sh Ki-27
07.08.1939 sh Ki-27
21.08.1939 sh Ki-27

I'll keep at it !

Michael