Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Seeking crew photos ( in addition to those posted ) & clarification regarding the fate of Captain Nyuhalov (pilot ) and Sgt Lejava Sandru Samoylovitch ( gunner ) shot down near Lake of Balaton on Dec 14,1944 715th ScHAP ,132 ScHAD, 17th Air Army , 3rd Ukrainian Front. Nyhalov was also depty regimental commander . Nyuhalov was original from Kazahstan while Lejawa was from Georgia , Odessa and Galati battles veterans. There are some versions stating they were shot down by JG53 at low altitude over the lake ( 1300 ft ) and other citting JG 52. Additional recent information indicating that both airmen bodies were retrieved in the late 60's and burried in the Soviet Union of that time however other sources state they are still burried in the lake. Additionally would like to determine if Lt.Col.Zamyatin was still CO of the Regiment in 1945 and where was the airfield of departure. The attached photos from the forum which dealt with their fate.[/quote]. The attached photos from the forum which dealt with their fate.

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

No! Capt. Nuhalov and Lezhava did not crash in Lake Balaton, they went down near Úrhida.
IL-2m3 from Lake Balaton (now in the Szolnok Museum) belonged to the ml.l-t Timofeev - Udalov crew, hit by flak, but also reported by Joachim Worlitzsch.

IL-2 service record of Timofeev's plane:

Ilyushin IL-2m3 Sturmovik, S/N: 11551 (built on April 12, 1944 at Zavod 1.)
Engine S/N: 259059 (built on April 25, 1944 at Zavod 24, installed very soon on July 15, 1944 as the 1st replacement engine.)
The correct unit: 17 VA, 136 ShAD, 715 ShAP, 3rd (yellow spinner-tip) Squadron.
Installed weapons:
Vya-23: S/N: ПP290 & AЗ188 (Note: this is Cyrillic "AZ188", not A-3188!)
12.7 mm S/N: ДЕ140
7.62 mm S/N: КЖ172
Some stamps on the unused 23 mm ammo in the wings: "606-44", "606-42", "513-44". (606: Kemerovo ammo factory, 513: Omsk ammo factory, CCCP plus the year of make)

Recovered from the lake in 1999 at Balatonkenese, now it is on display in the Szolnok Aircraft Museum, Hungary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYT4_UYJ-A

Crew left the ditched plane, cockpit was open and empty, but they disappeared in the freezing cold water - forever. R.I.P.

2 x 9 IL-2s of 715 ShAP took off from Szabadszállás. 9 IL-2s (Katkov, Berg, Godyaiev, Kurtsidze, Larin, Timofeev, etc.), led by Capt. Katkov (Yellow, 3rd Sq.), attacked German vechicles on the shore of lake Balaton at Balatonkenese, while 9 IL-2s (Nuhalov, Anisimov, Burlutskii, Dolgov, Lebedev, Melnikov, Shashkin, etc.), led by Capt. Nuhalov (Red, 2nd Sq.) attacked a German convoy near Szabadbattyán. During this mission the 715 ShAP lost six IL-2s: Berg and Timofeev in Balatonkenese area, Nuhalov, Burlutskii, Shashkin in Úrhida area, while Dolgov crash-landed at his base. Timofeev ditched Lake Balaton, Berg fell on the lakeshore at Sárhegy ("Mud-hill" at Balatonkenese-NW).

Fighter escort (Six La-5s of 17 VA, 295 IAD, 116 IAP, led by Capt. Pantelkin) lost one La-5FN (1st Squadron, S/N: 39211276, engine: 829063, Lt. Leonid Nikolaevich Sokolov (KIA) to Hungarian Bf 109G pilot: Horváth György hdgy., 102/1. Sq.

The lost six 17 VA, 136 ShAD, 715 ShAP IL-2s and their installed AM-38F engines on December 14, 1944 in Hungary:
(See attachment for 715 ShAP markings. Tactical numbers of lost planes are unknown, as 715 ShAP started to record them only by February, 1945.)

18862106, engine: 259964
11429, engine: 259766
11550, engine: 258945
11551, engine: 259059 - Timofeev-Udalov crew, sank in Lake Balaton, - replacement engine.
11565, engine: 259706
11553, engine: Unknown, probably because later it was repaired and re-used, not recorded as permanent loss. Dolgov crew (badly shot-up in dogfight and crash-landed at Szabadszállás after the mission.)


(Dogfight with German JG 52, JG 53 and Hungarian 101st FG Bf 109s plus ground AAA defence.)

Gabor
(volunteer researcher of the Szolnok Aircraft Museum)

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Gabor

Thank you, will look into the data and come back to you in due course.

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Here is the pic of guards-sgt. Ivan Ivanovich Udalov, aerial gunner of 715 ShAP IL-2 No.11551 on December 14, 1944. This poor guy ditched Lake Balaton with his pilot, ml.l-t Yakov Matveevich Timofeev after receiving engine-hit from the Balatonkenese shore on the port side. After leaving the sinking cockpit, they have never reached the shore in their heavy, wet flight-suit in the freezing December water. He was firing this 12.7 mm machine gun (S/N: ДЕ140), shown in the recovery video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbYT4_UYJ-A

R.I.P.

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Gabor

Thank you for descriptive info , I did see this photo on the Hungarian Russian
language forum . I am still wondering if if this is a Russian or Hungarian forum because
Russian language is not popular in Hungaria and very few speak Russian. I will
revert to you in due course with more questions as into other aicrafts shot down over Balaton
hang on need to collect the stuff

In the meantime thanks for your info and like always your professionalism,

Cheers
Alex K

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

You're welcome! By the way, standard regiment markings of 715 ShAP were indeed 1 long, 1 short white, diagonal tail stripe with Squadron-color spinners and tactical numbers, but the size of the stripes was not standardized. One was wider than the other, but usually it was not too wide. Cheers,
Gabor

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Gabor

The markings and patterns of the 210,951 and 715th ScHAP's under 17 VA are a though
thing ending up in headaches already during the Iasi-Kishinew offensive . Also historical
material on the above 3 regiments is an other though story because Soviets and like
always during WWII had a mess with their historical stuff .As an example,as we speak
only few out of the hundred recon photos taken by the IL-2's over Moldova, Bessarabia and
Romania are available something whch may apply to Hungaria too. In addition the OBD seems
to be out since quite a while not enable research.

Thank you for the stuff , if you have any additional photos and material on the IL-2's of the
above 3 air regiments , that would be a great thing.

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

951 ShAP IL-2s had many photos. They had white diagonal tail tip (not just stripe) with a really short (about 50% of the short stripe of the 715th) white (parallel) diagonal stripe under it. Plus a white tactical number on the tail before the red star.

Why don't you read my book? There are some photos in there both on the 715 and 951 ShAP planes:
"Bostonok a Magyar égen és földben, 1944-1945" (Bostons in the Hungarian sky and soil, 1944-1945 (2013)
It is about the 222 soviet 5th and 17th VA's A-20 Bostons in Hungary between October, 1944 and VE-day. It also deals with the IL-2, Yak- and La- fighter actions to some degree. Lists all losses, plane and engine serial numbers, markings, etc.

Gabor

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

Where can I find the book ? and you know I cant read a thing in Magyar !

Re: Lake Balaton -Hungaria -IL-2 Crash
 

The book is full of photos and charts, serial lists and drawings which are easy to understand. But as your name, you are also a RESEARCHER, so google translation shouldn't be a problem, just needs a small effort.

If interested, call Magó Károly (Charles Mago) in English at 06 (20) 935-5964 in Hungary, he does the distribution, I am not involved in it. I am just the writer :-)
Cheers,

Gabor