[Matheu
Quote:
Originally Posted by mathieu
Hi,
Is there any particular reason why he was not that popular? And about his claims, how many can be confirmed with the Russian records that became available after the collapse of the Soviet union?
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According to Russian historian Dmitriy Khazanov, who matched his claims with Soviet loss records, only 80 out of Hartmann's 352 victories can be confirmed.
Khazanov mention several ocasions when he (and his buddies) claimed a lot of victories, but the VVS suffered few or not losses at all. Such cases were:
* 29.05.1944: During the Soviet air strike against the Romanian airbase of Novela, Erich Hartmann claimed to shot down three "LaGG-7s" (La-5s). In fact, the Soviet 5 VA did suffer losses - three Il-2, but the 302 IAD, which provided escort to the attack and was equipped with La-5FN, did not suffer losses at all.
* 4.06.1944: That day, during the fourth sortie of the day, Hartmann and his wingman Birkner were jumped by two Aircobras, with Hartmann claiming to turn the wits and shooting down both P-39s. Jazanov determined that they were the Aircobras flown by
Mayor B. B. Gakhaet and
Leytenant Nikolay L. Trofimov of the famous 16 GIAP, and both Aircobras returned home without a single scrach!!
* 4.07.1944: Hartmann claimed three Il-2s north of Yassy, which were attacking German positions of artillery. The formation attacked by Hartmann were 12 Il-2s of the 2 ShAK led by
Leytenant Frolov, but they lost only one Shturmovik, which made a force belly-landing on Soviet held territory.
* 24.08.1944: That was the day when Hartmann claimed his victories Nos.299 to 303 over the Soviet beachhead of Sandomierz across the Vistula river - all four were P-39s. The only unit equipped with Aircobras providing cover to Sandomierz were the ones of the elite 9 GIAD led by
Polkovnik Aleksandr Pokryshkin - and did not suffer a single loss in air combat that day! There is a P-39 pilot missing after becaming separated of his comrades, which could have been downed by Hartmann. But at most Hartmann could score only one victory that day, never four.
Other example is the combat when he was shot down on 20 August 1943: according his account in his autobiography written by Trevor Constable, he shot down two Il-2s when was hit by flak, belly-landed and captured by a short period of time (later he evaded).
If fact Khazanov could determine, that according to the Soviet records, what Hartmann attacked was a group of Shturmoviks of the 232 ShAP. One of the Il-2 pilots,
Leytenat Pavel Evdokimov, saw how a "Messer" jumped his buddy V. Ermakov, and shot at close range a 20-mm burst against the Bf.109, which performed a belly-landing - indeed this was Hartmann's Bf.109G-6. No Il-2 was lost by 232 ShAP that day, even when two were damaged. Once again, Hartmann "kills" were overclaims (even when in this case seem that both were in good faith). And he was not downed by flak, but by Shturmovik pilot Pavel Evdokimov.
Khazanov conceeds that indeed Hartmann was a dangerous opponent, crediting him with at least two victories against Soviet aces: on 16.10.1943 he shot down the La-5 of
Starshiy Leytenant Ivan Nikitovich Sytov (30 victories, 5 GIAP), and on 1.03.1945 the Yak-9 of
Kapitan Sergey Ivanovich Lazarev (728 IAP, 256 IAD), but not before Lazarev shot down his the Bf.109G-14 of Hartmann's wingman G. Kapito (Lazarev's victory No.26)
I hope you found this information usefull.
Kind regards.
Diego