[HGabor]

Some info on the 12 Yak-9DD pilots in Italy in the summer of 1944:

- Maj. Ivan Ivanovich Ovcharenko - Sq. commander - crashlanded Yak-3, S/N: 4516 on January 15, 1945 in Hungary (17 VA, Stab. 288 IAD)
- Capt. Victor Aleksandrovich Shukin - Deputy Sq. commander - flew Yak-3, S/N: 1515 & 310055 over Hungary & Yak-3 S/N: 1711 between April 4-30, 1945 over Austria (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- Lt. Boris Vasilevich Arsenev - KIA over Hungary on January 8, 1945 in his Yak-9T/M, S/N: 2515344 (17 VA, 611 IAP)
- Lt. Aleksandr Mikhailovich Bebin - Bf 109 victory over Hungary on March 21, 1945 in his Yak-3 (17 VA, 866 IAP)
- Lt. Aleksandr Efimovich Bogdanov
- ml.Lt. Dmitrii Dmitrievich Kostin - shot down over Hungary on January 14, 1945 in his (original???) Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115334 (17 VA, 611 IAP)
- Lt. Ivan Sergeevich Malakhov
- Lt. Valentin Borisovich Merkulov - Flight leader - shot down over Hungary in his Yak-9, S/N: 9102 on ~December 25, 1944 (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- Lt. Petr Konstantinovich Rogachov
- st.Lt. Ivan Ivanovich Soshnikov* - Sq. navigator - shot down over Hungary on November 21, 1944 in his (original???) Yak-9DD, S/N: 0115315 (17 VA, 659 IAP)
- st.Lt. Ivan Fedorovich Sichev - Flight leader
- ml.Lt. Mikhail Mikhailovich Rudenko - belly landed in Hungary on March 17, 1945 in his Yak-3, S/N: 310044 (17 VA, 659 IAP)

*Soshnikov returned safely on December 25, 1944 without his plane!

Cheers,
Gabor