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Re: First Yak9 shot down
Erik Pilawskii's Soviet Air Force Fighter Colours 1941-1945 writes that on January 5, 1943 Capt. Ivan Mikheevich Kornienko of 270 IAP led 9 brand new Yak-9s against 15 Bf 109s in the Stalingrad area. After a bitter dogfight 8 Bf 109s and only 2 Yak-9s were lost. If so, these 2 Yak-9s could be the first Yak-9 combat losses after the introduction of this new model in December, 1942.
Problem is that I have absolutely no evidence that Kornienko really flew a Yak-9 on this mission. What I know for sure is that he flew I-16, I-153, (LaGG-3), Yak-7 and Yak-1 during his career, but no record of the Yak-9 model at all. Further investigation is needed.
Gabor
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