[Mark Steinitz]

I don't have a definitive answer to your question of who shot down Nicolai Zelenov, but it caught my attention because I am interested in the career of one of the possible victors, Gerhard Thyben. As of 2003, Thyben was living in Cali, Colombia with family, but was ill from the effects of a recent stroke. I communicated in Spanish with his son, who kindly shared with me some information and pictures from his father's album. I would like to pursue the shootdown of Zelenov with you. Maybe working together, we can get an answer. It's possible I could re-contact the son (Gerhard, Jr.) If his father has recuperated from the stroke, he may have a record or memory of the June 29th shootdown as having been the aircraft of a Soviet ace. I think this is a longshot, however.

Let me cover some preliminary ground. First, are you reasonably sure Zelenov was shot down by a German aircraft, as opposed to ground fire? Is there any record of the type of aircraft Zelenov was flying on June 29, 1944. If he was shot down by a German fighter and he was flying a P-39 Airacobra, it would seem that Thyben was the victor because only he took credit for an Airacobra on that day. Thyben's other claim was a Yak-9, as was that of Albert Seevers, the other possible victor over Zelenov.

I thought that perhaps the Planquadrats of the three victories in question by Seevers (1) and Thyben (2) on the 29th might provide some clues. They are contained Tony Wood's Loss List. The Planquadrat of Seevers' Yak-9 victory is rendered as 81 352. Thyben's Airacobra claim is 91 349 and his Yak-9 claim is 21 447. The location of Vyborg, the reported location of Zelenov's demise, is: 60 degrees, 42 minutes North/028 degrees, 45 minutes East. I asked, Andreas Brekken, a Norwegian WW II airwar expert on the Luftwaffe's Planquadrat system, which of the Planquadrat locations would be closet to Vyborg. He said that 91 349 (Thyben's Airacobra claim) would be the nearest. He added, however, that the location of Seevers' Yak-9 claim is also pretty close to Vyborg, but along the nothern coast of the Bay of Finland. Finally, Brekken thought that the Planquadrat for Thyben's Yak-9 claim was incorrect and should probably read 91 447, close to a town named Turku. This, too, is relatively close to Vyborg. Both of the 91 claims took place more or less on today's main road between Vyborg and St. Petersburg, according to Brekken.

I've come up empty on sources from the German perspective that I've consulted in English and German. Since I don't read Russian, I can only consult Soviet sources in English. I've looked at Osprey books on Red Air Force aces -- the more general one on Soviet WW II aces by Hugh Morgan and the one specifically on Yakelov aces. I saw no mention of Zelenov in either. There is an Osprey volume on Airacobra aces that includes Western allies as well as Russians who flew the aircraft, but no luck on Zelenov. I am trying to get my hands on a book by D. F. Loza, Attack of the Airacobras, which deals with the P-39 in Soviet hands. Have you read it; does it contain anything about Zelenov and how he met his end?

Christer Bergstrom, the co-author of Red Star, Black Cross, has done a lot of research about dogfights involving leading aces on both sides of the Air War on the Eastern Front. Perhaps he might see this and be willing to provide some insight, if possible. Regards.