[HGabor]

Just a side-note to the final days of WWII in Moravia. In May, 1945 the German opposition in the air has completely lost its power. Soviet crews of 5 and 17 VA very often have not even seen German planes in the air. If they have, then they were not aggressive at all, and tried to avoid any confrontation. In most cases they were just recce. planes, or air-cabs/taxies, transporting high officers to zones, where they could surrender to Western Allies, instead of the much feared soviet captivity. (Eg. He 111, lost on May 8, 1945, downed by Yaks of Gv.Lt.Col. Georgii Ageevich Lobov, commander of 7 GvIAD and his wingman, Svidirov, at Mělník (Praha-N) was probably just another taxi-flight to Western zone, as being (one of?) the last German air-to-air combat loss in Europe during WWII.)


But German tank- (Flakpanzer, flakvierling) and flak fire remained very dangerous until the last day. See the large number of IL-2 losses at low altitude, lost to flak (or flak related accidents.) Dogfights were extremely rare and this is why Hartmann's final claim is not realistic at all. Absolutely no sign of combat, or soviet fighter loss, that can match his 352nd claim. Neither Yak, nor La.

Gabor