[HGabor]

Hi Folks,
Some info on the dogfights of the very busy day of November 17, 1944 in order to clarify claims and victories. Verified soviet losses in dogfights:

5 VA, 331 IAD, 122 IAP, Yak-9M, S/N: 2715306, white ‘06’. Pilot, Lt. Venyamin Mihailovich Boltishev was KIA. At 8:50 local at 400 m, 6 Yaks, led by Gugnin were returning from a mission when they met 2 ‘Fw 190’s, performing frontal attack. Boltishev pulled up, rolled over and after a few spins crashed into the ground.

5 VA, 331 IAD, 122 IAP, Yak-9M, S/N: 2615394, white ‘94’, lost in the Szolnok area. Pilot, Ml.Lt. Victor Nikolajevich Gaponov was MIA. (See pic.) Between 12:50-14:00 local, 6 Yak-1s and Yak-9s (Yak-1Bs: Drozzhikov ‘22’, Erko ‘8’, Kostenko ‘45’, Pugin ‘5’, Yak-9s: Stadnih ‘90’, Gaponov ‘94’) were escorting 6 IL-2s of the 90 GvShAP to Gyöngyös. On the way home, at 700 m, the 2 Yak-9s stayed with the IL-2s, the 4 Yak-1Bs formed an attack group. Near Szolnok, Gaponov fell behind his formation and went missing. Cause was unknown, visibility was good, 3-5 km. Plane came into the group on August 18, 1944. Recent attempt to find the pilot and his plane at his family’s request was unfortunately unsuccessful.

5 VA, 331 IAD, 179 IAP, Yak-1B, S/N: 02162, lost at Hort. Pilot, Ml.Lt. Sergei Grigorievich Purgin was MIA. At 12:50 local, 8 Yaks, led by Babiy were escorting 8 IL-2 of the 451 ShAP to the Gyöngyös area. At Hatvan-NE, at 800 m, combat with 8 Bf 109. Ragulin downed a Bf 109, which fell at Gyöngyös-SW, 4 km. Purgin was shot down after being chased by Hptm. Helmut Lipfert at Hort as a 'Yak-7'.

5 VA, 13 GvIAD, 149 GvIAP, 2nd Sq., Yak-1B, S/N: 37191, white '<37', lost at 15:00 local at Kóka-E, 3-4 km. Pilot, Ml.Lt. Vladimir Petrovich Isupov (from 19 ZAP) bailed out and returned on the 19th. 8+4 Yaks vs. 4 Fw 190, 2 Bf 109. 1 Bf 109 downed by Stepanov.

5 VA, 13 GvIAD, 151 GvIAP, Yak-1B, S/N: 17193, lost in the Dány-Tura area. Pilot, Gv.Ml.Lt. Alexandr Vasilevich Noskov was MIA. At 9:40-10:50 local, 6 Yaks, led by Hlyustov from Kecskemét airfield were covering ground troops in the Pusztamonostor-Dány-Kóka area at 3500-4000 m. Noskov with a sudden turn left Hlyustov and disappeared. Believed to be shot down by enemy fighters.

During the day several fighter attacks on 4 GvShAD IL-2, and their escorting Yak formations without losses, some of these might be overclaimed:

Mission between 07:50-09:10 local, at 600 m, 8 IL-2s of 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 90 GvShAP, led by Capt. Nikolaev were attacked by 4 Fw 190s without any losses in the Hort area. Fighter escort was 6 Yaks of the 122 IAP.

Mission between 07:58-09:18 local, 8 IL-2s of 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 92 GvShAP, led by Gv.Capt. Yakurnov were attacked by 6 Fw 190s without any losses. One Fw 190 was shot down over Hort. Fighter escort was 6 Yaks of the 122 IAP.

Mission between 10:20-11:40 local, at 1200 m in the Csány area, 6 IL-2s of 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 90 GvShAP, led by Gv.Maj. Kuzin were attacked by 8 Fw 190s. One Fw 190 was shot down over Hort. IL-2 of Kurilov was shot down. Fighter escort was 6 Yaks of the 122 IAP: The 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 90 GvShAP lost 2 IL-2s this day (S/N: 10392, 1872699) At 11:05 local, IL-2m3 was shot down by fighters at Jászárokszállás-N, 3 km. Pilot, Ivan Prokofevich Kurilov was fatally wounded, died in 2 hrs after landing. Gunner, Ananev returned to his unit on November 20, 1944, plane burned. The other plane, with the wounded Ivlev-Petrunin crew was downed at Jászladány-SW, 2 km at the same time. They also returned to their unit.

At 12:05 local at 1200 m, 6 IL-2s of 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 90 GvShAP, led by Gv.Capt. Lyadskii were attacked by 2 Fw 190s without any losses. Fighter escort was 5 Yaks of the 122 IAP.

At 14:20-15:30 local, 6 IL-2s of 5 VA, 4 GvShAD, 90 GvShAP, led by Capt. Nikolaev, attacking trucks in the Lőrinci area were attacked by 4 Fw 190s without any losses. Fighter escort was 4 Yaks of the 513 IAP.

Even IL-2m3 of Gv.Capt. Georgii Timofeevich Beregovoy (HSU, later famous soviet cosmonaut, commander of Soyuz-3 in 1968) was damaged, but NOT lost in the Hatvan area.

5 VA, 12 GvShAD, 188 GvShAP, IL-2m3, S/N: 10956, lost at Gyöngyös-W, 8 km. At 13:45 local, 6+5 IL-2s, escorted by 4 La-5s of 192 IAP in the Gyöngyös-NW area were attacked by 2 Bf 109 and 2 Fw 190. Plane shot down at 80 m. Crew of Gv.Ml.Lt. Genadii Semenovich Turikov and Ivan Ivanovich Ostapenko was KIA.

17 VA, 262 NBAD, 97 GvNBAP, Po-2 biplane, S/N: 7352, lost at Felsőszentiván-SE - Tataháza. Pilot, reg.commander Gv.Lt. Col. Anatolii Vasilevich Styazhkov and Gv.Capt. Vladimir Nikiforovich Strik, reg. navigator was unhurt. Plane crashlanded and burned. Downed by Oblt. Walter Pohl (1./SG 10)

Barkhorn's La-5 claim had to be an overclaim, as there was no such loss on soviet side. He might have damaged a La-5 from 5 VA, 279 IAD, which had a terrible mistake that day: in 'friendly fire' they downed several Rumanian Ju 87D Stukas in the Tószeg-Szolnok area, including:

Rumanian AF, 8 Gropul Asalt., 74 Sq., Ju 87D-5, W.Nr.: 141379, lost between Tószeg-Jászkarajenő. Crew of pilot adj. av. Victor Zizda and gunner, Constantin Pietraru was KIA.

(The Boston losses and Hartmann’s Boston overclaim was previously discussed.)

Gabor