[Nokose]

I bought the book “Hitler’s Strategic Bombing Offensive” by Demitry Degtev. His book is mainly about the German bomber campaign before the Kursk battle but he does discuss German and Soviet fighter dogfights to some degree. I looked up the names of the 961 IAP PVO in the battle he described on the 09 May 1943 and they were listed as MIA while flying I-16s over Kuban.

09 May 1943
I-16 961 IAP PVO St. Serzhant Vladimir Bakhtin (MIA)
I-16 961 IAP PVO Serzhant Ilya Elagin (MIA)
I-16 961 IAP PVO Leytenant Anatoliy Kirchkov (MIA)

Major Helmut Bennemann Stab I/JG 52
I-16 (87) 10:03
I-16 (88) 10:06

Degtev indicated that Bennemann’s victories were from 961 IAP PVO. He indicated that all the other Soviet losses in that fight fell to German bomber gunners.

09 May 1943