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Old 7th June 2018, 19:57
Adriano Baumgartner Adriano Baumgartner is offline
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Re: 9 December 1943 - YAK 1 loss (Lipfert's 74th victory)

Dear NICK and KIRILL,

Thank you so much for sharing your vast knowledge on the Russian Front losses and LW claims.

Lipfert War Diaries is one of the finest books I have read (now thrice) about the Luftwaffe. He was very humble to share his lack of expertise at the beginning of his career, his doubts about his age, his own problems of Navigation and own faults, etc...just to show (or to let to History and Time) that there is no easy way...one must learn and learn and grow to become proficient in any field of activity.

KIRILL I was indeed mislead by the text, when he inform that "my next claim would have been my 75th victory"...Therefore I thought that his dogfight with that Russian piltot that he wrote that "was "happy" to see him running away and saving himself" (not his corrects words though) and whom he acknowledge that his opponent was a real expert.

There is seldom, on "War Diaries" this kind of chivalrous compliments to one opponent or "professional respect". This was one part of his book which I am glad that you have helped me to match (and discover the other side of the story). Thank you Kirill....Thank you so much indeed.

NICK, your answer matched the other "part of his book" that I always wanted to discover more about....this LaGG 5FN that he claimed on the 4th January 1945, a so close claim that Lipfert was shocking to see the results of his attack. I shall not write it in full letters here, in respect of his opponent...Me too, while Reading the book I was shocked...one tends to look safely and without emotion to those kind of description...machine against machine, but we do forget the Human Being inside the shot down planes....The mothers, sons, wifes or girl-friends that cried and mourned the losses....You have informed me the name and identity of this claim, which I always wanted to know.

Another thread here informed about the A-20 Boston (actually a Li-2) shot down over Kerch that was supposed (actually did not have) to carry High Officers of the Russian Army aboard....

I wounder if ONE DAY a revised Edition of his book, with copies from his Flugbuchs and details as those informed here, by you, experts of the Russian Front will ever arise....

Again I do express my gratitude in sharing your knowledge and enlightning me to discover the identities of those claims of Lipfert.

Wish you and yours a nice week, in health and Peace.

Adriano B.
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