Sources in English about Soviet IAP units?

[GuerraCivil]

I´m looking for details of combat history of some Soviet IAP´s during 1939 - 1945. However I do not understand Russian, so the possibly available info should be in English/German (or even in Spanish).

The units of which I´m interested:
15 IAP
49 IAP
70 IAP

I know already some details of their operational history during Nomonhan conflict 1939 and Winter War against Finland in 1939 - 1940, but also the later history would be interesting to know.

[HGabor]

Well, this is in Russian, but you can use any translator program to translate it with just copy and paste:

http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi...ruct/p_iap.dat

Gabor

[kurlannaiskos]

some limited info I have :
15 iap operated the I-15 in 1938
49 iap oprated the I-153 in 1941 - part of KBF
no info on 70 iap, sorry
(my interest is mostly 1941-1945)

[GuerraCivil]

Thaks for info.

I became interested also about this unit: 71 IAP (VVS KBF, Baltic Fleet Air Force) and its operational history during 1941 - 1943 at Leningrad front/Gulf of Finland. Specially of interest would be the Chaika (I-153) squadrons and other units based on island Lavansaari in those years.

I have some interesting information by enemy side (Finnish Air Force). There were even couple of air combats between Soviet I-153 and Finnish I-153 during the year 1942 (both sides having Chaikas in operational use). It would be interesting to compare unit records of 71 IAP with those of enemy.

Here one intriguing detail:

Big air combat between Finnish and Soviet fighters near Suursaari island on the evening of 27.3.1942: according to Finnish sources Soviet lost 15 aircraft, but according to surviving Soviet sources only 2 I-153 losses of 71 IAP can be identified of all Finnish claims. based on the Finnish magazine Ilmaluhistoriallinen Lehti 2/2014

Finnish combat reports have been usually considered more reliable than those of Soviets and that also with some justification, but I´m not sure if they were always reflecting well the actual results of air combats (big overclaiming seems likely in the above example).

However when it comes to air combats between Soviet Chaikas of Lavansaari and Finnish Chaikas during 1942, both Finnish and Soviet sources seem to agree of that the result was 2 Finnish Chaikas and 1 Soviet Chaika shot down by their counterparts of other side.

[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

Book Suomen Ilmavoimat IV 1942 (ISBN978-952-99743-1-3) by Keskinen & Stenman refers Soviet sources and gives four I-153 losses for 71 IAP and one I-16 loss for 11 IAP? Five losses against fifteen claims.

One possible reason given for the overclaiming on the Suursaari battles is rockets carried by the Soviet fighters. Most Finnish pilots did not even know of their existence. When such pilot attacks and shoots - soviet pilot getting rid of the rockets simultaneously - the attacking pilots sees lots of flames and smoke. Ergo, a victory. Not necessarily.

Cheers,
Kari