Highest scored VVS IAP in WWII

[marsyao]

hi, everyone, I knew the highest scored USAAF Fighter Group in WWII was the 4th FG, but could some one tell me which was the highest scored VVS IAP in WWII, how many kills did they claim ? I recall Mr Christer Bergström talked about this before in the old forum, but that was long time ago

[kolya1]

AFAIK, the highest scoring IAP's were the following (theses scores come from various sources and are expressed in "aircrafts destroyed", so that I don't know wether they include those destroyed on the ground or not...) :

1. 402 IAP : 810 kills, it was one of the "test pilots' units" created at the beginning of the war, and flew the Mig-3, then the Yak-1, Yak-7, Yak-9, and Yak-3.

2. 5 GIAP (ex-129 IAP): 735 kills, was in the process of converting from the I-16 to the Mig-3 in June 1941, then flew the LaGG-3, the La-5, and the La-7 at the very end of the war.

3. 16 GIAP (ex-55 IAP): 697 kills, also converting from the I-153 and I-16 to the Mig-3 in june 1941, then flew the Yak-1 and the P-39 with which it achieved fame (it was the unit of the most famous soviet ace : A.I. Pokryshkin).


I know that a few other units achieved scores of more than 500 kills but don't know much details about these, except that 9 GIAP (ex-69 IAP, 558 kills) and 812 IAP are among them...

[marsyao]

Thank you !

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by marsyao

hi, everyone, I knew the highest scored USAAF Fighter Group in WWII was the 4th FG,

4th FG had claimed 583.5 air to air victories and 469 on the ground.
56th FG had claimed 674 air to air victories and 311 on the ground.

[marsyao]

And I wonder why 402 IAP did not receive the "Guard" title

[kolya1]

Sorry, I made a typo, 5 GvIAP's score is 739 kills...

As for the "Guards" title, that's a good question, honestly, I don't know but one could remark that 812 IAP also didn't get this honor, and that both units were part of 3 IAK commanded by the famous General Savitskiy, who, although he got impressive results was notorious for his bad temper and disregard for orders...

But there are a few others "forgotten" regiments, like 4 IAP which scored 439 kills and was not awarded the "Guards" status, so that there not necessarily a link between these facts...

[marsyao]

Thanks again ! and could you introduce some famous aces servered in 402nd IAP ? Thanks !

[kolya1]

Honestly, I don't know about 402 IAP much in detail, there has been a list of yak aces in a George Mellinger book but he is relying on mostly secondary sources and is not always reliable...

For 402 IAP, he mentions the following pilots (IMO, it's worth the quality of his books, a basis but certainly not more than that) :

- Pavlushkin N.S. 35+48(?) shared (more probably 48 as a total including shares, as this number seems improbably high...).

-Pivovarov M.E. 26

-Manukyan A.B. 25

Ashchaulov D.N. 24

[marsyao]

Thanks! good enough for me

[WhiteKnight]

Can u tell some details about 812 IAP? Total Kills?Ranking in VVS IAP? Some famous aces?

Thanks!