German overclaims in the East. Hartmann and others...

[HGabor]

The other four Yaks:

5 VA, 331 IAD, 122 IAP: Yak-9M, S/N: 2715382, engine: 415-2479, tactical No. white '100', piloted by ml.lt Grishaev, crashlanded and broke in the morning, during take-off on the airfield of Külső-Kiritó at 8:25, local time.

5 VA, 331 IAD, 179 IAP: Yak-9M, S/N: 2715317, engine: 425-384 piloted by Svistkov crashlanded at Újszász-E, 5 km after being hit by flak (at least in report, but could be AC from below) at Jászberény. Pilot returned to his regiment on the next day, on the 14th.

5 VA, 13 GvIAD, 150 GvIAP: Yak-3, S/N: 3518, engine: 422-174, tactical '35', piloted by Nikolaii Alekseevich Kireev was lost at Ócsa, Budapest-S, -SE. Six Yak-3s against 13 Bf 109Gs at 8:41, local, at 3500 m near Ócsa.

5 VA, 13 GvIAD, 150 GvIAP: Yak-9D, S/N: 1815358, engine: 415-854, piloted by gv.st.lt Nikolaii Sergeevich Egorov lost near Nagykáta at 11:54 local. Six Yak-3s and 2 Yak-9Ds against 8 Ju 87s and 8 Fw 190Fs, covered by 15 Bf 109s. Egorov shot 1 Ju 87 and 1 Bf 109 before being shot down. Pilot landed on enemy side of the front and hid. 7 hrs later in the dark he got back to his troops who returned him to his regiment OK.

No more 5 VA Yaks on November 13, 1944.

Hungarian fighters (Szentgyörgyi Dezső zls. at Jászkisér-N at 14:48, Fábián István őrm., Krascsenics Lajos szkv. and Tóth Lajos hdgy. at Tápiószele-S at 14:47-48) also claimed a few Yaks, - probably with overclaim too. Chances are that smoking Yaks in the battles were attacked and shot by several pilots until their crash, or crash-landing and finally everybody got full credit for them. This resulted many more victories than the real Soviet losses. Not to mention only damaged planes which returned OK and got repaired soon.

Gentlemen, pick your own! :-))))))))

Gabor