JG 51 victories (Part 2)

[Monaco]

Equipped with the excellent Yak-1 fighter french volunteers of GC Normandie (Major J. Tulasne) suffered their first combat losses – 3 pilots were KIA (Asp. Marcel Bizien, Lt. Raymond Derville & Lt. André Poznanski) in a combat between 6 Yak-1Ms and 8 Fw.190s ( from IV./JG.51) over Spass-Demiensk 15km behind german lines- whilst flying from Polotriani-Zavod, sw. Moscow. In return pilots of GC Normandie claimed 3 Fw.190s (including 1 shared by Poznanski, Derville & Bizien) destroyed although JG.51 recorded no personnel losses, but probably overclaimed with 5 Yak-1s s/d (maybe another Yak-Regiment was involved).
13.04.43 Fw. Rudolf Wagner 10./JG 51 Jak-1 45 574: at 1.000 m. 14.13 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr. 225
13.04.43 Ofw. Hans Pfahler 12./JG 51 Jak-1 45 543: at 2.000 m. 14.15 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr. 472
13.04.43 Ofw. Hans Pfahler 12./JG 51 Jak-1 45 572: at 1.800 m. 14.20 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr. 473
13.04.43 Uffz. Martin Schamberger 11./JG 51 Jak-1 45 522: at 3.000 m. 14.25 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr. 395
13.04.43 Uffz. Martin Schamberger 11./JG 51 Jak-1 45 542: at 2.000 m. 14.30 Film C. 2032/II Anerk: Nr. 396
All German claimants were aces and wouldn´t survive 1943: Pfahler: 30 victories MIA 10.07.43, Schamberger: 14 victories, MIA 19.06.43 and Wagner (RK): 81, MIA 11.12.43.

13/04/43 Détruit Fw 190 Yak 1M Spsas / Danemark 6 (Slt) Durand Albert
13/04/43 Détruit Fw 190 Yak 1M Spsas / Danemark 3 (Slt) Mahé Yves
13/04/43 Détruit Fw 190 Yak 1M Spsas/ Danemark 111 (Lt) Derville Raymond, (Lt) Poznanski André and (Asp) Bizien Marcel

After this blow to morale GC Normandie was attached to 18 GIAP (Mayor Golubov), seeing more combat and morale improved despite the fact that in May low-level ground attacks had to be flown and another pilot was lost. Replacements arrived in time when the regiment was down to 10 pilots. It seems that GC Normandie was attached to 303 IAD (Gen. Zakharov) in June 1943 in preparation of the Battle for Orel.