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

[HGabor]

Some additional info for Hartmann’s claims by their AC types and dates. Many were NOT related to dogfights at all:

November 1, 1944:
Found NO (permanent) Lavochkin loss for Hartmann!
(Only permanent La-5(F) loss was claimed by Hungarian Capt. Pottyondy László at Szolnok. 5 VA, 177. GvIAP La-5F, S/N: 39215336, engine: 6504268, piloted by gv.ml.l-t Evgenii Ivanovich Batyunya (Батюня), - injured.)

November 7, 1944:
5 VA, 150. GvIAP Yak-3 (S/N: perhaps 32(292)14, officially assigned to 5 VA, 13. GvIAD HQ/Stab., written off by November 11, 1944) was lost in a dogfight at 12:19 (local), piloted by gv.l-t Evgenii Andreevich Pyankov. Six Yaks at 1400 m in the Lajosmizse area against four ‘Fw 190’s. Frontal attack, the Yak-3 burst into flames, pilot’s hands injured, burned first degree, landed with parachute. Sent to hospital.

November 15, 1944:
Found NO (permanent) Yak loss for Hartmann!
(Only: 5 VA, 6. GvIAD, 85. GvIAP lost a Novosibirsk (Plant 153)-built Yak-9D: S/N: 2015344, engine: 415-640 in collision. Pilot: gv.ml.l-t Aleksei Ivanovich Silkin was OK.)

November 21, 1944:
Found NO (permanent) Lavochkin loss for Hartmann!

November 22, 1944:
One 809 ShAP IL-2 crash-landing at Csány, 7 km. (S/N: 1878785, later repaired and transferred to 451 ShAP.) Crew of Lt. Fedor Stepanovich Polunin and c-a Kuptsov.
Only one, not 3 IL-2s. (200% IL-2 overclaim this day!) Yaks lost by 17 VA, 288. IAD in the South: 659. IAP: Yak-9D, S/N: 2015306, engine: 415-1427 (ml.l-t Yurii Aleksandrovich Vinogradov), 897. IAP, Yak-9T, S/N: 0815335, engine: 345-248 at Harkány (ml.l-t Nikolai Kuzmich Konovalov) - NOT Hartmann's op. area!

November 23, 1944: 5 VA, 331 IAD has lost 3 Yak-1Bs:
122 IAP, S/:N: 32161, tactical white '1' - at take-off (8:40 local) right wing touched the ground, plane broke, ml.l-t. Evgenii Semenovich Titov is unhurt. Engine (No.355-1983) salvaged.
513 IAP, S/N: 29156 and 45168, Goichenko's and Kuyanov's Yak-1s: Six Yaks covering six 809 ShAP IL-2s. 6 Fw 190s attacked the IL-2s, another 4 the Yak-1s. AC type was probably wrong: probably 4 Bf 109s, not Fw190s. (One of them was Lipfert’s at Atkár!)

December 5, 1944:
5 VA, 279 IAD, 486 IAP lost La-5FN, S/N: 39212724, engine: 8213433. Pilot, ml.l-t Vladimir Grigorevich Snagovski was MIA as the wingman over Ercsi, Budapest-S in a dogfight at 11:55 (local) with 6 ‘Fw 190’s. A La-5 pair (Lt. Blinov - ml.l-t Snagovski) against 6 Germans. Probably a La-5 recce. pair.

December 9, 1944:
5 VA, 150. GvIAP lost a Yak-3, S/N: 2318 (2329218), engine: 422-304, piloted by gv.ml.l-t Lev Gerasimovich Kamanyan at 14:50 local. Crashlanded on airfield after mission to Baracska area at 1000 m. 2 Yak-3 and 2 Yak-9 against up to 20(!) ‘Fw 190’s.
5 VA, 513. IAP lost an Omsk (Plant 166)-built Yak-9D, S/N:, 19166063, piloted by Capt. Aleksandr Kuzmich Fokin, broken at landing due to soft airstrip at 13:20 (local). LAC, pilot slightly injured.
5 VA, 513. IAP lost a Novosibirsk (Plant 153)-built Yak-9M, S/N: 2515361, piloted by st.l-t Vasilii Pavlovich Fedosov at 13:50 (local) 4 Yak-9s protecting six 809 ShAP IL-2s in the Csömör area at 1500 m. Hit by flak over the target, crash-landed at Tiszanána. Pilot is OK.

I think November 16 and 17 was already mentioned earlier. On November 17, 1944: Hungarian Capt. Pottyondy László's Boston victory was Lt. Danielyan's 5 VA, 453. BAP Douglas A-20G-15-DO 'Boston', S/N: 42-53956, R-2600-23: engines: 42-154063 and 42-154199 near Ócsa. Note: only ONE Boston combat-loss this day in 5 (and 17) VA, - from which 2 killed crewmen: Rizhkov and Vigovski were buried nearby at Bugyi! On this mission Hartmann was Pottyondy's wingman as they often flew together. Pottyondy attacked the bomber while Hartmann just followed him. No A-20 Boston destroyed by Hartmann this day, max. one damaged! The other Boston (S/N: 42-54223), lost on the 17th was lost due to the foggy weather and crash-landing in SE-Hungary near Kevermes, en route to Arad (Oradea, RO.), - clearly not a combat loss.

I think, that’s all for Hartmann's claims in Hungary until December 9, 1944.

I have no idea about other countries, but IF this statistics was his average, then he did not shoot down more than 100-150 planes altogether!!!! Not even 30-40% of his famous 352! All the rest was just paperwork (means: max. damaged, but not destroyed planes) - and propaganda of the Luftwaffe.

Gabor

(Source of soviet records: TsAMO, Podolsk, Russia - Central Military Archives of the Russian Federation)