Mustangs lost over Hungary on 14 October 1944

[Boris Ciglic]

What I'm trying to find out is the identity of US fighter which was reputedly shot down by kap. Gennadiy Shadrin of 117.GvIAP near Bela Crkva, east of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on 14 October. Whilst returning from a patrol, he was vectored towards an unknown plane flying at altitude of 3.000 meters. He quickly caught up with it and recognized a Mustang with USAAF markings. The Soviet ground control suspected that the aircraft was recconoitering their positions and instructed him to force it to land. Despite some hand signs, wing waving and warning shots, American pilot did not respond and tried to flee in southern direction. It was then that commander of 10.GvShAD gen.maj. Andrej Vitruk ordered Shadrin to shot him down, which he did. American pilot bailed out, but his parachute failed to open and he fell near Bela Crkva. In order to hush up the incident, a Bf 109 was claimed instead and all involved ordered to keep quiet. From the 15.AF Mustangs lost that day, only the pilots of the two I asked for were reported dead, and according to MACR's they were last seen over Hungary, over 300km NW of Bela Crkva.