In hindsight, who was the top day scorer?

[Nick Hector]

Hafner was mentioned, so here goes

8th and 9th claims
12.9.41
2 x Su-2s ("R-3s")
135 BAP. Kapitan Lebedeva (female pilot) KIA and Starshiy Leytenant Yekaterina Zelyenko (female pilot) KIA (posthumous HSU in 1990)

13th claim
15.11.41/1310
DB-3
96 DBAP seems to have suffered at least one lost this date, navigator Emir Usinovic Abibulaev WIA and hospitalised, gunner Sergei Grigoryevich Bogatov KIA

15th claim
17.2.42/0955
R-Z
Possibly 735 NBAP's Lt. Herman Aleksandrovich Korotkov and St. Serzh. Georgy Mikhailovich Serenkov

17th claim
23.2.42/1105
"I-18"
148 IAP, 4 RAG, VVS Southwestern front lost 2 MiGs this date. One pilot KIA and the other baled out safely (versus 5 applicable claims)

25th claim
21.3.42/0820
Pe-2
Day's likely Pe-2 losses to JG 51 include 128 BAP, crew of Leonid Pavlovich Selivanov failed to return, Vyazma-Yartsevo sector (versus 3 claims in total)

26th and 27th claims
22.3.42/1730 and 1733
2 x “I-61s”
Possibly Hurricanes of 195 IAP, they lost St.Lt. Grigorii Pavlovich Shcherban KIA

28th claim
29.3.42/1455
R-Z
Day's Biplane losses include 695 NBAP's Lt. Pavel Petrovich Soloviev KIA near Smolensk in a U-2
(2 x claims by 7/JG 3 may also apply to this loss)

33rd claim
6.4.42/0840
Pe-2
There were two other claims. One of these was likely from 128 BAP. At least one loss to fighters, crew of Aleksandr Borisovich Rogozin. Another from 40 APDR, crew of Lt. Stepan Mikhailovich Moshkin

36th, 37th and 38th claims
5.7.42/0932, 0945 and 1120
IL-2 Sturmoviks
224 ShAD, 1 VA. One of the day's losses was Archil Vasilyevich Ameridze another was Viktor Nikolaevich Samusodov. 683 ShAP lost Fedor Fedorovich Screbkov KIA. 208 ShAP lost Serzhant Vladimir Pavlovich Starovojtov KIA. Definitely lost to fighters was Serzhant Dmitri Vasilyevich Chebanov of 214 ShAD

47th and 48th claims
11.7.42/0505 and 0508
2 x MiG-1s
236 IAP lost Serzhant Nikolay Ivanovich Aleksandrov KIA in air combat this date. 513 IAP lost Nikolai Tikhonovich Bondaryev, Lt. Nikolai Nikolaevich Tunikin and Lt. Vasily Vasilyevich Syomin all KIA as well. 18 GIAP lost Lt. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chetyrkin near Verkhni Syaglo, Smolensk sector

49th claim
23.7.42/1020
Pe-2
15km NW of Bolchow @ 1800m
Was this from 778 BAP? Navigator Konstantin Pavlovich Borovitsky was KIA in aircombat this date near Yelets

Claims 57-60
22.8.42
2 x Yak-1
1 x MiG-3
1 x IL-2 Sturmovik
Day's Yak losses include Lt. Georgy Vasilyevich Yuzhakov and Ml.Lt. Nikolay Matveevich Stefashin both of 20 IAP, both KIA
122 IAP (MiGs) lost Ml.Lt. Vasily Ivanovich Afonin KIA
Day's IL-2 losses include Serzhant Leonid Anisimovich Shekolov of 62 ShAP KIA and 724 ShAP lost Nikolay Nikolaevich Yurkin KIA

61st claim
23.8.42/1720
IL-2 Sturmovik
25km S of Kozelsk (PQ 54281) @ low altitude
Likely 312 ShAP, one lost to fighters this date: Ml.Lt. Aleksandr Illich Sokolov KIA

63rd claim
16.11.42/1212
Spitfire
20km E of Bone @ 100m
81 sqn.Two losses: Sgt. Lowrey crashlanded WIA (returned to unit with help from Arabs) and F/O J R Diack KIA

64th claim
17.11.42/1338
Blenheim V ("Beaufort"/"Beaufighter")
15km NW of Bizerta @ low altitude
18 sqn. Losses include BA815/O of F/O G H Berry, Sgt. V G Rowen and Sgt. R E W Page all KIA; BA794/C of F/O C W Kaye, F/O E G Clegg and Sgt. J Walder all KIA and BA828/H Of F/S W L Williams, W/O J McCombie and F/S J Brown all POW. Additionally, BA780/B of S/L W J H Tucker, P/O W Docherty and F/S J Bartley plus BA819/M of P/O G W Sims, Sgt. S Litchfield and Sgt. C Cosens both bellylanded at allied airfields.

65th and 66th claims
27.11.42/0917 and 1648
2 x Spitfire Vs
152 and 72 sqns. 152 sqn lost Sgt. Kenneth Victor Lindquist RCAF KIA plus Sgt. W P Paris damaged, 72 sqn lost P/O J Lowe. 93 sqn possibly also involved. One source says Lowe lost later in the day (making him a good candidate for claim 66)

67th claim
28.11.42/1648
B-17F-1-BO Flying Fortress ("Stirling")
35km W of Bizerta @ 4000m
41-24374 of 32nd BS, 97th BG or 353rd BS, 301st BG. 1/Lt. Robert E Maher and crew all KIA to enemy fighters

68th claim
30.11.42/1447
P-38 Lightning
15km SW of Tunis @ 600m
41-7644 of 48th FS, 14th FG. Lt. Arthur V Cole failed to return

69th and 70th claim
1.12.42/1041 and 1046
2 x Spitfires
Mateur sector
93 sqn. Overclaiming, only two losses: F/O W R Guilfoyle MIA and F/O B E McPherson returned later in the day (there were 5 claims all up)

71st claim
2.12.42/0832
Spitfire
5km S of Tebourba @ 1800m
Were these from 152 sqn? F/O Harold Lindsay Cathcart Woolley KIA and P/O G E Glenwright safe (listed as having taken off at 1230 so massive time discrepancy)

72nd claim
3.12.42/1235
P-38 Lightning
15km SW of Tunis @ 800m
This one a known overclaim. 94th FS, 1st FG airborne at this time but did not even record any combat

73rd claim
5.12.42/1203
P-38 Lightning
10km S of Tebourba @ 6500m
1st FG. No known losses in combat this date (overclaiming?)

74th claim
5.12.42/1218
Spitfire
5km W of Tebourba @ 2200m
93, 72 sqn and 152 sqns. 93 sqn serials were ER330 and ER594, both shot down shortly after take off from Medjez-el-Bab, pilots were Sgt. Thomas Leon Mincher KIA and P/O A Y M Haley POW. 72 sqn lost Sgts. F M Browne MIA and A Mottram KIA, plus P/O John William MacDonald (RAAF) KIA and 152 sqn lost P/O Glenwin (returned)

75th claim
7.12.42/1208
Spitfire
3km NW of Tebourba @ 1200m
185 sqn? Two losses: BR295 of Sgt. D G Guy MIA and serial unknown of Sgt. J D Billing baled out and rescued (listed as having taken off at 1600, so large time discrepancy)

76th claim
17.12.42/1555
P-38 Lightning
8km NE of Medjez el Bab @ 2200m
1st FG. (Petr Kacha's site says this was Norman Widen, see next day's entry)

77th claim
18.12.42/1130
P-38 Lightning
8km NW of Tunis @ 9000m
94th FS, 1st FG. Either Lt. George W Sutcliffe returned safely, Lt. Victor Galbraith Giles KIA or Lt. Clark O Jennings also returned safely

78th claim
18.12.42/1134
P-38 Lightning
Tunis-el Aouina airfield @ 9000m
94th FS, 1st FG. Lt. Norman L "Cy" Widen, POW

79th claim
26.12.42
P-38 Lightning
94th FS, 1st FG. 2/Lt. Richard Bruce Jones KIA

80th claim
28.12.42/1531
P-38 Lightning
03 Ost 95631, Tunisia @ low altitude
49th FS, 14th FG. Overclaiming, only one loss: 5781/"Tangerine" of Lt. Levie F Mullinax Jr POW (returned after Italian surrender)
…Versus 5 claims

81st claim
2.1.43/1228
P-38 Lightning
10km SW of Pont du Fahs @ 200m
27th FS, 1st FG. Overclaiming, only two losses: Capt. Joseph H Glenn (CO, returned WIA) and Lt. Henry K Smith. There were several claims but these two are generally attributed to Hafner and Schultz

107th and 110th claims
28.10.43/1250 and 1455
Boston III
Loyev sector
57 BAP, 221 BAD, 16 VA. At least two losses: Crews of Mladshiy Leytenants Morozov and Utkin all KIA (there were 4 claims)

131st and 132nd claims
22.2.44/1504 and 1506
2 x IL-2 Sturmoviks
79 GShAP, 2 GShAD. 3 definite losses. Crews were: Alexei Ilyich Kolomeets & Kondrashov, Ivan Iosifovich Snegirev & Kuteikin plus Mikhail Ivanovich Arkhipov & Ryabov. Believe pilot Karputin returned the next day (versus 4 claims)

140th to 144th claims
3 x IL-2 Sturmoviks
2 x Yak-9s
Partischi-Bobruisk-Rogatschew sector
16 VA. Very likely overclaiming, very little substantiation of German claims in Soviet loss records

148th-150th claims
26.6.44
3 x Yak-9s
Bobruisk sector
16 VA. As a whole, it only lost 19 aircraft this day, the majority attributed to ground-fire

180th claim
24.8.44/1505
La-7 ("LaGG-5")
40km WSW of Mitau (PQ 37374) @ 1500m
63 GIAP, 3 GIAP, 1 GIAK, 3 VA. Mladshiye Leytenanty Ponomarenko and Melekhov both KIA (first La-7s lost in combat) (the other was shot down by Bernhard Vechtel)

181st claim
25.8.44/1632
La-7 ("LaGG-5")
40km WSW of Mitau (PQ 37378)
63 GIAP, 3 GIAD, 1 GIAK, 3 VA. Leytenant Mironov (details of fate pending)

186th claim
19.9.44/1536
Pe-2
45km NE of Telsche (PQ 27654) @ 3000m
1 GBAK, 3 VA. 5 losses: crews of St.Lt. Pochtar, Ml.Lt. Alenin, Ml.Lt. Kondrashev and Ml.Lt. Kumanev all shot down. Kapt. Mamontovsky crashlanded safely (versus 5 claims, so definitely legitimate victories)

187th claim
22.9.44
A-20 Boston III
40km SW of Tukkum (PQ 27422) @ 1000m
1 GMTAP VVS-KBF. Losses include St.Lt. Mark Ivanovich Zhilenkov KIA, Lt. Aleksandr Fedorovich Baranov, Lt. Thepermiaks (?), Gv.Ml.Lt. Mikhail Petrovich Permyakov and Ml.Lt. Sergei Petrovich Pudov all KIA (versus at least 5 claims)

203rd claim
17.10.44/0447
25km SE of Blumenfeld (PQ 25455) @ 3000m
Was this M.Lt. Vasilli Koval's (shot down) or Lt Nikolai Petrovich Vorobyev's (forcelanded) machine? One of them from 135 GBAP. Gw.Ml.Lt. Grigory V. Ugurân definitely from 135 GBAP definitely lost this date (Rudolf Trenkel may have been responsible for one of the losses too)