"Normandie" claims over Bf110, 13 july 1943

[Evgeny Velichko]

Hi! Thx for answer!

From SKG 210 / ZG 1 damage/losslist by John Vasco:

13-07-43
Bf 110 G-2, Stab./ZG 1, S9+BA, W.Nr. 6295, 100% , Obstlt. Joachim Blechschmidt (MiA), Uffz. Hans Wörl (MiA), Force-landed behind Russian lines lines following combat with Russian fighters. Both crew seen to leave the aircraft. Uljanowo - Bolchow (Actually Ulyanovo - Bolkhov)

Bf 110 G-2, 2./ZG 1, W.Nr. 6111, 25%, Damaged by enemy fighters. Near Uljanowo.

Bf 110 G-2, 3./ZG 1, W.Nr. 6292, 15%, Technical problem. Uljanowe- Bolchoff.

Vitaly Gorbach, author "Nad Ognennoy Dugoy" book about air combats during Kursk Battle. sayd that it is thought that Blechschmidt became PoW and somewhere in archives there are report of questioning.

For this day and area I received following data.According combat report of 303 iad:

14.49-15.47 (briefly, report of 198 shap is large): 4 Il-2 of 198 shap (leader - Kap.Malinkin) with escort of 4 Yak-7 of 172 iap (leader Maj. Vyazovik), mission to attack enemy retreating troops on road Durnevo-Sorokino-Ulyanovo, came under attack of 6 Bf110 from 6 oclock and 6 Bf110 + 2 Fw190 from 12 oclock.

1st pair of Il-2 was attacked by 4 Bf110, 1 of them attacked Il-2 of Kap.Malinkin, but Bf110 was hit by Il-2 wingman (Efimov) and breaked. Another Bf110 shot down Il-2 of Malinkin. 2nd pair of Bf110 attacked Il-2 of Efimov, but breaked because Il-2 gunner fire.

2nd pair of Il-2 came under attack of Bf110's, failed to return on combat missions.

Claims:
Bf110 damaged by Il-2 Lt. Efimov, 198 shap (attack from behind, ~30 metres - result : "left engine burned, heavy smoke);
Bf110 shot down by Yak-7 Maj. Vyazovik;
Both in area of Ulyanovo.

Losses of 198 shap:
Il-2 (Zav.Nom. 7353), Malinkin (Pilot), Smirnov (Gunner) - KiA;
Il-2 (Zav.Nom. 5667), Zinovsky(Pilot), Rezodubov (Gunner)- MiA;
Il-2 (Zav.Nom. 1295), Nemira(Pilot), Ivanov (Gunner)- MiA,

"19.22-20.20 8 Yak-9 (leader Kap. Littolff), escort mission to Durnevo area. Air combay on alt.=800-1200 against 20 Me110. Claims - 3 Me110 (Littolff, Castelain, Durand). All 3 Me110 crashed in area of bridge. Durand fought against 8 Me110, Castelain made attack from below."

Must add: in area of bringe across Vytebet river was heaviest battle of 11 Guards Army, tryed to forse it. All over the day bridge was under attack of german aviation.

Your report says: Ktsyn (Кцынь) area. But it is far away from Ulyanovo-Durnevo area.

Map: http://pics.livejournal.com/bersrk/pic/0000tkfw

Durnevo - Дурнево
Ulyanovo - Ульяново
Sorokino - Сорокино
Ktsyn - Кцынь
Krapivna - Крапивна (Herrmann KiA of AAA on thext day, 14.07.43 over it)

In that fight 198 shap vs ZG 1 one Il-2 claimed by Hptm. Herrmann, directly in Ulyanovo area. No more claims of Bf110 in that time and area, but it known that 2 other Il-2's were shot down by Bf110.

As for me, I can only propose that they are "unclaimed" victoryes of Blechschmitt, who attaked least pair of Il-2's, shot them, and then attacked leader of 1st pair, but was damaged by Lt. Efimov and breaked, trying to emland with burning engine. In same time Hermann "finished" Il-2 of Malinkin.

Anyway, to be 100% certain, we need TIME of loss of Blechschmitt. But we have no.