VVS operations 6-8 may & 8-10 june 1943, claims and losses.

[Nokose]

O6 May 43 Raid on Poltava and Osnova(?) airfields
Bostons of the 454 BAP drop bombs on their targets. On returning to there lines they are attacked by Bf-109's. Ml. Lt. N.A. Shumikhina's Boston is hit and crew bail out. Shumikhina and Sgt V.S. Yevsey are WIA.
Uffz Gerhard Thyben 6/JG3 claims a Boston at 04:45 (70395).

[Evgeny Velichko]

actually:

Shumikhin

"a" means that person is a female. For example - "he" - Kuznetsov, "she" Kuznetsova

But in same time, the same "a" letter means "by" or "of".

For example:

"Aircraft of Kuznetsov" will be "Самолёт Кузнецова"

"Boston of Shumikhin" will be "Бостон Шумихина"

[Nokose]

06 May 43 19:15
Kramatorskaya airfield
6 Il-2 775 ShAP
6 La-5 GIAP
10 Yak-1 867 IAP

Losses for 775 ShAP: four Il-2 shot down by Bf-109's
Losses for 867 IAP: Yak-1 in Torskaya(?) region by unk
Losses for 5 GIAP: La-5 hit by AAA but possibly could have been shot down by a fighter.
VVS claims: FW-190 and a Bf-109

[Dénes Bernád]

ARR Bf 109Gs claimed that day 2 Il-2s and 4 LaGGs (plus another one probable), in the Kramatorskaya-Slavjyansk area. However, the claims were scored early in the morning, not in the evening.
Two Rumanian '109s were hit in air battle, but both returned to the base.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Oki, Nokose.

I'll try to make some additional lists. I think it is much easier for me than for You. I understand You have language troubles reading a book.

[Evgeny Velichko]

6 may 1943:

1 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfields Shatalovo and Borovskoye(~4:30)

To Borovskoye:

10 x Il-2 (leader Major Karyakin, 198 shap)
6 x Il-2 (leader Ml.Ltn. Egorov, 62 shap) with close escort of ?? x Yak-1 (leader St.Lt. Seroglazov, 162 iap)
4 x Il-2 (leader St.Lt. Alferov, 312 shap).

To Shatalovo:

5 x Il-2 (leader Major St.Lt.M.Stupishin, 312 shap) with close escort of 2 x La-5 (leader Kap.Chalbash, 49 iap)

--------------------------
Road to target:

Over Yelnya group of 312 shap came under attack of 6 x Fw190+Bf109's.

Losses:
Il-2 (Ml.Lt. I.Pastukhov, 312 shap) shot down by Fw190, crashed at 10km NE Yelnya;
Il-2 (Ml.Lt. L.Komarovskiy, 312 shap) shot down by Fw190, crashed at area Shatalovo;

--------------------------
Over the target:
Result of attack on both airfield is not seen because of aircombat.

---------------------
Road from target to home bases:

~6:25 group of 312 shap came under attack of 1 Bf110.
~6:30 group came under attack of large group of Fw190

Losses:

Il-2 (312 shap) heavy damaged by Bf110, crashlanded at his base airfield;
Il-2 (312 shap) heavy damaged by Bf110, crashlanded at his base airfield;
Il-2 (312 shap) heavy damaged by Bf110, crashlanded at his base airfield;

Claims:

Bf110 shot down by Il-2 gunners (Ml.Serj. Zubrarev - WiA, 62 shap), crashed in area of Baltunino;
Fw190 shot down by Il-2 gunners (312 shap), crashed and burned in area of Borovskoye;
Fw190 shot down by La-5 (Kap.Chalbash, 49 iap), crashed in area of Zhary;
Fw190 shot down by Yak-1 (St.Lt. Seroglazov, 162 iap), crashed in area of airfield;

2 - Raid to attack airfield Borovskoye (19:20-19:25)<<<<<writing description in progress>>>>
3 - Raid to attack airfield Sescha (5:30-5:45)
4 - Raid to attack airfield Bryansk (5:17-5:37)
5 - Raid to attack airfield Lubinka (~12:00)
6 - Raid to attack airfield Lubinka (~17:00)
7 - Raid to attack airfield Lubinka (~19:00)

2 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Rogan (~5:20)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Kharkov-Aleshki (5:20-5:30)
3 - Raid to attack airfield Kharkov-Sokol'niki (5:30-5:32)
4 - Raid to attack airfields Poltava and Osnova
5 - Raid to attack airfield Kharkov-Sokol'niki (~15:00)
6 - Raid to attack airfield Kharkov-Aleshki (~15:00)

17 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Kramatorskaya (5:03 - 5:17)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Kramatorskaya (~19:15)
3 - Raid to attack airfield Dnepropetrovsk-South (~6:10)

15 VA raid:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-Central (~6:30)

16 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Bolshaya Kulikovka
2 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-GVF (~14:30)
3 - Raid to attack airfield Khmelevaya and Gat' (Knubr') (14:28 - 14:30)
4 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-Central (~14:20)
5 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-Central (14:30 - 14:35)

8 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Kutejnikovo (~13:00)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Stalino (~5:45)

7 may 1943:

16 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Bolshaya Kulikovka (~5:22)
2 - Raid to attack airfields Khmelevaya (5:50-5:55) and Orel-Central (~6:00)

2 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfields Kharkov-Aleshki and Kharkov-Sokol'niki (evening)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Rogan' (~19:15)

1 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Sescha (~5:00)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Bryansk (~5:07)
3 - Raid to attack airfield Lubinka

8 VA raids:

1 - Raid to attack airfield Ilovajsk (~8:45)
2 - Raid to attack airfield Ilovajsk (~14:25)
3 - Raid to attack airfield Kutejnikovo (~9:00)
4 - Raid to attack airfield Stalino (~9:00)
5 - Raid to attack airfield Kramatorskaya (~5:10)

[Evgeny Velichko]

Briefly I can tell, that the most TRAGICAL raids were:

6 may 1943
16 VA raids:
2 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-GVF (~14:30)

16 x Il-2 of 41 shap escorted by Yak-1 of 896 iap:

- claimed 2 x Bf109
- lost 16 x Il-2 !!!, and 2 Yak-1....

6 may 1943
16 VA raids:
5 - Raid to attack airfield Orel-Central (14:30 - 14:35)

15 x Il-2 of 79 gshap, with escort of 8 x Yak-1 of 563 iap and 8 x Yak-7B 519 iap:

-claimed 8 x Fw190;
-lost 7 x Il-2, and 1 Yak-1

7 may 1943
16 VA raids:
1 - Raid to attack airfield Bolshaya Kulikovka (~5:22)

14 x Il-2 of 218 shap, with escort of 12 La-5 of 297 iap and fighter sweep of 8 x Yak-1 of 896 iap:

-claimed 2 x Fw190;
-lost 6 x Il-2, 3 x La-5, 2 x Yak-1.

2 - Raid to attack airfields Khmelevaya (5:50-5:55) and Orel-Central (~6:00)

6 x Il-2 of 79 gshap, 6 x Il-2 of 58 gshap, with escort of 5 x Yak-1 of 563 iap and 5 x Yak-1 of 176 iap;

-claimed: 3 x Fw190 and 2 x Bf109;
-lost: 3 x Yak-1, 12 x Il-2!!!

8 VA raids:
5 - Raid to attack airfield Kramatorskaya (~5:10)

18 x A-20 Boston (861 bap) with escort of 7 x La-5 of 5 giap, and 7 x Yak-1 of 867 iap;

-claimed: 1 x Fw190 and 5 x Bf109;
-lost: 1 x La-5 and 6 x A-20...

[Leo Etgen]

Hi guys

Again, many thanks to Nokose and Evgeny for their efforts. In attempting to match up which units engaged which raids, could it be that:

6 May 1943
Orel-GVF at 14:30 was opposed by Stabsstaffel and I./JG 51
Orel-Central at 14:30 was opposed by IV./JG 51
Kramatorskaya at 19:15 was opposed by III./JG 3

7 May 1943
Kramatorskaya at 5:10 was opposed by III./JG 3

However, the raids against Bolshaya Kulikovka, Khmelevaya and Orel-Central seems to have been opposed by I., III. and IV./JG 51 and I am unable to sort out who fought who. Do either of you guys have any idea how to figure this out if it is possible? Of course, I realize that in an engagement such as this with multiple units engaged in the same general area and time it is most likely impossible to do so.

Horrido!

Leo

[Juha]

Evgeny, Nokose, Leo and Dénes

Thanks a lot for the excellent and interesting info!

Juha

[Dénes Bernád]

The Rumanian victory claims for May 6, I mentioned earlier, were logged between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m. (possibly Bucharest's time, i.e. Moscow's time-2 hrs.).

Next day, a Rumanian fighter pilot claims an Il-2 near Slavyansk. No timing is available to me), while on May 9 two more LaGG-3s were claimed, also in the same area.