Boston DB-7 Shot down Saloniki Sept 25,1944

[HGabor]

17 VA, 244 BAD, 861 BAP lost A-20G, S/N: 43-21525 on Sept 22, 1944 in Bulgaria, Akakintse(?) area. (Dmitriev crew)

5 VA, 218 BAD, 453 BAP, 1st Sq. lost A-20G, S/N: 43-21689 on September 22, 1944 on Kolozsvár/Cluj airfield in Romania. (Malov crew)

17 VA, 244 BAD, 260 BAP lost A-20G, S/N: 43-9782 on September 26, 1944 at Pirdop(?), Bulgaria in the mountains in an accident. ~60 km Sofia-E (Plehanov crew)

I am not aware of any other Boston losses between them from either the 5th, or the 17th VA.

Gabor

[researcher111]

Gabor and Zoran

Your remarks are correct and may be accounted to Opersvodkas
of 17 VA and 5 VA , not however to the Black Sea Fleet , also
the remark that BSF was no longer enganged with enemy forces
on that day which in case is correct this can only contribute to the
bizare outcome of this case .

The A-20 in question belonged and was listed as loss to the 2nd Sdq
of 30 KAP of BSF which was also known as 30th RSAP under
command of Col.Rojdensvensky and the aircraft was maritime
probably a J model .

So no real connection to 17th or 5 VA's. For your info Gabor the
260 BAP plane you mentioned as lost on mountain accident was flown
by Lt.Lopin (clarify why Plehanov ) and crashed some 45 Km of Sofia
and the one on Sept 22, 1944 was flown by Lt.Dmitriev possibly
due enemy involvement .

Alex K

PS: Saloniki would be on aprox on a 220 degree bearing from Gelendjik which
if flown on a direct course ,must have taken the a/c slightly over SSE of
Bulgaria and NNW of Turkey.

[HGabor]

On September 26, 1944 the 17 VA, 244 BAD, 260 BAP had in fact three incidents, not just one:

-Leonid Andreevich Gruzinskii crew at Vratsa, Bulgaria in accident.
-Nikolai Illarionovich Lopin crew in accident during weather recce. flight.
-Boris Vladimirovich Plehanov crew at Sofia-E, Bulgaria in accident, S/N: 43-9782, engines: 43-107007, 43-104434.

Since only one serial is given, the planes of the other two crews were probably not permanent losses. Perhaps the different records messed up the crews and their planes, if there was only one permanent loss, not three. 244 BAD diary - mentions indeed the 260 BAP Lopin-Klimovskii-Chapligin-Bashtirov crew missing on a weather recce. mission. But what about the other 2 crews and their planes? 43-9782 was linked to the Plehanov crew, so I don't know.

Other known losses on September 25, 1944:

- 5 VA, 14 GvIAD, 177 GvIAP La-5FN, S/N: 39211782, shot down at Torda/Turda, Romania, piloted by Gv.Ml.Lt Ivan Andreevich Poplutin (KIA).
- 5 VA, 6 GvIAD, 73 GvIAP Yak-1B, S/N: 28179 on Lugos/Lugoj airfield in Romania, destroyed on the ground between 07:18-07:40. (No pilot!)
- 5 VA, 6 GvIAD, 85 GvIAP Yak-9D, S/N: 1515399 on Lugos/Lugoj airfield in Romania, destroyed on the ground between 07:18-07:40. (No pilot!)
- 5 VA, 6 GvIAD, 85 GvIAP Yak-1B, S/N: 02175 on Lugos/Lugoj airfield in Romania, destroyed on the ground between 07:18-07:40. (No pilot!)

But these were not Bostons...
Gabor

[researcher111]

I'm aware about the events related the 260 BAP crews
you mentioned in particular of Gruzinsky's fate who was captured
sometime on Oct.'43 , one of the few who managed to
escape from Stalag Luft II Lodj and make it back to Soviet
lines after a very long saga , pass the NKVD clearing camp just
in order to be killed a year later near Vratsa.

Nevertheless thanks for info

Alex K