Aces who scored 25 or more kills in the La-5

[knusel]

Good afternoon Gentlemen,

in the Lavochkin La-5 more aces scored 25 or more kills than in any other Allied airplane (including WW1 types).
I tried to compile them all:

ACE La-5 kills
1. Kirill Yevstigneyev (Евстигнеев Кирилл Алексеевич) 52,83
2. Ivan Kozhedub (Кожедуб Иван Никитович) 46
3. Vladimir Serov (Серов Владимир Георгиевич) 37,77
4. Nikolai Krasnov (Краснов Николай Фёдорович) 37
5. Vitalii Popkov (Попков Виталий Иванович) 37
6. Nikolai Skomorokhov (Скоморохов Николай Михайлович) 31,5
7. Aleksandr Dyachkov (Дьячков Александр Алексеевич) 30,33
8. Sergei Glinkin (Глинкин Сергей Григорьевич) 29,5-30,5 + 1 balloon
9. Nikolai Artamonov (Артамонов Николай Семёнович) 29,33
10. Viktor Kirilyuk (Кирилюк Виктор Васильевич) 29,25
11. Konstantin Novikov (Новиков Константин Афанасьевич) 28
12. Mikhail Mudrov (Мудров Михаил Иванович) 26,67
13. Pavel Dolgarev (Долгарёв Павел Михайлович) 26
14. Boris Rogov (Рогов Борис Пантелеевич) 26
15. Ivan Sklyarov (Скляров Иван Григорьевич) 26
16. Ivan Sytov (Сытов Иван Никитович) 25,25

I do not know if Sergei Glinkin's last kill on 18Apr45 was scored in a La-5 or in a La-7.
I also cannot exclude two guys from this list that I found in George Mellinger's "LaGG & Lavochkin Aces of World War 2": Ivan Georgievich Romanenko (13. IAP-KBF) and Ivan Ivanovich Tsapov (3. GIAP-KBF).

Can anybody give me a hint ?

Michael

[HGabor]

Nikolai Fedorovich Krasnov (last unit: 17 VA, 194 IAD, 530 IAP) was killed after an unsuccessful landing on icy ground at Solt-NE, Hungary on January 29, 1945 in his La-5FN No.14 (S/N: 39211314, engine serial: 829030) After running 350 m, his plane rolled over and he died. Later he was buried in Odessa. Previously he served in 402, 116 and 31 IAP.

[knusel]

Good evening Gabor,

Polak in STALIN'S EAGLES writes that Krasnov died ramming a bomber in an unarmed aircraft.
Is that another hoax of that book ?

Kind regards,

Michael

[HGabor]

Ha-ha-ha. Of course it is a ferry tale. Heroes of the Soviet Union could have only legendary deaths in the literature, not death by mistake :-)

He rolled over at landing and bled to death. Maj. Krasnov was an exceptionally good fighter pilot indeed, but his tragic death could have been avoided by belly landing or jump.

Did you see the attached military document (TsAMO) of the accident?

"10:55 - При взлете на боевое задание шасси не убралось. После прикрытия своих войск, на обратном маршруте в районе Шольт отказал мотор. Сел в поле, после пробега 350 метров самолет скапотировал. Находясь на вынужденной посадке в 3 км от места катастрофы стрелок-радист 260 БАП с-т Солодченко прибыл к самолету через час. Прорубил правую сторону фюзеляжа. Майор Краснов был мертв. (10 км СВВ Шольт, 500 м ЮВ госп дв Чаплар.)"

[HGabor]

On January 29, 1945 La-5s of the soviet 530 IAP flew 20 combat missions in the Dunapentele (now: Dunaújváros)-Adony-Hercegfalva (now: Mezőfalva) triangle over Hungary, protecting the ground forces of the soviet 18 Tank Corp. (110., 170. and 181. T-34 tank brigades, 363 Гв. САП's ISU-122s, ISU-152s, etc.) Their total flight time was 16 hours 40 minutes. They dropped 14 AO-25 frag. bombs and destroyed two enemy vehicles. Their only loss was Maj. Krasnov (HSU) in his La-5 fighter, which again, clearly shows that he flew a regular combat mission in a fighter plane, not an unarmed plane... It's just a hoax, or legend.

Gabor

[knusel]

Good morning Gabor,

thanks for posting of the original documents. But I'm still a very beginner in the Russian language.
I really should remove STALIN'S EAGLES from my aviation bookshelf and place it into the bookshelf of my kids between PETER PAN and SNOW WHITE, shouldn't I ?

Can you tell me if Capt Ivan Ivanovich Tsapov, HSU, 3. GIAP-KBF, 22+6sh kills is a phantom ? I found him only in the Lavochkin Aces Roster provided in George Mellinger's "LaGG & Lavochkin Aces of World War 2", nowhere else.

Have a nice Friday,

Michael

[Nick Hector]

Michael,

With all respect....

Given the mistakes that Mellinger includes in his books, you would do just as well consigning his books to the same fate

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Originally Posted by HGabor

"10:55 - При взлете на боевое задание шасси не убралось. После прикрытия своих войск, на обратном маршруте в районе Шольт отказал мотор. Сел в поле, после пробега 350 метров самолет скапотировал. Находясь на вынужденной посадке в 3 км от места катастрофы стрелок-радист 260 БАП с-т Солодченко прибыл к самолету через час. Прорубил правую сторону фюзеляжа. Майор Краснов был мертв. (10 км СВВ Шольт, 500 м ЮВ госп дв Чаплар.)"

Hello Gabor,

From this report, a gunner of 260 BAP was the first to reach the overturned La-5. Was he a survivor of another lost Soviet aircraft ?

[HGabor]

Correct. Ml.Sgt. Boris Antonovich Solodchenko was the gunner on Maj. Constantin Fedorovich Makeev's (Commander of 3rd Sq.) 260 BAP A-20B Boston, S/N: 41-3648, that was lost on December 8, 1944 which crashlanded where Maj. Krasnov had the fatal accident on January 29, 1945. See attached entry of their loss. (crew of Boston No.41-3648 returned safe on foot.)
Solodchenko was the first guy who discovered the overturned La-5 and tried to free Krasnov, who -by the time- was already dead. Solodchenko cut a hole in the fuselage of the La-5 to access Krasnov, but it was too late. It is very interesting what he could do in the area weeks after their crashlanding? Perhaps he visited their old wreck to remove some more useful parts or belongings or taking photos? I dunno. Anyway, their Boston was one of the downed three (41-3189, 41-3648 and 42-86671) Soviet bombers, destroyed by SG 10 Fw 190s (as per Tony Wood's list) on December 8, 1944 in the Lake-Velencei area. (I already detailed everything about these events - including Maj. Krasnov's accident and the Boston crewman - in my 2013 book: "Bostons in the Hungarian sky and soil 1944-45")

Cheers,
Gabor

[HGabor]

Michael,

Tsapov's unit never fought over Hungary, therefore I never collected materials on them. As of the books: I do not want to judge anyone's work without deeper research (that I have no time for), so it is up to you what you do with them.... But the story of Maj. Krasnov is definitely fake in there.

Gabor