JG 54 loss on 28 Jun 1944

[Nokose]

Was there a loss of a Bf 109 by JG 54 on the 28 Jun 1944 while attacking a group of 6 Il-2s at around 12:20-12:40 (Moscow) [11:20-11:40 Berlin]?

[Nokose]

I've looked at this closer and this could actually be a Finnish Bf 109 but my source shows no losses for them that day. In the same area earlier I/JG 54 had been operating but I don't believe they were flying 109s. An air gunner on an Il-2 claimed a Bf 109 after it dived on his aircraft, "Air gunner Kasimov fired at it at a distance of 250 m. With a long burst shooting down the Me-109, which crashed smoking into the forest 2 km south of Kaylola, which was confirmed by the guidance radio station "Bukhta" [could mean a radar station but not translating as that]. In one of the volumes of Christopher Shores books on the desert air war, he mentioned that the Bf 109 exhaust smoke confused many allied pilots that they had shot down the fighter [which volume I don't recall]. This might have been the case here.

[Matti Salonen]

Possibly this:
28.06.1944, 3./HLeLv 24, Bf 109 G-6, 164931 (NY+AU), MT-438, Juustila (Брусничное)
Pilot Staff sergeant Emil Vesa
Forced landing at 11.10 after hits in the cooler.

Matti

[Nokose]

Thanks Matti. It appears that Serzhant Kasimov of the 448 ShAP possibly did have a confirmed kill.

[Juha]

Hello
IMHO Vesa’s combat was one and half hours too early, 09:00 – 10.00 Finnish time (10:00 – 11:00 Moscow time). Kasimov’s formation probably fought against a later patrol of the HLeLv 24, 5 Bf 109Gs taking off 11:00 – 11:05 and fought against Il-2s and Yak-9s, all 5 returned to their base 11:50 – 12:10. Leader’s plane was hit but by a Yak according to his combat report (Suhonen MT-238). The damage was light because the plane was flown next time on the same day, another sortie taking off 14:00. Finns claimed 4 Il-2s and one Yak-9. Is there any info on possible Soviet losses in your source?


Juha

[Matti Salonen]

Vesa fought two times on that day: 09.00-10.00 and 10.25-11.10. He claimed two Il-2s during the first flight and was shot down during the second. This second flight was with 3 other Bf 109s of 3./HLeLv 24 (MT-436, MT-439 and MT-440).

Of course also other sorties, as that 11.00-12.10 of 1./HLeLv 24 and 2./HLeLv 24, are possible, because there were a lot of flights on that morning. However, MT-438 is the only one, which can be considered a loss, although this aircraft was later repaired.

Matti

[Juha]

Thanks Matti for the correction.
I somehow missed Vesa's second combat.

Juha