First Yak9 shot down

[alessandro bray]

Hi,

I would known the date for the first recorded Yak-9 shot down in aerial combat

thank you in advance

Alessandro

[HGabor]

Tough question, but: 3 VA, 256 IAD, 91 IAP was one of the first fighter regiments that was equipped with Yak-9s. Many Yak-9s from Novosibirsk, Factory No.153, batch No.01 and No.02 were in 91 IAP service on June 19, 1943 (ЦАМО ф.35 оп.11287 д.1660 л.233), such as:

0115321
0115338
0115339
0115340
0115341
0115342
0115344
0115345
0115346
0115347
0115350
0215301
0215303
0215304
0215305
0215314
0215315
0215316
0215317
0215318
0215319
0215320
0215323
0215324
0215333
0215336
0215342

In 91 IAP, мл.л-т Голубев Николай Николаевич was killed in a Yak-9 on this day, on June 19, 1943, but he died in an aircraft accident. мл.л-т Коробейников Александр Григорьевич died a few days earlier on June 13, 1943, but his aircraft is unknown. So perhaps the 91 IAP had the very first Yak-9 combat loss, - but definitely they had a few of the first losses of this new model.

Gabor

[Stig Jarlevik]

Very interesting list Gabor

Did these two batches start with 001, ie 01153001 or somewhere higher and/or did they use black out numbers as well?
I am very much lost when it comes to Soviet WW 2 production details, but I collect snippets like this....

Cheers
Stig

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

Originally Posted by HGabor

on June 19, 1943, ... So perhaps the 91 IAP had the very first Yak-9 combat loss, - but definitely they had a few of the first losses of this new model.

Hello Gabor,

don't know when 1st Yak-9 was downed but it was certainly before 19.Jun.43:

26.May.43 Yak-9 No.0130 Sgt Barabanov M.S. (15.IAP 278.IAD) was downed by Bf109 near Kievskoye (Kiewskoje) (Kuban area). Pilot baled out, WIA.
26.May.43 Yak-9 No.0416 Lt Bykov V.N. (15.IAP 278.IAD) FTR in the same area

Best regards,
Andrey

[Nikita Egorov]

Very first combat loss occurred on March 15, 1943 with 32 GIAP Ml.Lt. Vladimir Gnatenko failed to return from air combat with pilots of either I/JG54 or II/JG54 in Staraya Russa area.

Then go losses of 163 IAP on May 9 and May 10.

[alessandro bray]

Thank you!

[HGabor]

Andrey, Nikita, thank you. In this case Barabanov flew Yak-9 S/N: 0115330, while Bykov flew 0415316. Soviet regiment diaries, etc. very often used only the short version of the AC serial numbers, ignoring the factory number part. (Only batch and plane in batch no.) It was sometimes painted on the fin of the plane with dash, eg.:
S/N: "0115330" = "0130" = "01-30". (All the same plane.)
It is easy to know if these planes were built in Novosibirsk, or Omsk as these two main Yak-9 aircraft factories made their serial numbers in a different way:

Factory 153 (Novosibirsk): xx153yy (Most of Yak-9B, Yak-9D, Yak-9DD, Yak-9T, - and after batch No.25: Yak-9M fighters)

Factory 166 (Omsk): xx166yyy (Most of Yak-9D, Yak-9R, Yak-9U fighters)

...where x=digits of batch No., y=digits of plane within that batch.

So a 4 digit serial, like Barabanov's 0130 was from Novosibirk as 0115330, but a 5 digit serial, like 16036 (мл.л-т Андреев Арсений Емельянович's (KIA, 17 VA, 288 IAD, 659 IAP) Yak-9D on December 22, 1944 in Hungary) was No.16166036 from the Omsk factory.

This means that eg. Yak-9 No."01153001" never existed, only 0115301, or 01166001. I hope this helps.

Gabor

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by HGabor

Andrey, Nikita, thank you. In this case Barabanov flew Yak-9 S/N: 0115330, while Bykov flew 0415316. Soviet regiment diaries, etc. very often used only the short version of the AC serial numbers, ignoring the factory number part. (Only batch and plane in batch no.) It was sometimes painted on the fin of the plane with dash, eg.:
S/N: "0115330" = "0130" = "01-30". (All the same plane.)
It is easy to know if these planes were built in Novosibirsk, or Omsk as these two main Yak-9 aircraft factories made their serial numbers in a different way:

Factory 153 (Novosibirsk): xx153yy (Most of Yak-9B, Yak-9D, Yak-9DD, Yak-9T, - and after batch No.25: Yak-9M fighters)

Factory 166 (Omsk): xx166yyy (Most of Yak-9D, Yak-9R, Yak-9U fighters)

...where x=digits of batch No., y=digits of plane within that batch.

So a 4 digit serial, like Barabanov's 0130 was from Novosibirk as 0115330, but a 5 digit serial, like 16036 (мл.л-т Андреев Арсений Емельянович's (KIA, 17 VA, 288 IAD, 659 IAP) Yak-9D on December 22, 1944 in Hungary) was No.16166036 from the Omsk factory.

This means that eg. Yak-9 No."01153001" never existed, only 0115301, or 01166001. I hope this helps.

Gabor

Thanks Gabor
My mistake Too many digits....
Also thanks for the extra details. Much appreciated!
Cheers
Stig

[kirche]

Originally Posted by Nikita Egorov

Very first combat loss occurred on March 15, 1943 with 32 GIAP Ml.Lt. Vladimir Gnatenko failed to return from air combat with pilots of either I/JG54 or II/JG54 in Staraya Russa area.

Then go losses of 163 IAP on May 9 and May 10.

Hello,
in the log of combat operations and the journal of combat losses of the 3rd Guards IAD ml.lt. V. Gnatenko in the last mission was on Yak-1.
Best regards,
Kirill

[HGabor]

Thanks Kirill, so the first Yak-9 combat loss was not his plane. BTW, 91 IAP also had 0315323 and 0315324 from batch No.03 on June 19, 1943. Thanks,
Gabor