Fire ram of the "enchanted" order in May 1944

In the spring and summer of 1944, the Red Army advanced on all fronts. Even the blockade of Leningrad had already been completely broken, and the city began to revive again.

But the Baltic Fleet, which possesses the most powerful ships, was still locked up in Kronstadt, unable to enter the Baltic Sea.

The fact is that the Germans, not without reason fearing the actions of our submarines on communications, very efficiently blocked the Gulf of Finland with mines. And to prevent our trawling, a patrol was posted from among the ships of the Kringsmarine.

And it so happened that the large ships of the Baltic fleet could not approach the Siegel barrier because of the untouched canal. And the boats, which were originally supposed to remove mines, were driven off by the fire of enemy ships.

Therefore, I went aviation.

From March to May, the aircraft of the Baltic Fleet performed nearly two thousand sorties. At the same time, they lost 62 of their devices. But they could not inflict significant losses on the Germans. Our pilots lacked skill. And the German order of ships even deserved the name "bewitched".

Alas, the victory was not easy.

It had to be obtained at a high price. Including at the cost of your own life.

Feat

On May 8, 1944, during the attack of this order, a ram of an enemy ship by our attack aircraft, fully confirmed by German documents, occurred.

On this day, two Il-2 aircraft did not return from the sortie.

One is a two-seater, piloted by junior lieutenant Anatoly Anatolyevich Gavrilov. Born in 1923. In the spacecraft since 1940. And the shooter was junior sergeant Tsykunov Grigory Efimovich.

The other is a single one, which was run by junior lieutenant Alexander Timofeevich Grinchenko. Born in 1923.

Both pilots had the Order of the Battle Red Banner.

Which of them rammed is still unknown. But the feat itself is described in great detail in the war log by a German officer.

As a result of the ram, the German minesweeper FAU-1701 was sunk.

Now this ship has been found. And parts of the IL-2 were found on it.

It is quite possible that soon we will know for sure the name of the one who performed this feat.

Below is a story about these events by the historian Miroslav Morozov.

Comments

[Lech from Android.]

21 years old, the guys of the pilot-heroes, very young died. It is sad to read about the deaths of young people in this war, so many generations were interrupted at the very rise of life. The blockade of Leningrad cost our people very dearly.

[Kamchatsky]

We have a monument to the pilot who committed the "fire ram" not far from the city. On July 16, 1942, the commander of the 1st squadron of the 621st ShAP 8 VA, Major Mikhail Nikolayevich Dmitriev, sent his Il-2 to enemy vehicles. The Germans pulled him out of the plane (still alive!) And ordered him to be buried alive under the doorstep of the house. Local residents did not listen to the Nazis, they buried the pilot near the house, and after the liberation of the farm they were reburied in the cemetery. Now the farm does not exist, and the pilot is buried in a mass grave in the General farm of the Morozovsky district of the Rostov region.

[Malyuta]

Quote: Kamchatka

We have a monument to the pilot who committed the "fire ram" not far from the city. July 16, 1942

In Drapkin's radio book "I fought on the Il-2" there is a mention of a ram of an enemy column by an attack aircraft Hero of the Soviet Union, so after our troops seized the occupied territory, they found that the pilot and the gunner were buried by the Germans on the side of the road and laid on the grave two headsets and a Hero's Star.
It turns out that it was so too.

[yehat2]

The Germans revered the cult of strength in any form and many hardened Nazis fully respected the display of valor on the part of our soldiers. It doesn't matter - pilots, infantrymen or tankers.
So, military honors to the victims were commonplace.
The attitude was different mainly for newly drafted or poorly trained soldiers - these did not experience anything but hatred.

[Malyuta]

Quote: yehat2

The Germans revered the cult of strength in any form and many hardened Nazis fully respected the display of valor on the part of our soldiers. It doesn't matter - pilots, infantrymen or tankers.
So, military honors to the victims were commonplace.

In the recollections of fighter pilots, I read the fact that until a certain time, the crews that jumped out with parachutes in the air did not shoot both sides, thereby showing a kind of gentleness to colleagues in the celestial craft.
Although war is war, and probably it happened in different ways.

[yehat2]

it depended on the composition of the officers of each individual unit. Some did not touch the parachutists until 45.

[Malyuta]

Quote: yehat2

it depended on the composition of the officers of each individual unit. Some did not touch the parachutists until 45.

I agree, but again there are memories that it was especially chic to cut the lines with the wing and there is no such video filming, although the Germans had photo-machine guns exactly in 41.

[yehat2]

photo machine guns were not taken for every flight

[Petrik66]

photo machine guns were not installed on every fighter 1: 5 - at best. The photo-machine gun was turned on simultaneously with the start of firing, if you cut off the wing, then the shooting was not fired, although - in a collision between the wing and the person, the wing will be damaged and hardly anyone will risk it.

[mr.ZinGer]

Courage is a non-systemic unit.
Everyone respects him.

[Free wind]

Well, the Germans would hardly have left gold, I do not believe in such stories

[Kamchatsky]

I could not insert a photograph of the monument from my phone, but Major Dmitriev's feat was recognized as the first "fire ram" in the Battle of Stalingrad. As far as I know, the pilot was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, I don’t know the reason.

[Free wind]

There were many cases, but they did not write bad things about the victims. My grandfather, the commander of a rifle company, said that almost always reports were written about the dead about the awarding of awards. And no kind of help to families. ... Anyway, people are heroes !!!!!

[certero]

Quote: Malyuta

the crews thrown out with parachutes in the air did not shoot both sides, p

I remember how surprised I was reading the memoirs of one of the pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron where he described the shooting of German pilots fleeing by parachutes. Our people have never described such a thing.

[Konnick]

Our assault aircraft destroyed much more German ships than submarines.

[Malyuta]

Quote: Konnick

Our assault aircraft destroyed much more German ships than submarines.

To this we must also add the huge contribution of the mine and torpedo aviation regiments - MTAP.
The number of ships launched under the water was evidenced by the awards of the pilots, one order of the BKZ = 1 sunk transport.

[Konnick]

I don't remember exactly, but there was such information that the 46th ShAP of the Northern Fleet sank more ships than our entire submarine fleet. 132 ships and vessels are written in the article about the regiment commander Pavlov Georgy Vasilyevich.

[SIT]

How to attack warships on IL2 in general? This is an attack aircraft for direct support of the infantry, i.e. works almost from low level flight. At sea, this means that it will be fired at from all systems and calibers, including the main caliber. Moreover, from the means of destruction he has only PC. It cannot bomb from a dive at an angle of 70 degrees, because not designed for this and it does not have any brake grilles. It is pointless to bomb ships from horizontal flight, because the probability of hitting is very small. The accuracy of the RS also leaves much to be desired and therefore it is necessary to go into the side to increase the area of ​​destruction of the target. This is to receive a full side salvo of everything that is on the ship to the meeting. Here it remains to rely only on the iron nerves of the pilots and their combat training. On land, the Hero of the Union was given for 35 sorties on IL2. At sea it was necessary to give for 15.

[Konnick]

It is pointless to bomb ships from horizontal flight, because the probability of hitting is very small.

Topmast bombing was used, using bombs ricochet from the water.

[SIT]

So this is from low-level flight, i.e. for all barrels, including the main caliber, and with an approach to the target at a drop distance, and this is a maximum of several hundred meters. These are no longer iron nerves, but just steel cables.

[Konnick]

The losses were great, the 46th ShAP lost 130 people.

[SIT]

Eternal memory to these guys. They did not turn away, they went to the end ...

[gennady sh.]

There are still cannons and machine guns. Sometimes it worked like this - one link extinguished air defense, the other - an object ...

[scrub]

looks professional. Thank!

[Comrade Kim]

Quote: yehat2

it depended on the composition of the officers of each individual unit. Some did not touch the parachutists until 45.

The grandfather of a colleague at work told how, while in a German hospital (he was captured by a German with two bullets) he almost died from his own people. The Germans abandoned the wounded in retreat. Grandfather heard the door open, and a boy with a PPSh flew into it, pulled the bolt and led the barrel to the bunks with the Germans. The grandfather put a three-etad mat on the fighter, and this saved his life.
PS The boy's whole family died, as it turned out later.

[gennady sh.]

“At the same time, we lost 62 of our aircraft. But they could not inflict significant losses on the Germans. Our pilots lacked skill.” The pilots were experienced and courageous. The Germans just had Oerlikon quad anti-aircraft guns, and 88-mm, with PUAZO. From the combat course You can't turn off, but the German put the speed data of the IL-2 into the control device, the machine gun set the time for the detonation of the fuse on the projectiles, to block the fire. You had to break through the wall of fire that stood in front of you. So the guys did not take skill and courage. knew that if knocked over water, 10-15% survive.