Air ram - the nightmare of the German aces
As a rule, in life, the most difficult to answer the simplest questions. It was this “simple” question that prompted us to turn to the topic of air rams committed by Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War, and was asked by the authors when preparing this article for publication. I would like to give an answer with one capacious and chased phrase, but, alas, we will have to spend a little more space on the answer.
First, the authors believe that any stroke in stories World War II simply can not be superfluous. The less there will be in the description of the events of those years of ambiguity and lack of agreement, the easier it is for us, the descendants, to estimate the scale of our Victory. Secondly, accurate knowledge of the fact is especially important when covering heroic deeds, to which, no doubt, are the highest manifestations of the pilot's courage and will - air ramming. Finally, thirdly, it’s just our duty to those who fought for our Motherland in a fiery military sky.
We do not pretend to absolutely complete coverage of the topic. At the same time, our conscience is reassured by the fact that even General A.D. Zaitsev, who had significantly greater opportunities, in his study (AD Zaitsev, Weapon strong in spirit. Monino, 1984) was unable to find comprehensive information on a variety of combat episodes. There is no doubt that in some cases we may also have factual errors. Readers have the right, both to agree with us, and to reasonably refute our arguments. On the German side, we brought in daily loss reports from the German Bundesarchive. These documents are a very valuable source material for the historian. However, the reports were fully preserved only until the end of 1943. In addition, like any documents drawn up “in hot pursuit,” they are not free from various errors. An additional difficulty is created by the fact that quite often in the reports there is not only the cause of death, but even an approximate place.
And one more significant remark. It is almost impossible to fully identify episodes of air warfare in conditions of massive use aviation in separate sections of the front. In this regard, we did not in some cases take the liberty of attributing the enemy’s losses to the account of this or that Soviet pilot who rammed the enemy in the air. Although often the probability of the death of an enemy machine from a ramming strike is significantly higher than from other causes.
The first mention of the "Russian" method of air combat is contained in the documents of the Luftwaffe from 1 July 1941. On this day, in the area of Mogilev, as a result of a ram, Non-111Н-5 (serial number w / n 4057, board code А1 + СN) from 5./KG53 was lost. All aboard, including the war correspondent were missing. In the work of A.D. Zaitsev no information about the ram on this day. However, in the book of R.S. Irinarkhova (Western Special ... Minsk, 2002), there is a mention that on July 1 in the Mogilev region, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Vasilievich Terekhin from 161-i depressed an enemy bomber. At A.D. Zaitsev, this episode takes place under 10 July. However, a careful study of both messages leads to the idea that in this case, the distinguished author is mistaken. In general, this ram "lucky". No less well-known D.B. Khazanov in his recently published book The Unknown Battle in the Skies of Moscow. Defensive period "states that this" Heinkel "on July 2 was rammed by an 11 pilot iap lieutenant S.S. Goshko. * [Unfortunately, the fact that the plane from KG53 Goshko not rammed is absolutely true. But we haven’t yet managed to find “his German”] Documents from the Bundesarchive do not allow us to join this version.
German bomber "Heinkel" He-111
9 July 1941, a SB bomber from 208, sbap, piloted by Lieutenant Alexander Vasilyevich Kurochkin, was attacked by German fighters near the city of Sebezh and caught fire. Then Lieutenant Kurochkin sent his burning car to the enemy fighter. Together with the commander the navigator Konstantin Dmitrievich Stepanov and the air gunner Sergey Konstantinovich Salangin were killed. Air ramming by bombers is rare. Nevertheless, the documents of the enemy recorded a Martin-Bomber ram, as the Germans called our Security Council, destroying together with two pilots Bf-110E-1 (w / n 4084, 3U + DM) from 4./ZG26.
18 July 1941, the commander of the 71 link and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force, Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Alexandrovich Mikhalev, patrolling the I-153 near the bridge over the Narva River, attacked a nearby reconnaissance officer Hs-126. Having made several attacks and having shot all ammunition, rammed it. "Henschel" crashed into the ground, and Mikhalev was able to land a damaged "gull" at his airfield. According to German documents, Hs-126 (w / n 4026) from 2 was rammed. (H) / 21. True, the crew of the “crutch” was lucky, the pilot and Letnab remained alive and unharmed.
Soviet SB bomber
23 July 1941, Junior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Novikov, rammed over the city of Smela, the plane, which he took for Heinkel-111. In fact, this attack suffered (damage 55%, according to the German classification) Ju-88A-5 (w / n 8256, B3 + AN) from 1./KG54. His pilot, Lieutenant Yarov, managed to bring his plane to the field airfield. He successfully survived the war, and, despite his age, is still in good health. Fortunately, Mr. Yarov does not know the Russian language and cannot read what was written in the national press about the July 23 ram.
July 25 Two Ju-1941A-88 did not return from reconnaissance flights to the Soviet capital area in July. One of them (w / n 5, F0285 + AK) belonged to 6. (F) / 2, the second (w / n 122, F0453 + AO) - Erganzungstaffel / 6. Both cars were destroyed by the 122 air defense missiles. One of them was rammed by Lieutenant Boris Andreyevich Vasilyev from 6-iap. The German plane crashed and crashed, and our pilot landed safely on his own airfield. * [We are inclined to think that Vasiliev has a second Ju-11]
German Junkers bomber Ju-88
On the night of 28 on 29 in July 1941 of the year in the skies of Moscow, the Germans lost Not-111Н (w / n 4115, 1H + GS) from III./KG26. In this case, the data of both parties coincide. Taranil enemy bomber senior lieutenant Peter Vasilyevich Eremeev from 27-th iap 6-th James Air Defense.
On the night of 9 on 10 of August 1941, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Alexandrovich Kiselev of 34 and 6, air defense, destroyed an enemy bomber at the approaches to the capital. According to German data 9 August, Non-111Н-5 (w / n 4250, А1 + НН) did not return to its airfield from the 1 squadron of the 53 bomber squadron that was shot down over Moscow by anti-aircraft fire. In our opinion, some discrepancies in this episode are not so serious as to exclude the version of a successful ram.
11 August 1941 of the year on the MiG-3 plane was made by a high-altitude ram deputy squadron commander of the already mentioned 27-iap, Lieutenant Alexey Nikolaevich Katrich. German sources confirm on this day the loss for an unknown reason of the scout Do-215 (w / n 0075, L5 + LC) from 1./ObdL, which carried out a reconnaissance flight along the Oryol – Tula route. His crew, led by Lieutenant R. Roder, is reported missing.
On August 15, according to German documents, an enemy fighter, in the vicinity of Nikolaev, shot down a Ju-88-4 bomber (w / n 1236) from the 3 squadron of the 51 bomber squadron. This episode clarifies the history of the 51 squadron published after the war. In fact, the "Junkers" was rammed "off the western coast of the Crimea" by a Soviet fighter. But, despite the damage, the crew of Lieutenant Unrau managed to “hang out” his car to Romania, over which he, in full force, including the wounded side gunner of the noncommissioned officer Polok, safely left the plane on parachutes. It is possible that this episode is associated with the feat of Junior Lieutenant Vladimir Fedorovich Grek from the 9 of the BBC Black Sea Fleet. Covering a floating dock towed from Nikolaev at sea, he rammed an enemy plane. The pilot himself died at the same time *. [In the book of A.D. Zaitsev is somewhat uncertain about the date of the feat] The ramming is not mentioned in the Soviet chronicle of events on the Black Sea. According to her, on that day pilots of the Black Sea Fleet air forces conducted several air battles off the western coast of Crimea. At the same time, two Junkers were shot down and one Yak-1 was lost.
A.N. Katrich near his MiG-3. July 1941
August 20 1941 did not return to its aerodrome from a flight to investigate weather in the Oryol – Vyazma – Kalinin Ne-111H-3 area (w / n 3183, 5М + A) from the 26 th meteorological survey team. It is very likely that it was he who was destroyed by a rammer by lieutenant of the 24 th iap air defense Pavel Vasilyevich Demenchuk. He went to the ram, already being seriously wounded by the arrows of the Heinkel. Both aircraft crashed north-west of Medyn. Our pilot was killed, the Germans are missing.
9 September 1941 pilot 124 th iap junior lieutenant Nikolai Leontievich Grunin on the approaches to Tula rammed an enemy bomber. According to German intelligence from the Vyazma – Tula – Orel route, the Ju-88А-5 (w / n 0587, 6М + DM) 4. (F) / 14 long-distance reconnaissance mission did not return. Our pilot landed by parachute. Only the pilot escaped from the crew of the German scout and was captured.
September 14 distinguished themselves again fighter 124 th iap. To intercept the next air reconnaissance, junior lieutenants Vladimir Ivanovich Dovgiy and Boris Grigorievich Pirozhkov were raised. To destroy the enemy machine they had to make a double ram. Both pilots landed safely at the airport. The reconnaissance aircraft Ju-88A-4 (w / n 1267) from 1. (F) / 33. Turned out to be almost "unbreakable." He did not return from the flight to the Vyazma-Tula region.
Soviet fighter I-16
28 September 1941, senior lieutenant of the 32 th iap of the air force of the Black Sea Fleet, Semyon Yevstigneevich Karasev rammed an enemy intelligence officer over Sevastopol. We venture to suggest that it was Do-215 (w / n 0045, T5 + EL) from 3. (F) / ObdL, missing in an unspecified area. Since earlier this detachment was already losing its aircraft over Sevastopol, we are not very sinful against common sense, if we assume that on September 28 the German intelligence officer was working in the same area.
On the same day, Junior Lieutenant Georgy Nikandrovich Startsev from 171-iap near the station Skuratovo of the Tula region rammed an enemy bomber. Startsev had to leave his damaged fighter in the air, and he landed safely with a parachute. The post-war history of the 100 th bomber group (later the squadron) Viking colorfully describes how one of the Heinkels of the 1 squad (Non-111Н-6, w / n 4441) departed to the Orel – Gorbachevo region on this day was rammed by Soviet i-Xnumx. However, the bomber did not fall immediately, but was able to cross the front line. When forced landing, the pilot lost control and crashed into a rural house. Three crew members were injured, including two - heavy. According to German data, this 16% loss.
German bomber "Dornier" Do-215
October 18 1941 went missing in an unidentified Do-215 area (w / n 0063, P5 + LL) from 3. (F) / ObdL. On the same day, Lieutenant Nikolai Ivanovich Sawa from 32, and the BBC of the Black Sea Fleet, piloting the MiG-3, rammed an enemy intelligence officer, identified by him as "Dornier-215", over Balaclava. In this case, there are even more coincidences than with the ram of his fellow soldier S.Е. Karaseva 28 September 1941 of the year.
On the night from 4 to 5 in November, a German bomber Junior Lieutenant Alexei Tikhonovich Sevastyanov from 26-iap was ramming a German bomber. He himself landed on a parachute, and the enemy's plane, rammed by him, crashed into the Tauride Garden. On this night, the 1 squadron of the 4 th bomber squadron “General Wever” was missing the Non-111H-5 (w / n 3816, 5J + DM) together with five crew members.
4 December 1941 of the city of Medvezhiegorsk head-on ram on the I-16 fighter destroyed the enemy's aircraft, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Fedorovich Repnikov from 152-iap. The pilot himself died at the same time. On this day, the loss of the Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighter (MS-329 tail number) and its pilot Sergeant T. Tomminen from the squadron LeLv28 of the Finnish Air Force was recorded.
On the first day of 1942, the first enemy aircraft in the Stalingrad area was destroyed. Not far from the stanitsa of Ilovlinskaya, sergeant of the 788, iap 102 and air defense, Yury Vitalyevich Lyamin with a screw, chopped off the tail of the Junkers-88. Two German pilots jumped with a parachute and were captured. It was probably the missing Ju-88 (w / n 1458, E6 + NM) from 4. (F) / 122.
24 January 1942, Lieutenant Vasily Averkievich Knizhnik, deputy commander of the 65 squadron, on the heading course, was attacked by his I-153 Finnish Brewster attacking his follower *. [A.D. Zaitsev, probably mistakenly indicated the date of the 24.02.1942 ram year] However, he was able to land on his car. Finnish sources report that a Brewster B-239 fighter (crew number BW-358) from squadron LeLv24 together with the pilot was killed in aerial combat.
On February 7, 1942 in the area of Cherepovets was rammed by senior political officer Alexey Nikolaevich Godovikov, commissar of the squadron of 740, iap Unfortunately, the pilot was killed along with his MiG-3 fighter. The Germans lost Ju-88D-1 (w / n 1687, F6 + EN) owned by 5 on this day. (F) / 122 from the Vologda-Cherepovets region that did not return from reconnaissance.
HE-111 downed A.T. Sevastyanov. Leningrad, November 1941 g
29 March 1942, six Curtiss O-52 airplanes, received under Lend-Lease, were driven from Ivanovo to Leningrad for the 12-th separate correction squadron. When approaching the airfield, Plekhanovo low-speed spotters were suddenly attacked by Messerschmitts. Saving comrades, the flight commander, junior lieutenant Peter Kazimirovich Zhilinsky destroyed one of the attacking fighters with a head-on ram. Both aircraft fell from a low altitude to the ground. Zhilinsky died, and his observer pilot Samuil Izrailevich Novorozhkin was thrown out of the cockpit and managed to open his parachute. The Germans recognize the loss for an unknown reason Bf-109F-4 (w / n 7487) from 8./JG54. His pilot, Corporal J. Hofer, is reported missing (according to Soviet data, he was also able to use a parachute and was captured). Some foreign sources additionally reported that the Messerschmitt was killed in a collision with a downed Soviet plane *. [In particular on the Gryunherts history website http://www.jg54greenhearts.com]
20 May 1942, in the Yelets area, Junior Lieutenant Viktor Antonovich Barkovsky from the 591-th air defense unit was destroyed by an enemy bomber with a ram attack. The pilot himself died. According to the enemy, reconnaissance aircraft J-88D (w / n 2832, TL + BL) from 3. (F) / 10 did not return from intelligence on the route Kastornoye – Lipetsk – Livny.
31 May 1942 was distinguished, the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Amet-Khan Sultan. On the approaches to Yaroslavl, he rammed an enemy aircraft in a ram, and landed his fighter safely on the airfield. German archives confirm the death of Ju-88D-1 (w / n 1604, 5T + DL) from 3. (F) / ObdL, which did not return from the intelligence of the Vologda – Rybinsk region.
O-52 ml. L.P. Zhilinsky from 12-th OKRAAE. March 1942
The following episode confirms that archival documents cannot always be believed. According to German 3 reports, June 1942, in the Poltava region, the reconnaissance crew Ju-88 (w / n 721) from 3. (F) / 10. However, the pilot of this aircraft D. Pütter did not die. Once captured, he survived the war and a few years ago published his memories of the events of that day. In fact, a German car to the south of Lipetsk was rammed by Lieutenant Mikhail Alekseevich Proskurin, a pilot of the 487-th air defense missile. By the way, our hero also successfully finished the victory.
June 3 Day is marked by another ram. Under Maloyaroslavets, junior lieutenant Mikhail Aleksandrovich Rodionov from 562-IAP defense at the cost of his own life at low altitude destroyed an enemy bomber. The enemy has not returned from the reconnaissance flight en route Kirov-Kaluga Ju-88D-5 (w / n 1764, 6M + LM), which belonged to the long-range reconnaissance team 4. (F) / 11.
16 July 1942 boarded a Ju-88-4 bomber (w / n 3711) from the 2 squadron of the 3-th bomber squadron at the Shatalovo airfield. Its damage was so great (80%) that the aircraft could not be recovered and was written off. According to the Soviet data, the senior lieutenant of the 18 Guards Iap Mikhail Vasilyevich Kulikov committed his ram that day.
Soviet fighter Yak-1
27 July 1942 of the year on the outskirts of Gorky near the town of Pavlova-on-Oka was rammed by Junkers-88, senior lieutenant of the 722-th air defense unit Pyotr Ivanovich Shavurin. The very same after the ram landed safely on a parachute. According to archival data, his opponent was Ju-88D-5 (w / n 430022) from 1. (F) / ObdL. Exactly five months later, the same day, Pyotr Ivanovich again caused damage to the air reconnaissance group of the Luftwaffe command. This time he rammed a scout in the area of Povorino station, landing Ju-88D (w / n 1730, Т5 + AK) from 2. (F) / ObdL. Soon, 14 February, 1943, P.I. Shavurin received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On August 2, on the Karelian front, Sergeant of the 760, iap Boris Andreevich Myasnikov, with the wing of his Hurricane, rammed an enemy fighter, but was killed in the process. Finnish researcher Hannu Valtonen believes that Bf-109E-7 (w / n 5559) from 4./JG5, which pilot, non-commissioned officer B. Tretter, was killed in this attack, was destroyed in this attack *. [X. Valtonen works closely with the historian from Murmansk Yu.V. Rybin. The competence of this duet in matters of air war in the polar region does not cause the slightest doubt, therefore all the episodes related to the events on this section of the Eastern Front are given on their materials]
4 August 1942, in the region of Chertolino (Kalininsky Front), senior lieutenant of 5 Guards Iap Ibrahim Shagiakhmedovich Bikmuhammedov on a LaGG-3 aircraft rammed an enemy fighter. Himself on a damaged car managed to get on his airfield. If we assume that a small error has crept into the German bulletins, then our pilot Bf-109F-4 (w / n 9541) from 11./JG51, counted as damaged (40%) as a result of the August 3 ramming, was in the account.
German fighter "Messerschmitt" Bf-109E
4 August 1942, in the region of Chertolino (Kalininsky Front), senior lieutenant of 5 Guards Iap Ibrahim Shagiakhmedovich Bikmuhammedov on a LaGG-3 aircraft rammed an enemy fighter. Himself on a damaged car managed to get on his airfield. If we assume that a small error has crept into the German bulletins, then our pilot Bf-109F-4 (w / n 9541) from 11./JG51, counted as damaged (40%) as a result of the August 3 ramming, was in the account.
10 August 1942 of the year on the approaches to Novorossiysk on the burning fighter LaGG-3 went to his last attack, Junior Lieutenant Mikhail Alekseevich Borisov, commander of the 62 unit and the Air Force of the Black Sea Fleet. At the cost of his own life, he destroyed the Non-111H-6 (w / n 7063), which belonged to the headquarters of the 55 st bomber squadron.
28 August 1942 Junior Lieutenant Kostikov from the 729 th iap air defense on a Hurricane plane rammed an enemy bomber on the outskirts of Arkhangelsk. To my shame, we do not even know the name of the hero. The enemy has Ju-88A-4 (w / n 2148, 4D + AN) from the 6 squad of the 30 bomber squadron as dead.
On September 8, 1942, German documents mark a loss over Kamyshin, as a result of a ram, the bomber Non-111H-6 (w / n 4675, 6N + НН) from 1./KG100. According to Soviet data, at the cost of his own life, the enemy plane was destroyed by Senior Lieutenant Arkady Stepanovich Kostritsyn, the commander of the squadron of 431-iap.
The next day, on the other side of a huge front, the ram was driven by a pilot of the 145 th iap lieutenant Efim Avtonomovich Krivosheev. In the air battle over Murmansk, his “Air Cobra” smashed to pieces the Bf-109F-4 (w / n 8245) of ober-corporal G. Hoffman from 6./JG5.
11 September 1942, Senior Sergeant Dmitry Vasilyevich Gudkov, pilot of the 976-iap, flew to intercept a German intelligence officer who was found near the station Pollasovka, north of Stalingrad. As a result of the search, the enemy was found and destroyed by the ram. A German plane fell near the village of Kaisatskoye, two pilots were captured. Gudkov himself left the damaged aircraft and landed on a parachute. According to the Bundesarchive that day, the plane Ju-88D – 1 (w / n 430333, Т1 + DL) from the long-range reconnaissance 3. (F) / 10 did not return from the reconnaissance of the Kamyshin area - Stalingrad. Four crew members are missing.
"Aircobra I" guard l-ta EA Krivosheev from 19-gv. IAP, September 1942
14 September 1942 of the year near Stalingrad 237 th pilot Iap Sergeant Ilya Mikhailovich Chumbarev chopped off the plumage of the enemy Focke-Wulf-189 spotter with the blades of his fighter. "Rama" crumbled in the air, and her crew was captured. Chumbarev himself, in spite of the injury sustained by the ram, safely landed at his airfield *. [By the way, this ram was also unlucky in terms of dating. In the article by V. Kotelnikov and D. Khazanov “The legendary“ frame ”in the magazine“ World of Aviation ”he was even referred to 17 December 1942 of the year] According to German data, this day in the Stalingrad region was lost with the entire crew of FW189 (w / n 2331, 2T + CH), which belonged to the 1 short-range intelligence unit. (H) / 10.
15 September 1942, junior lieutenant from 721, iap Stepan Fedorovich Kyrchanov rammed a Junkers-88 bomber over Stalingrad. German documents confirm that, in the area of the Tsaritsa River mouth, a Ju-88-4 (w / n 5749, F1 + BT) commander of the 9 squadron of the 76 squadron was destroyed by a ram. The commander himself and one of the crew members, although injured at the same time, were able to land with parachutes on German territory. Two more Germans were on the other side of the front line and are considered missing.
THEM. Chumbarev near the "frame" rammed by him. 14 September 1942
September 18 The 1942 of the year once again distinguished itself as a naval pilot from the 62-iap Air Force Black Sea Fleet. Over Gelendzhik, captain Semyon Stepanovich Mukhin, on his Yak-1 rammed the German "frame". Having jumped out with a parachute, our pilot managed not only to save himself, but also (here you cannot throw out the words from the song) to shoot two German pilots from the plane he shot down. According to German data, the crew of the FW-189 (w / n 2278, M4 + CR) from the 7. (H) ./ 32 squadron, which had flown to the Kabardian area, was unlucky on this day. All German pilots are missing.
The next day, two air rams were committed in the Stalingrad area. Major Lev Isaakovich Binov, military commissar of 512-iap, destroyed the Messerschmitt-110 with a rammer. Captain Vladimir Nikiforovich Chensky, squadron commander of 563-iap - "Messerschmitt-109". Archives of the enemy also reported two rams. In one of them, Bf-110E (w / n 4541, S9 + AH) from 1./ZG1 died. In the second case, Do-17 (w / n 3486), belonging to the 2 squadron. (F) / 11, received damage (according to the German classification - 40%), but managed to land at the Tatsinskaya airfield.
October 4 1942 of the year to intercept an enemy scout flew Sergeant 802 th iap Nikolai F. Shutov. Not far from Syzran, he rammed a German car, but he himself died. Two of the crew of the scout were taken prisoner. It can be assumed that this episode deals with the missing in the unknown area Ju-88D-1 (w / n 1635, T5 + EL) from the already mentioned 3. (F) / ObdL.
Fw189 out of 7. (H) / 132. Taran on 18.09.42/62/XNUMX, captain S.M. Mukhin from the XNUMXnd IAP of the Black Sea Air Force fleet
October 10 1942, the first lieutenant Ivan Filippovich Kazakov, the commander of the 572 th iap link, not having any ammunition, rammed an enemy reconnaissance plane on his LaGG-3. The German car crashed to the ground in 60 km northwest of Astrakhan, and Ivan Filippovich safely sat down at his airfield. According to the German archives, this day did not return from the reconnaissance route Astrakhan – Elan Ju-88D-1 (w / n 1613, Т1 + КL) from 3. (F) / 10.
December 14 1942 of the village Soldatskaya Krasnodar Territory junior lieutenant Viktor Nikolayevich Makutin, pilot 84 th iap, rammed an enemy fighter. According to the enemy, as a result of a ram Bf-109G-2 (w / n 13881) from 7./JG52 was shot down. Both pilots died.
28 March 1943, the senior lieutenant Boris Petrovich Nikolaev from 768-iap 122-th air defense defense, protecting the sky of Murmansk, was destroyed by an enemy fighter with a ram attack of Kittyhauk. It is assumed that as a result of this attack, the Germans lost Bf-109F-4 (w / n 7544) from 7./JG5. Our pilot escaped by parachute.
21 May 1943 of the year in the area of the island of Lavensari in a frontal attack came together and X-NUMX from the 153 th fighter of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet air force and the Finnish Messerschmitt. The waves of the Gulf of Finland accepted what was left of Sergeant Anatoly Vasilyevich Sitnikov's “gull” and his own life destroyed by him at the cost of his own life Bf-71G-109 (tail number MT-2) with pilot Lieutenant T. Saalasti from LeLv228 squadron of Air Force Suomi.
On the night of 7 on 8 on June 1943, Senior Lieutenant Boris Sergeevich Tabarchuk from 722-th air defense missile rammed an enemy bomber over Gorky. His damaged fighter Tabarchuk landed on the airfield. However, the German plane did not die either. Non-111 from 5./KG4 (5J + KN) was able to fly to Eagle and safely land on the airfield. This episode was not found in the archival documents, but is given in the post-war history of the 4-th bomber squadron “General Wever”.
German fighter "Messerschmitt" Bf-109F
24 July 1943 of the year in German documents recorded the death of a ram along with three crew members of the FN-189-3 (w / n 2228) from the 15-th near-reconnaissance group of the Luftwaffe XF. According to Soviet data, an enemy plane was rammed by the squadron commander of the 6 Guards and Guards Lieutenant Peter Petrovich Ratnikov on the same day near the village of Lomovets in the Oryol region. The Soviet pilot also died.
August 7 Day 1943 is marked by two rams in the sky over the Taman Peninsula. In the Anapa region, a frontal ram on the Yak-1, Lieutenant Vasily Alexandrovich Kalinin, a pilot of the 9-th iap of the BBC of the Black Sea Fleet, destroyed the Messerschmitt-109. Lieutenant Kalinin himself died. Documents of the enemy confirm the death of Bf-109G-6 (w / n 15844) from 4./JG52. True, the Germans believed that the collision of the aircraft was unintentional. Another enemy vehicle was rammed over the Blue Line by Junior Lieutenant Vladimir Ivanovich Lobachev from 812-iap. Having rammed, he safely descended by parachute and even helped to capture three German pilots shot down by him. According to German data, his victim was the spotter FW189A-2 (w / n 2256) from the near-intelligence group NAGr 9. Three members of the crew of the "frame" are missing.
23 August 1943 did not return from the Ju-88D – 5 intelligence (w / n 430231, 7А + WM) from 4. (F) / 121. The estimated area of his death coincides with the location of the ramming by the pilot 383 th iap 36 th air defense junior lieutenant Nikolai Nikolaevich Korolev. Korolev shot down the enemy vehicle southeast of Ephraim.
German reconnaissance aircraft "Focke-Wulf" FW-189
10 November 1943 of the air battle in the area of Koivisto, the pilot of the 13 th fighter of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet air force, Lieutenant Vasily Ivanovich Borodin aboard a Yak-7 rammed an enemy fighter. Borodin died in the ram. According to Finnish data, the Brewster B-239 (on-board number BW-366) from the LeLv24 squadron of the Finnish Air Force became a victim of a ram. The Brewster pilot escaped and was captured.
In conclusion, we note that we have so far managed to identify (with varying degrees of accuracy) about fifty cases of air rams committed by Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War. This work is not finished, and we hope for new finds. The fact that they will be surely convinces us that there are more than two dozen episodes in German documents with confirmed facts of a ram that have not yet been identified from domestic publications. We hope that the topic of air ramming will be interesting not only to the authors, but other historians will join our research.
B-239 from LeLv24 Finnish Air Force. Taranen 10.11.43 lt. VI Borodin from 13-iap Air Force CBF
PS I didn’t want to write this postscript, but for persons with alternative brain development, who everywhere see the propaganda of fascism, communism, etc., is explained separately!
- Red stars and the swastika in the pictures are not propaganda of the authors’s political views, the dock, but were identifying signs of the belligerents and are considered in news only in historical context!
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