The first air victories of the first day of the Great Patriotic War. Air battles: real and imaginary heroes
After 1991, a flood of Western publications devoted to the Second World War poured into our country, and the achievements of German fighter pilots, who, as it turned out, claimed an order of magnitude more victories than their Soviet counterparts, were described with particular interest. In many sources, starting with Wikipedia, special attention was paid to the pilot of the 3rd fighter squadron, Lieutenant Robert Oleinik, who was allegedly the first to shoot down a Soviet aircraft already at 03:40 Berlin time. For a long time, it was impossible to verify this information, but now, using the works of the German researcher Jochen Prien, as well as data from Soviet and German archives, it was possible to sort out this issue. So who won the first air victories on the Soviet-German front?
Ober-Lieutenant Oleinik vs Senior Lieutenant Gorbatyuk
Squadrons of the V air corps of the Luftwaffe, which on June 22, 1941 was supposed to support Army Group South aimed at Kiev, were concentrated in Poland, in the areas of Zamostye, Lublin and Rzeszow. The fighter units were represented by all three groups of the JG 3 squadron. These were quite impressive forces: the Soviet airfield network in the strip between Kovel and Przemysl was poorly developed, and the numerous fighter regiments of the Air Force of the Kiev Special Military District had no chance to take part in the battles over the border.
MiG-3 from the 28th IAP, abandoned due to malfunctions at the Tsunev airfield, June 1941 (artist Alexander Kazakov)
The main forces of JG 3 were based in Zamostye, where III./JG 3 was located, and to the east, at the Khostun airfield (headquarters and II./JG 3). Closest to the border, at the Oak airfield, was I./JG 3. The squadron consisted of 109 Bf 109Fs, of which 93 were serviceable. The task of the squadron is the destruction of Soviet aviation at airfields in the Lvov region.
Pilots of the 23rd, 28th, 164th IAP of the 15th SAD and the 92nd IAP of the 16th SAD were to become opponents of the German fighters - a total of about 200 combat-ready aircraft with crews (70 MiG-3, 30 I-16 and 100 I-153). It would seem that Soviet fighters had a twofold numerical superiority, however, the pilots of the newly formed 92nd and 164th regiments were poorly trained, and the equipment (I-153 and I-16 type 5) was frankly outdated. The 23rd and 28th IAP, on the contrary, have not yet fully mastered the MiG-3, which is difficult to pilot. For these reasons, we have to state the complete superiority of the Germans, who were armed with the latest Bf 109F and, on average, much better trained personnel.
From the history of I./JG 3 it is known that the group in the first sortie was tasked with attacking airfields in the vicinity of Lvov. The order was issued around 03:40 am Berlin time, and a total of 23 Bf 109Fs from all three squadrons and the headquarters flight were activated. The details of the first flight are known from the memoirs of the group commander Hauptmann Hans von Hahn (Hptm. Hans von Hahn):
« We were supposed to attack Russian airfields in the vicinity of Lvov. The early morning was gloomy and gray. Deep peace reigned below, there were no planes in the air, there was no anti-aircraft defense. When we saw the airfield, we could not believe our eyes. The airfield was full of cars: scouts, many fighters, bombers. They stood uncamouflaged, as before the parade, lined up in long, even rows. On this heap, we began to shoot from airborne weapons and drop 50-kg bombs. Below, a multitude of silver-grey bird-like planes caught fire; they sparkled with their red stars, and it was clearly visible from above. We carried out attack after attack on reconnoitered airfields. These actions continued all day in much the same way, and we did not recover from surprise. How many airfields and aircraft the Russians had on our border!
In contrast to the group headquarters, a flight of 1./JG 3 and two flights of 2./JG 3 had to engage in air combat with the enemy already on the first sortie - these were several Russian I-16-type Polikarpov fighters, better known since civil war in Spain as "rata". Three of these broad-browed, small, star-engined fighters were shot down by Lieutenant Oleinik, Sergeant Major Heesen and Sergeant Major Luth.
The goal for the consolidated group, led by Lieutenant Oleinik (Olt. Robert Olejnik), was the Tsunev airfield (near the town of Gorodok, aka Grudek Jagiellonian), where the 28th IAP was based (43 serviceable fighters: 36 MiG-3 and seven I- sixteen). Eight of 2./JG 3 took off with suspended 50-kg fragmentation bombs SD-50, covering the link of 1./JG 3.
"Messerschmitt" Bf 109F-2 of the commander of 1./JG 3 Lieutenant Robert Oleinik, July 1941. On the rudder marks about 20 air victories
Thanks to the archives of the Institute Russian history The Russian Academy of Sciences, where they managed to find the memories of the pilots of the 28th IAP, as well as the document confirming the victory of Sergeant Major Heesen, posted by Mark Solonin on his website, managed to figure out the circumstances of the battle over the airfield of the 28th IAP.
Air victory report, signed by Sergeant Major Heesen (Fw. Ernst Heesen) of 2./JG 3:
“06/22/1941 at 03:35 I started as part of a pair of Bf 109 with bombs in the group of Lieutenant Oleinik. After half an hour of flying time, we noticed a single car near Grodek [Grodek Jagiellonian]. Oberleutnant Oleinik turned towards her and ordered me to drop bombs on the Grodek airfield. While diving, I saw cars starting from the airfield. I dropped the bombs, took aim at the rear car and set it on fire with a burst. Falling on the left wing, she began to fall, and the pilot jumped out with a parachute. I couldn’t watch it fall to the ground, because I turned away, noticing that the rest of the vehicles were turning on a combat course in my direction.
The victory over the I-16 was credited to the German pilot at 04:10 Berlin time (05:10 Moscow time) in the area northeast of Grodek. Naturally, having taken off at 03:35 in the morning, the German group could not have been over Tsunev, which was 100 km away, in five minutes, and Robert Oleinik could not have won his victory at 03:40. The fact that the battle took place around 05:00 Moscow time is confirmed by the documents of the Soviet side and the memories of the participants in the events.
From the history of the 28th IAP:
“At 04:00 on June 22, the camp was announced by the nervous sounds of a combat alarm. People jumped up, dressed on the move, took weapons and gas masks and ran to the airfield. The technical staff quickly prepared the cars, and the pilots prepared for takeoff. Nerves were strained to the limit, everyone was waiting for the order to take off in order to teach the two-legged beasts from Hitler's gang a lesson. We have already received a message that the Sknilov airfield has been bombed. Everyone knew that the war had begun, but at the same time they did not want to believe it.
Suddenly, three enemy bombers appeared at low altitude away from the airfield. The commander of the regiment, lieutenant colonel Cherkasov, gave the command, and our falcons flew into the air like a whirlwind to block the path of the fascist reptiles. At this time, 8 Me-109 planes are diving from the direction of the sun with the task of storming the airfield. A hot air battle ensued over the airfield. Apart from the roar of engines and machine-gun fire, nothing could be heard. Hundreds of eyes looked with alarm at the first, unequal air battle at low altitudes. In this battle, our young Stalinist falcons showed their confidence and readiness to fight for every inch of Soviet land, for every cubic meter of our air. Unable to withstand the bold and decisive attacks of our fighters, the fascist "asses" began to flee. It was at 05:00…”
Omitting pathos, the details should be noted: the battle took place around 05:00, and the regiment's aircraft began to take off at the time of the Messerschmitt attack. These data are confirmed by a direct participant in the battle, at that time the deputy commander of the 3rd squadron of the 28th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Yevgeny Gorbatyuk (interview taken in 1942):
“It all started interestingly, unexpectedly. We were in camps, some of the pilots were resting at home. The commander of the regiment, Osadchy, left the regiment just a few days later. At dawn, on alarm, the sound of which was turned on and off - they thought it was an ordinary drill. But then, I feel in my mood, something is not right! Cherkasov rushes about, lieutenant colonel - "take off!" I was the first to take off from the entire airport. Five of us flew out, a team from the entire regiment, the order was given to us to go to the border. I had no idea what the war was. Arrived at the border - everything is on fire. Here I began to understand something. For the first time, I worked up the courage to fly across the border. We flew there, went deeper, walked along the front line. We see everything is on fire, a lot of troops on both sides. There were intense battles. I decided that all this was a border incident, it didn’t fit in my head right away that a war had begun. Came back to report it. But at the airport they already knew that it was not an incident, but a war.
They refueled and took off again to attack the enemy troops. But as soon as he managed to gain a height of 500 m, the Messerschmitts attacked. I immediately recognized them, I see them coming to the airfield. And my followers at first did not understand who they were. I broke away from them, turned the plane, and they were already in single file, in a chain, going to storm the airfield. I did not have time to fall down on the first one, but I fell down on the second one. And he fell well, on a dive at top speed, - it’s already dark in his eyes, - to the very ground. I caught up with him and killed him - he crashed into the forest. My machine guns fired wonderfully. We had just received the MiGs and had just put them into operation, everything was brand new. But when I began to withdraw from the peak, all at the same great speed, their leader fell right into my forehead. Only I wanted to give a turn, how he hit me from the cannons, as I understand it, from the charging boxes. He turned my plane, then my shells exploded. The car is uncontrollable, sat down with a sin in half ... "
Gorbatyuk's memoirs fit perfectly into the chronicle of events: the five MiG-3s, led by him, managed to fly to the border and return - that is, the battle could not take place before 05:00. Analyzing the data of both sides, you can build a chronology of the battle. It is obvious that the Germans identified Gorbatyuk's MiG-3 as a "single vehicle". He really was able to turn around and tried to interfere with the German attack, but when he dived on attack aircraft entering the attack, Lieutenant Oleinik shot him on the opposite course. Gorbatyuk's plane was fatally damaged, he barely managed to land on his stomach. The story about the downed Messerschmitt should be taken as an attempt to brighten up an unsuccessful episode for oneself. In that situation, Gorbatyuk did everything he could - he tried to repel the attack and let his comrades gain altitude. Another thing is that his opponents were shot sparrows. The experienced Lieutenant Oleinik worked professionally on a collision course, and for Senior Lieutenant Gorbatyuk it all ended in the loss of a car and a slight injury.
Reconstruction appearance"Messerschmitt" by Robert Oleinik from the previous photo (artist Vladimir Kamsky)
However, some pilots of the 28th IAP were less fortunate. One of Gorbatyuk's wingmen, pilot of the 3rd squadron, junior lieutenant Alexander Maksimovich Shakhrai, jumped out of the burning plane with a parachute, but died - the fire spread to the dome. Judging by the mention in the application for the victory of the pilot who jumped out with a parachute, it was he who was shot down by sergeant major Heesen. The pilot of the 1st Squadron, Junior Lieutenant Grigory Timofeevich Churchill, did not return to the airfield after the battle - apparently, he was shot down by Fw. Detlev Lüth. In addition, pilot junior lieutenant Boris Alexandrovich Rusov was killed while taxiing in the cockpit.
According to the documents of the 15th SAD, the deputy commander of the 1st squadron, Lieutenant A.P. Podpryatov, and the acting squadron commander of the same squadron, senior lieutenant D.I. However, these two applications are not confirmed by German data either.
Robert Oleinik won his 20th victory on July 3, 1941 - at that time it was enough to qualify for the Knight's Cross. The mechanics hurried to “reward” the commander with his plywood copy, although Oleinik received the real award on July 30, after 32 air victories
Thanks to the courage of the pilots of the 28th IAP, despite the extremely difficult conditions of the battle, aimed bombing and an effective attack on the airfield were thwarted. Heavy losses were paid for this: in total, three MiG-3s were shot down, three pilots were killed, one was injured. This was a completely logical result, given the poor training of the pilots on the MiG-3: they worked out the piloting technique, only a few personnel managed to start shooting and air combat. On the contrary, the Bf 109 was well mastered by the Germans, they had excellent flight and tactical training, and for the most part, combat experience. The Messerschmitt was superior to the MiG-3, especially in combat at low altitude, the numerical superiority was also on the side of the attackers.
Thus, Robert Oleinik won his first victory in the East around 04:10 Berlin time, and not at 03:40, and cannot claim the first Luftwaffe air victory on the Soviet-German front.
Two aces - holder of the Knight's Cross Robert Oleinik and Hero of the Soviet Union Yevgeny Gorbatyuk
Surprisingly, both pilots, Ukrainians by blood, who shot at each other that morning, survived and went through the entire war. Evgeny Mikhailovich Gorbatyuk was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on March 4, 1942. By May 1945, he was a lieutenant colonel, commander of the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Division, made 347 successful sorties, shot down five personally and five in a group of enemy aircraft. After the war, E. M. Gorbatyuk rose to the rank of Colonel General of Aviation, died on March 2, 1978. A descendant of a Ukrainian emigrant, Major Robert Oleinik made 680 sorties, scoring 42 victories, 32 of them on Eastern Front. Since the autumn of 1943, he participated in the tests of the Me 163 jet fighter, ending the war as the commander of the I./JG 400 group. Oleinik died on October 29, 1988, outliving his "godson" by 10 years.
Major Shellman's Mystery
According to a textbook study on the history of Luftwaffe fighter aviation by Jochen Prien, the first victory in air combat on the Eastern Front was announced at 03:15 Berlin time by the commander of JG 27, Major Wolfgang Schellmann (Maj. Wolfgang Schellmann). He was a participant in the battles in Spain, an experienced commander and ace pilot, who already had 25 air victories on the morning of June 22, including 12 in Spain. Starting at about 03:00 from the Sobolevo airfield (Suwalki region), the Bf 109E group from the squadron headquarters and III./JG 27, led by Schellman, attacked the Grodno airfield. At the same time, part of the aircraft carried SD-2 bombs. The returning pilots reported that at 03:15, Major Schellman shot the rat, after which he crashed into the wreckage of the plane he had just shot down and left the Messerschmitt by parachute.
Major Wolfgang Schellmann, squadron leader JG 27, in the cockpit of the Messerschmitt, autumn-winter 1940
Unfortunately, no documents clarifying the circumstances of Major Schellman's last flight have been published at the moment. The history of JG 27 says that after the capture of Grodno, a search was made for the squadron commander, during which his Messerschmitt was found, next to which lay the wreckage of a downed Soviet aircraft. From the testimonies of local residents, it allegedly became known that Schellman was taken prisoner by local residents, who handed him over to Soviet military personnel. A few days later, a German employee of the RAD service (Reichsarbeitdienst - Imperial Labor Service) saw in one of the peasant houses the Knight's Cross and the Spanish Cross in gold with diamonds that belonged to Schellman. Actually, these are all the details of what happened on the German side.
Soviet documents are also laconic. Aircraft of the 122nd and 127th IAP of the 11th SAD, based at the Novy Dvor and Lesishche airfields, at this time fighting they didn’t lead, although at 03:30 they were put on alert and dispersed the materiel, and the commander of the 127th IAP, Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Gordienko, even raised the duty link into the air. However, German planes did not attack the Lesishche airfield until 20:00. The airfield of the 122nd IAP Novy Dvor suffered the first blow only at 06:00. The first to be hit by Luftwaffe aircraft was the Karolin airfield closest to Grodno, which, according to Soviet data, was attacked by nine Messerschmitts. Unfortunately, exact time the raid is not indicated in the documents.
The R-10, R-5 and U-2 aircraft from the 10th squadron of the NKVD border troops were based at the Caroline airfield. In addition, shortly before the start of the war, fighters were on duty at the site to intercept intruder aircraft. In particular, on the morning of June 22, a pair of I-153s of the 127th IAP, consisting of Lieutenant M. D. Razumtsev and Senior Lieutenant I. A. Dolgopolov, were on duty at the airfield. In addition, there is a possibility that I-16 fighters from the 122nd IAP were also on duty at the airfield - at least one I-16 was photographed in the general group of Soviet aircraft captured by the Germans in Carolina.
Destroyed Soviet aircraft at the Caroline airfield. In addition to R-10 and U-2 from the 10th squadron of the NKVD, I-16 from the 122nd IAP is visible
According to the documents of the 127th IAP, after the reports of the VNOS posts about the overflight of the border by German aircraft and the bombing settlements and airfields, two units of the 1st squadron were sent to cover the city of Grodno at 04:40 Moscow time. A couple of Razumtsevs and Dolgopolov, who were sitting in Carolina, were also involved. V brief history Regiment described an air battle Lieutenant Razumtsev at 05:21 over Karolin with five Me-109, after which he did not return. In the combat log of the 127th IAP, Razumtsev's task is indicated as "take-off from an operational point to visible enemy aircraft", and the take-off time is given - 04:50. Followed by short description: "At takeoff l-t Razumtsev was attacked by enemy aircraft, after which he disappeared from sight and did not return to his airfield ".
Obviously, the data in the two documents contradict each other: Lieutenant Razumtsev, having taken off on visible enemy aircraft, disappeared from sight, and no one could really fix the time of the battle at 05:21. Actually, the departure time also raises certain doubts: that Senior Lieutenant Dolgopolov, who allegedly took off after Razumtsev at 04:55, for some reason did not follow his comrade and did not enter the battle, but calmly headed east and landed at the Lesishche airfield.
Considering all the circumstances, it is highly likely that it was Razumtsev's I-153 that was the “army” that Major Shellman encountered at 04:15 Moscow time. It is quite logical to assume that Razumtsev took off "on sight", seeing a group of aircraft approaching the airfield, approached them, and then his aircraft disappeared from sight, falling under the blow of Shellman. Given that other German aircraft began attacking, it was rather problematic to observe the further fate of a lone fighter from the airfield.
I-153 from the 3rd squadron of the 127th IAP, Zheludok airfield, June 1941 (artist Igor Zlobin)
Senior Lieutenant Dolgopolov could well stop taking off because of the attack that had begun and take off only after the end of the German raid. Considering the confusion of the first day of the war, as well as the obvious filling of documents, including the combat log of the 127th IAP, retroactively, there could well have been an intentional or accidental error in the time of Razumtsev's departure. It is very unfortunate that Ivan Afanasyevich Dolgopolov, who survived the war, did not leave later memories of the events of that morning.
Thus, it is currently impossible to unconditionally confirm Major Schellman's victory bid submitted by his subordinates. It is well founded: in addition to the pair of Lieutenant Razumtsev, I-16s of the 122nd IAP were present at the airfield. In addition, the 10th squadron of the NKVD from June 22 to 30 lost five P-10s in air battles and did not return from the mission, while the dates of losses, the time of departures and circumstances are not reflected in the documents. In the future, new data will surely appear, thanks to which it will be possible to determine whether Schellman's subordinates were cunning, or the German ace really managed to win his 26th and last victory in his career, at the same time the first for Luftwaffe pilots on the Eastern Front.
First confirmed candidate
The next Luftwaffe pilot who claimed an air victory, or rather, even two, was the commander of 1./JG 54, Lieutenant Adolf Kinzinger (Oblt. Adolf Kinzinger), who had previously scored seven victories in Western front. At 03:30 Berlin time, he claimed two aircraft, which he identified as DI-6. These victories are confirmed by Soviet documents.
Commander of 1./JG 54 Lieutenant Adolf Kintzinger. One of the most successful pilots on the first day of the war, who claimed four victories, all of which are confirmed by Soviet documents. Died in a crash just five days later, June 27, 1941
At 04:30, nine Ju 88 bombs were dropped on the Kedainiai airfield in Lithuania (north of Kaunas). This was already the second raid, so three I-153s from the 61st ShAP managed to take off, but they could not interfere with the German bombers. Messerschmitts from 1./JG 54, accompanying the Junkers, attacked the Soviet fighters taking off and shot them all down. The deputy squadron commander, senior lieutenant V. G. Andreichenko, died, and the deputy squadron commander, senior lieutenant P. I. Kamyshnoy and the flight commander, lieutenant I. T. Abramchenko, managed to leave the aircraft by parachute. In addition to Lieutenant Kinzinger, non-commissioned officer Tegtmeier (Uffz. Fritz Tegtmeier) declared another victory in the battle, but for some reason they did not count his victory.
Stormtroopers and Zersterers
In addition to fighters, among the units of the Luftwaffe participating in the invasion on June 22, 1941, there was an assault group II. (Schl.) / LG 2, which was armed with Bf 109E fighters, and four groups of heavy fighters - "Zershterer" Bf 110 - I. and II./ZG 26, I. and II./SKG 210.
The first victory among attack aircraft pilots was declared by the pilot of squadron 5. (Schl.) / LG 2, non-commissioned officer Willi Tritsch (Uffz. Willi Tritsch). According to the application, already at 03:18 Berlin time, he managed to shoot down the I-16. Unfortunately, there are no details of this flight and the circumstances of the battle, as well as the localization of the place where the German pilot distinguished himself. For this reason, it is very difficult to use Soviet data, which are themselves often fragmented and not always time-bound. Using the documents of all Soviet units based in the II.(Schl.) / LG 2 area of operations from Bialystok to Grodno, we note three options for the opponents of non-commissioned officer Trich.
"Messerschmitt" Bf 109E from assault squadron 5.(Schl.)/LG 2, summer 1941 (artist Vladimir Kamsky)
The first and closest in distance was the I-16 unit from the 124th IAP, based at the Lomza airfield. From the documents of the 124th IAP it is known that this link lost one I-16 in the air and three on the ground as a result of the attack of German aircraft, however, the lack of chronological data does not allow us to reliably attribute the aircraft of this regiment to the account of the German pilot.
The second candidate is the 41st IAP, the regiment was based at the Seburchin airfield, and was also attacked in the early morning. It is interesting that, according to award documents, the attack of five Bf 109s was repulsed by one pilot, junior lieutenant I. D. Chulkov. However, as in the previous case, due to the lack of an exact time of the raid, it is difficult to assume whether Chulkov fought with the pilots of 5.(Schl.) / LG 2, or with someone else. Here is how the front-line correspondent Nikolai Bogdanov described the first battle of I. D. Chulkov in the article “Masters of the Sky”, published in the newspaper “Stalin's Sokol” on September 12, 1941:
“At four o’clock in the morning, in the predawn darkness, the Messerschmitts unexpectedly attacked the airfield. Junior Lieutenant Chulkov was the first to rise against a whole gang of air robbers. The routes of his bullets flew either in the forehead of one, or in the tail of another. He defended his native nest with his chest. The Nazis could not stand it and crumbled. Leaving the airfield, they flew off to look for safer targets ... "
The last candidate for a battle with German attack aircraft is a group of fighters from the 129th IAP. According to the documents of the regiment, already at 04:05 Moscow time, 12 MiG-3s and 18 Chaikas were lifted into the air from the Tarnovo border airfield. Over Lomzha "MiGs" entered into battle with a group of "Messerschmitts". Soviet fighters suffered no losses. Thus, without additional information from the German side, it is impossible to confirm or refute the claim for the victory of non-commissioned officer Trich.
On the left is non-commissioned officer Willy Trich. On December 23, 1942, he was awarded the Knight's Cross for 580 sorties and 20 victories. On April 28, 1943, the headquarters Storch, on which Trich flew as a passenger, crashed. Trich was severely injured and had his leg amputated in the hospital. From the summer of 1944 he served as an instructor in the I. / SG 152 training assault air group. He died on December 19, 1971. On the right is the best ace of the 41st IAP, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Denisovich Chulkov. In total, he completed 200 sorties, scored eight personal and two group victories. Killed in air combat February 3, 1942
The next contender for the title of the author of the first victory is sergeant major Otto Rückert (Fw. Otto Rückert) from 1./SKG 210. His application is fully confirmed by the Soviet side. According to the combat log of the 10th SAD, at 04:17, a Bf 110 group stormed the Malye Zvody airfield northeast of Brest, destroying the aircraft of the 74th ShAP. At this time, I-153s of the 3rd squadron of the 123rd IAP took off from the neighboring Lyshchitsy airfield, and an air battle ensued. The following is a quote from the award list of Lieutenant V. T. Shulika:
“At 04:30, during a raid, a fascistcfighter pilot Shulik was the first to fly to the Lyshchitsy site on alarm to the rescue of the commander of the duty link, leading the battle with two "Heinkels".
Noticing the second Soviet fighter, the Heinkels evaded the battle. At this time Comrade. Shulika noticed 12 Me-110s going to storm the nearby Malye Zvody site. Lieutenant Shulika rushed into the attack alone against 12 enemy aircraft in formation. With his bold attack and machine gun fire, he forced the Nazi planes to scatter in all directions, enabling our pilots to take to the air and join the battle.
In this unequal battle, the brave patriot of the Motherland set fire to one Me-110 with well-aimed bursts. On frontal attacks Comrade. Shulika met one opponent after another. When entering from the side of an enemy aircraft Comrade. Shulika was wounded. Having wounds, comrade. Shulika continued to conduct an air battle, thereby preventing the enemy from storming the neighboring airfield. In this unequal battle, saving the materiel and pilots of the regiment, he died a heroic death.
In general, the circumstances of this battle are clear, but there is no complete understanding regarding the time. Having taken off at 04:30, Lieutenant Shulika was shot down a little later, but how much - without German applications, one cannot understand. Twin-engined Bf 110s from 1./SKG 210, led by Lieutenant Wolfgang Schenck (Olt. Wolfgang Schenck), having defeated the Malye Zvody airfield, apparently were going to attack the Lyshchitsy airfield located just five kilometers away. At this time, some pilot of the 123rd IAP fought with a pair of Bf 109Fs, Shulika, who took off to help him, switched to the approaching Bf 110s and died in battle with them.
Heavy fighters Bf 110 from squadron 1./SKG 210, summer 1941 (artist Igor Zlobin)
Thus, using the documents and information currently in scientific circulation, it can be stated that Major Schellman and non-commissioned officer Trich have applications for the first victories from the German side. However, the really confirmed victories were announced at about 03:30 Berlin time by Lieutenant Kinzinger and, apparently, a little later, Sergeant Rückert.
As for the Soviet pilots, the available documents also give a wide range of applicants for the first victory in aerial combat. First of all, these are the pilots of the 129th IAP, senior political instructor A. M. Sokolov and junior lieutenant V. A. Tsebenko, who, according to the results of the battle over Lomzha, at about 04:05–04:20 Moscow time, were credited with one downed Me-109. These claims are not confirmed by German data, although the losses of Bf 109E from II.(Schl.)/LG 2, three aircraft of which were irretrievably lost "in the Grodno region" on June 22, can hardly be attributed to this battle. Caution must be exercised in handling these data, as it is likely that the area is meant in a broad sense, and due to the lack of descriptions of the circumstances of these losses, it is impossible to give an unambiguous assessment.
The very first pilot of the SC Air Force who won an aerial victory confirmed by enemy documents is undoubtedly Lieutenant N. M. Ermak from the 67th IAP, who shot down a Romanian Blenheim over Moldova at 04:15. The circumstances of this battle were given in an article about
Recently, it has become fashionable to shake up archives and review well known facts. These trends also touched our victory in the Great Patriotic war. For example, the myths about the exploits of the “knights of the Luftwaffe” and the tales of “wild Asians on plywood” have become almost a reality. But let's finally see how the "evidence" of enemy air superiority on the Eastern Front was created.
The Germans, in order for the victory in the air battle to be counted, had enough of the pilot's report, the testimony of the participants in the battle and the filming of the camera gun (this is a movie camera combined with a machine gun; it automatically shoots at the time of firing). But the camera gun was far from being on all planes, and the participants in the battle can, to put it mildly, lie. This was demonstrated by the Finns back in the Winter War: then they declared victories twice as many as the losses of the Soviet Air Force counted!
In our army, the counting of victories was organized differently. The pilot's report was not taken into account. Usually (though not always) the testimony of the participants in the battle was not taken into account. The shots taken by the photo-machine gun were also not evidence of an air victory, since this device, with the exception of cases of an explosion in the air, is only capable of filming a hit. Only the report of the ground troops mattered. If the infantry (or ship crews, when the battle took place over the sea) did not confirm the death of the enemy or saw only damage to the enemy aircraft, it was believed that the enemy was not destroyed.
The most commonly used method of air combat by German aces is “free hunting”, that is, the search and destruction of single or lagging behind Soviet (or allied) aircraft over territory not controlled by the Nazis. At the same time, of course, the Germans did not have, and could not have, ground confirmation of their achievements. All destroyed aircraft were counted based on the reports of the pilots themselves.
Our aces rarely used the “free hunting” method: firstly, the battle tactics were still lame, and secondly, it was almost impossible to prove victory in this case. Behind enemy lines, only partisans could see downed German planes. But our army had no connection with the partisans. Therefore, there were no victories. This has always been the order. Alexander Pokryshkin missed more than twenty aircraft shot down by him behind the front line.
The Germans had a point system for shooting down enemy aircraft. So, three points (three victories) were awarded for a four-engine bomber, two points for a two-engine bomber, and one point for a fighter. Also, points were given for finishing off an aircraft damaged by another ace. For example, for a downed TB-3 bomber, a German pilot could chalk up three victories at once.
At the beginning of the mass retreat of the German troops in 1943-1944, the list of victories of the Luftwaffe aces began to grow by leaps and bounds. And our real losses, on the contrary, have sharply decreased. Often no one saw the cars destroyed by the Germans. It was believed that they all fall on the territory held by the Soviet troops.
In addition to the above reasons, there was one more reason why the victories of our pilots were not counted. Often they were not believed.
The best fighter of World War II is the German Me-262. Released by Germany in the last months of the war, he could not have a real impact on its course. The Wehrmacht no longer had any people, no forces, no fuel. But where the Me-262 appeared, the enemy had little chance. Three such aircraft were shot down on the Eastern Front. For a long time it was believed that two. Over the territory of the Czech Republic, the Soviet ace attacked the "Messer" on a combat turn, set it on fire and sent it to the ground. Returning to the regiment, he reported the victory. Unfortunately, our pilot flew an old Yak-1. Given this, the command simply did not believe him. And only a few decades later, when the details of this battle were published in the West and the destruction of the Me-262 was proved, the pilot was able to add an enemy fighter to his combat account.
The Germans had no such problems. Who would have tried not to believe the ace, the expert of the Luftwaffe! Any plane shot down by the Germans was automatically considered destroyed, even if it returned to its own airfield.
And the aces of the Luftwaffe did not use the concept of "joint victory". All the vehicles shot down by them in one sortie were often entered into the personal account of one pilot. As a rule, it was the commander of a pair, or even a group. The wingman could make dozens of sorties, shoot down an aircraft in each battle, and victories were credited to the commander. The second most successful fascist ace Erich Barkhorn (301 victories) made 110 sorties as a leader and did not shoot down a single our or allied aircraft! And the Soviet pilot Lev Shestakov personally shot down 25 aircraft and 49 more in the group. It is easy to calculate that if all the planes were entered into his personal account, there would be 74 victories. And someone would be left without awards.
It is known that the countries that lost the war said: their pilots own largest number victories in air battles.
Japan was especially notable. Foaming at the mouth, the Americans argued that they had lost several times fewer aircraft in the war than the Japanese had counted. In the end, Japanese achievements were automatically cut in half, but even the remaining figure inspires serious doubts.
The best (after the Germans) air fighters in Europe are considered to be residents northern country Suomi. But their merit is doubtful. Firstly, the Finnish pilots again, as in the Winter War, shot down more aircraft than we generally lost in combat operations, including accidents and Finnish anti-aircraft artillery. Secondly, it is not known what exactly they shot down. For example, the best Finnish ace Eino Juutilainen (94 victories) has two Soviet American-made P-51 Mustang fighters and one P-39 Lightning, but it remains a mystery where he dug them up. These fighters have never been in service with our army. And here are some more facts. On August 14, 1942, the Finns announced nine downed Soviet Hurricanes of the Baltic Fleet Air Force. In fact, we lost only one plane that day. On August 16, the Finns announced the destruction of 11 I-16 aircraft from the 4th Guards IAP of the KBF Air Force in one battle over the island of Seskar. In this battle, only one of our planes was also shot down, the pilot junior lieutenant Rochev died. There are hundreds of such examples, if we scrupulously compare the data of our archives with the Finnish and German claims of "victories".
In August 1942, in North Africa, the link of Lieutenant Vogel, commander of the fourth group of the 27th fighter squadron, shot down 65 enemy aircraft in a month. In fact, flying on a mission, the German pilots shot the ammunition into the sand, returned to the airfield and reported on the "victories won." When they were finally revealed, they just disbanded the link, leaving all the victories intact (an example is taken from the article by G. Kornyukhin “And again the experts of the Luftwaffe”). The exaggeration of their merits by the aces of the Luftwaffe often turned into trouble for the Germans themselves. During the now famous Battle of England, the Germans claimed about three times as many victories as they actually did. The Reich command decided that the British fighter aircraft had long been destroyed, and sent their bombers to certain death. The Germans lost the Battle of England.
List of those killed on the Eastern Front German aces so extensive that Western authors resort to falsification to hide the achievements of Soviet pilots, these achievements are very significant. For example, the German ace Hans Hahn (108 victories) was captured as a result of a battle with an Il-2 attack aircraft, the pilot of which made his eighth (!) sortie. Rudolf Müller (94 victories), pilot of the 5th Luftwaffe Fighter Squadron, was shot down on April 19, 1943 over Murmansk. Then six Me-109s clashed with five of our aircraft. From our side participated: Gorishin, Boky, Titov, Sorokin, Sgibnev. Muller was shot down by our pilot Boky (14 victories). Sorokin won his seventh victory in that battle. Interestingly, since October 1941, Sorokin, after the air ramming of the Me-110, a severe wound and a six-day journey across the ice to his own, flew without both legs. But this did not stop him from defeating the German aces. In total, he shot down 16 aircraft. On the "official" account of Alexander Pokryshkin there are 59 enemy aircraft, but in conversations with Felix Chuev he repeatedly said: "From memory, I shot down 90 aircraft." Ivan Kozhedub for more than three hundred sorties was not shot down even once, on the account of Kozhedub - one of the destroyed Me-262s. Hero of the Soviet Union Vasily Golubev personally destroyed 39 enemy vehicles. Once, two Messerschmitts attacked Golubev's single plane over the Vystav airfield. Our pilot shot down both enemy vehicles. At the same time, he flew on the "obsolete" I-16.
During the war years, our pilots made only 590 air rams. Often they died in the process. But not always. Pilot Boris Kovzan made four aerial rams and survived.
INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of my work is to tell about the outstanding air operations of the Second World War. Based on their traditional division of the Second World War, I divided it into 3 periods:
A) strategic defense from 06/22/1941 to 11/18/1942;
B) a radical pearl from 11/19/1942 to the end of 1943;
C) strategic offensive from 01.01.1944 to 05.09.1945.
I also divided air operations by types of aviation and periods of hostilities into 3 groups:
A) bomber operations
B) ground attack aviation operations
C) fighter aviation operations.
In the future, continuing the analysis of the topic, I will justify such a division.
This work is relevant due to the fact that on 08/08/2011 the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Berlin.
MAIN PART
Chapter 1
In this chapter, I would like to talk about the beginning of the war and about bomber aircraft in the course of strategic defense. Bomber aviation during the Second World War was the basis of the strike force of the Soviet Air Force. It accounted for over 50,000 tons of bombs out of 660,000 tons of bombs dropped on the enemy during the entire war. But the first bombs of our aviation, dropped in the summer of 1941, during one of the main battles of the first period of the Second World War - the strategic defense of Smolensk, were especially important, which managed to push the battle for Moscow until 10.1941 and disrupt the Barbaros plan.
The details of what happened in August 1941 in the skies over Berlin were known only to a narrow circle of people for a long time. Then, during heavy defensive battles and the retreat of Soviet troops, it was decided to send our long-range bombers to the capital of Germany.
Exactly one month after the start of the war, German aviation carried out the first massive raid on Moscow. Enemy raids prompted the Soviet military-political leadership to retaliate against Berlin. On July 26, 1941, Admiral Kuznetsov was already at Stalin's with a proposal to bomb the German capital. The Supreme Commander liked the idea, which could have a psychological impact. It was necessary to prove that Soviet aviation had not been destroyed, as Goebbels, the chief propagandist of Germany, trumpeted. She's capable of kicking back.
More than 1000 km from the front line to Berlin, it was clear that the Soviet long-range bombers DB-3
Ilyushin's designs with a full bomb load will not be able to overcome such a path. It was necessary to find a point from where it was possible to get Berlin. Closest to the Baltics. From the island of Saaremaa, for example, to Berlin, about 900 km in a straight line.
It took several days to check the calculations, coordinate, report to the ministers, the Supreme Commander. Finally, on July 29, the go-ahead for this operation was received.
The initiator, Lieutenant General Zhavoronkov, was appointed its leader. On July 30, he flew to the 1st Bomber Mine and Torpedo Regiment of the Baltic Fleet, commanded by Colonel Evgeny Nikolaevich Preobrazhensky. 
The operation was extremely dangerous, it was assumed that the bombers would spend at least eight hours in the air! At significant altitudes, the temperature outside the aircraft could reach 50 degrees below zero. Taking into account the fact that the cabins were not heated, warm fur suits and oxygen masks were prepared for the pilots.
The cars had to be lightened as much as possible. And for what? The armor protection was removed. The DB-3 aircraft were slow-moving, so they decided to take off at 21 o'clock to return to the base at sunrise, around 4 o'clock in the morning. With an interval of 15 minutes, three links took a course to Berlin: the first was led by Preobrazhensky, the second - by the captain Grechishnikov, the third - Efremov.
The route was difficult even at the limit of the planes (Rügen Island - the confluence of the Warta River with the Oder River and then straight to Berlin) 
We went in a “rhombus” formation. At first, the weather pleased the pilots. We passed the Danish island of Bornholm. Then there was only the sea and the stars, we had to move only on instruments. We went to the goal at almost the maximum height - 6.5 thousand meters.
Finally, Stettin, flooded with lights, opened up below. There were flights at the airport. Our pilots noticed how powerful searchlights laid frozen beams along the runway. Soviet aircraft invited to board. The Nazis were so sure of their inaccessibility that they mistook our bombers for their own.
Without responding to the signals and requests of the Germans on the radio, the first link, without giving itself away, proceeded to Stettin. Around Berlin, within a radius of a hundred kilometers, there were anti-aircraft guns, hundreds of fighters were on duty at the airfields. But three of our planes reached the capital of the Reich without a single shot being fired.
Even on Saaremaa there was an agreement: over the goal - no radio communications, the signals would be given by Preobrazhensky air navigation lights. Berlin was not waiting for "guests", it was all in lights, it was perfectly visible.
Airship navigator G.P. Molchanov recalled the flight to Berlin in this way: “A few minutes to the goal. Below us is the LAIR OF FASCISM! I'm bombing! As a heartbeat, the impulses of the separated FAB-500 are counted. 
The ship is in the right turn, the explosions of our bombs are visible. Berlin has already woken up. A huge number of powerful anti-aircraft searchlights are operating. Barrage, but fortunately for us, the gaps are below the echelons of our bombers. It can be seen that the enemy air defense did not guess our height and all the fire was concentrated at about 4500-5000 meters in height.
Only 35 minutes after the first bombs fell, an air raid alert was announced in Berlin. The city plunged into darkness. Anti-aircraft guns opened fire. Our bombers had to break through a solid wall of fire. Preobrazhensky ordered the radio operator: “Krotenko, tell the airfield: my place is Berlin.
The handbooks still say that all our crews returned to the airfield without loss. In fact, there were losses. The plane of Lieutenant Dashkovsky did not reach his airfield by the slightest. He fell near Cahul on the forest and caught fire. The crew died.
On the night of August 8, 1941, an aviation group under the command of E. N. Preobrazhensky, consisting of 15 combat vehicles, dropped 750-kilogram bombs on the military-industrial facilities of the fascist capital. And on August 13, 1941, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, E. N. Preobrazhensky was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Years later, the German writer Olaf Greller would write: “What no one else has been able to do before 1945 was done by the pilots of Preobrazhensky: they took the fascist air defense by surprise, the strongest and most equipped, which was in 1941” .
The raids on Berlin turned into a long and complex operation. In total, the air group of Colonel E. N. Preobrazhensky stormed Berlin 10 times, almost 90 long-range bombers participated in the raids. 311 bombs were dropped and 32 fires were registered. The bombing ended on September 5 only after, on Hitler's personal order, the airfield in Cahul was completely destroyed by the superior aviation forces of Army Group North.
Chapter 2
On the eve of the war, attack aviation was the smallest. But already the first experience of combat use in the Second World War of the Il-2 attack aircraft showed its high survivability, maneuverability and firepower when exposed to ground targets. None of the warring countries had an attack aircraft equal to the Il-2 in terms of its combat effectiveness. 
Therefore, by December 1942. the number of Ilyushin attack aircraft was up to 30% of the total aircraft fleet.
In this chapter, I would like to talk about ground attack aviation operations during the turning point, which includes two main battles: this Battle of Stalingrad from 07/17/1942 to 12/20/1943 and the Kursk Bulge. I chose the battle on the Oryol-Kursk Bulge, because it is the completion of a radical change.
The Battle of Kursk occupies the Great Patriotic War special place. It lasted 50 days and nights, from July 5 to August 23, 1943. This battle has no equal in its bitterness and stubbornness of the struggle.
The general plan of the German command was to encircle and destroy the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts defending in the Kursk region. If successful, it was supposed to expand the front of the offensive and return the strategic initiative. To implement his plans, the enemy concentrated powerful strike groups, which numbered over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2700 tanks and assault guns, about 2050 aircraft. Great hopes were placed on the latest Tiger tanks 
"Panther" 
assault guns "Ferdinand" 
Fighters "Focke-Wulf 190-A" 
and attack aircraft "NE-129" 
The command of both sides was well aware that the outcome of this battle would have a decisive influence not only on the results of the summer-autumn campaign of 1943, but also on the outcome of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War. That is why the troops prepared for it so carefully and for a long time.
The fight that unfolded in the air over the Kursk Bulge was fierce. Air battles went on continuously, developing into air battles, in which hundreds of aircraft participated from each side.
On July 5, the pilots of the 16th Air Army made 1232 sorties, conducted 76 air battles and shot down 106 enemy aircraft.
Attack aircraft of the 17th Air Army destroyed enemy crossings and prevented the advance of his troops in an easterly direction. During the day they made up to 200 sorties, destroyed two crossings in the area of Mikhailovka and Solomino, and destroyed up to 40 vehicles with enemy troops.
The effectiveness of the destruction of armored vehicles by the Il-2 aircraft increased especially after the inclusion of small-sized anti-tank bombs PTAB-2.5-1.5 of cumulative action, developed by I. A. Larionov, into the bomb load of the aircraft. 
Of all these weapons, only the PTAB-2.5-1.5 is universal: a bomb with sufficient power to destroy all types of tanks and other mobile armored targets. Dropping these bombs from a height of 75 ... 100 m, the attack aircraft hit almost all tanks in a strip about 15 m wide and about 70 m long. 
The pilots of the 291st Assault Aviation Division, commanded by Colonel A. Vitruk, destroyed and damaged 422 enemy tanks in the first five days of the Battle of Kursk alone.
Attack aircraft dealt serious blows to enemy tanks and reserves, delayed their advance to the battlefield and largely disorganized control.
As Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky would later say:"It's time to keep the connections ground forces aviation. The commander of the 16th Air Army was ordered to strike at the enemy that had broken through. Rudenko took off more than 350 aircraft. Their attacks slowed down the pace of the Nazi advance in this area, which made it possible to transfer the nearest reserves here. These forces managed to delay the advance of the enemy.
During the radical change Gareev Musa Gasinovich also distinguished himself. 
I want to tell about him because, firstly, because the Ufa cadet corps, where I study, was named after him, and secondly, Musa Gareev is one of the youngest pilots who was awarded the title of Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and thirdly, he is one of the few pilots on whose account there are over 250 sorties.
I would like to tell you about one combat mission of Gareev, which he writes about in his book “I Live and Remember”: when in the summer of 1943 his regiment was on the so-called Mius Front. It was stationed near the Dolzhaiinskaya station. By that time, Musa Gareev was already considered an experienced pilot among the young, because. he had more than 20 sorties, 11 of them near Stalingrad.
So, taking into account the fact that he was the first in the regiment to be entrusted with a responsible task. The command demanded from the navigators documentary evidence of their work, and it was decided to install cameras on the IL-2, as on reconnaissance aircraft. Musa's task was this: fly out with a group of attack aircraft, and when the group worked out and turned back together with escort fighters, without changing altitude and flight speed, fly over the bombed object two or three times and photograph everything that was left of it.
On August 10, 1943, the assault group bombed an enemy artillery position in the Garana area, 8-12 km from Mius, and flew away. Gareev began to photograph. Twice safely flying over the place of impact, and on the third-last run, everything happened.
Filming had just begun when a shell exploded ahead of us. Immediately on the intercom, Alexander Kiryanov reports that a shell also exploded from behind. It became clear that they were taking them into the “fork”, and that the third shell should go to them. And, it would seem, now is the time to lay the plane at a peak or take it out of the fire with a sharp turn, but no matter how. After all, an order was received - without changing altitude and speed!
Shells are exploding around, the oil cooler is damaged by shrapnel, Kiryanov reports that they are being attacked by two enemy fighters, but since. everything has already been filmed, Musa Gareev begins to maneuver, Alexander Kiryanov is wounded, the ammunition has run out. Their IL flew over the Mius River, which means that the plane is on its territory. The screw finally stopped. Gareev decides to save the plane and puts it on its belly without releasing the landing gear.
After landing, the pilot grabs the film and the wounded Kiryanov and delivers it to headquarters.
From this operation, I would like to note that despite the threat to life, our Soviet officers carried out orders implicitly, and this, in my opinion, was the decisive factor in our victory over Nazi Germany.
As Air Marshal S. I. Rudenko later said about the Battle of Kursk:“I have seen a lot of air battles, but I have never seen such perseverance, such swiftness, such courage of our aviators.”
The summer-autumn campaign of 1943 was completed brilliantly by the Soviet troops. During this time, the Red Army finally seized the strategic initiative in its own hands and inflicted heavy blows on the enemy, after which he could no longer recover. Stalingrad and Kursk became symbols of the coming defeat of Nazi Germany.
Chapter 3
1944 is the year of ten "Stalinist strikes" by the Red Army, which finally broke the military machine of Nazism. I would like to tell you about the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation 20-29.08.1944 (7th strike), because. it was the last decisive attempt by the Germans to regain air supremacy, and "reign in the sky", which can only be achieved with the help of fighters, was the main task of aviation during the third stage of the war.
As the English aviation historian R. Jackson wrote in the book The Red Falcons: “In an attempt to drive the Russians out of Romanian territory, the Germans launched a strong counterattack in the area of the city of Iasi at the end of May. To provide air support, they gathered the best Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. Their rivals were several guards fighter aviation regiments, in which such aces as Pokryshkin, Kozhedub, Klubov, Rechkalov served: the list of the names of the pilots of both sides was read as a "Who's Who" reference book containing information about the Heroes of the Soviet Union and Knight's Cross holders.
Naturally, when they met in the air, the battle over Jassy, in its ferocity and intensity, resembled the battles on the Kursk salient.
For the entire period of the operation, strictly centralized aviation control was established. This made it possible to quickly redirect and mass the actions of combat units in the right directions. Also, plans for interaction with combined arms armies were developed in detail.
Signalmen were allocated in the troops to mark the front line. Identification marks were applied to the towers of tanks and vehicles. The signal "I am my plane" was brought to the front personnel. For the first time in Air Force history Soviet army for the entire past period of the war, mass perspective photography of the enemy’s defenses was carried out.
I would like to dwell on our most famous pilot, whose motto was: "Found, shot down, left" - Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, 
who by the time of the Iasi-Kishinev operation was already the acting division commander.
Iasi-Kishinev cannes began on the morning of August 20. The German and Romanian troops were demoralized by the powerful strikes of our aircraft and artillery. At 12 o'clock aerial reconnaissance established the beginning of the withdrawal of enemy troops from defensive positions. The troops of the front, with the support of aviation, broke through the tactical defense zone of the enemy and created conditions for the entry into battle of the formations of the 6th tank army and 18th Panzer Corps.
From morning to evening, the air groaned and hummed from the roar of engines ... There were Rudel's Yu-87 dive bombers, and all three groups of the 52nd fighter squadron, among which were members of the Kuban Battle, Lieutenant Erich Hartman and Major Gerhard Barkhorn.
The intelligence reports of the headquarters of the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division reported that on May 30, "in the area of \u200b\u200bcovering ground troops and hunting," the regiments of the division carried out eight air battles, in which they participated against 88 of our "aircobras" (R-39) 216 enemy aircraft, of which 10 Yu-88.103 Yu-87.59 Me-109 and 46 FV-190.
In the afternoon of August 20, the main efforts of the aviation of both air armies were directed to cover and support tank formations when they were brought into battle. At the same time, assault aviation formations delivered several concentrated attacks on enemy artillery and tanks in the offensive sector of units of the 6th Panzer Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and in the area of Tirgu Frumos, Voinesti, they destroyed suitable reserves in small groups. In other sectors of the front, formations of the 5th Air Army delivered strikes against enemy troops, assisting the 27th and 52nd armies in overcoming defensive lines.
The fighter aviation of the air armies, by systematic patrolling of groups of aircraft in the air, covered the strike groups of the troops of the fronts. As A.I. Pokryshkin in the book “The Sky of War”: “On the front of Iasi - Chisinau, the enemy continued to hold his positions. Our division, operating in the direction of Iasi, flew continuously to cover its ground troops from enemy bombardments. During the enemy counteroffensive in this area, the division shot down more than a hundred German aircraft over Moldova and Romania, losing 5 of its own.
And also, it was during the Iasi-Chisinau operation that the famous Pokryshkin formula justified itself: "height, speed, maneuver, fire." Pokryshkin was convinced: "Aviation is an art that requires a person for his whole life."
The merit of A.I. Pokryshkin was the creation of many new tactical methods of warfare: the use of vertical maneuver, "falcon strike", "free hunting", the formation of a group of aircraft - "whatnot" echeloned in height.
On August 19, 1944, for 550 sorties and 53 downed aircraft, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. A.I. Pokryshkin became the first to be awarded this title and remained the only Hero three times until the day of Victory over Germany.
Officially, Pokryshkin has more than 650 sorties and 59 personally shot down aircraft. The actual number is probably even higher.
During the Yassko-Chisinau offensive operation The pilots of the division shot down 28 aircraft (4 Yu-88, 5 Yu-87, 8 Me-109, 11 FV-190) and 10 were shot down. 
At the same time, in all air battles carried out ... enemy fighters fought active air battles and used vertical maneuver. Deserves special attention the expulsion by the enemy of large groups of fighters, both to cover the bombers and to clear the air before a bombing strike, which indicates the enemy’s desire to firmly gain air supremacy. In the book of the English historian of aviation, and in archival documents, the battle near Iasi appears tense and furious. The last time the Germans created a numerical superiority over the battlefield.
One of the largest and most important in its strategic and military-political significance, the Iasi-Kishinev operation was completed within nine days. Soviet troops defeated one of the largest Nazi groupings that covered the approaches to the Balkans. Conditions were created for the liberation of the peoples of the countries of South-Eastern Europe: Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, as well as the opportunity to lend a helping hand to Hungary.
Soviet aviation made a great contribution to this victory. Only parts of the 17th Air Army in this operation destroyed and damaged 130 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1900 vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 80 railway cars and 9 steam locomotives, dispersed and destroyed 4700 German soldiers and officers. In air battles, our pilots shot down 33 enemy aircraft. Home front workers ensured the delivery of 2813 tons of fuel and lubricants, 1463 tons of ammunition.
CONCLUSION
In my work, I adopted the classic division of the Second World War into three periods: strategic defense, a radical change and a strategic offensive. In each of these periods, in my opinion, a certain type of aviation played a decisive role. During the battle for Moscow, at the stage of the Smolensk battle leading role bombers played. It was especially important to destroy the myth of Hitler about the destruction Soviet aviation. The bombing strikes of Colonel Preobrazhensky and his fighting friends on the Nazi lair of Berlin and other cities of the Third Reich clearly demonstrated that our aviation is not only alive, but also capable of striking at the most protected cities in Germany.
During the turning point, the final stage of which was the Battle of Orlovo-Kursk, in order to defeat the main striking force of the enemy - tanks, it was necessary to use our "air tanks" Il-2 attack aircraft. Our attack aircraft, armed with the latest PTAB-2.5-1.5 bombs, made a significant contribution to the destruction of the tank potential of Germany, given that the guns of the T-34, our main tank, could hit tigers and panthers at a distance of up to 300-500 m , while the enemy fired to kill from 2 km. Under such conditions, the use of attack aircraft played a decisive role in the destruction of the tank wedge.
During the strategic offensive, one of the brightest pages was written by the Iasi-Kishinev operation. It was here that the Germans last tried to gain and maintain air supremacy, which can only be won and maintained with the help of fighter aircraft.
I chose this topic as a development of the program of patriotic education of the young generation for 2011-2015, approved by D.A. Medvedev, and I also hope that the material I have collected will be used in the popular Wikipedia service among young people.
SOURCES
Archive of the family of N.G. Kuznetsova. Script.
http://www.airwar.ru
http://militera.lib.ru
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Actions of the Air Force in the Yassy-Kishinev operation (August 1944) M., Military Publishing House, 1949, pp. 37,105,106.
Archive of the USSR Ministry of Defense, f. 370 op. 6550, d. 37, ll. 23.24.
Gareev M.G. I live and remember. - Ufa: Kitap, 1997, - 176 p.: ill.
Gareev M.G. Stormtroopers go to the target. - M.: DOSAAF, 1972, 268s.
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