Aviation of World War II
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Aviation of World War II |
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Boris Feoktistovich Safonov and "Kittyhawk"Fighter-attack aircraftCurtiss
The last aircraft in which Boris Safonov flew and died was a P-40E Kittyhawk* (Serial Number 41-13531). The aircraft was manufactured on January 17, 1942, in Buffalo. Almost all archival documents erroneously state that the North Sea ace died on May 30, 1942, in an American P-40 Tomahawk. The reason for this error is that in Soviet documents, P-40E aircraft were still listed as Tomahawks; the name "Kittyhawk" was only applied to later modifications. The Kittyhawk's Allison engine lacked turbocharging and quickly lost power at altitudes above 4,500 m. Therefore, the aircraft was successfully used as a ground attack aircraft. However, the aircraft also had a significant drawback, which led to the death of more than one pilot. From the memoirs of Northern Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral A.G. Golovko: "These aircraft have special bearings in their engines, because the bearings are cast not with a regular alloy, but with silver. The Americans consider this alloy to be the latest technological advancement; however, engines with bearings cast with silver alloy often fail. That's why our pilots, with bitter mockery, call these aircraft "the miracle of engineless aviation." More often than not, the Kittyhawks remain idle." It was the failure of bearings during takeoff that led to engine failure. Boris Feoktistovich Safonov, a fighter pilot in the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet Air Force, died on May 30, 1942, in a P-40E. The P-40E is structurally similar to the previous P-40D (V-1710-39 engine with a compressed radiator), but with six machine guns in the wing. A total of 2,320 aircraft of this type were produced. In the case of B. Safonov, the cause of the engine failure was not determined, as the aircraft crashed into the sea and sank. However, the theory of engine failure is not without foundation in this case. Four aircraft took off on a combat mission to protect convoy PQ-16 on May 30, 1942 (the remaining Kittyhawks were not operational at the time). The fourth aircraft (piloted by Kukharenko) returned midway due to engine failure. The three of them continued the flight, and the three of them engaged in combat. The fact that his wingman, Kukharenko, who was assigned to cover his commander, did not participate in the battle likely played a significant role in Safonov's death. The attack was carried out as the Ju-88s were pulling out of their dive. Guards Lieutenant Colonel Safonov let the first Ju-88 pass, and the second began to attack. The third Ju-88 entered the tail of Safonov's Kittyhawk, which Guards Lieutenant Pokrovsky began to attack. The fourth Ju-88 entered the tail of Pokrovsky's Kittyhawk, which Guards Captain Orlov began to attack. After the initial attacks, the Ju-88s attacked by Pokrovsky and Orlov turned left 30 degrees off the course of the first aircraft. Thus, Pokrovsky and Orlov evaded Guards Lieutenant Colonel Safonov during their attacks, and after the battle, neither of them saw Safonov. According to the recollections of Leonid Ivanovich Rodionov, a former midshipman in the Northern Fleet who witnessed the death of B.F. Safonov (Rodionov was scheduled to be on the bridge of one of the ships during the alert): "Our pilots' radio communications with the convoy command were clearly audible. Safonov could be clearly heard announcing, 'Shot down one!' A little later, 'Shot down the second!' And suddenly, 'Shot down the third. I'm shot down, pulling back to the ships.' You could clearly see his plane crash into the sea." Brigade commander A.I. Gurin asked the senior convoy officer, who was always assigned an Englishman or an American, for permission to send a ship to the crash site. Not only our crew knew that Safonov's plane had gone down, but also the senior convoy officer; his radio was on the whole time. However, permission for the ship to leave the formation was not forthcoming. They asked again, emphasizing that it was Safonov who was shot down. And again, a refusal... Boris Safonov was the first person to be awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice for his exploits in the Great Patriotic War. The courageous fighter pilot was nominated for this high title by the People's Commissar of the Navy, N.G. Kuznetsov, not posthumously, but during his lifetime, on May 27, 1942—three days before his last combat sortie. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner (three times). In total, Boris Safonov flew 224 combat sorties, shooting down 25 enemy aircraft in 34 air battles. The picture above shows a Kittyhawk with tail number 10. Boris Safonov died in this aircraft during his last battle. * - among the numerous pronunciation variations - Kittyhawk, Kittyhawk, you should probably prefer Kittyhawk, as this pronunciation of "hawk" in English sounds like a hawk, a falcon. Lend - Lease Lend-Lease | A 20 | B 17 | B 25C | B 25J | Mitchell in USSR | P 39 | P 40 | P 47 | P 63 | Hurricane Mk.2 | Hurricane in USSR | Spitfire Mk.5 | Spitfire Mk.9 | O-52 | PBN-1 | |
Aleksey Nikitovich KukharenkoOctober 18, 1911 – 1977
During the Great Patriotic War, he served in the Northern Fleet Air Force: from July 1941, as deputy squadron commander of the 72nd Mixed Aviation Regiment, and from October 1941, as deputy commander of the 78th Mixed Aviation Regiment. From March 1942, he was deputy commander of the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Naval Air Force, whose commander in 1941-1942 was twice Hero of the Soviet Union B.F. Safonov. In March 1942, four Northern Fleet pilots (including Kukharenko) were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Britain's highest aviation decoration, by the head of the British mission, Lieutenant General MacForlane. He flew I-16s, MiG-3s, Hurricanes, Airacobras, and Kittyhawks. According to N.G. Bodrikhin, during the war, Guards Colonel A.N. Kukharenko flew approximately 300 combat missions and shot down 15 enemy aircraft. From February 1943 until the end of the war, Kukharenko served as a senior pilot inspector at the UBP and VUZ of the Main Directorate of the Naval Air Force. After the war, he continued serving in aviation units (in Estonia and Latvia), where he remained after retiring from the reserve on May 22, 1954, working in a furniture factory in Riga. He died in 1977. He is buried in the Riga Garrison Cemetery, now St. Michael's Cemetery. December 01, 1925
"Fiery Heights" by Dmitry Alexandrovich Kudymov, Perm, 1980 Bibliography
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Aircraft
Born October 18, 1911, to a family of farmers. He joined the Red Army on December 5, 1929, as a Red Army soldier in the 5th Artillery Regiment in the Belorussian Military District. From May 1930, he was a cadet at the District School of Military Pilots of the BVO. After graduating from school, he became a military pilot in March 1932, first in the 35th, then in the 9th Squadron of the BVO. From December 1933, he became a senior pilot, and from March 1934, he became a flight commander in the 9th Squadron of the Pacific Fleet Air Force.