Soviet Russia Air Force

Soviet Hawker Hurricanes

Units: 3rd AE, 78th IAP, Northern Fleet Air Force
Serial: FK-49 Z3768
Operational Area: Vaenga, USSR, September 1941. Later it was transferred to Northern Fleet Air Force of USSR where fought in winter 1941-1942.

Artist: © Aleksandr Pavlygin Source: Authentic Decals

The pilot of the 134th Squadron RAF Captain Jack Ross undoing his parachute after a flight in his fighter Hurricane Mk.IIB at Vaenga airfield (now Severomorsk, Murmansk oblast). Jack Ross was one of the instructors training Soviet pilots to fly the Hurricanes that were sent to the USSR from British by lend-lease program. Ross participated in the battle of Britain in the 17-th Squadron Royal Air Force, during which German aircraft shot down 2. After returning from the SOVIET UNION, during a routine patrol flight 16.01.1942 crashed his plane into the Irish Sea due to engine failure Ross body was never found.

Unit: Flight "A", 134 Sqn 151 Wing, RAF
Serial: GV-33 (ex GO-25, Z5159
Operational Area: Vaenga-1 airfield, USSR, October 1941.

Artist: © Igor Zlobin Source: Fighters over Russia

Unit: Flight "A", 134 Sqn 151 Wing, RAF According this source: Flight B; note Flight B a/c was coded from 30 to 39.

Artist: © Arkadiusz Wrobel Source: "Militaria XX Wieku" Nr.4(43), lipiec - sierpien 2005. Oficyna widawnicza KAGERO, 20-952 LUBLIN ul. Melgiewska 7-9 pok. 307-311, ISSN 1732-4491.

Unit: Flight "B", 81 Sqn 151 Wing, RAF
Serial: FE-53 (Z5227) Pilot - P/O J. 'Scottie' Emiston.

Artist: © Arkadiusz Wrobel Source: "Militaria XX Wieku" Nr.4(43), lipiec - sierpien 2005. Oficyna widawnicza KAGERO, 20-952 LUBLIN ul. Melgiewska 7-9 pok. 307-311, ISSN 1732-4491.

Hurricane Mk.IIa For Motherland/For Stalin Unit: 609th IAP, 32nd Army Air Force Serial: 60 (BM959) Pilot - Lt. Ivan Babanin. 6 April 1942 it was shot down by Finnish antiaircraft guns near Tiiksjarvi, Eastern Karelia. Aircraft was reassembled my Finnish technicians for spares which were used for repairing HC465 Hurricane aircraft.

BM959 I was little surprised when I have read that this E was shot down by Finnish A/A battery. There were big air combat on 6 April 1942 over Tiiksjarvi between 2./LeLv 24 (12 B239) and 7 SB of 80 BAP and 7 Pe-2 of 608. BAP (bombers) covered by 7 Hurricane II of 767 IAP and 3 Hurricane and 1 LaGG-3 of 609 IAP in Finnish document combat took place 15,25-15.50). 9 Finnish pilot of 12 climed 2 DB-3 (wrong identification) + 12 Hurricanes. Soviet losses based on thier documents: 1 SB (all crew KIA) + 6 Hurricanes (2 from 609 IAP + 4 from 767 IAP) – 3 pilots KIA, 3 pilots PoW. On BM959 (white 60) flown mlodszyj leitnant Nikolay A. Belicki of 1/609 IAP Finnish slavaged 3 HC (BM959, Z3577, Z5049). All this information are in my book (below full it description). There are aslo both side photo of BM959 (size ½ A-4). So this story is well know, documented, the name of Finnish pilot are in LeR 2 Keskinen, Stenman. So this is my surprise to connect this shot down HC (BM959) as a A/A victims! I do not know wwhich Finnish pilot in fact shot down this exact plane (7 of them were credited with shotting down HC). Regards Mirek Wawrzyñski

Lend Lease Hawker Hurricanes

Soviet Hawker Hurricanes: Nearly 3,000 Hawker Hurricanes supplied to Soviet Union 1941-1944 from British and Canadian production, including 210 Mk IIA (some Mk I conversions), 1,557 Mk IIB, 1,009 Mk IIC, 60 Mk IID and about 100 Mk IV. In Russia, some Hawker Hurricanes adapted to have 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns of US origin, and a few modified to two-seaters for training.

Within five weeks of 1941 to the Soviet pilots the pilots of Royal air forces (RAF), arrived in USSR. The 151th wing were specially formed at the request of government USSR for the help at a defense of Murmansk.

For five weeks the Soviet pilots successfully have mastered "Hurricanes", and the 151th wing have returned home. During fights the British pilots have brought down not less than 16 planes of the opponent, having lost only one (sergeant - pilot Djon Smith).

Further on "Hurricanes" the Soviet pilots battled on Northern fleet, Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Safonov protected sea escorts in area of the Kola peninsula - Murmansk.

(Hawker Hurricane British production). The British fighters, supplied in the USSR under the Lend-Lease, the flight crew of the 1st Guild IAP retrained in December 1941 - January 1942. in the 17th reserve air regiment of the Ural Military District (Molotov). The regiment fought on the "Hurricane", equipped with Soviet weapons (two 20-mm ShVAK cannons and two 12.7-mm machine guns BK), from March to May 1942, having lost 9 cars in battles and flight accidents.

Source https://warspot.ru/66-samolety-sovetskih-istrebitelnyh-aviapolkov-chast-i