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downed aircraft and fired upon it to prevent it
from falling into enemy hands undamaged.
Petermann and Düttmann were over the
battlefield at a time when Soviet forces were
conducting air raids on Kurchanskaya between
18:32 and 19:15 (Moscow time, one hour ahead
of German time). These raids involved a total
of eleven groups of Il-2s with fighter escorts.
According to researcher Andrey Kuznetsov,
during this period, Soviet airmen reported
eight aerial victories, all claimed to be Bf 109s.
The Il-2 gunner, Ml. Lt. S. F. Samarskiy
of the 130th ShAP, claimed a Bf 109 that
reportedly crashed into a garden 2 km west of
Kurchanskaya. Another crew from the 805th
ShAP, comprising pilot Ml. Lt. V. S. Rybchenko
and gunner St. V. I. Kosuchin, was credited with
downing a Bf 109, which crashed at 18:33 on
a high point of 115.9.
Meanwhile, the fighters of the 236th IAP,
flying Yak-1s, scored two kills. Ml. Lt. V. A.
Rogozhin claimed a Bf 109 that fell into a swamp
7 km northeast of Kurchanskaya, and his
colleague Ml. Lt. N. P. Morozov forced a Bf 109
into an emergency landing on the German side
of the front, approximately 3-4 km southwest
of Kurchanskaya. This opponent may have been
Fw. Klaus Dadd of 7./JG 52, who crash-landed
his Bf 109 G-4 (WNr. 19451) "White 9" around
10 km northwest of Varenikovskaya following
an air battle. He succumbed to his injuries on
June 19, 1943, in a field infirmary.
Petermann’s opponents were likely airmen
from the 267th IAP, flying LaGG-3 aircraft.
One Bf 109 was credited to Ml. Lt. S. F. Frolov,
who reportedly shot down an opponent over
Kurchansky Liman around 19:00 (some sources
list 19:05-19:15). Between 19:05 and 19:15,
Lt. N. P. Petrov and Lt. A. P. Popov also claimed
one Bf 109 each.
Interesting details emerge regarding
the victory awarded to St. Lt. Yu. T. Antipov.
At approximately 19:05 (some records indicate
19:05-19:15), he shot down a Bf 109 northeast
of Kurchansky Liman, which landed near
a pig farm (about 1 km south of village “otrub”
No. 7).. The pilot reportedly hid in the reeds,
and a guard was posted at the aircraft—
circumstances that closely resemble Viktor
Petermann’s emergency landing.
The Soviet claims during this hour suggest
intense and chaotic fighting within a limited
area. Although this article cannot cover all air
operations in Kuban on June 6, records indicate
that Luftwaffe fighter units documented only
four Bf 109s destroyed throughout the day.
Around the time of Petermann’s combat and
emergency landing, the Luftwaffe had claimed
just one victory: Fw. Alfred Lehmann of 6./JG 52
scored his 19th victory at 18:05 (19:05 Moscow
time), downing a LaGG-3 in map square
34 Ost/76644, near Kurchansky Liman.
The Way to the Front Line
After stopping a short distance from his
plane, Petermann dug a shallow ditch with his
hands and hid in it. Enemy soldiers searched
the reed field twice, firing blindly, but failed
to locate the German airman. Petermann
understood that he could move toward his
own lines only under the cover of night.
As evening approached, he removed all light-
colored elements from his overalls and tied
a dirty handkerchief around his head. At nearly
thirty years old, he was almost hairless and
wanted to avoid drawing attention if any light
source was directed at him. He buried all his
excess belongings in the ground and set off on
HISTORY
Bombing of Soviet positions in residential
areas of Kuban in spring 1943.
Photo: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
INFO Eduard
9
November 2024