IL-2 Sturmovik Recovered from a Lake in Murmansk, Russia

[Hollenweger]

Freshly retrieved from 'Crooked Lake' near the town of Severomorsk in the Murmansk region of Russia is an IL-2 Sturmovik wreck. It was lifted on 21st June 2012 by a team named 'Icarus' from the city of Zaozersk.

Full article + pics: http://ww2incolour.blogspot.co.uk/20...m-lake-in.html

[Bruisercruiser]

Thanks for sharing. Love it when they include the story of what happened.

[nighthawk006]

Great! Thanks for posting

[Flagg]

Good to hear the aircrew survived ditching their bird...whenever I see photos of the combatants, can read their names and look them in the eye, I'm always hoping they survived the war.

Any word on what happened to the aircrew longer term beyond the engagement?

[Zorro C9]

Considering that pilot has 3x Order of the Red Banner (I think) and the ditching was on his third sortie, I'd say they survived at least another year or more after the landing.

[Maximmmm]

Good to hear the aircrew survived ditching their bird...whenever I see photos of the combatants, can read their names and look them in the eye, I'm always hoping they survived the war.

Any word on what happened to the aircrew longer term beyond the engagement?

I got to talk to a family member I never knew before over skype a few days ago. A great great aunt of mine, 90 years old, decorated partisan. Fought and lived in the forests of eastern Ukraine.
You always feel so incredibly humbled by such incredible people you feel your "thank you" is dwarfed by the immense weight of their deeds.

[Hollenweger]

Good to hear the aircrew survived ditching their bird...whenever I see photos of the combatants, can read their names and look them in the eye, I'm always hoping they survived the war.

Any word on what happened to the aircrew longer term beyond the engagement?

Thank you for the feedback, I've added what extra detail about their fates I could find to the blog post

[ea8]

Thanks for posting!

Pilot's name is Valentin Skopintsev, not Skopintseva. Валентин Скопинцев in russian.

In 1947 he was retired from military service. Died in 1996.

[Hollenweger]

Thanks for posting!

Pilot's name is Valentin Skopintsev, not Skopintseva. Валентин Скопинцев in russian.

In 1947 he was retired from military service. Died in 1996.

Thank you for the correction, I've updated the blog post, ah the foibles of using Google Translate! One other thing I had trouble translating correctly was the name of the unit the IL-2 belonged to. Северный флот translates to 'North Sea Fleet' and 46-го штурмового авиаполка ВВС translates to '46th Air Assault Regiment' Are these the correct translations? I'd like to put these extra details into the article if possible.

[ea8]

Северный флот translates to 'North Sea Fleet' and 46-го штурмового авиаполка ВВС translates to '46th Air Assault Regiment'

These are absolutely correct translation.

[Arbody]

These are absolutely correct translation.

Nope should be "Northern Fleet"

[Mousepad]

Now that the aircraft has been recovered, it will be taken to Novosibirsk for restoration, with the intent of getting it back into flying condition.

That's good, we'll have 2.

[JCR]

According to german records no german planes were lost of 25th November 1943, at least not in the air.
Jagdgeschwader claimed 36 kills without loss, while the soviets lost 11 planes, it seems.

But I only have the 70s Geschwader chronicle, which is not totally accurate.
What can be certain is that no german pilot was killed in the air that day, but some 109s could've been damaged in crash landings without fatalities or total loss of the plane, explaining the soviet claims.
They were fighting over their own airfield after all
Does anyone have Vol. 3 of Erich Mombeek's "Eismeerjäger"?
This air combat should be covered there.

The Murmansk air combat was a weird, isolated little world with almost no contact to the rest of the eastern front.

[Arbody]

According to german records no german planes were lost of 25th November 1943, at least not in the air.
Jagdgeschwader claimed 36 kills without loss, while the soviets lost 11 planes, it seems.

Check data from 24th November and 26th November , it's interesting.

[JCR]

Check data from 24th November and 26th November , it's interesting.

?
there was another air combat without loss on the 24th and nothing for the 26th