In the autumn of 1941, the Soviet Fighter Group from the Hanko Peninsula became the present near the Finnish command.
I-153 and I-16 from its composition was impunity, enemy troops on the islands of the archipelago, preventing their seizure, effectively fought against the opponent's aircraft.
For the neutralization of this group in Finland, a special squadron of Kertiss Kertiss "Khauk" 75 was formed under the command of Captain Paavo Berg. She proceeded to combat actions on October 31.
The first air battle between the Soviet and Finnish fighters took place every other day. Four "Hawka" took part in it, headed by Berg and two I-16 under the command of Tocolaev, who soon joined the "Ishacha" Vasily Golubev (his couple took off from the airfield under the artillery shelling, and the driven Dmitry Tatarenko was forced to stop running For the rupture of the projectile in front of the aircraft).
In the area of the battle, Golubev arrived just in time when Hawki closed fighters and-16 fighters, and Berg had already opened fire on the lieutenant plane of Lieutenant Creator. Barrified queues forced Berg to stop shooting, and then Golubev with a sharp turn went to the attack position.
He later recalled: "I climb a hundred meters - my favorite distance is only hard to leave it - and give an exact queue on the motor and the cabin" Spitfyra ". I see how bursting bullets tearing the plane and glazing of the cab of the cabin, the "Spetfire" turns over and falls next to our dusty shop. " So the career of Captain Paavo Berg ended so inspired. His driven hastily left the battlefield, and after some time, receiving a fairing portions of the lead, died at high speed and the other two "Hawka".
Oppon aircraft Soviet pilots identified as "Spitfayra", and there is some kind of riddle, because on official sources of this type of fighters of this type in service of the Finnish Air Force. Of course, the silhouettes of enemy aircraft were often confused in the emergence of enemy airfares (besides, at the beginning of a little-known war), but Golubev and after the war insisted that it was the "Spitfire" (Supermarine Spitfire - British fighter of the Second World War. Various modifications were used as a fighter, fighter-interceptor, high-rise fighter, fighter-bombarder and scouting aircraft).
In addition, reports on meetings in the air with Finnish "Spitfire" came from other Soviet pilots.
The thirst for the revenge of Finnish pilots brought soon to the next air combat that occurred on November 5 and again ended with a clear defeat for them.
We will again provide the word Vasily Golubev: "Soon five" Spitfire "caused us to fight - this sometimes happened during the war years. The challenge we accepted and, previously comprising a battle plan, took off two pairs. The enemy walked two groups - three and two, all at one height. I shook them wings, they answered. So we guessed correctly - they need a fight-revenge. Our two couples were divided, and the enemies were probably rejoiced: they believed that now it would come to us. But they calculated. Together, they rushed to us with Tatarenko and began persecution. The machine-gun "Spitfire" routes were very close from us: on each enemy fighter for eight browning machine guns.
I see a couple of Vasilyeva ahead and above. We are imperceptibly for the enemy by pulling it in the right direction - under a couple of Vasilyeva. And then the trap slams. Vasilyev with Baysultanov dive and almost focusing two "spitfires". And as it comes in the song, "the foamy waves of the sea swallowed them in one moment."
The remaining three fighters are no longer before the fight: they are looking for a path to salvation. But Tatarenko catches one of them in the sight. Machine gun turn, the aircraft of the enemy turned into a downward "barrel". That's about and he will fall. But over the water itself, the pilot still brought it into a horizontal flight. The remaining two, shining from the side to the side, go to your islands. "
In October 1944, when Finland has already broken relations with fascist Germany, the regiment of Vasily Golubeva was relocated to the Finnish airfield Malmo, and there the Soviet pilot met with the Finnish Major, a former participant of these fights. In a personal conversation, he told him that only on November 2, his squadron lost the whole three fighters - one of them was shot down in air combat, and two crashed on the way back. On November 5, the Finns have lost three more aircraft. As a result, from 9 Finnish fighters, 6 were lost, which was the reason for the dissolution of the squadron. Her personal composition was scattered in various units.
It is curious that in the magazine "Aviasteraster" (1/2003) was placed an article "Special group Hanko", dedicated to exactly these two fights and written by Andrey Dikov and Karl-Frederick Geustom, that is, by representatives of both in the past who fought among themselves states.
A rare example of cooperation, but, unfortunately, not very good. The eternal contradiction between East and the West leads to the fact that the West does not want to recognize even obvious defeats. Therefore, Finnish historians recognized the loss of only two fighters and, in turn, suggested another version of air fighting, and even complemented it a flight scheme of their aircraft, that is, they wriggled as much as possible to fog.
However, in this case, the question arises why the Finnish squadron, who lost only two aircraft (by the way, recorded during the war, as a shot down anti-aircraft artillery), were taken out of the fighting and disbanded? The episode of the Golubev meeting with the Finnish Major in the article is not mentioned - either the authors did not read the pshera memoirs to the end, or he was intentionally omitted, because he did not fit into the "official Finnish version" of events ...
Sources: Golubev V. F. "In the name of Leningrad". Fair-Press, 2000.Novikov A. A. "In the sky of Leningrad." Science, 1970. Kornyukhin G. V. "Air War over the USSR. 1941.