12

Dperational

Flight Report...

By E. GABRILOVICH

MOSCOW.

Te regiment was formed a short time before the beginning of the war and was stationed in the Gomel area when the war broke out. On June 22, 1941, it took off on its first bomber raid. It saw uninterrupted action in the hot, dry days of the first summer of the war. No matter how big and overwhelming were the enemys forces. he never dominated the sky even in those difficult days.

An idea of the conditions under which the pilots had to fight can be gathered from the list of dam- ages sustained by the “Blue Nine” (as the first group of planes was called, and on the basis of which the regiment later was formed) after one such operational fight.

“Seventy bullet and splinter holes, two gasoline tanks pierced, the altimeter out of commission, one of the landing gears pierced. During the fight a fire broke out but was extinguished by the pilot, Junior Lieutenant Dolzhenko. One bomb made a direct hit as re- vealed by an aerial photograph.”

i the autumn of 1941, after receiving new planes, the pi- lots again went into action. The Germans were advancing on Mis- cow. The weather was foul, with a fine drizzle and lasting fogs which made it impossible for the pilots to land with flares even 10 the daytime. But the order was curt—“all weather is flying weath- er.”

The regiment bombed the ene- my at Tula and Stalinogorsk. Its planes appeared under low hang- ing clouds and over highways; and after using up their bombs the pilots would open machine gun fire on the enemy columns. Qn more than one occasion the pilots landed some one or two miles from the front line. The

lt takes hard work as well as heroism to make up an air regiment. Here’s the story of one Soviet squadron.

technical personnel would set out for the spot of the accident and under mortar and machine gun fire carry out the necessary re- pairs.

Oe and a half years have elapsed since then, one and a half years marked by heartening days, when all the planes that took off on a raid safely returned to the aerodromes, coming back with photographs of burning en- emy trains. smashed supply depots, smouldering ruins of sta- tions, columns and enemy trucks. There were days of heartache when among the returned planes one, two or sometimes three of the original number were found to be missing.

The life of a regiment is not only one round of victories and success. A regiment’s life is battle-searred: it knows the diffi- culties of the Jabor war, the heartache of lost comrades; and all through this is the readiness to go into new battles against the enemy despite the bloodshed, de- spite the fire and sacrifice.

In front of us is an album with photographs and the inscription “Our Veterans.’ Among them are pilots who have bomber the enemy from blazing planes; pilots who were brought down over enemy territory and nonethiess found their way back to the regiment after many weeks, moving with frozen hands and feet through the snow amidst enemy ambuscades and patrols. Among them are navigators who took off on bombing raids in such weather that even liason planes were not permitted to take off

and dropped their bombs from an altitude of 15 to 30 yards. Among fhem are famous gunners and wireless operators— destroyers of enemy fighters,” as they are call- ed in the air force. Among them are those who do not fly, but with- out whom the regiment cannot ex- jst—the ground personnel.

Some of the regiment's men are no longer alive—their photo- graphs are in black frames. But the rest are pounding away at the enemy. There is the airman Kos- lov, whose plane on three occa- sions burst into flames while on operational flights. ‘There is Dym- chenko, a real wizard at bombing. There are two stalwart officers decorated with the Order of Lenin and other marks of dis- tinction, among them medals sent to them by the commander of an aviation group in the Imited States. They are Cap- {tains Lokhanoy and Medveyev, who have been up on more than 150 operational flights.

The following is a description of one of their operational flights:

“Five fiahters attacked Lokha- nov’s plane just as he was draw- ing away from the objective he had bombed. The gunner Suda- kov and the navigator Medvedyev downed three of them.

A sreat deal could be told about.

these gallant flyers, about the present regimental commander, decorated with the Order of Su- vorov: about the navigator Major Golubev; about the gunners De- bikhin, Kolin and Smirnev; about the men of the technical seryice —-Fareniuk, Cheremisin and Ly- senko: and finally about Anna Pytkova. a former Altai telephone operator.

They have altogether traversed the path of war. together shared their joys and sorrows; people who by their will power, their courage, brain and blood created the glory of their air regiment and its history.

_/

Former

a Tribute to Russia meeting in unless it includes the Soviet Union. Davies, David McGrath, six-year old son of Rhod Col. Ilia Sarayev of the Red Army;

Ambassador to Russia, Joseph New York that no plan for post-war Shown above on the platform are e Island’s governor, shaking hands with Fiorella LaGuardia of New York.

and Mayor

E. Davies, told an enthusiastic audience at -

peace will work (left to right)

his comrades is helpin

Member of a Red Army air force regiment, W. g to maintain air suprema

i

the Eastern Front over the vaunted Luftwatte.

Soviet Church Head

: e e ef

Reports Nazi Crimes In a cabled article to the magazine Soviet Russia 7 which publishes it in its current,

Nikolai, head of the Orthodox Church | Nazi atrocities committed in cities liberated from their -

pation: In March, this year, aS a mem-

ber of the Extraordinary State Commission for the investigation

of German atrocities, I visited the ancient Russian cities of Rzhev, Sychevka, Gzhatsk, and

Vyazma, recently liberated from. the Germans . . . No words are adequate to describe the atroci- ties perpetrated by the Germans.

Before their retreat the Ger- mans drove several thousand in- habitants ahead of them, into their rear. Thousands of others who refused or were too ill or feeble to leave were slaughtered by the Germans. Nightmare rel- ies of this massacre were seen in the few houses left standing.

Down Vorovsky Street there were some wooden houses still intact. In each we found the bod- ies of old men, women and chil- dren. Some had been shot, some had been strangled, some tor- tured to death.

On the ground floor of the house whose street number had been 49, in the middle room and the corridor, lay the bodies of the entire Sadov tamily. Sadow, a government clerk, had had his

Murmansk Today |

MOSCOW.

S OF old this ice-free : polar port which has faced many trials since the outbreak of the war continues to present a scene of bustle and activity. Murmansk’s neatly swept streets, and particularly her main thorough- fare, are thronged with people— civilians, Red Army men,. British sailors—engaged in their differ- ent pursuits, Here and there the eye catches the slogan “Long live the Anglo - Soviet - American Fighting Alliance!” written in English across the front wall of buildings.

No less crowded are the stores, where a brisk trade is carried on, especially in the line of food, vegetables and of course all man- ner of fish, canned and other- wise. Murmansk is still famous for her fish and she supplies the front and rear with thousands of

‘open mouth and raise |

July issue, the Metro of Galich, de

head bashed in; his been shot: his oldest eighteen-year-old Zinaii been raped and then his fifteen-year-old sen, — tine, had been shot throi- eye. A five-month-old inf — been thrown out of ise shot through the head. Ti of a twelve-year-old girl ¥ in a sitting position on - sill. She had been hille bayonet thrust. Her dilate 4

showed that she had die | ing for mercy. In the ho) door we found six corpse women, a girl and two> Children in other hous been similarly butchered The survivers, number two hundred, were herdei > Germans into Pokroyv ~ The doors were locked .@ possible escape exits Then the church was mir’ | Germans planned to blow church and with it all maining inhabitants of when the Red Army ente - its advance was too swift § Germans to consume crime. =

tons of cod, haddock, y etc.

Dependent prior to the provisions from other par Soviet Union, the ci tion learned fully to. possibilities and with — results. Murmansk toda boasts of her own factory ing Vitamin C, so vital) sary to the inhabitants of North. |

The cultural life in proceeds apace, and at — of a day’s work the siree present a lively scene ¥ ple hurrying to attend 2 or to the Internation where, after a showimg- American film, British dance to the accompalt an accordian. Bees

The bright, white DIE here now, nights when 1! nigh impossible to on

and on guard.