Рыбин, Ю. В. Советские асы на Харрикейнах в годы Второй Мировой Войны / Юрий Рыбин . – [Б. м. ] : Osprey Publishing, 2012. – 97 с. : ил., портр. – Англ. яз.

CH A P TE R THREE 40 in the air. I let go of the trigger and the guns stopped. A pair of “Messers” flashed past close by and to the left. Throwing a glance over to the right, I saw another two Messerschmitts —the covering pair. ‘A shiver went down my spine. I dared not look to the right for that would be the end of me. I plunged into a second head-on attack but the “Messers” didn’t rise to it. They split up, making combat turns, one to the left, the other to the right. I again felt uncomfortable during this manoeuvre and immediately looked behind. Sure enough, a “Messer” from the first pair was closing on my tail, its yellow nose getting threateningly close. Having sensed danger before actually recognising it, I threw my aircraft into such a steep turn that I nearly hit the cliffs below. This crazy manoeuvre saved me from death, but it didn’t save the aircraft. The starboard wing received a long burst of machine gun fire, which violently shook the aircraft and left the wing riddled with ragged holes. There was also a sharp pain in my right thigh. ‘Sheltering behind the mountains, I could breathe a little, and had a chance to assess the situation. It was not in my favour. I couldn’t see my comrades, nor hear anything on the radio. I was alone against four hostile fighters. The respite lasted just a few seconds, then it began again. Forming a circle above me, four Messerschmitts started to dive, one after the other. And they didn’t seem to be worried about wasting ammunition. I only just managed to escape. I took cover behind the mountains and rolled around them like a spinning top. I plunged into the gorges at breakneck speed, the wings almost catching on the cliffs. The Fascists, though, didn’t stop firing —it was as if they had an endless supply of ammunition. ‘The first few minutes of the uneven battle were torrid, but I gradually calmed down and was able to see better. I even decided on a counter-attack. Its engine howling, my fighter had sat on the tail of a “Messer” several times. Now I trained my sights on the predatory silhouette with its black crosses. I pressed the trigger but the guns were silent. All 12 were out of action, and it was likely that the pneumatic firing mechanism was faulty. I was unarmed. The Fascists probably guessed why I wasn’t shooting and insolently stepped up their attacks. Then I remembered the rockets —why hadn’t they worked? Seizing the moment, I quickly looked to the left side of my cockpit where there was a small box with a rotating switch in the centre. Sure enough, the switch had spun round. I quickly re-set it and the “Katyushi” were ready for action. I hadn’t relied on them in air combat before, but now there was no choice. ‘One of the “Messers” was diving towards me. The pilot opened fire. I went behind the mountains. Cannon shells and bullets spattered from every direction, crumbling the granite cliff. I managed to launch a rocket but it exploded just ahead of me, and the Fascist fighter tore away to the side. I fired all my rockets but not one of them caused any damage. In a quick glance at the instrument panel I noticed I was running out of fuel. In another 10 or 15 minutes I would fall out of the sky. I continued to dodge my attackers, and now I started leading them east towards the artillery batteries covering our naval base. Suddenly, I saw six of our fighters flying over the mountains at maximum speed. The ’109 pilots also saw them — the Fascists didn’t like a dogfight in which we outnumbered them. They broke off their attack and headed west. © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com