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.

Also fitted w ith Soviet cannon and machine guns, this Hurricane IIB taxies out at the start of another sortie during the spring of 1942 Northern Fleet headquarters requesting help and the Northern Fleet Air Force command responded by scrambling all available fighters and despatching attack aircraft to strike the enemy troops. In the first hour after dawn on 10 May the weather over the battlefield improved, and enemy bombers were reported to be heading for the frontline with a fighter escort. A total of 23 Hurricanes from 78th IAP and 2nd GKAP were scrambled immediately from Vaenga-1 and Vaenga-2 airfields. The first to arrive over the front were 14 78th IAP Hurricanes, flying at a height of about 2000 m (6500 ft). They were followed by two groups from the Guards unit flying at the same altitude. While they were en route to the target area the Soviet pilots sighted ten Bf 110s and six Bf 109s slightly above them, but still under the cloud base. The Guards pilots attacked with RS-82 rocket projectiles, the official report on the action later recalling that ‘Despite the numerical advantage of the Soviet forces, the enemy aircraft did not scatter in a panic but attempted to launch a counter-attack’. The Soviet pilots responded according to their well-rehearsed plan, with groups of Hurricanes forming three defensive circles at 2000 m, 1500 m and 500 m (6500 ft, 5000 ft and 1600 ft) to repel the German machines. Flying outside the circle singly or in pairs, the Luftwaffe fighters attempted to sneak out of the clouds and catch the Soviet pilots unawares. Meanwhile, some had broken off to escort the bombers back to their base. At the risk of being pounced upon by the waiting German aircraft, Kurzenkov decided to break out of the circle and mount a single-handed attack. As two Bf 110s and three Bf 109s targeted the circle, he fired at a Bf 110 from a range of 250 m. Leaving the circle, he tried to attack a lone Bf 109, whose pilot attempted to evade him by making shallow turns to prevent Kurzenkov getting him in his sights. The Soviet pilot 49 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com NORTHERN FLEET ACES