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.

C HA PTE R FIV E 78 incidentally, confirm the loss of Bf 109E-3 Wk-Nr. 1118 during this engagement, together with its pilot, Leutnant Hans Malkuch. Later that same day Jr Lt Amosov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. After converting to the Hurricane with 78th IAP, he increased his score by two more kills. As a flight commander, Amosov became one of the first pilots to achieve success with the Hurricane in the newly formed unit when, on 15 December 1941, he reported shooting down his third enemy aircraft, which remained unconfirmed. Amosov was transferred to 2nd GKAP in March 1942, where he served as acting deputy squadron commander. On 4 April he recorded his fifth victory when he joined two other Northern Fleet aces, Aleksander Kovalenko and Sergey Kurzenkov, in intercepting a pair of Bf 109Es over the frontline. The German fighters were pursuing Pe-2 fighter-bombers when the three Hurricanes attacked the Messerschmitts head-on, using their machine guns and RS-82 rockets. According to the pilots’ reports, the Bf 109s quickly turned round and headed back to the west trailing smoke and losing altitude. German sources indicate that one pilot, Unteroffizier Artur Mendl, suffered head wounds during this battle with the Hurricanes. It was on 30 May that Amosov reported his sixth victory. He was flying one of six Hurricanes that engaged four Bf 109s over the Allied convoy PQ-16 as it entered the Kola Gulf, the official combat report for the action stating; ‘Our pilots sighted two Me 110s and five Me 109s in the area they were patrolling at an altitude of 1000 m and engaged them in combat. Snr Lt Amosov opened fire with four bursts from behind an Me 109 at a range of 200-150 m and drove it into the water.’ This is, however, unconfirmed. Amosov failed to spot an approaching enemy aircraft and came under fire himself. He was severely wounded and managed to ditch in the sea, being rescued by sailors. Following a lengthy spell in hospital, the Northern Fleet ace was sent on a course to improve his skills as a squadron commander. Earlier, on 23 July 1942, Amosov had been awarded his second Order o f the Red Banner. Upon his return to combat in May 1943 he led a squadron within 27th IAP, which at that time was undergoing combat training on the Hurricane. Using his experience, Amosov was able to facilitate that process. Following a break of more than a year, the Northern Fleet ace recorded his seventh victory on 28 August 1943. It was also his fifth with the Hurricane. His victim was probably Bf 109G-2 Wk-Nr. 10844, from which Feldwebel Hans Enderle managed to bail out. Amosov had been leading a group o f Hurricanes which, together with Il-2s, had taken off to attack an enemy airfield. Although each Hurricane was carrying a FAB-50 bomb under its fuselage, Amosov’s pilots had been ordered to escort the ground attack aircraft, despite the presence o f other Hurricanes, Yak-1s and P-39s. As the raiders were approaching their target Bf 109s appeared, one ofwhich attempted to attack an Il-2 from behind. Amosov poured two long bursts o fmachine gun fire into the fighter, which immediately burst into flames, forcing the pilot to bail out. Although the escort group pilots were unable to confirm this victory, it was verified by several o f the Il-2 pilots. According to Amosov’s combat report, he used 62 20 mm ShVAK shells and 60 12.7 mm large calibre rounds to destroy the Bf 109G-2. Dmitriy Amosov was born in 1915 to a peasant family living in the Rostov region. He entered Eysk Naval Aviation School in 1939, and at the end of the following year Amosov was posted to the Northern Fleet Air Force. Serving as an I-153 pilot with 72th SAP at the beginning of the war, Amosov converted to the Hurricane in October 1941 with newly formed 78th IAP. By that time he had already scored tw o aerial victories, and added the first of five as a Hurricane pilot on 15 December 1941. In May 1943 Amosov became a squadron commander with 27th IAP, Northern Fleet Air Force. He was killed in action on 10 M ay 1944 while flying a P-39 w ith 225th IAP, having by then claimed eight victories. Amosov was twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com