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 82 soon enabled him to become both a capable and confident commander and fighter pilot. Strelnikov finally opened his score on 23 June. In the early hours eight 78th IAP Hurricanes, together with a similar number of P-39s from 255th IAP, took off to escort four Il-2s from 46th ShAP that had been ordered to attack an enemy convoy. The vessels were being protected by a pair of Bf 110s, and according to Strelnikov’s memoirs, the twin-engined fighters immediately appeared in his field o f vision as the convoy came under attack. As one of the Bf 110s passed in front of him, Strelnikov turned slightly and, catching it briefly in his sights, gave it a long burst of machine gun fire. The German aircraft began to trail smoke and went down, although this victory is unconfirmed. Strelnikov’s second claim, a Bf109 on 20 July, was also made during an escort mission. Indeed, it was the air battle during which ace Aleksey Pilipenko was shot down and killed. O f the six Hurricanes involved only three returned, the remaining fighters being lost due to poor coordination with the accompanying P-39s. Strelnikov was one of the lucky ones. Now a lieutenant, he found himself in a similar situation on 14 September, again while escorting Shturmoviks , during his 100th combat sortie. This time the six Hurricanes were joined by four 255th IAP P-39s and eight Yak-ls from 20th IAP. They were escorting 11 attack aircraft flying in two groups, and once again targeting enemy shipping. While still en route to the target the Soviet aircraft were attacked by Bf 109s. A running battle ensued that continued over the target and during the Soviet formation’s return flight. The first to engage the German fighters were the Yak-ls, and despite their best efforts, and those of the P-39 pilots, the Bf 109s were able to reach the Il-2s. However, they still had to deal with the Hurricanes of the close escort, as Vasiliy Strelnikov recalled; ‘A serious air battle had begun. The whole sky was criss-crossed with tracer from bullets and shells. The first aircraft were shot down and the first parachute canopies could be seen. The German aircraft, using their numerical superiority, had begun to break through the small groups towards the formations of ground attack aircraft. These 78th IAP Hurricanes were photographed at a sunny Vaenga-2 airfield in the summer of 1943, each machine being equipped w ith a locally devised dust filter. They are also carrying a single 200-litre (44-gallon) external fuel tank beneath each wing, the additional fuel provided by these stores allowing pilots to undertake long-range attacks on enemy shipping in the Barents Sea © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com