Rybin, Y. Luftwaffe ace Walter Schuck researched / Christer Bergstrom, Yuriy Rybin. - Sweden : [s. l.], 2019. - 190 p. : ill.

WALTER SCHUCK “Jockel”Norz (far right) and Schuck, Petsamo, early 1943. Schuck participates in the drinking when the pilots celebrate that “Jockel ”Norz has survived getting shot down. Petsamo, March 1943. Kutakhov, and was captured. Meanwhile the German follow-up force, Me 109s of 7./JG 5, ran into 768 IAP’s Kittyhawks - which had been sent to intercept the Mess­ erschmitts over Murmashi. In the ensuing clash, Star­ shiy Leytenant Boris Nikolayev rammed an Me 109. While Nikolayev survived by bailing out, the German pilot, Unteroffizier Andreas Riess, was posted as miss­ ing. On 3 April, the Ju 88s of Luftflotte 5 attacked both Soviet warships at Rosta - hitting the destroyer Razum- nyy with a bomb which nevertheless failed to explode - and the airfield at Murmashi. Following the latter mission, during which 8. and 9./JG 5 clashed with six intercepting Kittyhawks and Airacobras, Obergefreiter Eugen Britz was missing. He was never to be seen again, and his fate remains unsettled to this day. 4 April 1943 was another black day for the Soviet airmen in the Far North. It started when four Me 110s and five Fw 190 Jabos dived down on Rosta and hit the freighter Doverhill with a bomb which nevertheless failed to explode. An attempt by 768 IAP’s Kittyhawks to intercept the German planes was warded off by nine escorting Me 109 Gs from 6./JG 5. Two 19 GIAP Aira­ cobras intervened in the combat, but even though they were flown by the aces Kapitans Pavel Kutakhov and Ivan Bochkov, failed to do any harm to the Germans. During the intense combat, Kutakhov saw how one of the Me 109 Gs positioned itself behind Bochkov’s Aira­ cobra. In the next moment, the Airacobra’s tail was blown off by 20mm cannon shells fired from short dis­ tance. Bochkov bailed out but fell to the ground with­ out enveloping his parachute. Thus died another of the Soviet fighter aces in the Far North. Ivan Bochkov was credited with seven individual and 32 shared victories, attained on 308 combat missions. In the afternoon, most of what was left of 258 SAD was sent out for another attack against Petsamo Aero­ drome. This time only four Il-2s were available. They were escorted by 19 GIAP with four Airacobras and three P-40s, and 20 GIAP with two P-40s. Me 109s from 6., 7. and 9./JG 5 met the 258 SAD pilots in a violent air combat. The Germans claimed six Soviet aircraft shot down - a P-40 and two Airacobras by Oberfeldwebel Albert Brunner, two P-40s by Feldwebel Walter Schuck, and an 11-2 by Leutnant Wolfgang Rost - against two own losses. The Soviets reported five losses - an 11-2, three Kittyhawks, and the Airacobra flown by 19 GIAP’s Leytenant Vladimir Gabrinets (who was killed). After the raid on 4 April, 258 SAD had lost 32 out of its original 59 aircraft in combat in only slightly more than five weeks. The losses included two-third of the Il-2s, Airacobras and Bostons, and most of the Kitty­ hawks. 258 SAD now was left with only a half dozen Il-2s and some worn Hurricanes, plus old R-5 biplanes. Following the costly mission on 4 April, the airfield at Petsamo was left in peace for several weeks. T