Russia

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Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

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The crew was engaged in a bombing mission against enemy positions located in the village of Leshkovo. Approaching the target area, it was found to be covered by clouds. The goal of the mission was modified to the station of Chernozem. Approaching this new target, the airplane was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the Karatay Lake just north of Serebrovo. A crew was killed and two others survived but were later shot down by German soldiers.
Crew:
Lt Boris Sergeevich Kardapoltsev, pilot,
M/Lt Alexey Karpovich Bondarenko, navigator,
Sgt Aleksandr Ivanovich Kozhbakov, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Petlyakov Pe-2 in the Bol'shoy Ivan Lake: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Petlyakov Pe-2

Operator:

Registration:

6/115

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North American B-25 Mitchell

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

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Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a bombing mission against enemy positions located in the village of Leshkovo. Approaching the target area, it was found to be covered by clouds. The goal of the mission was modified to the station of Chernozem. Approaching this new target, the airplane was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the Bol'shoy Ivan Lake. A crew was killed and two others parachuted to safety and became PoW.
Crew:
Lt Mikhail Vasilevich Orlov, pilot, †
Lt Petr Gavrilovic Slobodyan, navigator,
Sgt Sergey Ivanovich Filonchik, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a North American B-25C Mitchell in Niva: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1943

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Registration:

41-12557

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Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

82-5192

YOM:

1941

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While on a combat mission, the airplane was probably shot down by enemy fire and crashed near the village of Niva. All five crew members were killed. The wreckage was found in 2016.
Crew:
S/Lt Nikolay Vasilievich Ivanov, pilot,
Sgt Yakov Ivanovich Yezhov, copilot,
S/Lt Pavel Emelyanovich Vlasenko, navigator,
Sgt Ivan Ivanovich Krivozhenko, radio operator,
Sgt/M Nikolay Semenovich Alekseenko, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Junkers JU.290-V1 in Pitomnik: 45 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.290

Operator:

Registration:

BD+TX

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Ambulance

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Site:

MSN:

001

YOM:

1942

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The four engine airplane was engaged in an evacuation mission, carrying 75 wounded soldiers and six crew members. Shortly after takeoff from Pitomnik Airfield, while climbing, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a field. Five crew members and 40 passengers were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Walter Hänig, pilot, †
Flg Robert Stiefel, flight engineer +4. †

Probable cause:

It is believed that the loading of the wounded soldiers and their stretchers at Pitomnik Airport was carried out in a hurry due to the intensity of enemy fire near the airfield. It is therefore assumed that the wounded and stretchers were placed in the cabin without being secured and that the pilot was forced to start the takeoff procedure in a relative rush, which resulted in the movement of the wounded and stretchers to the rear of the cabin, thus changing the center of gravity and putting the aircraft in a situation that the pilot was unable to control.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111 in Pitomnik: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

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MSN:

2959

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The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances at Pitomnik Airport. The accident occurred in poor weather conditions. A crew was killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
Uffz Otto Heider, pilot,
Ogfr Johann Schönsteiner, flight engineer,
Uffz Karl-Heinz Haase, observer, †
Uffz Helmt Krämer, radio operator,
Gefr Helmut Lemke, air gunner.

Crash of an Ilyushin II-4 in Borki: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Ilyushin II-4 (DB-3)

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Shortly after a night takeoff from Borki Airfield, the airplane failed to gain height, stalled and crashed. All 10 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Andrey Timofeevich Dobroselsky, pilot,
S/Lt Vasiliy Efimovich Droffa,
S/Lt Grigoriy Yakovlevich Chervonooky,
Sgt/M Fedor Fedorovich Shevchenko,
Sgt Ivan Semenovich Kuznetsov.
Passengers:
Maj Trofim Petrovich Kutsev,
Cpt Matvey Andreevich Efimov,
Cpt Hyanyafi Radzhapovich Khametov,
2nd Lt Boris Vasilevich Borisov,
2nd Lt Viktor Pavlovich Sigolaev.

Probable cause:

The pilot flew during the preceding night and was tired at the time of the accident. Due to fatigue, he departed Borki Airfield without setting the elevator trim in the takeoff position, which prevented the airplane from gaining altitude after liftoff.

Crash of a Petlyakov Pe-2 near Velikiye Luki: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Petlyakov Pe-2

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The airplane was shot down by the German Flak and crashed 7 km south of Velikiye Luki. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Alexey Nikolaevich Maslyakov, pilot,
Lt Nikolai Timofeevich Cherednichenko, navigator,
Sgt Nikifor Savelievich Matiychenko, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-6 in Pitomnik: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

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Pitomnik - Novocherkassk

MSN:

4736

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Shortly after takeoff from Pitomnik Airfield, the airplane was shot down by the Soviet Flak and crashed. Two crew members were killed and two others were injured. The airplane was returning to base in Novocherkassk.
Crew:
Lt Heinz Fischer, pilot, †
Gefr Franz Grupp, Observer,
Uffz Oskar Kurt Waibel, radio operator, †
Uffz Josef Reindl, flight engineer.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the Soviet Flak.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-6 in Novocherkassk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

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