Мои друзья из США русского не знают. Переводы своих рассказов на английский
1 Первый бой, 2 Берта 3 В небе Сталинграда. Ноябрь 1942 4 Уран 5 Сталинград. Держитесь Фюрер вам поможет.
Рассказы были отправлены в США и Великобританию. Если были.
грубые ошибки, то исправлены, Переводы здесь, чтобы не терялись и
для того, чтобы друзья моих друзей тоже могли это прочитать я перевёл.
http://www.proza.ru/2012/10/28/20 В небе Сталинграда
There was a lull on the front in 1942, better to say stability
All attempts of the Red Army to start a counter-offensive from the south to the north had no success. After the Moscow's battle defeat in December, the myth of the invincibility of the German army cleared as the morning mist. However, the Wehrmacht was still very strong, and the "raving" had not fully struck by "Hysterical Blindness."
Nazi Germany made a stake on Stalingrad. Having Stalingrad, opened the way to the oil fields in the Caucasus and then to the rest of the USSR. Supreme High Command understood this clearly.
The concentration our forces and German one in this direction had started.
German air force, the 4th Air Fleet inflicted terrible bomb attacks on Stalingrad
on the august 23 1942 Several hundreds of planes made more than two thousand bombing flights in that day. Nazi bastards turned the city into ruins. 43б 000 civilians were killed and more than 50,000 wounded.
The best examples of military equipment were sent to Stalingrad. Aviation was not exception. The first production aircraft LaGG-5 started off the production line in June 1942, and the best pilots of the Air Force were sent on the new aircraft.
Originally LaGG-5 was armed with two 20-mm automatic cannon ShVAK
One shell such a gun broke into pieces enemy aircraft from 150 meters distance.
The guns were placed in front of the fuselage above the engine. The instrumentations were very meager.
There were no even any gyroscopic device, such as the artificial horizon or gyro on the plane. If we compare the LaGG-5 with similar aircraft in Germany, the UK or the U.S., it would seem that, technically, it was much inferior to them.
However, its flight characteristics it is quite consistent with the requirements of the time. In addition, its simple design, no need for complex maintenance and tastes to takeoff fields made it ideal for the conditions in which had to operate part of the Soviet Air Force This tradition is still strong. Some products are so simple that the infidels evoke a sense of wonder and even irritation.
In fact, for our natural sloppiness hiding brilliant ideas that Harvard had never dreamed of.
LaGG-5 was renamed in La-5 by the Order dated September 8, 1942
The best pilots of the Air Force and the best aircraft were sent to .Stalingrad since the summer of 1942. The pilot's retraining lasted 15 days and took place in the city of Gorky on the factory 21
The assembly technology was far from perfection. The more installation work performed by women on the plant. The men were going to the war
The accident rate was high. That landing gear were not released(extended) or retracted, the motor over heated, but it was a start.
The third Guard Regiment was one of the first who received La-5. The regiment was the 155th number and after the Moscow battle became the Third Guard Regiment. In the Third Guard Regiment began to train pilots on the fighter La-5 at the end of August 1942 Regiment was in reserve of the Supreme Command in November it was sent to Stalingrad. Dmitri was sent to the reserve to his regiment and to retrain on La-5, after his adventures In reserve, he received a week off. How can you spend a holiday in the city where everything was on defense?
His father was on the front, and his mother was evacuated from Leningrad to Samarkand
By the mid-October after he had trained on La-5, as well as week-long Dmitry’s vacation ended. Dmitry liked the new fighter as he had flown the first 15 hours. La-5 was more powerful, maneuverable and armed than LAGG.
In theory, the La-5 was not inferior in speed main enemy - the fighter Bf. 109F. In practice, things were not so good. As the LaGG, La-5 engine were spitting oil to the windshield. Pilots prefer to fly with open cockpit, by moving the sliding canopy back, leaf oil cooler had been usually fully opened and tail wheel in flight was not retracted. As a result - increased drag and reducing of speed. Actually, La-5 speed characteristics inferior "Friedrich”. (Bf-109F)
Reserve ended. It was time to move to the front. The navigator of the regiment, decided that better to make the first landing in the city of Penza. It is only a little more than an hour of flight. over the territory free from the Nazis! There is not possible to meet the enemy there. The weather is very changeable in November. There were low clouds and fogs. After refueling in Penza, it took 40-minute to reach Saratov. Then another one hour flight and landing on one of the airfields at Stalingrad. While planned in Volzhsk.. The last flight is simple. Over the river, in that area, nazy unlikely that turn up too.
At the end of the route may be meeting with enemy fighters, but everything is simple. Enemy must be beaten, but not to lose orientation, near the Volga River.
November 8 to 10 hours, 5 minutes regiment of 20 fighters and three transport planes Li-2 with technicians and pilots on the board Regiment went to take off.
The weather was good and the regiment landed without any problems at the airport in Volzhsk.
All the day November 10th the Regiment was located and studied the area of upcoming launches. Everything was frozen, and a snow was everywhere, and the aircraft were painted in white camouflage coloring. The fellows joked, there was no test for determining of knowing of flight region, If you want to stay alive, you had to know the flying area!
They were glad that the reserve had finished, and they would have an equal fight and beat Nazis.
There was no doubt that their course right and that the enemy would be defeated and they will defeat them!
The winter had already come in Stalingrad. To start up engines better in a cold time, the technical staff added the fuel to the oil.
It was said that in Moscow in the 41 the Germans had not know the technology and were very surprised when the Russian managed to fly in a such cold. Generally, of course, the Germans had surprised us, and we surprised them.
Comrade Stalin was totally unclear how Hitler could start the war against the Soviet Union having in 3.4 times less tanks, and 2.2 times less the aircraft than Soviet Union had that time. Czechoslovak events of 38 year could show that an additional 5 million people of the USSR could put under the gun for a year. The prices on a sheep fur did not increase, and the sheep meat did not down. "Did Hitler really so stupid? But Hitler was counting on his Blitzkrieg. He had hoped for something." thought Stalin
November 11 was cold. Broken clouds did not made worse flight conditions. It were hang a couple of 50 kg of high explosive bombs on La-5. There was the information that motorized column was moving towards Stalingrad . And this column had to be found and destroyed. The surrounding of 6 army together with its remaining allies, and it was possible to talk about stabilization of front.
The combat formation had already pairs and ten La 5x headed for Stalingrad. Dmitry was already leading and his tail covered by Serge. They started in the 155 Regiment, and combat experience they had about the same. Serge shorted down of 2 Germans, and Dmitri had done already four. Dmitri believed that he was more luck. But to make 60 combat flight and to be alive had a luck!
The 10 minute of flight lasted calm. Suddenly the four points appeared in the sky. Messers! The group commander gave the order to intercept of six and remaining two pairs to continue the flight with bombs to the column. Throwing bombs in the vast Volga steppes three pairs of fighters, like watchdogs rushed to Messers. Dmitri and Sergey were among them. At this moment Dmitri saw another 4 dots. Dmitry gave the order to Sergey to intercept. That four dots were bombers Heinkel-111..
It's a big bombers had little speed 300-400 km / h, and rather powerful armament protection. They were going to bomb Volzsk. The bombers flew 1000 meters above and it was already clear that the muzzles of their guns have been sent, and track Dima and Sergey. Тherе was no time. Better to say it was too little. It was necessary to short down the leader to destroy the order. When 200 meters remained before the leader, Dmitry pulled the trigger. 20mm cannon shells flew into the goal. The first stabilizer fell off, and then the left engine started burn,
Bomber awkwardly banking left side, and with increasing left rolling, tumbling flew to the hereafter.
But Dima, did not see it. He pulled the stick energetically to himself. They were higher Heinkels 150-200 meters. Three Henkels flew below, and the fourth was still falling, leaving a black trail.
-I will attack the left, and you will attack right. -commanded by radio Dima.
-Roger!
Dmitry shifted the fighter to the left side and rushed to the attack. The speed grow up. Heinkel increased rapidly in the size. The tracers pulled from it. Several bullets hitted the engine with a distinctive ringing sound and a few were in the wing, close to the center section.
Dmitry pulled the trigger. The shells flew into the goal. The enemy ceased firing, probably have not had anyone to answer. The left engine flamed, bounced right eleron and Heinkel flew to the ground.
The second! Bitch - Dmitry muttered.
The fighter was transferred to a climb. It was the time to look at the works of their activities. Below, three and half thousand meters, on the banks of the Great Russian River Volga the first bomber burning wreckage and two more bombers leaving black trails, rushed to the ground last. The fourth bomber, abandoning a bomb in the Volga steppes and smoking engines operating at maximum capacity, tried to escape.
-You lie, you will not leave.
The fighters rushed in pursuit. Distance decreased, and Dmitry opened fire. Dmitry's gun spat out a couple of three shells, which probably killed the shooters and their guns shut up. Dmitry's guns kept silent .
-Damn, the shells finished.
He led the fighter up and gave Sergey the order to attack .
Serge shot even when Heinkel, smoking and sprawling on the fly, had rushed to the ground.
Dmitry and Sergei finished with a group of four bombers in less than three minutes. After landing, in the wing of the Dmitry’s plane were found 4 MG hole, and one cylinder of the engine was broken. The engine had to be changed. There were engines for La-5! The fighter was ready by the morning of November 12. Dmitry and Sergei presented the Order of the Red Star
The remaining comrades worked well . Only one German plane was alive. Three were shot down.
We lost two aircraft, one pilot was injured, but brought his plane to the airfield .. The plane was full of holes and it wrote off. Another pilot jumped with a parachute and went back in the evening to the base.
The convoy was found, and all the bombs were intended. Not all the German soldiers were reached Stalingrad. Maybe they were lucky?
The war continued.
URAN
Hitler blindly believed in the victory and knew that Stalingrad was the key to the whole strategy of the war against the Soviet Union. He did not want to be with the apparent failure of his plan to capture the Soviet Union
The German High Command had taken another major offensive against the Soviet Army on November 11-12. Nazi sent the five infantry and two armored divisions, reinforced by parate engineers assault battalion, specifically for this had been transferred to Stalingrad by aircraft from German. The German troops managed to capture the southern part of the plant "Barricades" and the section width of 500 m to break through to the Volga, but they could not change the situation with the enemy by the end of November 11 . Division of the Wehrmacht suffered huge losses, and many of them actually ceased to exist .
Here the nazi offensive was stopped. As Russian soldiers joked, even the Germans settled in the same position and in the same trenches that russians had prepared before that time. They were just 500 meters from the Volga! It was the real sanatorium if not the war. The Germans were stuck in Stalingrad.
General Headquarters appeared the idea to surround and destroy the German group, all 6-field army with the 4th Panzer armies of the enemy. It was the idea to use forces of the South-West, Don and Stalingrad fronts.The Soviet command decided to deliver the main strike to Army Group "B" in the Stalingrad area, this strike had to lead to the environment and the subsequent defeat of Paulus's army
The Soviet command understood that in the case of solving a plan, the Germans would be able to transfer some of the Army "Center" to Stalingrad.
That is why there were a concentration of troops in Rzhev. As well as in Stalingrad concentrated about a million soldiers, and only 1/3 fewer tanks, guns and mortars, and aircraft than in Stalingrad.
So, Rzhev-Sychevskaya offensive of Kalinin's and Western Fronts and called another planet of "Mars."
The official historiography still speaks about it's supporting role: it had to hold down the main forces of Army Group "Center" and not to allow the command to throw away the Wehrmacht forces to Stalingrad. But the fact remains that the Army Group Centre was shackled in Rzhev! Another interesting fact is that the 6th Army of Paulus had to get into the environment, and the 9 army of Model had to be blocked in Rzhev ! "Uranus" and "Mars" operation were the twins!
The counter-offensive started in November 19, 1942 d in Stalingrad . That was the second period of the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet Air Force in Stalingrad consisted of 1414 aircraft, of which 900 had been in order (65%) The weather was crappy on November 19 . There was the low clouds with snow and poor visibility. The motors started up, the front thundered and you felt the offensive, but the damn frustration when you rush into the battle, and the weather would not let you go!
The weather was the same next day. The mood was somber, that the loop for nazi was shrinking, but they sat and did not take part. The true that the Soviet Information Bureau brought the news for them that all goes according to the plan.
The sun's rays began to look through a low, overcast only closer to the dinner time on November 21. Dmitri and Sergei were instructed to control the air space in a strip 100 kilometers from the Volga to the north-west of Stalingrad.
Low clouds pressed them to the ground, and Dimitri decided to climb. At 1600 meters they came out of the clouds and flew between the layers. The horizon was clean, and they dove into this clouds again to establish visual contact with the ground to determine their position.
The silhouette of the transport plane, most probably Ju-52 flashed and disappeared into the clouds. They controlled the entrusted area for 20 minutes, it was a little less than half of gasoline and Dmitry decided to come back. He went down almost to 50 meters, he set a course to the east, and in 15 minutes later he saw Volga-mother river. Volga had already covered with ice and a thin layer of snow, but still easily stood out from the snow-covered steppes of the Volga.
They easily found their base and in 5min after landing cut off the engines.
Dmitriy and Sergey went to dining room. Lunch. It was getting dark. Operation "Uranus" developed according to plan.
The next day, November 22, the sun was shining, the first pair of La 5 had already returned from patrolling. The fighters La 5th of Dmitry and Sergei and another couple of fighters lightly bouncing on the snow-covered ground airfields of Volgsk city went to take off. The gray panorama of destroyed Stalingrad was opened soon . Sometimes, there were flashes and smoke among this rubbish ruined stone masonry walls
The city lived. Shot and survived!
Dmitry and Sergei flew at 2500 meters, and the other two fighters at 3000 a little behind.
Flying over the river Volga, after crossing the left bank, Dmitry and Sergei continued to fly to the north-west, and the other pair to the north-east. Five minutes later, a left turn and heading to Stalingrad and there on the circumstances.
In three minutes Dmitry saw about 20 dots flying in the direction of Stalingrad.
-To everybody! I see the aims. I am going to the rapprochement.
The fighter with roaring engine and a speed 580 kilometers per hour streamed to the target. The purposes were 20 Junkers-87 Wehrmacht's, diving bombers. These were symbols of WWII. These characters were flying, escorted by four Messerschmitt BF-109F. The escorting fighters were at 3000 meters and circled over the bombers.
Dmitry took a decision. Messerschmitts were escorting higher, and attacking russians could be a good target for fighters and shooters of the bombers .There were no chance to stay alive. The idea was the simple.
He lines up with the dive-bombers. "The left turn it will diving and attack will be from the bottom". That was done. The left turn, reducing engine power. The fighter rushed to the ground. As soon as the altitude of the bombers was passed Dmitry pulled the stick, the same time increasing engine power. The overload press him into the seat, and Dmitri saw the debris of the bomber. Serge's fighter was behind. That was Serge shorted down on the opposite course!
It seemed, the gray-blue belly of the bomber with black crosses, covered all the sky. Dmitry pulled the trigger. Two twenty-millimeter cannon knew their business. The bomber just shattered on the pieces from such a short range . The flame, burning debris flew in all directions close to the Dmitry's fighter.
Serge was behind. He flunked another bomber, shot it from close range from below. He followed Dimitri. 3 bombers, more exactly, their pieces, were flying to the ground.It took them less than thirty seconds!
The fighters pulled up nearly vertical . German fighters opened fire. At that time when Dmitry's fighter almost lost the speed, and he shifted it to the left side to put the fighter into a dive, Sergei put his fighter to protect from bullets and shells of Messerschmitts. Now the fighter of Sergey scatters pieces and smoking rushed to the ground. Height was about 2000 meters ...…
Dmitry was diving. Four Messerschmitts were hunging on the tail . They were far enough to open fire and do not approach. Higher, on the opposite course, were approaching pair of La-5, which went on a mission with them. The alignment was three Russians fighters against four German fighters. The sun was on the left.
Dmitri led fighter on the loop and did half roll on the highest point.
This moment our two couples of Yak-7 which patrolled nearby rushed to the remaining Junkers. They destroyed their formation and Junkers dropped their bombs anywhere. Another two Junkers fell to the ground and another one smoking a left to the west.
The stretched tracers before Dmitry .Messerschmitts went to the forehead.
When the nearest Messerschmitt remained split second of flight, Dmitri pulled the trigger.. Messesrschmitt turned into a fire ball. Dmitry''s fighter slipped it, and at that moment, when he relaxed a little bit slave that which no longer existed in this world, and opened fire. Bullets and shells hit the wing. It damaged fighter's left side and Dmitry's left arm .
The fighter was steered though eager to roll to the left. The left hand was in blood, but operated. Dmitriy had to withdraw from the battle. Yaks attacked Messerschmitts and that planes had already remained three. Messerschmitts flew away to the West.
Belly landing on the native airfield The routine started.
Hospital. To treat the hand . Serge showed up in two days. He dropped on the parachute. The newspapers wrote about his heroic action.
Sergei was awarded by the Order of Lenin . Dmitry became an ace, shooting down 5 and 6 planes . He was awarded by the Order of the Red Banner.
In that combat fight, the Germans had lost five Junkers and two Messerschmitts. We lost three planes and one pilot.
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