Ernie P.

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Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

Ernie P.

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Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Sorry, guys; I thought I left three clues, all at the same time, for Saturday. Apparently it didn't work. Let's try again. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

It's Christmas! At least on the east coast. So here's a Christmas morning clue and a Christmas bonus clue. Enjoy the day. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Merry Christmas one and all!

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

A couple of afternoon clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And a couple of evening clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Some morning clues. I'm about to get busy for a little while; so I'm going to try to have this one solved today or tomorrow. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Some afternoon clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

41. While the transition was ongoing, his new commander became increasingly angry with him because of his criticism of the flying tactics being used by his service.

42. He was grounded and court martial proceedings begun. He was accused of being a coward, being insubordinate and disobeying orders.

43. He was supported by his flying mates, some politically connected friends and his superiors. The charges were dismissed and he was reinstated.

44. He scored a victory on his first mission flying the foreign fighter.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And some evening clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

41. While the transition was ongoing, his new commander became increasingly angry with him because of his criticism of the flying tactics being used by his service.

42. He was grounded and court martial proceedings begun. He was accused of being a coward, being insubordinate and disobeying orders.

43. He was supported by his flying mates, some politically connected friends and his superiors. The charges were dismissed and he was reinstated.

44. He scored a victory on his first mission flying the foreign fighter.

45. In the third year of the war, his unit was fighting directly against top rated enemy units. Even so, he continued to score regularly.

46. He scored four victories in one day during a key air campaign.

47. In a series of heavy air battles, the tactics he had introduced allowed his country’s first real aerial victory in the war.

48. Increasing use of RADAR played a part in the victory.

Hydro Junkie

I'm sensing the answer comes from the former Soviet Union and a P-39 pilot

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Sir; you are correct and you have earned a bonus clue. Okay, several bonus clues. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

41. While the transition was ongoing, his new commander became increasingly angry with him because of his criticism of the flying tactics being used by his service.

42. He was grounded and court martial proceedings begun. He was accused of being a coward, being insubordinate and disobeying orders.

43. He was supported by his flying mates, some politically connected friends and his superiors. The charges were dismissed and he was reinstated.

44. He scored a victory on his first mission flying the foreign fighter.

45. In the third year of the war, his unit was fighting directly against top rated enemy units. Even so, he continued to score regularly.

46. He scored four victories in one day during a key air campaign.

47. In a series of heavy air battles, the tactics he had introduced allowed his country’s first real aerial victory in the war.

48. Increasing use of RADAR played a part in the victory.

49. As a Major and the now Commanding Officer of his squadron, he would personally attack the enemy flight leaders in combat. This resulted in his personally shooting down a large number of enemy aces.

50. He was offered a promotion and a desk job, directing training operations, but he refused and stayed in combat.

51. Still, he was now a well known here of his country, and was increasing grounded and barred from flying combat missions.

52. His superiors simply didn’t want to chance a hero of his status being killed in action; and slowly forced him behind a desk. Still, he managed to score occasionally.

53. Only a very few of his victories were scored in the last two years of the war. The vast majority of his victories occurred while his service was fighting for survival against what was then acknowledged as a superior air force.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Gentlemen; I will be busy for several days, so someone will have to step up and answer the question tonight or tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be at a full stop for several days. So the clues will be coming quickly and often. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

41. While the transition was ongoing, his new commander became increasingly angry with him because of his criticism of the flying tactics being used by his service.

42. He was grounded and court martial proceedings begun. He was accused of being a coward, being insubordinate and disobeying orders.

43. He was supported by his flying mates, some politically connected friends and his superiors. The charges were dismissed and he was reinstated.

44. He scored a victory on his first mission flying the foreign fighter.

45. In the third year of the war, his unit was fighting directly against top rated enemy units. Even so, he continued to score regularly.

46. He scored four victories in one day during a key air campaign.

47. In a series of heavy air battles, the tactics he had introduced allowed his country’s first real aerial victory in the war.

48. Increasing use of RADAR played a part in the victory.

49. As a Major and the now Commanding Officer of his squadron, he would personally attack the enemy flight leaders in combat. This resulted in his personally shooting down a large number of enemy aces.

50. He was offered a promotion and a desk job, directing training operations, but he refused and stayed in combat.

51. Still, he was now a well known hero of his country, and was increasing grounded and barred from flying combat missions.

52. His superiors simply didn’t want to chance a hero of his status being killed in action; and slowly forced him behind a desk. Still, he managed to score occasionally.

53. Only a very few of his victories were scored in the last two years of the war. The vast majority of his victories occurred while his service was fighting for survival against what was then acknowledged as a superior air force.

54. Our subject pilot became the acknowledged great tactician of his air force.

55. And, almost incidentally, he became his country’s leading ace while flying his preferred aircraft.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, how about this guy:
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And that's what a correct answer looks like, boys and girls. Pokryshkin it is. And you are now up. I wanted to put to bed a belief that the P-39 was used as a tank buster by the Soviets, but was useless as a fighter. I've read reports that state no armor piercing ammo was ever supplied to the Soviets for the P-39. And Pokryshkin was certainly able to use it effectively. Thanks; Ernie P.

What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot spent much of his career under a political cloud.

2. A cloud that very nearly got him court martialed and might easily, as it was during war time, have cost him his life.

3. He was openly critical of the wartime tactics and methods being used by his service.

4. Only the fact that his personal (high) victory score showed him to be right, saved him.

5. Eventually sympathetic, and high ranking, superiors came to his rescue; and he was instead promoted and awarded.

6. He spent much of his time teaching other pilots a set of tactics he had devised, on his own, to use against enemy aircraft.

7. In time, he became his country’s leading tactical expert.

8. He was the son of a former farmer and factory worker; and he grew up in a rough section of town.

9. Unlike most of his fellows, he was more interested in education than roughnecking and petty crime.

10. He was given the nickname “engineer”.

11. He became interested in aviation after witnessing a local air show.

12. After a stint as a construction worker, he entered a technical college; and graduated well ahead of schedule.

13. He then spent several years as a steel worker, before entering the Army and being sent to aviation school.

14. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a temporary closure of the aviation school and was instead made an aviation mechanic.

15. He set out to be the best mechanic he could be; and was soon promoted into a senior position.

16. He engineered improvements in both aircraft and armament.

17. He kept trying to become a pilot, but without success initially. He finally went on vacation a few years before war was declared, and graduated from a civilian pilot school.

18. And he did it in only seventeen days.

19. This made him automatically eligible for military flight training and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

20. He graduated at the top of his military class, became an officer and was assigned to a fighter group.

21. His unit was bombed on the first day of the war.

22. His first combat patrol was a disaster of the worst kind. He spotted a formation flying an unknown type of aircraft and attacked it. He shot down the lead aircraft.

23. The plane was a classified aircraft; a type not publicly known or acknowledged, even to him and his fellow pilots.

24. As the plane was falling, he saw the national markings and realized his mistake.

25. He then flew between the target aircraft and his fellow pilots as they attacked, waving them off.

26. Fortunately for him, the squadron leader he shot down survived, although the gunner did not.

27. The next day, he and his wingman were on a recon mission and were attacked by five enemy fighters. He destroyed one of them.

28. Within a few weeks, he scored several more victories.

29. But he was then shot down by enemy AA fire and crashed behind enemy lines.

30. He spent four days working his way back to his unit.

31. He quickly recognized, after several close calls, that the tactics being use by his unit were flawed. He began to keep very close records of his, and his fellow pilot’s, combats; detailing what happened and why.

32. An enemy round cut his shoulder strap, ricocheted around and cut his chin badly.

33. He twice survived when unexploded enemy bombs landed almost literally at his feet.

34. On one occasion, when his airfield was being attacked, he pulled a machine gun from a nearby bomber and used his aircraft as a support, firing at the attacking aircraft.

35. An enemy bomber spotted him and dropped a string of small bombs, trying to knock him out of action.

36. He watched as the string of bombs exploded in a line reaching toward him. The one which landed next to him didn’t explode; because it was released too low and didn’t have time to arm itself.

37. Three or four months into the war, he undertook an emergency recon mission after two other aircraft had crashed trying to get airborne in bad weather.

38. He flew a long mission, searching for an enemy unit in very bad conditions of sleet and rain, with low visibility. He located the unit, reported its location and was awarded a very high medal for his valor.

39. About a year after his war began, he was flying an escort mission. He was attacked by two enemy ace fighter pilots. He, through his maneuvering, managed to get them to overshoot his aircraft and shot them both down in succession.

40. Later that summer, his unit was withdrawn from the line to transition to a new, and foreign, aircraft.

41. While the transition was ongoing, his new commander became increasingly angry with him because of his criticism of the flying tactics being used by his service.

42. He was grounded and court martial proceedings begun. He was accused of being a coward, being insubordinate and disobeying orders.

43. He was supported by his flying mates, some politically connected friends and his superiors. The charges were dismissed and he was reinstated.

44. He scored a victory on his first mission flying the foreign fighter.

45. In the third year of the war, his unit was fighting directly against top rated enemy units. Even so, he continued to score regularly.

46. He scored four victories in one day during a key air campaign.

47. In a series of heavy air battles, the tactics he had introduced allowed his country’s first real aerial victory in the war.

48. Increasing use of RADAR played a part in the victory.

49. As a Major and the now Commanding Officer of his squadron, he would personally attack the enemy flight leaders in combat. This resulted in his personally shooting down a large number of enemy aces.

50. He was offered a promotion and a desk job, directing training operations, but he refused and stayed in combat.

51. Still, he was now a well known here of his country, and was increasing grounded and barred from flying combat missions.

52. His superiors simply didn’t want to chance a hero of his status being killed in action; and slowly forced him behind a desk. Still, he managed to score occasionally.

53. Only a very few of his victories were scored in the last two years of the war. The vast majority of his victories occurred while his service was fighting for survival against what was then acknowledged as a superior air force.

54. Our subject pilot became the acknowledged great tactician of his air force.

55. And, almost incidentally, he became his country’s leading ace while flying his preferred aircraft.

56. And the highest scoring pilot flying an aircraft manufactured by a certain country.

57. And the highest scoring ace of all the air forces on his side of the war.

58. After the war, he found himself increasingly shunned because of his open, and public, preference for the foreign aircraft he flew.

59. An aircraft not preferred by the producing country.

60. He preferred the aircraft for its heavy main armament.

61. Although he made changes to the trigger controls for the machine guns and cannon the aircraft carried.

62. He modified the trigger controls to allow all the armament to be fired by a single trigger, rather than a two trigger setup, which was originally controlled.

63. His preferred aircraft was equipped with a real mixed bag armament; a cannon, heavy and light machine guns.

64. The aircraft was American; although the American forces didn’t much care for it.

65. And, although the aircraft somehow gained a reputation as a tank buster, the simple truth is the Russians didn’t use it in that role. It was simply used as a fighter.

66. Perhaps that was because no armor piercing cannon shells were ever supplied to the Russians.

67. Still, at the low altitudes and low speeds that were common on the Russian front, the P-39 was capable of holding its own against the Bf 109s and FW 190s.



Answer: Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Покры́шкин; 6 March 1913 – 13 November 1985) was a top Soviet flying ace and a Marshal of the SovietAir Force. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three separate occasions (24 May 1943, 24 August 1943, and 19 August 1944).

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Additional details about Pokryshkin. Thanks; Ernie P.


Answer: Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Покры́шкин; 6 March 1913 – 13 November 1985) was a top Soviet flying ace and a Marshal of the SovietAir Force. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three separate occasions (24 May 1943, 24 August 1943, and 19 August 1944). Pokryshkin was, in addition to his three Hero of the Soviet Union golden stars, awarded six Orders of Lenin (22 December 1941 - № 7086; 24 May 1943 - № 9600; 24 August 1943 - № 124904; 21 October 1967 - № 344099; 21 February 1978 - № 429973; 5 March 1983 - № 400362), the Order of the October Revolution, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov (2nd class), two Orders of the Red Star, a number of other medals, and foreign orders, such as the US Army Distinguished Service Medal. Pokryshkin scored 47 of his 65 victories in American-made Bell P-39 Airacobras, making him the highest scoring P-39 pilot of any nation, and the highest scoring pilot flying any American fighter design. Pokryshkin was the great tactician of the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War. He almost single-handedly fought to change the obsolete Soviet tactics that were in place in 1941 when the war started. Going against the establishment and openly defying the approved combat doctrine almost cost him his career and possibly his life. After openly criticising the official tactics that led to huge losses and teaching his fellow pilots new tactics he invented himself, he was grounded and scheduled to be tried by court martial. However, word of his innovations eventually reached his superiors in Moscow, and instead of a court martial, Pokryshkin was awarded and promoted. By the end of the war his writings had been published and distributed to all Soviet pilots, and he toured fighter regiments extensively lecturing young pilots on his techniques. Pokryshkin was born in Novonikolayevsk (now Novosibirsk) in Tomsk Governorate, son of a peasant-turned-factory worker. He was of Russian ethnicity. He grew up in a poor, crime-ridden part of town, but unlike most of his peers he was more interested in learning than in fighting and petty crime. His nickname in his early teens was Engineer. He caught the "aviation bug" when he was 12 years old at a local air show, and the dream never left him. In 1928, after seven years of school, he found work as a construction worker. In 1930, despite his father's protests, he left home and entered a local technical college, where he received a degree in 18 months and worked for six more as a steel worker at a local munitions factory. Subsequently, he volunteered for the army and was sent to an aviation school. His dream finally seemed to be coming true. Unfortunately the flight school was suddenly closed, and all students were instead transferred to be trained as aircraft mechanics. Dozens of official requests were denied with a simple explanation: "Soviet aviation needs mechanics just as badly". Pokryshkin still strived to excel as a mechanic. Graduating in 1933, he quickly rose through the ranks. By December 1934, he became the Senior Aviation Mechanic of the 74th Rifle Division. He stayed in that capacity until November 1938. During that time his creative nature became clearly visible: he invented improvements to the ShKAS machine gun and the R-5 reconnaissance aircraft among other things. Finally, during his vacation in the winter of 1938 Pokryshkin was able to circumvent the authorities by passing a yearly civilian pilot program in only 17 days. This automatically made him eligible for flight school. Without even packing a suitcase, he boarded a train to flight school. He graduated with top honours in 1939, and with the rank of Sr. Lieutenant he was appointed to the 55th Fighter Regiment.

Early experiences

He was stationed in Moldavia in June 1941, close to the border, and his airfield was bombed on 22 June, the first day of the war. His first involvement in air combat was a disaster. Seeing an aircraft in the air of a type he had never seen before, he attacked and shot it down, only to notice as it was going down that it had Soviet red stars on the wings. It was a Soviet Su-2 light bomber of the 211th Bomber Aviation Regiment, piloted by squadron commander M.I. Gudzenko. This was a new bomber type that was kept secret even from other Soviet pilots. He then frantically flew in front of all the other MiG 3 pilots who were lining up on the other Sukhoi bombers, thwarting any other "German victories" by other pilots of his unit. Luckily, Gudzenko survived, although the gunner was killed. He claimed his first non-Russian victory (a Bf 109 fighter) the next day, while he and his wingman were on a reconnaissance mission, and were jumped by five enemy fighters. On 3 July, having claimed several more victories, he was shot down by German flak behind enemy lines and spent four days getting back to his unit. During the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin began to see very clearly how outdated the Soviet combat doctrine was, and started slowly drafting his own ideas in his meticulous notebooks. He carefully recorded all details of all air engagements he and all his friends were involved in, and came up with detailed analysis of each. He fought in very complicated conditions: constant retreat, poor- to no-controlling and communication from HQ, and overwhelming odds versus a superior opponent. He would later say "one who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war". Pokryshkin survived several close calls during this time. A machine gun round drove through the right side of the cockpit, cut his shoulder straps, ricocheted off the left side and scratched his chin, covering the entire windscreen in blood. Twice, unexploded bombs landed between his feet, one time during a dramatic low-level raid on his airfield by a pair of Ju 88s. Pokryshkin tried to defend his fighter, one of the very few remaining serviceable aircraft, by removing a flexible machine gun from the nearby bomber and placing it on top of his fighter's fuselage. One of the German bombers saw Pokryshkin firing the only machine gun in the area and flew straight at him, dropping small bombs in a shallow dive. Pokryshkin watched a string of explosions running up to him, but the bomb that landed immediately next to him did not explode. The Ju 88 had dropped it too low; the bomb had insufficient time to arm itself before hitting the ground. In the autumn of 1941 Pokryshkin, flying a MiG-3 (possibly winter-camouflaged), took off in sleet and rain conditions after two other pilots had crashed on takeoff. His mission was to locate von Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, which had been stopped in front of Shakhty, and then their position lost by the Soviet forces. After some time flying at low altitude, low on gasoline, in bad weather, he finally found them, and was able to return safely to base with this critical information. For the successful completion of this mission, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. When the German summer offensive of 1942 began, part of 16 GIAP had been re-equipped with the Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter, including Pokryshkin's squadron. In that period Pokryshkin flew missions escorting Su-2 and Il-2 Shturmovik aircraft, and frequently was engaged by German fighters. On 17 July 1942, during a dogfight with Bf 109s, he became separated from his wingman Konstantin Figichov, and was jumped by a Rotte of Bf 109G-2 "Gustavs" flown by the experte Feldwebel Hans Dammers and his wingman Unteroffizier Kurt Keiser (7./JG 52). Initially Pokryshkin dived to escape, but realizing that the heavier and faster Gustavs would catch him, he performed a chandelle and then a barrel roll. This caused the Germans to overshoot, and then Pokryshkin shot down (and killed) Keiser at short range. Dammers attacked Pokryshkin shortly afterwards, damaging his Yak-1. But once more Pokryshkin performed a barrel roll, forced Dammers to slide forward, and then shot down the German ace. In the late summer of 1942, his regiment was recalled from the front lines to convert to a new fighter type, the Bell P-39 Airacobra. While training in the rear, Pokryshkin frequently clashed with the regiment's new commander, Isayev (the former regimental navigator), who could not stand his criticism of Soviet air combat doctrine. Isayev fabricated a court-martial case, accusing Pokryshkin of cowardice, insubordination, and disobeying orders. Pokryshkin was grounded, removed from the regiment's headquarters, and had his Party membership cancelled. However, he was helped by his squadron mates, the regimental political commissar, and the divisional commanders, and he was soon vindicated. The 216 IAD's leadership dismissed the case against him, and had him reinstated.

Kuban

Pokryshkin's most significant contribution to the war effort and the most impressive kill record came during the battle for the Kuban region in 1943. The area east of the Crimean peninsula had seen vicious air combat in the months that led to the Soviet assault on Crimea itself, where the Kuban-based Soviet air regiments flew against Crimea-based LuftwaffeGeschwader. Pokryshkin's regiment fought against such renowned German fighter units as JG 52 and JG 3 'Udet'. The area saw some of the most fierce fighting on the Eastern Front, with daily engagements of up to 200 aircraft in the air. Pokryshkin's innovative tactics of using different fighter types stacked in altitude, the so-called 'pendulum' flight pattern for patrolling the airspace, and the use of ground-based radar, forward based controllers and an advanced central ground control system, contributed to the first great Soviet Air Force victory over the Luftwaffe. In the summer of 1942, the 4th Air Army (in which Pokryshkin served) received their first mobile radar stations. They were tested in directing interceptions of German and Romanian aircraft over water, and they proved highly successful. In early January 1943, 16 GIAP (Gvardeyskij Istrebitelnyj Aviatsionyj Polk = Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment) was sent to 25 ZIAP (Zapasnoj Istrebitelnyj Aviatsionyj Polk = Depot Fighter Aviation Regiment, a unit tasked with checking that Soviet-made and Lend-Lease aircraft were ready for combat service) near the Iranian border, to re-equip with new aircraft, and also to receive new pilots. Many of these planes had to be ferried in from Iran. Whilst there were delays in assembly by the Americans in Iran, the Soviet pilots involved felt that the Americans were willfully impeding the war effort. It was at this time that the unit converted to the P-39 Airacobra which, when all had arrived, transformed the unit into a 3-squadron regiment. 16 GIAP received 14 P-39L-1s, seven P-39Ks (the very last of which was assigned to Pokryshkin) and 11 P-39D-2s. The unit returned to action on 8 April 1943. During the remainder of the month, Pokryshkin was credited with 11 Bf 109s and one Ju 88 destroyed. He was credited with a Bf 109 destroyed on his very first Airacobra mission, on 9 April 1943, and scored four Bf 109 kills on 12 April 1943, one of his more successful days. He scored again on 15, 16, 20, 21, and 24 April – one Bf 109 on each day, adding a Ju 88 (probably in fact an He 111) on 29 April, plus one more Bf 109 on 30 April. One of his most famous engagements was on 4 May 1943. Eight of Pokryshkin's Airacobras were directed by ground control radar towards a large formation of enemy planes: three squadrons of Junkers Ju 87 Stukas escorted by a geschwader of Bf 109s. Attacking from the sun, a pair of P-39s attacked the fighters while the remaining six dived through the bomber formation, repeating the attack twice with Pokryshkin's method of swapping dive directions. Twelve Stukas were claimed shot down, with Pokryshkin claiming five (he was officially credited with two). Later that same day he shot down another Bf 109.

In most subsequent fights, Pokryshkin would usually take the most difficult role, attacking the German flight leader, who was often an aggressive experte. He had learned in 1941–42 that shooting down the flight leader would demoralise the enemy and often cause them to scramble home. Taking that into account, several such experten were almost certainly among his kills during the month of May that year. On 6 May 1943 Pokryshkin shot down a Bf 109, probably the plane of 9-kills ace Unteroffizier Heinz Scholze (4./JG 52), who crashed while trying to land at Kuteinikovo. Two days later, his victim may have been the Bf 109G-4 of Leutnant Helmut Haberda (an experte of 5./JG 52 with 58 victories to his credit), though the Luftwaffe credited the loss to Soviet flak. Pokryshkin received his first 'Hero of the Soviet Union' award on 24 May 1943, and was promoted to major in June, having become commanding officer of his squadron. On 23 June, he exchanged his old P-39K-1 USAAF Serial Number 42-4421, "White 13", for the famous P-39N USAAF S.N. 42-9004, "White 100". He flew aircraft designated 100 for the rest of the war, such as P-39N-5 42-19185, after 42-9004 was damaged in August or September 1943, except for the test of the Berlin autobahn as a runway in Konstantin Sukhov's "White 50", which was much photographed.

"Osvobozhdenie Ukrainy" - The Liberation of Ukraine

In mid-July the 216 IAD (now redesignated 9 GIAD) was deployed in southern Ukraine to help liberate the Donbass area. There he continued to defeat German aces – on 23 July 1943 Pokryshkin shot down the 56-kills experte Uffz. Hans Ellendt, of 4./JG 52. Occasionally his P-39s also escorted the Pe-2 bombers. In that role, he used his nickname Sotka ("One Hundred") – his radio call sign), because he knew very well that the Luftwaffe ordered its airmen to stay on the ground if they knew he was in the air. A Pe-2 pilot of the 36 BAP, Timofey P. Puniov, recalled that because of the heavy casualties inflicted by the German fighters, the 16 GIAP was tasked to escort them. Puniov clearly remembers that twice Pokryshkin violated radio silence saying openly in the frequency: "Vnimanie! Ya – sotka. Poedu na rabotu!" (Attention! I'm "100". I'm going to work!). Neither on those two occasions nor after did the German fighters try to intercept the 36 BAP. On 20 August, Isaev, who had been the Unit Navigator, and then Commanding Officer, and with whom Pokryshkin had strong differences, took measures to have Pokryshkin stripped of his Hero of the Soviet Union, expelled from the regiment, and hauled before a tribunal. From 10 PM that night at least through the following day, Pokryshkin, 298 IAP's Major Taranyenko, and the 16th Guards' Commissar, Gubarevim, and some "Osobists"(NKVD people) completed interrogations and investigations. Gubarevim, with difficulty, was able to clear Pokryshkin's name and reputation, and "Sasha" was thereupon awarded his second Hero of the Soviet Union on 24 August 1943. On 21 September 1943, Pokryshkin was involved in another high-profile air engagement. This one happened at low altitudes right over the front line. It was witnessed by dozens of journalists and representatives of the high command. Pokryshkin shot down three Junkers Ju 88s in a single pass, overcome by hatred, as he had just found out that the entire family of Zhmud, his mechanic, had been killed in German occupied territories. Only two kills were confirmed, the third Ju 88 being recorded as brought down by the explosion of the second one and not because of Pokryshkin's gunfire. All three Junkers are confirmed by German loss records – they were Ju 88A-4s of 5./RummKGr. Earlier that same day Pokryshkin had added two more Junkers Ju 87s to his tally, almost certainly Ju 87D-5s of 6./StG 1.

1944–1945

In February 1944, Pokryshkin was offered a promotion and an easy desk job managing new pilot training. He immediately rejected this offer and stayed at his old regiment and his old rank. However, he did not fly nearly as much as before. Pokryshkin had been made a famous hero by the propaganda machine, and he was not allowed to fly as often because of fear of him being killed. Instead, Pokryshkin spent a lot of time in the radio bunker, directing his regiment's fights over the radio. In June 1944, Pokryshkin was promoted to colonel and given command of 9th Guards Air Division. On 19 August 1944, for 550 front-line sorties and 53 official kills, Pokryshkin was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. He was the first person ever to receive the award three times, and he is the only Soviet soldier to receive the award three times during wartime. Pokryshkin was forbidden to fly altogether, but managed to circumvent the rule a few times and still continued to score an occasional kill. One of such occasions occurred on 30 May 1944 near Jassy, Rumania. The whole 16 GIAP engaged a large formation of Ju 87s heading towards the Soviet ground forces escorted by Fw 190s and Bf 109s. In the ensuing melιe, the Airacobra pilots claimed to shoot down five Stukas, three Focke-Wulfs and one Messerschmitt without losses – three Ju 87s were shot down by Pokryshkin himself. The next time Pokryshkin scored victories was on 16 July, when he got credit for two more Stukas and one Hs 129 of 10.(Pz)/SG 9, probably the Henschel Hs 129B-2 of Hauptmann Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer, credited with 80 tank-kills. His last victory was another Ju 87, downed on 14 January 1945. Out of his official score of 65 victories, only six were scored in the last two years of the war. The bulk of Pokryshkin's victories came during the time when the Soviet Air Force was still fighting at a disadvantage, including amongst the most of any Soviet pilot during the most difficult first year of the war.

After the war

When the Second World War ended, Pokryshkin found himself shunned due to his war-time preference for non-Soviet aircraft. In 1948 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy. Between 1949–1955 he acted as deputy commander of the 33rd Fighter Air Defense and the commander of the 88th Fighter Aviation Corps in Rzhev. He was repeatedly passed-over for promotion, possibly because he was just too intelligent (or honest) for Stalin's comfort. Only after Stalin's death did he find himself back in favour and finally promoted to Air Marshal. In 1957 he graduated from General Staff Academy. After graduation he served as Chief of Fighter Aircraft of the North Caucasian Military Defense. From 1959, he served in the 8th Army Air Defense separate (Kiev) and from 1961 to 1968 acted as Commander of the 8th Army Air Defense and deputy commander of the Kiev Military District Air Defense Forces. In 1968 he became Deputy Chief of the Air Defense Forces. His highest position was as president of DOSAAF (1972–1981), a mostly civilian organisation that was largely tasked with training young civilians and preparing them for service with the Air Force. Pokryshkin again found himself ostracized for his honesty. Despite strong pressure, he never wrote about or supported glorification of premier Leonid Brezhnev's role in the battle of Kuban, where Brezhnev was a minor general. Pokryshkin died on 13 November 1985 at the age of 72. In Novosibirsk, a street, a square and a subway station are named in his honour. He wrote several books about his wartime experiences, none of which appear to be translated into English. He appeared in an episode of documentaries TV Series, "The Unknown War ", specifically episode 9, entitled "War In The Air", and, at the beginning and end of the episode, he spoke to the host and narrator, Burt Lancaster. There are two Soviet-made documentaries starring Alexander Pokryshkin. A legendary wartime

Pokryshkin In The Sky(1945)" target="_blank">Pokryshkin In The Sky(1945)

and far lesser known

Russian Ace Alexander Pokryshkin(1985)" target="_blank">Russian Ace Alexander Pokryshkin(1985)

Aircraft flown by Pokryshkin

Pokryshkin started the war flying the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter, in which he scored almost twenty victories. The unit was given the honor "16th Guards Fighter Regiment" in March 1942. At this time or soon after, the unit received some Yak-1s, in which Pokryshkin also scored victories, but which are neither identified, nor illustrated, in any known way. In January 1943, his regiment converted to Lend-Lease Bell P-39 Airacobras. Soviet pilots liked this aircraft, and found it quite competitive with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and superior to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 at the low air combat altitudes common on the Eastern Front. Pokryshkin enjoyed the 37 mm cannon's destructive firepower, as well as the two upper nose-mounted .50 caliber machine guns, synchronized to fire through the propellor (airscrew), in addition to the pair of .30 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing. He claimed that the cannon's trigger, positioned at the top of the joystick, was impossible to push without moving the pilot's hand, which made the aircraft deviate from the gunsight, so finally he had his regiment's aircraft rigged so that a single button simultaneously fired cannon and machine guns. In his memoirs he describes many enemy aircraft immediately disintegrating upon being hit by a salvo. Pokryshkin and his regiment were repeatedly asked to convert to new Soviet fighters such as the La-5 and Yak-3. However, Pokryshkin found the Yak-3's firepower insufficient, and personally disliked Yakovlev, so the squadron remained with the P-39. Finally, in 1944, he found an aircraft that he deemed a worthy heir: the Lavochkin La-7. However, one of his close friends, Soviet 50-kill (31 personal and 19 group) ace Alexander Klubov, was killed in a landing mishap while converting to the La-7. The crash was blamed on the malfunction of the plane's hydraulic system. Pokryshkin subsequently cancelled his regiment's conversion, and there are multiple reports that they instead began flying the Bell P-63 Kingcobra. Through the Lend-Lease agreement with United States, the Soviet Union was not allowed to use P-63s against Germany; they were given only to be used in the eventual battle with Japan. Thus it is quite understandable that no mention of this appears in any official records. However, personal accounts of German pilots and flak crewmen who encountered P-63s in the skies of Eastern Prussia as well as in the memoirs of one of the pilots in Pokryshkin's squadron. It is reported that 9th IAD was given approximately 36 P-63s but these were not used while the fighting was still in progress. The designations of MiG-3 aircraft used by Pokryshkin were, in the likeliest order of use, "7", "4", "01", "White-5" (with "GVARDIYA" on the intakes – likely dating to when the unit was awarded this designation), and finally "67". He then flew Yak-1 fighters when the unit partially re-equipped with them. He flew P-39K-1 "White-13" 42-4421 over the Kuban. He converted in late June to P-39N-0 42-9004 "White 100". "White 100" was damaged in August or September 1943. The only known photograph of 42-9004 dates from around this time: it shows the nose resting on a saw horse with the nose wheel main leg hyper-extended so the nose wheel rests on the ground. According to a VVS color scheme research website, 42-9004 was struck by inadvertent gunfire from a badly damaged Il-2 that had a rough landing, and on one of its last bounces the guns went off and, among other things, the gunfire struck, such as the aircrew dugout, hit the parked Airacobra.{{VVS Warplanes Research Page ([April]) 2017}} About this time Pokryshkin changed to P-39N-5 42-19158 (or possibly a different N-5). which was also designated "White-100". (This is according to the document for an award to an aircraft mechanic assigned to 42-19158, for keeping it airworthy and ready to fly combat missions for 100 flights in a row.) On 28 May 1943, Pokryshkin flew P-39D-2 41-38520 ("White-17") for a single mission. There is a photo of him post-mission bending to remove his parachute straps in front of the nose of 41-38520. In the famous photo taken of him using a stretch of German "autobahn" as a runway, he was flying a P-39Q-15 designated "White-50", with the serial number painted out (the same aircraft was originally assigned to K. V. Sukhov). He used five La-7 aircraft with the inscription, "From the Workers of Novosibirsk to Hero of the Soviet Union Alexandr Ivanovich Pokhryshkin", but did not fly in them himself. A La-7-equipped unit was, in 1945, made a part of the 9th Guards Division, making it a four-regiment division. At one point in 1944, he was apparently given a La-5FN for his personal use, pending the hoped-for Lavochkin conversion of the entire unit. The unit apparently flew P-63A or C Kingcobras after the war, and Pokryshkin would have again numbered his aircraft "100". Finally, one or more of the 9th Guards Fighter Division units may have eventually converted to the Yak-9P before his attendance at the War College in 1948. After his appointment as DOSAAF director in the early 1950s, he had use of a MiG-15, and, later, of an Il-12 or Il-14. Overclaiming during World War II occurred for political or propaganda reasons. It was common for all sides to inflate figures for "kills" or deflate figures for losses in broadcasts and news reports. Most of the examples listed below are overclaiming during World War II has been the centre of much scrutiny, partly because of the significant amount of air combat relative to other conflicts.

The most accepted figures of his combat record are: · 560 combat missions· 156 air-to-air engagements· Official score: 59 enemy aircraft shot down personally, and 6 together with other pilots Note: based on Pokryshkin's memoirs and personal notebooks, his score stands above 100. The Soviet air force did not officially confirm kills where wreckage could not be found, and thus many aircraft shot down over enemy territory were never confirmed. In recent years the actual number of Pokryshkin's kills seems to have become controversial. For example, Russian historian Mikhail Yurevich Vykov researched official records of victories, and downsized his tally to 46 individual and 6 shared victories. This author, together with Aleksandr Rodionov, wrote an article named Mutnoye Nebo 1941 goda ("The Murky Sky of 1941") stating that Pokryshkin tried to steal Rechkalov's kills during 1941. However, researcher Oleg V. Levchenko discovered passages written in official documents, in personal documents of Pokryshkin found after his death (that he kept away of his family) and in memoirs of Pokryshkin's comrades, that Pokryshkin in fact shot down 94 enemy aircraft, damaged 19 and destroyed three more on the ground. Levchenko found that no less than 15 victories scored in 1941 were not taken into account, because the documents confirming them were destroyed during the hurried withdrawal from encirclement during the Battle of Uman. This may explain the differences seen between the figures of Vykov and Levchenko. Other factors must be taken into account to solve such differences: Pokryshkin, as most other Soviet aces, also engaged in the common practice of giving his kills to fallen comrades. Each kill was rewarded with a substantial monetary bonus, and on the day of a pilot's death all regiment kills would often be credited to him in order to give his family some support. Note that the vast majority of Pokryshkin's kills had been scored before and during 1943 (when the quality of the Luftwaffe's airmen was higher), and since the summer of 1944 he had been absolutely forbidden to engage in air combat (an order he nonetheless disobeyed on several occasions).

Ernie P.

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I suppose I should mention Top_Gunn had it nailed within the first ten clues. He didn't want to take the lead again after having just posted the prior question, though. Thanks; Ernie P.

Hydro Junkie

Why does that not surprise me, he has a knack of doing that. Give me a bit and I'll see what I can come up with for a quiz

Hydro Junkie

Okay guys, I have one for you all.
Looking for a plane:
1) This plane was much slower than its opponents but was still deadly
2) A notorious pilot flew one with much success
Good Luck

elmshoot

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SBD (Slow But Deadly) Dauntless Dive bomber