Russians Bomb Berlin 1941

AMVAS · Post by **AMVAS** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 4:59 am

Nibelung wrote:Thank you AMVAS, just one more thing. were there any more russian air actions against german targets (no meaning those on the battlefield)?

best,
Nibelung

I know Memel, Konigsberg and Stettin to be targets for bombing. On the southern direction - Constantsa

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 8:43 am

Hi AMVAS,

In would add the Cernavoda Bridge across the Danube between Bucharest and Constanta. It was hit in a dive bombing attack by short-range aircraft carried to the scene by mother ships!

Cheers,

Sid.

AMVAS · Post by **AMVAS** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:11 am

sid guttridge wrote:Hi AMVAS,

In would add the Cernavoda Bridge across the Danube between Bucharest and Constanta. It was hit in a dive bombing attack by short-range aircraft carried to the scene by mother ships!

Cheers,

Sid.

Yep, it was "SPB" (Composite Diving Bomber) flight. 1 TB-3 carrying 2-5 fighters. In combats I-16SPB modification were used.
Brief story of SPB is as follows:
First combat - July 26'41 (according to other data - Aug. 01) two TB-3s from 18th transport Aviation Detachment (Gavrilov, Ognev) started from Yevpatoria airfield carrying two I-16SPB each (I-16s from 2/32nd Fighter Aviaition Regiment - Shubikov, Filimonov, Litvinchuk, Samartsev). Each I-16SPB carried two 250kg bombs and additional petrol tank 995 liters for 35mins flight). Fighter-bombers started from 35kms from Constantsa on 4,000m altitude. Nobody was awaiting for them and they attacked without resistance. Oil fields were caught by fire. On back road I-16 were attacked by Bf-109, but without success. All planes returned to airfield in Odessa vicinities except one plane damaged on landing.
On August 10 4 I-16SPB from two TB-3s attacked Chernavody bridge together with 6 Pe-2 from 40th Bomber Aircraft Regiment.One of bridge's span was damaged. At night Aug. 13 attack was repeated by 3 TB-3s+6 I-16. 10 bombs hit the bridge. All planes returned sefely.
On Aug. 17 the flight (2 TB-3+4 I-16) attacked floating dock in Constantsa. The dock was damaged and sank in spite of the fact that there were no direct hits.
Only two I-16 returned.
On Aug. 20 2 TB-3+4i-16SPB covered by 24 I-16 attacked bridge near Zaporozhje and damaged it by 5 bombs.
Two attacks later were performed in Odessa vicinities against German long-range batteries and petrol storage.
I-16SPB were used as common fighter-bombers or fighters
October 22 became the last day in the history of SPB when the last planes and pilots were lost.............

Victor Nitu · Post by **Victor Nitu** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 1:05 pm

AMVAS wrote: Yep, it was "SPB" (Composite Diving Bomber) flight. 1 TB-3 carrying 2-5 fighters. In combats I-16SPB modification were used.
Brief story of SPB is as follows:
First combat - July 26'41 (according to other data - Aug. 01) two TB-3s from 18th transport Aviation Detachment (Gavrilov, Ognev) started from Yevpatoria airfield carrying two I-16SPB each (I-16s from 2/32nd Fighter Aviaition Regiment - Shubikov, Filimonov, Litvinchuk, Samartsev). Each I-16SPB carried two 250kg bombs and additional petrol tank 995 liters for 35mins flight). Fighter-bombers started from 35kms from Constantsa on 4,000m altitude. Nobody was awaiting for them and they attacked without resistance. Oil fields were caught by fire. On back road I-16 were attacked by Bf-109, but without success. All planes returned to airfield in Odessa vicinities except one plane damaged on landing.

According to Romanian reports, on 1 August, the Zveno-SPN attacked the ships in the Constanta port with no effects. Lt. Klausen and fwb. Franzen from I./LG 2(J) claiemd two kills over the sea.
Btw, there are no oilfields in Dobruja. There was an oil pipeline.

AMVAS wrote: On August 10 4 I-16SPB from two TB-3s attacked Chernavody bridge together with 6 Pe-2 from 40th Bomber Aircraft Regiment.One of bridge's span was damaged. At night Aug. 13 attack was repeated by 3 TB-3s+6 I-16. 10 bombs hit the bridge. All planes returned sefely.

The railroad in the area of the second foot of the bridge was destroyed and circulation was interrupted for 2 days. An oil pipeline nearby was destroyed and taken out of order for 6 hours.

AMVAS wrote: On Aug. 17 the flight (2 TB-3+4 I-16) attacked floating dock in Constantsa. The dock was damaged and sank in spite of the fact that there were no direct hits.
Only two I-16 returned.

No damages were reported to the Constanta port that day.
A TB-3 and its fighters crashed on the Odessa front.

AMVAS wrote: On Aug. 20 2 TB-3+4i-16SPB covered by 24 I-16 attacked bridge near Zaporozhje and damaged it by 5 bombs.

From what I knew the bridge was completely destroyed.

Nibelung · Post by **Nibelung** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 3:03 am

October 22 became the last day in the history of SPB when the last planes and pilots were lost.............

So they hado no more casualties till the end of the war? Hard to believe

best,
Nibelung

AMVAS · Post by **AMVAS** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:43 am

Nibelung wrote:October 22 became the last day in the history of SPB when the last planes and pilots were lost.............

So they hado no more casualties till the end of the war? Hard to believe

best,
Nibelung

Yep, they had no more casaulities because all pilots and planes had been eliminated

Dogmeat · Post by **Dogmeat** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 7:50 am

eliminated?

Grunt · Post by **Grunt** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 7:03 am

Victor,

7 bombers landed in Irak, 2 in Syria and 4 in Turkey.

That does mean 6 Bombers were lost. Bad casuality for a small raid...

Victor Nitu · Post by **Victor Nitu** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 9:25 am

Grunt wrote:Victor,

That does mean 6 Bombers were lost. Bad casuality for a small raid...

More like 4. Wasn't Syria under British and Free French control in June 1942?

Grunt · Post by **Grunt** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:47 am

Hmm ,I am not sure about this.

But yes, could be.

Nibelung · Post by **Nibelung** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:18 pm

Wasn't Syria under British and Free French control in June 1942?

It was.

best,
Nibelung

AMVAS · Post by **AMVAS** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 12:19 am

Dogmeat wrote:eliminated?

annihilated

phylo_roadking · Post by **phylo_roadking** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 2:46 pm

I have read there were exactly TWO raids from the Baltic made on Berlin, as there were only something like a dozen aircraft available. And no they didnt all return! None were lost to enemy fire, but many fell out of the sky! The raids were carried out in awful weather and the aircraft suffered from terrible icing problems. The target was almost beyond practical range even with the forward airfield.THE IL-4's were decrepit. The refitting with Diesels allowed one more raid to be attempted but several aircraft were lost to onboard fires, Like late-war German double-engine installations, the diesels were flying bombs. And ran cooler so the icing problems were worse.

Phylo

Beershark · Post by **Beershark** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:03 am

Until his death 3 years ago I was fortunate to be able to count Group Captain John "Catseyes" Cunningham as one of my friends. Indeed, for a while I was both his secretary and a business partner. As is widely known, John pioneered the use of airborne radar in intercepting enemy aircraft and racked up over 20 night time kills. He told me that it was not at all unusual for an RAF aircraft to make an interception over Germany, only to find that it was a Russian aircraft that was being homed on !
Beershark

max painless · Post by **max painless** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:32 pm

fascinating

Feldgrau.net

Russians Bomb Berlin 1941

Soviet aircraft over Germany