Soviet fighter YAK-1, shot down in an air battle in 1942

[Shlosser]

Part one: "ROAD TO DIRECT"

A some time ago in a Russia far far away

The point of falling of the plane is located in 8 km from the nearest paved roads, so that the "civilian" transport had to leave the village. Even prepared by UAZ at a high rubber with a winch to get there "ordered", that is why the further promotion of the personnel and equipment was performed on the "armor". The all-wheel drive tractor with the crab step, correct tyre and competent tractor driver is traveling at a given point in an almost straight, only occasionally breaking too thick trees. In so doing, it helps the team of the pioneers with axes and saws. Straight to the site of excavation paved snowmobiles, whose tracks we diligently adhered to.

Easy Christmas frost - lack of precipitation, almost perfect weather for work. Sit down on the "armor".

Traveling without Luggage. The volume of front bucket envy of other light truck

Mechanization of auxiliary operations in the service of heavy equipment. Sawed the rubble almost every hundred meters for all 8km.

Work shift, some Smoking, other hewn down, and Vice versa.

The guys on snowmobiles fashionable and fast. The first batch of military archeologists is already working on the site.

"Crab step" option is extremely environmentally useful to keep more than one dozen of young trees. Our guide Forester was as happy as a child. Where not helped wheels and "Crab step", tractor enjoyed the Board of Munchausen's about the «hair and horse», effectively removing the tractor bucket out of the quagmire.

 

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[jeff of pa]

Cool ! I can't wait to see more

 

[Critical Recovery]

This is relevant to my interests.....

 

[Shlosser]

Part two: "ROAD UNDER THE GROUND"

At the place of falling of the plane were in the third hour. Until we get to the place, the guys on snowmobiles gathered iron in the district. In hundred meters from the crater was found rack chassis(?) with a cast number and the embossed stamp of the quality control Department «Department». There had been some doubt as to the origin of the details to the fallen plane, but then, by comparing their tops of the pine trees, funnel and place of discovery of the rack, turned a straight line is the path of falling of the plane. Finally doubts were dispelled when, with a depth of 4m got the part with the same at the front(?) the number.
Tractor of iron, he does not drink the tea-coffee and does not eat canned food, so we put the tractor «paws» and immediately got down to business. First in our hearts tried to settle the gloom, as well as red clay and rotten logs from the bucket tractor nothing appeared. Showered assumption that the funnel is a red-rimmed bunker. The first fragments of the aircraft went to the depth of 2m and only once in a rotten tree, Andrey Vinogradov recognized the power of the elements of the rear of the aircraft, we realized that all the efforts were not in vain.

Beginning of the works, all full of enthusiasm!

Mechanical «spade» dramatically speeds up the process.

But requires MAXIMUM attention to the verification of the dump.

The first fragments of the plane went about with a depth of 2m.

Check the probe district of the «remains» of the aircraft, that would dig out on the perimeter, not to mention the cultural layer.

While the big «spade» the rest...

Manually clean layer, in order not to miss important details.

Red clay blank «continent», which is dark-gray - clay with fragments of the combat vehicle.

Go deeper and deeper.

The number of shapeless fragments is growing. The first identified the subject became a cripple a machine gun ShKAS (lies to the right of the pile of wreckage)

Sometimes you can find parts that retain the «reasonable» form.

And here is the «left» shapeless piece of the identical number, found on the «heads» rack(?). Below the photo stand itself(?), the number of the cast on it with the stamp of the quality control Department and number of the fragment of the aircraft embossed with an additional number of excavation with a 4m depth

Rack(?)

Number on it(П4120 05)

Fragment of the aircraft embossed with an additional number (П4120 05 и 1734) from the excavation pit with a 4m depth

Split pine located on the one line funnel-pine-finding place the rack(?) the aircraft. Perhaps for this trajectory of a falling plane.

Shaken and pulled out a bucket of excavation, like a sick tooth, the copper radiator under 100kg weight.

He, like a pillow needles, 's back was stuck full wreckage of the aircraft frame...

All are derived from the excavation of trying to inspect for the presence of the factory serial numbers.

Reached the mark of 5m.

Wishing to touch the history lining up

Even in the dense forest, Russian realities change little - Whoever does not work, EAT

 

[Shlosser]

Part three: "ROAD TO HEAVEN"

Twilight thickened fast. For a bright time we managed to dig out a circle on the cone of the dispersion of fragments of the plane into the ground, to understand the maximum depth of burial and start parsing the rubble. To work in the dark, opened the generator and set up a mercury lamp on 400Wt, its light is enough for comfortable work.

Load-bearing structure and almost all nodes of the aircraft highly fragmented, speed of impact was very high. For molten aluminium parts, it became clear that the plane caught fire long before the fall. Maintained recognizable form only пудеметы ShKAS tied blow on the earth in the node and thick air cylinders of a high pressure.

Read tablets happened not too much. Ammunition among the debris as there was a small amount, suggesting that the pilot for a long time led the air battle. Motor with reduction gear and cook screws were together, the United strongly curved barrel guns ShVAK and were in the land of vertical screw up and how would parallel the basic cone dispersion of fragments of the design of the plane. Apparently with the impact most of the hard and solid part of the plane burst into the ground to the side. One blade propeller we found at the beginning of excavation and was almost over all the debris, the second blade remained on the motor, a third apparently looked up still in the air, perhaps when you hit a tree.

After some time among the debris began to see details of the cabin, pulled out the armor of the back of the lodgement, regulators of high pressure, knobs, and switches, cable management, braided, dials and mechanisms of devices. The first fragments of the bones of the pilot found Andrey Vinogradov, their maximum size does not exceed 3-4см, therefore, decided to collect the remains together with the ground. The pilot found badly charred parachute, the wheel, the book the red army. Belt, personal weapons, rocket launcher was not, most likely their escape from the cabin in the fall or blow to the tree, as the fragments of the lantern of the cabin just not there.

Remains were almost at the bottom, below was «the continent». After the manual carefully dismantled fragments of the cab and then dug a pilot, we loosened and removed the engine and gearbox, propeller and 20mm aircraft gun ShVAK. The engine was damaged, but still the most important for us information - number, preserved well. Cartridge boxes guns and machine-guns were almost empty, which once again confirmed our assumption about the fierce air battles. ShVAK arched arc, but it was able to extract from the screw and remove the motor. Almost 6m soil, blue clay mixed with oil and gasoline, have played a role of a good preservative, the gun was without corrosion and the plate with the number was, as from the factory.

All fully finished by 11 o'clock in the evening. The result of well-organized and well coordinated work was the return of the pilot out of non-existence. The road back did not take a lot of time and forces, and first of all by the fact that we returned with a great sense of perfectly completed a GREAT cause!!!


Mercury lamp on 400Wt, allows you to work at night.

Bucket takes a parsed the ground.

More-or-less reasonable form kept ShKAS and air tanks.

Beautiful and terrible plane in a moment turned into a shapeless heap.

Working pressure of 50 atmospheres. Tested at 75 atmospheres. Date 25/07/1941

Pressure regulator, was standing in the cockpit. The inscription corresponds to the occasion... (АД - HELL)

The damper. The carburetor was dragged out earlier.

To the left of the walls of the excavation sticking the blade propeller, there vertically in the ground is the engine.

To «the continent» still about half a meter debris.

The first found dial, the pilot is already near .

Fragments of the equipment of the cabin .

Dashboard and devices.

There is a pilot!

The maximum size of the fragments of bone 3-4см, so select the remains together with the ground...

Soon got a parachute with a sad fate and sorrowful date of issue (22/06/1941 date of beginning of great Patriotic War). Together with the pilot it in a fraction of a second left in the 42nd six meters under the ground.

The pilot was burned along with his war machine..

Suspension system of the parachute and the ring.

One more important subject - aircraft wheel.

Up to the last moments of the pilot held it in his hands.

 

[Shlosser]

His time has stopped in 8 hours.

Next to the pilot was found Krasnoarmeyskaya book. It could read, thanks to the efforts of Mikhailuk Igor. The loss for the number of the engine in the archive and records in the book of the same.

After they collected the remains of the pilot. We got the motor with a propeller.

A lively conversation.

In search engine serial number.

The serial number has been beautifully preserved on both the ranks of the cylinder block.

Separate gear box with a propeller from the engine.

Remove the ShVAK.

The depth and blue clay with oil and gasoline - excellent preservatives. Gun though, and maimed, but in an ideal plant quality.

Enviar entourage of the exhibit in a Museum..

The contents of the cartridge boxes almost exhausted.

Of the thousands of ammunition, barely got a hundred.

Throw unspent ammunition in 6m excavation, pit fall asleep and finish the job.

 

[Shlosser]

The name of heroic pilots Nikolai Yakovlevich Krohmal. He was 19 years old...

In a flight school in 1940

 

[jeff of pa]

Great History

 

[sonofadigger]

awesome story and pics felt like I was there crazy that you found his remains did you locate his family for the remains

 

[2screwed]

Well done story and a great tribute to a fallen hero. Thank you.

 

[arnofarrell]

Great story along with great finds.

 

[barkas.60]

Молодцы,мужики!

 

[Shlosser]

awesome story and pics felt like I was there crazy that you found his remains did you locate his family for the remains

Yes, we found his family! He lived in Nikopol Ukraine.This spring'll take the remains for burial in the tomb of his mother ....

This is the flip side of one of his photographs.
It says:"Sevastopol - Nikopol 23/III/1940 Don't forget me, remember me at a table with shot of vodka ..."

Newspaper clippings from his notepad.
On them silhouettes of aircraft delivered under the Lend-Lease to the Red Army.That would not confuse them with enemy aircraft.

Bell P-39 Airacobra; North American B-25 Mitchell; Hurricane Mk.II; North American P-51 Mustang

 

[ce550av8r]

Здравствуйте! Interesting pictures and story. Thank you for posting.

 

[crazyfish]

So cool man! You guys are great for letting that pilot finally RIP.God Bless

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Great stuff! The Yakolev I-26 and Yak 1 & 3 were outstanding fighters. I had a real twinge when I came to the image of the parachute harness.

Always the sign that the pilot rode her in . . .

I'm out of vodka, but I toast Nikolai Yakovlevich Krohmal with gin! Well met and be at peace.

 

[Motocool]

На 5+ молодцы

 

[dirtwizard]

fantastic story and pics thank you for sharing.

 

[kadookid]

That's a Great story it's amazing how deep it went in the ground how did you locate it.

 

[Shlosser]

That's a Great story it's amazing how deep it went in the ground how did you locate it.

Experience and secret Russian deep metal detector