Death of Ace (117 Kills) Franz-Joesf Beerenbrock...

[lesofprimus]

One day, a group of fighters, commanded by Piotr Kozachenko, escorted a single Petlyakov Pe-2 on a photo reconnaissance mission. German fighters were approaching. The Pe-2 could make a second reconnaissance run, and a third run, but during the fourth photography run, one Me-109 came up close behind the Pe-2. Flying at the same speed as the bomber-reconnaissance aircraft, the 109 opened fire. The Pe-2 crew was caught by surprise and the radio operator was killed. A large hole, about the size of a man's head was blown open in the cockpit.

Kozacheko was very close, and he saw many markings on the Me-109's fuselage, especially an indian with a bow near the cockpit. "This is a German ace from Mölder's Regiment" Kozatchenko thought. He was so close that he even could see the German ace smiling. The German's smile did not last long, however. Piotr's fire was completely devastating and the German plane plummeted downwards. After a few seconds, Kozachenko saw the 109 explode as it crashed into the ground. The Pe-2 was damaged, but able to return to base...
After the war, German POW Captain Gabel (of the "3rd Mölders Squadron") informed the Soviet intellegence that on the same day as Kozachenko had scored this victory, the excellent German ace Beerenbrock was posted as missing."

Note: There is a conflicting story surrounding Kozachenko´s supposed downing of Franz-Josef Beerenbrock:
Beerenbrock supposedly lived and was a POW...

Kozachenko flew 227 combat missions and downed 12 German planes, and 15 Japanese in China. He was awarded the Soviet Hero Title, and four times was awarded the Order of the Red Flag.

In an Ironic Twist, Kozachenko was killed by a High Ace...

In March 1945, the 2nd White Russian Front fought near Gdansk and Gdynia. On 18 March 1945, Piotr Kozachenko was killed in an aerial combat while escorting reconnaissance Pe-2's. The last words heard from him in the radio, were "I'm hit, going for a 'Taran'!" (air-to-air ramming). This same day, as Kozachenko was killed, Hauptmann Joachim Brendel, the 189-victory ace in III./JG 51, claimed 3 victories over East Prussia...

[Udet]

Kozachenko surely made an excellent fighter.

However, and it is so easy to verify, we are before a clear case of soviet propaganda and its overdoses of overheroism and overpatriotism.

I have a very hard time in believing all such stories from the soviet propaganda system.

"I´m hit, going for a Taran!" ? A "Great Hero" until the very last second of his life. "First the motherland".

If he was so able to launch such a message in the radio, why not to bale out instead and continue to serve his so very much beloved and adored motherland?

Yes, perhaps he was badly wounded and crippled in the cockpit and simply could not get out.

Still, all these stories are always soaked with soviet mythology.

Just like the tale of the top female soviet ace...she was nice, beautiful, took flowers with her inside the cockpit of her plane every time she took off on mission, top fighter pilot...and the like.

She was so superb on everything, that when she eventually met her end, the soviet propaganda put it she was caught all by herself by 8 or 9 Bf109s. Only in such a fashion the German could kill her: 8 against 1.

I did learn from soviet air force officers this story indeed was a manipulation. They told me it is most likely she simply took off and got shot down and killed in a one-on-one dogfight.

Soviet mythology.

[lesofprimus]

"I´m hit, going for a Taran!" ? A "Great Hero" until the very last second of his life. "First the motherland".

If he was so able to launch such a message in the radio, why not to bale out instead

Maybe he was mortally wounded and had but a few seconds left... Remember, adrenaline is pumping through your veins; youre excited.... You get nailed and the last thing u can think of is ramming and killing the sonofabitch who just killed u..... If u look down to your chest and see 2 big open holes with blood pumping outta them, u know ur dying.... Why not take them out with u...

Why is that so hard to believe???? American pilots did it... German pilots did this.. So did the Brits..... And the Japs.. And the Russians.....

I agree with u about Lidiya Vladimirovna Litvyak, the female Russian Ace ur referring to... I also doubt the claim that 8 -109's dispatched her..... Although the German pilots in the area were told about a certain Russian YAK-1 with a white flower on the cowl, I cant envision that many aircraft concentrating in the same airspace to shoot down 1 fighter.. Maybe 2 or 3 at the most...

But she was a confirmed Ace.....

[Udet]

Mr. Les Claypol of Primus:


Regarding Kozachenko, as I did tell, perhaps he was badly wounded and/or crippled in the cockpit of his stricken plane. I know the episode, and furthermore, no German plane was rammed in the area and day when Kozachenko got shot down and killed.

Perhaps he indeed tried but failed. But still, the episode has the smell of soviet propaganda.


I do not put into doubt that lady made an ace.

What I doubt, and there are very very solid grounds to do so, are all those heroic remarks added to the biographies of soviet combatants.

I do not have doubt the vanilla ice cream ball is in the cone: what I seriously doubt is if the chocolate topping is made from real cocoa or just a chemical flavored/colored crap and if the cherry on top is fresh or rather a canned crap injected with conservatives.

And I agree, all states resort to propaganda. The USAers do it, when they described their alleged casualty free meless against the Luftwaffe in 1944. The soviets, however, being the initially attacked ones and part of the victorious club in the end, took propaganda to real radical levels.

[lesofprimus]

I agree with u on all counts...

[Kongo Otto]

Originally Posted by lesofprimus

One day, a group of fighters, commanded by Piotr Kozachenko, escorted a single Petlyakov Pe-2 on a photo reconnaissance mission. German fighters were approaching. The Pe-2 could make a second reconnaissance run, and a third run, but during the fourth photography run, one Me-109 came up close behind the Pe-2. Flying at the same speed as the bomber-reconnaissance aircraft, the 109 opened fire. The Pe-2 crew was caught by surprise and the radio operator was killed. A large hole, about the size of a man's head was blown open in the cockpit.

Kozacheko was very close, and he saw many markings on the Me-109's fuselage, especially an indian with a bow near the cockpit. "This is a German ace from Mölder's Regiment" Kozatchenko thought. He was so close that he even could see the German ace smiling. The German's smile did not last long, however. Piotr's fire was completely devastating and the German plane plummeted downwards. After a few seconds, Kozachenko saw the 109 explode as it crashed into the ground. The Pe-2 was damaged, but able to return to base...
After the war, German POW Captain Gabel (of the "3rd Mölders Squadron") informed the Soviet intellegence that on the same day as Kozachenko had scored this victory, the excellent German ace Beerenbrock was posted as missing."

Note: There is a conflicting story surrounding Kozachenko´s supposed downing of Franz-Josef Beerenbrock:
Beerenbrock supposedly lived and was a POW...

In my sources Kozachenko shot down a Fw-190
Source: "Walczyli i polegli za Polske", C.Krzeminski,Warsaw 1977
Pages 143-148

Franz-Josef Beerenbrock was shot down in a BF-109F2 (Werk.Nr.6779)
White 12 and crash landed behind enemy lines,he was taken POW and repatriated in December 1949.In 1955 je joined the new Luftwaffe.
The only Luftwaffe emblem with a bow i know of,is a "Devil with a bow"
but this emblem belonged to 5./JG52

Greetings from germany
Kongo Otto

[Erich]

will confirm F.J.'s shootdown in November of 42. over 400 missions to his credit. Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub

[hellmaker]

One hell of a pilot...