BUTTERFLY AND FALCON (Part 29)


By KATZMAREK ©


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Author's note.


This is a work of fiction based on fact. Opinions and
interpretations of events expressed are my own and as such are
entirely contestable.


This remains my property and may not be used for gain without
my express permission in writing.


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John was growing frustrated with the Volga District Air Defence Co-ordinator. Reports of the enemy bombers were contradictory. He gave up trying to get the latest altitude. However, it was 'Oz's' keen eyesight that spotted the enemy first, a hazy black smudge, like a swarm of locusts.


"What's our plan, Red Leader?" he called.


John scanned the formation. They were in waves, a squadron at a time, in tight formations for defence. Above them were groups of escorting fighters, twin-engined Bf 110 'Zerstorers.' He looked for single-seaters but saw none. Apparently, Stalingrad was beyond their range at present.


"Y'think your boys can keep those 110s off our backs, 'Oz'?"


"Sure, Red Leader. We'll climb above them... c'mon, lads, let's go hunting."


The Hurricanes, probably the best gun platform of all the fighters present, broke away and climbed. The Hurricane, armed with eight Browning machine guns, was said to have the ability to 'hang,' rock steady, in the air.


Both the LaGG-3 and the La-5 were armed with 20mm cannons. The Yak carried a 20mm 'Moteur Canon' firing through the propellor hub and two 12.7mm machine guns. Soviet fighters tended to have their armament grouped in the nose firing through the prop disk. Later in the war, mechanics got into the habit of hanging all manner of extra ordinance on the wings, such as rockets, bombs and gun pods. But, at this early stage, Russian fighters didn't carry the numbers of guns that their Western counterparts did. But with the cannon armament of the Russians, it made sense for them to attack the bombers and leave the '110's' to the Hurricanes.


The Messerschmitt Bf-110 was originally designed as a twin-engined escort fighter to provide German bomber formations with some long range protection. In the Battle of Britain they weren't particularly successful, being woefully outmaneuvred by British single-seaters. But the Bf-110 found other work, as fighter-bombers, and night-fighters. At this they found much more success. In Russia, they reverted to their original role until Russian fighter opposition stiffened and they encountered the same tactical problems that they had in the Battle of Britain.


The dozen or so Hurricanes plunging down onto the Bf-110s came as an unpleasant shock to the Luftwaffe pilots. Superficially, the Hurricane resembled the Yakovlev Yak-1 and perhaps the Germans initially mistook the British fighters for such.


Six or seven 110s turned towards the diving Hurricanes so they could use their powerful nose armament. 'Oz' and the squadron dived down in pairs and soon a whirling dogfight developed. The town of Kalach' could be seen as the fight began to spread out, getting lower all the time, as the Hurricanes hounded the big Messerschmitts.


John and the other three La-5s screamed in at the first formation of bombers. It was a staffel of Junkers Ju-88s still with their rough Winter whitewash. John's Lavochkins made their attack in line abreast, pouring 8 streams of cannonfire and 16 of heavy machinegun into the close formation. The effect was immediate as the bomber's formation broke up. John saw pieces breaking off aircraft, of smoke and vapour erupting from wings and motors. A Junkers exploded in a ball of flame sending debris flying in all directions. John dived through the bombers and levelled out below, turning to make another attack.


Not long after the squadron landed to refuel, they could here the crump of bombs being dropped on Stalingrad. Some dozen or so enemy bombers had been shot down to three fighters lost. John was relieved when Jana landed safely.


By the time the squadrons turned around, however, the enemy would be well out of range. Reluctantly, John had to keep the squadrons back. He called General Rokosossky's headquarters to make his report. He was greeted by calm reassurance. 'Everything is all right,' he was told, 'the situation is well in hand.'


That night, the Luftwaffe raided Leninsk. There was no warning. John and Jana were shaken out of bed by the first bomb burst. Scrambling in their underwear, they found some shelter behind the windrow at the edge of the runway.


The ground shook, the airfield echoed with the flash and blast of the German bombs. It seemed as if nothing could possibly survive and all their aircraft would be destroyed. 


Not far off something began to burn, they could smell the smoke and the flare from burning fuel light up the woods around them. Finally, an anti-aircraft gun banged from across the other side of the airfield. John lifted his head to see the phosphor shells whoosh up into the sky like a fireworks display. He doubted, though, that they'd be able to hit anything without searchlights. But if it made the gunners feel good then he couldn't see any harm in it.


Eventually the raid was over and all was quiet again, except for the lone anti-aircraft battery blasting away at nothing in particular. The airfield was lit up by the orange glare of fires. Some men ran past shouting and dragging a water tanker. Others ran about shouting as if they couldn't think of anything batter to do. Someone needed to restore order and that someone had to be the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Station.


John was relieved his quarters were undamaged. Jana and he retrieved their greatcoats to give them some dignity before tackling the situation. Together they strode purposely out on to the battered runway.


"Colonel, sir," a dishevelled aircraftman ran up to them, "the Marshal's aeroplane..."


"Let it burn," Jana told him, "what about the fighters?"


"Not sure," he stammered, "I think we may have lost three... some may have blast damage... fragments..."


"We'll check in the morning," John told him, "get those fires under control first. Is the fuel secure?"


"Yes, sir... and the ammo. It's stored 500 metres away in the..."


"Yes, I know it is. Where are the firemen?"


Just then a Samokhodnaya Ustanovka SU 76 self-propelled gun rumbled onto the runway loaded with soldiers. Parking right in the middle they spilled out. The gun's crew then began to ready the 76.2mm gun for firing. The anti-aircraft gunner was still blazing away into the sky. John patience ran out.


"Hey!" he shouted, "what the fuck do you think you're going to do with that? And can someone tell that fucking gun crew to shut the fuck up?"


"Sir," a sergeant said, "the army says there may be more enemy planes and..."


"I don't give a monkey's," he shouted, "*I'm* saying to cease fire and do something useful."


Gradually, by shouting and cajoling, John began to assert some authority. The soldiers John put to work as stretcher bearers. 'Oz' arrived, blackened with soot.


"We've lost one for sure," he told John, "some splinter damage but I think it could've been worse."


"We need to move, 'Oz,'" John told him, "we'll get more of those. The army can't protect us as well as Stalingrad."


"What's going on?" 'Oz' asked, "have you managed to get information?"


"Not much," he shrugged, "headquarters don't know anything, I'm sure. Jerry's knocked out communications."


"Why don't we take a look?"


"Does the Hurricane have the range?"


"Range for what?" Jana asked, eavesdropping.


"To take a peek across the Don," John replied.


"When do we go?"


"Now wait..." John started to say.


"Just," 'Oz' interrupted, "but there'll be no time for stooging around. What about your Russkie crates?"


"Umm," John drew himself back to the conversation. He knew he was beaten from the outset. Jana would be coming along on any enterprise they conjured up. "Umm, the La 5s and LaGGs have a similar range to the Hurricane. The MiG is a little longer but we couldn't hang around for long..."


"Yak 9s," interrupted Jana, "they're good for 1000 kilometres on full tanks!"


"Have we any undamaged?"


"Who knows? Won't know for sure until light."


"In any case, we need to fly anything that will get into the air to dispersal fields..."


"That's what Junior Officers are for," laughed 'Oz', "and maybe those army chaps can rustle up some transport?"


"Good idea," John agreed, "delegation and all that?"


"Exactly!"


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When the sun broke fitfully over the horizon, smoke still drifted over the airfield. Most had slept little, and they gazed upon wrecked and burning buildings and aircraft.


John took a tour of the wounded and paid respects to the dead. It could have been worse, much worse, but for the fact that night bombing was still an inexact science. Most of the bombs had fallen in the nearby forests.


Many of the aircraft, however, had suffered some sort of damage from splinters. The Hurricane's aft fusilage, for instance, was a wooden frame covered with fabric and, although it was a sturdy aircraft, some were potmarked with holes.


"They'll still fly," 'Oz' said confidently. One advantage of fabric covering was that it could be patched relatively easily.


Two Yak 9s had survived undamaged and one Yak 1. The Yak 1 differed from the Yak 9 in that it had the cockpit canopy fared into the fusilage while the Yak 9's canopy was a 'bubble.' This gave the later model better vision aft. That model, too, had an uprated engine with more power at altitude. Otherwise both models shared the same 1000km range. 


John opted for the older aircraft for their coming mission. He and Jana gave 'Oz' a quick lesson on how to fly the Yak, including a translation of the Russian characters signifying altitude, speed etc. Like all Russian aircraft of the period, the Yak was heavy on the controls. This was partly due to control ratios, a less sophisticated hydraulic system compared to Western aircraft, and because Russian pilots preferred it that way. The Yak was considered a good handling machine, precise and positive, but required a certain 'assertiveness' from the pilot.


"Bloody Hell!" 'Oz' radioed when they were in the air, "this kite takes a bit of getting used to!"


"It'll do whatever you ask it to," John told him, "just point the stick the way you want to go and it will follow, believe me!"


The Hurricane, by comparison, had a light feel. When a few found their way to Russia, Russian pilots hated them because they had a habit of wrenching the stick too violently when banking, only to find the Hurricane flicked into a barrel roll. Similarly, a gentle climb could end up in a stall. Such 'touchiness' required a whole new approach to flying.


They followed the line of the railway West until tired of being fired on by Russian troops. A Tank Brigade was on the move, a great, sprawling column of transport and armoured vehicles. The difficulty of moving quickly in this country was obvious. Most military movements took place along railway routes. Naturally, these routes were a magnet for enemy bombers and it was clear the marshalling yards at Kalach' had been heavily attacked.


Funnels of dirty brown smoke could be seen rising up into the sky from many points on the horizon. John headed them towards Millerovo, an important strategic town on the Rostov to Voronezh railway line. As they neared the town they could all see that an attack by dive bombers was in progress.


Of all the attack aircraft in the Luftwaffe arsenal, the Junker Ju-87 was one of the most common. The word 'Stuka' was an acronym for Dive Bomber, (Sturzkampfflugzeug) and was a generic term. That it came to be associated with a specific aircraft, just as 'Sturmavik' came to be associated with the Ilyushin Il-2, is evidence that the Germans never came up with a satisfactory replacement. The 'Stuka' was already obsolete by 1942 but it still soldiered on in frontline service.


In the Battle of Britain, the dive bomber's shortcomings were finally in evidence. Although stukas could be escorted to the target, once in the dive they were on their own. They had high drag, broad chord wings and air brakes designed to slow the dive to allow greater control of the aircraft in attack. The RAF learned to follow them down when they were most vulnerable. The RAF fighters, too, learned they had a weakness in the rear of the fusilage just in front of the tail. A few well-placed bursts of machinegun fire served to blow the tail off the stuka ensuring its dive became its last.


The stuka had 'gull' wings, both to lift the fusilage sufficiently off the ground to attach a bomb, and to ensure the big propellor had adequate ground clearance on take off. The inboard portion of the wing sloped down in an 'anhedral,' then cranked upwards in an exaggerated 'dihedral.' Combined with its fixed-wheel undercarriage, the result was a very stable and docile aircraft to fly, slow, and not particularly maneuverable.


But against minimal opposition and shocked and traumatised people on the ground, the psychological effect of the screaming aircraft plummetting down on top of you, was great.


Here's where, perhaps, could be found some evidence that the Russians learned more from the Spanish Civil War experience than the Germans. Apparently, alone among the major powers, the Russians never seriously considered designing specialist Dive Bombers. The design compromises necessary to marry a steady bomb platform and an aircraft able to defend itself was too great. The nearest they came was the Sukhoi Su-2, generally regarded as a failure, and easy meat for German fighters. The armoured, tank-busting 'Sturmavik,' capable of low-level ground attack, forefilled the requirement much more effectively.


The Germans payed the Russians the greatest compliment by designing the Henschel Hs-129 to emulate the role of the sturmavik. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe the result was under-powered and too large.


"Whooah," called 'Oz,' "stukas!"


"I see them," Jana called, "are we going to help, Lieutenant-General?"


"If I'm a General I've a bloody tiny army, Jana. Sure, let's go and give the  chaps a hand."


The three fighters climbed to meet the circling Dive Bombers. They were hovering at about 3000 metres and John decided to get slightly above them. He could see no escorts, evidence perhaps that Russian fighter resistance was practically non-existant. John, Jana and 'Oz' were grinning. They knew this was going to be a turkey shoot.


Several stukas dropped their bombs and turned for home when they spotted the Russian fighters approach. 'Oz' immediately fastened on to the tail of one as it commenced its dive. Through the headsets they could all hear the German pilots warning each other.


John dipped below a stuka into its blind spot. It twisted and turned, trying to give a field of fire for the air gunner in the rear of the cockpit. John's cannon caught one of its big wings and straight away it started to burn. Jana, too, whooped as she blew the tail off another. John could see 'Oz' level out below having seen off his target. Soon the sky emptied as the stukas cleared out. Streams of tracer shells and airbursts began to erupt around them as the troops on the ground hosed the sky indiscriminately. John had seen this before and knew they had to clear out before they were shot down by their own side. Panicky Russians gunners shot at everything and even the big Russian falcon wasn't safe. John had seen a machine gunner blasting away at such a bird in frustration once. He was glad the Russian's aim was poor and the bird escaped.


'Stooging' time had expired and they needed to head home. They'd seen enough, however, and was certain Millerovo was going to fall. If the same trend was repeated throughout the front then the situation was disasterous. Russian defence on the Don Front was collapsing.


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By August the Germans were at the outskirts of Stalingrad and there began the great titanic struggle for that city. Russian armour was kept back on the other side of the Volga. Although it's true that the Red Army needed to build up its forces for a counter attack, the indomitable Marshal Zhukov had a better reason for leaving the defence of Stalingrad to the infantry.


Experience in Spain had shown that tanks cannot move through streets blocked by collapsed brick buildings. The stukas started the war on the infrastructure of Stalingrad but it was the retreating Russians who gleefully added to the carnage by blowing up buildings as they went. The result was a defender's paradise with ample cover for snipers and fixed artillery.


The panzers were neutralised in the streets. Unable to go anywhere, between August and through to October, the Germans lost hundreds of tanks from molotov cocktails, anti-tank rifles, concealed guns and intrepid Red Army defenders tossing grenades down the turret hatches.


Lieutenant-General Chuikov of the 62nd Army was entrusted by Marshal Zhukov with the defence of the city. A veteran of Spain, Chuikov noted how the stukas would not bomb close to the front line for fear of hitting their own men. Therefore he ordered his men to stay within grenade distance of the enemy.


By the 30th of September, the Germans had severed communications between the 62nd, and their support on the left, Major-General Shumilov's 64th Army. The 62nd was pinned against the Volga in a series of pockets. It was Chuikov who made up the slogan, 'for us, there is no land across the Volga.'


At one point, the 14th of September, the 62nd was reduced to fewer than 50,000 men. But when all seemed lost, rescuers arrived and, on that occasion, it was the 13th Guards Division who saved the day.


Histories of Stalingrad record the drama of the Tractor Factory, but all the salients of resistance inside Stalingrad had their story. There was the 'Dzerzinsky Complex,' the 'Barricades Salient' and the 'tennis racquet,' for instance. When the so called 'Orlovka Salient' was eliminated, 3 German Divisions concentrated on a front of barely 4 kilometres and hurled themselves at the final defences on October the 14th.


The German 14th Panzer Division even reached the river, the LI Korps occupied the famous tractor factory, but on the night of the 17th and 18th, the exhausted German attackers watched as hundreds of ferries brought over the Soviet 138th Division. LI Korps' Commander, General von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, knew it was hopeless, and steadily the German advance ran out of steam.


The last throw of the German dice occurred on November the 10th when LI Korps managed to cut off the 'Barricades' from the rest of the 62nd Army. Again, the Germans occupied the Red October Tractor Factory, but by then the whole of General von Paulus' German 6th Army was spent. Its infantry companies were down to an average of 70 men and the three Divisions that made up the XIV Panzer Korps had barely 200 tanks left between them.


From that point on the impetus swung the Russians' way. A situation they didn't relinquish until 1945.


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Meanwhile the 400th Interceptor Regiment was withdrawn to Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea to re-equip. 'Oz' received a message from London asking his opinion of a possible withdrawal of RAF personnel. 'Oz' explained that he thought it wouldn't leave a very good impression with their Russian hosts, to cut and run. London agreed, but said it was impossible to supply replacement aircraft, suggesting they ask the Russians if they could borrow some.


For the Hurricanes had taken a battering from bombing and wear and tear. There was now only 5 that were servicable. The British pilots had to watch as new aircraft arrived for their Russian comrades.


These were Yak-9Ds, ten of them, and, together with the four surviving La-5s, made up the Russian squadron to fourteen aircraft. The Yaks came equipped with racks for unguided missiles under each wing. Some spare Yaks were handed over to the British to supplement the Hurricanes. Some of the RAF pilots had the red star painted on their fusilage and wings, part in flattery to their hosts and because they were tired of being fired on by gunners on the ground. All the RAF aircraft, however, retained the tail flash and had the Union Jack stencilled under the nose. All were painted in standard Red Airforce camoflage.


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Meanwhile the giant pincers that would nip out von Paulus and the German 6th Army was being prepared. The main target was to be the German allies, the Rumanians and the Italians to the left and right of the Stalingrad front.


On the Russian right, the 5th Tank Army and the 21st prepared to demolish the Rumanian 3rd Army. To the South of Stalingrad rolled three corps from the 51st and 57th Army together with the 2nd Guards against the Rumanian 4th.


This was the first major offensive by the Russians and provided them with an opportunity to practice all the hard lessons they'd learned in a year and a half of war.


The elite of the infantry must surely be the 'Tank Riders.' These special companies rode on top of the tanks as they drove into battle to jump off when they arrived at the front line. This suicidal practice, nevertheless, provided the attackers with foot soldiers that could go in immediately after the tanks to exploit the breach.


In any case, they were to face the most frail of Hitler's lines on the Stalingrad Front. The Rumanians had few anti-tank weapons, were poorly lead and their morale was next to zero.


On top of that, Luftflotte IV was exhausted, having flown more missions than they were ever expected to. Attrition among aircraft and personnel was high. For the first time, battlefield air superiority was going to go to the Russians with scores of Il-2, Pe-2, Tu-2 light bomber squadrons and an unprecedented number of fighters available.


Operation 'Uranus,' as it was dubbed in Moscow, was due to begin on November the 19th, 1942.


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KATZMAREK ©
