Photos 4th Air Army in operation Bagration

[DTA]

Those photos are extracts from 340 pages long after action report in battles for Soviet Belarus june-july 1944 .
i personally name it as revenge for 41 .

Left to right : chief of 4th Air Force Army staff major-general Alekseev, commander of 4th Air force Army сolonel-general Vershinin, Chief marshal of the aviation Novikov ,сolonel-general of aviation Khudyakov, Deputy Commander of 4th Air Army for politcal department major-general Verov

wooden bridge across the river Basya was destroyed by Il-2 strike 28.6.44

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct impact in the village of Kiseliki

Knocked out tank 0.5 km west of Sukhari was destroyed by Il-2

420mm gun was hit by bomb direct impact in the forest south from Suslovka village

Result of 8 Il-2 strikes on the trains at station Resta 26.6.44

Railway station Shklov. Abandoned trains is result of aviation strikes. Heavy destruction is visible on the southern part of the railway station

Central part of railway station Shklov with destroyed trains by aviation

Knocked out locomotive by Il-2 strikes 1km south from station Shklov. Members of the commission are inspection rockets direct impacts

Rocket direct impact in the boiler area

Trains were destroyed by Il-2 strikes at cental part of railway station Shklov



Trains were destoryed by Il-2 strikes at northern part of railway station Shklov

Knocked out locomotive by Il-2 strikes at northern part of railway station Shklov

Driver's cabin of the same locomotive

Two railcars and train cart were burned by Il-2 strikes 300m south from railway station Shklov

Destroyed locomotive and train carts in southern part of railway station Shklov by Il-2 strikes (bombs and secondary explosions )

Destroyed railways of the station Kopys'

Members of the comission are talking with locals about effectiveness of air strikes . From left to right sub-colonel Baleev, Burinsky Ivan Petrovich , sub-colonel Pshenyanik , Milgo Konstantin Anatolievich and Ershov Dmitry Ilyich

sergant Babayan is photographing destroyed railways on the station Kopys'

Knocked out 2 railcars, 2 train carts and platform by Il-2 1 km north from railway station Shklov

 

[DTA]

Destroyed tank by Il-2 strike near Bolshoe Shketovo

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct impact near Sukhari
(9 dead germans were found under the tank)

7tonn car was destroyed by PTABs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTAB_(bomb) )near Golovchi . There 25 bomb crates in 3m radius

3 cars was destroyed by 100kg bomb direct impact. Crater is visible on the right side of the photo

Aerial photo of Mogilev city

Central part of Mogilev was destroyed by germans

Сar was destroyed by PTAB direct hit near Lupolov

Anti-tank gun and tracktor was destroyed by PTABs near Trilesino . Car was knocked out by avia machinegunns

One out of six guns was destroyed by bombs on strongpoint near Suslovka

Another gun on the strongpoint near Suslovka

Destroyed and burned vehicles by aviation on the crossing near Troitsa

Destroyed vehicles by aviation on the crossing near Troitsa

Destroyed vehicles by aviation on the crossing near Troitsa . Narrow entrance to crossing is visible and destroyed vihicles in 3 lines

crossing near Troitsa

crossing near Troitsa and narrow entrance

2 tanks and anti-air gun was destroyed on the crossing near Troitsa

Destroyed car in the forest 1km north-west from Matsava. 7tonn vehicle was destroyed by PTABs . There are 18 bomb craters in 5 m radius . 4 direct hits

Destroyed vehicles by aviation in the forest

100 kg bomb crater. Here was destroyed 3 cars 1 km north-west from Matsava.

Another 100 kg bomb crater in the same forest . Here was destroyed 8 cars

100 kg bomb crater. Here was destroyed 3 cars 1 km north-west from Matsava.

6 out 8 cars was fully destroyed by 100 kg bomb direct impact 1 km north-west from Matsava.

Railway station Zubry at the moment of Il-2 attack.
1. Bomb's explosions
2. 52 train carts on the railway station

Explosion of ammo depot belongs to encirled enemy
1. up to 100 cars
2. the explosion of large power

 

[DTA]

Up to 300 vehicles on the crossing near Shepelevichi . Crossing was destoroyed by bombs . photo dated 17. 00 , 30.6.44

part of 12 vehicles were destroyed by Il-2 strikes near Belinychi , Mogilev-Minsk highway

Destroyed vehicles on the Mogilev-Minsk highway near Vasilevschina

Destroyed vehicles by Il-2 strikes near Vasilevschina

Destroyed vehicles on the Mogilev-Minsk highway

Columns of german trucks on the highway. Destroyed vehicles is visible

Panorama of the Mogilev-Minsk highway were on the 1.5 km were destroyed up to 200 vehicles

Enemy vehicles are moving on the road Belinychi -Berezino . 470 cars , 250 horse carts , 3 tanks

Knocked out tank by bombs on the highway Mogilev-Minsk near Beliychi

Anti-air gun and tracktor were destroyed by Il-2 strike near Knyzhichi

2 tanks were destroyed by Il-2 bomb and guns on the highway Mogilev-Minsk near Novoselki

Vehicles and anti-air gun were destroyed by Il-2 strikes near Berezino on the highway Mogilev-Minsk near Novoselki

Abandoned gun after air strike. Gun was lightly damaged. Burned cars are behind the gun

Destroyed vehicles on the highway Mogilev-Minsk after Il-2 strikes

Artillery gun was destroyed by bomb direct hit on the Mogilev -Minsk highway near Vasilevschina

Artillery gun was destroyedon the Mogilev -Minsk highway near Berezino

Destroyed tank by Il-2 strikes on the Mogilev -Minsk highway near Vasilevschina

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct hit on the Mogilev -Minsk highway near Vasilevschina. Here also was burned 10 vehicles

 

[DTA]

Burned vehicles by aviation on the Minsk highway 1.5 km north east from Pogost

Destroyed vehicles by aviation in the same area

2 AA guns and 2 tracktors were knocked out on the highway

Destroyed AA gun by Il-2 strike on the road near Knyazhitsy

Vehicle was destroyed by PTAB direct hit . There are 12 bomb craters in 1.5-3 m radius

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct hit 7 km west from Mogilev

Destroyed german column on the highway Mogilev-Minsk near Pogost . Some car are still burning

Destroyed tank by Il-2 strike in Popovka village

Retreating german column on the village road. Bomb explosion at the head of the column

1. Up to 60 vehicles
2. Explosion



Retreating german column on the village road. Bomb explosion at the head of the column

1 column
2 the explosion of large power
3 the fire

Knocked out Field gun and destroyed tracktor on the Mogilev-Minsk highway . PTABs were used to destroy them

Tank was disintegrated by 100kg bomb hit on the Mogilev-Minsk highway . Small pieces are lying in 30 m radius

Destroyed vehicles by Il-2 strikes on the Mogilev - Minsk highway



Destroyed vehicles by PTABS on the Mogilev - Minsk highway at the same area

Part of 27 destroyed vehicles on the Mogilev-Minsk highway near Vasilevschina

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct hit near Vasilevschina

Vehicles was destroyed by PTABs

3 vehicles were destroyed by PTABs and machineguns on the village road near Sen'kovo

 

[DTA]

6 vehicles were destroyed by PTABs on the village road from Pashkovo to Minsk highway

burned vehicle with 3 burned germans inside it

AA gun, tracktors and cars were burned by Il-2 3km west from Mogilev

The same AA gun with tractor

Minsk highway 4 km west from Mogilev . Vehicles were destroyed by Il-2 strikes

The same area

Vehicles and tanks were destroyed by Il-2 strikes on the Mogilev-Minsk highway near Vasilevschina

6 cars were destroyed by bomb direct hit on the Mogilev-Minsk highway near Svetlovichi

Grodno. Aerial view

Crew from 16 Night Bomber Aviation Regiment , 325 Night Bomber Aviation Division , pilot junior lieutenant Zelenkov, navigator lieutenant Veselkov . They ignited fires on the railway station Belyany with accurate bombing

Railway Station Belyany after air raid.
---
My note : 16 Night Bomber Aviation Regiment were operated U-2 planes
----

Burned railway station Belyany after Po-2 bombing

The same building photographed by germans 6.5.44 before air raid

Results of Po-2 night bombing on the railway station Belyany

2 knocked out tank after Il-2 strike near Dubrovka

cars were destroyed by Po-2 night raid 22.7.44 at Kuznitsa

Railways were destroyed by FAB-50 . Raid was maid by Po-2 crews 22.7.44

Fuel depot was destroyed by Po-2 near Kuznitsa

Town of Beloctok was destroyed by germans before retreating

The end

 

[BCNTM]

Those photos are extracts from 340 pages long after action report in battles for Soviet Belarus june-july 1944 .
i personally name it as revenge for 41 .

Left to right : chief of 4th Air Force Army staff major-general Alekseev, commander of 4th Air force Army сolonel-general Vershinin, Chief marshal of the aviation Novikov ,сolonel-general of aviation Khudyakov, Deputy Commander of 4th Air Army for politcal department major-general Verov
View attachment 271626


wooden bridge across the river Basya was destroyed by Il-2 strike 28.6.44

Tank was destroyed by bomb direct impact in the village of Kiseliki

View attachment 271627


Knocked out tank 0.5 km west of Sukhari was destroyed by Il-2

420mm gun was hit by bomb direct impact in the forest south from Suslovka village
View attachment 271628

Result of 8 Il-2 strikes on the trains at station Resta 26.6.44

View attachment 271630

Railway station Shklov. Abandoned trains is result of aviation strikes. Heavy destruction is visible on the southern part of the railway station

Central part of railway station Shklov with destroyed trains by aviation

View attachment 271633


Knocked out locomotive by Il-2 strikes 1km south from station Shklov. Members of the commission are inspection rockets direct impacts

Rocket direct impact in the boiler area

View attachment 271635


Trains were destroyed by Il-2 strikes at cental part of railway station Shklov



Trains were destoryed by Il-2 strikes at northern part of railway station Shklov
View attachment 271638


Knocked out locomotive by Il-2 strikes at northern part of railway station Shklov

Driver's cabin of the same locomotive

View attachment 271639


Two railcars and train cart were burned by Il-2 strikes 300m south from railway station Shklov

Destroyed locomotive and train carts in southern part of railway station Shklov by Il-2 strikes (bombs and secondary explosions )

View attachment 271641



Destroyed railways of the station Kopys'

Members of the comission are talking with locals about effectiveness of air strikes . From left to right sub-colonel Baleev, Burinsky Ivan Petrovich , sub-colonel Pshenyanik , Milgo Konstantin Anatolievich and Ershov Dmitry Ilyich
View attachment 271640

sergant Babayan is photographing destroyed railways on the station Kopys'

Knocked out 2 railcars, 2 train carts and platform by Il-2 1 km north from railway station Shklov

View attachment 271642

Late production StuG III Ausf.G - with the stowage banding round the engine access panels - thanks for posting another photo I had not seen before

 

[BCNTM]

Wow - having great fun trying to identify all those knocked out German vehicles - there is a Marder II & III - a lot of StuG III's - fantastic

 

[uktabber]

GREAT photos mate........Thanks for taking the time to find, collect, and post them!!!

What a nightmare the Eastern from was.......worst mistake ever!

 

[BeNder]

Great pix DTA, thank you.

 

[DTA]

more info i found about this Stug

From 223 ShAD (Ground Attack Air Division) after action report

2 Il-2 (198 ShAP (Ground Attack Air Regiment ) ) leading pilot - Senior lieutenant Efimov , wingman - junior lieutenant Babkin took off at 19.24 with task to destroy crossing across river Basya near village of Khilkevichi. Pair was escorted by 4 Yak -1 (172 IAP (Fighter Air Regiment) 307 IASD(Fighter Air Divsion ) ). At 19.41-19.41 Il-2 gliding with 25 ° from H-700м to 200m made 5 attacks on crossing across river Basya near village of Khilkevichi. At the same time tanks were crossing river and car were arriving to the crossing . Bomb, rockets and guns were used in attack .
At 19.51-19.57 from H -600 m to height of the treetops (бреющий полет) pair made 3 attacks on enemy in the forest near village of Popovka.

Was used : FAB-100 - 4 , AO-20 - 32 , Rockets - 8 , VYa - 570 , UBT - 200, ShKAS - 1300 .
According to pilots southern part of crossing was destroyed , also was destroyed 2 vehicles and up to 18 horsecarts

After commission checked battlefield , interviews with locals - result of pair of Il-2 attack was destorying the southern part of crossing and damaged one tank .

War diary of 198 ShAP fully confirms AAR of 233 ShAD . 23.06.44

About pilots :

junior lieutenant Babkin - future Hero of the Soviet Union(1945) Babkin Mikhail Nikolaevich died in air crash in 1959

Senior lieutenant Efimov - twice Hero of the Soviet Union Efimov Aleksandr Nikolaevich , future Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force . He was active till last his last days He passed way 31 August 2012 . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Yefimov

According to war diary of 198 ShAP Efimov and Babkin made 4 sorties at this day . 1st - 12.33 -13:12, 2nd 14:34 -15:30 , 3rd 17.22- 18.22 and 4th 19:24-20:20
It's interesting but this combat episode i found in Efimov's memoirs "Over the battlefield "

"The most succefull for me and Bakin was 3rd sortie on the first day of the offensive. Just before the sunset we found the crossing near the village of Khilkevichi .
Fascists were hasty retreating across the river Basya by the road Zolotie - Sukhari . There were a lot of cars , tanks and artillery on the crossing.The narrow road could not accommodate all those who were in a hurry to escape to the west. Artillery trucks, cars, and tanks were clustered on the shore. It was impossible to miss the opportunity to defeat this cluster of fascists.
-Misha, Attacking! - i shout to the wingman
We are making one attack after another despite the AA fire. It is necessary to destroy or block the crossing. We can't let the enemy go across the river.. With a dive, I drop bombs and after the withdrawal, I take off with a left combat turn over the target for a second attack. . I see Babkin's plane. He follows me. His plane made a dive, bombs are separated from the attack aircraft, they are rapidly rushing down to the ferry, and they are hiting the target.Smoke obscures everything around, makes it difficult to aim. There's a panic on the crossing . Crossing was tightly blocked. I'm using guns and rockets

After the liberation of this territory by our troops, the control group, headed by Captain Beklemishev, inspected the crossing. The officer said that one bomb fell next to a heavy tank that was on a pontoon. The explosion of the bomb caused the detonation of its ammunition. The tower was torn off the vehicle and thrown several meters to the side. The tank failed and together with the pontoon went to the bottom. And in front of the ferry lay the burned skeletons of cars and several dozen dead Nazis.
"

AAR of 233 ShAD and war diary of 198 ShAP mentions destroyed sourthern part of crossing .it was 4th sortie
Efimov wrote about 3rd sortie . According to war diary of 198 ShAP 3rd sortie was to the same area. (river Basya, village Khilkovichi ), in both sorties bombs were used (AO-25 and AO-20), but 3rd sortie were made by large group , 4th - only by two planes - Efimov (rear gunner Dobrov) and Babkin (rear gunner - Kurochkin)

To summarize ,definently, this Stug was knocked out by Efimov and Babkin, imho it was 4rd sortie. Only one moment contradicts it's mentions about explosion of tank and torn off turret .

 

[DTA]

next photos are also from 4th Air Army after action reports ,but dated from september'44 till may'45

APC was knocked out by Il-2 group near Warlubie

Vehicles were knocked out by Il-2 group near Warlubie

Vehicles were knocked out by Il-2s near Schurz(Cкурц?)
Vehicles with trailers were knocked out by Il-2s near Warlubie

Second bomb hit right into digout where artillerists were hiding

Third bomb exploded near 3tonn vehicle (3-5 m distance) car was overturned by the blast wave

inspection also found effective use of PTABs against tanks . Tank was knocked out on the hill 132.1 3 km south -east from Rożan . PTAB hit drive wheel on the left side

7 train carts with ammo were destoyed by Po-2 night bombers at railway station Nasielsk (Poland)

Artillery gun was damaged by Po-2 night bombers near Sevelino(Poland). Artillerist were killed

Light AA gun was knocked out by Po-2 night bombers near Ciechanów (Poland)

Tank was knocked out by Il-2 attack at Jedwabne , Poland

Knocked out vehicles on the road Burdungen-Jedbawno (Poland)
Food warehouse was destroyd by FAB-100 direct hit . Mlawa (Poland)

Fuel warehouse was destroyed by FAB-100 direct hit. light AA gun was damaged. Mlawa railway station

House was destroyed by FAB-100 direct hit. Neidenburg

APC was destroyed by Il-2 strike at Ortelsburg

Сommand vehicle was knocked out by Il-2 strike at Maliy Gophen (?) east Prussia

Knocked out locomotive with burned cart by fighter at Puhaloven (?) railway station

Ortelsburg railway station . FAB-100 direct hit on railways and train

destroyed train carts at Willenberg railway station after bombing raid

9 vehicles and 2 light AA guns were destroyed by 3 AO-25 and 5 FAB-100 on the road Przasnysz - Janow

SPG was destroyed by bomb direct impact at Gross Shimanen (?)

Neidenburg сentral square .Buildings were destroyed by bombing raids

Allenstein railway station

Abandoned locomotives at Allenstein railway station

Allenstein central square


Abandoned tanks at Allenstein railway station

 

[DTA]

Destroyed car on the road Tannenberg- Osterode

Destroyed car and wagon train at Tannenberg

Torn-Rosenberg road. Column was destroyed by Il-2 strikes

Torn-Alt Torn road . Vehicle with ammonution was knocked out by Il-2 gun fire

Torn-Rosenberg road . Artillery gun , dead horses and solders . 8 Il-2 guns holes were found in cart

Prenzlau airfiled . bomb craters are visible

Prenzlau airfiled. Planes were destroyed by bombing raid

Prenzlau airfiled. Planes in hangars were damaged by bombers and fighters

Prenzlau airfiled. Planes and engines were damaged by bombing raid

Is it P-51 mustang ?

Prenzlau airfiled.Planes in hangars were damaged by bombers and fighters

Prenzlau airfiled. Graveyard of destroyed planes. Result of our planes strikes

Prenzlau airfiled.Planes in hangars were damaged by bombers and fighters

German offroad vehicle was destroyed by Il-2 strike near Cunow

Car with solders was destroyd Il-2 strike near Casekow

AA gun was destroyed by il-2 strike near Garz

Railways were damaged by il-2 strikes at Kraków railway station

 

[uktabber]

WOW.....amazing pics of the eastern front, they sure got a pounding on the way back west, THANKS for sharing!!

BTW, where did you get this pictures and pages from ??? Great find!!!

 

[DTA]

BTW, where did you get this pictures and pages from ??? Great find!!!

russian arhives are avialable online

link (here documents mostly from TsAMO (Central Archive of the Russian Ministry of Defence)) site


https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/

of course not all documents are digitized and published for today but work is going and they adding new documents.

Another good project - https://germandocsinrussia.org/ German documents in Russian archives . Captured german documents mostly from TsAMO trophy fund 500 .

 

[uktabber]

THANK YOU, great sources............however, I'm not able to understand the Russian nor German search results the website doesn't translate what shows up in the results window. I was trying to get to some pictures from the Battle of Kursk Курск

 

[DTA]

I was trying to get to some pictures from the Battle of Kursk Курск

look at site waralbum.ru (here volunteers are collecting any ww2 photos without watermarks, adding detaled description for photos )

photos taggest "kursk bulge"

Курская дуга — военное фото

Исторические кадры по теме "Курская дуга". Курская битва, известная также как Битва на Курской дуге, Операция «Цитадель» нем. Unternehmen Zitadelle) является одним из клю...

waralbum.ru

for translation i suggest to use https://translate.yandex.com/translate , imho, it works better with ru language than google

 

[bligh888ite]

DTA,​

These after-action combat reports from Russia in World War II are, in a word, totally awesome. Thank you for sharing!

 

[uktabber]

YES, well said mate!!
Just amazing, pictures from right at the front, right there were it all happened during this rout!! Just stunning.....I try and imagine what that must have been like then, from both perspectives, the Germans unable to escape the onslaught--raining bombs & rockets on that flat featureless steppe, in a running retreat for their lives from a land far away from home.

And then from the perspective of the Russian pilots set upon them with the goal to eliminate them from the earth--the aggressors, for their transgressions....and the worrier pilots zeal of catching an enemy in the open and on the run like this, and not just running foot soldiers darting about, but with all this well oiled heavy war equipment ready to beset again somewhere on the field of battle to hold a line so fruitlessly lost already, and vivid only in the deranged mind of a fading madman 1,800 km away, who's only military science or tactics came from a short stint as a lackluster former corporal-field massager!