Needless to say, the outcome of this air battle was that the German army was completely defeated. Of the 90 aircraft in three groups, only 11 BF109s and 5 "Henschel" were able to return to the airport in the end.
I have to say that the BF109 is indeed powerful. In this case, it was able to shoot down more than 30 Soviet fighter planes and then escape 11 of them, although these 11 planes all suffered varying degrees of injuries.
This is still under the condition that the reserve team arranged by Shulka is functioning.
There should have been more than twenty enemy aircraft, including the "Henschel", that originally escaped, because the German army adopted the tactic of "breaking it into pieces"... This tactic is very useful when being surrounded by the enemy and chasing them, especially
It's an air battle.
The reason is that fighter planes fly very fast. If they stay together like a swarm of moving bees, it will be easy to chase them. You just need to follow them and fight them at the same time.
But if it suddenly scattered like a flock of frightened birds, the Soviet army would have no choice but to scatter and pursue it. In the process of scattering to find the target, there would inevitably be a repeated phenomenon, that is, more than a dozen Soviet fighter planes.
Chase one target at the same time, but some targets are not pursued by anyone.
As a result, more German aircraft could have escaped.
The problem is that Shulka still has a reserve force...that is, a group of 10 fighters.
After taking off, these 10 fighter planes were deployed on the periphery of the fighting group, specifically targeting those fighters that broke away from the team and were not pursued.
Among them, the German "Henschel" is at a disadvantage even when facing the "Il", let alone the Soviet "MiG".
As a result, "Henschels" were shot down one after another on the way to escape. If it weren't for the fact that the Germans had entered the German-controlled area and provided cover with anti-aircraft fire, the last five "Henschels" would not have been able to escape.
When the battle report was sent back to the headquarters, cheers immediately erupted in the headquarters.
Alexei hugged Shulka excitedly and shouted loudly: "We won, we really won, Comrade Shulka, you are right! We have achieved a great victory!"
No wonder Alexei is so excited. Since the war began, the Soviet Air Force has almost been chased and beaten by the Germans. It can only hold its breath when facing the enemy. It is also criticized when facing its own people... The infantry is always ready.
There will be a burst of sarcasm and ridicule towards the Air Force.
In fact, the most uncomfortable thing is the sarcasm and ridicule from your own people, especially the infantry.
Because before this, the Air Force always had a sense of superiority over the infantry, but when the war started, the Air Force was pinned to the ground and rubbed by the enemy, which is a typical "seem to be used but not useful".
Now, in one battle, 76 German fighters were destroyed with the loss of more than 30 fighter planes... Although most of them were "Henschel" without air combat capabilities, the number of sorties was a great victory.
At this time, the Soviet Air Force really needed such a great victory. It represented not only the battle loss ratio seen in the data, but also the success of the Air Force reform, a turnaround, and even the morale of the entire Air Force.
The news soon spread from Air Force Major General Samsolov to Air Force Army Khryukina.
Khryugin was silent for a while, then suddenly raised his fist and said: "Great! Why don't we send an additional aviation division to the 51st Group Army?"
"But Comrade General!" the staff officer replied: "Our aviation divisions are all fighting..."
Although the Soviet army had a large number of fighter planes, it often needed a numerical advantage to be able to block the German Air Force's attack, so it is indeed true that all aviation divisions were fighting.
"We can move them back!" Khryugin replied: "There will be no problem with less air cover for other units, but the 51st Army... they need the air force more, don't they? What's more, if we move the planes to the left wing
If so, the Germans will also divert the plane in the same direction!"
Therefore, whether the air power is adjusted or not actually depends on the commander's preference. If he subjectively thinks that this should be done, then the next step is to find an excuse.
"Congratulations!" Trufanov stretched out his hand and said: "You have won another battle, just like you did before!"
"It's us, Comrade Trufanov!" Shulka said: "The victory of this battle is inseparable from your command!"
Shulka never takes the credit alone, because credit is not worth mentioning to Shulka. He is willing to give it out as a favor and give Trufanov, who is already embarrassed and anxious, a step down.
.
At this time, the communications soldier handed over the microphone and said: "It's Comrade Khrushchev!"
Shulka took the phone and heard Khrushchev's laughter.
"We have won, Comrade Shulka!" Khrushchev said: "A brilliant and great victory. No one thought that our air force could defeat the enemy's air force, and it was a tough battle! The motherland will remember today,
Our achievements will go down in history!"
Unlike Trufanov, Khrushchev used "we" as a matter of course.
However, it is okay for him to use "we", because if it were not for Khrushchev's influence, Shulka's suggestions would not be implemented at all.
This also made Shulka aware of Khrushchev's attitude towards this credit, but Shulka certainly wouldn't mind.
"Yes, we won, Comrade Khrushchev!" Shulka said: "I don't know if it is appropriate to say this. Comrade Trufanov acted very decisively throughout the battle, and this victory is inseparable.
His command, and of course the cooperation and heroic fighting of all officers and soldiers!"
Shulka went along and praised Trufanov.
"That's right!" Khrushchev smiled and said: "It is the result of our joint efforts and unity, Comrade Shulka, I believe... with our cooperation, the enemy will be driven out by us in the near future.
!”
"Of course, Comrade Khrushchev!"
After putting down the phone, Shulka received a grateful look from Trufanov.
Shulka knew what this meant. What he said to Khrushchev just now might not mean much to Shulka, but it was crucial to Trufanov.
First of all, when formulating the strategy, Trufanov was the one who proposed using mechanized troops to attack. Facts have proved that this was wrong. It can even be said to have disrupted the entire combat deployment, including the air force.
The 51st Army suffered heavy casualties and was even in danger of being surrounded and annihilated by the enemy. Trufanov should be held responsible for this.
Secondly, when the Soviet army was penetrated by two German divisions in the Don River area, Trufanov also failed to command it.
Taken together, it is not an exaggeration to remove Trufanov.
But now Shulka said a good word for Khrushchev in front of him... (To be continued)