Biplane fighter aces

Soviet Union

Leitenant Nikolay Sergeyevich Artemyev

1909 – 1942

Artemeyev was born in 1909.

He was CO of a Zvena in 109 IAE, 36 IAB, Kiev Military District.

In October 1936 he went to Spain (arriving on 20 October) as a member of the first group of volunteers to fly in the Spanish Civil War.
In Spain he was known as ’Artimio’.

He served as a Leitenant in Escuadrilla Rychagov, which was equipped with I-15s.

By 9 December, he was credited with one He 51 and one shared CR.32.

On 2 January 1937, he was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner.

On 2 February 1937, the five remaining I-15s of the detachment from the Escuadrilla Rychagov (I-15) at Malaga flew out to explore the roads in the Roda-Burgo area. During the flight, they noticed three enemy fighters, identified as He 51s, flying from Seville to their airfield of Antequera (30km north of Malaga). They chased after them, catching them over the airfield. One of the Nationalist pilots turned towards the Republican fighters but all three were quickly shot down. The Nationalist pilot turning on them was shot down as a shared between Leitenant Yemel’yan Kondrat and Viktor Matyunin. Leitenant Artemyev claimed the second in flames while the third was claimed by Yevgeniy Yerlykin, who reported that the combat started at 6,500 meters. Yerlykin’s I-15 was damaged in the combat.
The fifth pilot in the patrol was a Spanish pilot, who attacked one of the Heinkels head-on but his I-15 was seriously damaged with one of the cylinders in the engine destroyed. He managed, however, to return to base.

Artemyev left Spain on 26 March 1937.
During his time in Spain he claimed two and one shared victories flying the I-15.

He was decorated with a second Order of the Banner on 2 July 1937.

In 1940, he was CO of 196 IAP and in 1942 was on the staff of 147 IAP.

Artemeyev died in 1942.

At the time of his death, he was credited with two biplane victories.

Claims:
Kill no. Date Time Number Type Result Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
  1936                
1 ??/??/36   1 He 51 Destroyed I-15   Spain Escuadrilla Rychagov
  ??/??/36   1 CR.32 Shared destroyed I-15   Spain Escuadrilla Rychagov
  1937                
2 02/02/37   1 He 51 Destroyed I-15   Antequera Escuadrilla Rychagov

Biplane victories: 2 and 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 2 and 1 shared destroyed.

Sources:
Air Aces Home Page - Jan Safarik
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Polikarpov I-15, I-16 and I-153 Aces - Mikhail Maslov, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-981-2
Soviet airmen in the Spanish civil war 1936-1939 - Paul Whelan, 2014 Schiffer Publishing Ltd, ISBN 978-0-7643-0
Spanish Republican Aces – Rafael A. Permuy López, 2012 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84908-668-4




Last modified 22 May 2019