Biplane fighter aces

Soviet Union

Kapitan Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Tormozov

When the war started Tormozov served as squadron commander of the 29 IAP, 31 SmAD, on the Zapadnyi Front and this unit took part in the war from 7 July 1941. Previously they hade served in the Far East but after the German attack of Soviet Union they were rushed to Europe.

He claimed a shared Ju 88 on 23 July.

On 28 July, the squadron commander Kapitan Tormozov and Mladshiy Leytenant Nikolai Dudin were patrolling in the Velikiye Luki area, which necessitated the carriage of drop tanks, when they came under attack from four Bf 109s. Dudin claimed one of them but Tormozov’s left drop tank was set on fire. He dived away to jettison it and the remaining three Bf 109s concentrated on Dudin. Tormozov, after succeeding in jettisoning his drop tanks, returned to the attack and shot down another Bf 109 and was able to return to base. Dudin went on to down a third by ramming it head-on and manage to parachute safely onto the Russian lines.
It also transpired, when the wreckage was found, that they had also destroyed the fourth and last of the assailants.

On 2 October, he claimed a shared Junker.

Tormozov ended the war with 1 biplane victory.

Claims:
Kill no. Date Time Number Type Result Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
  1941                
  23/07/41   1 Ju 88 Shared destroyed I-153     29 IAP
1 28/07/41   1 Bf 109 Destroyed I-153   Velikiye Luki area 29 IAP
  28/07/41   1 Bf 109 Shared destroyed I-153   Velikiye Luki area 29 IAP
  02/10/41   1 Junkers Shared destroyed       29 IAP

Biplane victories: 1 and 2 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 and 3 shared destroyed.

Sources:
Aeroram
Polikarpov’s Biplane Fighters - Yefim Gordon and Keith Dexter, 2002 Midland Publishing, ISBN 1-85780-141-5
Additional information kindly provided by Ondrej Repka and Yuri Shakhov.




Last modified 12 March 2007