Unique Documentary on Russian Ace Aleksandr Pokryshkin (English) (1985)

[Chuck_Owl]

DISCLAIMER: This is a unique documentary on russian ace Aleksandr Pokryshkin, translated in english by members of the Il-2 flight sim community [i.B.]ViRUS, AstronHaizer, =M=shammy, Zak and yours truly. The translation is not literal, but we tried to get the subtitles as close to the original meaning as possible. It is not perfect, as we are not translation professionals.

 

 

Aleksandr Ivanovich Pokryshkin was a top Soviet flying ace and a Marshal of the Soviet Air Force. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three separate occasions. Pokryshkin was the great tactician of the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War. He almost single handedly fought to change the obsolete Soviet tactics that were in place in 1941 when the war started. Going against the totalitarian establishment and openly defying the totalitarianism-approved combat doctrine almost cost him his career and possibly his life. After openly criticising the official tactics that led to huge losses and teaching his fellow pilots new tactics he invented himself, he was grounded and scheduled to be court martialed. However the word of his inventions reached some superiors in Moscow, and instead of a court martial Pokryshkin was awarded and promoted. By the end of the war, his writings had been published and distributed to all Soviet pilots, and he toured fighter regiments extensively lecturing young pilots on his techniques.

 

During the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin began to see very clearly how outdated the Soviet combat doctrine was, and began slowly drafting his own ideas in his meticulously kept notebooks. He carefully recorded all details of all air engagements he and all his friends were involved in, and came up with detailed analysis of each. He fought in very complicated conditions: constant retreat, poor to no control and communication, overwhelming odds against superior opponent. He would later say "one who hasn't fought in 1941–1942 has not truly tasted war".

 

Pokryshkin's most significant contribution to the war effort and the most impressive kill record came during the battle for the Kuban region in 1943. The area east of the Crimean peninsula had seen heated air combat in the months that led to the Soviet assault on Crimea itself, where Kuban-based Soviet air regiments went against Crimea-based Luftwaffe Geschwader. Pokryshkin's regiment went against such well-known German fighter units as JG 52 and JG 3 'Udet'. The area saw some of the most heated fighting of the Eastern Front, with daily engagements of up to 200 aircraft in the air. Pokryshkin's innovative tactics of using different fighter types stacked in altitude, the so-called 'pendulum' flight pattern for patrolling the airspace, and the use of ground-based radar, forward based controllers and an advanced central ground control system led to the first great Soviet Air Force victory over the Luftwaffe.

[71st_AH_Mastiff]

thank you chuck it is always good to learn new history especially for us (or I) in the U.S, as you know it seems my country;

not sure about any one else, but it really seems our country is very biased and unmovable in learning from its past

mistakes and using its melting pot of multi-ethnic races, and immigrant's.. To learn history from another nation,

what they see is a valuable resource to learn. You learn attitudes, culture, what they think from their perspective and what they think 

about others.. We are all cut from the same gene pool.. We all want to learn, at least I do, as I think knowing one self

helps to learn a perspective from another. I know Russians think that we are arrogant bastards, but you know what we think the same about

Russians.. We are very proud of our cultures and need to be more sensitive to each other as we are human-beings after all; same gene pool..

 

I wont get into politics here, just keep it interesting..

[Uriah]

I thought it was the French we thought were arrogant bastards. 

[71st_AH_Mastiff]

I just wish the Russians would translate more of their WWII history Docu's... Would be awesome.

[Rigel]

Wings of Russia

 18 parts

Battle of stalingrad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf8Rmf4m8rs

Edited February 26, 2015 by Rigel

[Rigel]

thank you chuck it is always good to learn new history especially for us (or I) in the U.S, as you know it seems my country;

not sure about any one else, but it really seems our country is very biased and unmovable in learning from its past

mistakes and using its melting pot of multi-ethnic races, and immigrant's.. To learn history from another nation,

what they see is a valuable resource to learn. You learn attitudes, culture, what they think from their perspective and what they think 

about others.. We are all cut from the same gene pool.. We all want to learn, at least I do, as I think knowing one self

helps to learn a perspective from another. I know Russians think that we are arrogant bastards, but you know what we think the same about

Russians.. We are very proud of our cultures and need to be more sensitive to each other as we are human-beings after all; same gene pool..

 

I wont get into politics here, just keep it interesting..

You're right. Unfortunately, people in the west are still infected anti-communism/anti-russian propaganda.

[indiaciki]

You're on to someting great, Chuck! These documenaties / interviews.are awsome.

[71st_AH_Mastiff]

I vote this for a stick thread...

[Brano]

Sasha Pokryshkin memoirs are awsome read.It is a pitty they were not translated to english (at least I could not find any).I own 2 books (slightly different editions) of his war memoires in Slovak and Czech language.Despite its age it is interesting how this book is not affected by common insertion of "long live comunist party" passages found in many post war memoires of soviet leaders.

[SvAF/F19_Klunk]

Great!.. looking forward to view it! Much appreciated!

Achtnung achtung, Pokryshkin ist in der Luft!

[Freycinet]

Wings of Russia

Too bad that the "English" is almost impossible to listen to. Why did they get non-English speakers to translate the script into English, I wonder?..

[Chuck_Owl]

What I find particularly interesting with this documentary is how Pokryshkin himself was portrayed. Unlike the 1945 documentaries I about him, he was not represented as a demi-god impervious to bullets and what not. In this one, you can easily guess that Pokryshikin was a really, really smart man put against impossible odds.

 

I have even more respect towards this guy as he scored his victories at a time where he would face la creme de la creme of the Luftwaffe in obsolete aircraft and still find a way to prevail. That alone says a lot about him. I also like how he was one of the very few aces to have a willingness to educate first and help his wingmen improve rather than have this habit some aces had of keeping what they knew to themselves and start their own cult of personality.

 

Also, I found it very funny to see the contrast between this quiet and composed pilot and his wife Maria, who is pretty much the complete opposite of him by talking, talking and talking some more. I also liked how they taught us a little bit about other russian aces like Vadim Fadeyev and the funny stories of Andrey Trut and Kostya Suhov. It gives a more interesting perspective than the typical cold-war propagandist stuff we westerners are usually subjected to. 

Edited February 26, 2015 by 71st_AH_Chuck

[Freycinet]

Sounds like a very interesting documentary, I look forward to seeing it, thanks a lot Chuck!

[Zak]

Thank you for it, Chuck.

[303_Kwiatek]

I got Pokryskin book - very good book about eastern front realia.   Sasha was interesting man.  For some quite long time he was not give up communizm doctrine and Russian propaganda. He have chance to  made some flight test captured German planes ( 109s)  and when he told his mates about German planes adventages over Soviets ones he was many times scold by his commanders  for sowing defeatism  Also interesting he didnt want to fly soviets planes to the end of war even if Russian constructors ( Yakowlew and Lavochkin) offered him to fly the newest versions.  He was flying P-39 Cobra until end of war    I think P-39 was checked plane and was good for Pokryshkin tactic-  speed manouver and firepower.  At least P-39 didn't loose wings in high speed dives like Russian planes were likekly to do.  So i no wonder that Sasha dont want to fly Russian planes Smart man

Edited February 26, 2015 by 303_Kwiatek

[Chuck_Owl]

I got Pokryskin book - very good book about eastern front realia.   Sasha was interesting man.  For some quite long time he was not give up communizm doctrine and Russian propaganda. He have chance to  made some flight test captured German planes ( 109s)  and when he told his mates about German planes adventages over Soviets ones he was many times scold by his commanders.    Also interesting he dont want to fly soviets planes to the end of war.  He was flying P-39 Cobra until end of war

 

Part of the story is that he was supposed to convert his squadron to the Lavochkin La-7. Yet, his good friend Aleksandr Klubov (also a russian ace) was killed when he did a test flight with it and a hydraulic failure caused the crash. When he heard the news, he refused to convert to the La-7 and his regiment converted to the P-63 Kingcobra instead. After the war, he was snubbed by Stalin in favour of Ivan Kozhedub because Pokryshkin flew primary american lend-lease aircraft, whereas Kozhedub flew russian-built ones. I believe (yet I may be wrong) that Pokryshkin was not that much in love with american airplanes... more like he resented some of the reliability issues and manufacturing quality control some of the russian-built aircraft had... especially since it had cost him one of his best friends' life.

Edited February 26, 2015 by 71st_AH_Chuck

[303_Kwiatek]

Normandie Niemen French pilots lost also a few pilots in high speed dives in Yak-3 above 700 kph when wings broken. I no wonder why Pokryshkin had no faith in Russian planes. Expecially if his tactic was to attack from above and high speed.  P-39 was much safer plane in such tactics. Excessing 700 kph IAS in dive in Russian planes were risky businees even with moder Yak-3 from 1944.  Not mention earlier war planes.  Im no wonder that in Russian manuals maximum safe dive speed was seriosly restricted (   Yak-1 - 650 IAS, Lagg-3 from 42 - 600 kph, La5 - 625 kph).

 

I think that many if BOS devs read some such books maby they would change a little their attitude

Edited February 26, 2015 by 303_Kwiatek

[Rama]

Normandie Niemen French pilots lost also a few pilots in high speed dives in Yak-3 above 700 kph when wings broken.

 

You have a source for this?

I woud be interested to know which NN pilot died in these conditions, it would be usefull for the NN mémorial.

[Chuck_Owl]

@Rama

You'll be glad to know that I have an upcoming video for "Video from the Past" about an interview with a Normandie-Niemen pilot.

Edited February 26, 2015 by 71st_AH_Chuck

[Bearcat]

Don't forget these as well....

[Brano]

 Also interesting he didnt want to fly soviets planes to the end of war even if Russian constructors ( Yakowlew and Lavochkin) offered him to fly the newest versions.  He was flying P-39 Cobra until end of war    I think P-39 was checked plane and was good for Pokryshkin tactic-  speed manouver and firepower.  At least P-39 didn't loose wings in high speed dives like Russian planes were likekly to do.  So i no wonder that Sasha dont want to fly Russian planes Smart man

It was wise commander decision not to decrease combat readines of his fighter regiments by retraining its pilots from tricycle to taildragger undercarriage.La-7 had teething problems with its redesigned intakes of air into engine (often engine seized due to intake of dust and dirt).Later adressed with improved filters.Also Sasha considered La7 2 shvaks inferior to Cobras 37mm cannon.Death of Klubov during landing was maybe last drop in the glass.

 

Yak-3 had problems with wings leading edge deformation of wooden cover.Due to too much weight reduction effort on Yakovlev side.After several incidents all affected planes were grounded and strengtening has beein done by factory brigades and field repair shops.This also delayed its wider distribution to combat units.Simmilar story happened to La5 in spring 1943,when without engineers approval factories switched from using correct chemicals in coverpaints of wings to inappropriate one.This was not noticed in winter 42/43,but when weather became warmer and rainy,coverpaints started to break at surface,which allowed humidity to get inside and lowered structural strenght.When found out,it was also adressed and planes were grounded for time given.Soviets were not dumb muzhiks building selfdestructable aircrafts as some would like to try to present them here.

[C-Bag]

Thanks so much for that Chuck. I wish the memoirs Brano mentioned were in English too. I'll keep an eye out for more docs the next installment.

[Sokol1]

Too bad that the "English" is almost impossible to listen to. Why did they get non-English speakers to translate the script into English, I wonder?..

 

Funny, for me - non English speaker - the narration sound clear and understandable.

When narration it is done by those people who "talk with a mouth full of plums" ... I understand less. 

[303_Kwiatek]

You have a source for this?

I woud be interested to know which NN pilot died in these conditions, it would be usefull for the NN mémorial.

 

Bertrand " Muche".  Autor Normande Niemien  Francois de Geoffre wrote about these.

[ST_ami7b5]

Very interesting guy indeed.

Thanks, Chuck!

Edited February 26, 2015 by ST_ami7b5

[Uriah]

Well I find that I am rather an idiot after hearing Aleksandr Pokryshkin talk about how to fight.

[C-Bag]

Living here in what is essentially a blackout on all thing Russian, I don't have any background on Sasha. But being a team player at heart I can relate to what he must have gone through. Not only the resistance of just human nature but the usual military control and the political nature of things. I think this was really reflected on his face when they were sitting around in their uniforms watching stuff about the war. He looked truly sad to me. And I've seen that same look on vets that I've known. Ones that went through stuff pretty sure they were going to die. And thinking about all their friends that did. I guess it's survivor guilt.

 

It's funny to me to learn more about history from a game than all my time in school.

[senseispcc]

A great man with a great story during hard times all that is needed to make good documentaries. Thanks.

Edited February 27, 2015 by senseispcc

[Porkman]

Thanks for posting that video. Had never seen it before and it was very interesting!

[Chuck_Owl]

I am very pleased to see that you folks found it as interesting as I did. I am even happier than the russian community did not crucify me on the spot.

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.ru/topic/2673-aleksandr-pokryshkin-1985-help-english-translation/

[Mewt]

I am very pleased to see that you folks found it as interesting as I did. I am even happier than the russian community did not crucify me on the spot.

 

http://forum.il2sturmovik.ru/topic/2673-aleksandr-pokryshkin-1985-help-english-translation/

 

Great stuff Chuck.

 

Typically when it comes to translation you want someone that has the language you want translated into as their first language and the language you want translated from as their second language.

 

This makes it much more understandable for the intended viewer of the translation.

 

I appreciate that you may not have this luxury!

 

Looking forward to watching this tonight with a beer.

Edited February 27, 2015 by Mewt