II (Schlact) LG2 Recon/Attack mission

[cripplehawk]

 

                                              Order of Battle

Third Reich                                                                            Soviet Union

 

4th Panzer Army                                                                     16th Army

(Generaloberst Erich Hoepner)                                            (Lieutenant General Kostantin  Rokossovsky)

II. (Schlacht)/LG 2                                                                  34th IAP PVO

 

(Hauptmann Michael von Grabenhorst)                             (Captain Alexey Morozov)(WIA)

 

Location: North of Tarhanovo, U.S.S.R 

Date: October 30, 1941

Result: Third Reich Victory   

                                         

                                                    Casualties     

4th Panzer Army: 0                                                                  16th Army:  40 KIA 70 WIA Several trucks, AAA and Artillery pieces destroyed     

(Note: was not directly involved in the fight)                        34th IAP PVO: 2 KIA, 1 WIA, 3 MiG-3s destroyed

II. (Schlacht)/LG 2: 1 KIA ,1 WIA, 2 BF109-E7 destroyed)

 

A much longer version of the attack...This time from the Luftwaffe's perspective. Mission was over an hour long.

The attack on the Soviets occurred in the morning hours of October 30th, 1941 around 0838 local. They stayed on site for around 12:30 minutes (leaving site around 0850)

after the first bomb drops. The LG2 purpose was to recon the area near Tarhanovo and to inflict some damage to the Soviets 16th Army

before the 4th Panzer Army engages. That mission was a success.

  The 34th IAP PVO took off just when the bombs dropped and had to pursue the LG2 units and manages to engage the BF109 units

around 20 miles west of Dugino (Where the Luftwaffe were operating as one of the front line base. LG2 was based there at the time).

They manages to shoot down one of the BF109E7 injuring the pilot (Herbert Hoffman) in the progress (He bailed out and was recovered). But they lost

all 3 MiG-3s in the progress. the MiG leader (Morozov) was shot down by the Luftwaffe squad leader Hauptmann Von Grabenhorst. Morozov was forced to bail out

and managed to evade the 4th Panzer Army for 4 days before he was recovered.

Oberfeldbewel Christoph Von Schleicher shot down the number 2 killing him as well...The 3rd MiG manage to shoot up the Rookie pilot (David Von Gleissenberg)

but blacked out in the process and crashed killing him instantly. Gleissenberg plane was damaged but not severely but unfortunately, Gleissenberg crashed after

losing his situation awareness killing him instantly....The surviving BF109s landed shortly afterwards...