ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 144940
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| Date: | Saturday 23 December 1939 |
| Time: | 10:15 |
| Type: | Polikarpov R-5 |
| Owner/operator: | 16 KAO Soviet Air Force |
| Registration: | 1453 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Leypyasuo (then in Finland) -
 Russia
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
During December, the commander of the Finnish II Corps, Lt. General Öhquist, had made several propositions to the Finnish High Command about a general counterattack. Mannerheim hadn’t approved them, and on 19 December, it became clear that the Finnish defenders had repelled the first Soviet attempts to break the Finnish main defense line. It was well known, that the Red Army was concentrating more forces between Summa and Lake Muolaanjärvi , so the possible benefits of a successful counterattack were better than before. On 19 December, Mannerheim attached the 6th division to the II Corps. It was to be used either to counterattack possible Soviet breakthroughs or in an attack against the Soviet forces. The HQ of the Isthmus Army decided to use the division for the latter.
The Finnish counter-attack was launched on 23 December against the 7th Soviet Army and was a failure. Heavy battles took place this day both on the ground and in the air.
At 1015 hrs, several Finnish Fokker fighters of LLv 24 intercepted a R-5 near the railway station of Leipäsuo, now Leypyasuo in Russia, and luutnantti Eino Luukkanen (flying FR-108) and Tatu Huhanantti (FR-76) shot it down together.
Another Finnish pilot, Eino Juutilainen, witnessed the event: "... on Dec. 23 our ground forces carried out a reconnaissance in force, and our squadron was given the task to clean the air above them from 10:00 to 11:00 am. To do so, were used most of our fighters and our group consisted of 18 Fokker. For some time we were patrolling over the battlefield, stirring very sensitive enemy anti-aircraft batteries, when I saw to the left of us a single R-5 observation aircraft. I started the countdown on the clock when we turned to attack. Exactly 55 seconds, we have again taken place in our open-loop battle formation. We shot down the observation plane on Leypyasuo attacking him right back, with lieutenants Huhanantti and Luukkanen doing two passes. As if a giant fist smashed airplane and threw it down a flaming torch at the sparkling white snow Leypasto. High black-red plume of smoke still rose from the wreckage, where we continued our job..."
Their victim was the R-5 N° 1453 of 16 KAO, of the aviation of the 7th Soviet Army. It was shot down while photographing the front edge of enemy defenses in the Leipäsuo area, and both crew, Starshii Leyteinant Gregory Efimovich Perelygin (pilot) and Leyteinant Yakov Nasadyuk (observer/air-gunner), were killed. It crashed in a marsh. Later in 1940, when the Soviet occupied the area, they found the wreck and buried both crews.
The crash site was visited in May 2008 by a Russian search expedition that identified the wreck.
Sources:
"Polikarpow R-5/R-Z", by Mikhail A. Maslov, 2004
http://www.trizna.ru/strada.html
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luettelo_Lentolaivue_24:n_ilmavoitoista_ja_sotatoimitappioista
http://www.winterwar.com/Battles/2corpsCA.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leypyasuo
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Apr-2012 12:21 | harro | Added |
| 11-Apr-2012 13:04 | Anon. | Updated [Country] |
| 25-Dec-2018 21:00 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Jul-2021 10:07 | JF | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities] |
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