Mikhail Dmitrievich Baranov (; 21 October 1921 – 15 January 1943) was a Soviet fighter pilot, who during the early stages of the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

became the leading Soviet ace of 1942 with around 23 solo aerial victories. He died in an accident on 15 January 1943 while testing a Yak-1 fighter.

Early life

Baranov was born on 21 October 1921 in the small town of Gronye, in the

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...

. After finishing the 9th year of school in 1937, he went to work at the Kirov factory in Leningrad. Simultaneously Baranov joined the

DOSAAF DOSAAF (), full name ''Volunteer Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy'' (), was a paramilitary sport organization in the Soviet Union that was concerned mainly with weapons, automobiles and aviation. The society was establ ...

, and participated in Leningrad's central aeroclub. In October 1938 Baranov graduated as a pilot, with distinction, and was encouraged by the aeroclub's authorities to pursue a career as a military airman. Baranov attended the Military School of Chugevkaya, where he graduated in October 1940 with the rank of ''Mladshiy Leytenant''. Initially assigned to serve in the 271st Fighter Regiment (

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Baltic states, formed shortly before the German invasion during World War II. After the end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's co ...

), he was later sent to the 183rd Fighter Regiment in Southern Ukraine.

World War II

First victories

Flying a

Yakovlev Yak-1 The Yakovlev Yak-1 () was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 239. The Yak-1 was a man ...

fighter, Baranov claimed his two first victories on 22 and 28 September (

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

s), but no actual German losses match those claims. On 30 October 1941, he intercepted a

Henschel Hs 126 The Henschel Hs 126 was a twin-seat parasol wing reconnaissance and observation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel. The Hs 126 that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a pro ...

on an artillery correction mission escorted by a quartet of Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Baranov shot down both the Henschels and a Bf 109. Later that same day, he shot down a

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the ''Luftwaffe'' and became one o ...

whose crew was captured. ''Luftwaffe'' records confirm 40% damage on Hs 126 B-1 W.Nr. 3457 of 3.(H)/32, and the loss of Bf 109F-4 W.Nr.5288 of ''Oberleutant'' Walter Höckner (''Staffelkapitän'' of 6./

JG 77 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77) ''Herz As'' ("Ace of Hearts") was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterr ...

, an ''experte'' with 68 victories), and Ju 88A-5 W.Nr. 4037 of 1./

KG 77 ''Kampfgeschwader 77'' (KG 77) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. Its units participated on all of the major fronts in the European Theatre until its dissolution in 1944. It operated all three of the major German bomber types; the ...

On 8 November 1941, Baranov again shot down two aircraft: a Henschel and one of the escorting Bf 109s. Shortly afterwards, Baranov was shot down by five Bf 109s and fell, wounded, behind enemy lines. In spite of a broken leg, he evaded German troops and reached Soviet lines. Recovered from his wounds, Baranov added a Ju 88 and a Hs 126 to his score on 24 December 1941 and 17 February 1942 respectively.

Battle of Stalingrad

Baranov's unit, the 183rd Fighter Regiment of the 269th Air Division, was part of the

8th Air Army The 8th Air Army was a military formation of the Soviet Air Forces, active from around 1942 to 1949. It was formed June 13, 1942, by order of the State Defence Committee (NKO) Number 00119 dated June 9, 1942, on the basis of the Air Forces of th ...

. In mid July 1942 the 8th Air Army faced the brunt of the assault of

Luftflotte 4 ''Luftflotte'' 4For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 4) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 18 March 1939, from Luftwaffenkomm ...

supporting the drive of the German 6th Army towards

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

across the Don bend. Among Baranov's daily adversaries were experienced elite fighter units like

JG 3 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the devel ...

, II./

JG 52 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52) was a German World War II fighter ''Geschwader'' (wing) that exclusively used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 throughout the war. The unit originally formed near Munich in November 1938, then moved to a base near Stuttga ...

and I./

JG 53 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 (JG 53) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" ''(Ace of Spades)'' Geschwader - was one of the ...

, and the Ju 87s of

StG 2 ''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 2 (StG 2) ''Immelmann'' was a Luftwaffe dive bombing Wing (military unit), wing of World War II. It was named after the World War I aviator Max Immelmann. It served until its dissolution in October 1943. The wing ope ...

. On 22 July Baranov claimed a Bf 109, his first victory during the

, followed by a second Messerschmitt two days later. On 25 July 1942 the commander of Luftflotte 4,

Wolfram von Richthofen Wolfram Karl Ludwig Moritz Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen (10 October 1895 – 12 July 1945) was a German World War I flying ace who rose to the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the Luftwaffe during World War II. In the ...

, sent the Stukas of I. and II./StG 2, escorted by Italian Macchi C.200 fighters, to suppress Soviet strongholds along the Chir river. Baranov's 183rd Regiment intercepted them. In the ensuing dogfight, Baranov shot down a Stuka and a Macchi C.200 - probably the Ju 87D-3 of ''Staffelkapitän'' of 4./

) and the Macchi of ''Sottotenente'' Gino Lionello (21 ''Gruppo Caccia''). Both airmen were injured. Two days later, Baranov claimed three more victories, two Messerschmitt fighters and a Stuka, followed by a third Ju 87 on 4 August, and two Bf 109s on the 5th. At that time his score stood at 21.

Aerial battle on 6 August 1942

At dawn on 6 August 1942 three

Yak-1 The Yakovlev Yak-1 () was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 239. The Yak-1 was a man ...

s of 183rd Fighter Aviation Regiment took off to escort

Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian language, Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a Ground attack aircraft, ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the World War II, Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (C ...

s of the 504th Ground Attack Regiment, bombing targets near Abganerovo. Those aircraft were flown by Baranov and his two wingmen. Almost reaching the target, they encountered two dozen Stukas escorted by four Messerschmitts. Baranov made a head-on attack, shooting down one of the Bf 109s. While his wingmen engaged the remaining German fighters, Baranov pursued the Ju 87s and downed one (the crew was captured), and forced the others to drop their ordnance prematurely. Baranov and his wingmen returned with the Il-2s in time to engage another group of Bf 109s. Baranov shot down two of them, but ran out of ammunition,

ramming In warfare, ramming is a technique used in air, sea, and land combat. The term originated from battering ram, a siege engine used to bring down fortifications by hitting it with the force of the ram's momentum, and ultimately from male sheep. Thus ...

a third Bf 109. He was wounded in the leg. Two of his victims that day can be corroborated - the Ju 87 of 4./StG 2, whose pilot was taken prisoner, and a Bf 109 of 3./

. Other German losses match Baranov's claims, but the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

reported them as accidental or downed by anti-aircraft fire. Baranov not only was a prominent ace, but also a capable leader, inspiring the men of the 183 Regiment to score some 35 victories from 1 July to 8 August 1942. The remaining four regiments of the 269 Air Division (6th, 148th, 254th and 864th) scored 32 in total. The 183rd Regiment, however, lost 12 Yak-1s (the whole division lost 47 Yaks and LaGGs). On 12 August, Baranov received the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

. Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР «О присвоении звания Героя Советского Союза начальствующему составу авиации Красной Армии» от 12 августа 1942 года
// Ведомости Верховного Совета Союза Советских Социалистических Республик : газета. — 1942. — 14 августа (№ 32 (191)). — С. 1. Now a national hero, he made several propaganda tours to front-line aerodromes, training schools and factories to boost morale.

Death

By late 1942 Baranov had recovered from his wound and was allowed to return to combat duties. He was picked by regimental commander Lev Shestakov to be a member of his all-ace unit, the 9th Guards Fighter Regiment. On 15 January 1943, while testing a new Yak-1 recently arrived from the factory, he suffered a technical problem and had to perform an emergency landing. He requested permission to fly another Yak-1 and while performing aerobatic figures at 3,000 meters, his aircraft rolled inverted and plunged to the ground, killing him. The cause was unknown.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baranov, Mikhail 1921 births 1943 deaths People from Kingiseppsky District People from Yamburgsky Uyezd Soviet Air Force officers Russian aviators Russian people of World War II Soviet World War II flying aces Pilots who performed an aerial ramming Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943