Passenger Profile: Major Peter Ivanovich Baranov ( Баранов )

Peter Ivanovich Baranov ( Баранов )

All excerpts are translated from Russian, please forgive any grammatical errors.

Peter Ivanovich Baranov (1909-1942) — a military engineer, 2 ranks. In 1935, he joined the Intelligence Service of the Joint Staff of Red Army. From September 1936 until July 1940, he worked in 6 department of Intelligence service of the Joint Staff of Red Army and he took part in the official journey to the USA, to conduct peace talks with the UK and USA. On July, 6th 1941 he was directed to England by the secretary of the Soviet military mission. He was lost in April 1942 in aviation accident over territory of England.

“LIST OF THE NAMES of
Irrevocable losses of officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate Red Army General Staff

1.Name, Surname: Baranov Peter Ivanovich.
2.Military Rank: 2 Rank Military Engineer.
3.Position, speciality: Composed at the disposal of Intelligence
4.Place and DOB: Kuibyshev. 1909.
5.How does a District Military Commissariat
intended: professional scout
6.Date and reason of Death: 30.04.1942. Dead during air plane crash.
7.Where buried: Moscow (Will be buried).
8.Name and Surname, address of wife or parents: Wife Baranova Eugenia Stepanovna.Ufa.Bashkiria SSR. Central Post Office.

Passenger Profile: Major Boris Shetsov

Major Boris Filippovich Shvecov

( Швецов )

Major Shvecov

All excerpts are translated from Russian, please forgive any grammatical errors.

Major Boris Filippovich Shvetsov(1910-1942). His military history begins in 1932 when he served in military air forces of Red Army in command posts. Has ended Military-air academy of N.E.Zhukovsky in 1939. Since July 1939 served in Intelligence service of the Joint Staff of Red Army. Since June 1941 was in official journey toEnglandwhere held a post of the assistant to the air attache at the plenipotentiary of theUSSRinGreat Britain. Was lost in April 1942 in aviation accident over territory of England.

, aged 31, of Moscow, Soviet Union. Burial location unknown.

Major Shvecov (or Shvetsov) was the Assistant of the Military Attache, he was born in 1910 in Moscow.

R. Allanby

The crew…

The crew

The PE-8 (TB-7)

 

The Petlyakov Pe-8 was a Soviet long range heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber theUSSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bombBerlin in August 1941. It was also used for so-called “morale raids” designed to raise the spirit of the Soviet people by exposing Axis vulnerabilities. Its primary mission, however, was to attack German airfields, rail yards and other rear-area facilities at night.

 

Originally designated the TB-7, the aircraft was renamed the Pe-8 after its primary designer, Vladimir Petlyakov, died in a plane crash in 1942.

 

 

At the start of the 1940s the TB-7 was one of the most modern bomber types world-wide. By the new technology of the central loader system it reached ceilings, which were unattainable for most other airplanes of that time.  It flew at heights that for the majority of the fighters of the time were unattainable, and the ceiling of 12,000 meters made her invulnerable to anti-aircraft artillery. “

 

It’s role story is as the plane chosen to fly the People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs (Foreign Minister) Vyacheslav Molotov from Moscow to Britain and then on to the United States and the practice flight for this piloted by Asyamov.

 

  

 

Asyamov’s PE-8 was serial number 4215 and this was used during the trial flight to Britainon 28^th/29^th  April 1942.  Pusep’s PE-8 was serial number 42036 and became famous as the plane used to carry Molotov.  They belonged to 746 Long Range Bomber Squadron which in 1942 was based at Kratovo nearMoscow.

 

 

 

PE-8 42036 inUSA

 

 

 

There are no remaining PE-8’s but the remnants of a Pe-8 serial number 42812 that was recovered from the Artic Ice are in the Russian air force Museum in Monino.

 

 

 

General characteristics

 

• Crew: Eleven (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Flight Engineer, Radio Operator, Bomb Aimer, Nose, Rear, Center and Left/Right Engine gunners)
• Length: 23.2 m (76 ft ¼ in)
• Wingspan: 39.13 m (128 ft 4 in)
• Height: 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 188.66 m² (2,030.7 ft²)
• Empty weight: 18,571 kg (40,941 lb)
• Loaded weight: 27,000 kg (59,400 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: 35,000 kg (77,000 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Mikulin AM-35A liquid-cooled V12 engine, 999 kW (1,340 hp) each

 

Performance

 

• Maximum speed: 443 km/h (275.2 mph)
• Range: 3,700 km (2,299 mi)
• Service ceiling: 9,300 m (30,504 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5.9 m/s (1,154 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 143 kg/m² (29 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 140 W/kg (0.2 hp/lb)

 

Armament

 

• Guns:
  • 2 x 20-millimeter (0.79 in) ShVAK cannons (dorsal and tail turrets)
  • 2 x 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) UBT machine guns (engine nacelles)
  • 2 x 7.62-millimeter (0.300 in) ShKAS machine guns (nose turret)
• Bombs: Up to 5,000 kg (11,000 lb)

 

Passenger Profile: Major Sergey Asyamov

 

Asyamov Sergy Aleksandrovich.

Асямов Сергей Александрович

Photos of Major S.A.Asyavov provided by K.Strelbicky (Moscow). They have not been published before. Photos from “Personal Folder” of Asyamov. Moscow Archives. Thanks to R. firsov Group9May 

Hero of theSoviet Union Asyamov Sergey. He was born on November 1, 1907 in the city of Krasnoyarskin to a working class family. He was in the Soviet Army from 1929 to 1933 and the air force until June 1941. In 1931, he completed training at the Yeysk Naval Aviation College (he trained as a pilot instructor), from 1933 he was a pilot of the Civil Air Fleet (CAF), from 1935 he was a pilot in the Lena aviation group of the Main Northern Sea Route.

In the Great Patriotic War from July 1941, he became a Commander of 746 long-range bombers. He took part in the great morale-boosting raid on Berlin on the 10.08.1941. By January 1942, Major Asyamov had carried out 48 sorties. His crew dropped over 100 tons of bombs, causing great losses in manpower and technology. He died on the 30/04/1942 when the DH Flamingo crashed in Gt. Ouseburn.

Gold Star Issued to Hero of the Soviet Union

 Order of Lenin (Awarded to Asyamov)

 Order of Red Banner(awarded to Asyamov in April 1942)

The De Havilland Flamingo

R2764 – ‘Lady of Castledown’

Design and development

The Flamingo was designed by de Havilland, led by their chief designer, as a twin-engined civil airliner. It was the first all-metal aircraft built by de Havilland. The metal framework was mostly metal-covered with fabric covered control surfaces. Two pilots were seated side-by-side with aradio operator behind them in the cockpit, with the cabin accommodating 12-17 passengers. It featured a retractable undercarriage, slotted flaps and variable pitch propellers, and was considered a highly promising sales prospect for the de Havilland company capable of competing with the American Douglas DC-3 and Lockheed Model 10 Electra.

The first prototype flew on 22 December 1938, powered by 890 hp (660 kW) Bristol Perseus engines. With these, performance was excellent with a takeoff at maximum weight in 750 ft (230 m) and the ability to maintain height or climb at 120 mph (190 km/h) on a single engine. Testing was successful, with the Flamingo being granted a certificate of airworthiness on 30 June 1939, with an initial production run of twenty aircraft being laid down.

Operational service

DH.95 Flamingo G-AFYH of British Air Transport at Redhill airfield, Surrey, in June 1953

The prototype was delivered to Jersey Airways in 1939 for evaluation and became the first revenue-earning Flamingo. It was later transferred to RAF duties. A further order from Jersey was frustrated by the outbreak of war, but with BOAC denied the credit needed to buy the Douglas DC-5 it ordered eight Flamingoes instead. The BOAC Flamingoes were based in the Middle East throughout the war. A further five aircraft were delivered to the RAF and one to the Fleet Air Arm. Flamingoes were mostly withdrawn from service by 1950, the last was scrapped in 1954.

A single military transport variant was built to Specification 19/39 as the DH.95 Hertfordshire. It had oval cabin windows instead of rectangular ones, and seating for 22 paratroopers. A proposed order for 40 was cancelled to leave de Havillands free to produce Tiger Moth trainers. The sole Hertfordshire crashed with the loss of 11 lives at Mill Hill, Hertfordshire on 23 October 1940, apparently due to jamming of the elevator.

DH 95 in RAF service