Source interview from I Remember - A Russian site containing interviews with Russian WWII veterans

Rybalko, Vitaliy Viktorovich   

Рыбалко, Виталий Викторович

Рыбалко Виталий Викторович

- The MiG-3 is my favorite fighter. It is, for me, connected with all my misfortunes and troubles.  On it, my wartime youth, yes you can say, my wartime youth was spent.  When I had much improved, I switched over to the Yak.  It could be said that it was better, but the fighting was already easier, we had experience, yes and conditions were different.

- Up to what year did you fly the MiG?
- From '41 up to the summer of '43.

- Was the MiG a complicated aircraft?

- It was distinctive.  It had a very powerful motor with supercharger, the 105.  The aircraft presented many difficulties on takeoff.  In it, it was possible to roll 180 degrees if you didn't catch it in time.  It was a normal high-altitude aircraft.  It was prepared for the PVO (Air Defense).  At low altitude it was like iron.  At low speed, the controls are heavy.  On the first aircraft, there were the slats - it was a terrible misfortune, it stretched a little - it jumped out, bang.  It was unpleasant.  During battle, the whole time bang, bang.  We simply glued them up. 

It was gallant at altitude.  This episode happened to me.  They took off from Ramenskoye to escort Pe-2s.  It was the spring of '42 - everything was going sour. Briefly stated, taxiing out was very difficult. And so for escort, there should have been nine "pawns".  Squadron Commander Romanenko didn't take off. While we were taxiing out, Misha Korobkov burned out his motor.  He took off - there was oil all along the fuselage.  He also landed, and now I was alone.  The "pawns" approached, I formed up on them, and we went on.  At the edge or Ramenskoye, we met with four  Heinkel-113s, which, in my view, was the best German fighter.  The problem with it was that it's motor was liquid cooled, and the radiators were planar.  And it would be enough to hit with the head of a match, to strike the radiator . But in flight it was a brilliant aircraft. I was one with the nine. Altitude around 1,000m. We flew without oxygen equipment, they took it out completely because it was useless.   There were no transmitters. There were only receivers.   Well, from the first they didn't kill me. But they compelled me to get involved. The "pawns" left. I can't say that I was an ace's ace, but I took them higher, without oxygen, to 7,000m. I was a strong fellow, yes, and I was 19 years old . . . but there's the MiG-3

- In our 122nd Regiment there remained five pilots, but there were 80 machines - you select which one to fly. There was "За родину" (For the Motherland) "За Сталина" (For Stalin) and "За партию большевиков" (For the Party of the Bolsheviks). And so I said that I wouldn't fly "За партию большевиков", because it was very oppressive.  It's good that there weren't any NKVD (internal police) around. Then rearmament was done and we from all the regiments flew the planes home.

This was the aircraft, and for me these "Heinkels" were already not a danger, I already mastered it. Apparently, they had wandered far, and this was literally almost over Moscow itself.  They didn't tangle with me and they left. Of course, I didn't shoot anyone, but if they hadn't left, it would have been quite different. This emphasizes the quality of this aircraft. At altitude, it was superb.

Rybalko in the cockpit of the MiG-3

- In 1942, our Regiment became part of 5 ШАК, which was commanded by Kamanin, Hero of the Soviet Union. And primary among our tasks, beginning in mid-'42 was the escort of attack aircraft and bombers. I can say that after the war, we all met, and no one reproached me that we fought badly or abandoned someone. There were no losses in those I escorted! This is how we maintained good relations with the attack aircraft.   But in our regiment there was only one Hero of the Soviet Union,   and in the neighboring one only one, but the sturmoviks - 160. Not because we fought poorly, we fought well. Fighters were assessed by their results - whether they shot something down or not; but for us, we had to be assessed by how well those we accompanied carried out their work. They fulfilled their duty, so, and I fulfilled my duty together with them. We were all together in one, on one airfield. They take off on a mission, and we follow. They arrived home, went out to smoke, they were cursed or they were praised. But they bombed, but we seemed not to have done anything.
Here, if you take the tactics of battle.  We were in a difficult position. Speed was low. You climb higher, the gap widened - you lost the group, and indeed you couldn't quickly find it again - they were camouflaged. But more than anything I had to, why if someone starts to creep up on them, I needed to attack him. It became necessary to use the "scissors" maneuver - this is when we flew above the group from side to side. The group went straight, and we were able to increase speed because of the longer path.
It was good when there was the possibility to use such a maneuver, but sometimes, when you were taking them far, you settled in and hung there, in order to only fly out so far. They really didn't like to fly very far to the rear.

- What color were the outer wing panels? - Only green, it couldn't have been any kind of red.  But the nose they painted, yes, both with red and yellow paints.

If we saw enemy aircraft to the side, we would daydream that they wouldn't approach us. Well, to the devil's mother with them! During cover missions I had to rush there, if I was a courageous pilot, I had to chase after them, I had to kill; but during escort I only had to be ready, that they could attack us. Here indeed what psychology was developed! I couldn't abandon the group, even in repulsing an attack of German aircraft on our group, even on myself; I only could evade, that is, so that he couldn't continue the attack on the group and I couldn't go far away because I was under attack - this is a must. There you have it.

- Did you ever escort the Su-2?

- No. I never saw them so much as one time. Only the Il-2 and Pe-2.

- How many aircraft were apportioned for escort duty?

- It all depends on what the situation is, in what direction,  what kind of group, and where you were going. If the group was large - large escort. As a rule, no less than four. A task is given to the fighters - to cover the group, if it is possible to be on one airfield, we could meet and take part in joint preparation for the flight. With us it was often like that - we were part of a mixed air corps.  As a rule, if the sturmoviks or bombers flew out from a different airfield, they called on (went to) the escort fighters. We sat at readiness number one - pushed the button and took off.  I remember a case, we sat, waited for the group, and really the Yak-1 tail was light, and during taxiing it was possible to catch the earth with the propeller. As a rule, mechanics sat on the  stabilizer. Suddenly the group appears, I sat in readiness at the start point, but two pairs still had not taxied up to me in expectation for takeoff. I give the command for takeoff, and they take off practically from a standstill. Only, they came alongside of me, I look - on the stabilizer a mechanic is flying. He attempted to climb over, in order to sit up, but was torn away and fell from 50 meters.

From left to right: Pilot Yarko, Lenya Andreev, Vitaliy Rybalko, Misha Pugel', Igor Kuskov, Yaroshenko, and I was with them up to the end.  (Photo ca.1944)

I participate several times in extremely serious and large strikes. In 1943 in the course of several days - 5, 6, 7 July on the eve of the Kursk battle our West Front carried out strikes on German airfields. And so Misha Bondarenko, twice Hero of the Soviet Union led 24 Ils (Il-2s), a large group. And we, the fighters of the 122nd Regiment by three squadrons covered his attack on the airfield at Seshcha. It was the 5th and the 6th - at Borovskoy we flew. For this flight we gathered, this was a fundamental flight. The group was so large, from two regiments. It was a composite group. 24 aircraft. Then we were gathered, I don't remember, who prepared, received the tasking, who or where. We prepared for this flight on the spot.
Here, we already divided up the group of fighters into direct cover and strike group. So here out front went  the squadron commander, Major Tseboyko with two wingmen, and I went in the rear section of this battle formation. It's necessary to say that in the task of the escort group was included the suppression of anti-aircraft weapons, if there were no enemy fighters, of course. And when Misha Bondarenko took the group in to attack - descending they attacked, our Tseboyko and his wingman started in on the anti-aircraft and they immediately went down. Tseboyko returned in a year. But the wingman just disappeared.
Here is another example. 20 years ago, I received a letter from Kazan, and this fellow, Kazakov, I don't even remember. Here he writes: "Comrade, General-Lieutenant, I recall a combat mission in March of '44 to the city of Proskurov. I received a tasking as part of 6 Il-2 aircraft to assault the western side of the city, I was to have an escort of four Yaks, but only one of your aircraft formed up with me, and three Yaks left with another group, which was led by Hero of the Soviet Union of the 809th Regiment Gerasimov. I led the group and thought: "where are you going, dear, you go to be eaten alive, well, alright, we're all - condemned men." We hadn't gotten within 20km of the city, we were taken under the crossfire of eight heavy machine guns. Approaching the western part of the city, I saw the airfield, where a Ju-87 was landing under cover of Focke-Wulfs, there were around 20, I made the decision to go to the airfield and got into this hell, broke off, the situation was complicated especially for you. I took a course to our airfield and here began confusion. I only hear you by radio: "Kazakov, don't go lower than 300 (meters)" and at this point you showed genuine courage, attacking the Fockes, made a sharp turn, flew away under the group under the gunner's machine guns, and again flew out to attack the fighters. We returned home without loss."

(An article with the title "Not by numbers, but by skill" and subtitled "Rybalko's fighters shot down 5 enemy fighters") - This was a unique occurrence for escorts. It was very far because the Sturmoviks were sent deep, somewhere under L'vov, about 100km from the front lines, they attacked in echelon. They attacked us along the whole way, and we snapped back at them. But this wasn't constant.  But that was battle - one-two, and it's over.

- Did you observe an order that in the case of losses among those you escorted that the combat mission wasn't counted?

- I had no escort losses! It became immediately known if someone abandoned someone. There was an episode, when the commander of a group of escorts, returning from their task, reported to the commander of a group of Sturmoviks, that they were on the wrong course. The sturmovik commander didn't agree, and so the escort commander decided to take his own course. They tried him. He later received the Hero of the Soviet Union.

- Was there strong action against German artillery?

- It depends, where and when. At the Sandomir bridgehead one day, before my eyes three sturmovik squadron commanders were shot down. This was unexpected.  It looked like the Germans were using something new.  What - we couldn't figure out. You approach - "poof-poof" and it didn't shoot anymore. Then was killed Gamayun Vasya HSU, he was already twice over a Hero. The Germans always fired at over flight of the front lines independent of the stage of an operation. They had many anti-aircraft weapons. I had all of my problems only from them. I was shot down by anti-aircraft in 1941 around Moscow.  The second time - in '43 around Mozhaisk. One time, as I was arriving home, I didn't know. Touched down, I taxi, everyone was looking, but I didn't understand why.   It became clear - I had no tailfin and there was a 30cm hole in the fuselage. Also anti-aircraft. In aerial battles I never came out badly. One time it was only complicated, but I wiggled out of it.

- How did matters go with the radios?

- In 1941, '42 there were no radios. Even if there were, we wouldn't have used them much. Command even introduced titles: "Master of Radio Communication" 1st, 2nd class. We had to know Morse code, and pass a test. They introduced it specifically by such means - for this they paid some money.

- Did you close the cockpit canopy?

- No.  Especially the first time.

- How was the MiG-3 with respect to maintenance?

- I don't know. I do know our mechanics were virtuosos, at any time my favorite aircraft was ready to go. Only if there was serious damage, then I took another, but if everything was normal - they very quickly had it ready to go. As I said, in '42, I had three aircraft available.

- How many kills do you have?

- In all, 14. For those whose work was escort, this isn't just a few.

- What was the most dangerous German aircraft, fighter?

- They were all the same.

- What kind of armament did the MiG-3 have?

- On the MiG, there were - ShKAS, and then UBT-16.

- Did you ever use pods with the heavy machine guns of Berezen?

- No. We never mounted external pods. We used the RS-82 (rockets). One time I rescued our commander. This was in February of 1942 in the environs of Maloyaroslavets. We went with the reconnaissance, we still flew by flights: Misha Korobkov and I - to the left, Bazhnov - to the right.  We relaxed because we were close to home - daydreaming and almost with a song on our lips. I turned my head, and 15 meters behind us were 110s ("Messershmitt-110")! There were two of them, and we were three, they were certain that they would get kills. But the instant I passed from their view, I turned away to the side. Misha was an experienced pilot - also into the turn, but Seryozha Bazhnov they shot down. That's all! They missed their opportunity! Having turned, I look, they shot this one down, and they were chasing the leader.   And here now they opened fire, but I had 4 RS (rockets). I fired them off, not having really aimed or losing my breath over it. Anyway, just another second and they would have eaten him alive. I look - they immediately break off. There was fuel (for the Bf110s)- but only to make it home, not for battle.

We strafed with RS (rockets). All of '41 we were flying strafing and reconnaissance. A few times we flew cover, but the other was not put off for it. In this case, for us, strafing and recon missions weren't counted.

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