Text taken from the V Kontakte page of Great Patriotic War
[VK] ... In the summer of 1943, strange cases of aircraft destruction were noted in enemy aviation operating on the Eastern Front. In loss reports, the cause of the destruction of German aircraft and crews was often indicated by one short phrase "Explosion in der Luft" ("Explosion in the air"). However, it was unclear why the planes exploded. Most of these cases occurred with aircraft flying out on combat missions from the Seshchinsky airfield...
To find small Seshcha on the map, it is more convenient to first find the large city of Bryansk, estimate 90 kilometers northwest, and that's where Seshcha will be. Before the war, Seshcha was a small village with less than 500 residents. But there was a convenient airfield here, built in the late 20s, early 30s.
The airfield was quite large: it could simultaneously accommodate up to 70-80 aircraft. At least before the war, more than 60 high-speed SB-2 bombers of one of the Soviet Air Force regiments were based at this airfield. With the outbreak of the war, the airfield was actively used by Soviet aviation, but not for long: after a month and a half, the front approached Seshcha. Soon the last Soviet aircraft flew away from Seshcha, and the airfield became empty. Many residents of the village, having left their homes, also went east.
On August 9, 1941, the Germans entered Seshcha. Work began on restoring and expanding the airfield, preparing it for basing Luftwaffe air units. It is still difficult to say which of the German units was the first to be based at the Seshcha airfield. But it is known that already on August 23, Messerschmitt-110 fighter-attack aircraft of the SKG.210 headquarters, led by the squadron commander, Knight's Cross holder Major Walter Storp, flew here.
Then on August 26, the I./SKG.210 aircraft of Captain Karl-Heinz Stricker landed in Seshcha, and on September 4, II./SKG.210 arrived under the command of Captain Rolf Kaldrak. In addition to the "hundred-tenths", the airfield housed Henschel-126 reconnaissance aircraft from 5(H)/Aufkl.Gr.12 and other aircraft. Of course, the composition of the units was constantly changing, and many other Luftwaffe units and subdivisions were subsequently based at the Seshcha airfield. Even exotic allies of Germany visited Seshcha - the temperamental Spaniards from the fighter squadron 15.(Span.)/JG.51 and the handsome Croatians from the bomber squadron 15(Kroat.)/KG.53.
Of course, the basing of enemy aircraft at the Seshcha airfield did not go unnoticed by the Soviet command and soon Soviet air raids began on the airfield. Already on September 1, four Germans from the ground personnel of the fighter group II./JG.51 were killed during an air raid. Apparently, these were the first victims of the Nazi aviation in Seshcha. Not far from the airfield, a cemetery of the occupiers appeared, on which more and more new birch crosses appeared over time...
However, it must be admitted that, despite all the efforts of the Soviet aviation, it was not possible to inflict serious losses on the enemy for a long time. For its part, our aviation lost a considerable number of aircraft. Who knows how long the failures of the "Stalin's Falcons" in raids on the invulnerable airfield would have continued if partisans and underground fighters from Seshcha itself had not come to their aid in the late spring of 1942.
The leader of the Seshcha underground at that time was Anna Morozova. And before her, the commander of the underground group was first Konstantin Povarov, a 22-year-old lieutenant of the Red Army, left behind enemy lines for sabotage work. He himself was a local - from the village of Belskaya in the Dubrovsky district and knew all the surrounding areas well. On assignment from the NKVD, he went to serve the Germans and got a job as a policeman.
At the same time, Povarov began to create an underground group. Gradually, he found reliable assistants not only in Seshcha, but also in the villages of Belskaya, Radichi, and Yabloni. It was Povarov who attracted Anya Morozova to the underground work, and she, in turn, attracted other female acquaintances. It was Povarov who maintained contact with the partisans and passed on to them the information he had collected about the Seshcha airfield. But, unfortunately, on September 23, 1942, Konstantin Povarov died after stepping on a mine. After that, 21-year-old Komsomol member Anya Morozova had to lead the underground.
Before the war, she worked in Seshcha, in the accounting department of the Soviet 130th Bomber Aviation Regiment, which was then based at the airfield. As the Germans approached, Morozova first evacuated with the retreating units of the Red Army, but then returned and, on Povarov’s instructions, got a job as a laundress for the Germans. The underground group members Lida Korneva, Vera Molochnikova, Lyusya Senchilina and others also became laundresses and dishwashers. Of course, working for the occupiers was humiliating, but they had to live on something.
In addition, those who worked received passes to the German military town. There, for six months, the girls studied the situation and selected candidates for underground work. Finally, in April 1942, on the advice of Anya Morozova, the girls met young Poles Jan Mankowski, Jan Tyma, Vaclav "Wacek" Messiasz and Stefan Gorkiewicz - servicemen of the German military unit L50485A, which carried out military construction work at the airfield and in the area of the village. Over time, Morozova managed to establish contact with the Czech anti-fascist Wendelin Roblicka, who served as an accountant at the Seshchin airbase headquarters with the rank of corporal. Roblicka's friend, the German soldier Alfred Beisler, also provided the underground with some assistance. Thus, real opportunities for collecting secret information that interested the Soviet command were gradually created.
Thanks to the active work of Morozova and other members of the underground group, it was possible to collect valuable information about the locations of important objects at the airfield, and on the night of May 29-30, 1942, Soviet aviation, for the first time after a long break, carried out a raid on Seshcha. According to the underground fighters, about 80 aircraft and many German pilots were destroyed at the Seshcha airfield. However, this data is highly questionable, since at that time only one 4th reconnaissance squadron from Aufkl.Gr.11 (which did not suffer any losses!) and a couple of dozen courier, transport and other aircraft were based in Seshcha.
However, despite some discrepancies in the data of Soviet partisans and German documents, it must still be recognized that the results of the actions of our underground fighters were quite tangible. The members of the international underground drew up and passed on to the partisans plans of the airfield, constantly supplied them with valuable information about changes at the German air base, about the enemy's plans, about the movement of its equipment and manpower.
Using this data, the Soviet aviation periodically carried out bombing strikes on Seshcha throughout 1942. And in January - May 1943, only the long-range bomber aviation of the Soviet Air Force carried out ten powerful strikes on the Seshcha air base, in addition, Seshcha was often bombed and strafed by front-line aviation. More and more German aircraft were out of order...
In the meantime, special mines for sabotage purposes began to enter service with the Soviet partisans. What kind of mines these were and how they came into service with us - we will tell you, based on documentary data.
The fact is that with the beginning of the Second World War, in September 1939, the technical departments of the special services of the Ministry of Defense of England developed and launched into production a large number of sabotage mines of various types. Among them were, for example, explosive devices hidden in a piece of coal, a stuffed rat, magnetic mines, mine-lighters, etc.
In accordance with the secret agreement between England and Russia of September 30, 1941, for the development of partisan warfare, it was envisaged to supply the USSR with English magnetic mines and mine-lighters. According to English historians, mainly magnetic sabotage mines CLAM Mk 2 were supplied to Russia.
The name of the mine "CLAM" is translated as "mollusk", apparently because it, like a sea mollusk, easily and firmly sticks to any metal surface. This mine is a timer type and is designed to destroy or disable stationary or moving objects that have fairly large parts made of ferrous metals on their surface, i.e. metals with magnetic properties. Such objects can be aircraft, tracked or wheeled combat and transport vehicles, fuel tanks or metal seals for weapons and ammunition, rolling stock, rails, power transmission and communication line supports, pipelines, etc.
The mine's charge is very small - only 227 grams of tetrytol 45/55 (a mixture of tetryl and TNT), however, it is enough to break a railway rail, pierce fuel tanks with a wall thickness of up to 5-6 mm. The mine's effect can be enhanced by placing two or more mines together.
Mines were successfully used by commando units of the British Army, as well as combat units of the Resistance forces in the occupied countries of Europe. A certain number of these mines were supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease and our partisans actively used them, especially against railway facilities.
A considerable number of aircraft were also destroyed by the "mollusks" and, apparently, the underground fighters of Anna Morozova's group were the first to use them against aircraft. And the underground fighters received mines from the 1st Kletnyanskaya Partisan Brigade, commanded by 29-year-old Fyodor Danchenkov. In total, Danchenkov's brigade received exactly 312 British special magnetic mines from the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement. Of course, most of them were used to mine railway rolling stock and, according to some sources, the brigade's partisans crashed more than thirty German trains using magnetic mines.
By that time, the Seshchinsky international underground movement numbered several dozen people. In addition to those mentioned above, active underground members included Matryona Erokhina, Varvara Kirshina, Praskovya Bakutina and others. A very difficult and dangerous task was to deliver magnetic mines to the underground members in Seshcha from the partisans located deep in the Bryansk forests.
Usually, they were carried by Zinaida Antipenkova, Alexandra Garbuzova, Maria Korosteleva, Tatyana Vasenkova and other brave girls, placing them on the bottom of a bag filled with berries, fruits, vegetables and other products. Already in Seshcha, the underground members handed the mines to 17-year-old Vanya Aldyukhov, and he carried the mines to the airfield in a barrel of water on a harnessed cart.
It is difficult to say now when exactly the Seshcha underground fighters began to place magnetic mines on aircraft, but, apparently, it happened just before the start or already during the German offensive operation "Citadel". At least, in the combat log of the 1st Kletnyansk partisan brigade on July 7, 1943, it was noted that the underground fighters mined and destroyed two Heinkel-111 and two Focke-Wulf-190.
A few days later, on July 12, at the Seshcha airfield, according to the partisans, one Junkers-88 was blown up.
And as recorded in the documents of the German 121st long-range reconnaissance group, one Junkers-88 from the 4th squadron was lost on July 15 as a result of an act of sabotage, that is, it was destroyed by a mine explosion. Lieutenant Herbert Meiss, Sergeant Adolf Reinecke, Unteroffizier Wilhelm Küppers and Sergeant Johannes Trukk went missing in the Seshcha area.
It is safe to say that the mine was planted on this plane by the "water carrier" Ivan Aldyukhov, since there is an entry in the combat log of the 1st Kletnyansky Brigade that hints at this: "July 15-21, 1943, Seshcha airfield. With the help of three mines, the following were destroyed: a Heinkel-3 aircraft (the aircraft type was indicated incorrectly) right at the airfield, a locomotive on a narrow-gauge railway and a refuelling vehicle. Carried out by BS-33." And it was Ivan Aldyukhov who was listed under the pseudonym BS-33 in the detachment's intelligence reports.
Part 2:
According to partisan reports, on July 19, a Junkers-52 was destroyed by a mine. Actually, the Junkers-52 is a transport aircraft, but no information has been found about the losses of aircraft of this type. It is quite possible that one of the underground fighters again incorrectly indicated the type of aircraft on which the magnetic mine was installed. Apparently, it was not a transport aircraft, but a bomber.
Indeed, there is information that one Heinkel-111 from II./KG.4 "General Wever" took off from the Seshcha airfield late in the evening of July 19 to bomb one of the targets in the rear of the Soviet troops, but did not return. Later, the wreckage of the aircraft was found in territory captured by the Germans, that is, the aircraft did not reach the front line. For unknown reasons, it crashed and burned 13 kilometers northwest of Zhizdra. The entire crew, consisting of Lieutenant Hermann Hüsemann, Unteroffizier Reinhold Metzger, Ober-Provich Rudolf Schmidt, Unteroffizier Egon Lenz and Ober-Provich Walter Volkhardt, perished. There is every reason to believe that this crew fell victim to the Seshcha underground fighters.
According to the partisans, July 21 was a particularly successful day for the Seshcha underground fighters: they reported the destruction of three Heinkels-111 and one Messerschmitt-109.
The next day, July 22, a Junkers-88 was blown up by a mine in the sky above the airfield, and, as the underground fighters reported, the entire crew was killed. Indeed, on this day, the 5th Squadron of II./KG.51 "Edelweiss" lost one Junkers-88. However, this did not happen over Seshchinsky airfield, but somewhere in the Arkhangelskoye area, east of Orel, where the aircraft had flown on a combat mission. The crew, consisting of Oberfeldwebel Gerhard Schubert, NCOs Friedrich Kovollik, Herbert Langwasser and Helmut Schreiber, was listed as missing in action in this area.
The reason for their disappearance is unknown, since the radio operator of the crew did not have time to send a distress signal. It is quite possible that the crew died as a result of a sudden explosion of a mine planted at Seshchinsky airfield.
Two more Junkers-88s were destroyed, according to partisans, on July 23.
And in German documents there is information about one Junkers-88 from the 7th squadron of III/KG.1 "Hindenburg", which exploded in the air on July 24 in the Orel area. The crew of the plane, consisting of non-commissioned officers Friedrich Hoffman, Willy Eickhoff, Gunther Kenzl and Feldwebel Karl-Friedrich Konyevsky, is also considered missing. It can be assumed that the plane was mined by underground fighters, since it took off on a mission from Seshchinsky airfield.
On July 28 - again according to German documents - the crew of Oberfeldwebel Helmut Goetzel from the 4th squadron of II./KG.51 "Edelweiss" was killed in an explosion in the air northeast of Karachev. Along with Getzel, non-commissioned officers Groff and Handvarsh, as well as sergeant major Kleinschmidt, were killed. And here, most likely, the plane was also mined by underground fighters, since it took off on a mission from the ill-fated Seshcha.
Of course, operating in incredibly dangerous conditions, the underground fighters did not always manage to plant mines on airplanes. Apparently, that is why they had to plant mines on other objects of military significance. Thus, Ivan Aldyukhov and his 13-year-old younger brother Sasha blew up one carriage with aircraft engines, one steam locomotive on a narrow-gauge railway, two gas trucks, one snow-clearing tractor and other equipment with mines...
In early August 1943, clouds gathered over the underground organization in Seshcha. An alarming radiogram was received by the Western headquarters of the partisan movement from the commander of the 1st Kletnyanskaya partisan brigade, F. S. Danchenkov:
“August 2, 1943. To Comrade Popov.
The Germans have begun to guess why the explosions are happening. They have arrested a lot of the Russian population. The entrances and exits in Seshcha are controlled, but I have Poles and Czechs working for me. They have remained in place for now. They are valuable people.”
In confirmation of these words, on the same day, during a combat sortie in the area southeast of Orel, another Junkers-88 from II./KG. 51 "Edelweiss" exploded. The entire crew of non-commissioned officer Josef Frommhertz perished: "the Poles and Czechs" continued to "work" successfully...
Perhaps the pilots of the Edelweiss squadron suffered more than others from the actions of Russian saboteurs: again, one Junkers-88 from the 9th squadron of III./KG.51 exploded in the air on August 8. The crew of Lieutenant Robert Ilg also perished.
The next day, August 9, another Junkers-88 from the 5th squadron of II./KG.51 "Edelweiss" was lost, presumably from a mine explosion. The plane took off from Seshcha to Poltava, but went missing en route. Where and how it perished is unknown. The pilots - Lieutenant Heinrich Gerke, Corporal Otto Theiss, NCOs Fritz Bachmann and Gerhard Hörtner - are still listed as missing.
Around mid-August (unfortunately, it is not known exactly when), three planes on which Jan Tim had planted mines exploded over the Seshchin airfield. They were supposed to explode an hour after takeoff, but the takeoff was delayed and they exploded in front of everyone, barely having time to take off...
A wave of arrests swept through Seshcha. The Polish brigade was also arrested. In order to remove suspicion from the Poles, the command ordered Ivan Aldyukhov to plant mines on the planes and equipment himself. Despite the obvious reason for the plane explosions and the total surveillance throughout the airfield, carrying out this task was tantamount to calling for fire on himself. We must give credit to this incredibly brave young man: constantly risking his life, he continued to plant mines on German planes. Here, for example, is another entry from the combat log of the 1st Kletnyanskaya Brigade: "August 13-15. Seshchinsky airfield. Two planes were blown up by placing magnetic mines. Performed by BS-33."
These were probably Aldyukhov's last successful acts of sabotage: soon after, on the denunciation of a traitor, Ivan was arrested while attempting to plant a mine on an airplane. Unbroken by the torture and abuse of the Gestapo, and not having betrayed the remaining members of the underground, he was shot by the Germans in Smolensk prison.
Around the same time, the Germans also arrested the underground fighter Matryona Erokhina, who was delivering mines to the airfield. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about Erokhina herself and her arrest. However, in the book by the famous German military historian Wolfgang Dierich about the history of the KG.51 "Edelweiss" bomber squadron, there are lines that are certainly related to Erokhina's arrest. Here is how Dierich writes about those dramatic events: "Here in Seshcha, the squadron lost many crews due to the actions of the partisans.
At night, partisans, posing as support personnel, would install barometric explosive devices on the 900-liter fuel tanks of Junkers-88s that were fully filled with gasoline and loaded with bombs. When the altitude suddenly changed, for example during a dive attack, the explosive devices would detonate and tear the vehicles to pieces. At first, these explosions were a mystery to everyone, until one day, during a thorough search, explosive magnetic devices were found in a basket of eggs belonging to a seemingly harmless and innocent Russian peasant woman. Apparently, the "harmless and innocent Russian peasant woman" was Motya Erokhina. Just like Vanya Aldyukhov, the brave girl was tortured, but did not give anyone away and was tortured to death by the fascists.
Unfortunately, Polish comrades also suffered a loss: Jan Mankovsky was inadvertently arrested for possession of weapons. Without betraying any of his friends, he also died in a Gestapo dungeon shortly before the liberation of Seshcha on September 18, 1943...
After these dramatic events, as the former commander of the 7th squadron of III/KG.1 "Hindenburg" retired Colonel Gerhard Becker recalls, the planes began to be heavily guarded day and night, and carefully checked before each flight. Further mining of German planes became impossible.
Nevertheless, the stay of German planes at the Seshcha airfield was coming to an end: Soviet troops were advancing unstoppably, and on September 20, 1943, Seshcha was liberated from the Nazi invaders...
How many enemy planes did Anya Morozova's underground group manage to destroy? According to some sources, during the Battle of Kursk alone, the underground fighters blew up sixteen planes. And according to other sources, they destroyed twenty planes in total. But the most likely figure is 22 aircraft: this is exactly how many were indicated in the report on the results of the combat operations of the 1st Kletnyansk Partisan Brigade (which included Morozova’s underground group), presented by F. S. Danchenkov on March 26, 1944 to the Smolensk headquarters of the partisan movement.
Unfortunately, the feat of Morozova's underground group, which for the first time in the practice of Soviet partisans used massive mining of enemy aircraft right at the airfield, was not noted in time. And only twenty years after the Victory, after the first Soviet multi-part television film "We Call Fire on Ourselves", dedicated to Morozova and her group, was shown on television with great success in February 1965, on May 8 of the same year Anna Afanasyevna Morozova was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Posthumously, - since Morozova died on December 31, 1944, while carrying out a combat mission in Poland.
Also posthumously, on May 10, 1965, Konstantin Yakovlevich Povarov and Ivan Filippovich Aldyukhov were awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, and Polish citizen Jan Mankovsky was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree...
P.S.
On December 31, 1944, Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously) Anna Afanasyevna Morozova / "Swan", "Reseda" /, the second radio operator of the legendary sabotage and reconnaissance group "JACK", accepted her last battle with the "jagdkommando" of the SS and the Vlasovites.
Wounded in the arm by an explosive bullet during a raid, she was hidden until dark in a dugout in a swamp, but the raid was with German shepherds... Before that moment, as part of the legendary reconnaissance group "Jack", she worked for six months in the rear of the East Prussian group of Germans, going through dozens of raids and transmitting almost 60 information radiograms.