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Editor’s Note: This is a 3 part interview as told by Boris Alterman, a Russian Yak-9 Pilot, to the IDF Virtual Squadron. Raam has given full permission for editing and posting as needed on the Joint-Ops web site keeping within the original representation of this article. Special thanks also went out to Leonid who was the Squad’s Russian / Hebrew interpreter.
While trying to set a date and place for the interview with “our” pilot, we got the impression of him being a strict man that prefers to keep his privacy and stay away from the public eye. Another thing that concerned us was that he said he flew 15 types of planes which puzzled us a bit.
So, we had some concerns but hoped for the best. In meeting with this man we found him to be a nice 83 old year man with a good hand shake, very good memory (we brought some cockpit pics from the game and he loved to elaborate on them and thought that they are rather good) and above all an honest man that has nothing phoney about him.
The pilot asked us to remain anonymous as he dose not want to appear in any public eye. So, we can only say that the interview took place in Israel and we will refer to him as Mr. “A” in the interview. Since we had an interpreter, we can’t say we quoted him in the most exact manner, but we did our best to bring things in the right spirit and as factual as possible. We had only one hour to complete the interview and so here is his story in a very brief way:
Mr. “A” was born in Gomel, Belarus in 1923. In 1939, at the age of 16 he joined a flight club in the city of Odessa and learned how to fly a Polikarpov-2 for 1 year. He joined the army at the age of 17 although the age for enlisting was 18. He was granted permission to do that after he had sent a letter to the defense minister. In September 1940, he joined the Air Force Flight School in Odessa. Later, as the war approached, the school was moved (orders) to Stalingrad were they became a 1000 man Combat Flight School. When the war broke out, there was a thought to turn 600 men from their Flight School into regular soldiers, but it was abandoned and all continued their flight studies. They started training on the PO-2 (Polikarpov biplane), then moved on to the Polikarpov UTI-4 (monoplane), and than to the I-16. 
In 1941, when the war started, the school was moved to a spot near the Don River and when the Germans got as close as 100 km, the school was moved to Kazakhstan where they got to train on the YAK-1. At that time, all the flight instructors were sent to fight the Germans and new flight instructors were appointed from the students. Mr. ” A” was among the newly elected guides. Mr. ”A” served as a fight instructor until October 1944. It was then decided to send the school instructors to combat duty so they could get actual fight experience, returning as better guides and passing on their knowledge to the students. Mr. “A” was sent to the ”1st Belarus front”, where he flew the YAK-9T as close escort for the IL-2. The entire unit was under the command of the artillery commander of the front. Their responsibility was to defend the IL-2, who had an artillery officer on board instead of rear gunner. It was sent out to locate German units and inform the artillery of their whereabouts. They flew in a flight of seven to nine aircraft – one IL-2, four to six YAK-9T’s as close escort (no closer than 500m) and 2 more YAK-9T’s as high altitude escort. 
Q: Did you have radio control on board?
A: Only flight leader and his #2 had two way radio, all the others had receiver radio only.
Q: What were the German planes you were up against?
A: Mostly BF-109 variants, FW-190 and Ju-87 also.
Q: Did you encounter German fighters?
A: No, at that time of war they were weak and would not go up against larger fighter group, only to pick on one or two planes.
Q: Did you try to seek out German fighters?
A: No, our job was to protect our most important IL-2. Allowing it to be shot down was not an option.
Q: Did you encounter AA fire and hits?
A: We knew the places of AA guns so we went around, I got hit only once and my trim was damaged.
Q: What was your place in the flight?
A: I was #2 of the of the escort leader. 
Q: Did you fly a lot and get combat fatigue?
A: No, we had easy times – sometimes we didn’t fly for a week and we had nothing to do.
Q: How many combat sorties did you fly in the Belarus front?
A: 25.
Q: Did you have problems hitting targets with the 37 mm’ gun of the YAK?
A: No, it had strong recoil but I had my sight and had no problems hitting targets.
Q: Was the YAK physically demanding to fly?
A: Not at all, we flew 400 to 450 kmph and there were not such loads at that speed.
Q: At what height did you start to use supercharger?
A: We activated supercharger and used oxygen masks above 5000 m’ but since I didn’t usually fly that high I didn’t use it.
Q: How did you manage the prop pitch?
A: We use to change prop pitch only on long distance flight in order to conserve fuel otherwise it was at 100%.
Q: How did you find the YAK-9?
A: I liked it very much, it was very good, reliable and simple, could be flown by any average pilot, easy to take off and land. It had no compressed cockpit and no heating system so it was very cold in the winter. We used to wear arctic suits. We use to have our fuel tank filled up and that would degrade the plane’s behavior. The “hunters” of us, who went to pick up German planes, got their tanks partially filled for better dogfight ability. The YAK-3 was better plane and had better organized cockpit without all the radiators sticking up as in the YAK-9, the French Normandy Niemen got it.
Q: What did you do after Belarus?
A: I was stationed in Belarus till the war in Europe was over. Than we moved to Mongolia to fight the Japanese in the same roll as in Belarus. I got to fly two combat sorties and the war was over.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->Q: What about after the war?
A: I became squadron leader and flew the La-9, La-11, Mig-15, Mig-17, got to train on Mig-19 but in 1958 the Air Force was forced to make cuts and the program was stopped.
Q: What plane did you like best?
A: Mig-15/17, they are almost the same. 
Q: What about prop driven, La and sort?
A: I liked the YAK better - it was much easier to take off and land.
Q: Did you have to use a lot of pedals during take off?
A: It wasn’t such a problem. After the tail wheel was up, I needed to use more pedals in order to compensate for increased tendency to fly sidewise because of the torque.
Q: What next after the cuts?
A: I was offered to be 2nd in command for wing leader position but my wife said “enough” and I left the air force with full pension benefits.
Q: Did you take the flight as a job or really like it?
A: Oh I loved flying very much and wish I was flying till this day. Editor’s Note: By the second interview, Mr “A” was more confident at releasing his name as Boris Alterman. 
At the beginning of the this session, we showed Boris the IL2 Sim (FB 4.06). Without too much explanation, we asked him to give it a try. The set we used was X52 joystick and throttle (no pedals). The next 5 minutes were extremely moving and exciting, something that all who were present will never forget - Boris Alterman, an 83 years old man, using a cane, transformed in seconds into a sharp professional pilot, looking and moving as a much younger man.
He started flying the Yak-9, immediately doing a few perfect rolls. While performing it, his legs moved instinctively trying to push the (nonexistent) pedals, and his body moved in anticipation of G forces. Performing loops was much more difficult because he tried to evaluate his situation according to his body position (and being unfamiliar with the view system). When in a stall situation, he again tried to push pedals. Boris flew the sim for 5 minutes. We could tell he was enjoying it very much despite the unfamiliar joystick system and sim functions. He said that in order to really play he would need to practice for a few days since the feel of the sim is different than reality due to the lack of gravity and G forces on the body. The joystick in the sim responds too strongly, the rudder in reality was not difficult to press.
The next phase was the interview. We kept the FB tracks playing, and so, what we have is based on comments Mr. Alterman said to what he saw on the screen.
About his ww2 service: He served in a unit named: “The aerial unit for reconnaissance and intelligence no. 117” (we have the name in Russian, not sure about the exact translation). As mentioned in previous interview, he flew escort missions for the IL2 artillery observation plane.
Battle formation: When escorting the IL2, a pair at the same level, 1 k”m to the side and behind, the other pair in front and higher. 4 other planes flew high cover. Height differences - 500 meters.
Communications: At the beginning of the war, only a few of the airplanes had radio receivers, and even fewer had transmitters. When a pilot saw an enemy plane, he moved his wings to draw attention. By the time he flew combat missions, 1945, all planes had 2 ways radios.
Navigation: IL2 pilots used maps; combat pilots did not have time for that. Therefore, they relied upon visual objects and learned the area. There were no beacons. In case of cloudy weather, they flew under the clouds.
Airfields: Improvised, as they were chasing the retreating Germans into Prussia. They used agricultural fields; sometimes metal nets were spread on them. The net was 500 meters long, 100 meters wide, size 5X0.5 meters. 
Take-off ‘s and landings: At the center of the strip, flaps 15 degrees down. With the brakes pressed, applying full power and than idle – a few times, to warm the plugs. Letting go of the breaks, throttle ahead, applying rudder. Lifting the tail slowly to keep the propeller blades from hitting the ground and the fuselage from turning right or left (depending on the direction of the motor)
Shooting: 200 meters (not recommended) and less, the closer the better. At the beginning of the war there were no cannons – only 7.9 machine guns
Dog fighting a Messerschmidt with the Yak 9: Depends on the abilities of the pilot. If he were able to anticipate the opponent’s moves, and act before him, he would win. It was extremely important to stay on the inside of the opponents turn radius. And again – it is up to the pilot and not the plane.
Head on – The FW could dogfight head – on, due to the star like engine that could sustain damage, protect the pilot and continue to operate. The Yak 3 could not, because it had a radiator, but the LA could.
Use of rudder in turns – Always. Keep the ball in the center.
The Normandy Niemen – He visited their squad a few times, but communication was difficult due to language differences. They flew different missions – intercept – protecting general Zacharov’s army. Once, after landing, someone brought out a football. Everybody, including mechanics that fixed the returning airplanes, and preparing others for missions, left their jobs and ran to play football. At the end of the war Stalin gave them 33 new Yak 3’s (from the factory) as a gift to France.
I-16 (in the background he saw TB3 with 2 I-16’s): Boris laughed as seeing a dinosaur coming to life, and said that indeed they were in use. The I-16 ‘s engine would not shut off immediately, if the stick was pushed forward, or even if the plane flew inverted. There was enough fuel for 2 or 3 minutes before the engine stopped working (unlike the game - it stops immediately). The Germans were happy to fight these planes, as they shot them down easily.
P39 Aircobra – They had no doors, but a sliding canopy. The engine was not strong, in the last year of the war they changed to Kingcobra. Why did the Americans consider it as not fit for dogfight? – “It is the dancer’s legs, not the floor”.
Hurricane – Extremely flammable, turned into a ball of fire quickly (you should have seen the disgusted look on his face when he saw the Hurricane).
About Yak’s and LA’s: Boris flew all models of the Yak, except the 3 model (he was supposed to fly one, but the gift to France prevented it), and LA 7, 9,11. He considers the Yak a good plane for mediocre pilots, and the LA for higher-level pilots, in part because they are more difficult to land. 
The third part of the interview, is in fact, from the second session. It details an after war training flight experience where he almost lost his life in an inverted spin.
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<!--[endif]--> “After the war, I flew in a 2 seats trainer with a new trainee. The guy was at least 10cm taller than me, much heavier, and blocked completely my front view. We reached 2000 meters, me strapped only in the belly straps, and than I passed the control of the plane to the trainee. I told him to pull the stick upwards, combined with weak pressure on the rudder, and than to recover from the situation.
The trainee pushed the rudder hard - all the way, and the plane inverted upside down – and started an inverted spin. I could not reach the pedals, because I was lifted from the seat (downwards in fact) and my head bounced against the cockpit glass. I ordered the trainee to react, but he just dropped his head on his shoulder and did not move – completely paralyzed. Meanwhile, the plane made at least two spins, and lost some 1000 meters.
I pulled myself with my hands strongly into the seat (upwards in fact), and tried to push the pedals. I could not because the trainee (who was bigger, heavier and stronger than me) would not let go. Finally I opened the glass between the seats, knocked him on the head strongly, and only than he let go of the pedals. I managed to level and recover at 200 meters.
The commander of the flight school came to see us right after we landed, to ask us what had happened, as he was watching us from the ground. He sent us to the clinic, as our eyes were filled with blood from the opposite G forces, and told me to take the rest of that day off.
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<!--[endif]--> As for the trainee – he was too afraid to fly again, and was sent to the AA forces, where he made a good career. He used to send me a greeting card every year, at the date of that event, to “our new birthday”. Many years later, I flew with some officers to the Ukraine where we were ordered suddenly to land at a certain airport. I was surprised to find the trainee, who has become a high-ranking officer in the AA forces, waiting. He saw my name on the flight list, and decided to take me for dinner!”
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<!--[endif]--> Editor’s Note: Once again our sincere gratitude goes out to Mr. Boris Alterman for this glimpse into history first hand and to Raam and the gentlemen at the IDF Virtual Squadron who made it possible. ~S~ |
