Exceptional photograph by Mikhail Ryzhak showing a shot-down Royal Romanian Air Force Heinkel He-112B-2 fighter guarding by a Soviet soldier near Odessa, July 1941.
Shot-Down Romanian Heinkel He-112B-2 Fighter Near Odessa:
This historic frontline photograph, taken by prominent Soviet war photojournalist Mikhail Ryzhak in July 1941, shows a Red Army soldier standing guard beside a downed German-built Heinkel He-112B-2 fighter aircraft belonging to the Royal Romanian Air Force (AARR - Escadrila 52 Vânătoare).
The aircraft was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery during a failed low-level strafing attack against the Soviet Bolgaritsa Airfield near the besieged port city of Odessa on July 2, 1941.
The Air Raid on Bolgaritsa and Combat Outcome:
During the early phase of Operation Barbarossa, Romanian fighter squadrons provided close air support for Axis troops advancing through Bessarabia toward Odessa:
- Strafing Attack: On July 2, 1941, two He-112B fighters from the 52nd Romanian Fighter Squadron were destroyed while attempting to strafe Soviet aircraft parked at Bolgaritsa.
- Fate of the Aircrews: The first fighter, flown by Sergeant Ion Igescu, burst into flames and crashed onto the airfield, killing the pilot. The second fighter (Tail No. 18), shown in this photograph, was belly-landed in a field by Adjutant Oldi Serhes after sustaining heavy anti-aircraft hits. Serhes survived the forced crash landing and attempted to evade capture, but was shot and killed by Red Army infantrymen nearby.
- Propaganda and Press Distribution: Photographs of this captured "Heinkel" were widely circulated in Soviet national and regional newspapers (including Armavirskaya Kommuna, No. 217, September 11, 1941) as tangible evidence of effective Red Army air defense against Axis aviation.
Insignia and Technical Significance of the He-112:
The photograph provides clear details of rare Romanian wartime aviation markings and German export design:
- King Michael’s Cross (Crucea Regelui Mihai): Visible on the fuselage and vertical stabilizer is the distinct Romanian royal national insignia introduced in early 1941, featuring four interlocking monogram 'M's surrounding a yellow-blue-red national tricolor cockade.
- The Heinkel He-112 Fighter: Designed by Ernst Heinkel in the late 1930s as a competitor to the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the He-112 features elliptical wings and a closed cockpit. Though rejected by the Luftwaffe, 30 units of the modernized He-112B-1/B-2 variant were purchased by Romania and saw heavy combat over Southwestern Ukraine in 1941.
📍 Location: Bolgaritsa / Odessa Region, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
📅 Date: July 2, 1941 (Published September 11, 1941)
📷 Photographer: Mikhail Ryzhak
📰 Primary Source: Armavirskaya Kommuna newspaper, No. 217 (September 11, 1941)
Recommended reading:
- Combat record of the Royal Romanian Air Force (AARR) on the Eastern Front (1941)
- Development and export history of the Heinkel He-112 fighter
- The Soviet Air Defense and Aviation during the Siege of Odessa (1941)
- Wartime photojournalism of Soviet war correspondent Mikhail Ryzhak