| I looked up the records I have on Soviet losses and checked the names. On 18 November 1952, four MiGs from the 781st IAP, 165th IAD, 83rd IAK Far East Military District Air Defense Forces, were intercepted by Panthers as they approached elements of the carrier group. Two of them were shot down; pilots were both listed as KIA and were Captain Belyakov and SLT Pakhonin. The major problem appears to have been one of them either crashed or bailed out in sight of a destroyer which waited before it went to rescue the pilot. He was alleged to have frozen to death in the cold water and there was some worry of recrimanation and deliberate loss of life, which could not be substaniated. However, as they were Soviet MiGs in Soviet markings and the bodies of both pilots were recovered, there was no desire at the time to publicize it on the part of either the Soviets or the US. Arkadiy Tarshinov was a pilot with the 67th IAP, 28th IAD who was listed as shot down in action on 18 November 1950 by an F9F flown by Lamb (VF-111). Apparently the Soviets never found the crash site on his loss. Cookie Sewell AMPS |