BERST of the Border

摘要

The small Borderland Museum at Kirkenes in Norway is home to a most unusual attraction - one that entices historic aviation enthusiasts from all over the country. Its main building showcases a beautifully restored Ilyushin Ⅱ-2m3 Sturmovik, an aircraft with a remarkable history. During the major 1944 Red Army offensive against German forces in Norway and northern Finland, Sturmovik pilot 1st Lt Alexander Tsjetsjulin had targeted the strategically important Elvenes bridge near Kirkenes. On October 22, he set out with seven other Ⅱ-2s of the 214th Assault Aviation Division for one of several attacks on the bridge that day. The Russian aircraft found their mark, but Alexander's mount, 'Red 2', was badly damaged by German anti-aircraft fire. His rear gunner, 25-year-old 1st Sgt Nikolai Maximenko, described the machine as "falling apart", prompting the pilot to bring it down on a nearby lake. Although Alexander survived both the forced landing and the war, a tragic misunderstanding led Nikolai to bail out before landing and his parachute failed to open.