In fact the losses were minimal with devastating effect. Generally fighters could approach high value targets more safely than bombers of the time and hit them more accurately. These were delivered over Black Sea with a ‘sow’ taking off in Odessa and releasing ‘hogs’ some 20 miles from the Romanian coast. They were hitting carefully selected targets like oil terminals, docks and bridges and flew away to Yevpatoria base in Crimea. The Nazi initially could not understand there the fighters appeared from mistaking them for their own because distances from Soviet bases were prohibitive and the Soviets didn’t have carriers.
n fact the losses were minimal with devastating effect. Generally fighters could approach high value targets more safely than bombers of the time and hit them more accurately. These were delivered over Black Sea with a ‘sow’ taking off in Odessa and releasing ‘hogs’ some 20 miles from the Romanian coast. They were hitting carefully selected targets like oil terminals, docks and bridges and flew away to Yevpatoria base in Crimea. The Nazi initially could not understand there the fighters appeared from mistaking them for their own because distances from Soviet bases were prohibitive and the Soviets didn’t have carriers.
Interesting stuff. I like the term “sow” and “hogs”.