Downed, Wounded, Captured and Rescued
On 19 March 1944 three La-5FNs of the 19th IAP intercepted a group of Ju-88 bombers escorted by six Bf-110 fighters. Kramarenko's leader - Pavel Maslyakov - shot down one of the Junkers, but was in return jumped by one of the Bf-110s. Kramarenko was ready to cover him, scoring hits on the Messerchmitt. He then fell prey to the Bf-110 wingman, who set his aircraft on fire and forced him to bail out with severe burns to face and hands.
Kramarenko was captured almost immediately by German troops, and as he was unwilling to answer the questions of his SS interrogator he was to be executed. Fortunately for Kramarenko the order was cancelled at the last minute by a Wehrmacht General, who ordered also that Kramarenko be sent to a German field hospital. Two weeks later Kramarenko was rescued by Soviet troops liberating the hospital.
Read more about this topic: Sergei Kramarenko, The German-Soviet War (1941-45)
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