Date:	Monday 3 January 1944
Time:	14:00
Type:	Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6
Owner/operator:	7./JG 5 Luftwaffe
Registration:	18005
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Murmashi, Murmansk Oblast -   Russia
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 3 January 1944, four Bf 109s of 7./JG 5 took off at 11:34 hrs from Petsoma airfield towards Murmansk. They clashed with four Yak-7B of 767 IAP led by Leytnant N E Matveev in Murmashi area, at 14:00 hrs Soviet time (12:00 hrs German time). The Germans claimed collectively a Yak shot down, that was recorded as a squadron victory. One Yak-7B was indeed shot down, its pilot, Mlaadshi Leytenant V I Fedorov, baling out safely. On the other hand, two fighters of 7./JG 5 were shot down. Fw. Arthur Beth, a seventeen-victory ace, baled out from his Bf 109 G-6 WNr 18005 "white 1" and was captured, while Gfr. Oskar Amann was killed when his Bf 109 G-6 WNr 15601 "white 11" was shot down. Three pilots of 767 IAP claimed one Bf 109 shot down each: Leytnant N E Matveev, Mlaadshi Leytenant I Kruglov and Mlaadshi Leytenant V I Fedorov, the latter in an unplanned collision.

Arthur Beth survived Soviet captivity and returned to Germany five years later.

“Jagdgeschwader 5 Eismeerjäger: Eine Chronik aus Dokumenten U. Berichten: 1941-1945“, by Werner Girbig. ISBN 3-87943-365-8
"Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 124: Arctic Bf 109 and Bf 110 Aces", by John Weal. ISBN 978-1-7820-0798-2
https://cyclolife.livejournal.com/12641.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20120320130812/http://www.rafandluftwaffe.info/luftwaffe1.html
http://www.luftwaffe.no/SIG/Losses/tap43.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murmashi
http://www.maplandia.com/russia/murmanskaya-oblast/kolskiy-rayon/murmashi/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murmashi

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jan-2017 11:28	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
27-Mar-2020 16:12	DG333	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
02-Jul-2021 08:44	JF	Updated [Location, Source]