Slemä ridge climb

During the night between 13th and 14th of October 1944, Lisunov Li-2 No. 28 from the 3rd Squadron of the 340th Regiment of the Soviet Air Force was shot down by a night fighter. It was flying to help the SNP1 within the air bridge. In addition to 6 crew members, 13 members of the 2nd Czechoslovak Independent Paratrooper's Brigade were also on board. Specifically it was part of the commander's battery of the brigade artillery division. No one survived the crash on Mount Slemä. About 73 years later, on October 14, 2017, we went on a hiking tour of Slemä peak, which is regularly organized by a military parachute club. Aircraft debris are still there...

Died during the crash:2

  • Soviet crew
    • ppor. Bektursinov Muchrat Žumatovič - aircraft commander
    • por. Šapov Aleksej Ivanovič - second pilot
    • ppor. Rybin Fedor Pavlovič - navigator
    • starš. Panin Gavril Sergejevič - flight mechanic
    • serž. Švec Franko Pavlovič - radio operator/shooter
    • voj. Perelygin Nikolaj Michajlovič - shooter

  • members of artillery division - commander's battery of 2nd CZIPD
    • ppor. Dionýz Tomčány, Trnovo, Martin county - commander of commander's battery of artillery division and reconnaissance commander
    • ppor. MUDr. Aleš Dobrý, Plzeň - artillery division doctor
    • rtm. Michal Sabo, Čelovce - executive sergeant of commander's battery
    • rtn. Juraj Goliaš, Stulany, Giraltovce county - commander of the communication squad
    • čat. Július Libera, Veľký Šariš, Prešov county
    • čat. František Dudáš, Lipt. Lužná, Ružomberok county - cook
    • slob. Erich Meisel, Trutnov - radio commander
    • slob. Miroslav Maslančík, Oravské Veselé - radio commander
    • voj. Ondrej Jurkanin, Hankovce, Giraltovce county - radio operator
    • voj. Jozef Závatzský, V. Medzev, Košice county - medic
    • voj. Anton Maksa, Kvasilov, Volyň - radio operator
    • voj. Václav Květoň, Hrušvice, Volyň - scout
    • voj. Alojz Bernadič, Svätý Jur, okr. Bratislava - driver

1 Slovenské národné povstanie (Slovak national uprising)

2 WWII Soviet and Czechoslovak military ranks do not correspond to modern military ranks and therefore their original version is shown