During one of the darkest chapters in the Soviet Union’s history, pilot S. Kuzniecov was flying his Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik back from a mission across the vast Russian territories now dominated by the German military when he was engaged by a squadron of Messerschmidt fighters.

A swift and fierce dogfight ensued, but the Soviet pilot was quickly outgunned and shot down from the sky.

As the Sturmovik descended, it left a black streak of smoke behind. However, there was no explosion as it touched down. Noticing this, one of the German pilots decided to land on a nearby flat patch of land to finish off the Soviet pilot and maybe claim a victory trophy.

But the German could not have known what awaited him as he approached the smoldering wreck…

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.