Junior Lieutenant Tropa was shot down by Uffz.Herbert Schaefer of 9./JG 5. Tropa became his first kill.

portrait photo kindly provided by rune rautio.

In 1998 the wreckage was transferred to the museum in Bodø

Bell P-39 Q-5 Airacobra Langryggen, Varanger Finnmark

2./255.IAP VVS SF SNo 42-20442 Code "42" JLt.Sergej Sergejevitsj Tropa (KIA) 26.05 1944

A total of 14 Bf 109's took off from Svartnes at 22.00 to protect a German convoy which were continuously attacked by a force of about 68 Russian aircraft. The Germans claimed 40 kills with no own losses. Nine Russian planes were reported lost in Russian sources! JLt.Tropa managed to perform a successful forced landing even when his leg was shot off during the air battle. He bled to death sitting in the cockpit of his Airacobra. Three years later he was found, still sitting there with a cigarette in his mouth.