An air battle over Niš, Yugoslavia occurred on 7 November 1944 between the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and the Soviet Air Force during World War II. After the successful joint offensive in October 1944 and the expulsion of German forces to the north, the military units of the Red Army had been ordered to follow in their steps. On 7 November, a long column of vehicles belonging to 6th Guards Rifle Corps of the Red Army was moving from Niš towards Belgrade, with orders to reinforce the southern wing of the Hungarian front. Suddenly, at about 10:00 a.m., from southeast over Mount Jastrebac, three groups of American P-38 Lightning fighter planes of the 82nd Fighter Group arrived some 50 miles into Soviet held territory and the first group immediately started to strafe the leading vehi