Twice, thrice and four times heroes. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Sultan in the sky Who is twice a Hero of the Soviet Union

Gritsevets Sergey Ivanovich

The first twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets, is the most productive Soviet air ace of the late thirties, according to official data, he shot down 42 enemy aircraft.

Member of the Spanish Civil War from June to October 1938 as commander of a fighter aviation squadron. For 116 days of stay on Spanish soil, Captain S.I. Gritsevets had to participate in 57 air battles, scoring, according to official data, 30 personal victories and 7 in the group (according to the researcher S. Abrosov, Captain Gritsevets accounted for 88 sorties, 42 air battles, 7 personally shot down enemy aircraft). On February 22, 1939, Major Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin "for the exemplary performance of special tasks of the Government to strengthen the defense power of the Soviet Union and for the heroism shown."

Member of the fighting on the Khalkhin-Gol River from June to August 1939 as commander of a separate aviation group of I-153 fighters. In 69 days of fighting, Major Gritsevets completed 138 successful sorties, shooting down 12 enemy aircraft and accomplished an amazingly daring feat in his courage: he saved the commander of the 70th Aviation Fighter Regiment, Major V.M., who was shot down by the Japanese. Zabaluev. In front of the eyes of the Japanese, seventy kilometers behind the front line, Major Gritsevets landed in the steppe, loaded Zabaluev into his I-16 and successfully delivered him to the airfield. On August 29, 1939, "for exemplary performance of combat missions and outstanding heroism shown in the performance of combat missions," Gritsevets was awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

September 16, 1939 Major Gritsevets S.I. died in a plane crash when another fighter crashed into his plane on the runway.

Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich

Born on October 12, 1912 in the village of Golubovka, now the Novomoskovsky district of the Dnepropetrovsk region, in a peasant family. Graduated from high school. In 1930 - 1931 he studied at the Moscow Land Management Technical School, from where, on a Komsomol ticket, he was sent to study at the Kachin Military Aviation School of Pilots. After graduation, he was a pilot-instructor of this school, then a flight commander, detachment and squadron. For success in his service he was awarded in 1936 the Order of the Badge of Honor. He also proved himself in test work, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

From March 13 to August 24, 1938, he participated in battles with the Japanese invaders in China. He flew on the I-16 (76 hours of combat flight), in 8 air battles he shot down 7 enemy aircraft (6 personally and 1 in a group with comrades).

On February 22, 1939, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

From May 29 to September 7, 1939 he fought on the Khalkhin-Gol River, where he commanded the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilots of the regiment destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. Kravchenko himself from June 22 to July 29 shot down 5 enemy fighters. On August 29, 1939 he was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

In the winter of 1939-1940, he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War as commander of a special air group. Subsequently, he headed the fighter aviation department of the Main Flight Inspectorate of the Air Force.

In 1940 he was appointed head of the Air Force of the Baltic Military District. Since November 1940, he studied at the advanced training courses for command personnel at the Military Academy of the General Staff.

During the Great Patriotic War at the front, he commanded the 11th mixed aviation division, the Air Force of the 3rd Army, the Attack Air Group of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 215th Fighter Aviation Division. He fought on the Western, Bryansk, Kalinin, Leningrad and Volkhov fronts.

Sergei Gritsevets lived a short but unusually bright life and left a noticeable mark in the history of Russian aviation. The son of a poor Belarusian peasant, he was born on July 19, 1909 in the village of Borovtsy, now the Baranovichi district of the Brest region. He graduated from the 7th grade in 1927. He worked as a laborer in the track service on the railroad, in Flax Trade, as an apprentice locksmith in the hilt shop of a mechanical plant in Zlatoust. He graduated from the FZU, studied at the evening department of the metallurgical technical school. Since 1931 in the ranks of the Red Army.

In June 1931, on a Komsomol ticket, he arrived at the 3rd Orenburg Military Pilot School, where he was considered one of the most enterprising and capable cadets. The battle sheets of those years called for being equal in studies to Sergei. After graduating from the aviation school in September 1932, Gritsevets became a fighter pilot. At first he served in the Kyiv Aviation Brigade, and from December 1933 in the 1st Red Banner IAE in Gatchina. As part of this squadron, he then served in the Far East, became the head of the squadron's airborne rifle service, and then was appointed flight commander. From August 1, 1936 he studied at the Odessa School of Air Combat and Aerobatics, then he was an instructor pilot there.

A military pilot with a small suitcase was waiting for tram number 13, as it was called "aviation" here, to go from the Odessa-Hlavnaya station towards Lustdorf - the seaside children's climatic station. A sultry day at the end of July 1936 was approaching, but it was not yet hot in the morning, and Sergei felt cheerful and light, breathing in the fresh and humid sea air with pleasure. The mood was great.

Almost empty at an early hour, the carriage, having received a lone passenger, ran along deserted streets lined with trees of the middle lane interspersed with subtropical ones. Before Lustdorf, the tram turned onto Ulyanovka and stopped not far from the checkpoint of the aviation school. Sergei Gritsevets got out, and the carriage, rattling and ringing, turned into the city.

The core of the aerobatics school was a special-purpose aviation squadron. Talented career pilots of the Red Army Air Force, under the guidance of experienced instructors - methodologists, honed their air combat skills here, increased the accuracy of aerial fire, in a word, mastered the full course of using the newest aircraft in combat - the I-16 fighter.

By the end of July 1936, most of the fighter pilots of the first set arrived at the Odessa air combat school ...

Sergei wrote to his brother Ivan in Moscow:

“Since August 1, I have been in Odessa and have been studying at school. By the way, they teach theory very well. I fly a new fighter. ", it happens on some days. Our studies, it turns out, are designed for a year, but they also say that with an increased pace of study, we will finish school in 6-8 months. That would be very good. If this happens, then Galya will live for this time It's true, it will be boring for my mother to live apart, but we're no strangers to her. That's how things stand with regard to us. So far, all the best. Your brother Seryozha ... "

Then it happened in aviation units. In the rank of senior lieutenant, he was acting commander of the 8th Odessa Pilot School of the Kyiv Military District.

In June 1938, as part of a group of 34 pilots, he arrived in Spain to assist the Republican Air Force. He had pseudonyms "Sergio" and "Commander Serge".

In battles with enemy aircraft in unequal conditions, when the ratio between Republican and Francoist aircraft was often 1: 5, he came to the conclusion that the only correct tactic in such conditions could only be a group "falcon strike" - a sudden attack of the enemy by the entire squadron from above, behind.

On August 14, 1938, the group of aircraft he commanded used this new tactic for the first time in air combat. The blow was so unexpected and stunning for the enemy that the enemy group lost control. Several enemy vehicles fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Gritsevets' group in full force returned to the airfield.

In total, in the sky of Spain, Sergey Gritsevets made 88 sorties with a total flying time of 115 hours, in 42 (according to other sources in 24) air battles he shot down 30 enemy aircraft (6 personally and 24 as part of a group).

The pilots of the group under his leadership shot down 85 aircraft. The news of one of his sorties spread around the world ...

An air battle with German He-51s and Italian Cr-32s began near the Ebro River over the positions of Lister's corps, to which Spanish and foreign journalists were invited that day. Senior Lieutenant Gritsevets fought in the sky with superior enemy forces. But how! On the "donkey" - this is how the maneuverable I-16 was called - Sergey boldly attacked groups of enemy aircraft. The central newspaper of the Spanish communists, Mundo Obrero, reported about this unequal battle: “Sergio, a brave pilot of the Republic, loyal to military duty, fighting heroically, shot down 7 (seven!) Fascist planes in one sortie (including 5 Fiats CR-32), but his car was seriously damaged."

He-51

Fiat CR-32

Many foreign newspapers also wrote about this feat. Among others - the English "Daily News", whose correspondent watched the air battle and even managed to find out the real name of Sergio's camarado. The newspaper came out with a catchy headline: "Russian pilot Sergei Gritsevets - a man of amazing courage." [According to the data of S. V. Abrosov, in reality, during one of the sorties to escort the Security Council, Sergei had to fight off 7 Fiats alone, but, according to official documents, he did not declare victories in this battle. Most likely, this is just a beautiful legend. ]

Sergei Gritsevets especially distinguished himself in the final and most difficult battles for the Ebro, where the Germans used experienced Messers armed with cannons and significantly superior to the I-16 in speed. In just 20 days of August 1938, Soviet and Spanish pilots shot down 72 enemy aircraft.

I-16 battle with Bf-109

In one of the battles on August 13, 1938, together with the Spanish pilot Sergeant Luis Margalef, he shot down and forced to land on the Republican territory a German He-111 bomber, whose crew was taken prisoner.

August 18, 1938 - on the day of Aviation, Gritsevets shot down 2 Italian Fiats. With his pilots, Gritsevets sometimes climbed without oxygen devices to a height of up to 7 km in order to bring down a blow on the enemy from there.

The last time the pilots of the group of Sergei Gritsevets took part in the battle was on October 15, 1938, when about 100 republican aircraft were immediately lifted into the air as part of 7 squadrons. Then, over the Ebro River, in a tense air battle, by the joint efforts of Soviet and Spanish pilots, 3 Messers and 5 Fiats were shot down. Our losses amounted to 3 aircraft (all pilots escaped by parachute).

However, by the time the 113-day battle for the Ebro ended, of the 34 pilots who arrived with Gritsevets in June 1938, only 7 remained in service.

List of famous victories of Senior Lieutenant S. I. Gritsevets:

Otto Bertram

On February 22, 1939, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a Decree stating that for the exemplary performance of special tasks of the government to strengthen the defense power of the Soviet Union and the personal courage and courage shown at the same time, Senior Lieutenant S. I. Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin himself presented Gritsevets with a certificate of conferment of this high rank. It should be noted that the rank of captain Sergei Gritsevets never had: from a senior lieutenant, he immediately became a major (December 31, 1938).

In full force, the strengths of the character and flying skills of Sergei Gritsevets manifested themselves in the sky of Khalkhin - Gol in the summer of 1939: lightning resourcefulness, keen observation, a sense of comradely assistance, virtuoso piloting technique. In air battles, personally and as part of a group, he shot down 12 Japanese aircraft.

At first, Gritsevets flew I-16s, and when the new I-153s ("Seagulls") were received at the end of June, he was appointed squadron commander of these aircraft.

In most sorties of the "Seagulls", whose squadron was always in the lead by Gritsevets, ended in victory for the Soviet pilots.

So it was in the memorable air battle on August 25, when ground troops finished off the encircled units of the 6th Japanese Army. On this day, 7 air battles took place over Khalkhin-Gol. One of them involved more than 200 Soviet and Japanese aircraft.

The battle unfolded at altitudes up to 6000 meters. Engines roared over the river valley, machine-gun bursts crackled, planes fell down, leaving trails of black smoke behind them. And in this whirlwind, the "Seagull" of the squadron commander stood out.

In the midst of the battle, Gritsevets noticed how a Japanese fighter was attached to the tail of Leonid Orlov's car. Fascinated by the attack, Orlov did not notice this, and then Sergei Gritsevets went head-on against the Japanese. The enemy could not withstand the oncoming attack and soared up like a candle. Gritsevets fired a short aimed burst at the Japanese pilot. He threw his car into a steep dive, pretended to be hit and falls. But such a trick of the enemy was well known to Gritsevets from the battles in Spain. He immediately dived down after the samurai, caught up with him and shot him at close range. The Japanese fighter, without leaving the peak, crashed into a sand dune.

On June 26, 1939, an air battle with the Japanese began in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bLake Buir - Nur, which lasted about two hours and ended in a complete victory for the Soviet pilots. The enemy lost 15 aircraft. On this day, Sergei Gritsevets accomplished a feat that became known throughout the country.

I-153 and I-16 in Mongolia

In the battle, the plane of the commander of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major V. M. Zabaluev, was shot down and he parachuted into the territory occupied by the enemy.

Sergey Gritsevets saw all this. Without thinking twice, he landed his car not far from the landed comrade, helped him climb into the cockpit and took off under fire from the Japanese infantry. It was the first such case in Soviet aviation.

Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zabaluev

In the sky Khalkhin - Gola S. I. Gritsevets made 138 sorties. In air battles, he shot down 12 enemy aircraft (according to some sources - 10 personally and 2 in a group, according to others - all 12 personally).

List of famous victories of Major S.I. Gritsevets in the sky of Mongolia:

On August 29, 1939, for victories in air battles and rescuing the commander, Sergei Gritsevets was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Red Banner of the 1st degree (08/18/1939).

He was not only an excellent air fighter, but also a wonderful mentor. Dozens of young pilots learned the art of air combat from Gritsevets. He conducted debriefings with them, tactical lessons, taught them to combine maneuver and fire: "Only a second is allotted for a pilot to aim at, - he said, - Only one second!"

He really knew how to be the first to give a turn, for some fraction of a second ahead of the enemy. He always attacked unexpectedly, never allowing a pattern in tactics. By the beginning of World War II, it was Gritsevets who was the most productive Soviet fighter pilot with 42 air victories!

In early September 1939, Major S. I. Gritsevets, together with a group of pilots led by commander Y. V. Smushkevich, left for Moscow.

He was appointed as an adviser to one of the air brigades of the Belarusian military district. The Red Army troops were to march into Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

On September 16, Gritsevets with a group of pilots attended a meeting of the Military Council of the district in Minsk. They returned to their airfield near Orsha at dusk. Gritsevets landed first. Major P. I. Khara, who was on his way to land second, did not see the laid out letter "T", began to land from the opposite side of the airfield and crashed into a parked car of Gritsevets at high speed.

As a result of the collision, both aircraft were destroyed, Khara was seriously injured, and Gritsevets was cut off by a propeller blow. So, an absurd accident caused the death of an outstanding Soviet pilot.

Since June 1941 on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Until September 1942, he fought as part of the 4th IAP (flying the I-153, Hurricane and Yak-7), then until the end of the war as part of the 9th Guards IAP (on the Yak-1, Aerocobra and La -7).

By August 1943, the squadron commander of the 9th Odessa Red Banner Guards Aviation Regiment (6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, Southern Front) Captain Amet-Khan Sultan made 359 sorties (110 of them in the sky of Stalingrad) , conducted 79 air battles, in which he shot down 11 enemy aircraft personally and 19 - as part of a group.

On August 24, 1943, for courage and courage shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By the end of the war, he made 603 sorties, in 150 air battles he personally shot down 30 and in a group of 19 enemy aircraft.

On June 29, 1945, the assistant commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st Air Army), Major Amet-Khan Sultan, was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

After the war, he entered the Air Force Academy, but soon left and began working as a test pilot (he mastered about 100 aircraft in total). In 1946 - Guards Lieutenant Colonel. In 1947 he received the title of "Test Pilot 1st Class". In 1952 he was awarded the Stalin Prize.

In 1961 he was awarded the title of Honored Test Pilot of the USSR. He died in a test flight on February 1, 1971.

Awarded with Orders: Lenin (three times), Red Banner (five), Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star, Badge of Honor, medals. Honorary citizen of the city of Yaroslavl. Forever enrolled in the lists of the military unit. A bronze bust of the Hero was installed in his homeland, a memorial plaque - in the city of Kaspiysk, Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Schools No. 27 in Makhachkala and No. 8 in Kaspiysk bear his name. The Hero's relatives live in Moscow.

Representatives of the Soviet air force made a huge contribution to the defeat of the Nazi invaders. Many pilots gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our Motherland, many became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Some of them forever entered the elite of the Russian Air Force, the famous cohort of Soviet aces - the thunderstorm of the Luftwaffe. Today we recall the 10 most productive Soviet fighter pilots, who chalked up the most enemy aircraft shot down in air battles.

On February 4, 1944, the outstanding Soviet fighter pilot Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was awarded the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. By the end of the Great Patriotic War, he was already three times Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war years, only one more Soviet pilot was able to repeat this achievement - it was Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin. But the war does not end with these two most famous aces of the Soviet fighter aviation. During the war, another 25 pilots were twice presented with the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union, not to mention those who were once awarded this highest military award of the country of those years.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

During the war years, Ivan Kozhedub made 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft. He flew on La-5, La-5FN and La-7 aircraft.

The official Soviet historiography featured 62 downed enemy aircraft, but archival research showed that Kozhedub shot down 64 aircraft (for some reason, two air victories were missing - April 11, 1944 - PZL P.24 and June 8, 1944 - Me 109) . Among the trophies of the Soviet ace pilot were 39 fighters (21 Fw-190, 17 Me-109 and 1 PZL P.24), 17 dive bombers (Ju-87), 4 bombers (2 Ju-88 and 2 He-111), 3 attack aircraft (Hs-129) and one Me-262 jet fighter. In addition, in his autobiography, he indicated that in 1945 he shot down two American P-51 Mustang fighters, which attacked him from a long distance, mistaking him for a German aircraft.

In all likelihood, had Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) started the war in 1941, his account of downed aircraft could have been even higher. However, his debut came only in 1943, and the future ace shot down his first plane in the battle of Kursk. On July 6, during a sortie, he shot down a German Ju-87 dive bomber. Thus, the performance of the pilot is really amazing, in just two war years he managed to bring the score of his victories to a record in the Soviet Air Force.

At the same time, Kozhedub was never shot down during the entire war, although he returned to the airfield several times in a badly damaged fighter. But the last could have been his first air battle, which took place on March 26, 1943. His La-5 was damaged by a German fighter burst, the armored back saved the pilot from an incendiary projectile. And upon returning home, his own air defense fired at his plane, the car received two hits. Despite this, Kozhedub managed to land the plane, which was no longer subject to full restoration.

The future best Soviet ace made his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shotkinsky flying club. At the beginning of 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army and in the fall of the same year he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, after which he continued to serve at this school as an instructor. With the outbreak of war, the school was evacuated to Kazakhstan. The war itself began for him in November 1942, when Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division. The formation of the division was completed only in March 1943, after which it flew to the front. As mentioned above, he won his first victory only on July 6, 1943, but a start was made.

Already on February 4, 1944, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, at that time he managed to make 146 sorties and shoot down 20 enemy aircraft in air battles. He received his second star in the same year. He was presented for the award on August 19, 1944, already for 256 combat missions and 48 enemy aircraft shot down. At that time, as a captain, he served as deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

In air battles, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was distinguished by fearlessness, composure and automatism of piloting, which he brought to perfection. Perhaps the fact that before being sent to the front he spent several years as an instructor played a very large role in his future success in the sky. Kozhedub could easily conduct aimed fire at the enemy at any position of the aircraft in the air, and also easily performed complex aerobatic maneuvers. Being an excellent sniper, he preferred to conduct air combat at a distance of 200-300 meters.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub won his last victory in the Great Patriotic War on April 17, 1945 in the sky over Berlin, in this battle he shot down two German FW-190 fighters. Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, the future air marshal (the title was awarded on May 6, 1985), Major Kozhedub became on August 18, 1945. After the war, he continued to serve in the country's Air Force and went through a very serious career path, bringing more benefits to the country. The legendary pilot died on August 8, 1991, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin

Alexander Ivanovich Tires fought from the very first day of the war to the last. During this time, he made 650 sorties, in which he conducted 156 air battles and officially personally shot down 59 enemy aircraft and 6 aircraft in the group. He is the second most successful ace of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition after Ivan Kozhedub. During the war he flew MiG-3, Yak-1 and American P-39 Airacobra.

The number of downed aircraft is very conditional. Quite often, Alexander Pokryshkin made deep raids behind enemy lines, where he also managed to win victories. However, only those of them were counted that could be confirmed by ground services, that is, if possible, over their own territory. He could have had 8 such unrecorded victories only in 1941. At the same time, they accumulated throughout the war. Also, Alexander Pokryshkin often gave the planes he shot down to the account of his subordinates (mostly followers), stimulating them in this way. In those days it was quite common.

Already during the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin was able to understand that the tactics of the Soviet Air Force were outdated. Then he began to enter his notes on this account in a notebook. He kept an accurate record of the air battles in which he and his friends took part, after which he made a detailed analysis of what was written. At the same time, at that time he had to fight in very difficult conditions of the constant retreat of the Soviet troops. He later said: "Those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know the real war."

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and massive criticism of everything that was connected with that period, some authors began to "cut down" the number of Pokryshkin's victories. This was also due to the fact that at the end of 1944, official Soviet propaganda finally made the pilot "a bright image of a hero, the main fighter of the war." In order not to lose the hero in a random battle, it was ordered to limit the flights of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, who by that time had already commanded the regiment. On August 19, 1944, after 550 sorties and 53 officially won victories, he became three times Hero of the Soviet Union, the first in history.

The wave of “revelations” that swept over him after the 1990s also went through him because after the war he managed to take the post of Commander-in-Chief of the country’s air defense forces, that is, he became a “major Soviet official.” If we talk about the low ratio of victories to completed sorties, then it can be noted that for a long time at the beginning of the war, Pokryshkin on his MiG-3, and then the Yak-1, flew to attack enemy ground forces or perform reconnaissance flights. For example, by mid-November 1941, the pilot had already completed 190 sorties, but the vast majority of them - 144 were to attack enemy ground forces.

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was not only a cold-blooded, courageous and virtuoso Soviet pilot, but also a thinking pilot. He was not afraid to criticize the existing tactics of using fighter aircraft and advocated its replacement. Discussions on this issue with the regiment commander in 1942 led to the fact that the ace pilot was even expelled from the party and sent the case to the tribunal. The pilot was saved by the intercession of the regimental commissar and the higher command. The case against him was dropped and reinstated in the party. After the war, Pokryshkin was in conflict with Vasily Stalin for a long time, which adversely affected his career. Everything changed only in 1953 after the death of Joseph Stalin. Subsequently, he managed to rise to the rank of air marshal, which was awarded to him in 1972. The famous ace pilot died on November 13, 1985 at the age of 72 in Moscow.

Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov

Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov fought from the very first day of the Great Patriotic War. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war years, he completed more than 450 sorties, shooting down 56 enemy aircraft in person and 6 in a group in 122 air battles. According to other sources, the number of his personal air victories could exceed 60. During the war years, he flew the I-153 Chaika, I-16, Yak-1, P-39 Airacobra aircraft.

Probably no other Soviet fighter pilot had such a variety of downed enemy vehicles as Grigory Rechkalov. Among his trophies were Me-110, Me-109, Fw-190 fighters, Ju-88, He-111 bombers, Ju-87 dive bomber, Hs-129 attack aircraft, Fw-189 and Hs-126 reconnaissance aircraft, as well as such a rare car as the Italian "Savoy" and the Polish PZL-24 fighter, which was used by the Romanian Air Force.

Surprisingly, the day before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Rechkalov was suspended from flying by decision of the medical flight commission, he was diagnosed with color blindness. But upon returning to his unit with this diagnosis, he was still allowed to fly. The beginning of the war forced the authorities to simply turn a blind eye to this diagnosis, simply ignoring it. At the same time, he served in the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment since 1939, together with Pokryshkin.

This brilliant military pilot was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing a model of determination, courage and discipline within the framework of one sortie, in another, he could be distracted from the main task and just as resolutely start pursuing a random enemy, trying to increase the score of his victories. His combat fate in the war was closely intertwined with the fate of Alexander Pokryshkin. He flew with him in the same group, replaced him as a squadron commander and regiment commander. Pokryshkin himself considered frankness and directness to be the best qualities of Grigory Rechkalov.

Rechkalov, like Pokryshkin, fought from June 22, 1941, but with a forced break for almost two years. In the first month of fighting, he managed to shoot down three enemy aircraft on his outdated I-153 biplane fighter. He also managed to fly on the I-16 fighter. On July 26, 1941, during a sortie near Dubossary, he was wounded in the head and leg by fire from the ground, but managed to bring his plane to the airfield. After this injury, he spent 9 months in the hospital, during which time the pilot underwent three operations. And once again, the medical commission tried to put an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the future illustrious ace. Grigory Rechkalov was sent to serve in a reserve regiment, which was equipped with U-2 aircraft. The future twice Hero of the Soviet Union took this direction as a personal insult. At the headquarters of the district air force, he managed to ensure that he was returned to his regiment, which at that time was called the 17th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. But very soon the regiment was withdrawn from the front for re-equipment with the new American Airacobra fighters, which went to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease program. For these reasons, Rechkalov began to beat the enemy again only in April 1943.

Grigory Rechkalov, being one of the domestic stars of fighter aviation, could perfectly interact with other pilots, guessing their intentions and working together as a group. Even during the war years, a conflict arose between him and Pokryshkin, but he never sought to throw out some kind of negativity about this or blame his opponent. On the contrary, in his memoirs he spoke well of Pokryshkin, noting that they managed to unravel the tactics of the German pilots, after which they began to apply new techniques: they began to fly in pairs, not in flights, it is better to use radio for guidance and communication, to separate their cars in the so-called " whatnot."

Grigory Rechkalov won 44 victories on the Aerocobra, more than other Soviet pilots. Already after the end of the war, someone asked the famous pilot what he most appreciated in the Airacobra fighter, on which so many victories were won: the power of a fire salvo, speed, visibility, engine reliability? To this question, the ace pilot replied that all of the above, of course, mattered, these were the obvious advantages of the aircraft. But the main thing, he said, was in the radio. The Airacobra had excellent, rare radio communications in those years. Thanks to this connection, the pilots in battle could communicate with each other, as if by telephone. Someone saw something - immediately all the members of the group are aware of it. Therefore, in combat missions, we did not have any surprises.

After the end of the war, Grigory Rechkalov continued his service in the Air Force. True, not as long as other Soviet aces. Already in 1959, he retired with the rank of major general. After that he lived and worked in Moscow. He died in Moscow on December 20, 1990 at the age of 70.

Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev

Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev ended up on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in August 1942. In total, during the war years, he made 250 sorties, conducted 49 air battles, in which he personally destroyed 55 enemy aircraft and 5 more aircraft in the group. Such statistics make Gulaev the most effective Soviet ace. For every 4 sorties, he had a downed aircraft, or an average of more than one aircraft for each dogfight. During the war, he flew the I-16, Yak-1, P-39 Airacobra fighters, most of his victories, like Pokryshkin and Rechkalov, he won on the Airacobra.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev shot down not much less aircraft than Alexander Pokryshkin. But in terms of the effectiveness of the battles, he far surpassed both him and Kozhedub. At the same time, he fought for less than two years. At first, in the deep Soviet rear, as part of the air defense forces, he was engaged in the protection of important industrial facilities, protecting them from enemy air raids. And in September 1944, he was almost forcibly sent to study at the Air Force Academy.

The Soviet pilot made his most productive battle on May 30, 1944. In one air battle over Skuleni, he managed to shoot down 5 enemy aircraft at once: two Me-109s, Hs-129s, Ju-87s and Ju-88s. During the battle, he himself was seriously wounded in the right hand, but having concentrated all his strength and will, he was able to bring his fighter to the airfield, bleeding, landed and, having already taxied to the parking lot, lost consciousness. The pilot came to his senses only in the hospital after the operation, here he learned about the award of the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union to him.

All the time while Gulaev was at the front, he fought desperately. During this time, he managed to make two successful rams, after which he managed to land his damaged aircraft. Several times during this time he was wounded, but after being wounded he invariably returned back to duty. In early September 1944, the ace pilot was forcibly sent to study. At that moment, the outcome of the war was already clear to everyone, and they tried to protect the famous Soviet aces by sending them to the Air Force Academy by order. Thus, the war ended unexpectedly for our hero.

Nikolai Gulaev was called the brightest representative of the "romantic school" of air combat. Often the pilot dared to commit "irrational actions" that shocked the German pilots, but helped him win victories. Even among other far from ordinary Soviet fighter pilots, the figure of Nikolai Gulaev stood out for his colorfulness. Only such a person, possessing unparalleled courage, would be able to carry out 10 super-successful air battles, recording two of his victories for a successful ramming of enemy aircraft. Gulaev’s modesty in public and in his self-esteem was dissonant with his exceptionally aggressive and persistent manner of conducting air combat, and he managed to carry openness and honesty with boyish spontaneity through his whole life, retaining some youthful prejudices until the end of his life, which did not prevent him from rising to the rank of rank of Colonel General of Aviation. The famous pilot died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow.

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Like Kozhedub, he began his military career relatively late, only in 1943. During the war years, he made 296 sorties, conducted 120 air battles, personally shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and 3 in a group. He flew La-5 and La-5FN fighters.

The almost two-year "delay" with the appearance at the front was due to the fact that the fighter pilot suffered from stomach ulcers, and they were not allowed to go to the front with this disease. From the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked as an instructor at a flight school, and after that he overtook Lend-Lease Aerocobras. Work as an instructor gave him a lot, like another Soviet ace Kozhedub. At the same time, Evstigneev did not stop writing reports to the command with a request to send him to the front, as a result, they were nevertheless satisfied. Kirill Evstigneev received his baptism of fire in March 1943. Like Kozhedub, he fought as part of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flew a La-5 fighter. On his first sortie on March 28, 1943, he scored two victories.

For the entire duration of the war, the enemy never managed to bring down Kirill Evstigneev. But from his own he got twice. For the first time, the Yak-1 pilot, who was carried away by air combat, crashed into his plane from above. The Yak-1 pilot immediately jumped out of the plane, which lost one wing, with a parachute. But Evstigneev's La-5 suffered less, and he managed to reach the positions of his troops by landing the fighter next to the trenches. The second case, more mysterious and dramatic, occurred over its territory in the absence of enemy aircraft in the air. The fuselage of his plane was burst through, damaging Yevstigneev's legs, the car caught fire and went into a dive, and the pilot had to jump out of the plane with a parachute. At the hospital, doctors were inclined to amputate the pilot's foot, but he overtook them with such fear that they abandoned their idea. And after 9 days, the pilot escaped from the hospital and with crutches got to the location of his native part of 35 kilometers.

Kirill Evstigneev constantly increased the number of his air victories. Until 1945, the pilot was ahead of Kozhedub. At the same time, the doctor of the unit periodically sent him to the hospital to treat an ulcer and a wounded leg, which the ace pilot terribly opposed. Kirill Alekseevich was seriously ill from the pre-war times, in his life he underwent 13 surgical operations. Very often, the famous Soviet pilot flew, overcoming physical pain. Evstigneev, as they say, was obsessed with flying. In his spare time, he tried to train young fighter pilots. He was the initiator of training air battles. For the most part, Kozhedub turned out to be his opponent in them. At the same time, Evstigneev was completely devoid of a sense of fear, even at the very end of the war he calmly went into a frontal attack on the six-gun Fokkers, winning victories over them. Kozhedub spoke of his comrade-in-arms like this: "Flint pilot."

Captain Kirill Evstigneev finished the war of the Guards as a navigator of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilot spent his last battle in the sky of Hungary on March 26, 1945, on his fifth La-5 fighter during the war. After the war, he continued to serve in the USSR Air Force, in 1972 he retired with the rank of Major General, and lived in Moscow. He died on August 29, 1996 at the age of 79, was buried at the Kuntsevsky cemetery of the capital.

Information sources:
http://svpressa.ru
http://airaces.narod.ru
http://www.warheroes.ru

Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko (September 27 (October 10), 1912, Golubovka village, Yekaterinoslav province - February 23, 1943, Sinyavino village, Leningrad region) - lieutenant general of aviation, ace pilot. Together with S. I. Gritsevets, the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1939). Born on September 27 (October 10), 1912 in the village of Golubovka, Novomoskovsk district, Yekaterinoslav province (now Novomoskovsk district, Dnepropetrovsk region) in the family of a poor peasant. Ukrainian In 1930 he graduated from the school of peasant youth and entered the Perm Land Management College, which was soon transferred to Moscow. After the first year of the Moscow Land Management College in 1931, he was drafted into the Red Army. In the same year he joined the CPSU (b). In aviation When the appeal of the IX Congress of the Komsomol was published in the winter of 1931 with the appeal "Komsomolets - on the plane!", The answer of the Soviet youth was unanimous "Let's give 100,000 pilots!". Gregory took the call as personally addressed to him and filed an application with a request to send him to aviation. According to the special recruitment of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in May 1931, he was sent to the 1st Military School of Pilots. comrade Myasnikov in Kacha. At the aviation school, he mastered the U-1 and R-1 aircraft. The persistent and disciplined cadet completed the curriculum in 11 months. In 1932, after graduating from the Kachin Military Aviation School named after A.F. Myasnikov, he remained there to work as an instructor pilot. In 1933-1934. served in the 403rd IAB, commanded by brigade commander P. I. Pumpur. He quickly mastered the I-3, I-4, I-5 fighters. Since 1934, he served near Moscow in the 116th Special Purpose Fighter Squadron under the command of Colonel Thomas Suzi. Was a squad leader. The squadron performed special missions of the Air Force Research Institute. Participated in tests of dynamo-reactive aircraft guns of the Kurchevsky APK 4-bis on I-Z aircraft (N 13535). For success in service, he was awarded on May 25, 1936 with the Order of the Badge of Honor. In August 1936, he was awarded a diploma of the Central Committee of the Komsomol and the Central Council of the Osoaviakhim of the USSR for excellent work in preparing and holding an aviation festival held on August 24, 1936. Participation in the fighting in China and at Khalkhin Gol Senior Lieutenant Kravchenko took part in the fighting in China from March 13 to August 24, 1938. He flew on the I-16 (76 hours of combat flight). On April 29, he shot down 2 bombers, but was shot down himself, with difficulty he landed the car on an emergency one and spent more than a day getting to his airfield in Nanchang. On July 4, covering Anton Gubenko, who had ejected with a parachute, he pressed the Japanese fighter so hard that it crashed into the ground. After the group flew to Canton, Kravchenko participated in a raid on an enemy airfield. May 31, 1938 destroyed 2 aircraft while repulsing an enemy raid on Hanhou. A few days later, in one battle, he destroyed 3 enemy fighters at once, but he himself was shot down. In the summer of 1938, he won the last victory over Hanhou - he shot down a bomber. In total, in China, he shot down about 10 enemy aircraft, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At the end of December 1938, Kravchenko was awarded the extraordinary military rank of major. He continued flight test work at the Air Force Research Institute in the Stefanovsky detachment. Conducted state tests of fighters: I-16 type 10 with the "M" wing (December 1938 - January 1939), I-16 type 17 (February-March 1939). Carried out a number of test work on the I-153 and DI-6 fighters. On February 22, 1939, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin. After the establishment of the sign of special distinction "Golden Star", he was awarded medal No. 120.29 May from the Central Airfield. Frunze, a group of 48 pilots and engineers who had combat experience, led by Deputy Head of the Air Force Directorate Corps Commander Ya. units participating in the Soviet-Japanese conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol River. To see them off came K. E. Voroshilov, who banned the flight until parachutes were delivered for everyone. On June 2, 1939, Kravchenko arrived in Mongolia and was appointed as an adviser to the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (based at Tamsag-Bulak). After the death in battle of the regiment commander, Major N. G. Glazykin, and then the commander of the regiment, Captain A. I. Balashev, he was appointed commander of the regiment. The pilots of the regiment destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. Kravchenko himself from June 22 to July 29 conducted 8 air battles, shot down 3 aircraft personally and 4 in the group, including the famous ace Major Marimoto. Participated in 2 assault strikes on enemy airfields, in which, under his command, 32 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground and in the air. On August 10, for courage in battles with aggressors, the Presidium of the Small Khural of the MPR awarded Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko with the Order of the Red Banner for military valor. The order was presented by Marshal of the MPR Khorlogiyin Choibalsan.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan with Soviet pilots awarded for participation in the battles at Khalkhin Gol, 1939.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan. On August 29, 1939, Major Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (medal No. 1/II). G. P. Kravchenko and S. I. Gritsevets became the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. In addition to Kravchenko himself, another 13 pilots of the 22nd IAP were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, 285 people were awarded orders and medals, and the regiment became Red Banner. On September 12, 1939, a group of Heroes of the Soviet Union on 2 transport planes flew from the area of ​​the Khalkhin-Gol River to Moscow. In Ulaanbaatar, Soviet pilots were greeted by Marshal Choibalsan. A dinner was given in their honor. On September 14, 1939, representatives of the Air Force General Staff and relatives met the heroes of Khalkhin Gol in Moscow. A gala dinner was held at the Central House of the Red Army. On September 15, 1939, he left for the Kiev Military District to participate in the operation to liberate the western regions of Ukraine as an adviser to an aviation division. On October 2, 1939, Major G.P. Kravchenko was recalled from the Kyiv Military District and appointed head of the fighter aviation department of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. Kravchenko was allocated an apartment in Moscow on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street (now Leninsky Prospekt). Parents, younger brother and sister moved in with him. On November 4, 1939, for the first time in the country, the Gold Star medals were awarded to the Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first in the country and two Gold Star medals at once, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin, attached Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko to his tunic. On November 7, 1939, he was the leader of the five fighters and opened the air parade over Red Square. In November 1939, Kravchenko was nominated as a candidate for the Moscow Regional Council of Working People's Deputies (he was elected in December). Soviet-Finnish war Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. Initially, the Kravchenko air group (or Special Air Group) consisted of two regiments - SB bombers and I-153 fighters and was stationed on the island of Ezel (Dago) in Estonia, but gradually increased to 6 air regiments (71st Fighter, 35th, 50th and the 73rd high-speed bomber, 53rd long-range bomber and 80th mixed air regiments). In operational terms, the brigade was subordinate to the head of the Red Army Air Force, Commander J. Smushkevich. During the fighting, this brigade often helped the 10th mixed air brigade of the KBF Air Force in organizing joint attacks on Finnish ports and battleships. The distribution of targets between the brigades was as follows: the 10th brigade bombed the ports of the western and southwestern coasts of Finland, as well as enemy transports and warships at sea, and the Kravchenko group bombed settlements in central and southern Finland. He was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. On February 19, 1940, he was awarded the rank of brigade commander, in April he was awarded the rank of division commander. In the summer of 1940 he participated in the annexation of Estonia. In May-July 1940, he was the head of the fighter aviation department of the Flight Technical Inspectorate of the Red Army Air Force. By the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of June 4, 1940, Kravchenko G.P. was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation. From July 19 to November 1940 - Commander of the Air Force of the Baltic Special Military District. Since November 23, 1940 - a student of advanced training courses for commanding staff at the Academy of the General Staff. In March 1941, after graduating from KUVNAS, he was appointed commander of the 64th Iad of the Kiev Special Military District (12th, 149th, 166th, 246th and 247th IAP), which he commanded until the beginning of the Great Patriotic war.

The Great Patriotic War With the outbreak of war with Germany after the death of the leadership of the 11th mixed aviation division of the Western Front on June 22, 1941, he was appointed commander of this air division, in July-August 1941 he participated in the Battle of Smolensk (the 11th air division was attached to the 13th Army of the Central , then the Bryansk Front). From November 22, 1941 to March 1942 - Commander of the Air Force of the 3rd Army of the Bryansk Front. Then, in March-May 1942, he was commander of the 8th strike aviation group of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (Bryansk Front). From May 1942 he formed the 215th Fighter Aviation Division, and as its commander took part in battles on the Kalinin (November 1942 - January 1943) and Volkhov (since January 1943) fronts. On February 23, 1943, in an air battle, Kravchenko shot down a Focke-Wulf 190, but his La-5 aircraft caught fire. Having flown over the front line, Kravchenko could not reach his airfield and was forced to leave the plane, but the parachute did not open, the lanyard, with which the parachute satchel was opened, was broken by shrapnel, and he died. The urn with the ashes was buried in a columbarium in the Kremlin wall on February 28, 1943. The total number of victories won by G. P. Kravchenko is not given in any of the sources (with the exception of P. M. Stefanovsky’s book “300 Unknowns”, which indicates 19 victories won in battles with the Japanese. Perhaps these figures reflect his total result of combat activity). According to some memoir sources, in his last battle he won 4 victories at once (he shot down 3 planes with cannon fire, another one he drove into the ground with a skillful maneuver). Some Western sources point to 20 victories won in 4 wars.