Aces of World War II. Soviet pilots. Furious Gulaev
On August 19, 1944, the most famous ace pilot, Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin, was awarded the third Gold Star medal, and he became the first three times Hero in the history of the country Soviet Union. The award was fully deserved.
Lieutenant Pokryshkin began his war in June 1941 and, it must be said, began with an incident - he shot down a Soviet Su-2 plane. Then the car had just begun to arrive in units, and few of the pilots were familiar with it. Having met a plane in the skies of Moldova, Pokryshkin thought that it was a fascist and shot down the Sushka. The very next day, Alexander Ivanovich was rehabilitated - the first Messerschmitt-109 was recorded on his account, and how many more will there be...
At first, Alexander Pokryshkin flew MiGs, later on the American Airacobra,
delivered under Lend-Lease, he won most of his aerial victories on it.
He quickly rose in rank, and in the summer of 1944 he headed the 9th Guards Air Division.
Officially, Alexander Pokryshkin shot down 59 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group; another 15 official victories won in 1941 were not included in his tally - during the bombing, award documents at the headquarters of the air regiment were burned. The famous pilot celebrated the Victory Parade in Berlin - he was an honorary standard bearer of the 1st Ukrainian Front. After the war, Alexander Ivanovich remained in the army and reached the rank of Air Marshal.
We remembered a few more famous Soviet pilots-aces and are ready to talk about them.
The most productive Ivan Kozhedub
The most successful flying ace of all Allied forces in World War II
born in 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, Chernigov province, into a peasant family.
Since childhood, Ivan was “drawn to the sky”: at first he trained at a local flying club, and at the age of 20 he joined the ranks of the Red Army. In the same 1940 he graduated from the famous Chuguevskaya
aviation school and remained there as an instructor. Kozhedub’s plane appeared in the menacing front-line skies only in 1943. The first battle almost became the last - with a well-aimed burst from the Messerschmitt-109, our hero’s La-5 was disabled. Ivan miraculously landed the plane, but was forced to fly whatever he had to, any available planes in the squadron. They even wanted to send him to service unrelated to flying - the regiment commander interceded. And I was right. On Kursk Bulge, making his 40th combat mission, Kozhedub shot down his first officially confirmed aircraft - the fascist Junkers bomber. The next day, another “bomber,” smoking, fell to the ground under Ivan’s bursts. Feeling a taste for victory, a day later the pilot “landed” two German fighters at once. Throughout his combat career, Kozhedub fought on domestic aircraft designed by Lavochkin - first on the La-5, then on the La-7. The first one, by the way, was built with the money of a collective farmer-beekeeper from the Stalingrad region; these were the poor collective farmers there.
In total, Three Times Hero of the Soviet Union Kozhedub shot down 62 german plane, last
Air Marshal.
White Lily of Stalingrad: Lydia Litvyak
From the age of 14, Muscovite Lidiya Litvyak studied at the flying club, where she made her first
flight, and after graduating from the Kherson aviation school she became an instructor pilot. In 1942
year, a girl with such promising data was drafted into the army and enrolled in
one of the many fighter regiments. The 586th IAP was distinguished by only one thing - it was an entirely female air regiment. Lydia Litvyak. Further, the fate of Lydia Vladimirovna is entirely connected with Stalingrad. In the never-ending struggle in the skies above the city, she not only survived, she won. On September 13, during the second combat mission, she shot down a fighter and a bomber, and one of the downed pilots was a famous German air ace. Then victory again - the Yu-88 bomber was shot down. Lydia asked to paint a non-standard identification mark on the hood of her plane - a white lily, which is why she received the nickname “White Lily of Stalingrad” among the troops, both Soviet and German.
She was incredibly lucky in the sky. On February 11, 1943, her plane was shot down and she made an emergency landing on German territory. The Nazis had already tried to capture her. A familiar attack pilot came to the rescue: he drove off the German soldiers with the fire of his onboard machine guns, landed on the field and saved Lydia.
War is a cruel thing, but there is also time for love. It was at the front that Lydia met Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Solomatin. On May 21, 1943, Alexey was seriously wounded in an air battle, brought his plane to the airfield, but was unable to land - he crashed in front of his colleagues and his beloved. Since then, the “White Lily of Stalingrad” has never known peace; she got involved in the most furious battles, either to take revenge or to die. Death found 21-year-old Lydia Litvyak on August 1, 1943, over the Mius River. By that time, Lydia had 16 enemy aircraft shot down - 12 personally and 4 in a group.
It was rejected in '41. Grigory Rechkalov
This man is unique. Fate itself made him a thunderstorm in the air, and people
people interfered as best they could. Grigory Rechkalov. Grigory Rechkalov graduated from aviation school back in 1939, and on the eve of the war his regiment was located in Moldova. Rechkalov might never have seen the war, literally and figuratively. On June 21, 1941, the military medical commission “rejected” this promising military pilot - the physicians nevertheless discovered carefully hidden color blindness in Grigory Rechkalov. The command acted wisely - what difference does it make what color the fascist plane is? You can distinguish a swastika from a star without this, and even more so the shape and contours of the fuselage of Soviet and German aircraft. Grigory justified the trust - in the first week of the war he shot down three enemy planes at once, was wounded, but brought his car to the airfield. He was sent to the rear to master new brand plane, but in April 1942, twenty-two-year-old Gregory got tired of it, and he fled back to his regiment, to the front. Finest hour Rechkalov's fighter became the famous air battle for Kuban, which took place in the spring of 1943. In 14 days, he chalked up 19 downed planes. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Rechkalov went through the entire war, flew in the skies of Ukraine, Poland, Germany, shooting down 61 enemy aircraft. Another 4 planes shot down in 1941 were not confirmed: the documents burned during the bombing of the headquarters (along with the documents of Pokryshkin, who was a fellow soldier of Rechkalov).
After the war, Grigory Rechkalov retired to the reserve with the rank of lieutenant general.
He did not see Victory. Alexander Klubov
The son of a sailor from the Aurora, Alexander Klubov, dreamed of a career as a pilot since childhood, graduated from the Air Force School and by the beginning of the war served in the Caucasus. First fight junior
In May 1943, Alexander Klubov was sent to the squadron of the Hero of the Soviet
Union of Alexander Pokryshkin. They soon became friends. Pokryshkin responded like this
about Alexander Ivanovich: “The soul of a fighter lived in Klubovo. I was pleased with his manner of fighting, he was always looking for a fight.” Alexander Klubov’s combat record is impressive - the pilot shot down 31 German planes personally and 19 in a group.
Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Klubov did not live to see the Victory; he died. And not in battle,
but because of an accident. On November 1, 1944, there was a training flight on a type of aircraft little known to Alexander. During the approach to landing, the car crashed. It was not possible to save the hero. He was posthumously awarded a second Gold Star medal.
"Shoot now!" Arseny Vorozheikin
The future hero of Khalkhin Gol and the Great Patriotic War Arseny Vorozheikin was born in
1912 in the Gorodets district of the Nizhny Novgorod province. In the summer of 1939, the 22nd Aviation Regiment, together with its commissar Vorozheikin, was sent to distant Mongolia to the Khalkhin Gol River. There border conflict escalated into a real war between the Japanese on the one hand, and the Mongolian and Soviet troops on the other. Arseniy Vorozheikin. The intensity of the air battles was fierce - at some periods in the sky over a small area
During the conflict, up to 200 aircraft from both sides took off. The campaign turned out to be fleeting - July-August 1939, but during this time Vorozheikin shot down 6 Japanese planes and was almost shot. This is how it happened. Only the new commander, Georgy Zhukov, who arrived, was dissatisfied with the course of the fighting and began, as they say, to “tighten the screws.” Arseny Vasilyevich also managed to fall under the hot hand. He was flying from a mission at dusk and saw a column gathering dust along the road. One's own, someone else's - you can't make it out, fly closer - the fuel is running out. Vorozheikin sat down and reported what he saw. They called Arseny Vasilyevich to Georgy Konstantinovich, and he immediately said to him straight away: “If the column is ours and not the enemy’s, then we will shoot you for misleading the command.” Arseny Vorozheikin was not the kind of person to endure such injustice. He pulled himself up, straightened his tunic, saying, if such a song and dance started, why bother, shoot now. Zhukov chuckled and as a sign of approval (a real man, they say) treated Vorozheikin to cognac. And the next morning it turned out that they were Japanese and the pilot received an award. Either head off your shoulders, then dance the hut and the stove.
Our hero participated in the Great Patriotic War from August 1942 until the very end.
In total, Vorozheikin personally shot down 52 enemy aircraft and 6 aircraft in a group, becoming the fifth most successful Soviet fighter pilot.
Life and Fate: Amet-Khan Sultan
There are still many rumors and rumors surrounding the fate of this remarkable pilot.
insinuations. The thing is that Amet Khan’s father was a Lak, but his mother was a Crimean Tatar. As is known among the majority of representatives of this nation, anti-Russian
sentiments were extremely strong, and many people went to serve after the occupation of Crimea
to the Germans. Amet Khan was not like that, he fought honestly for his country. Amet-Khan Sultan. The junior lieutenant made his first flight on June 22, 1941 on an outdated I-153. In the fall of 1941, the pilot covered the sky of Rostov-on-Don, and from the spring of 1942 - Yaroslavl. An interesting incident happened there. Amet-Khan rammed an enemy bomber, but
our hero's plane was simply stuck in the Junkers. Amet Khan was not taken aback, he jumped out from
by parachute. Soon the Junkers was displayed on the main square of Yaroslavl for everyone to see, and there, in front of a large crowd of people, the city authorities presented the brave fighter with a personalized watch.
liberation of Rostov-on-Don, Melitopol, native Crimea. After release
deportation began on the peninsula Crimean Tatars. Family of the pilot, twice Hero
The Soviet Union was spared - by a special Decree of the Supreme Council they were allowed to stay in Crimea, but even after the war, when returning to their native places, the pilot was forced to report to the local Alupka police station. Last Stand Amet Khan took over the skies over Berlin and ended the war with a score of 30 personally and 19 in the group of enemy aircraft shot down. Soon the famous ace moved to Moscow, became a test pilot, he owes great credit for introducing domestic aviation jet aircraft.
One day, the Air Force command decided that test pilots were getting too much
inflated salaries. And so that the pilots would not complain, they “asked” them to write about their
agreeing to significantly reduce rates. Amet-Khan wrote, like his comrades, about
with his consent, but added a note: “But my wife is categorically against it.”
Stalin showed constant interest in how the creation of new types was proceeding
fighters. When he saw the receipt of the famous test pilot, he imposed
his resolution: “I completely agree with the wife of Amet Khan.” Salaries for pilots -
the testers were left the same.
Colonel Amet Khan Sultan died in 1971 while testing a new aircraft. He was 51 years old.
29-year-old General Pavel Rychagov
Career smiled on Pavel Vasilyevich. He was born in 1911 in the Moscow region. At the age of 25, military pilot Rychagov was sent to Spain, where the Civil War was going on. The sky there was turbulent - the Germans supporting Franco sent selected pilots to Spain - the Condor Legion. The Soviet volunteers, who fought on the side of the republican government, did not lose face and, as they say, gave the Germans a hard time. In a short period of time, Rychagov also distinguished himself - he shot down six enemy aircraft personally and 14 in the group. On New Year's Day, December 31, 1936, Pavel Vasilyevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
From December 1937 - a new assignment, again to the front, to China. This time Rychagova - senior military adviser on the use Soviet aviation. Under the government of Chiang Kai Shek, who at that time was waging a difficult war with the Japanese. Then he was transferred to command the Primorsky Air Force group. And again there is war - a conflict at Lake Khasan. Rychagov proved himself to be a decisive and strong-willed commander, capable of organizing fighting large aviation formations in a remote theater and direct their massive use on the battlefield.
In 1939-1940, the young “veteran” commanded the air force of the 9th Army in the Finnish War. In August 1940, at the age of 29, Lieutenant General Rychagov became commander of the country's Air Force. Such career takeoff It was not in vain - the comrade did not know much, there was much to learn, and there was a great war ahead. In April 1941, Rychagov was removed from his post and sent to complete his studies at the Military Academy of the General Staff.
The Great Patriotic War marked the end of Pavel Rychagov’s career. Ours is still with him
aviation was relocated closer to the border and on June 22, almost all of them died under the first attack of the Germans. On June 24, 1941, Rychagov was arrested and on October 28, 1941, along with many other aviation generals, executed without trial in the village of Barbysh, Kuibyshev Region.
Any war is a terrible grief for any people that it affects in one way or another. Throughout its history, humanity has experienced many wars, two of which were world wars. The First World War almost completely destroyed Europe and led to the fall of some large empires, such as Russian and Austro-Hungarian. But even more terrible in its scale was the Second World War, in which many countries from almost all over the world were involved. Millions of people died, and many more were left homeless. This terrible event still affects modern man in one way or another. Its echoes can be found everywhere in our lives. This tragedy left behind a lot of mysteries, disputes over which have not subsided for decades. He took on the heaviest burden in this life-and-death battle, not yet fully strengthened from the revolution and civil wars and the Soviet Union was just expanding its military and civilian industries. An irreconcilable rage and a desire to fight the invaders who encroached on settled in the hearts of people. territorial integrity and freedom of the proletarian state. Many went to the front voluntarily. At the same time, the evacuated industrial facilities were reorganized to produce products for the needs of the front. The struggle has assumed a truly national scale. That is why it is called the Great Patriotic War.
Who are the aces?
Both the German and Soviet armies were well trained and equipped with equipment, aircraft and other weapons. The personnel numbered in the millions. The collision of such two war machines gave birth to its heroes and its traitors. Some of those who can rightfully be considered heroes are the aces of World War II. Who are they and why are they so famous? An ace can be considered a person who has achieved heights in his field of activity that few others have managed to conquer. And even in such a dangerous and terrible matter as the military, there have always been their professionals. Both the USSR and the Allied forces, and Nazi Germany had people who showed top scores by the number of enemy equipment or manpower destroyed. This article will tell about these heroes.
The list of World War II aces is extensive and includes many individuals famous for their exploits. They were an example for an entire people, they were adored and admired.
Aviation is without a doubt one of the most romantic, but at the same time dangerous branches of the military. Since any equipment can fail at any time, the job of a pilot is considered very honorable. It requires iron endurance, discipline, and the ability to control oneself in any situation. Therefore, aviation aces were treated with great respect. After all, to be able to show good results in such conditions when your life depends not only on technology, but also on yourself - highest degree military art. So, who are these ace pilots of World War II, and why are their exploits so famous?
One of the most successful Soviet ace pilots was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub. Officially, during his service on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, he shot down 62 German aircraft, and he is also credited with 2 American fighters, which he destroyed at the end of the war. This record-breaking pilot served in the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and flew a La-7 aircraft.
The second most productive during the war was Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin (who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times). He fought in Southern Ukraine, in the Black Sea region, and liberated Europe from the Nazis. During his service he shot down 59 enemy aircraft. He did not stop flying even when he was appointed commander of the 9th Guards Aviation Division, and achieved some of his aerial victories while already in this position.
Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev is one of the most famous military pilots, who set a record of 4 flights per destroyed aircraft. In total, during his military service he destroyed 57 enemy aircraft. Twice awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
He also had a high result. He shot down 55 German aircraft. Kozhedub, who happened to serve for some time with Evstigneev in the same regiment, spoke very respectfully of this pilot.
But, despite the fact that the tank troops were among the most numerous in the Soviet army, tank aces of the Second World War for some reason were not found in the USSR. Why this is so is unknown. It is logical to assume that many personal accounts were obviously overestimated or underestimated, so name the exact number of victories of the above-mentioned masters tank battle does not seem possible.
German tank aces
But the German tank aces of World War II have a much longer track record. This is largely due to the pedantry of the Germans, who strictly documented everything, and they had much more time to fight than their Soviet “colleagues.” Active actions german army started broadcasting back in 1939.
German tanker No. 1 is Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann. He fought on many tanks (Stug III, Tiger I) and destroyed 138 vehicles, as well as 132 self-propelled ones, throughout the war artillery installations various enemy countries. For his successes he was repeatedly awarded various orders and badges of the Third Reich. Killed in action in 1944 in France.
You can also highlight such a tank ace as For those who are in one way or another interested in the history of development tank troops Third Reich, the book of his memoirs “Tigers in the Mud” will be very useful. During the war years, this man destroyed 150 Soviet and American self-propelled guns and tanks.
Kurt Knispel is another record-breaking tanker. During his military service, he knocked out 168 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns. About 30 cars are unconfirmed, which prevents him from matching Wittmann's results. Knispel died in battle near the village of Vostits in Czechoslovakia in 1945.
Besides, good results Karl Bromann had 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Ernst Barkmann had 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Erich Mausberg had 53 tanks and self-propelled guns.
As can be seen from these results, both Soviet and German tank aces of World War II knew how to fight. Of course, the quantity and quality of Soviet combat vehicles was an order of magnitude higher than that of the Germans, however, as practice has shown, both were used quite successfully and became the basis for some post-war tank models.
But the list of military branches in which their masters distinguished themselves does not end there. Let's talk a little about submarine aces.
Masters of Submarine Warfare
Just as in the case of aircraft and tanks, the most successful are the German sailors. Over the years of its existence, Kriegsmarine submariners sank 2,603 ships of allied countries, the total displacement of which reaches 13.5 million tons. This is a truly impressive figure. And the German submarine aces of World War II could also boast of impressive personal accounts.
The most successful German submariner is Otto Kretschmer, who has 44 ships, including 1 destroyer. The total displacement of the ships sunk by him is 266,629 tons.
In second place is Wolfgang Lüth, who sent 43 enemy ships to the bottom (and according to other sources - 47) with a total displacement of 225,712 tons.
He was also a famous naval ace who even managed to sink the British battleship Royal Oak. This was one of the first officers to receive oak leaves; Prien destroyed 30 ships. Killed in 1941 during an attack on a British convoy. He was so popular that his death was hidden from the people for two months. And on the day of his funeral, mourning was declared throughout the country.
Such successes of German sailors are also quite understandable. The fact is that Germany began a naval war back in 1940, with a blockade of Britain, thus hoping to undermine its naval greatness and, taking advantage of this, to successfully capture the islands. However, very soon the plans of the Nazis were thwarted, as America entered the war with its large and powerful fleet.
The most famous Soviet submarine sailor is Alexander Marinesko. He sank only 4 ships, but what ones! The heavy passenger liner "Wilhelm Gustloff", the transport "General von Steuben", as well as 2 units of the heavy floating battery "Helene" and "Siegfried". For his exploits, Hitler added the sailor to his list of personal enemies. But Marinesko’s fate did not work out well. He fell out of favor with the Soviet regime and died, and people stopped talking about his exploits. The great sailor received the Hero of the Soviet Union award only posthumously in 1990. Unfortunately, many USSR aces of World War II ended their lives in a similar way.
Also famous submariners The Soviet Union is Ivan Travkin - sank 13 ships, Nikolai Lunin - also 13 ships, Valentin Starikov - 14 ships. But Marinesko topped the list of the best submariners of the Soviet Union, as he caused the greatest damage to the German navy.
Accuracy and stealth
Well, how can we not remember such famous fighters as snipers? Here the Soviet Union takes the well-deserved palm from Germany. Soviet sniper aces of World War II had a very high track record. In many ways, these results were achieved thanks to mass state training civilian population by shooting from various weapons. About 9 million people were awarded the Voroshilov Shooter badge. So, what are the most famous snipers?
The name of Vasily Zaitsev frightened the Germans and inspired courage in Soviet soldiers. This ordinary guy, a hunter, killed 225 Wehrmacht soldiers with his Mosin rifle in just a month of fighting at Stalingrad. Among the outstanding sniper names are Fedor Okhlopkov, who (during the entire war) accounted for about a thousand Nazis; Semyon Nomokonov, who killed 368 enemy soldiers. There were also women among the snipers. An example of this is the famous Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who fought near Odessa and Sevastopol.
German snipers are less known, although there have been several sniper schools in Germany since 1942 that trained vocational training frames. Among the most successful German shooters are Matthias Hetzenauer (345 killed), (257 killed), Bruno Sutkus (209 soldiers shot). Also a famous sniper from the countries of the Hitler bloc is Simo Haiha - this Finn killed 504 Red Army soldiers during the war years (according to unconfirmed reports).
Thus, sniper training The Soviet Union was immeasurably higher than that of the German troops, which allowed Soviet soldiers to bear the proud title of aces of the Second World War.
How did you become aces?
So, the concept of “ace of World War II” is quite broad. As already mentioned, these people achieved truly impressive results in their business. This was achieved not only through good army training, but also through outstanding personal qualities. After all, for a pilot, for example, coordination and quick reaction are very important, for a sniper - the ability to wait for the right moment to sometimes fire a single shot.
Accordingly, it is impossible to determine who had the best aces of World War II. Both sides performed unparalleled heroism, which made it possible to single out individual people from the general mass. But it was possible to become a master only by training hard and improving your combat skills, since war does not tolerate weakness. Of course, dry statistics will not be able to convey to modern people all the hardships and adversities that war professionals experienced during their rise to the honorary pedestal.
We, the generation that lives without knowing such terrible things, should not forget about the exploits of our predecessors. They can become an inspiration, a reminder, a memory. And we must try to do everything to ensure that such terrible events as the past wars do not happen again.
Pilots, like aircraft, are divided into military and civilian; their type of activity corresponds to this distinction. A pilot is one of the heroic professions, no matter what means of transportation he uses to accomplish actions and feats - a helicopter or an airplane, the fact remains a fact.
Perhaps in our time the images of heroes for boys and young people have changed, but it will never hurt to go back in time and look at the faces of real heroes. Read the article, learn about the exploits they performed, and at the same time get acquainted with the era in which the heroes lived, devoting their lives to people living at that time, and even today.
Scrolling through the pages of this chapter, you can get acquainted with many hero pilots who defended their homeland from enemies and received awards for this many times in the form of orders and medals. By the way, samples of orders and medals can also be found in this section; they are shown at the end of the biographies of the pilots.
Of course, the most active period for the birth of heroes is the war period and nothing can be done here, but sometimes there are pilots assigned to awards in peacetime, for example, for rescuing passengers.
It is thanks to such sections that we do not forget our history and honor the people who made their contribution to its positive outcome. So section ( Hero pilots, pilots, military pilots) is presented below.
|
A country /Years |
FULL NAME. |
Short description |
 1916 - 1968
|
Soviet pilot ace, Hero of the Soviet Union. | |
| 1916-1991 |
Soviet military leader, fighter pilot, participant and veteran of the Great Patriotic War. |
|
| 1920 - 1991 | Lieutenant General of Aviation. Ivan Kozhedub three times hero of the Soviet Union. Military pilot first class. | |
| 1921-1993 | Soviet pilot ace, Hero of the Soviet Union. Participant of the Great Patriotic, Soviet-Japanese and Korean wars. | |
| 1922 - 1968 | 170 successful combat sorties, 19 air battles, 3 downed aircraft, a lot of destroyed enemy ground equipment and manpower. | |
|
Red Star (twice), Red Banner (three times); awarded the medal "For Military Merit" |
||
| 1923 - 1998 | Soviet military pilot, ace. 6 wins | |
|
On July 14, 1953, for the heroism and courage shown in hostilities, Major Boytsov was awarded the title of Hero of the Country |
||
|
Nikolai Konstantinovich always takes his four-legged friend with him on flights. |
||
| 1922 - 1995 | Military pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union. | |
| 1923 - n.d. | Pilot, Hero of the country, Major General of Aviation. | |
| 1924 - 1981 | Participant in the Korean conflict, air regiment commander. | |
| 1937-1973 | The castle of the squadron of the 982nd air regiment of the 34th fighter army of the Transcaucasian district, captain. Hero of the Soviet Union. | |
| 1923 - 1951 | He fought in Korea and was an ace. Shot down a large number of fighters. | |
| 1923-2009 | Commander, senior lieutenant, Hero of the Soviet Union. | |
| 1919-1998 | Graduated from the Kachin Aviation School. He worked as a pilot instructor. Participated in the Patriotic War. He was engaged in aerial reconnaissance. | |
| 1921-1996 | He was the commander of a machine gun platoon. Graduated from aviation school. Soon he became a captain. | |
| 1923-1986 | Record holder in air combat using jet technology. In a month he shot down 5 American planes. | |
| 20th - 1953 | After graduating from the flying club, he became a cadet at the Odessa Pilot School. He won his debut victory by shooting down an F-86. | |
| 1954-80s | He studied at the military aviation school. Second Soviet pilot. Received the title of Hero of the Country. | |
| 1920-00s | He studied at the Leningrad Aviation Technical School. Graduated from Birsk military school pilots. For his merits and achievements he received the title of Hero of the Country. | |
| 1918-90s | He graduated from one course of the Omsk Technical College. Entered the Odessa Aviation School. Hero of the country. | |
| 1922-10th | He studied at the flying club. Graduated from the Kachin Aviation School. Participated in 60 air battles. He received many orders and medals, as well as the title of Hero of the Country. | |
 1935 - 2013
|
Brigadier General. He received awards for combat during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. |
|
| 50s - 80s |
Pakistan's most prolific pilot, having shot down four enemy f-16 aircraft. | |
| 20th-1956 |
Made 20 sorties to assault troops in India. Destroyed several dozen enemy military equipment. | |
| 20th-1965 |
Made 8 successful missions. Shot down an Indian plane. | |
| 1951-1971
|
During the flights he performed many effective actions. For his heroism, Rashid was awarded a medal of honor by the President of Pakistan. | |
 50s - 80s |
One of the young pilots during the Indo-Pakistani war. During the hostilities he flew on a Hunter. | |
| 1935 - 1967
|
Indian pilot. He was shot down by a fighter along with his partner. | |
| 1919 - n.d. |
He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan and received the rank of Air Marshal. |
|
 1930-1966
|
Well trained pilot, participating Korean War. Won his first victory in a jet fighter. | |
| 1925-1954
|
Bomber navigator during the war against the Nazis. Soon became a prominent ace in the Korean conflict. | |
| 1930-1965 | Shot down several fighters in China. Ac. The last ammunition shot down an enemy ship. Participated in battles in Vietnam. | |
| 1922-2007 | Brigadier General, head of the US Air Force Academy. | |
| 1942-n.d. | During the fighting he shot down several MiGs. After leaving office in 1974, he was engaged in political activities. | |
| 50's - 00's | Military Ace. Shot down enemy planes. After the war he became an instructor and was involved in military planning. | |
| 30th-1979 | He served in American Air Force units located in Israel. Received the nickname "Pilot Rescuer". | |
| 1921-present | American hero. After being selected as an astronaut, he traveled to space. | |
| 30's - 00's | Pilot. Shot down several enemy planes. After flying, he organized his own airline. Became a coach, made a film. | |
| 1925-1994 | Graduated from flight school. He flew to Korea from the air base to which he was assigned. He was captured by Chinese soldiers. | |
| 1922-1952 | During the first flights he shot down seven Japanese fighters, awarded the Silver Star. Received the rank of major. He was shot down in battle at the age of 30. | |
 1946 - n.d. |
Squadron castle, shot down several Syrian MiGs. In 1976 it was withdrawn from flights. | |
| 1928-2002
|
One of the best Israeli pilots. He was appointed commander of the air base. After finishing his flying career, Beni became the director of one of the large enterprises. | |
 40s-00s |
One of the most famous North Vietnamese aces. During the period of flight activity, 7 victories were won over the Americans. | |
| 1940 - 1970
|
Vietnamese ace, shot down seven planes during the war. | |
| 1947-present |
Served as an aviation technician. Graduated from the Air Force Academy. | |
 20s-90s |
He flew with the 411th Squadron and won many victories over his opponents. After quitting his flying career, he returned to Canada and worked as a forest guard pilot. | |
| 20s-90s | Shot down German Bf-109s. After the war, he joined the Air Force Reserve and served as an instructor in the 421st Air Division. | |
 20th-1948 |
Participated in the first flight of the Israeli Air Force. He flew on a small transport aircraft. During one of the flights, Eddie made the wrong airfield and landed on one that had been captured by the enemy. | |
| 20s-80s | Sid throwing medical education, joined the South African Air Force. He flew with the 4th squadron. | |
 50s-90s |
In 1989 he became a hero of the Philippines and received an officer rank. | |
| 40th-1974 |
Commander of the 9th Squadron, made 5 heroic approaches to the target. Awarded a star for bravery. | |
 70s-00s |
Shot down F-15 fighters belonging to Iraq. Attacked coalition troops. | |
 1928-90s |
He entered the infantry school, after finishing it, he went to study at the flight school. Retrained on jet aircraft. Received the rank of lieutenant. | |
| 30th-1961 |
Graduated from pilot school. During the war with the Germans he performed patrol flights. After the victory, he led the B-26 squadron. |
Hero pilots
The profession of a pilot is not only romantic stories, chanting it in songs, but hard work, daily risk and great responsibility. But still, every second boy dreams of becoming a pilot and flying his own plane into the sky. And how can you not dream when you see examples of great people in this profession before your eyes? Many of them also once dreamed of becoming pilots, probably heroes of their country, receiving awards and medals, but the price of these awards is too high.
Each of them has the right to be named and recognized, but there is not enough space on the Russian Internet to give them all their due. But in the person of several contemporaries we can recall every hero since the time of the first one who rose to heaven.
At the end of the last century Sharpatov Vladimir- pilot and crew commander of the Il-76 aircraft, received an award from the president for the courage and heroism he showed in escaping from Afghanistan, where he and his crew were prisoners for a whole year.
Vladimir Sharpatov received the “Hero” Russian Federation" And " Gold Star“His colleague at the helm, Gazinur Khairullin, the co-pilot, also became a Hero of the Russian Federation. His team - Navigator Zdora Alexander, flight radio operator Vshivtsev, leading engineers Butuzov Sergey, Ryazanov Viktor, flight engineer Abbyazov Askhat were awarded the Order of Courage for their services to the fatherland.
Another legendary name of the pilot of the hero of Russia - Apakidze Timur- Honored Military Pilot of Russia, the first among naval aviation pilots to receive his Hero of Russia award. He died 12 years ago at the 85th anniversary of naval aviation, during ceremonial performances. Awarded the “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Russian Federation, the Order of the third degree for service “For Service to the Motherland in Armed Forces USSR" and "For Personal Courage", the medal "For Military Merit", streets are named after him.
It would seem that the phrase pilots are heroes is forever associated with war and in peacetime there is simply no place for it, but even today there are pilots who have received the title of honorary “Heroes of Russia.” These are those pilots who difficult situation, thanks to impossible efforts, forgetting about themselves, acted in the interests of people's lives.
Every year there are more and more such heroes. On the one hand, this is, of course, fortunately for those people who were on the plane at that time, and on the other hand, because technical problems air machines, heroism becomes somehow forced.
For example, in the Komi Republic, a Tu-154 winged aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing, and thanks to the pilots and valiant crew, no one was injured, although there were more than seventy passengers on board. For pilots Andrey Lamanov and Evgeny Novoselov, were awarded the title of Hero of Russia, and team members received the Order of Courage. Problems with on-board batteries led to this situation; the plane was supposed to travel from Polyarny airport to Moscow Domodedovo airport, but did not make it in time.
Unfortunately, the award does not find all the pilots alive and in good health.
On June 23, 2012 last year, during testing of the MiG-29KUB fighter, the hero pilots did not return home Alexander Kruzhalin and Oleg Spichka. Latest tests they spent in Astrakhan region, for which they received the title of Hero of Russia, posthumously. They landed their last plane near settlement, without causing physical damage to a single living soul. Eternal memory to them.
And how many surviving pilots did not receive awards, who, thanks to their courage and high skill, landed planes in emergency situations. Or such pilots who fought, but, unfortunately, could not help either themselves or the passengers. There are not enough pages to list everyone and remember all the situations that, like a film, fly by for years - ... 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 ... by cities and names. Commander-Captain Andrei Churbanov and pilot-operator Senior Lieutenant Oleg Tumakov died... Not far from Itum-Kale, Hero of Russia Lieutenant Colonel died Yuri Nikolaevich Yakimenko and captain Oleg Anatolyevich Podsitkov... The Su-17M3 plane crashed during testing, two pilots who tested it... Pilot Dmitry Khrebtov died during training flights...
There will be no end to the names of test pilots; at the cost of their lives, they test the reliability of steel birds, so that someone else, already on a more advanced model, will have the opportunity not only to fly, but also to live. Unfortunately, after 2013 there will be an ellipsis again...
Personalities in the world of aviation
| 1908-1984
|
Lyulka Arkhip Mikhailovich | Prominent scientist, aircraft engine designer |
| 1911-1971
|
Before the attack on the USSR, the air force fascist Germany did not consider Soviet pilots as serious opponents. It was generally accepted in the Luftwaffe that only enemy air defense could create trouble for the German aces.
However, soon after the aggression, the Nazis had to radically change their attitude towards Soviet pilots. Our aviation provided such a rebuff to the invaders that the Nazis had not encountered anywhere in Europe.
IVAN KOZHEDUB
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazhievka, Glukhov district, Chernigov province (now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region of Ukraine). Kozhedub’s first meeting with aviation began at the flying club of the chemical-technological technical school in the city of Shostka, where he entered after school. It was there in April 1939 that he made his first flight. The beauty of his native land, revealed from a height of 1500 meters, made a strong impression on the young man and predetermined his entire life. later life. At the beginning of 1940, Kozhedub was accepted into the Chuguev Military Aviation School. According to the recollections of his classmates, he flew a lot, often experimented, honing his aerobatic skills and loved the theory of aircraft construction. The skills acquired during his studies were later very useful to Kozhedub: combat vehicle, according to his comrades, he knew better than the back of his hand. During the entire war, the pilot was never shot down, even a heavily damaged fighter, risking his life, he always returned to the airfield. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Kozhedub continued his studies, in 1949 he graduated with honors from the Red Banner Air Force Academy. The pilot's strong knowledge and extensive experience very soon found their use. In 1951–52 During the Korean War, Kozhedub commanded an entire aviation division; his falcons shot down 258 enemy aircraft in that conflict.
ALEXANDER POKRYSHKIN
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was born in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk). He became interested in aviation at the age of 12, when he saw airplanes flying in the sky. Subsequently, Pokryshkin entered the 3rd Military School of Aviation Technicians, and at the end of 1934 he became the senior aircraft technician of the 74th Taman Rifle Division. However, in order to become not an aircraft technician, but a pilot, Pokryshkin had to go through a long and difficult path. To obtain this profession, he persistently studied the history of flights for four years and military history, physics and mathematics, physiology and descriptive geometry. Pokryshkin wrote 39 reports to the commanders with a request to let him go to the flight school, but each time he was refused. The situation did not suit the young man at all, and in September 1938, during his next vacation, in seventeen days he mastered the two-year program of the Krasnodar flying club and as an external student with excellent marks. passed the exam. Finally, in his 40th report, he included a certificate of completion of the flying club and already in November 1938 he became a student at the Kachin Military Aviation School. A year later, he graduated with honors, now becoming a pilot. The educational path he had completed was worth it: already in 1941, having become known as a virtuoso of flying, Senior Lieutenant Pokryshkin was appointed deputy squadron commander. There is a common legend that, having received information about the approach of this pilot’s fighter, the Germans began to transmit urgent messages to each other: “Achtung, achtung! Pokryshkin is in the sky!
NIKOLAY GULAYEV
Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev was born in the village of Aksayskaya (now the city of Aksay Rostov region). Graduated from 7th grade incomplete high school and FZU school, studied at the flying club in the evenings. This hobby helped him in 1938, when Gulaev was drafted into the army. The amateur pilot was sent to the Stalingrad Aviation School, from which he graduated in 1940. During the war, Gulaev enjoyed a reputation as a daredevil. In August 1942, an incident happened to him that showed both courage and a certain willfulness of his character. The young pilot did not have permission to fly at night, and when on August 3, 1942, Hitler’s planes appeared in the area of responsibility of the regiment where Gulaev served, experienced pilots took to the skies. Gulaev also flew with them, who decided to prove that he was no worse "old people". As a result, in the first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, he destroyed german bomber. When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the arriving general said: “For the fact that I flew out without permission, I am reprimanding, and for the fact that I shot down an enemy plane, I am promoting him in rank and presenting him for a reward.”
GRIGORY RECHKALOV
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov was born in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, Perm province (now the village of Zaykovo, Irbitsky district Sverdlovsk region). He became acquainted with aviation while studying in the glider pilots' circle at the factory school of the Verkh-Isetsky plant in Sverdovsk. In 1937, he entered the Perm Military Pilot School and subsequently graduated with success. In 1939, with the rank of sergeant, he was enlisted in the 55th Aviation Fighter Regiment in Kirovograd. Rechkalov's main trait was perseverance. Despite the fact that the medical commission determined that the pilot was color blind, he won the right to continue serving and in 1941 he was sent to the 55th Fighter Regiment. According to his colleagues, Rechkalov had a rather uneven character. Showing an example of discipline in one flight, in the next he could be distracted from execution main task and just as decisively begin the pursuit of a random enemy.
KIRILL EVSTIGNEEV
Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev was born in the village of Khokhly, Ptichensky volost, Chelyabinsk district, Orenburg province (now the village of Khokhly, Kushmyansky village council, Shumikhinsky district Kurgan region). According to the recollections of fellow villagers, he grew up as a strong and very resilient boy. Evstigneev combined classes at the flying club with work at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. He later graduated from the Burma Military Flying School. Observing the light and precise cascade of figures he performed in the air, it was difficult to imagine that Evstigneev was suffering from an illness that prohibited him from serving in aviation - a peptic ulcer. However, like another ace pilot Rechkalov, Estigneev showed persistence and ensured that he was kept in service. The pilot's skill was so high that, according to the stories of his colleagues, he could land the fighter on one wheel or on a narrow path cleared of snow between two meter-long ice barriers.
We remember our heroes! 70th anniversary Great Victory dedicated to 13 war photos! Infographics: the best Soviet ace pilots Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Before the treacherous attack on the USSR, the air force of Nazi Germany did not consider Soviet pilots, oddly enough, as serious and dangerous opponents. In the Luftwaffe (German air force) it was generally accepted that only the Soviet Union could cause trouble for the German aces. air defense. However, soon after the aggression, Hitler’s fascists had to radically change their attitude towards the brave Soviet pilots. Our aviation provided such a rebuff to the invaders that the Nazis, naturally, had never encountered anywhere in Europe before. Look at the infographics provided by AiF.ru to see which of the Soviet hero pilots shot down the most German planes. And also a unique video “Heroes of the Sky” - a high-quality series of videos for the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, filmed by order of the Russian Military Historical Society.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazhievka, Glukhov district, Chernigov province (now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region of Ukraine). Kozhedub’s first meeting with aviation began at the flying club of the chemical-technological technical school in the city of Shostka, where he entered after school. It was there in April 1939 that he made his first flight. The beauty of his native land, revealed from a height of 1500 meters, made a strong impression on the young man and predetermined his entire future life.
At the beginning of 1940, Kozhedub was admitted to the Chuguev Military Aviation School. According to the recollections of his classmates, he flew a lot, often experimented, honing his aerobatic skills, and loved the theory of aircraft construction. The skills acquired during his studies were subsequently very useful to Kozhedub: according to his comrades, he knew the combat vehicle better than the back of his hand. During the entire war, the pilot was never shot down; even a heavily damaged fighter, risking his life, he always returned to the airfield.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany, Kozhedub continued his studies; in 1949, he graduated with honors from the Red Banner Air Force Academy. The pilot's strong knowledge and extensive experience very soon found their use. In 1951-52 During the Korean War, Kozhedub commanded an entire aviation division; his falcons shot down 258 enemy aircraft in that conflict.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was born in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk). He became interested in aviation at the age of 12 when he saw airplanes flying in the sky. Subsequently, Pokryshkin entered the 3rd Military School of Aviation Technicians, and at the end of 1934 he became a senior aircraft technician of the 74th Taman Rifle Division. However, in order to become not an aircraft technician, but a pilot, Pokryshkin had to go through a long and difficult path. To obtain this profession, he persistently studied the history of flight and military history, physics and mathematics, physiology and descriptive geometry for four years.
Pokryshkin wrote 39 reports to commanders with a request to let him go to flight school, but each time he was refused. The situation did not suit the young man at all, and in September 1938, during his next vacation, in seventeen days he mastered the two-year program of the Krasnodar flying club and passed the exam as an external student with excellent marks. Finally, in his 40th report, he included a certificate of graduation from the flying club and already in November 1938 he became a student at the Kachin Military Aviation School. A year later he graduated with honors, now becoming a pilot.
The educational path completed was worth it: already in 1941, having become known as a virtuoso of flying, Senior Lieutenant Pokryshkin was appointed deputy squadron commander. There is a common legend that, having received information about the approach of this pilot’s fighter, the Germans began to transmit urgent messages to each other: “Akhtung, akhtung! Pokryshkin is in the sky!”
Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev was born in the village of Aksai (now the city of Aksai, Rostov region). He graduated from 7 classes of junior high school and a secondary school, and studied at the flying club in the evenings. This hobby helped him in 1938, when Gulaev was drafted into the army. The amateur pilot was sent to the Stalingrad Aviation School, from which he graduated in 1940. During the war, Gulaev enjoyed a reputation as a daredevil. In August 1942, an incident happened to him that showed both courage and a certain willfulness of his character. The young pilot did not have permission to fly at night, and when on August 3, 1942, Nazi planes appeared in the area of responsibility of the regiment where Gulaev served, experienced pilots took to the skies. Gulaev also flew with them, who decided to prove that he was no worse than the “old men.” As a result, in the very first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, a German bomber was destroyed. When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the arriving general said: “For the fact that I flew out without permission, I am reprimanding, and for the fact that I shot down an enemy plane, I am promoting him in rank and presenting him for a reward.”
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov was born in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, Perm province (now the village of Zaykovo, Irbitsky district, Sverdlovsk region). He became acquainted with aviation while studying in the glider pilots' club at the factory school of the Verkh-Isetsky plant in Sverdovsk. In 1937, he entered the Perm Military Pilot School and subsequently graduated with success. In 1939, with the rank of sergeant, he was enlisted in the 55th Aviation Fighter Regiment in Kirovograd.
Rechkalov's main trait was persistence. Despite the fact that the medical commission determined that the pilot was color blind, he won the right to continue serving and in 1941 he was sent to the 55th Fighter Regiment. According to his colleagues, Rechkalov had a rather uneven character. Showing an example of discipline in one mission, in the next he could be distracted from the main task and just as decisively begin the pursuit of a random enemy.
Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev
Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev was born in the village of Khokhly, Ptichensky volost, Chelyabinsk district, Orenburg province (now the village of Khokhly, Kushmyansky village council, Shumikha district, Kurgan region). According to the recollections of his fellow villagers, he grew up as a strong and very resilient boy. Evstigneev combined classes at the flying club with work at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. He later graduated from the Burma Military Flying School. Observing the light and precise cascade of figures he performed in the air, it was difficult to imagine that Evstigneev was suffering from an illness that prohibited him from serving in aviation - a peptic ulcer. However, like another ace pilot Rechkalov, Estigneev showed persistence and ensured that he was kept in service. The pilot's skill was so high that, according to the stories of his colleagues, he could land the fighter on one wheel or on a narrow path cleared of snow between two meter-long ice barriers.
