Downed Soviet pilots. Luftwaffe aces!! (historical photos)
What prompted me to choose this topic?
War is a time of testing, where everyone shows their true essence. Someone betrays and sells loved ones, their ideals and values in order to save their miserable life, which is essentially worthless.
But there is another group of people who place saving their lives on the “scale” of values, if not the last, then not the first place. Combat pilots also belong to this group of people.
I do not single out pilots based on their affiliation with one or another warring side. I don't draw any conclusions. Let everyone, after reading the material I provide, draw conclusions for themselves. I just wrote about brave people who were, are and will be in history. And I set these people as an example for myself.
Ace(French as - ace; first in his field) - master of air combat. For the first time this word was applied in the First World War to military pilots who were fluent in the art of piloting and air combat and who shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft.
In World War II, the best ace of the USSR and allies was Ivan Kozhedub, who shot down 62 aircraft. Among the aces (experts) of Nazi Germany who fought on the Eastern Front, there were those whose combat count numbered in the hundreds. The absolute record for the number of confirmed victories in the history of aviation - 352 enemy aircraft - belongs to Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann. Among the aces of other countries, the leadership belongs to the Finn Eino Ilmari Juutilainen, who accounted for 94 enemy aircraft.
After the end of World War II and the advent of jet aviation, the number of aircraft shot down per pilot fell, which was caused by the comparative limited nature of local conflicts. The appearance of new aces was noted only in the Korean, Vietnamese, Iran-Iraq, Arab-Israeli and Indo-Pakistan wars. A record number of victories on a jet aircraft were achieved by Soviet pilots Evgeniy Pepelyaev and Nikolai Sutyagin during the Korean War - 23 and 21 enemy aircraft, respectively. The third place in the number of aircraft shot down in the history of jet aviation is taken by Israeli Air Force Colonel Giora Epstein - 17 aircraft, and 9 of them in two days.
Aces of the USSR
27 Soviet fighter pilots, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times and twice for their military exploits, scored from 22 to 62 victories, in total they shot down 1044 enemy aircraft (plus 184 in the group). Over 800 pilots have 16 or more victories. Our aces (3% of all pilots) destroyed 30% of enemy aircraft.
Kozhedub, Ivan Nikitovich
Figure 1 - Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Ivan Nikitovich KozhedubIvan Nikitovich Kozhedub (June 8, 1920, Obrazhievka village, Glukhov district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR - August 8, 1991, Moscow) - Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 personal victories). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (6 May 1985).
Ivan Kozhedub was born in Ukraine into a peasant family. He took his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shostka flying club. Since 1940 - in the ranks of the Red Army. In 1941 he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, where he began serving as an instructor.
After the start of the war, he was evacuated to Central Asia along with the aviation school. In November 1942, Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division, which was being formed in Ivanovo. In March 1943, as part of the division, he flew to the Voronezh Front.
Figure 2 - Ivan Kozhedub against the background of La-5FN (side number 14) 
Figure 3 - La-7 I.N. Kozhedub, 176th GvIAP, spring 1945
The first air battle ended in failure for Kozhedub and almost became the last - his La-5 was damaged by a cannon fire from a Messerschmitt-109, the armored back saved him from an incendiary shell, and upon returning he was fired upon by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners and the plane was hit by 2 anti-aircraft shells. Despite the fact that he managed to land the plane, it was not subject to full restoration, and Kozhedub had to fly on the “remnants” - the available aircraft in the squadron. Soon they wanted to take him to the warning post, but the regiment commander stood up for him. July 6, 1943 on Kursk Bulge During the fortieth combat mission, Kozhedub shot down his first German aircraft - a Junkers 87 bomber. The very next day he shot down the second, and on July 9 he shot down 2 Bf-109 fighters at once. The first title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Kozhedub on February 4, 1944 for 146 combat missions and 20 downed enemy aircraft.
Since May 1944, Ivan Kozhedub fought on the La-5FN (side number 14), built at the expense of the collective farmer-beekeeper of the Stalingrad region V.V. Konev. In August 1944, he was appointed deputy commander of the 176th guards regiment and began to fight on the new La-7 fighter. Second medal" Golden Star"Kozhedub was awarded on August 19, 1944 for 256 combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft.
Figure 4 - La-7 early series 
Figure 5 - La-7 cockpit By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a guard major, flew the La-7, made 330 combat missions, shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He bombers each -111, 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter. Kozhedub fought his last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, in the skies over Berlin. Throughout the war, Kozhedub was never shot down. Kozhedub received the third Gold Star medal on August 18, 1945 for high military skill, personal courage and bravery shown on the war fronts. He was an excellent shooter and preferred to open fire at a distance of 200-300 meters, rarely approaching at a shorter distance.
Figure 6 - Medal “Gold Star” - attribute of the Hero of the Soviet Union In addition to A.I. Pokryshkin and I.N. Kozhedub three times Hero of the USSR was S.M. Budyonny. More stars (four) had L.I. Brezhnev and G.K. Zhukov.
Kozhedub’s flight biography also includes two US Air Force P-51 Mustangs shot down in 1945, which attacked him, mistaking him for a German plane.
At the end of the war, Kozhedub continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1949 he graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy, in 1956 - from the Military Academy of the General Staff. During the Korean War, he commanded the 324th Fighter Division as part of the 64th Fighter Corps. From April 1951 to January 1952, the division's pilots scored 216 aerial victories, losing only 27 aircraft (9 pilots died).
In 1964-1971 - Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Since 1971 he served in the central apparatus of the Air Force, and since 1978 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1985, I. N. Kozhedub was awarded the military rank of Air Marshal. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-5th convocations, and a people's deputy of the USSR.
Died on August 8, 1991. Buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. A bronze bust was installed in his homeland in the village of Obrazhievka. His La-7 (board number 27) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Monino. Also, a park in the city of Sumy (Ukraine) is named after Ivan Kozhedub; a monument to the pilot is erected near the entrance.
Pokryshkin, Alexander Ivanovich
Figure 7 - Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin is a Soviet ace pilot, the second most successful Soviet fighter pilot of the Great Patriotic War. First three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (1972). Honorary citizen of Mariupol and Novosibirsk.
Pokryshkin was born in Novosibirsk, the son of a factory worker. Grew up in poverty. But unlike his peers, he was more interested in studying than in fights and petty crimes. In his youth he had the nickname Engineer. He became interested in aviation at the age of 12 at a local air show and the dream of becoming a pilot never left him after that. In 1928, after graduating from seven-year school, he went to work in construction. In 1930, despite his father's protests, he left home and entered a local technical school, where he studied for 18 months. Then he voluntarily joined the army and was sent to aviation school. His dream seemed about to come true. Unfortunately, the profile of the school was suddenly changed and I had to study as an aviation mechanic. Official requests for transfer to the flight department received the standard answer “Soviet aviation needs technicians.” Having graduated from the Perm Military-Technical School in 1933, he quickly rose in rank. In December 1934, he became senior aviation mechanic of the 74th Infantry Division. He remained in this position until November 1938. During this period, his creative nature began to emerge: he proposed a number of improvements to the ShKAS machine gun and a number of other things.
In the end, Pokryshkin outwitted his superiors: during his vacation in the winter of 1938, he completed the annual civil pilot program in 17 days. This automatically made him eligible for admission to flight school. Without even packing his suitcase, he boarded the train. He graduated with top marks in 1939, and with the rank of first lieutenant was assigned to the 55th Fighter Regiment.
He was in Moldova in June 1941, close to the border, and his airfield was bombed on June 22, 1941, the first day of the war. His first dogfight was a disaster. He shot down a Soviet plane. It was a Su-2, a light bomber, its pilot survived, but its gunner was killed.
He scored his first victory against the famed Bf-109 the next day while he and his wingman were conducting reconnaissance. On July 3, having won several more victories, he was hit by a German anti-aircraft gun behind the front line and spent four days making his way to his unit. During the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin clearly saw how outdated Soviet military doctrine was, and began to little by little write down his ideas in a notebook. He carefully recorded all the details of the air battles in which he and his friends participated and made a detailed analysis. He had to fight in extremely difficult conditions of constant retreat. Later he said “those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know the real war.”
Pokryshkin was close to death several times. The machine gun round went through his seat on the right side, damaged his shoulder strap, ricocheted off the left side and grazed his chin, covering his dashboard with blood.
Figure 8 - MiG-3 fighter by A.I. Pokryshkin, 55th IAP, summer 1941. In the winter of 1941, Pokryshkin, flying a MiG-3, took off despite mud and rain after two other pilots crashed trying to take off. His mission was to locate von Kleist's tanks, which had been stopped in front of the town of Shakhty and then lost to Soviet troops. After he, despite running out of fuel and terrible weather was able to return and report this important information, he was awarded the Order of Lenin.
In the late winter of 1942, his regiment was recalled from the front to master a new type of fighter, the P-39 Airacobra. During training, Pokryshkin often disagreed with the new regiment commander, who did not accept Pokryshkin's criticism of Soviet military aviation doctrine. The commander fabricated a case against Pokryshkin in a field court, accusing him of cowardice, lack of subordination and disobedience to orders. However, the highest authority acquitted him. In 1943, Pokryshkin fought in the Kuban against the famous German fighter aircraft formations. Its new tactics for air policing, and the use of ground-based radars are also advanced ground system control brought the Soviet Air Force its first big victory over the Luftwaffe.
In January 1943, the 16th Guards Aviation Regiment was sent to the border with Iran to receive new equipment and new pilots. The regiment returned to the front on April 8, 1943. During this period, Pokryshkin recorded ten Bf-109s shot down during his first flight in an Airacobra. The next day, April 9, he was able to confirm 2 of the 7 aircraft he shot down. Pokryshkin received his first title of Hero of the Soviet Union on April 24, 1943, he was awarded the rank of major in June.
In most sorties, Pokryshkin took on the most difficult task of shooting down the leader. As he understood from the experience of 1941-1942, knocking out a leader meant demoralizing the enemy and often thereby forcing him to return to his airfield. Pokryshkin received the second Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on August 24, 1943 after the special investigation.
Figure 9 - Mig-3 at a field airfield 
Figure 10 - Cockpit 
Figure 11 - Installation of ShVAK cannons on the MiG-3 In February 1944, Pokryshkin received a promotion and an offer of light paperwork to manage the training of new pilots. But he immediately rejected this offer and remained in his old regiment in his previous rank. However, he did not fly as much as before. Pokryshkin became a famous hero and became a very important propaganda tool, so he was not allowed to fly much for fear of his death in battle. Instead of flying, he spent a lot of time in a bunker directing his regiment's battles by radio. In June 1944, Pokryshkin received the rank of colonel and began to command the 9th Guards Air Division. On August 19, 1944, after 550 combat missions and 53 official victories, Pokryshkin was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. He became the first to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. He was forbidden to fly with everyone else, but sometimes he was allowed. Of his 65 official victories, only 6 were won in the last two years of the war.
Figure 12 - Medal “Gold Star” - attribute of the Hero of the Soviet Union After the war he was passed over for promotion again and again. Only after Stalin's death did he find himself in favor again and was finally promoted to aviation general. However, he never held senior positions in aviation. His highest post was the head of DOSAAF. Pokryshkin was again ostracized for his honesty and directness. Despite strong pressure, he refused to glorify Brezhnev and his role in the Battle of Kuban. Pokryshkin died on November 13, 1985 at the age of 72.
Aces of Germany
During World War II, according to German data, Luftwaffe pilots scored about 70,000 victories. More than 5,000 German pilots became aces, scoring five or more victories. More than 8,500 German fighter pilots were killed and 2,700 were missing or captured. 9,100 pilots were injured during combat missions.
Hartmann, Erich Alfred
Figure 13 - Erich Alfred "Booby" Hartmann Erich Alfred "Bubi" Hartmann (German: Erich Alfred Hartmann; born April 19, 1922; † September 20, 1993) - German ace pilot, considered the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aviation. According to German data, during the Second World War he made 1,425 combat missions, shooting down 352 enemy aircraft (of which 345 were Soviet) in 825 air battles. During this time, his plane was shot down 14 times, always for the same reasons - due to damage from the debris of the downed plane, or technical malfunctions, but he was never shot down by the enemy. During such cases, Hartmann always managed to jump out with a parachute. Friends called him “the blond knight of Germany.”
A pre-war glider pilot, Hartmann joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 and completed pilot training in 1942. He was soon assigned to the 52nd Fighter Squadron (German: Jagdgeschwader 52) on the Eastern Front, where he came under the tutelage of experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Under their guidance, Hartmann developed his skills and tactics, which eventually earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (only 27 men in the German Armed Forces had this distinction) on 25 August 1944, for the 301st confirmed air victory.
Figure 14 - Fighter: Messerschmitt Bf 109 
Figure 15 - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Until the end of the war, Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions, in which he fought 825 air battles. Hartmann himself often said that what was dearer to him than all victories was the fact that during the entire war he did not lose a single wingman.
Erich Hartmann achieved his 352nd and last air victory on May 8, 1945. He and the remaining troops from JG 52 surrendered to American forces, but were handed over to the Soviet Army. Accused of war crimes and sentenced to 25 years in maximum security camps, Hartmann would spend 10 and a half years in them until 1955. In 1956 he joined the rebuilt West German Luftwaffe, and became the first commander of the JG 71 Richthoffen squadron. In 1970, he left the army, largely due to his rejection of the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, which was then used to equip the German troops, and constant conflicts with his superiors. Erich Hartmann died in 1993.
Rudel, Hans-Ulrich (Luftwaffe attack aircraft)
Figure 16 - Hans-Ulrich Rudel Hans-Ulrich Rudel (German: Hans-Ulrich Rudel; July 2, 1916 - December 18, 1982) was the most famous and successful pilot of the Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber during World War II. The only recipient of the full bow of the Knight's Cross: with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds (since December 29, 1944). The only foreigner to receive Hungary's highest award, the Gold Medal of Valor. Only Hermann Goering surpassed Rudel in the number of awards. An active Nazi, never criticized Hitler.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel is rightfully considered the most famous combat pilot of the Second World War. In less than four years, piloting mainly the slow and vulnerable Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, he flew 2,530 combat missions, more than any other pilot in the world, destroyed 519 Soviet tanks (more than five tank corps), more than 1,000 steam locomotives , cars and other vehicles, sank the battleship "Marat", a cruiser, a destroyer, 70 landing ships, bombed 150 artillery positions, howitzer, anti-tank and anti-aircraft, destroyed many bridges and pillboxes, shot down 7 Soviet fighters and 2 Il-2 attack aircraft, himself was shot down by anti-aircraft fire about thirty times (and never by fighters), was wounded five times, two of them seriously, but continued to fly combat missions after the amputation of his right leg, saved six crews who made an emergency landing in enemy territory, and at the end of the war became the only soldier of the German army to receive his country's highest and specially established award for bravery, the Golden Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Figure 17 - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds Rudel began the war as a modest lieutenant, who was bullied by his colleagues for his love of milk and for a long time was not allowed to fly combat missions as incapable of learning to fly an aircraft, and ended it with the rank of Oberst, commander of the oldest and most famous aviation unit of the Ju-87 dive bombers (Schlachtgeschwader) SG2 " Immelman". Hitler forbade him to fly several times, believing that his death would be the hardest blow for the nation, Field Marshal Ferdinand Scherner called him worth an entire division, and Stalin valued his head at 100,000 rubles, which he promised to pay to anyone who could deliver Rudel, alive or dead, into the hands of the Soviet command.
Figure 18 - Junkers-87 "Stuka" (Junkers Ju-87 Stu rz ka mpfflugzeug - dive bomber) After the war, Rudel's book of war memoirs, "Trotzdem", better known by its title, was published. English name“The Stuka Pilot” has since been reprinted many times in many languages of the world with a total circulation of more than a million copies. However, the book, unanimously recognized in its time as a literary event and which over the past decades has become a military memoir classic, has never been translated into Russian, despite the fact that Rudel made almost all of his combat missions on the Eastern Front (according to other sources, the book was still published in Russia at least twice). The reasons for this will be clear to the reader after viewing the very first chapters. From the pages of the book we see a portrait of a man thinking, cold-blooded, strong-willed, fearless, with bright commanding qualities, although not alien to emotions, vulnerable, sometimes doubting himself, constantly struggling with inhuman tension and fatigue. At the same time, Rudel remains a convinced fascist. This is not some yesterday a student, hastily trained to fly according to an abbreviated program and thrown into battle, but a career Luftwaffe officer, who strives to inflict maximum damage on the hated enemy by any means and with any weapon at his disposal, the meaning of his life is to exterminate the enemies of Germany, to conquer “living space” for her , successful missions, military career, awards, respect from subordinates, favorable attitude of Hitler, Goering, Himmler, adoration of the nation. Rudel will remain in the history of the Second World War and Hitler's Germany as a finished product of Nazi "indoctrination", the archetype of a fascist military officer, completely devoted to Hitler and the Third Reich, who, until his death, believed that Hitler's fight against the "Asian communist hordes" was the only possible one. and fair.
Figure 19 - Ju 87G "Stuka" - tank destroyer. With two 37 mm BK 37 cannons mounted in nacelles under the wings 
Figure 20 - "Stukas" - combat sortie In mid-April 1946, after being released from a hospital in Bavaria where he was recovering from an amputation, Rudel worked as a transport contractor in Kösfeld, Westphalia. Using his prosthesis, made especially for him by the famous master Streide from Tyrol, he took part in a number of skiing competitions and, together with his friends and fellow soldiers Bauer and Nierman, made a mountain trip to South Tyrol. Later, having lost his job and any prospects, and labeled as an “ardent militarist and fascist,” he moved to Rome, and in July 1948 to Argentina, where, along with a number of other famous Luftwaffe veterans, Generals Werner Baumbach and Adolf Galland, test pilots Behrens and Steinkamp, former Focke-Wulf designer Kurt Tank helped create Argentine military aviation, and worked as a consultant in the aircraft industry.
Rudel, having settled in the vicinity of the Argentine city of Cordoba, where a large aircraft manufacturing plant was located, was actively involved in his favorite sports: swimming, tennis, javelin and discus throwing, alpine skiing and rock climbing in the Sierra Grande mountains. In his spare time, he worked on his memoirs, first published in Buenos Aires in 1949. Despite his prosthesis, he took part in the South American championship skiing in San Carlos de Bariloja and finished fourth. In 1951, Rudel climbed Aconcagua in the Argentine Andes, the highest peak on the American mainland, and reached 7,000 meters when bad weather forced him to turn back.
Being in South America, Rudel met and became close friends with Argentine President Juan Peron and Paraguayan President Alfredo Stroessner. He was actively engaged social activities among Nazis and immigrants of German origin who left Europe, participating in the work of the Kameradenhilfe, as his opponents believed, a “NSDAP-like” organization, which, nevertheless, sent food parcels to German prisoners of war and helped their families.
In 1951, Rudel published two political pamphlets in Buenos Aires - “We, the front-line soldiers and our opinion on the rearmament of Germany” and “A stab in the back or a Legend.” In the first book, Rudel, speaking on behalf of all front-line soldiers, claims that he is again ready to fight against the Bolsheviks and for the “living space” in the east, which is still necessary for the survival of the German nation. In the second, dedicated to the consequences of the assassination attempt on Hitler in June 1944, Rudel explains to the reader that responsibility for Germany’s defeat in the war lies with the generals who did not understand the strategic genius of the Fuhrer and, in particular, with the conspiratorial officers, since the political crisis caused by their assassination attempt allowed Allies to gain a foothold in Europe.
After the end of the contract with the Argentine government in the early 1950s. Rudel returned to Germany, where he continued his successful career as a consultant and businessman. In 1953, at the height of the first stage of the Cold War, when public opinion became more tolerant of former Nazis, he published his Trotzdem for the first time in his homeland. Rudel also attempted to run for the Bundestag as a candidate for the ultra-conservative DRP, but was defeated in the elections. He took an active part in the annual meetings of Immelman veterans, and in 1965 he opened a memorial to the fallen SG2 pilots in Burg-Staufenburg. Despite a stroke suffered in 1970, Rudel continued to be actively involved in sports and contributed to the organization of the first German championships for disabled athletes. He lived the last years of his life in Kufstein, Austria, continuing to embarrass official Bonn with his far-right political statements.
Hans-Ulrich Rudel died in December 1982 from a cerebral hemorrhage in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 66.
Aces of Japan
Nishizawa, Hiroyoshi
Figure 21 - Hiroyoshi Nishizawa Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (January 27, 1920 – October 26, 1944) was a Japanese ace and Imperial Naval Air Corps pilot in World War II.
Nishizawa was arguably the best Japanese ace of the entire war, having scored 87 aerial victories by the time of his death. These statistics are not very accurate, since in Japanese aviation it was customary to keep statistics of the squadron, and not individual pilots, and also due to overly stringent requirements for accounting. Newspapers wrote after his death about 150 victories, he told his family about 147, some sources mention 102, and it is even assumed 202.
Hiroyoshi Nishizawa gained fame after his death, to a large extent this was facilitated by his comrade Saburo Sakai. Both of these pilots were among the best aces of Japanese naval aviation. Nishizawa was born on January 27, 1920 in Nagano Prefecture into the family of a successful manager. In June 1936 he enlisted in the Navy, his decision being a consequence advertising campaign, calling on young people to connect their lives with the Imperial Navy. Hiroyoshi had one dream - to become a pilot. He accomplished it by completing his flight training course in March 1939.
Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, Nishizawa served in the Chitose air group, which was based in the Marshall Islands and was armed with Type 96 Claude fighters. In February 1942 he was transferred to the 4th Air Group. Nishizawa shot down his first plane on February 3, 1942 over Rabaul, flying an outdated Claude.
Upon arrival in Rabaul of the Tainan air group, the pilot was included in the 2nd squadron. Nishizawa found himself in a pleasant campaign by Saburo Sakai. Sakai, Nishizawa and Ota formed the famous "Brilliant Trio". The young pilot quickly became a skilled air fighter. He scored his first victory as part of the Tainan air group on May 1, 1942, shooting down an American Airacobra over Port Moresby. The next day, two P40s fell victim to the guns of his fighter. The opponents of the pilots of the Tainan air group in May 1942 were pilots of the 35th and 36th squadrons of the US Air Force.
August 7, 1942 was the most successful day in the career of Hiroyoshi Nishizawa. During his very first collision with American carrier-based fighter pilots, the Japanese shot down six F4Fs from the VF5 squadron. Nishizawa's Zero was also damaged, but the pilot managed to return to his airfield.
Figure 22 - A6M2 "Zero" model 21 on the deck of the aircraft carrier "Shokaku" preparing for an attack on Pearl Harbor On November 8, based on the remnants of the Tainan air group, the 251st air group was created.
On May 14, 1943, 33 Zero fighters escorted 18 Betty bombers flying to bomb American ships in Oro Bay. All aircraft of the 49th Fighter Group of the US Air Force, three P40 squadrons, scrambled to intercept. In the ensuing battle, Nishizawa shot down one Warhawk for certain and two presumably, then he scored his first victory over the twin-engine Lightning. In total, Japanese pilots recorded 15 aircraft shot down in air combat; in fact, the Americans lost only one aircraft, the P38 Lightning fighter from the 19th Fighter Squadron of the US Air Force.
Sooner or later, Nishizawa had to meet in the air the best fighter of the Pacific War, the F4U Corsair. Such a meeting took place on June 7, 1943 over Russell, when 81 Zeros engaged with a hundred American and New Zealand fighters. Four Corsairs from the VMF112 squadron were shot down in that battle, three pilots managed to escape. Nishizawa chalked up one US Marine Corps Corsair and one New Zealand Air Force P40.
For the rest of the summer of 1943, Nishizawa flew almost daily on combat missions in the Rendova and VellaLavella areas. American pilots from squadrons VMF121, VMF122, VMF123, VMF124 and VMF221 persistently and unsuccessfully hunted for the "devil" Pacific Ocean". For success in combat work, the commander of the 11th air fleet Admiral Inichi Kusaka solemnly presented Hiroyoshi Nishizawa with a samurai sword.
In September, the 251st Air Group began to prepare for night interceptions, and Nishizawa was transferred to the 253rd Air Group, which was based at the Tobira airfield in Rabaul. The ace fought in the new unit for only a month, after which he was recalled to instructor work in Japan in October. In November, Nishizawa was promoted to warrant officer.
The veteran of the Pacific battles perceived the new assignment as if he had been appointed a nurse in a children's nursery. Nishizawa was eager to go to the front. His numerous requests were satisfied: the pilot left for the Philippines at the disposal of the headquarters of the 201st air group. The Japanese were preparing to repel the American invasion of the Philippines.
The date of the first successful kamikaze attack is considered to be October 25, 1944, when Lieutenant Yukio Shiki and four other pilots attacked American aircraft carriers in Leyte Gulf. Nishizawa played a certain role in the success of the first suicide attack: he, at the head of four fighters, accompanied the planes of kamikaze pilots. Nishizawa shot down two patrol Hellcats, allowing Shiki to launch his last attack. Nishizawa himself asked the command to allow him to become a kamikaze. An experienced fighter pilot is too valuable to be used in a suicidal strike. Nishizawa's request was denied.
On October 26, Nishizawa flew the 1021st Naval Airlift Group from Cuba Island to Mabalacat (Clark Field area) to receive the new Zero. On the route, the plane went missing, the radio operator managed to send an SOS signal. For a long time nothing was known about the circumstances of the car’s death.
The circumstances of Nishizawa’s death became clear only in 1982. The transport plane was intercepted over the northern tip of the island of Mindoro by a pair of Helkets from the VF14 squadron, which shot it down.
Hiroyoshi Nishizawa was posthumously awarded the rank of lieutenant. According to official data from the Japanese Navy, Nishizawa personally shot down 36 aircraft and damaged two during his service in the 201st Air Group. Shortly before his death, the pilot submitted a report to his commander, Commodore Harutoshi Okamoto, which indicated the number of victories Nishizawa won in air battles - 86. In post-war studies, the number of aircraft shot down by the ace increased to 103 and even 147.
List of links
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14. Dokuchaev A. Whose pilots were better in World War II? [Electronic resource] - Access mode to the article: http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi/ge/publ/03.dat
15. Sinitsyn E. Alexander Pokryshkin - the genius of air warfare. The psychology of heroism (excerpts from the book). [Electronic resource] - Access mode to the article: http://www.s-genius.ru/vse_knigi/pokrishkin_universal.htm
16. Bakursky V. Comparison of fighters of the Second World War. [Electronic resource] - Access mode to the article:
The title ace, in reference to military pilots, first appeared in French newspapers during the First World War. In 1915 Journalists nicknamed “aces”, and translated from French the word “as” means “ace”, pilots who shot down three or more enemy aircraft. The legendary French pilot Roland Garros was the first to be called an ace.
The most experienced and successful pilots in the Luftwaffe were called experts - “Experte”
Luftwaffe
Eric Alfred Hartman (Boobie)
Erich Hartmann (German: Erich Hartmann; April 19, 1922 - September 20, 1993) was a German ace pilot, considered the most successful fighter pilot in the history of aviation. According to German data, during the Second World War he shot down “352” enemy aircraft (of which 345 were Soviet) in 825 air battles.
Hartmann graduated from flight school in 1941 and was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Squadron on the Eastern Front in October 1942. His first commander and mentor was the famous Luftwaffe expert Walter Krupinsky.
Hartmann shot down his first plane on November 5, 1942 (an Il-2 from the 7th GShAP), but over the next three months he managed to shoot down only one plane. Hartmann gradually improved his flying skills, focusing on the effectiveness of the first attack
Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann in the cockpit of his fighter, the famous emblem of the 9th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron is clearly visible - a heart pierced by an arrow with the inscription “Karaya”, in the upper left segment of the heart the name of Hartman’s bride “Ursel” is written (the inscription is almost invisible in the picture) .
German ace Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (left) and Hungarian pilot Laszlo Pottiondy. German fighter pilot Erich Hartmann - the most successful ace of World War II
Krupinski Walter is the first commander and mentor of Erich Hartmann!!
Hauptmann Walter Krupinski commanded the 7th Staffel of the 52nd Squadron from March 1943 to March 1944. Pictured is Krupinski wearing the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, which he received on March 2, 1944 for 177 victories in air combat. Shortly after this photograph was taken, Krupinski was transferred to the West, where he served with 7(7-5, JG-11 and JG-26), ending the war in an Me-262 with J V-44.
In the photo from March 1944, from left to right: commander of 8./JG-52 Lieutenant Friedrich Obleser, commander of 9./JG-52 Lieutenant Erich Hartmann. Lieutenant Karl Gritz.
Wedding of Luftwaffe ace Erich Hartmann (1922 - 1993) and Ursula Paetsch. To the left of the couple is Hartmann's commander, Gerhard Barkhorn (1919 - 1983). On the right is Hauptmann Wilhelm Batz (1916 - 1988).
Bf. 109G-6 Hauptmann Erich Hartmann, Buders, Hungary, November 1944.
Barkhorn Gerhard "Gerd"
Major Barkhorn Gerhard
He began flying with JG2 and was transferred to JG52 in the fall of 1940. From January 16, 1945 to April 1, 1945 he commanded JG6. He ended the war in the “squadron of aces” JV 44, when on 04/21/1945 his Me 262 was shot down while landing by American fighters. He was seriously wounded and was held captive by the Allies for four months.
Number of victories - 301. All victories on the Eastern Front.
Hauptmann Erich Hartmann (04/19/1922 - 09/20/1993) with his commander Major Gerhard Barkhorn (05/20/1919 - 01/08/1983) studying the map. II./JG52 (2nd group of the 52nd fighter squadron). E. Hartmann and G. Barkhorn are the most successful pilots of the Second World War, having 352 and 301 aerial victories, respectively. In the lower left corner of the photo is E. Hartmann’s autograph.
Destroyed by German aircraft while still on the railway platform soviet fighter LaGG-3.
The snow melted faster than the white winter color was washed off the Bf 109. The fighter takes off right through the spring puddles.)!.
Captured Soviet airfield: I-16 stands next to Bf109F from II./JG-54.
In tight formation, a Ju-87D bomber from StG-2 “Immelmann” and “Friedrich” from I./JG-51 are carrying out a combat mission. At the end of the summer of 1942, the pilots of I./JG-51 switched to FW-190 fighters.
Commander of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (Jagdgeschwader 52) Lieutenant Colonel Dietrich Hrabak, commander of the 2nd Group of the 52nd Fighter Squadron (II.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 52) Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn and an unknown Luftwaffe officer with a Messerschmitt fighter Bf.109G-6 at Bagerovo airfield.
Walter Krupinski, Gerhard Barkhorn, Johannes Wiese and Erich Hartmann
The commander of the 6th Fighter Squadron (JG6) of the Luftwaffe, Major Gerhard Barkhorn, in the cockpit of his Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 fighter.
Bf 109G-6 “double black chevron” of I./JG-52 commander Hauptmann Gerhard Barkhorn, Kharkov-Yug, August 1943.
Note the aircraft's own name; Christi is the name of the wife of Barkhorn, the second most successful fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. The picture shows the plane Barkhorn flew in when he was commander of I./JG-52, when he had not yet crossed the 200-victory mark. Barkhorn survived; in total he shot down 301 aircraft, all on the eastern front.
Gunter Rall
German ace fighter pilot Major Günther Rall (03/10/1918 - 10/04/2009). Günther Rall was the third most successful German ace of World War II. He has 275 air victories (272 on the Eastern Front) in 621 combat missions. Rall himself was shot down 8 times. On the pilot’s neck is visible the Knight’s Cross with oak leaves and swords, which he was awarded on September 12, 1943 for 200 air victories.
“Friedrich” from III./JG-52, this group in the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa covered the troops of the countries operating in the coastal zone of the Black Sea. Note the unusual angular tail number “6” and the “sine wave”. Apparently, this plane belonged to the 8th Staffel.
Spring 1943, Rall looks on approvingly as Lieutenant Josef Zwernemann drinks wine from a bottle
Günther Rall (second from left) after his 200th aerial victory. Second from right - Walter Krupinski
Shot down Bf 109 of Günter Rall
Rall in his Gustav IV
After being seriously wounded and partially paralyzed, Oberleutnant Günther Rall returned to 8./JG-52 on 28 August 1942, and two months later he became a Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Rall ended the war, taking an honorable third place in performance among Luftwaffe fighter pilots
won 275 victories (272 on the Eastern Front); shot down 241 Soviet fighters. He flew 621 combat missions, was shot down 8 times and wounded 3 times. His Messerschmitt had personal number"Baker's dozen"
The commander of the 8th squadron of the 52nd fighter squadron (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52), Oberleutnant Günther Rall (Günther Rall, 1918-2009), with the pilots of his squadron, during a break between combat missions, plays with the squadron’s mascot - a dog named “Rata” .
In the photo in the foreground from left to right: non-commissioned officer Manfred Lotzmann, non-commissioned officer Werner Höhenberg, and lieutenant Hans Funcke.
In the background, from left to right: Oberleutnant Günther Rall, Lieutenant Hans Martin Markoff, Sergeant Major Karl-Friedrich Schumacher and Oberleutnant Gerhard Luety.
The picture was taken by frontline correspondent Reissmüller on March 6, 1943 near the Kerch Strait.
photo of Rall and his wife Hertha, originally from Austria
The third in the triumvirate of the best experts of the 52nd squadron was Gunther Rall. Rall flew a black fighter with tail number “13” after his return to service on August 28, 1942 after being seriously wounded in November 1941. By this time, Rall had 36 victories to his name. Before being transferred to the West in the spring of 1944, he shot down another 235 Soviet aircraft. Pay attention to the symbols of III./JG-52 - the emblem on the front of the fuselage and the “sine wave” drawn closer to the tail.
Kittel Otto (Bruno)
Otto Kittel (Otto "Bruno" Kittel; February 21, 1917 - February 14, 1945) was a German ace pilot, fighter, and participant in World War II. He flew 583 combat missions and scored 267 victories, which is the fourth most in history. Luftwaffe record holder for the number of shot down Il-2 attack aircraft - 94. Awarded the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords.
in 1943, luck turned his face. On January 24, he shot down the 30th plane, and on March 15, the 47th. On the same day, his plane was seriously damaged and fell 60 km behind the front line. In thirty-degree frost on the ice of Lake Ilmen, Kittel went out to his own.
This is how Kittel Otto returned from a four-day journey!! His plane was shot down behind the front line, 60 km away!!
Otto Kittel on vacation, summer 1941. At that time, Kittel was an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot with the rank of non-commissioned officer.
Otto Kittel in the circle of comrades! (marked with a cross)
At the head of the table is "Bruno"
Otto Kittel with his wife!
Killed on February 14, 1945 during an attack by a Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft. Shot down by the gunner's return fire, Kittel's Fw 190A-8 (serial number 690 282) crashed into a swampy area near Soviet troops and exploded. The pilot did not use a parachute because he died in the air.
Two Luftwaffe officers bandage the hand of a wounded Red Army prisoner near a tent
Airplane "Bruno"
Novotny Walter (Novi)
German ace pilot of World War II, during which he flew 442 combat missions, scoring 258 air victories, including 255 on the Eastern Front and 2 over 4-engine bombers. The last 3 victories were won while flying the Me.262 jet fighter. He scored most of his victories flying the FW 190, and approximately 50 victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. He was the first pilot in the world to score 250 victories. Awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
ACES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
The question about ASAH is not about the Germanic gods (although... how to say... :-)), but about fighter pilots upper class- from the Second World War remains open. Over the past twenty to thirty years, so much custom-made nonsense has been written on this topic (usually “from our side”!) that all the rather boring and monotonous Soviet agitprop on this topic, published in 1961-1985, has been drowned in it. Separating the “wheat from the chaff” there is obviously a pointless exercise, because opponents will cover their ears and, on the one hand, will stubbornly repeat about “the Safkov didn’t know how to fly planes in the fucking schools of the land lizrulyozz!”, and on the other hand, they will constantly mutter about “the Krauts, the cowards, the Japanese, the fanatics, the rest of them, they didn’t know how to conquer!” Listening to this is boring and embarrassing. I'm ashamed of the people who fought, you know. In front of everyone. Therefore, in the first part of this article (and the second part, in general, does not belong to me), I will simply present a summary table of the “leading three” for all the main warring countries. Only with numbers. Only with CONFIRMED and VERIFIED figures. So...
|
Quantity shot down enemy aircraft |
|
|
"Allies" |
|
|
USSR |
|
| A.L. Pokryshkin | |
| I.N.Kozhedub | |
| G.A. Rechkalov | |
|
British Empire |
|
|
Great Britain |
|
| D.E.Johnson | |
| V. Wale | |
| J.R.D.Braham | |
|
Australia |
|
| K.R. Caldwell | |
| A.P. Holdsmith | |
| John L. Waddy | |
|
Canada |
|
| G.F.Burling | |
| H.W.McLeod | |
| W.K.Woodworth | |
|
New Zealand |
|
| Colin F. Gray | |
| E.D. Mackey | |
| W. W. Crawford-Campton | |
|
South Africa |
|
| Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle | |
| A.G. Mallon | |
| Albert G. Lewis | |
|
Belgium |
|
| Rudolf deHemricourt deGrun | |
| Vic Ortmans | |
| Dumonso deBergandal | |
| Richard Gere Bong | |
| Thomas McQuirey | |
| David McCampbell | |
|
France |
|
| Marcel Albert | |
| Jean E.F. deMaze | |
| Pierre Closterman | |
|
Poland |
|
| Stanislav Skalsky | |
| B.M. Gladysh | |
| Vitold Urbanovich | |
|
Greece |
|
| Vassilios Vassiliades | |
| Ioannis Kellas | |
| Anastassios Bardivilias | |
|
Czechoslovakia |
|
| K.M.Kuttelwascher | |
| Josef Frantisek | |
|
Norway |
|
| Svein Höglund | |
| Helner G.E. Grün-Span | |
|
Denmark |
|
| Kai Birkstead | |
|
China |
|
| Lee Kwei-Tan | |
| Liu Tsui-Kan | |
| Lo Chi | |
|
"Axis" |
|
|
Germany |
|
| Gerhardt Barkhorn | |
| Walter Nowotny | |
| Gunther Rahl | |
|
Finland |
|
| Eino Ilmari Juutilainen | |
| Hans Henrik Wind | |
| Antero Eino Luukanen | |
|
Italy |
|
| Teresio Vittorio Martinolli | |
| Franco Lucchini | |
| Leonardo Ferruli | |
|
Hungary |
|
| Dözhi Szentüdörgyi | |
| Győr Debrodi | |
| Laszlo Molnar | |
|
Romania |
|
| Konstantin Cantacuzino | |
| Alexander Serbanescu | |
| Ion Milu | |
|
Bulgaria |
|
| Iliev Stoyan Stoyanov | |
| Angelov Petar Bochev | |
| Nenov Ivan Bonev | |
|
Croatia |
|
| Mato Dukovac | |
| Tsvitan Galic | |
| Dragutin Ivanich | |
|
Slovakia |
|
| Jan Rezniak | |
| Isidor Kovarik | |
| Jan Herzover | |
|
Spain |
|
| Gonzalo Hevia | |
| Mariano Medina Quadra | |
| Fernando Sanchez-Ariona | |
|
Japan |
|
| Hiroyoshi Nishizawa | |
| Shoiki Sugita | |
| Saburo Sakai | |
Conclusion:
So, based on the above, we can come to the conclusion that ramming, as a form of combat, was characteristic not only of Soviet pilots - ramming was carried out by pilots from almost all countries participating in the battles. ... it must be admitted that the Japanese still surpassed us in the sphere of the “purely Soviet form of combat.” If we evaluate only the effectiveness of the "kamikazes" (operating since October 1944), then at the cost of the lives of more than 5,000 Japanese pilots, about 50 were sunk and about 300 enemy warships were damaged, of which 3 sunk and 40 damaged were aircraft carriers with a huge capacity. the number of aircraft on board.
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 illustrious cohort Soviet aces- a threat to the Luftwaffe. Today we remember the 10 most successful Soviet fighter pilots, who accounted for 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 history of Soviet fighter aviation during the war does not end with these two most famous aces. During the war, another 25 pilots were twice nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, not to mention those who were once awarded this highest military award in the country of those years.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
During the war, Ivan Kozhedub made 330 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft. He flew on La-5, La-5FN and La-7 aircraft.
Official Soviet historiography listed 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 jet fighter Me-262. 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 plane.
In all likelihood, if Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) had started the war in 1941, his count 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 combat mission, he shot down a German Ju-87 dive bomber. Thus, the pilot’s performance is truly amazing; in just two war years he managed to bring 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 heavily 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 burst from a German fighter; the armored back saved the pilot from an incendiary shell. And upon returning home, his plane was fired upon by its own air defense, the car received two hits. Despite this, Kozhedub managed to land the plane, which could no longer be fully restored.
The future best Soviet ace took 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 School of Pilots, after which he continued to serve in this school as an instructor. With the beginning of the 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 had been 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 fly 146 combat missions 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 for 256 combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft. 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 automatic 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 successes 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 aerobatics. 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 skies over Berlin, in this battle he shot down two German FW-190 fighters. The future air marshal (title awarded on May 6, 1985), Major Kozhedub, became a three-time Hero of the Soviet Union 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 many 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 Pokryshki fought from the very first day of the war to the last. During this time, he made 650 combat missions, 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 aircraft.
The number of aircraft shot down is very arbitrary. Quite often, Alexander Pokryshkin made deep raids behind enemy lines, where he also managed to win victories. However, only those that could be confirmed by ground services were counted, that is, if possible, over their territory. He could have had 8 such unaccounted victories in 1941 alone. Moreover, they accumulated throughout the war. Also, Alexander Pokryshkin often gave the planes he shot down at the expense of his subordinates (mostly wingmen), thus stimulating them. In those years this 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 write down his notes on this matter in a notebook. He kept a careful record of the air battles in which he and his friends took part, after which he made a detailed analysis of what he had written. Moreover, at that time he had to fight in very difficult conditions of constant retreat of 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 associated 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 already commanded the regiment. On August 19, 1944, after 550 combat missions and 53 officially won victories, he became a three-time Hero of the Soviet Union, the first in history.
The wave of “revelations” that washed over him after the 1990s also affected 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 sorties, it can be noted that for a long time at the beginning of the war, Pokryshkin flew on his MiG-3, and then the Yak-1, to attack enemy ground forces or perform reconnaissance flights. For example, by mid-November 1941, the pilot had already completed 190 combat missions, but the vast majority of them - 144 - were to attack enemy ground forces.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was not only a cold-blooded, brave 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 matter with the regiment commander in 1942 led to the fact that the ace pilot was even expelled from the party and the case was sent to the tribunal. The pilot was saved by the intercession of the regiment commissar and higher command. The case against him was dropped and he was reinstated in the party. After the war, Pokryshkin had a long conflict with Vasily Stalin, which had a detrimental effect on 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 he flew more than 450 combat missions, shooting down 56 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group in 122 air battles. According to other sources, the number of his personal aerial victories could exceed 60. During the war, he flew 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 cleared 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 had a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing an example of determination, courage and discipline in one mission, in another he could be distracted from the main task and just as decisively begin the pursuit of 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, replacing him as squadron commander and regiment commander. Pokryshkin himself best qualities Grigory Rechkalov believed in frankness and directness.
Rechkalov, like Pokryshkin, fought since June 22, 1941, but with a forced break of almost two years. In the first month of fighting, he managed to shoot down three enemy aircraft in his outdated I-153 biplane fighter. He also managed to fly on the I-16 fighter. On July 26, 1941, during a combat mission 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 on the path of the future famous ace. Grigory Rechkalov was sent to serve in the 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 district Air Force headquarters, 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 recalled from the front to be re-equipped with new American Airacobra fighters, which were sent 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, was perfectly able to 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 any 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 use new techniques: they began to fly in pairs rather than in flights, it was better to use radio for guidance and communication, and echeloned their machines with the so-called “ bookcase."
Grigory Rechkalov won 44 victories in the Airacobra, more than other Soviet pilots. After the end of the war, someone asked the famous pilot what he valued most in the Airacobra fighter, on which so many victories were won: the power of the fire salvo, speed, visibility, reliability of the engine? 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, according to him, was the radio. The Airacobra had excellent radio communication, rare in those years. Thanks to this connection, pilots in battle could communicate with each other, as if on the phone. Someone saw something - immediately all members of the group are aware. Therefore, we did not have any surprises during combat missions.
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 to the reserve with the rank of major general. After which he lived and worked in Moscow. He died in Moscow on December 20, 1990 at the age of 70.
Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev found himself 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 missions he had a plane shot down, or on average more than one plane for every air battle. During the war, he flew I-16, Yak-1, P-39 Airacobra fighters; most of his victories, like Pokryshkin and Rechkalov, he won on Airacobra.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev shot down not much fewer planes than Alexander Pokryshkin. But in terms of effectiveness of fights, he far surpassed both him and Kozhedub. Moreover, 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 performed his most effective battle on May 30, 1944. In one air battle over Skuleni, he managed to shoot down 5 enemy aircraft at once: two Me-109, Hs-129, Ju-87 and Ju-88. During the battle he himself was seriously wounded in right hand, but having concentrated all his strength and will, he was able to bring his fighter to the airfield, bleeding, landed, and, having taxied to the parking lot, lost consciousness. The pilot only came to his senses in the hospital after the operation, and here he learned that he had been awarded the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The entire time 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 plane. He was wounded several times during this time, but after being wounded he invariably returned back to duty. At the beginning of 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 ordering them to the Air Force Academy. Thus, the war ended unexpectedly for our hero.
Nikolai Gulaev was called the brightest representative“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 its colorfulness. Only such a person, possessing unparalleled courage, would be able to conduct 10 super-effective air battles, recording two of his victories by successfully ramming 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 throughout his 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 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles, personally shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and 3 in the group. He flew La-5 and La-5FN fighters.
The almost two-year “delay” in appearing at the front was due to the fact that the fighter pilot suffered from a stomach ulcer, and with this disease he was not allowed to go to the front. Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked as an instructor at a flight school, and after that he drove Lend-Lease Airacobras. Working as an instructor gave him a lot, as did 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 and flew the La-5 fighter. On his first combat mission, on March 28, 1943, he scored two victories.
During the entire war, the enemy never managed to shoot down Kirill Evstigneev. But he got it twice from his own people. The first time the Yak-1 pilot, carried away by air combat, crashed into his plane from above. The Yak-1 pilot immediately jumped out of the plane, which had lost one wing, with a parachute. But Evstigneev’s La-5 suffered less damage, and he managed to reach the positions of his troops, landing the fighter next to the trenches. The second incident, more mysterious and dramatic, occurred over our territory in the absence of enemy aircraft in the air. The fuselage of his plane was pierced by a burst, damaging Evstigneev’s legs, the car caught fire and went into a dive, and the pilot had to jump from the plane with a parachute. At the hospital, doctors were inclined to amputate the pilot’s foot, but he filled them with such fear that they abandoned their idea. And after 9 days, the pilot escaped from the hospital and with crutches traveled 35 kilometers to his home unit.
Kirill Evstigneev constantly increased the number of his aerial victories. Until 1945, the pilot was ahead of Kozhedub. At the same time, the unit doctor periodically sent him to the hospital to treat an ulcer and a wounded leg, which the ace pilot terribly resisted. Kirill Alekseevich was seriously ill since 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 free time, he tried to train young fighter pilots. He was the initiator of training air battles. For the most part, his opponent in them was Kozhedub. At the same time, Evstigneev was completely devoid of any sense of fear, even at the very end of the war he calmly launched 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 ended the Guard War as a navigator of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilot spent his last battle in the skies of Hungary on March 26, 1945, on his fifth La-5 fighter of the war. After the war, he continued to serve in the USSR Air Force, retired in 1972 with the rank of major general, and lived in Moscow. He died on August 29, 1996 at the age of 79, and was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital.
Information sources:
http://svpressa.ru
http://airaces.narod.ru
http://www.warheroes.ru
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Actually, the problem is this: 104 German pilots have a record of 100 or more downed aircraft. Among them are Erich Hartmann (352 victories) and Gerhard Barkhorn (301), who showed absolutely phenomenal results. Moreover, Harmann and Barkhorn won all their victories on the Eastern Front. And they were no exception - Gunther Rall (275 victories), Otto Kittel (267), Walter Nowotny (258) - also fought on the Soviet-German front.
At the same time, the 7 best Soviet aces: Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Gulaev, Rechkalov, Evstigneev, Vorozheikin, Glinka were able to overcome the bar of 50 enemy aircraft shot down. For example, Three-time Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub destroyed 64 German aircraft in air battles (plus 2 American Mustangs shot down by mistake). Alexander Pokryshkin, a pilot about whom, according to legend, the Germans warned by radio: “Achtung! Pokryshkin in der Luft!”, chalked up “only” 59 aerial victories. The little-known Romanian ace Constantin Contacuzino has approximately the same number of victories (according to various sources, from 60 to 69). Another Romanian, Alexandru Serbanescu, shot down 47 aircraft on the Eastern Front (another 8 victories remained “unconfirmed”).
The situation is much worse for the Anglo-Saxons. The best aces were Marmaduke Pettle (about 50 victories, South Africa) and Richard Bong (40 victories, USA). In total, 19 British and American pilots managed to shoot down more than 30 enemy aircraft, while the British and Americans fought on the best fighters in the world: the inimitable P-51 Mustang, P-38 Lightning or the legendary Supermarine Spitfire! On the other hand, the best ace of the Royal Air Force did not have the opportunity to fight on such wonderful aircraft - Marmaduke Pettle won all his fifty victories, flying first on the old Gladiator biplane, and then on the clumsy Hurricane.
Against this background, the results of Finnish fighter aces look completely paradoxical: Ilmari Yutilainen shot down 94 aircraft, and Hans Wind - 75.
What conclusion can be drawn from all these numbers? What is the secret of the incredible performance of Luftwaffe fighters? Maybe the Germans simply didn’t know how to count?
The only thing that can be stated with a high degree of confidence is that the accounts of all aces, without exception, are inflated. Extolling the successes of the best fighters is a standard practice of state propaganda, which by definition cannot be honest.
German Meresyev and his "Stuka"
As interesting example I suggest you consider incredible story bomber pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel. This ace is less known than the legendary Erich Hartmann. Rudel practically did not participate in air battles; you will not find his name in the lists of the best fighters.
Rudel is famous for having flown 2,530 combat missions. He piloted the Junkers 87 dive bomber and at the end of the war took the helm of the Focke-Wulf 190. During his combat career, he destroyed 519 tanks, 150 self-propelled guns, 4 armored trains, 800 trucks and cars, two cruisers, a destroyer, and seriously damaged the battleship Marat. In the air he shot down two Il-2 attack aircraft and seven fighters. He landed on enemy territory six times to rescue the crews of downed Junkers. Soviet Union placed a reward of 100,000 rubles on the head of Hans-Ulrich Rudel.
Just an example of a fascist
He was shot down 32 times by return fire from the ground. In the end, Rudel's leg was torn off, but the pilot continued to fly on a crutch until the end of the war. In 1948, he fled to Argentina, where he became friends with dictator Peron and organized a mountaineering club. Climbed the highest peak Andes - Aconcagua (7 kilometers). In 1953 he returned to Europe and settled in Switzerland, continuing to talk nonsense about the revival of the Third Reich.
Without a doubt, this extraordinary and controversial pilot was a tough ace. But any person who is accustomed to thoughtfully analyzing events should have one important question: How was it established that Rudel destroyed exactly 519 tanks?
Of course, there were no photographic machine guns or cameras on the Junkers. The maximum that Rudel or his gunner-radio operator could notice: covering a column of armored vehicles, i.e. possible damage to tanks. The dive recovery speed of the Yu-87 is more than 600 km/h, the overload can reach 5g, in such conditions it is impossible to accurately see anything on the ground.
Since 1943, Rudel switched to the Yu-87G anti-tank attack aircraft. The characteristics of this "laptezhnika" are simply disgusting: max. speed in horizontal flight is 370 km/h, rate of climb is about 4 m/s. The main weapons of the aircraft were two VK37 cannons (caliber 37 mm, rate of fire 160 rounds/min), with only 12 (!) rounds of ammunition per barrel. Powerful guns installed in the wings, when firing, created a large turning moment and rocked the light aircraft so much that firing in bursts was pointless - only single sniper shots.
Here's a funny report on the results of field tests aircraft gun VYa-23: in 6 sorties on the Il-2, pilots of the 245th assault air regiment, with a total consumption of 435 shells, achieved 46 hits in a tank column (10.6%). We must assume that in real combat conditions, under intense anti-aircraft fire, the results will be much worse. What is a German ace with 24 shells on board the Stuka!
Further, hitting a tank does not guarantee its defeat. An armor-piercing projectile (685 grams, 770 m/s), fired from a VK37 cannon, penetrated 25 mm of armor at an angle of 30° from the normal. When using sub-caliber ammunition, armor penetration increased by 1.5 times. Also, in view own speed aircraft, armor penetration in reality was about 5 mm greater. On the other hand, the thickness of the armored hull of Soviet tanks was less than 30-40 mm only in some projections, and it was impossible to even dream of hitting a KV, IS or heavy self-propelled gun in the forehead or side.
In addition, breaking through armor does not always lead to the destruction of a tank. Trains with damaged armored vehicles regularly arrived in Tankograd and Nizhny Tagil, which were quickly restored and sent back to the front. And repairs to damaged rollers and chassis were carried out right on site. At this time, Hans-Ulrich Rudel drew himself another cross for the “destroyed” tank.
Another question for Rudel is related to his 2,530 combat missions. According to some reports, in the German bomber squadrons it was customary to count a difficult mission as an incentive for several combat missions. For example, captured captain Helmut Putz, commander of the 4th detachment of the 2nd group of the 27th bomber squadron, explained the following during interrogation: “... in combat conditions I managed to make 130-140 night sorties, and a number of sorties with a complex combat mission was counted towards me, like others, for 2-3 flights." (interrogation protocol dated June 17, 1943). Although it is possible that Helmut Putz, having been captured, lied, trying to reduce his contribution to the attacks on Soviet cities.
Hartmann against everyone
There is an opinion that ace pilots filled their accounts without any restrictions and fought “on their own,” being an exception to the rule. And the main work at the front was performed by semi-qualified pilots. This is a deep misconception: in a general sense, there are no “averagely qualified” pilots. There are either aces or their prey.
For example, let's take the legendary Normandy-Niemen air regiment, which fought on Yak-3 fighters. Of the 98 French pilots, 60 did not win a single victory, but the “selected” 17 pilots shot down 200 German planes in air battles (in total, the French regiment drove 273 planes with swastikas into the ground).
A similar picture was observed in the US 8th Air Force, where out of 5,000 fighter pilots, 2,900 did not achieve a single victory. Only 318 people recorded 5 or more downed aircraft.
American historian Mike Spike describes the same episode related to the actions of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front: “... the squadron lost 80 pilots in a fairly short period of time, 60 of whom never shot down a single Russian aircraft.”
So, we found out that ace pilots are the main strength of the Air Force. But the question remains: what is the reason for the huge gap between the performance of the Luftwaffe aces and the pilots of the Anti-Hitler Coalition? Even if we split the incredible German bills in half?
One of the legends about the inconsistency of the large accounts of German aces is associated with an unusual system for counting downed aircraft: by the number of engines. Single-engine fighter - one plane shot down. Four-engine bomber - four aircraft shot down. Indeed, for pilots who fought in the West, a parallel score was introduced, in which for the destruction of a “Flying Fortress” flying in battle formation, the pilot was credited with 4 points, for a damaged bomber that “fell out” of the battle formation and became easy prey other fighters, the pilot was given 3 points, because He did the bulk of the work - fighting through the hurricane fire of "Flying Fortresses" is much more difficult than shooting down a damaged single aircraft. And so on: depending on the degree of participation of the pilot in the destruction of the 4-engine monster, he was awarded 1 or 2 points. What happened next with these reward points? They were probably somehow converted into Reichsmarks. But all this had nothing to do with the list of downed aircraft.
The most prosaic explanation for the Luftwaffe phenomenon: the Germans had no shortage of targets. Germany fought on all fronts with a numerical superiority of the enemy. The Germans had 2 main types of fighters: Messerschmitt 109 (34 thousand were produced from 1934 to 1945) and Focke-Wulf 190 (13 thousand fighter version and 6.5 thousand attack aircraft were produced) - a total of 48 thousand fighters.
At the same time, about 70 thousand Yaks, Lavochkins, I-16s and MiG-3s passed through the Red Army Air Force during the war years (excluding 10 thousand fighters delivered under Lend-Lease).
In the Western European theater of operations, Luftwaffe fighters were opposed by about 20 thousand Spitfires and 13 thousand Hurricanes and Tempests (this is how many vehicles served in the Royal Air Force from 1939 to 1945). How many more fighters did Britain receive under Lend-Lease?
Since 1943, American fighters appeared over Europe - thousands of Mustangs, P-38s and P-47s plowed the skies of the Reich, accompanying strategic bombers during raids. In 1944, during the Normandy landings, Allied aviation had a six-fold numerical superiority. “If there are camouflaged planes in the sky, it’s the Royal Air Force, if there are silver ones, it’s the US Air Force. If there are no planes in the sky, it’s the Luftwaffe,” German soldiers joked sadly. Where could British and American pilots get large bills under such conditions?
Another example - the most popular combat aircraft in the history of aviation was the Il-2 attack aircraft. During the war years, 36,154 attack aircraft were produced, of which 33,920 Ilovs entered the army. By May 1945, the Red Army Air Force included 3,585 Il-2s and Il-10s, and another 200 Il-2s were in naval aviation.
In a word, the Luftwaffe pilots did not have any superpowers. All their achievements can only be explained by the fact that there were many enemy aircraft in the air. The Allied fighter aces, on the contrary, needed time to detect the enemy - according to statistics, even the best Soviet pilots had an average of 1 air battle per 8 sorties: they simply could not meet the enemy in the sky!
On a cloudless day, from a distance of 5 km, a World War II fighter is visible like a fly on a window pane from the far corner of the room. In the absence of radar on aircraft, air combat was more of an unexpected coincidence than a regular event.
It is more objective to count the number of downed aircraft, taking into account the number of combat sorties of pilots. Viewed from this angle, Erich Hartmann's achievements fade: 1,400 sorties, 825 air combats and "only" 352 aircraft shot down. Walter Novotny has a much better figure: 442 sorties and 258 victories.
Friends congratulate Alexander Pokryshkin (far right) on receiving the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union
It is very interesting to trace how ace pilots began their careers. The legendary Pokryshkin, in his first combat missions, demonstrated aerobatic skill, audacity, flight intuition and sniper shooting. And the phenomenal ace Gerhard Barkhorn did not score a single victory in his first 119 missions, but he himself was shot down twice! Although there is an opinion that not everything went smoothly for Pokryshkin either: his first plane shot down was the Soviet Su-2.
In any case, Pokryshkin has his own advantage over the best German aces. Hartman was shot down fourteen times. Barkhorn - 9 times. Pokryshkin was never shot down! Another advantage of the Russian miracle hero: he won most of his victories in 1943. In 1944-45 Pokryshkin shot down only 6 German aircraft, focusing on training young personnel and managing the 9th Guards Air Division.
In conclusion, it is worth saying that you should not be so afraid of the high bills of Luftwaffe pilots. This, on the contrary, shows what a formidable enemy the Soviet Union defeated, and why Victory has such high value.
