Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:	Obrazhievka village, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR
Date of death:
A place of death:	Moscow, USSR
Type of army:	Aviation (air force) of the Red Army, fighter aircraft of the Air Force of the USSR Armed Forces
Years of service:
	Air Marshal of the USSR Air Force
	240 IAP, 176 Guards. iap
Battles / wars:	Great Patriotic War: 1 - Battle of Kursk 2 - Battle for Berlin Korean War 1950-1953
Retired:	Writer Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR People's Deputy of the USSR

List of aerial victories

Bibliography

(ukr. Ivan Mikitovich Kozhedub; June 8, 1920, Obrazhievka village, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR - August 8, 1991, Moscow) - Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most productive fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 downed aircraft). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (May 6, 1985).

Nickname during the fighting in Korea - Krylov.

Biography

Ivan Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazhievka, Glukhovsky district, Chernihiv province (now Shostka district, Sumy region) of the Ukrainian SSR in the family of a peasant - a church elder. He belonged to the second generation of Soviet fighter pilots who took part in the Great Patriotic War.

In 1934, Kozhedub graduated from high school and entered the Chemical Technology College in the city of Shostka.

He made 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 his service as an instructor.

After the outbreak of war, together with the aviation school, he was evacuated to Central Asia, Chimkent. 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 a division, he flew to the Voronezh Front.

The first air battle ended in failure for Kozhedub and almost became the last one - his La-5 was damaged by a Messerschmitt-109 cannon burst, the armored back saved him from an incendiary projectile, and upon returning the plane was fired upon by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners, it was hit by 2 anti-aircraft shells. Despite the fact that Kozhedub managed to land the plane, it was not subject to full restoration, and the pilot had to fly on the "remnants" - free planes available in the squadron. Soon they wanted to take him to the alert post, but the regiment commander stood up for him. On July 6, 1943, on the Kursk Bulge, during the fortieth sortie, Kozhedub shot down his first German aircraft, the Junkers Yu-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 sorties 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, having received the rank of captain, 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 sorties and 48 downed enemy aircraft.

By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a major in the guard, flew La-7, made 330 sorties, shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He bombers. -111, 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter. The last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, Kozhedub fought in the sky 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 courage shown on the fronts of the war. He was an excellent shooter and preferred to open fire at a distance of 200-300 meters, rarely approaching a shorter distance.

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 aircraft.

I. N. Kozhedub was never shot down during the Great Patriotic War, and although he was knocked out, he always landed his plane. He is also considered the first fighter pilot in the world to shoot down a German Me-262 jet fighter.

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. At the same time, he remained an active fighter pilot, having mastered the jet MiG-15 in 1948. In 1956 - military academy General Staff. During the Korean War, he commanded the 324th Fighter Aviation Division (324th IAD) as part of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. From April 1951 to January 1952, the division's pilots scored 216 air 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 General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. In 1970, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Aviation. And in 1985, I. N. Kozhedub was awarded military rank Air Marshal. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR II-V convocations, a people's deputy of the USSR.

List of aerial victories

In official Soviet historiography, the result of Kozhedub's combat activities looks like 62 enemy aircraft shot down personally. However, recent archival research has shown that this figure is slightly underestimated - for unknown reasons, two air victories are missing in the award documents (where it was actually taken from) (June 8, 1944 - Me-109 and April 11, 1944 - PZL P.24), while they were confirmed and officially entered into the personal account of the pilot.

	Victory date	aircraft type	Place of victory
			app. Envy
			Art. Gostishchevo
			Krasnaya Polyana
			east Pokrovka
			Charming
			iskrovka
			sowing iskrovka
			southwest Borodaevka
			app. Borodaevka
			app. Borodaevka
			Petrovka
			southwest Andreevka
			southwest Andreevka
			north-west Borodaevka
			southwest Red Kut
			app. Kutsevalovka
			Borodaevka
			Dneprovo-Kamenka
			sowing flat
			south Petrovka
			south Home textile
			Krivoy Rog
			app. Budovka
			Novo-Zlynka
			east Nechaevka
			app. Lipovka
			Lebedin - Shpola
			sowing Iasi
			southeast Vulturu
			Horlesti
			Horlesti
			Targu Frumos - Dumbravica
			east Vulturu
			Alien Water
			app. Stynka
			Rediu Ului - Teter
			Rediu Ului - Teter
			north-west Iasi
			north-west strenci
			southwest Ramnieki - Daksty
			north-west Valmiera
			south Studzyan
			north-west env. Morin airfield
			app. Kinitz
			app. Kinitz
			lake Kitzer See
			east Alt Friedland
			sowing Furstenfelde
			sowing Brunchen
			sowing Kustrin
			north-west Kustrin
			sowing Seelow
			east Guzov
			Art. Werbig

At the end of the Great Patriotic War, American pilots shot down Soviet fighters in the zone of operations of Soviet aviation. I. N. Kozhedub flew out and personally shot down two American fighters responsible for this act of aggression. In the book of Nikolai Bodrikhin "Soviet aces" slightly different circumstances of this episode are given: Kozhedub drove away the German planes attacking him from the American bomber, after which he himself was attacked by an American fighter from a very long distance. Kozhedub shot down two American planes; judging by the words of the surviving American pilot, the Americans mistook the Kozhedub plane for the German Focke-Wulf.

Awards

• Three times Hero of the Soviet Union (02/04/1944, No. 1472; 08/19/1944, No. 36; 08/18/1945, No. 3)
• Cavalier of two Orders of Lenin (02/04/1944; 02/21/1978)
• Cavalier of seven Orders of the Red Banner (07/22/1943, No. 52212; 09/30/1943, No. 4567; 03/29/1945, No. 4108; 06/29/1945, No. 756; 06/02/1951, No. 122; 02/22/1968, No. 26; 02/26. 1970, no. 537483)
• Cavalier of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (07/31/1945, No. 37500)
• Cavalier of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class (04/06/1985)
• Cavalier of two Orders of the Red Star (06/04/1955; 10/26/1955)
• Cavalier of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in Armed Forces USSR "II degree (22.02.1990)
• Cavalier of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (04/30/1975)
• Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner of the Mongolian People's Republic
• Honorary citizen of the cities: Balti, Chuguev, Kaluga, Kupyansk, Sumy, etc.

Memory

The bronze bust of Kozhedub was installed at home in the village of Obrazhievka. His La-7 (tail number 27) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Monino. Also, a park in the city of Sumy (Ukraine) was named after Ivan Kozhedub, a monument to the pilot was erected near the entrance, as well as a street in the South-East of Moscow (Marshal Kozhedub Street).

The name of the Thrice Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is Kharkiv Air Force University (formerly HVU, HIL), as well as the Shostka Chemical Technology College. On May 8, 2010, the monument to Kozhedub was opened in the Park of Glory, in Kyiv. On June 8, 2010, in the city of Shostka, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Kozhedub, a bust was erected near the museum of Ivan Kozhedub. On November 12, 2010, a monument to Kozhedub was erected in Kharkov, on the territory of the Kharkov University of the Air Force.

Filmed about Kozhedub documentary"Secrets of the century. Two wars of Ivan Kozhedub.

Bibliography

• Kozhedub I. Three battles. - M.: Military Publishing House of NKO USSR, 1945. - 40 p.
• I serve my country. - M. - L.: Detgiz, 1949.
• Holiday of Victory. - M., 1963.
• I. N. Kozhedub Loyalty to the motherland. - M.: Children's literature, 1969, 1975. - 430 p. - 100,000 copies.
• Fellow friends. - M., Children's literature, 1975.
• Ivan Kozhedub Loyalty to the motherland. Seeking fight. - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2006. - 608 p. - (Stalin's falcons). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-699-14931-7
• I. N. Kozhedub Unknown Kozhedub. I serve my country. - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2009. - 368 p. - (The greatest Soviet aces). - 4000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-699-34385-0

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union I.N. Kozhedub

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village. Obrazheevka, Glukhovsky district, Chernihiv province, Ukrainian SSR (now Shostka district, Sumy region, Ukraine). Father, Nikita Larionovich, was a factory worker, mother, Stefanida Ivanovna, was a housewife. Ivan was the youngest, the fifth child in the family, of small stature, but strong physique and health. From his father, who independently learned to read and write and was very fond of reading, Ivan took over the thirst for acquiring new knowledge and at an early age also learned to read on his own. Therefore, earlier than peers, at the age of six, he was admitted to school. From his mother, an embroiderer, Ivan inherited the ability to draw. During his studies, he designed wall newspapers, painted slogans and posters. Later, Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “Drawing developed my eye, visual memory, observation. And these qualities were useful to me when I became a pilot.

At school, Kozhedub took up gymnastics. At the age of thirteen, imitating a circus strongman who came to the village, he learned to lift and squeeze a two-pound weight with one hand. Later, participating in numerous air battles, Ivan was convinced more than once of the great importance of physical endurance for a pilot. He wrote: “Sharp descents from high to low altitude, minute overloads, from which sometimes it gets dark in the eyes - all this is easily tolerated by a physically hardened person. Sometimes in battle, performing a cascade of figures, you lose consciousness for a moment. You will come to your senses, immediately join the combat situation and again act at any height, at any speed, in any position. This skill has developed in me through sports training. Even in a front-line situation, I tried to find time to do exercises.

From childhood, Ivan Kozhedub had a desire to link his fate with military service. He listened attentively to the stories of his neighbor Sergei Andrusenko, a participant civil war, was proud of his brother Yakov, who served on the border. Ivan was especially admired by a cadet of a military school who arrived in the village on a visit. “I was so impressed,” he wrote, “with the squares on his buttonholes, shiny boots, youthful, confident posture, that I began to imitate his manner of speaking and walking.” In 1934, finishing his studies at a seven-year school, Kozhedub tried to enroll as a student in a brass band in a military unit in Shostka, but was not accepted due to childhood. Then, on the advice of his father, who believed that "the craft is not a rocker, it will not stretch its shoulders," Ivan entered the evening school at the factory school. In his memoirs, Kozhedub noted: “In slush, in a snowstorm, in frost, we walked seven kilometers daily to Shostka and seven kilometers back. It was not easy to study, especially I had to study Russian a lot: in our rural school classes were in Ukrainian. In combination with his studies, Ivan was appointed to the first position in his career biography - a librarian with a salary of 100 rubles. Worked during the day, studied at night. “Working in the library gave me a lot,” said Kozhedub. - I fell in love with the world of books, newspapers, magazines. They became my real friends, armed me with knowledge.”

In 1936, Ivan entered the Shostka Chemical-Technological College and moved to Shostka in a student hostel. During his studies, Kozhedub became interested in drawing, which was easy for him. He was accustomed to accurate measurement of details, accuracy, acquired skills that later, when he had to study the aircraft, were very useful to him. One day he saw two third-year students dressed in new military tunics and polished boots. This caused surprise and interest in Kozhedub. It turned out that they are studying at the flying club. Ivan followed suit. In his book “Loyalty to the Fatherland”, Kozhedub recalled this time as follows: “It really turned out to be difficult to combine teaching at a technical school and at an flying club. From nine to three there were classes at the technical school, and from five at the flying club. But I did not miss a single lecture at the technical school, not a single lesson at the flying club. As before, he designed a wall newspaper at the technical school. Weekends, late evening, early morning were left for home preparation. In the flying club, Ivan mastered the Po-2 aircraft, made several parachute jumps.

In the winter of 1940, the 4th year student of the technical school Kozhedub had to leave for undergraduate practice. But a call came from the flight school. he passed a strict medical examination and in February was enrolled as a cadet at the Chuguev Military Aviation School. In March 1941 the status of this educational institution was lowered: the school was renamed the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, its graduates were awarded the military rank of "sergeant", and not "lieutenant", as before. Some of the cadets wrote a report for expulsion. Kozhedub decided to study further. Cadets mastered the UT-2, UTI-4 aircraft and I-16 combat fighter aircraft. The leadership characterized him as a strong-willed, energetic, decisive and proactive cadet, demanding of himself and his subordinates, who persistently puts his decisions into practice. In addition, it was noted that he competently, confidently flies and can transfer his knowledge to others. After graduation, Kozhedub was left at the aviation school as an instructor pilot. Therefore, when the war began, the report of Sergeant Kozhedub about being sent to the front was not satisfied. The head of the aviation school said to the instructors eager for battle: “The front needs well-trained pilots. Therefore, your task is to train cadets even faster and better.”

In autumn 1941 the aviation school was evacuated to Kazakhstan. The training squadron, which included Ivan, was located in the village. Mankent near Chimkent. In February 1942, on the Day of the Red Army, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In the fall, Kozhedub achieved a referral to the active army. In November, he was summoned to Moscow for a flight crew assembly point and enrolled in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Kozhedub recalled: “We had to study as soon as possible, and then perfectly master new aircraft. We plunged headlong into the lessons. We tried to do everything so that we knew the plane as best as possible - a single-seat fighter "La-5" designed by the Hero of Socialist Labor Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin.

I.N. Kozhedub and S.A. Lavochkin (center) during a visit to an aircraft factory. August 1945

In March 1943, the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment as part of the 4th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 2nd Air Army, Lieutenant General S.A. Krasovsky arrived at the Voronezh Front. Ivan was burning with the desire to fight the enemy. His relatives remained in the occupation, two older brothers - Yakov and Alexander had long been at the front. But in one of the very first sorties, Kozhedub almost died. During takeoff, he lost sight of his leading junior lieutenant Ivan Mikhailovich Gabunia. I saw that enemy bombers were flying to the airfield. Thinking that there is an opportunity to distinguish himself and shoot down the enemy in the very first battle, Kozhedub himself was under attack by a German fighter. And after that, three shells from their anti-aircraft guns that defended the airfield hit his La-5. Miraculously, Ivan saved his plane and himself.

In June 1943, junior lieutenant Kozhedub became a senior pilot, then a flight commander, in August he was promoted to lieutenant and was appointed squadron commander. In the same year, I. Kozhedub was admitted to the party. The Battle of Kursk was the first serious test for him. The enemy threw selected aviation units into the Belgorod-Kursk direction. To cover the ground troops, the pilots made several sorties a day. On July 6, Ivan shot down the first enemy aircraft - a Yu-87 bomber. Two days later, he led the flight of four fighters for the first time. In the air, they were attacked by German aces returning from "free hunting". Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “... While the enemy was turning, I caught the leader in the sight at an altitude of 4000 meters. I wait until the distance is reduced to the distance of opening fire, I do not turn off. I open fire first. I knock down the leader with a long line. He rolled over from a steep dive, hit the ground and exploded. On that day, Kozhedub took to the air twice more and shot down another enemy aircraft. In July and September 1943, for combat distinctions, the future Soviet ace was awarded with orders Red Banner. Subsequently, he wrote: "In the early days of the fighting on the Kursk Bulge, I realized that air combat is really a test of the morale, combat and physical qualities of a fighter, this is the greatest strain of nerves."

In the combat characteristics of I.N. Kozhedub for 1943, it was indicated that he “successfully completed 173 combat missions, of which: covering his troops on the front line - 64, escorting attack aircraft and bombers - 88, reconnaissance of enemy troops - 13, patrolling - 3, interception of enemy aircraft - 5. Held 52 air battles, in which he personally shot down 25 enemy aircraft (12 Yu-87, 11 Me-109, 1 FV-190, 1 Xe-111). In air battles, he showed himself to be a brave and determined pilot and commander, skillfully leading the flight crew of the squadron entrusted to him, in battle. In February 1944, I. Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for personally downing enemy aircraft and for his heroism in battle.

Pilots of the 240th IAP at the Urazovo airfield

The squadron of Kozhedub took part in the liberation of Kharkov, in the battles on the Dnieper and in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine. With his six aircraft, Ivan Nikitovich fought in the skies of Moldova, covered the crossings over the Southern Bug and bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dniester. By this time, 32 personal air victories were listed in his flight book. In the second half of April 1944, the Germans wanted to cut off our troops located between the Prut and Seret rivers with a strike north of Jassy. Major air battles ensued, from which the Soviet pilots came out victorious. Among those shot down were German aces on planes painted with skulls, bones and other attributes of psychological impact. This paraphernalia was often a reason for ridicule. Soviet pilots laughed that the enemy had prepared skulls and bones for himself in advance.

Fighting in the Yass region continued into May 1944. At this time, Kozhedub received a new La-5FN aircraft, built with the personal savings of 60-year-old beekeeper Vasily Viktorovich Konev from the Bolshevik collective farm in the Stalingrad region. The car bore the name of a fellow villager and namesake Konev - the commander of the 21st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Konev, who died in an unequal air battle in December 1942. Kozhedub shot down eight enemy aircraft on this plane in seven days of intense air battles in the sky of Romania.

In July 1944, Ivan Nikitovich was summoned to Moscow and appointed to the post of deputy commander of the 176th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which fought as part of the 1st Belorussian Front. Before leaving for the regiment, he underwent retraining for the new La-7 aircraft. Here, at the training airfield near Moscow, on the Day of the Air Fleet of the USSR (August 18), Captain Kozhedub found the news of the award of the second "Gold Star".

The combat path in the 176th Fighter Aviation Regiment Ivan Nikitovich began on the banks of the Vistula. Here he actively used flights for "free hunting", that is, he actively searched for the enemy far in his rear, tens of kilometers from the front line. Together with other experienced pilots of the regiment, he "hunted" for enemy aircraft, vehicles, echelons, destroyed enemy manpower and equipment. In early September 1944, the 176th regiment was awarded the rank of guards. This was, albeit small, but the contribution of Kozhedub. When handing over a part of the guards banner, Ivan Nikitovich was entrusted with becoming his first standard bearer.

In the second half of September, a difficult air situation developed on the 3rd Baltic Front. The Germans transferred experienced "hunters" to one of the sectors of the front. Kozhedub was instructed to lead a group of 10 pilots in order to clear the air of enemy aircraft and ensure freedom of action for our aircraft. For several days, the group, using the free “hunt”, destroyed enemy aircraft, while creating an advantage in the air. As a result of air battles, eight enemy aircraft were shot down, three of them personally by Kozhedub. The fascist "hunters" lost the desire to fly into our territory. They began to evade the fight, and it was felt that they were very demoralized.

From mid-January 1945, Kozhedub participated in the Vistula-Oder operation as part of the regiment. At the beginning of the offensive, due to difficult weather conditions, aviation almost did not fly. These days, Ivan Nikitovich admired the actions of the ground troops: “Soviet tanks, infantry are moving like a mighty avalanche, artillery is powerfully hitting ... How often in last days we flew over this area, and none of us noticed the concentration of such a huge number of troops! Our technique is only now, as they say, revealed itself, appearing as if from under the ground. ... We, the pilots, admire the skill of our tankmen, gunners, infantrymen. What a crushing blow they inflicted in two days of offensive battles, even without air support!

From day to day, the number of sorties of the guards of Major Kozhedub and the enemy planes defeated by him grew. In the combat characteristic dated January 20, it was noted: “During the entire period of hostilities, he made 256 sorties, in air battles he personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft. In air battles, a brave, resolute, courageous commander. As a pilot, he flies excellently, the piloting technique is excellent. It is well prepared for flights along the route and in difficult weather conditions. … Works hard on learning combat experience Patriotic War and competently passes it on to subordinates. Being the deputy commander of the regiment, he proved himself to be a competent commander, able to correctly and timely organize the flight and technical staff of the regiment to fulfill the assigned tasks of the command.

Debriefing. 1945

In February 1945, a hard fight broke out in the skies over the Oder. On February 12, a group of six aircraft under the command of Kozhedub, not far from the front line, entered the battle against 30 Focke-Wulf fighter-bombers. In this battle, our pilots shot down eight enemy aircraft (Kozhedub - three), losing one pilot. On February 24, being on a free hunt, paired with Major D.S. Titorenko, Ivan Nikitovich was one of the first in Soviet aviation to shoot down a German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. The pilots of the regiment knew about these machines since the autumn of 1944, when one of them was recorded by a film camera gun of the commander of the regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guards Colonel P.F. Chupikov.

Kozhedub went down in history as a skilled air fighter who sought to be the first to attack the enemy and seize the initiative. He developed a number of new techniques and methods of air combat. In total, during the war, Kozhedub made 330 sorties, participated in 120 air battles.

When, at one of the post-war meetings, young pilots asked Ivan Nikitovich which of the fascist aircraft shot down in the war is more often remembered, he replied: “The last two are the 61st and 62nd. These two enemy aircraft fell into the streets of burning Berlin on April 17, 1945. Then two Soviet pilots entered into battle with forty enemy aircraft. And they won! The idea that under the wings was the lair of the fascist beast, that the Soviet troops were victoriously advancing very close to it, gave strength and confidence. I put all my knowledge and skills into this fight."

August 18, 1945 for accomplished feats I.N. Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. On October 1, he began his studies at the Air Force Academy.

At the Air Force Academy among the students. 1945

Here, in the spring of 1948, Kozhedub for the first time sat at the helm of a jet aircraft. In June 1949, after graduating from the academy, Ivan Nikitovich was appointed deputy commander of the 31st Fighter Aviation Division in the Transcaucasian Military District, but a month later he was transferred to the post of assistant to the former regimental commander P.F. Chupikov, who now commanded the 324th Fighter Aviation Division, located in Kubinka near Moscow. Among the first, lieutenant colonel Kozhedub mastered the MiG-15 jet fighter, having received the qualification of a military pilot of the 1st class. In December 1949, Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander, and in November 1950, commander of this division.

At that time, a war was already going on on the distant Korean Peninsula between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea. The use of "carpet" bombing tactics by the United States, which intervened in the war, caused damage not only to the North Korean army and industry, thousands of civilians died. Since the autumn of 1950, Soviet fighter pilots based in Northeast China began to cover cities and facilities in North Korea. The 64th Fighter Corps was formed. In March 1951, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel I.N. arrived in China. Kozhedub. It included the 176th Guards and 196th Fighter Aviation Regiments. Since April 3, its pilots began to make sorties. Ivan Nikitovich himself was strictly forbidden to participate in them.

During the Korean War with the pilots of the 324th division. From left to right: B. Abakumov, B. Bokach, I. Kozhedub, F. Shibanov, V. Nazarkin. 1951

On April 12, 1951, one of the largest air battles of the Korean War took place over the Yalu River. On this river there was a large hydroelectric power station and bridges along which reinforcements went to the Chinese people's volunteers who fought on the side of the North Koreans. On this day, 48 American bombers under cover of 42 fighters took part in the raid. An additional 36 fighter-bombers were allocated to suppress air defense. The advanced radar posts of the Soviet 64th Fighter Air Corps were able to detect the enemy in advance. 44 fighters of the 176th Guards and 196th air regiments rose to intercept.

In the history of the war in Korea and American military aviation, this day entered under the name "Black Tuesday". According to Soviet sources, the US Air Force lost up to 12 bombers and six fighters on April 12. The time of unpunished American bombing of Korean cities was coming to an end.

B-29 in the frame of the FKP MiG-15 bis pilot A. Suchkov. April 7, 1951

In total, in the period from April 1951 to February 1952, the pilots of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division shot down 200 aircraft of all types. In combat, the division lost 10 pilots and 29 aircraft. For courage, 143 servicemen of the division were awarded orders and medals. Kozhedub, who carried out the operational leadership of the division, participated in the training of flight personnel and the rearmament of the Air Force of the People's Republic of China and the DPRK, was awarded the Soviet Order of the Red Banner and the PRC medal "Sino-Soviet Friendship".

In February, the division returned to the USSR and was stationed in the Kaluga region. In August 1953, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Major General of Aviation. In 1955, he entered the Higher Military Academy. K.E. Voroshilov. He passed part of the most difficult first year as an external student, as due to official circumstances he was delayed with the start of classes. After graduating from the Academy I.N. Kozhedub held high command positions in the Soviet military aviation. In November 1956, he was appointed deputy head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Air Force, and a year and a half later - first deputy commander of the 76th Air Army in the Leningrad Military District. In January 1964, Lieutenant General of Aviation I.N. Kozhedub became the first deputy aviation commander of the Moscow Military District. In 1971, Colonel-General of Aviation Kozhedub was appointed First Deputy Chief of Combat Training of the Air Force. Since 1978, he has been in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Ivan Nikitovich until 1969 regularly flew fighters, mastered dozens of types of aircraft. He made his last flights on the MiG-21. In 1985, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Air Marshal.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union I.N. Kozhedub was awarded two Orders of Lenin, seven Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces" of the USSR of the 2nd and 3rd degrees and medals, and as well as foreign orders and medals.

Peru Kozhedub owns a number of works, including the memoirs “Serving the Motherland” and “Loyalty to the Fatherland”, which are in many ways instructive for the modern generation of youth.

Ivan Nikitovich died on August 8, 1991 from a heart attack at his dacha in the village of Monino, Moscow Region. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Streets in Moscow and other cities of Russia and Ukraine are named after Kozhedub. The 237th Guards display center bears his name. aviation technology named after the Russian Air Force. In the homeland of the Hero in Obrazheevka, his bust was erected, and a museum operated. Another bust is in the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. in Moscow. Memorial plaque to I.N. Kozhedub is installed on a house in Sivtsev Vrazhka in Moscow, where he lived in last years. His La-7 aircraft is exhibited at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino.

Nazaryan E. A.,
candidate historical sciences, junior research fellow
Research Institute of the Military
history of the VAGSh of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Ivan Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy district, into a poor peasant family. He was an unexpected, youngest child in the family, born after a great famine.

His father was an extraordinary person. In breaks from work at the factory and peasant labor, he found the time and energy to read books and compose poetry. Despite the protests of his mother, his father sent five-year-old Ivan to guard the garden at night. As he got older, the son asked: “Why is this?”. Indeed, they rarely stole then, and the watchman from the child is useless. The father replied: "I taught you to be tested." And it worked.

In 1941, Kozhedub graduated from the Chuguev Aviation Pilot School, where he remained an instructor. The cadets called the strict instructor “Thrice Oak” behind their backs, but Ivan Nikitovich treated this nickname with irony. After the start of the war, the aviation school was evacuated to Shymkent in Kazakhstan. Repeated reports of Kozhedub with a request to be transferred to the active army were rejected. And only in November 1942 the pilot was sent to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Ivanovo.

First combat "baptism"

Aviation technology is always developing much faster than artillery systems or small arms. Kozhedub had to master a new technique for himself - the La-5 fighter. The vehicle had two automatic cannons. In terms of firepower, it was not inferior to German fighters. The disadvantage was, perhaps, a very small ammunition load for air combat - 60 shells per barrel.

The first air battle of the future ace was not an easy one. Having received damage from the fire of enemy fighters, Kozhedub's aircraft came under fire from Soviet anti-aircraft guns. With great difficulty, the pilot managed to land the damaged car.

First "Gold Star"

The future ace of the Great Patriotic War won his first victory far from immediately - on July 6, 1943, in an air battle on the Kursk Bulge, having made the 40th sortie by that time. Kozhedub was shot down by a German Ju-87 bomber.

In total, in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, Kozhedub won at least five air victories. On February 4, 1944, Ivan Nikitovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for 146 sorties and 20 downed German aircraft.

Starting in May 1944, Kozhedub fought on the "La-5FN", built on the accumulation of the collective farmer of the Stalingrad region V.V. Konev, whose son died during the war.

In August 1944, having received the rank of captain, Ivan Nikitovich was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment, and began to fight on the new La-7 fighter.

Second "Gold Star"

Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal on August 19, 1944 for 256 sorties and 48 downed enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, already a major of the guard, made 330 sorties, shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He-111 bombers each. , 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter.

The last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down two FW-190s, Kozhedub fought in the sky over Berlin.

In addition, Kozhedub also has two American Mustang aircraft shot down in 1945, which attacked him, mistaking his fighter for a German aircraft.

The Soviet ace acted on the principle that he professed even when working with cadets: "Any unknown aircraft is an enemy." Throughout the war, Kozhedub was never shot down, although often his plane received very serious damage.

Third Golden Star

Kozhedub received the third Gold Star medal on August 18, 1945 for high military skill, personal courage and courage shown on the fronts of the war.

Along with courage, common sense and experience needed in air combat found a place. Kozhedub, who had an excellent eye, preferred to open fire from a distance of 200-300 meters, hitting the enemy at medium distances and trying to avoid unnecessary risk.

In the sky of Korea

A serious test for Soviet aviation was the air war in Korea, which was marked by the first battles between jet aircraft. In 1950, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division, under the command of three times Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel Kozhedub, arrived in the 64th Air Corps, consisting of the 176th and 196th regiments (60 MiG-15s).

In total, from April 2, 1951 to January 5, 1952, the pilots of the division under the command of Kozhedub made 6269 sorties and destroyed at least 216 (according to other sources 258) enemy aircraft. Own losses amounted to 27 aircraft and 9 pilots.

Kozhedub himself on combat missions did not fly - he was forbidden to directly take part in battles with the enemy. The division commander had the no less responsible and difficult task of directing air battles and a huge responsibility for the people and equipment entrusted to him. Ivan Nikitovich also did a lot of work with Korean pilots, whom the Americans shot down much more often than Kozhedub's subordinates.

Ivan Kozhedub awards

Among the awards of Ivan Nikitovich are three stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He became the third and last person to be awarded the title of Thrice Hero before the end of World War II. Both Brezhnev and Budyonny were awarded the highest degree of distinction much later. Kozhedub was awarded two orders of Lenin (the order before the Brezhnev era was awarded only at the initial assignment of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union), seven orders of the Red Banner.

Among foreign awards - the Order of the Rebirth of Poland - highest award Polish Republic, restored in 1944. Kozhedub was awarded not the first degree of this award. Although it must be said that only the 2nd and 3rd degrees were awarded the Order of the Revival of Poland to Marshals Zhukov, Rokossovsky, Vasilevsky, who, frankly, made a significant contribution to the liberation of Polish territory.

Another interesting award of Ivan Nikitovich was the Korean Order of the State Flag. Initially a very honorary award from North Korea, it later underwent a decent devaluation, when many old-timer Korean military leaders were awarded six to nine Orders of the National Flag for long service.

The post-war career of Ivan Nikitovich was relatively modest. A number of researchers attribute this to the unwillingness of the famous pilot to take part in debunking Stalin's personality cult. It’s hard to say for sure, but Kozhedub was awarded the title of Air Marshal only in May 1985.

heavenly handwriting

Ivan Kozhedub in battle had an individual "handwriting" in the sky. It organically combined courage, courage and exceptional composure. He knew how to accurately and quickly weigh the situation, to instantly find the only right move in the current situation.

All his flights were a cascade of various maneuvers: turns and snakes, slides and dives. It was not easy for everyone who had to fly with Kozhedub as a wingman to stay in the air behind their commander.

Born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, now the Shostka district of the Sumy region, in a peasant family. Graduated from incomplete high school and chemical-technological technical school. In 1939, he mastered the U-2 at the flying club. Since 1940 in the Red Army. The following year, he studied at the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, flying the Ut-2 and I-16. As one of the best cadets, he was left as a pilot-instructor.

Since March 1943, Senior Sergeant I.N. Kozhedub has been in the army. Until September 1944 he served in the 240th IAP (178th Guards IAP); to May 1945 - in the 176th Guards IAP.

By October 1943, the squadron commander of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Senior Lieutenant I.N. Kozhedub, made 146 sorties and personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft.

On February 4, 1944, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, he made 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft.

After the war he continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1949 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. During the Korean War of 1950-1953, he commanded the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. In 1956 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. Since 1971 in the Central Office of the Air Force, since 1978 - in the General Inspection Group of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Marshal of Aviation, Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd - 5th convocations. Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of DOSAAF. Author of books - "Serving the Motherland", "Celebration of Victory", "Loyalty to the Fatherland". Died August 8, 1991.

Awarded with orders: Lenin (three times), Red Banner (seven), Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star (twice), "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3rd degree; medals.

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During the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub, the most successful fighter aviation pilot of the USSR, a master of offensive duel, completed 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. The automatism of his movements in battle was worked out to the limit - an excellent sniper, he hit the target from any position of the aircraft. It should be added that Kozhedub was never shot down himself, although he repeatedly brought a damaged fighter to the airfield.

Coming from a poor peasant family with five children, the illustrious pilot was born in 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy district. Vanya was the youngest in the family, an unexpected "last child" born after a great famine. The official date of his birth, June 8, 1920, is inaccurate, the real one is July 6, 1922. Two years were very necessary for him to enter the technical school ...

His father was an extraordinary person. Torn between factory earnings and peasant labor, he found the strength to read books and even compose poetry. A religious man, of a subtle and exacting mind, he was a strict and persistent educator: diversifying his son's household duties, he taught him to be industrious, persevering, and diligent. Somehow, the father, despite the protests of his mother, began to send 5-year-old Ivan to guard the garden at night. Later, the son asked what it was for: thieves were rare then, and even from such a watchman, if something happened, there would be little use. "I taught you to test," was the father's answer. By the age of 6, Vanya learned to read and write from his sister's book, and soon went to school.

After graduating from the 7-year-old school, he was admitted to the workers' faculty of the Shostka Chemical-Technological College, and in 1938 fate brought him to the flying club. The smart uniform of the accountants played an important role in this decision. Here, in April 1939, Kozhedub makes his first flight, having experienced the first flight sensations. The beauties of the native land, opened from a height of 1500 meters, made a strong impression on the inquisitive young man.

Ivan Kozhedub was admitted to the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots at the beginning of 1940, where he successively underwent training on the UT-2, UTI-4 and I-16. In the autumn of the same year, having made 2 clean flights on the I-16, he, to his deep disappointment, was left at the school by the instructor.

He flew a lot, experimented, honing his piloting skills. “It would be possible, it seems, I would not get out of the plane. The very technique of piloting, polishing the figures gave me incomparable joy,” Ivan Nikitovich later recalled.

At the beginning of the war, Sergeant Kozhedub (ironically in the "golden issue" of 1941, the pilots were certified by sergeants), evacuated to Central Asia with the school, is even more persistently engaged in "fighter" self-education: he studies tactics, outlines descriptions of air battles, draws them schemes. Days, including weekends, are planned by the minute, everything is subordinated to one goal - to become a worthy air fighter. In the late autumn of 1942, after numerous requests and reports, Senior Sergeant Kozhedub, along with other instructors and graduates of the school, was sent to Moscow to the collection point for flight and technical personnel, from where he ended up in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Spanish veteran Major Ignatius Soldatenko.

In August 1942, the 240th IAP was among the first armed with the latest La-5 fighters at that time. However, the retraining was carried out hastily, in 15 days, during the operation of the machines, design and manufacturing defects were revealed, and, having suffered heavy losses in the Stalingrad direction, after 10 days the regiment was withdrawn from the front. In addition to the regiment commander, Major I. Soldatenko, only a few pilots remained in the regiment.

The following training and retraining were carried out thoroughly: at the end of December 1942, after a tense month of theoretical training with daily exercises, the pilots began flying on new machines.

In one of the training sorties, when immediately after takeoff, due to an engine failure, the thrust dropped sharply, Kozhedub decisively turned the plane around and glided to the edge of the airfield. Having hit hard during landing, he was out of action for several days, and by the time he was sent to the front, he had barely flown 10 hours on a new machine. This incident was only the beginning of a long streak of failures that pursued the pilot when he entered the military path.

In February 1943, the regiment was finally transferred to conduct military operations in the South-West direction. The beginning of Kozhedub's career was not very successful. When distributing military equipment, he got a heavier five-tank La-5 of the first series, with the inscription "Named after Valery Chkalov" and tail number "75" on board (a whole squadron of such machines was built with funds raised by fellow countrymen of the great pilot).

Fighter La-5 - the first combat vehicle of Ivan Kozhedub. Spring 1943.

On March 26, 1943, he flew out on a combat mission for the first time. The flight was unsuccessful - during an attack on a pair of Me-110s, his Lavochkin was damaged by a Messer, and then fired upon by anti-aircraft artillery of its own air defense. Kozhedub miraculously survived: the armored back protected it from a high-explosive projectile from an aircraft cannon, and in fact, in the tape, a high-explosive projectile, as a rule, alternated with an armor-piercing one after one ...

Kozhedub managed to bring the battered car to the airfield, but its restoration dragged on for a long time. Subsequent sorties he made on old planes. Once he was almost taken away from the regiment to the alert post. Only the intercession of Soldatenko, either who saw in the silent - the loser of the future great fighter, or who took pity on him, saved Ivan from reprofiling. Only a month later he received a new La-5 (by that time his damaged car had been restored, but was already used only as a messenger).

Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943. It was then, on his 40th sortie, that the 23-year-old pilot opened a combat account. In that duel, he was armed with, perhaps, only one thing - courage. He could be hit, he could die. But having joined the squadron in a fight with 12 enemy aircraft, the young pilot wins the first victory - he shoots down a Ju-87 dive bomber. The next day, he wins a new victory - he shot down another Laptezhnik. On July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys 2 Me-109 fighters at once. Despite the tasks of covering ground troops and escort, unloved by fighters, Kozhedub, performing them, won his first 4 official victories. This is how the glory of an outstanding Soviet pilot was born, this is how experience came to him.

In September 1942, Kozhedub already had 8 downed enemy aircraft on his account, when a new stage of fierce air battles broke out over the Dnieper. September 30, covering the crossings across the river, he, by coincidence, was left without comrades and was forced to alone repel the raid of 18 Ju-87. The Luftwaffe bombers began to dive, and some of them even managed to drop their bombs.

Attacking aircraft from a height of 3500 meters, Kozhedub broke into the enemy’s battle formations and threw the enemy into confusion with unexpected and sharp maneuvers. "Junkers" stopped the bombing and stood in a defensive circle. Although there was little fuel left in the fighter's tanks, the Soviet pilot made another attack and shot one of the enemy vehicles point-blank from below. The sight of the Ju-87 falling in flames made a proper impression, and the rest of the bombers hastily left the battlefield.

By October 1943, the squadron commander of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Senior Lieutenant I.N. Kozhedub, made 146 sorties and personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft. He is already fighting on equal terms with the German aces. In his assets - courage, composure, accurate calculation. Kozhedub skillfully combines piloting technique with firing, but before him there is still a wide field for polishing combat techniques. In the book "People immortal feat"there is this episode:

"The day of October 2, 1943, when our troops were expanding the bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, repelling the enemy's fierce attacks, became a hymn to the courage and skill of Kozhedub. For the first time, they flew out with a nine. Kozhedub led a strike five. On the way to the crossing in the Kutsevalovka - Domotkan area, they met a column of dives Ju-87 bombers, in which each nine was covered by six Me-109s.

The cover four immediately tied the Messerschmitts in battle. Kozhedub at the head of the five attacked the bombers. The enemy darted. Less than a minute later, two Junkers, engulfed in flames, fell to the ground. The host was shot down by Ivan Kozhedub, another one - by Pavel Bryzgalov.

A "carousel" began in the sky. Following the first nine dispersed the second. In the heat of the fight, leading the battle, Kozhedub managed to shoot down the Me-109. Already five fires were burning in the bridgehead area. And from the west, the Junkers swam again. But a group of Yakov fighters also approached the battlefield from the east. Dominance in air combat was ensured.

Having shot down 7 enemy aircraft in this battle, the squadron under the command of Kozhedub returned to its airfield. We ate right under the wing of the plane. We did not have time to analyze the battle - and again the flight. This time with four: Kozhedub - Mukhin and Amelin - Puryshev. Flying combat link, brothers tested in battles. The task is the same - covering the troops on the battlefield. However, the balance of forces is different: it was necessary to repel a raid by 36 bombers, which were under the cover of six Me-109s and a pair of FW-190s.

They fight not by numbers, but by skill, - Kozhedub encouraged the followers. He immediately knocked down the leader, organized the fight. The rest of the flight pilots also fought bravely. 2 more Junkers crashed into the ground. German fighters pinned down Amelin. Mukhin rushed to the rescue. Kozhedub covered him and immediately attacked a nearby bomber. Another enemy plane found death in the sky of Ukraine. It was Kozhedub's fourth victory in a day."

October has become an extremely busy month for Kozhedub. In one of the battles, he came out of the attack so low over the flaming Junkers that he was set on fire by a burst of gunner from a German aircraft. Only a steep dive almost to the very ground helped to bring down the flames from the La-5 wing. Meetings with the "hunters" of the Luftwaffe became more frequent, the purpose of which was to disorganize Soviet fighter groups, divert them from the cover area and destroy the leaders. They also attacked single and wrecked aircraft.

The first fight over the Dnieper on a collision course with the German aces left an unpleasant aftertaste in the memory of Kozhedub. In a frontal attack, he did not have time to open fire in time, and enemy shells passed only a few centimeters above his head, breaking the radio and interrupting the thrust of the fighter's rudder. The next day, luck was on the side of Kozhedub - in a long burst he managed to flash the leader of a pair of "Messers" who were trying to shoot down a Yak-7B that had lagged behind its formation.

On October 15, the La-5 four, led by Kozhedub, again flew to cover the ground troops. Despite the fact that all the pilots were on the alert, 2 Me-109s were still able to catch the Lavochkins during a turn and immediately knocked out with a sudden attack in the forehead from the direction of the sun 2 aircraft. Then, taking advantage of the height advantage, they pinched Kozhedub's fighter, firing offhand from an inverted position. Attempts to throw the enemy off the tail did not give results, and in the end Kozhedub decided on a rather unusual maneuver - throwing the La-5 into a sharp turn, he simultaneously performed a half-barrel. Enemy fighters jumped forward, but immediately made a slide and easily left the shelling of the Lavochkin, which had lost speed. In impotence, Kozhedub could only shake his fist after them ...

In the battles for the Dnieper, the pilots of the regiment in which Kozhedub fought for the first time met with Goering's aces from the Melders squadron and won the duel. Increased his account and Ivan Kozhedub. In just 10 days of intense fighting, he personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft.

In November 1943, the 240th IAP, which had been participating in the most difficult air battles for a long time, was taken to the nearest rear for rest. The pilots used the time received for flight training, studying the features of vertical maneuvers and multi-tiered combat formations of fighters. Kozhedub entered all the innovations in his notebook, drawing various tactical schemes on paper. By this time, he had 26 downed enemy aircraft on his account, for which, on November 7, he was awarded the Certificate of Honor of the Komsomol Central Committee.

At the beginning of 1944, the regiment again joined the military operations, supporting the offensive of the Soviet troops on the right-bank Ukraine. In March, units of the Red Army crossed the Southern Bug. Crossings and bridgeheads again needed to be covered by fighter aircraft, but the Germans, retreating, first of all disabled airfields, and field sites were poorly suitable for basing aircraft due to spring thaw. Therefore, the fighters could not be located closer to the front line and acted at the very limit of their flight radius.

Luftwaffe units were in the best position - Ju-87 bombers in such a situation flew with almost impunity, without cover, in case of danger, lining up in a defensive circle at low altitude. These days, Kozhedub paid great attention to the development of air combat tactics at low altitudes in low cloud cover and gray, uniform terrain without any visible landmarks. Later he wrote:

“When we managed to meet with the Junkers, they stood in a defensive circle, clung to the ground. Repulsing the attacks - and not only the arrows, but also the pilots fired from cannons - they gradually pulled back and went to the area where their anti-aircraft batteries were located. Watching the clouds , creeping above the ground, I recalled the battles carried out at low altitudes, and analyzed the tactics of the fighters in order to apply the necessary techniques in conditions new environment and the fight against the Junkers.

I came to the conclusion that you can break the defensive circle with a sudden attack and you need to shoot down at least one plane - then a gap was formed. Jumping in a straight line with small lapels, you need to turn around and quickly attack from the other direction, attacks should be made in pairs. The experience already acquired by me allowed me to come to this conclusion.

On February 4, 1944, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

On March 14, six La-5s flew to the crossings at a distance that was limiting for this type of fighter. From a strafing flight, they attacked nine Ju-87s over the forest. In a frontal attack from below, Kozhedub immediately shot down one bomber. Having dispersed the first group of German vehicles, the Soviet pilots attacked the next nine. Another "Junkers" caught fire again - the rest, hastily dropping bombs, went back. One of the Lavochkins was also shot down.

Lieutenant P. Bryzgalov headed for the nearest airfield abandoned by the Germans. However, when landing, his plane steered, rolled over "on its back" and squeezed the pilot in the cockpit. Under the circumstances, Kozhedub ordered two more pilots to land, and he himself set an example by landing on his "belly" in liquid mud. By joint efforts, colleagues freed their comrade from an absurd position.

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Demanding and demanding of himself, frantic and tireless in battle, Kozhedub was an ideal air fighter, enterprising and diligent, daring and prudent, brave and skillful, a knight without fear and reproach. "Precise maneuver, stunning swiftness of attack and strike from an extremely short distance," - this is how Kozhedub defined the basis of air combat. He was born for battle, he lived in battle, he thirsted for it. Here is a characteristic episode, noticed by his fellow soldier, another great ace K. A. Evstigneev:

“Somehow Ivan Kozhedub returned from a mission, heated by the battle, excited and, perhaps, therefore unusually talkative:

Here bastards give! None other than "wolves" from the squadron "Udet". But we gave them the withers - be healthy! - Pointing towards the command post, he hopefully asked the squadron adjutant: - How is it? Is there anything more to come?"

Kozhedub's attitude to the combat vehicle acquired the features of religion, of its form that is called animatism. "The motor works clearly. The plane is obedient to my every movement. I'm not alone - I have a fighting friend with me" - in these lines the attitude of the ace to the plane. This is not a poetic exaggeration, not a metaphor. Approaching the car before the flight, he always found a few affectionate words for her, in flight he spoke as if he were a comrade doing an important part of the work. After all, in addition to flying, it is difficult to find a profession where the fate of a person would more depend on the behavior of the machine.

During the war, he replaced 6 Lavochkins, and not a single plane let him down. And he did not lose a single car, although it happened to burn, bring holes, land on airfields dotted with funnels ...

In May 1944, the squadron commander, Captain I.N. Kozhedub, who already had 38 air victories, received a new La-5F - a gift from the collective farmer V.V. Konev. He contributed his money to the Red Army fund and asked to build an aircraft named after his nephew, Lieutenant Colonel G. N. Konev, who died at the front. The request of the patriot was fulfilled and the car was handed over to Kozhedub.

It was an excellent lightweight fighter with the number "14" and inscriptions drawn in white with a red border: on the left side - "In the name of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel Konev G.N.", on the right - "From the collective farmer Konev Vasily Viktorovich."

Another version of the painting of the "named" La-5 aircraft, transferred to I. N. Kozhedub.

On this machine, Kozhedub shot down 8 enemy aircraft (including 4 FW-190s) in a short time, bringing the score of his victories to 45. He also shot down several famous German aces.

So, a few days after receiving the aircraft, a group of German "hunters" appeared in the regiment's area of ​​operation in cars painted with skulls and bones, dragons and other emblems in such a form. They were flown by aces who won many victories in the Western and Eastern fronts. One pair stood out in particular - with skulls and bones on the fuselages. They did not engage in active combat, preferring to act from the direction of the sun, usually from behind from above. Having executed the attack, as a rule, they quickly disappeared.

In one of the sorties, Kozhedub noticed in time the approach of a pair of "hunters" from the direction of the sun. Instantly turning 180 degrees, he rushed to the attack. The leader of the enemy pair did not accept a frontal attack and left with a turn upwards - into the sun. The wingman, not having time to repeat the maneuver of his commander, began to make a combat turn late and put the side of his FW-190 under attack from the Lavochkin. Having instantly entered the fuselage of an enemy vehicle with painted skulls and bones into the sight, Ivan shot him in cold blood...

After Kozhedub was transferred to another regiment, first Kirill Evstigneev fought on his "nominal" La-5F, who ended the war with 53 personal and 3 group victories and became twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and then Pavel Bryzgalov (20 victories), who became by the end of the war Hero of the Soviet Union.

At the end of June 1944, the Soviet ace was transferred as deputy commander to the famous 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. This formation, the first in the Soviet Air Force, received the latest La-7 fighters in August 1944.

By the middle of 1944, Captain I.N. Kozhedub of the Guard brought the number of sorties to 256 and downed enemy aircraft to 48.

For the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command, courage, courage and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 19, 1944, he was awarded the title of the second Gold Star medal.

Having mastered the new fighter, Kozhedub since September 1944, already in Poland, on the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front, has been fighting in the "free hunting" way. First, he received a 3-gun version of the fighter, and then switched to a regular 2-gun. It is this aircraft with tail number "27", on which Ivan Kozhedub won the last 17 victories, that is now an adornment of the collection of the Monino Aviation Museum.

At the end of September 1944, on the orders of Air Force Commander Marshal A. A. Novikov, a group of pilots under the command of Kozhedub was sent to the Baltic states to fight enemy fighters - "hunters". She had to act against a group of German aces. So the Soviet and German schools of fighters - "hunters" came together against each other. During just a few days of fighting, our pilots shot down 12 enemy aircraft, losing only 2 of their own. Three victories chalked up Kozhedub. Having suffered such a crushing defeat, the German "hunters" were forced to stop active flights in this sector of the front.

In the winter of 1945, the regiment continued to conduct intense air battles. On February 12, six Lavochkins fought a tense battle with 30 enemy fighters. In this duel, our pilots achieved a new victory - they shot down 8 FW-190s, 3 of them - on Kozhedub's account. Our losses are one car (the pilot died).

On February 19, 1945, in the battle over the Oder, Kozhedub writes an important touch in his biography - he destroys the jet Me-262, in the cockpit of which was non-commissioned officer Kurt Lange from 1. / KG (J) 54. On that day, rising into the air Together with Dmitry Titorenko, Kozhedub discovered at an altitude of 3500 meters an unknown car flying at the maximum speed for Lavochkin. Two La-7s managed to quietly approach the enemy from behind, and further Kozhedub describes this duel as follows:

"... What is it? Tracks are flying at him: it's clear - my partner is still in a hurry! I scold the Old Man mercilessly to myself; I'm sure that my plan of action is irreparably violated. But his tracks unexpectedly - unexpectedly helped me: the German plane began to turn to the left ", in my direction. The distance was sharply reduced, and I approached the enemy. With involuntary excitement I open fire. And the jet, falling apart, falls."

On April 17, 1945, in the 5th sortie of the day, over the capital of Germany, Ivan Kozhedub won his last victories - he shot down 2 FW-190 fighters.

By the end of the war, Major I.N. Kozhedub made 330 successful sorties, conducted 120 air battles, and personally shot down 63 enemy aircraft. For high military skill, personal courage and courage, on August 18, 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.

Fighter La-7 Guard Major I. N. Kozhedub. 176th GvIAP, 1945.

Each pilot has his own ace, inherent only to him alone, handwriting in the sky. Ivan Kozhedub also had him - a man whose character harmoniously combined courage, courage and exceptional composure. He knew how to accurately and quickly weigh the situation, to instantly find the only right move in the current situation. He masterfully owned the car, he could manage it even with his eyes closed. All his flights were a cascade of all kinds of maneuvers - turns and snakes, slides and dives ... It was not easy for everyone who had to fly with Kozhedub as a wingman to stay in the air behind their commander. Kozhedub always sought to find the enemy first. But at the same time, do not "substitute" yourself. Indeed, in 120 air battles, he was never shot down!

Kozhedub rarely returned from a sortie without a victory. But, being a brightly gifted, talented person, at the same time he invariably showed great modesty. For example, he never chalked up a downed enemy plane to his account, if he himself did not see how it fell to the ground. Didn't even report.

After all, the German caught fire! Everyone saw it, - the pilots said after returning to their airfield.

So what ... What if he reaches his own? - Kozhedub objected in response. And it was impossible to argue with him: he stubbornly stood his ground.

Like many of our other pilots, Kozhedub never put at his own expense the planes that he destroyed together with the newcomers. Here is one example of a classic group victory, given in his book "Loyalty to the Fatherland":

"... August 1943. We receive an order to immediately fly out to repel a large group of enemy aircraft. Our ten rise into the air. Ahead I see at least 40 Ju-87 dive bombers, escorted by Me-109. Having broken through the fighter screen, we attack the Junkers "I go into the tail of one of them, open fire and drive it into the ground ... Soon the Junkers fly away, but a new group is approaching - about 20 He-111 bombers. Paired with Mukhin, we attack the enemy.

I tell the wingman: - We take the last one to the pincers, - from two sides we go to the bomber. The distance is right. Command - Fire! Our guns are up and running. The enemy plane caught fire, began to fall rapidly, leaving behind a plume of smoke ... "

Upon returning to the airfield, this aircraft was credited to Vasily Mukhin. And there were at least 5 such "handouts" in Kozhedub's assets. Thus, the real number of enemy aircraft destroyed by him is much more than officially listed on his personal account.

Of interest are the lines from the book "Aces against Aces" (Publishing House "Veche", 2007) by O. S. Smyslov (author of another well-known book - "Vasily Stalin. Portrait without retouching"). Speaking of Kozhedub, he, in particular, writes: "During the period of participation in the war, Ivan Nikitovich changed 6 fighters, chalking up 62 official victories (of which only Me-109 - 17, FV-190 - 21 and Yu-87 - 15), not counting 29 group".

As it turns out now, Kozhedub had a few more personal victories: M. Yu. Bykov, in his research, found documentary evidence of 64 personally shot down aircraft. As for group victories, the question remains open. I have not seen this information anywhere else.

To the 64 German aircraft shot down by I.N. Kozhedub during the Great Patriotic War, at least 2 more American fighters destroyed by him at the very end of the war should be added. In April 1945, Kozhedub drove a couple of German fighters away from the American B-17 with a barrage of fire, but was attacked by cover fighters who opened fire from a long distance. With a coup over the wing, Kozhedub quickly attacked the last car. He began to smoke and with a decrease went towards our troops (the pilot of this car soon jumped out with a parachute and landed safely).

Having completed a combat turn with a half-loop, from an inverted position, Kozhedub attacked the leader as well - he exploded in the air. Somewhat later, he managed to see the white stars on unfamiliar cars - these were Mustangs. Thanks to the regiment commander P. Chupikov, everything worked out ...

Unfortunately, this battle was not the only one between Soviet and American pilots during the Second World War...

After the war of the Guard, Major I.N. Kozhedub continued to serve in the 176th GvIAP. At the end of 1945, in the Monino train, he met a 10-grader, Veronica, who soon became his wife, a faithful and patient companion throughout his life, the main "adjutant and assistant."

In 1949, Ivan Nikitovich graduated from the Air Force Academy, was appointed to the post of division commander near Baku, but V. I. Stalin left him near Moscow, in Kubinka, as deputy, and then commander of the 326th Fighter Aviation Division. Among the first, this division was armed with new MiG-15 jet aircraft and at the end of 1950 was sent to Far East. There, the famous Soviet pilot had a chance to take part in another war.

From March 1951 to February 1952, repelling raids on North Korea, Kozhedub's division scored 215 victories, shot down 12 "superfortresses", losing 52 aircraft and 10 pilots. It was one of the brightest pages in the combat use of jet aircraft in the history of the Soviet Air Force.

A strict command order forbade the divisional commander to engage in battle personally, and he did not win any official victories during this period. Although, according to the recollections of some pilots, participants in those long-standing events, several times (unofficially, of course), Ivan Kozhedub still took to the air ...

But the danger lay in wait for the pilot not only in the sky: in the winter of 1951, he was almost poisoned by a cook: the war was waged by different methods. During his assignment to the Guards, Colonel I.N. Kozhedub not only carried out the operational leadership of the division, but also took an active part in the organization, training and rearmament of the PRC Air Force.

In 1952, the 326th IAD was transferred to the air defense system and transferred to Kaluga. With enthusiasm, Ivan Nikitovich took up the new for himself peaceful business of arranging the personnel of the division. In a short time, 150 houses for housing were received and installed, an airfield and a military camp were equipped and expanded. Only the life of the commander himself, who became a major general in the summer of 1953, remained unsettled. His family, with a young son and daughter, huddled either in a makeshift hut at the airfield, or together with a dozen other families in a "caravanserai" - an old dacha.

A year later, he was sent to study at the Academy of the General Staff. I took part of the course as an external student, because due to official circumstances I was delayed with the start of classes.

After graduating from the academy, Kozhedub was appointed First Deputy Head of the Combat Training Directorate of the country's Air Force, from May 1958 to 1964 he was First Deputy Air Force Commander of the Leningrad and then Moscow military districts.

Until 1970, Ivan Nikitovich regularly flew fighter jets, mastered dozens of types of aircraft and helicopters. He made his last flights on the MiG-23. He left the flight job himself and immediately ...

The units led by Kozhedub have always been distinguished by a low accident rate, and he himself, as a pilot, had no accidents, although "emergency situations", of course, happened. So, in 1966, while flying at low altitude, his MiG-21 collided with a flock of rooks; one of the birds hit the air intake and damaged the engine. It took all his flying skills to land the car.

From the post of Air Force Commander of the Moscow Military District, Kozhedub returned to the post of First Deputy Head of the Air Force Combat Training Directorate, from where he was transferred almost 20 years ago.

An impeccable air fighter, pilot and commander, an officer selflessly devoted to his work, Kozhedub did not possess "noble" qualities, did not know how and did not consider it necessary to flatter, intrigue, cherish the necessary connections, notice funny, and sometimes malicious jealousy for his glory. In 1978, he was transferred to the group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1985 he was awarded the title of Air Marshal.

All this time, Kozhedub meekly conducted a huge public work. A deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, chairman or president of dozens of different societies, committees and federations, he was simple and honest both with the first person of the state and with the provincial truth seeker. And what forces were worth hundreds of meetings and trips, thousands of speeches, interviews, autographs...

The last years of his life, Ivan Nikitovich was seriously ill: the stress of the war years and the difficult service in peace years affected. He died at his dacha from a heart attack on August 8, 1991, two weeks before the collapse of the great state, of which he himself was a part of the glory.

* * *

The first combat "baptism".

In March 1943, I arrived at the Voronezh Front as an ordinary pilot in a regiment commanded by Major I. Soldatenko. The regiment was armed with La-5 aircraft. From the first day I began to look closely at the combat work of my new comrades. He carefully listened to the analysis of the performance of combat work during the day, studied the tactics of the enemy and tried to combine the theory acquired at school with front-line experience. Thus, day after day, I prepared myself for the battle with the enemy. Only a few days had passed, and it seemed to me that my preparation was endlessly delayed. I wanted to fly out together with my comrades towards the enemy as soon as possible.

The meeting with the enemy happened unexpectedly. It happened like this: on March 26, 1943, I, together with the leading junior lieutenant Gabunia, taxied to the start on duty. Suddenly, we were given the signal to take off. Junior Lieutenant Gabunia quickly took to the air.

I was somewhat delayed on takeoff and after the first turn I lost the leader. I was not able to contact either the host or the ground by radio. Then I decided to fly over the airfield. Having gained 1500 meters of altitude, he began piloting.

Suddenly, 800 meters below me, I noticed 6 aircraft that were approaching the airfield with a decrease. At first glance, I mistook them for Pe-2s, but after a few seconds I saw bomb explosions and anti-aircraft fire at our airfield. Then I realized that these were German multi-purpose aircraft Me-110. I remember how strongly my heart beat. There was an enemy in front of me.

I decided to attack the enemy, quickly turning around, at maximum speed went to approach. There were 500 meters left when the rule of air combat I heard from the commander flashed through my mind: "Before attacking, look back."

Looking around, I noticed how a plane with a white spinner was approaching me from behind at high speed. Before I could recognize whose plane it was, he had already opened fire on me. One shell exploded in my cockpit. With a sharp turn to the left with a slide, I get out from under the blow. A pair of Me-109s passed at high speed to my right. Now I realized that they, noticing my attack, dived and attacked me. However, my failed attack forced the Me-110 to refuse to re-enter the bombing.

In this meeting, I was convinced in practice how important the role of the follower is to cover the leader when attacking the target.

Later, flying in a flying group, I won 63 victories, not knowing defeat.

(From the collection - "One Hundred Stalin's Falcons in the Battles for the Motherland". Moscow, "YAUZA - EKSMO", 2005.)

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich - three times Hero of the Soviet Union shot down 64 enemy aircraft, including the ME-262 jet fighter. He became the most successful Allied fighter pilot in World War II.

Ivan Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, Chernihiv province, in a peasant family of a church elder.

In 1934, after graduating from school, Vanya entered the Chemical Technology College in the city of Shostka. There he began to study in the flying club. In the fall of 1940, he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, after which he remained to work as an instructor.

BAD START

At the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Nikitovich, together with the aviation school, was evacuated to the city of Chimkent in the Kazakh SSR. In 1942, on February 23, Ivan was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In November of the same year, he was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Air Division, in which he flew to the Voronezh Front in March 1943.

Despite Ivan’s great instructor experience, his first air battle almost became the last one: first, his LA-5 got a cannon burst from the German Me 109 fighter (saved by the armored back), and upon returning, the Lavochkin was fired upon by its own anti-aircraft guns (two shells hit ). As a result, the plane turned out to be badly damaged, and Kozhedub was forced to fly on the "remnants" (free planes available in the squadron).

BECOMING A HERO

Ivan shot down the first enemy aircraft only in the fortieth sortie on July 6, 1943 on the Kursk Bulge, when he gained enough front-line experience. It turned out to be a low-speed “lappet” (German dive bomber Junker 87 with non-retractable landing gear). The next day, he drove another Ju 87 into Soviet soil, and on July 9 they were immediately followed by two Me 109 fighters. So Ivan Nikitovich paid off the Messers for his first unsuccessful meeting with them.

Kozhedub piloted the plane perfectly (it even seemed to him that he was one with him); he shot accurately (moreover, he preferred to open fire at a distance of 200-300 meters); was initiative and bold (not afraid of frontal attacks); attacked using the surprise factor; tried to shoot down or damage an enemy aircraft from the first attack; attacked, even when he was alone and the enemy's forces were many times superior to his own. And this could not but affect the results of his combat work.

By February 4, 1944, Ivan Kozhedub already had 146 sorties and 20 enemy planes personally shot down, for which Soviet government awarded Senior Lieutenant I.N. Kozhedub with the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

From May 1944, Ivan Kozhedub fought on an improved LA-5FN aircraft (tail number 14), which was built for a Soviet pilot at the expense of a beekeeper from the Stalingrad region V. V. Konev.

In August 1944, Ivan Nikitovich became a captain and was appointed deputy commander of the 17th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. He began to fly on a new model of a fighter designer Lavochkin - LA-7. On August 19, 1944, for 256 sorties and 48 personally shot down enemy aircraft, Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

AGAINST THE LUFTWAFFE'S WONDER WEAPONS

On February 19, 1945, in a battle over the Oder, Kozhedub destroyed the latest Luftwaffe Me 262 jet fighter-bomber. Taking off in tandem with pilot Dmitry Titorenko, Ivan discovered an unusual aircraft at an altitude of more than 3000 meters, which flew at a very high speed. Kozhedub noticed that the self-confident German pilot did not control the space under him, relying on the high speed of the car, and decided to punish him.

But there was no surprise attack. Titorenko was the first to open fire from a long distance. Here is how Ivan Kozhedub himself described this fight:

“Tracks fly into the enemy (traces that remain in the air from bullets): it’s clear - my partner still hurried up! I mercilessly scold the Old Man (Titorenko) to myself; I am sure that my plan of action is irreparably violated. But its routes unexpectedly helped me: the German plane began to turn to the left, in my direction. The distance shortened sharply, and I got close to the enemy. With involuntary excitement, I open fire. And the jet, falling apart, falls.

AT THE END OF THE WAR

By the end of the war, Major Ivan Kozhedub made 330 sorties and personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, which is documented. Your last fight with the enemy in the Great Patriotic War Soviet pilot committed April 17, 1945. In this battle in the skies of Berlin, he shot down two Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighters.

On August 18, 1945, the country awarded its hero-pilot with the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

In addition to German and Romanian aircraft, at the end of the war, the Soviet ace shot down five American aircraft. On April 22, 1945, he shot down two American P-51 Mustang fighters (documented), which attacked him, apparently mistaking him for a German fighter. And a few days before the surrender of the fascist - 3 American bombers, which, as part of a formation of 20 aircraft, tried to bomb the territory already occupied by Soviet troops. Of course, these planes were not recorded in our pilot's flight book, but he shot them down in a fair fight, protecting his life and the lives of Soviet soldiers on the ground.

AFTER THE GREAT PATRIOTIC

At the end of World War II, Ivan Nikitovich continued to serve in the Air Force.

In 1949 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. And during the Korean War, General Kozhedub was sent to head the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. From April 1951 to January 1952, the pilots of his division scored 216 air victories in battles, while losing 27 of their machines and nine pilots. In 1956, Kozhedub graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff.

Since 1971, he worked in the central office of the Air Force. In 1985 he became an air marshal. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub died on August 8, 1991. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Personal account of enemy aircraft pilot Ivan Kozhedub:

21 Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighters;
18 Junker JU-87 bombers;
18 Messerschmitt ME-109 fighters;
3 attack aircraft Henschel NS-129;
2 Henkel He-111 twin-engine bombers;
1 PZL P-24 fighter (Romanian);
1 jet Messerschmitt ME-262.