Biography

Ivan Nikittovich Kozhedub - Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 victories). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (6 May 1985).

Nickname during combat operations as part of the Group of Soviet Military Specialists in Korea - “Krylov”.

Ivan Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazhievka, Glukhov district, Chernigov province (now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region of Ukraine) in the family of a peasant - a church warden. He belonged to the second generation of Soviet fighter pilots who took part in the Great Patriotic War.

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

He took his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shostka flying club. At the beginning of 1940, he enlisted in the Red Army and in the fall of the same year he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, after which he continued to serve there as an instructor.

After the start of the war, he and the aviation school were evacuated to Kazakhstan, the city of Chimkent. On February 23, 1942, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In November 1942, Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division (from July 2, 1944, 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Division), which was being formed in Ivanovo. In March 1943, as part of the division, he flew to the Voronezh Front.

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 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 could not be fully restored, and the pilot 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. At the beginning of the summer of 1943, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of junior lieutenant, then he was appointed to the post of deputy squadron commander. Shortly after this, on July 6, 1943, on the Kursk Bulge, during his fortieth combat mission, Kozhedub shot down his first German bomber Junkers Ju-87. 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 (already a senior lieutenant) 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, 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. Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal on August 19, 1944 for 256 combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft.

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, on April 17, 1945 in the skies over Berlin. 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.

In his autobiography, Kozhedub claims that in 1945 he shot down two American P-51 Mustang aircraft of the US Air Force, which attacked him, mistaking him for a German plane.

I.N. Kozhedub was never shot down during the Great Patriotic War, and although he was shot down, he always landed his plane. Kozhedub also has the world's first jet fighter, the German Me-262, which he shot down on February 19, 1945, but he was not the first to do this - back on August 28, 1944, one shot down Me-262 was credited to American pilots M. Croy and J. Myers, and in total, until February 1945, American pilots were officially credited with shooting down about 20 aircraft of this type.

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 MiG-15 jet in 1948. In 1956 he graduated from the Military Academy of the 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 aerial victories, losing only 27 aircraft (9 pilots died).

From June 1962 to August 1963 - commander of the 76th Air Army. 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 1970, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Aviation. And 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 II-V convocations, and a people's deputy of the USSR.
Died on August 8, 1991. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

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 - in the award documents (from where it, in fact, was taken), for unknown reasons, two air victories are missing (June 8, 1944 - Me-109 and April 11, 1944 - PZL-24), meanwhile, they were confirmed and officially entered into the pilot’s personal account.

Total aerial victories: 64+0
combat sorties - 330
air battles - 120

According to Channel One, at the end of the Great Patriotic War, American pilots shot down Soviet fighters in the zone of Soviet aviation. I.N. Kozhedub flew out and personally shot down two American fighters responsible for this act of aggression. Nikolai Bodrikhin’s book “Soviet Aces” gives slightly different circumstances of this episode: 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 a surviving American pilot, the Americans mistook Kozhedub’s plane for a German Focke-Wulf with a red nose.

Assignment of military ranks

Sergeant (February 1941),
senior sergeant (02/23/1942),
junior lieutenant (05/15/1943), by order No. 0291 on the Voronezh Front
lieutenant (08/05/1943),
senior lieutenant (11/10/1943),
captain (04/24/1944),
major (11/19/1944),
Lieutenant Colonel (01/20/1949),
Colonel (01/3/1951),
Major General of Aviation (3.08.1953),
Lieutenant General of Aviation (04/27/1962),
Colonel General of Aviation (04/29/1970),
Air Marshal (05/07/1985).

Awards

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union (02/04/1944, No. 1472; 08/19/1944, No. 36; 08/18/1945, No. 3).
Recipient of two Orders of Lenin (02/04/1944; 02/21/1978).

Knight of the 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. 23; 26.06. 1970, No. 537483).

Knight of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (07/31/1945, No. 37500).
Knight of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (04/06/1985).
Knight of two Orders of the Red Star (06/04/1955; 10/26/1955).
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II degree (02/22/1990).
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (04/30/1975).
Foreign:
Knight of the Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia).
Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (GDR).
Knight of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland.
Knight of the Order of the National Flag (DPRK).

Ranks:

Honorary citizen of the cities: Balti, Chuguev, Kaluga, Kupyansk, Sumy, Zvenigorod and others.

Memory

A bronze bust of Kozhedub 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.

A park in the city of Sumy (Ukraine) is named after Ivan Kozhedub; a monument to the pilot is installed near the entrance, as well as a street in the southeast of Moscow (Marshal Kozhedub Street). Also, streets in the cities of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Alma-Ata in Kazakhstan, Salavat, Balashikha, Semiluki (Russian Federation) are named in his honor.

The name of the Three-time Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is borne by the Kharkov Air Force University (formerly KhVVAUL, HIL, KhVU), as well as the Shostka Chemical-Technological College.

On June 8, 2010, in the city of Shostka, in commemoration of Kozhedub’s 90th anniversary, a bust was erected near the Ivan Kozhedub Museum.

On November 12, 2010, a monument to Kozhedub was erected in Kharkov, on the territory of the Kharkov Air Force University.

A documentary film “Secrets of the Century” was shot about Kozhedub. Two wars of Ivan Kozhedub."

In 2010, Ukraine celebrated the 90th anniversary of the hero’s birth at the state level. At the same time, a commemorative coin dedicated to Ivan Kozhedub was issued.

Fast train No. 118/117 between Sumy and Moscow is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

A street in the Aviator microdistrict of the city of Balashikha, Moscow region, is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

A small street in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

A pioneer camp in the Moscow region (Odintsovo district, near Kubinka) is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

The model of the La-5 aircraft, on which I. N. Kozhedub made his first flight from the Urazovsky airfield during the war, was opened in May 1988 in the Belgorod region.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Shostkinsky district, Sumy region, into the family of a simple rural worker.

His father raised little Ivan in strictness and taught him to work from childhood. The brothers Yakov, Alexander and Gregory, worked as laborers for wealthy people, bringing home meager pennies and food at the end of the season. And Ivan himself was forced to earn money as a child, when his father gave him a job as a helper. Fate was favorable to him from childhood and protected him throughout his life.

Even in childhood, as Ivan Nikitovich himself recalled, in his book “Loyalty to the Fatherland,”

could have died by drowning in the Desna. During the flood, the guys went by boat to a distant island and in the evening, with a strong wind, returned to the village. A gust of wind caused the boat to spin across the wave and capsize. Finding themselves in cold water, the children swam to a nearby tree and climbed out onto the branches. By nightfall, the survivors began to freeze and Vanya’s friend Andreyka drowned. And Vanya himself was blown off the branch by the wind when, exhausted, he could not hold on. Having fallen into the water, Vanya immediately sank to the bottom.

The miracle of his salvation was that at that time help arrived on the longboat, where Vanya’s brother Alexander was. He managed to notice where the future Soviet air sniper fell and, diving, saved him. That day, little Ivan experienced the first bereavement in his life. And how much more did fate have in store for him...

Since childhood, Vanya has been fond of sports, including exercises on the horizontal bar and weightlifting - kettlebell lifting. His father often scolded Ivan for the yard that was pitted with weights. As a result of these studies, the future defender of the Fatherland developed an excellent vestibular apparatus and endurance.

At school, Vanya was fond of drawing and drew a lot, which developed the eye and visual memory of the future ace. I tried to paint in oils.

Like everything in life, childhood flew by unnoticed. Having completed the seven-year school, Ivan entered the school for working youth, where, working as a librarian, he voraciously read not only fiction books, but also technical literature. Two more years passed and, on the advice of his father, Ivan entered the Shostka Technical School, the chemical technology department. It was a long walk home and Kozhedub moved to a dormitory at the technical school. Only the mother did not want to part with her youngest son.

One weekend, with a heavy feeling in his soul, Ivan returned home from college for the weekend. His father met him at the doorstep of the house. Ivan’s mother, having lost her strength in hard work among people, became seriously ill and refused all entreaties to go to the hospital. It's time to return to college. Ivan did not want to go, apparently sensing trouble, but his mother persuaded him to return. Kozhedub sat with his books until late at night, reproaching himself for not insisting that his mother go to the hospital, and at dawn his brother Yakov woke him up. Seeing the tear-stained face of his older brother, Ivan immediately understood everything.

Having been widowed, Nikita Kozhedub also moved to Shostka, to a dormitory at the plant and often came to visit his son.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub himself will tell you better than me about his first meeting with the plane:

“... one afternoon, while playing bowls, I heard the rumble of an engine: a plane was flying at a low altitude. It was the first time I saw him so close. Two passengers sitting in the back waved to us. The car quickly disappeared behind the hill.

I wish I could get up and look at the Desna River from above, at our spacious lands.

Just before leaving, I found out that it was possible to fly: passengers were given rides for a fee, but it was too late. And the plane, frankly speaking, inspired me not only with curiosity, but also with timidity. I even admitted to myself that I probably wouldn’t have dared to fly. And I decided to myself that it was difficult to learn flying, and pilots must be incredibly brave people: just think - they take to the air and make such flights! And not for a second did the thought of devoting my life to aviation arise in my mind.”
(Ivan Kozhedub. “Loyalty to the Fatherland”).

Ivan took the next step towards his destiny after the war at Lake Khasan, in the summer of 1938. It was then that Ivan remembered his recent meeting with technical school students who had entered the flying club. They came to the technical school to train on sports equipment. At a subsequent meeting with them, Ivan asked a question about how to submit documents to the flying club, to which he received a less than encouraging answer: it was too late to submit documents, classes had already begun. But Ivan still took a risk and entered the flying club, promising to catch up with his fellow students in theory before starting flight practice. He caught up with the group, moreover, he was one of the first members in the group.

It was difficult for the future hero to keep up everywhere. Ivan studied at the flying club, not forgetting about the technical school, because he had not yet decided to fly all his life.

At first I had to hide from my father. Kozhedub recalls how he once asked: “What, a tattoo, if I learned to fly?” (“tattoo” means “dad” in Ukrainian).

To which the father waved his hands: “Where are you going to chase the pie in the sky?!”

But Ivan was able to hide only until the summer holidays at the technical school. As soon as it was light we were getting ready to go to Shostka to the airfield for flights. That’s how the father found out about his son’s hobby, but, having already gotten used to his independence, he did not flog the hero.

In the same 1939, Kozhedub decided to throw in his lot with fighter aviation, having met his fellow countryman, who came to his homeland on vacation. Young pilots listened with enthusiasm to the stories of a graduate of their flying club, looking at the military uniform with envy. Of course, in those days, pilots had a special chic uniform. All military officers wore tunics, and the pilots wore shirts with ties and jackets.

In January 1940, Kozhedub was summoned to the Chuguev Military Pilot School. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR S.K. Timoshenko No. 0362 dated December 22, 1940, “On changing the order of service for junior and middle commanding personnel of the Red Army Air Force,” Ivan Kozhedub successfully graduated in the fall of 1940. He was expecting distribution. Like all his classmates, he was preparing to serve on the western border, where the entire graduating class of that year was sent, but the command ordered otherwise. As one of the best cadets, Sergeant Kozhedub was retained as an instructor at the school.

The war found Ivan Nikitovich in the position of instructor. From the first days of the war, Kozhedub has been inundating his superiors with reports asking to be sent to the front, but his superiors are adamant. “Your duty is to train pilots for the Red Army. The front is suffering heavy losses."

At the end of 1941, the school was transferred to the city of Chimkent, Kazakhstan. There, personnel for the front were forged at an accelerated pace. Kozhedub continues to besiege his superiors with reports, to which he receives negative responses and even scoldings. Continues to train pilots for the front.

Newspapers from the front reached them and in some of them there were notes about the exploits of their comrades, former cadets, and instructors from the school. The humble workers of the rear airfield were jealous of their friends who were beating the enemy over the vast expanses of their homeland.

Finally, in the fall of 1942, Ivan Nikitovich was sent to the front. In Moscow, Ivan learned that one of his best cadets, Vyacheslav Bashkirov, had been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Kozhedub is proud of his student and perhaps happy for himself. If the student surpasses the teacher, this is the best assessment for the teacher as a professional.

Kozhedub was enlisted in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Major Soldatenko. The regiment suffered heavy losses in the battles near Stalingrad and was being recruited. In Gorky, the regiment was retrained for the new La-5 fighters. New aircraft have just begun to arrive at the front and have already gained fame in the Battle of Stalingrad.

In the reserve regiment, Ivan continues to study, studies new material, undergoes training flights, studies captured Me-109s, sketching their silhouettes and studying vulnerable spots.

Finally, in January 1943, Kozhedub received a new La-5, number 75 from the squadron named after Valery Chkalov. But he is dissatisfied with the first car. The plane is equipped with five tanks - somewhat heavy.

In March 1943, Kozhedub conducted his first air battle. Together with his leader, Kozhedub had to guard his airfield. From the very beginning everything went wrong. During takeoff, Kozhedub lost sight of the leader’s plane and was left alone in the air. Having made several circles, Ivan saw approaching planes, similar in silhouette to Pe-2 bombers.

Ivan remembered the fighter rule in time - If you don’t recognize the plane, consider it an enemy plane. Explosions on the ground convinced Kozhedub of the accuracy of the rule.

The trouble was that while he was figuring out who was in front of him, the Me-110s began attacking the airfield. Kozhedub prepared to attack the enemy, removed the guns from the safeties, but then he remembered one more rule - “before attacking, make sure you are not being attacked.” He looked around - a plane with a white propeller was coming towards him. While I was wondering who it was, my friend or someone else, the “white cook” opened fire. There was a crash from behind, and the cabin smelled of burning. Ivan was saved by the fact that a high-explosive fragmentation shell, and not an armor-piercing one, hit the cabin. The Me-109s were densely packed on him and were about to finish him off, but then anti-aircraft artillery opened fire and the Messers fell off. Kozhedub's La-5 also came under friendly fire and received several more holes. It took a lot of work for Ivan to land the riddled plane. After landing, more than fifty holes were counted.

Now Ivan flew from time to time.

After the first unsuccessful battle, they generally wanted to transfer him to ground service. He lost the leader, allowed the enemy to bomb the airfield, almost died himself and the plane was in repair for a long time. Car number 75 was under repair for a long time.

Two tanks were removed from it; it was not suitable for combat and Ivan sometimes flew as a messenger. All the time he learned to beat the enemy, drew diagrams, studied the experience of famous pilots such as A.I. Pokryshkin.

Ivan wrote down Pokryshkin’s battle formula: “Altitude – speed – maneuver – fire” in his front-line notebook. There, he drew diagrams and silhouettes of enemy aircraft, so as not to waste time identifying the aircraft in the future. He learned well the lesson taught to him by the Germans.

There were “local battles”, but even in these battles the regiment lost people. Kozhedub's leader, Vano Gabunia, died after ramming an enemy plane, squadron commander Gavrish. On April 14, 1943, during the raid, the regiment commander, Major Soldatenko, died.

By summer, new additions arrived to the regiment. Kozhedub was appointed to the post of deputy squadron commander. Vasily Mukhin was assigned to be his partner.

The new couple took their first battle in July 1943 at the Kursk Bulge on July 6, 1943. The regiment was ordered to cover ground troops. Above the front line, the group, which included the Kozhedub-Mukhin pair, met with a large group of Yu-87 bombers.

A fierce battle ensued. Friendly and foreign planes were mixed in the air. With a burst of cannon fire, Ivan forced the Me-109 to turn commander Semenov away from the plane.

The bombers formed a defensive circle. Several minutes passed and Kozhedub entered the line of opening fire. The guns have started working, but the “laptezhnik” does not fall. Ivan continues to shoot. The Junkers began to maneuver. Forgetting about everything, Ivan continues the attack, deciding that if he does not shoot down the enemy, he will ram him, as his deceased leader Vano Gabunia did. Almost point-blank, Kozhedub fires a long burst of fire at the enemy. The plane burst into flames and crashed.

To celebrate, Ivan shouted to his wingman: “Vasya! Knocked one!”

He looked around and saw the Messer, which Mukhin was chasing, falling away from him.

Squadron commander "Gathering" team. But Kozhedub sees another group of Junkers, reports to the commander, but he continues to assemble the group. Then Ivan decides to attack the enemy with the forces of his couple. He lined up behind the outermost Yu-87, opened fire at point-blank range, but the guns were silent. Shooting in long bursts, Ivan used up all his ammunition. Commands Mukhina to attack, imitates attacks himself. The Junkers leave, and the couple, running out of fuel, returned to their airfield.

Ivan Nikitovich recalled in his book how, during a report on the battle, the squadron commander severely reprimanded him for being separated from the group.

“Is that so?!” You're chasing someone who's been shot down. In such an environment one cannot be unrestrained and imprudent. They'll shoot you down in an instant. Well, anyway, congratulations on the first shot down.

Since July 10, Kozhedub has been temporarily acting as commander, instead of the wounded Semenov.

In September 1943, Ivan received long-awaited news from home. From his father’s letter, he learned that brother Yakov, from the first days in the battles, Gregory was driven into slavery by the Nazis, and brother Sashko was working in the rear in the Urals.

The usual everyday life of war began to flow. Several times a day, our pilots flew out to carry out missions.

September 30, 1943. Kozhedub's group flew out to cover the ground troops. On the way to the front line, Ivan was attacked by a pair of German hunters. Having replaced them in time, he turned sharply, not having time to give a command to his own. In a frontal attack, the Germans opened fire. In the plane, from behind, there was a crash and the opponents dispersed on opposite courses. Kozhedub’s maneuver was so fast that the fighters of his group, seeing the hunters leaving the attack, believed that Ivan had been shot down and chased the Germans, burning with a desire for revenge. Ivan was left alone in the cover area. There was no reaction to all Ivan’s orders via radio communication. Some time passed and Kozhedub’s group returned, but passed by towards their base without noticing their commander. And then the Germans appeared and Kozhedub took the battle alone. From all sides, at the limit of the vehicle, Ivan attacked the Yu-87. He finally forced them to stop bombing and put them in a defensive circle. But the Germans did not leave, and the fuel was melting. It was necessary to shoot down at least someone. Ivan finally chose one and shot him point-blank. Seeing a falling fellow engulfed in flames, the “laptezhniki” randomly bombed and began to leave. Kozhedub returned home on fuel fumes.

Another day that Ivan Nikitovich especially remembers.

For the third time, he then led his squadron to cover the troops. We encountered a large group of enemy bombers near the front line. They immediately attacked and dispersed, but an order came from the ground to catch up and finish off the enemy. The fighters rushed after them to shoot the defenseless Yu-87.

This fight is better described in the words of Ivan Nikitovich himself.

“I’m starting to attack him from above - he’s pressed so close to the ground that you can’t approach him from below. The shooter fires back fiercely, but the machine gun tracks fly past. There is a long burst and the bomber bursts into flames.

Soaring above the flaming bomber. An indistinct sound is heard - you can hear any impact on the plane, despite the roar of the engine. I hear the frightened voice of Vasya Mukhin: “Dad, you’re burning!”

I quickly examine the left plane - everything is in order here. I looked to the right - a stream of fire was coming out of the gas tank. A chill ran down my spine: I’m really on fire! It's time to jump with a parachute before it's too late. I quickly open the flashlight. I unfasten the seat belts. And suddenly I remember - there is an enemy below.”
(Ivan Kozhedub. “Loyalty to the Fatherland”).

Ivan decides to ram a ground target with a flaming plane. But he continues to fight for life - he tries to put out the flames by sliding. Nothing worked. Below, he noticed a cluster of enemy equipment and put the plane into a dive...

Different sources tell different stories about this incident. Therefore, I think it would be correct to tell the end of this incident in the words of Ivan Nikitovich himself.

“... I’m sending the plane straight at them. The land is growing rapidly. There was still hope that the flames could be stopped if I sharply lifted the nose of the plane. I snatch the plane right over the heads of the dumbfounded Germans. And I hear the joyful voice of the follower:

Dad, the flame has been broken! We're alive!
(Ibid.).

On this day, fate spared him, once again.

Having flown over the front line, Kozhedub wanted to leave the plane again, but could not - he felt sorry for the car. He loved his planes very much. I always identified them with living beings. And not once during the entire war did he leave the car.

On February 4, 1944, friends congratulated Ivan on being awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By that time, Kozhedub’s personal account had exceeded 30 enemy vehicles shot down.

In May 1944, when Ivan Kozhedub’s regiment was already fighting over Romania, Ivan received an order to transport a new aircraft to his airfield, from the city of Balti. Having arrived at the place, Kozhedub learned that the La-5 FN, number 14, named after Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel N. Konev, the command of the air force decided to transfer to him.

Collective farmer Vasily Viktorovich Konev, the father of the Hero who died in the battles for the Motherland, purchased a plane with his personal savings and asked to give it to the best pilot. Ivan Kozhedub would be recognized as such.

It was not only honorable to fight in such a vehicle, but also dangerous. The German aces understood perfectly well that such planes were not flown by ordinary pilots. Very often they attacked Ivan, seeing the inscriptions on the sides, but the faithful wingman always reliably covered the commander. Paired with Mukhin, as Ivan Nikitovich recalled, he did not have to worry about his tail.

And he paid in full for the reliability of his wingman. His meager memories deserve great respect:

“...I look around. I see that Mukhin is in an advantageous position. I broadcast on the radio: “Vasya! Beat him! I’m covering!..”

Or: “... Vasya, we’re taking the last one into our pincers!” (In this battle, the pair shot down a Heinkel-111, which was credited to Mukhin).

And he himself was a Hero and gave the opportunity to others to become Heroes.

One day in 1944, a group of planes landed at the airfield of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment. The airfield echoed: “Pokryshkin, Pokryshkin!” Ivan wanted to come up and meet the famous ace, but he was shy, and while he hesitated, Pokryshkin’s planes flew away. Only after the war Ivan again saw the Glorious Pilot at the Academy. M. V. Frunze. Perhaps he met him during preparations for the Victory Parade.

In the summer of 1944, Kozhedub was summoned to Moscow. There Kozhedub learned about his new appointment to the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Ivan did not sleep all night, trying to find words so as not to leave his native regiment, but General Shatsky, sympathizing, remained adamant. He expressed his understanding of the situation, but orders from above are not discussed, they are carried out.

At a familiar alternate airfield, where Ivan was still a foolish, inexperienced pilot, he was recognized and congratulated on his success. Ivan Nikitovich had to retrain for the new La-7 aircraft. The regiment of air hunters, where he was to fight, flew precisely on these machines.

On August 19, Ivan learned that A.I. Pokryshkin had been awarded the third Gold Star medal. And he himself was congratulated on being awarded the title of Twice Hero. By that time, Kozhedub had shot down 45 fascist planes.

From the end of August 1944, Kozhedub took up the duties of deputy regiment commander. The regiment performs aerial hunting missions and is staffed by experienced pilots with extensive flight hours and extensive combat experience. Gone are the days when our skies were protected by yellow-throated chicks trained on a crash course in take-off and landing. Now, if the situation allowed, young pilots were introduced into battle gradually.

And in Kozhedub’s regiment there were truly experienced pilots. The planes in the regiment had a special coloring - gray with a red nose and a white fin. Ivan's car was repainted overnight to match the others. So, in a car with tail number 27, Kozhedub flew until the end of the war.

In his memoirs, Ivan Nikitovich talks very sparingly about his downed men. It all comes down to simple phrases: “... I see the enemy, I attack, I shoot down...” and no colorful descriptions. During his period of service in the 176th GIAP, Kozhedub describes more the exploits of his fellow soldiers, seeing ordinary everyday work in his sorties.

February 19, 1945. Kozhedub, together with Dmitry Titarenko, went hunting. In the Frankfurt area, at an altitude of 3500 meters, they saw a single plane flying at high speed. Having squeezed everything out of his “Lavochkin” to the limit, Kozhedub managed to get closer to the unknown car. It was a Me-262 jet. According to intelligence data with which the pilots were introduced, these aircraft were fundamentally new and dangerous in combat. The German flew without much concern for safety - he hoped for high speed. The Soviet couple with the jet fighter gradually became closer.

Knowing Titarenko’s character, Kozhedub asks: “Dima, don’t rush!”

But tracks flew into the enemy plane, and the German began to turn away from the line of fire. The distance between Kozhedub and Me-262 decreased sharply, which allowed the Soviet ace to logically complete the attack. After a well-aimed burst, the Me-262 plane, falling apart, fell to the ground.

Kozhedub shot down the last two fascists on April 17 near Berlin. These were Foke-Wulf 190s. This was his last air battle in that war.

At the end of the spring of 1945, Ivan Nikitovich, by order of the command, flew to Moscow.

Part 2. The secret life of Ivan Kozhedub.

Recently, many secrecy classifications have been removed. Some incidents that happened to him during the last period of the war also became unclassified information.

In the foreword by N.G. Bodrikhin to the book by I.N. Kozhedub “Loyalty to the Fatherland” of later editions, provides interesting facts about Kozhedub’s air battle with the Americans. I'll quote:

“As Ivan Nikitovich himself told me, on April 17, 1945, having met the Allied “Flying Fortresses” in the air, he drove away a couple of “Messerschmitts” from them with a barrage, but a second later he was attacked by American covering fighters.

“Who needs fire? Me?!" Kozhedub recalled with indignation half a century later. The line was long, over a distance of a kilometer, with bright tracer shells, unlike ours and the Germans. Because of the great distance, one could see how the end of the line curved down I turned over and, quickly approaching, attacked the last American (by the number of fighters in the escort, I already understood who it was) something exploded in his fuselage, he steamed heavily and began to descend towards our troops. Having completed a combat turn in a half-loop, from an inverted position, I attacked the next one. My shells landed very well, the plane exploded in the air.

When the tension of the battle subsided, my mood was not at all victorious, because I had already managed to see the white stars on the wings and fuselages. “They’ll arrange it for me... on the first day,” I thought, getting into the car. But everything worked out. In the cockpit of the Mustang that landed on our territory, there was a huge black man. When the guys who came to him asked who shot him down (or rather, when they managed to translate this question), he answered: “Focke-Wulf” with a red nose... I don’t think he played along then; The allies had not yet learned to look both ways...

When the FKP (photo-cino-machine gun) films were developed, the main moments of the battle were captured very clearly on them. The command of the regiment, division, and corps watched the films. Division commander Savitsky, to whom we were operationally subordinate at that time, said after watching: “These victories count towards the future war.” And Pavel Fedorovich Chupikov, our regimental commander, soon gave me these films with the words: “Take them for yourself, Ivan, and don’t show them to anyone.”

This was one of several military clashes between Soviet and American aviation that occurred in 1944-1945...” (Internet newspaper “Centrasia” No. 18 dated May 13, 2004.)

Ivan Nikitovich fought another significant battle before Victory Day on May 6, when a group of “flying fortresses” with covering aircraft entered the Soviet zone. Soviet pilots warned the Americans with tracers, but they continued to fly, responding with machine gun fire. Then it was Kozhedub's time. In twenty minutes of battle, he drove three invincible “fortresses” into the ground.

However, they were not allowed to draw stars even then, but they had to fight the Americans. Now it was in the Far East, where the division of the 64th Airborne Corps, together with its commander, Major General Kozhedub, fought in Korea. Although, even without the “fuselage stars”, it is known that 264 American pilots did not reach their bases there... (Viktor Anisimov. Article “How Kozhedub shot down the Americans.” Newspaper “Nashe Delo” dated October 13, 2007). Until recently, we could all learn about the military path of Ivan Kozhedub.

So, during the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub made 330 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles, shooting down 62 fascist planes. Not a bad score. Quote from the newspaper Radiogolos Rossii: “Historians say that Ivan Kozhedub shot down many more planes than is listed in official sources. The fact is that he did not chalk up an enemy vehicle if he himself did not see it fall to the ground. “What if he reaches his own people?” the pilot explained to his fellow soldiers...” (Newspaper “Radio Voice of Russia”).

On June 24, 1945, I. N. Kozhedub carried the banner of one of the regiments in the ranks of the consolidated regiment of the First Ukrainian Front across Red Square.

In the summer of 1945, after the Victory Parade, Ivan Nikitovich was sent to the Military Academy. M. V. Frunze. As Vladimir Lavrinenkov recalls in his book “Without War,” Kozhedub “escaped” to the Air Force Academy in Monino.

G. Kislovodsk. Late in the evening of November 1950, two MGB officers came for Kozhedub, who was resting in a local sanatorium, and gave him a few minutes to get ready.

In the regional party committee, via government communications, he receives an order from the commander of the Moscow District Air Force, V. I. Stalin, to arrive in Moscow. “There is work, and Vanya is resting...”

In an atmosphere of secrecy, under the name Krylov, Kozhedub commanded the 324th Fighter Air Division in North Korea for 10 months.

On April 12, 1951, Kozhedub fighters conducted their first air battle over the Yalu River. The fighters were defending a strategically important bridge across the river. 40 American bombers were approaching the bridge, covered by about 100 fighters.

Kozhedub lifted all 50 Mig-15s into the air. Or the chest in the crosses, or the head in the bushes. Ivan Nikitovich’s fellow soldier, Sergei Kramarenko, recalls: “In total, 12 bombers and 5 fighters fell to the ground. 120 pilots were captured by the Chinese and Koreans. Kozhedub himself did not participate in this battle.

But could the three-times gambling Hero of the Soviet Union really sit calmly on the ground?

He is strictly prohibited from flying out on combat missions. V.I. Stalin told him back in Moscow: “You are good, here you can fight using your own methods,” says Nikolai Bodrikhin in Sergei Medvedev’s film “Secrets of the Century. Two wars of Ivan Kozhedub."

The UN Assembly recognized North Korea as an aggressor and any military assistance to it was illegal. If Kozhedub had been shot down, a huge international scandal could have occurred, and UN troops could have begun military operations against the USSR.

And yet, Ivan Nikitovich made several combat missions.

I don't want to retell the whole film. I’ll just end this episode from Kozhedub’s life by repeating the words of the film’s author, Sergei Medvedev: “Later, Ivan Nikitovich’s Chinese friends, in great secrecy, told the son of the Soviet ace that during his stay in Korea he added another 17 to his “American account.” enemy aircraft."

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub died at his dacha on August 8, 1991, from a heart attack. And a few days later, his Fatherland, to which he remained faithful throughout his glorious life, ceased to exist.

This plane still remembers the foul smell of Fokkers.

Materials used in this article:

1.I. N. Kozhedub. Loyalty to the Fatherland.

2. Article by Yuri Nersesov “The American Account of Major Kozhedub” from the online newspaper “Centrasia” No. 18 dated May 13, 2004.

4. Film “Two Wars of Ivan Kozhedub.” From the series Secrets of the Century with Sergei Medvedev.

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was born on July 8, 1920 in the present day. Obrazhievka village, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian People's Republic, died 1991 in, Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation. Three times the Soviet Union. Air Marshal.

The feat of Ivan Kozhedub.

Most Ukrainians fought on the side against the Nazis during World War II. They fought skillfully and bravely, so that

2021 Ukrainians became Hero of the Soviet Union (out of 11,603, that’s 17.4%);

25 Ukrainians became twice Heroes (out of 101, or 25%);

One of the three - - three times a Hero.

The most famous hero born in was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, who traveled from 1943 to 1945. from sergeant to guard major and officially shot down 64 enemy aircraft. His colleagues said about him: “This is a man who felt at home in the sky.” Throughout the history of Ivan Kozhebud’s flights, there were many events that could be called heroic, since he always used any excuse to take to the skies. Ivan Kozhedub has 330 combat missions, 120 air battles and 62 (according to other sources 64) downed enemy aircraft. It hit the target from any position of the aircraft. Kozhedub was never shot down himself, although he repeatedly brought a shot down fighter or landed on an airfield damaged by bombs. He had been ill with the sky all his life and made his dream a calling. Military experts note 4 main feats of Ivan Kozhedub:

1. On September 30, 1943, Kozhedub accompanied in the sky the crossing of troops across the Dnieper. Making a turn, he found himself in the sky without the cover of his comrades, and at the same moment he noticed German Junkers in the sky. The famous pilot was not confused, did not panic, and single-handedly dived at the bombers. Having made several turns, he burst into the enemy’s link. The attack by the brave Russian lone pilot was so unexpected and daring for the Germans that they stopped dropping bombs in confusion and took up defensive positions. Seeing the enemy's confusion, Ivan Nikitovich decided to take an even bolder step - he dived on one of the Ju-87s that had come off and shot it down. The burning wreckage of the collapsed plane lowered the enemy's morale, and the bombers retreated.

Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II degree

Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree

Foreign: Knight of the Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia).

Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (GDR).

Knight of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland.

Knight of the Order of the National Flag (DPRK).

Biography of Ivan Kozhedub.

1940 - entered service in the Red Army and in the fall of the same year graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots, after which he continued to serve there as an instructor.

In 2010, in the city of Shostka, to commemorate Kozhedub’s 90th birthday, a bust was erected near the Ivan Kozhedub Museum.

A street in the Aviator microdistrict of the city of Balashikha, Moscow region, is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

A small street in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

A pioneer camp in the Moscow region (Odintsovo district, near Kubinka) is named after Ivan Kozhedub.

The model of the La-5 aircraft, on which I. N. Kozhedub made his first flight from the Urazovsky airfield during the war, was opened in May 1988 in the Belgorod region.

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A documentary biographical film with live-action reconstructions from the series “Secrets of the Century” dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Colonel General of Aviation Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub has been posted - Two wars Ivan Kozhedub (First channel, 2010).

How often do users from Ukraine look for information about Ivan Kozhedub in a search engine?

As can be seen from the photo, in September 2015, search engine users were interested in the query “Ivan Kozhedub” 648 times.

And according to this, you can trace how the interest of Yandex users in the query “Ivan Kozhedub” has changed over the past two years:

* If you find an inaccuracy or error, please contact wiki@site.

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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, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR (now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region, Ukraine). Father, Nikita Larionovich, was a factory worker, mother, Stefanida Ivanovna, ran a household. Ivan was the youngest, fifth child in the family, small in stature, but strong in build and healthy. From his father, who taught himself to read and write and loved to read, Ivan adopted a thirst for acquiring new knowledge and at an early age he also learned to read on his own. Therefore, earlier than his peers, at the age of six, he was admitted to school. From his mother, an embroiderer, Ivan inherited his ability to draw. During his studies, he designed wall newspapers, drew slogans and posters. Later, Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “Drawing developed my eye, visual memory, and powers of observation. And these qualities came in handy 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 more than once convinced of the enormous importance of physical endurance for a pilot. He wrote: “Sharp descents from high altitude to low altitude, minute overloads, which sometimes make one’s vision darken - all this is easily tolerated by a physically hardened person. Sometimes in battle, while performing a cascade of figures, you lose consciousness for a moment. When you come to your senses, you immediately engage in a combat situation and operate again at any altitude, at any speed, in any position. I developed this skill through sports training. Even in a front-line situation, I tried to find time to do exercises.”

Since childhood, Ivan Kozhedub had a desire to connect his destiny with military service. He listened carefully to the stories of his neighbor Sergei Andrusenko, a participant in the Civil War, and was proud of his brother Yakov, who served on the border. Ivan was especially admired by a military school cadet who arrived in the village on leave. “I was so impressed,” he wrote, “by the squares on his buttonholes, shiny boots, and his dashing, 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 at a military unit in Shostka, but due to his youth he was not accepted. Then, on the advice of his father, who believed that “the craft is not a rocker, it won’t stretch your shoulders,” Ivan entered evening school at the factory school. In his memoirs, Kozhedub noted: “In the slush, in the blizzard, in the cold, we walked seven kilometers every day to Shostka and seven kilometers back. It was not easy to study, I had to study the Russian language especially a lot: in our rural school, classes were taught in Ukrainian.” In addition to his studies, Ivan was appointed to the first position in his work history - a librarian with a salary of 100 rubles. I worked during the day and studied in the evening. “Working in the library gave me a lot,” said Kozhedub. - I fell in love with the world of books, newspapers, magazines. They became my true friends and armed me with knowledge.”

In 1936, Ivan entered the Shostka Chemical-Technological College and moved to Shostka to a student dormitory. During his studies, Kozhedub became interested in drawing, which came easily to him. He got used to precise measurements of parts, accuracy, and 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 boots that were polished to a shine. This aroused surprise and interest in Kozhedub. It turned out that they were studying at a flying club. Ivan followed their example. In his book “Loyalty to the Fatherland,” Kozhedub recalled this time: “Combining studies at a technical school and at a flying club really turned out to be difficult. From nine to three there were classes at the technical school, and from five at the flying club. But I didn’t miss a single lecture at the technical school or a single class at the flying club. I still designed the wall newspaper at the technical school. There were weekends left for home preparation, late evenings, early mornings.” At the flying club, Ivan mastered the Po-2 aircraft and made several parachute jumps.

In the winter of 1940, a 4th year student at the Kozhedub technical school was supposed to leave for pre-graduation 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 reduced: the school was renamed the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots, its graduates were awarded the military rank of “sergeant” and not “lieutenant”, as before. Some of the cadets wrote reports for expulsion. Kozhedub decided to study further. The 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 flies competently, confidently and can pass on his knowledge to others. After graduation, Kozhedub was left at the aviation school as an instructor pilot. Therefore, when the war began, Sergeant Kozhedub’s report on being sent to the front was not satisfied. The head of the aviation school told the instructors who were eager to go into battle: “The front needs well-trained pilots. Therefore, your task is to prepare cadets even faster and better.”

In the fall of 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 Red Army Day, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In the fall, Kozhedub achieved assignment to the active army. In November, he was called to Moscow to the flight personnel collection point and was enrolled in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Kozhedub recalled: “We had to study and then master new aircraft in the shortest possible time. We plunged into classes headlong. We tried to do everything so that we knew the aircraft as best as possible - the 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 the aircraft plant. 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 eager to fight the enemy. His relatives remained in the occupation; his two older brothers, Yakov and Alexander, had been at the front for a long time. But on one of the very first flights, Kozhedub almost died. During takeoff, he lost sight of his leading junior lieutenant Ivan Mikhailovich Gabunia. I saw that enemy bombers were flying towards the airfield. Thinking that there was an opportunity to distinguish himself and shoot down the enemy in the first battle, Kozhedub himself found himself under attack from a German fighter. And after that, his La-5 was hit by three shells from anti-aircraft guns defending the airfield. 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 first serious test for him was the Battle of Kursk. The enemy sent selected aviation units to the Belgorod-Kursk direction. To cover ground troops, pilots flew several sorties a day. On July 6, Ivan shot down the first enemy aircraft - a Yu-87 bomber. Two days later he led a four-fighter flight for the first time. In the air they were attacked by German aces returning from a “free hunt.” Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “...While the enemy was turning around, I caught the leader in sight at an altitude of 4000 meters. I wait until the distance is reduced to the opening fire range, and I don’t turn back. I open fire first. I shoot down the leader with a long burst. It turned over in a steep dive, hit the ground and exploded.” That day, Kozhedub took to the air two more times and shot down another enemy plane. In July and September 1943, the future Soviet ace was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for military distinction. Subsequently, he wrote: “In the first days of the fighting on the Kursk Bulge, I realized that an air battle is truly a test of the moral, combat and physical qualities of a fighter, this is the greatest strain on the nerves.”

In the combat characteristics of I.N. Kozhedub for 1943 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, intercepting enemy aircraft - 5. Conducted 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 decisive pilot and commander, skillfully leading the flight personnel 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 shooting down enemy aircraft and for his heroism in battle.

Pilots of the 240th IAP at the Urazovo airfield

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

Fighting in the Yass area continued in 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 - commander of the 21st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guard Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Konev, who died in an unequal air battle in December 1942. On this plane, during seven days of intense air battles in the skies of Romania, Kozhedub shot down eight enemy aircraft.

In July 1944, Ivan Nikitovich was called 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 on the new La-7 aircraft. Here, at a training airfield near Moscow, on USSR Air Fleet Day (August 18), Captain Kozhedub received the news that he had been awarded the second “Golden Star”.

Ivan Nikitovich began his combat career in the 176th Fighter Aviation Regiment on the banks of the Vistula. Here he actively used “free hunting” flights, 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” enemy aircraft, vehicles, trains, and destroyed enemy personnel and equipment. In early September 1944, the 176th Regiment was awarded the title of Guards. Kozhedub also had a small contribution to this. When presenting part of the Guards banner, Ivan Nikitovich was entrusted with becoming its 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 tasked with leading a group of 10 pilots to clear the air of enemy aircraft and ensure freedom of action for our aviation. For several days, the group used the method of free “hunting” to destroy enemy aircraft, while creating an advantage in the air. As a result of the air battles, eight enemy aircraft were shot down, of which Kozhedub personally shot down three. The fascist “hunters” have lost the desire to fly into our territory. They began to shy away from the fight, and by all appearances they were greatly 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, aircraft almost did not fly. These days, Ivan Nikitovich admired the actions of the ground troops: “Soviet tanks and infantry are moving like a mighty avalanche, artillery is hitting powerfully... How often in recent days have we flown over this area, and none of us noticed the concentration of such a huge number of troops! Our technology is only now, as they say, revealing itself, appearing as if from underground. ...We pilots admire the skill of our tank crews, artillerymen, and infantrymen. What a crushing blow they delivered in two days of offensive battles, even without air support!”

Day by day, the count of combat missions carried out by Major Kozhedub's guard and the enemy aircraft he destroyed grew. The combat description dated January 20 noted: “During the entire period of hostilities, he carried out 256 combat sorties, and in the air battles he personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft. In air battles, a brave, decisive, courageous commander. As a pilot, he flies excellently, his piloting technique is excellent. Well prepared for route flights and in difficult weather conditions. ...He works a lot to study the combat experience of the Patriotic War and competently passes it on to his 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 personnel of the regiment to carry out the assigned tasks of the command.”

Debriefing. 1945

In February 1945, a difficult struggle ensued 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 into 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, while on a free hunt together with Guard Major D.S. Titorenko, Ivan Nikitovich was one of the first in Soviet aviation to shoot down the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. The pilots of the regiment had known about these machines since the fall of 1944, when one of them was recorded by the cinematographic machine gun of the regiment commander, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guard Colonel P.F. Chupikova.

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 combat missions and took part in 120 air battles.

When, at one of the post-war meetings, young pilots asked Ivan Nikitovich which of the fascist planes shot down during the war is most 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 we won! The thought that under the wings of the fascist beast, that Soviet troops were victoriously advancing very close to it, gave strength and confidence. I put all my knowledge and skill into this fight.”

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

At the Air Force Academy among the students. 1945

Here, in the spring of 1948, Kozhedub sat at the controls of a jet aircraft for the first time. 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 position of assistant to the former regiment 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, receiving the qualification of a 1st class military pilot. In December 1949, Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander, and in November 1950, commander of this division.

At this time, on the distant Korean Peninsula there was already a war going on 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, but also killed thousands of civilians. Since the fall of 1950, Soviet fighter pilots based in Northeast China began to cover cities and objects in the DPRK. The 64th Fighter Corps was formed. In March 1951, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of Guard Lieutenant Colonel I.N. arrived in China as part of the corps. Kozhedub. It consisted of the 176th Guards and 196th Fighter Aviation Regiments. On April 3, its pilots began flying combat missions. Ivan Nikitovich himself was strictly forbidden to participate in them.

During the Korean War with 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 flowed to the Chinese people's volunteers who fought on the side of the North Koreans. On this day, 48 American bombers took part in the raid, covered by 42 fighters. An additional 36 fighter-bombers were assigned to suppress air defenses. 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 took off to intercept.

In the history of the Korean War and American military aviation, this day went down 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 ending.

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

In total, between April 1951 and February 1952, pilots of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division shot down 200 aircraft of all types. In battles, the division lost 10 pilots and 29 aircraft. For their courage, 143 soldiers of the division were awarded orders and medals. Kozhedub, who exercised operational leadership of the division, participated in the training of flight personnel and the rearmament of the air forces of the People's Republic of China and the DPRK, was awarded the Soviet Order of the Red Banner and the PRC "Sino-Soviet Friendship" medal.

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 course as an external student, since due to official circumstances he was delayed in starting classes. After graduating from the Academy I.N. Kozhedub held high command positions in Soviet military aviation. In November 1956, he was appointed deputy head of the Air Force Combat Training Directorate, and a year and a half later - first deputy commander of the 76th Air Army in the Leningrad Military District. In January 1964, Aviation Lieutenant General I.N. Kozhedub became the first deputy commander of aviation 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. Until 1969, Ivan Nikitovich regularly flew fighter planes and mastered dozens of types of aircraft. He made his last flights on a 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, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces” of the USSR, 2nd and 3rd degrees and medals, and also foreign orders and medals.

Kozhedub is the author of 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 Aviation Equipment Display Center named after the Russian Air Force bears his name. In the Hero’s homeland 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 was installed on a house in Sivtsev Vrazhek in Moscow, where he lived in recent years. His La-7 aircraft is on display at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino.

Nazaryan E. A.,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Junior Researcher
Military Research Institute
history of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region, into a peasant family. He graduated from junior high school and chemical and technological college. In 1939, he mastered it at the flying club. Since 1940 in the Red Army. The next 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 retained as an instructor pilot.

Since March 1943, senior sergeant I.N. Kozhedub has been in the active 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, flew 146 combat missions and personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft.

On February 4, 1944, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (No. 1472).

In total, he made 330 combat missions, 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. Air Marshal, Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd - 5th convocations. Member of the Presidium of the DOSAAF Central Committee. Author of the books “Serving the Motherland”, “Victory Festival”, “Loyalty to the Fatherland”. Died on August 8, 1991.

Awarded the 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.

The most effective fighter pilot of the USSR, a master of offensive combat, Ivan Kozhedub completed 330 combat missions during the Great Patriotic War, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. The automaticity of his movements in battle was worked out to the limit - he was 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 the damaged fighter to the airfield.

Coming from a poor peasant family with five children, the famous 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 date is July 6, 1922. He really needed two years to enter the technical school...

His father was an extraordinary man. Torn between factory earnings and peasant labor, he found the strength to read books and even write poetry. A religious man with a subtle and demanding mind, he was a strict and persistent teacher: having diversified his son’s duties around the house, he taught him to be hardworking, persevering, and diligent. One day, the father, despite his mother’s protests, began sending 5-year-old Ivan to guard the garden at night. Later, the son asked what this was for: thieves were rare then, and even such a watchman, if something happened, would be of little use. “I got you accustomed to trials,” 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 school, he was admitted to the workers' faculty of the Shostka Chemical and Technological College, and in 1938, fate brought him to the flying club. The elegant uniform of the accounts played an important role in this decision. Here, in April 1939, Kozhedub made his first flight, experiencing his first flight sensations. The beauties of his native land, revealed 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 fall of the same year, having completed 2 clean flights on the I-16, he, to his deep disappointment, was left at the school as an instructor.

He flew a lot, experimented, honing his aerobatic skills. “If it were possible, it seems I wouldn’t get out of the plane. The piloting technique itself, polishing the figures gave me incomparable joy,” Ivan Nikitovich later recalled.

At the beginning of the war, Sergeant Kozhedub (ironically, in the “golden edition” of 1941, the pilots were certified as sergeants), evacuated with the school to Central Asia, was even more persistently engaged in “fighter” self-education: studying issues of tactics, taking notes on descriptions of air battles, drawing them out scheme. Days, including weekends, are planned minute by 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 a gathering point for flight technical personnel, from where he was assigned to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Spanish veteran Major Ignatius Soldatenko.

In August 1942, the 240th IAP was among the first to be 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 vehicles, 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. Apart from 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 an intense month-long theoretical training with daily lessons, the pilots began flying the new machines.

In one of the training flights, when immediately after takeoff the thrust dropped sharply due to an engine failure, Kozhedub decisively turned the plane around and glided to the edge of the airfield. Having been 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 in the new machine. This incident was only the beginning of a long streak of failures that haunted the pilot upon entering the military path.

In February 1943, the regiment was finally transferred to conduct military operations in the Southwestern direction. The start of Kozhedub’s career was not very successful. When distributing military equipment, he received a heavier five-tank La-5 of the first series, with the inscription on the side “Name of Valery Chkalov” and tail number “75” (a whole squadron of such vehicles was built with funds raised by the great pilot’s fellow countrymen).

The first plane of Ivan Kozhedub. Spring 1943.

On March 26, 1943, he flew 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 him from a high-explosive projectile from an aircraft cannon, but in the belt, a high-explosive projectile, as a rule, alternated with an armor-piercing one...

Kozhedub managed to bring the battered car to the airfield, but its restoration took a long time. He made subsequent flights on old planes. One day he was almost taken away from the regiment to the warning post. Only the intercession of Soldatenko, who either saw a future great fighter in the silent loser, or who took pity on him, saved Ivan Nikitich from retraining. 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 liaison vehicle).

Model of the plane on which Kozhedub flew.

...Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943. It was then, on his 40th combat mission, that the 23-year-old pilot opened his combat account. In that duel, he had, perhaps, only one thing - courage. He could have been hit, he could have died. But having entered into a battle with 12 enemy aircraft as part of the squadron, the young pilot wins his first victory - he shoots down a Ju-87 dive bomber. The next day he wins a new victory - he shot down another Laptezhnik. July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys 2 Me-109 fighters at once. Despite the unloved missions of fighters to cover ground troops and escort, Kozhedub, carrying them out, won his first 4 official victories. This is how the fame of the outstanding Soviet pilot was born, this is how experience came to him.

In September 1942, Kozhedub already had eight enemy aircraft shot down, when a new stage of fierce air battles broke out over the Dnieper. On September 30, while covering river crossings, he, by coincidence, was left without comrades and was forced to single-handedly repel a raid by 18 Ju-87s. Luftwaffe bombers began diving, and some of them even managed to drop bombs.

Having attacked the planes from a height of 3,500 meters, Kozhedub broke into the enemy’s battle formations and, with unexpected and sharp maneuvers, plunged the enemy into confusion. The Junkers stopped bombing and stood in a defensive circle. Although there was little fuel left in the fighter tanks, the Soviet pilot launched another attack and shot one of the enemy vehicles from below at point-blank range. The sight of the Ju-87 falling in flames made a proper impression, and the remaining bombers hastily left the battlefield.

By October 1943, the squadron commander of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Senior Lieutenant I.N. Kozhedub, flew 146 combat missions and personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft. He is already fighting on equal terms with the German aces. He has courage, composure, and precise calculation to his credit. Kozhedub skillfully combines piloting techniques with firing, but before him there is still a wide field for polishing combat techniques.

In the book “People of Immortal Feat” there is the following episode:

“The day of October 2, 1943, when our troops expanded the bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, repelling the fierce attacks of the enemy, became a hymn to the courage and skill of Kozhedub. The first time we were eliminated as nine. Kozhedub led the striking five. On the approach to the crossing in the Kutsevalovka - Domotkan area, we encountered a column of Ju-87 dive bombers, in which each nine was covered by six Me-109s.

The four covering forces immediately engaged the Messerschmitts in battle. Kozhedub, at the head of the five, attacked the bombers. The enemy began to rush about. Not even a minute had passed before two Junkers, engulfed in flames, fell to the ground. The presenter was knocked down by Ivan Kozhedub, another by Pavel Bryzgalov.

A “carousel” began in the sky. Following the first nine, the second was dispersed. In the heat of battle, while leading the battle, Kozhedub also managed to shoot down an Me-109. Five fires were already burning in the area of ​​the bridgehead. And the Junkers sailed in from the west 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 had lunch right under the wing of the plane. We didn’t have time to debrief the battle - and we took off again. This time with four: Kozhedub - Mukhin and Amelin - Puryshev. A well-established combat team, battle-tested brothers-in-arms. The task is the same - covering troops on the battlefield. However, the balance of forces is different: it was necessary to repel the raid of 36, which came under the cover of six Me-109s and a pair of FW-190s.

“They fight not with numbers, but with skill,” Kozhedub encouraged his followers. He immediately knocked down the leader and 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 it and immediately attacked the neighboring bomber. Another enemy plane found death in the skies of Ukraine. This was Kozhedub’s fourth victory of the day.”

October became an extremely busy month for Kozhedub. In one of the battles, he came out of the attack so low over the burning Junkers that he was set on fire by a burst from the gunner on the German plane. Only a steep dive almost to the ground helped to knock down the flames from the wing of the La-5. Meetings with Luftwaffe “hunters” became more frequent, the purpose of which was to disorganize Soviet fighter groups, distract them from the cover area and destroy the leading ones. They also attacked single and downed aircraft.

The first battle over the Dnieper on a collision course with German aces left an unpleasant aftertaste in Kozhedub’s memory. In a frontal attack, he did not manage to open fire in time, and enemy shells passed only a few centimeters above his head, smashing the radio and interrupting the fighter's rudder. The next day, luck was on Kozhedub’s side - with a long burst, he managed to shoot through the leading pair of Messers, who were trying to shoot down the one lagging behind their formation.

On October 15, four La-5s, led by Kozhedub, again flew out to cover the ground forces. Despite the fact that all the pilots were on guard, 2 Me-109s were still able to catch the Lavochkins during a turn and with a sudden attack head-on from the direction of the sun they immediately knocked out 2 planes. Then, taking advantage of the advantage in height, they pinched Kozhedub’s fighter, firing offhand from an inverted position. Attempts to throw the enemy off the tail did not yield results, and in the end Kozhedub decided on a rather unusual maneuver - throwing the La-5 into a steep turn, he simultaneously performed a half-roll. The enemy fighters rushed forward, but immediately made a slide and easily escaped from the fire of the Lavochkin, which had lost speed. Powerless, Kozhedub could only shake his fist after them...

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

In November 1943, the 240th IAP, which had been involved in difficult air battles for a long time, was withdrawn to the nearest rear for rest. The pilots used the resulting time for flight training, studying the features of vertical maneuvers and multi-tiered combat formations of fighters. Kozhedub recorded all the innovations in his notebook, drawing various tactical schemes on paper. By this time, he had 26 downed enemy aircraft, 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 became involved in hostilities, supporting the offensive of Soviet troops in right-bank Ukraine. In March, Red Army units crossed the Southern Bug. Crossings and bridgeheads again needed to be covered by fighter aircraft, but the Germans, retreating, first of all disabled the airfields, and the field sites were poorly suitable for basing aircraft due to the spring thaw. Therefore, the fighters could not position themselves closer to the front line and operated at the very limit of their flight radius.

The Luftwaffe units were in a better position - in such a situation they flew with almost impunity, without cover, and 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 conditions of low clouds and gray, homogeneous terrain without any visible landmarks. He later wrote:

“When we managed to meet with the Junkers, they stood in a defensive circle and pressed themselves to the ground. Repelling attacks - and not only the riflemen, 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 spreading over the ground, I recalled the battles conducted at low altitudes and analyzed the tactics of the fighters in order to apply the necessary techniques in the new situation and the fight against the Junkers.

I came to the conclusion that the defensive circle could be broken with a surprise attack and that at least one plane had to be shot down - then a gap would form. Jumping in a straight line with small turns, you need to turn around and quickly attack from another direction, attacking in pairs. The experience I had already acquired allowed me to come to this conclusion.”

On February 4, 1944, for courage and military valor 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 limiting for this type of fighter. From a strafing flight they attacked the Stuka nine over the forest. In a frontal attack from below, Kozhedub immediately shot down one bomber. Having dispersed the first group of German aircraft, the Soviet pilots attacked the next nine. Another Junkers caught fire again - the rest, hastily dropping their bombs, went back. One of the Lavochkins was also hit.

Lieutenant P. Bryzgalov headed to the nearest airfield abandoned by the Germans. However, during landing, his plane crashed, turned over “on its back” and pinned 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 “stomach” in liquid mud. With their joint efforts, the colleagues freed their comrade from an absurd situation.

Demanding and demanding of himself, frantic and tireless in battle, Kozhedub was an ideal air fighter, proactive and efficient, daring and prudent, brave and skillful, a knight without fear or 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 combat, lived for combat, thirsted for it. Here is a characteristic episode noticed by his fellow soldier, another great ace K. A. Evstigneev:

“Once Ivan Kozhedub returned from a mission, hot from battle, excited and, perhaps, therefore unusually talkative:

Those bastards give! None other than the “wolves” from the Udet squadron. But we gave them a hard time - be healthy! - Pointing towards the command post, he hopefully asked the squadron adjutant: - How is it there? Is there anything else in sight?

Kozhedub’s attitude towards the combat vehicle acquired the features of religion, that form of it that is called animatism. “The motor runs smoothly. The plane obeys my every movement. I’m not alone - my fighting friend is with me” - these lines convey the attitude of the ace to the plane. This is not poetic exaggeration, not a metaphor. When approaching the car before takeoff, he always found a few kind words for it, and during the flight he spoke as if he were a comrade doing an important part of the work. After all, besides flying, it is difficult to find a profession where a person’s fate would be more dependent on the behavior of a 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 that it was on fire, caused holes, landed on airfields dotted with craters...

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

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

Another color option for Ivan Kozhedub’s personalized La-5 aircraft. On this plane, Kozhedub shot down 8 enemy aircraft (including 4 FW-190) in a short time, bringing his victory count to 45. He also shot down several famous German aces.

So, a few days after receiving the plane, a group of German “hunters” appeared in the regiment’s area of ​​operation in cars painted with skulls and crossbones, dragons and other emblems in a similar form. They were flown by aces who won many victories on the Western and Eastern fronts. One pair in particular stood out - with skulls and crossbones 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 carried out the attack, as a rule, they quickly disappeared.

On one of the flights, Kozhedub noticed in time a pair of “hunters” approaching from the direction of the sun. Instantly turning 180 degrees, he rushed to the attack. The leader of the enemy pair did not accept the frontal attack and left with a turn upward - into the sun. The wingman, not having time to repeat the maneuver of his commander, began to make a combat turn late and exposed the side of his FW-190 to the attack of the Lavochkin. Instantly placing the fuselage of an enemy vehicle in his sight, with skulls and bones painted on it, Ivan shot it in cold blood...

Ivan Kozhedub in front of his fighter.

After Kozhedub was transferred to another regiment, his “registered” La-5F was first fought by Kirill Evstigneev, who ended the war with 53 personal and 3 group victories and became twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and then by Pavel Bryzgalov (20 victories), who by the end of the war became 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 mid-1944, Guard Captain I.N. Kozhedub brought the number of combat sorties to 256 and enemy aircraft shot down to 48.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, courage, bravery 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 using the “free hunt” method. At 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 his last 17 victories, that is now a decoration in the collection of the Monino Aviation Museum.

At the end of September 1944, by order of the Air Force commander, Marshal A. A. Novikov, a group of pilots under the command of Kozhedub was sent to the Baltics to fight enemy “hunter” fighters. She had to act against a group of German aces. This is how the Soviet and German schools of fighters - “hunters” - came together against each other. Within just a few days of fighting, our pilots shot down 12 enemy aircraft, losing only 2 of their own. Kozhedub chalked up three victories. Having suffered such a crushing defeat, the German “hunters” were forced to stop active flights on this section of the front.

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

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

"…What's happened? Tracks are flying towards him: it’s clear - my partner was in a hurry after all! I silently scold the Old Man mercilessly; I am sure that my plan of action is irreparably violated. But its routes unexpectedly - unexpectedly - helped me: the German plane began to turn to the left, in my direction. The distance decreased sharply, and I got closer to the enemy. With involuntary excitement I open fire. And the jet plane, falling apart, falls.”

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

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

Each ace pilot has his own handwriting in the sky, unique to him alone. Ivan Kozhedub also had it, a man whose character harmoniously combined courage, bravery and exceptional composure. He knew how to accurately and quickly weigh the situation and instantly find the only correct move in the current situation. He mastered the car and could drive it even with his eyes closed. All his flights were a cascade of all kinds of maneuvers - turns and snakes, slides and dives... Everyone who had to fly with Kozhedub as a wingman had a hard time staying in the air behind their commander. Kozhedub always sought to find the enemy first. But at the same time, don’t “expose yourself” yourself. After all, in 120 air battles he was never shot down!

Kozhedub rarely returned from a combat mission without victory. But, being a brightly gifted, talented person, at the same time he invariably showed great modesty. For example, he never took credit for shooting down an enemy plane unless he himself saw it fall to the ground. Didn't even report.

After all, the German caught fire! “We saw everything,” 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 took credit for the planes 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 rises into the air. Ahead I see at least 40 Ju-87 dive bombers escorted by Me-109s. Having broken through the fighter screen, we attack the Junkers. I get behind 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. Together with Mukhin we attack the enemy.

I convey to the wingman: - We take the last one to the pincers, - we approach the bomber from both sides. The distance is appropriate. I command - Fire! Our guns started working. The enemy plane caught fire and began to fall quickly, leaving behind a trail of smoke..."

Upon returning to the airfield, this plane was recorded on the account of Vasily Mukhin. And Kozhedub had at least 5 such “handouts” in his assets. Thus, the real number of enemy aircraft he destroyed was much greater than what was officially listed on his personal account.

The lines from the book “Aces against the Aces” (Publishing House “Veche”, 2007) by O. S. Smyslov (author of another famous book - “Vasily Stalin. Portrait without retouching”) are also of interest. Speaking about Kozhedub, in particular, he 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 now turns out, Kozhedub had slightly 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 never seen such information anywhere else.

To the 64 German planes shot down by I.N. Kozhedub during the Great Patriotic War, we should add at least 2 more American fighters that he destroyed at the very end of the war. In April 1945, Kozhedub drove off a pair of German fighters from an American B-17 with a barrage, but was attacked by covering fighters that opened fire from a long distance. With a flip over the wing, Kozhedub quickly attacked the outer car. It began to smoke and descended towards our troops (the pilot of this vehicle soon jumped out with a parachute and landed safely).

Having performed a combat turn in a half-loop, from an inverted position, Kozhedub attacked the leader - he exploded in the air. A little later, he managed to see the white stars on unfamiliar cars - they 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 Guard War, Major I.N. Kozhedub continued to serve in the 176th GvIAP. At the end of 1945, the famous fighter began family life - on the Monino train he met 10th-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 and 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. This division was among the first to be armed with new MiG-15 jet aircraft and was sent to the Far East at the end of 1950. There, the famous Soviet pilot had the opportunity to take part in another one -.

From March 1951 to February 1952, repelling raids on North Korea, Kozhedub’s division scored 215 victories, shot down 12 “super-fortresses”, losing 52 aircraft and 10 pilots. This was one of the brightest pages in the combat use of jet aircraft in the history of the Soviet Air Force.

A strict order from the command forbade the division 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 who participated in those long-ago events, several times (unofficially, of course), Ivan Kozhedub still took to the air...

But danger awaited the pilot not only in the sky: in the winter of 1951, he was almost poisoned by a cook: the war was fought using different methods. During his Guard assignment, Colonel I.N. Kozhedub not only exercised 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. Ivan Nikitovich enthusiastically took up the new peaceful task of organizing the division’s personnel. 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 temporary shelter 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 General Staff Academy. I took part of the course as an external student, as due to work reasons I was delayed in starting 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 Commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad and then Moscow Military Districts.

Until 1970, Ivan Nikitovich regularly flew fighter planes and mastered dozens of types of airplanes and helicopters. He made his last flights on a MiG-23. He left his flying job on his own and immediately...

The units that Kozhedub led always had a low accident rate, and he himself, as a pilot, had no accidents, although “emergency situations,” of course, did happen. So, in 1966, during a low-altitude flight, 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 skill to land the car.

From the post of commander of the Air Force 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, officer, selflessly devoted to his work, Kozhedub did not have “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 of his fame. In 1978, he was transferred to the group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1985 he was awarded the rank of Air Marshal.

All this time, Kozhedub meekly carried out enormous 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 with both the first person of the state and the provincial truth-seeker. And what a lot of effort it took hundreds of meetings and trips, thousands of speeches, interviews, autographs...

In the last years of his life, Ivan Nikitovich was seriously ill: the stress of the war years and difficult service in the peacetime took their toll. He died at his dacha of 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 "baptism of fire".

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 take a closer look at the combat work of my new comrades. I listened carefully to the debriefings of the day's combat work, studied the enemy's tactics and tried to combine the theory acquired at school with front-line experience. So, day after day, I prepared for the battle with the enemy. Only a few days had passed, but it seemed to me that my preparation was dragging on endlessly. I wanted to fly out with my comrades to meet the enemy as soon as possible.

Photo by Ivan Kozhedub after the war.

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 line 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 unable to contact either the presenter or the ground via radio. Then I decided to perform aerobatics over the airfield. Having gained 1500 meters of altitude, he began piloting.

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

I decided to attack the enemy, quickly turned around, and approached at maximum speed. There were 500 meters left when the air combat rule I heard from the commander flashed into my mind: “Before attacking, look behind you.”

Looking around, I noticed a plane with a white cooker 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 cabin. With a sharp turn to the left and sliding 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, swooped down and attacked me. However, my failed attack forced the Me-110 to abandon a second bombing approach.

In this meeting, I saw 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 without knowing defeat.

Air victories of Ivan Kozhedub

№	date	Type of aircraft shot down	Location of battle/fall
1.	06.07.1943	Yu-87	zap. Envy
2.	07.07.1943	Yu-87	Art. Gostishchevo
3.	09.07.1943	Me-109	Krasnaya Polyana
4.	09.07.1943	Me-109	eastern Pokrovki
5.	09.08.1943	Me-109	Charming
6.	14.08.1943	Me-109	Iskrovka
7.	14.08.1943	Me-109	Kolomna
8.	16.08.1943	Yu-87	Rogan
9.	22.08.1943	FV-190	Lyubotin
10.	09.09.1943	Me-109	north Sparks
11.	30.09.1943	Yu-87	southwest Borodayevka
12.	01.10.1943	Yu-87	zap. Borodayevka
13.	01.10.1943	Yu-87	zap. Borodayevka
14.	02.10.1943	Me-109	Flat
15.	02.10.1943	Yu-87	Petrovka
16.	02.10.1943	Yu-87	southwest Andreevka
17.	02.10.1943	Yu-87	southwest Andreevka
18.	04.10.1943	Me-109	from Borodayevka
19.	05.10.1943	Me-109	southwest of Krasny Kut
20.	05.10.1943	Me-109	zap. Kutsevalovka
21.	06.10.1943	Me-109	Borodayevka
22.	10.10.1943	Me-109	Dneprovo-Kamenka
23.	12.10.1943	Yu-87	north Flat
24.	12.10.1943	Me-109	south Petrovka
25.	12.10.1943	Yu-87	south Homespun
26.	29.10.1943	Yu-87	Krivoy Rog
27.	29.10.1943	Xe-111	zap. Cottages
28.	16.01.1944	Me-109	Novo-Zlynka
29.	30.01.1944	Me-109	eastern Nechaevki
30.	30.01.1944	Yu-87	zap. Lipovki
31.	14.03.1944	Yu-87	Osievka
32.	21.03.1944	Yu-87	Lebedin-Shpola
33.	11.04.1944	PZL-24	cheese
34.	19.04.1944	Xe-111	north Iasi
35.	28.04.1944	Yu-87	south to Vultura
36.	29.04.1944	Khsh-129	Horlesti
37.	29.04.1944	Khsh-129	Horlesti
38.	03.05.1944	Yu-87	Targu Frumos-Dumbravitsa
39.	31.05.1944	FV-190	eastern Vulture
40.	01.06.1944	Yu-87	Alien Water
41.	02.06.1944	Khsh-129	zap. Stynka
42.	03.06.1944	FV-190	Radiu-Ului - Teter
43.	03.06.1944	FV-190	Radiu-Ului - Teter
44.	03.06.1944	FV-190	north-west Iasi
45.	07.06.1944	Me-109	Pyrlitsa
46.	08.06.1944	Me-109	Kyrlitsy
47.	22.09.1944	FV-190	from Strenchi
48.	22.09.1944	FV-190	southwest Ramnieki-Daksty
49.	25.09.1944	FV-190	from Valmiera
50.	16.01.1945	FV-190	south of Studzian
51.	10.02.1945	FV-190	north-west district of Morin airfield
52.	12.02.1945	FV-190	zap. Kinitz
53.	12.02.1945	FV-190	zap. Kinitz
54.	12.02.1945	FV-190	lake Kitzer See
55.	17.02.1945	Me-190	eastern Alt-Friedland
56.	19.02.1945	Me-109	north Furstenfelde
57.	11.03.1945	FV-190	north Brünchen
58.	18.03.1945	FV-190	north Kustrina
59.	18.03.1945	FV-190	s-w Kustrina
60.	22.03.1945	FV-190	north Seelow
61.	22.03.1945	FV-190	eastern Guzov
62.	23.03.1945	FV-190	Art. Verbig
63.	17.04.1945	FV-190	Vritsen
64.	17.04.1945	FV-190	Kinitz
Total shot down: 64+0. Combat sorties: 330. Air battles: 120. The first 46 victories were won by Kozhedub on , the next - on .

An excellent film about Ivan Kozhedub and his military activities.

Airplanes of Ivan Kozhedub

Airplane I.N. Kozhedub - La-7. 176th GvIAP, Germany, May 1945

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