March 6 marked the 102nd anniversary of the birth of the legendary Soviet pilot ace Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, whom all pilots of the Third Reich feared. This post will tell you about the difficult fate of the great pilot who went through the entire war and became an air marshal.
“Achtung! Pokryshkin ist in der Luft!”
“Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin is in the air! - since the spring of 1943, German warning posts warned their pilots that there was a Russian ace in the air. His name terrified both young people and Luftwaffe aces. In only three cases did the Germans switch over the air from encrypted messages to clear text: “Achtung! Khir is a partisan!” (“Attention! There are partisans here!”); “Achtung! Hir panzer! (tanks) and “Akhtung! Pokryshkin!
March 19 (March 6, O.S.) marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, the legendary ace pilot, the second most successful (after Ivan Kozhedub) fighter pilot among the pilots of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II.
It is interesting that Alexander Ivanovich was born on the day when the celebration of the “Blessed Heaven” icon takes place - this is the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to legend, brought to Moscow from Lithuania by the wife of Grand Duke Vasily I, Sofia Vitovtovna, as a parental blessing. The title goes back to the text of the Mother of God of the 1st hour (written on the icon inside the edge of the radiance): “What shall we call Thee, O Blessed One? Heaven, as if you have risen as the Sun of Truth.”
There is something significant about this coincidence. The sky really was fertile for Pokryshkin.
August 19, 1944 A.I. Pokryshkin becomes three times Hero of the Soviet Union. The first and only one during the war years (G.K. Zhukov and I.N. Kozhedub were awarded the third Gold Stars after May 9, 1945). Alexander Ivanovich was also awarded one of the highest awards in the United States - the Medal for Distinguished Service.
Pokryshkin went through the war from the first to the last day. He did not leave the battles from June 22, 1941 to August 1942. He later said: “Those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know the real war.”
He was shot down twice and escaped from encirclement. At least ten times only a miracle saved the pilot from death: bullets hit the sight, the headset earpiece, and scratched his chin. “I will never hide from the enemy and I will remain alive. I have always followed this,” said Pokryshkin. In 1944, he refused his general position at the Air Force headquarters and returned to the front.
Pokryshkin is the creator of new tactics for Soviet fighter aviation, as well as a system for commissioning young pilots. There were only two analysts of this level among our and German aces - Alexander Pokryshkin and Werner Mölders (died in a plane crash in 1941). Surprisingly, they were not just the same age, but were born almost on the same day: Pokryshkin - 6 (19 according to the new century), Mölders - March 18, 1913.
During the Great Patriotic War, Pokryshkin became the author of the famous air combat formula: “altitude - speed - maneuver - fire.”
Among the names of military pilots, the name of Pokryshkin stands apart. Having one of the highest official results in the number of aerial victories, he was the author, guide and bearer of new tactical formations and air combat techniques, an unbending fighter against routine, an example of a fighter - skillful, fierce and noble.
Natural wisdom, honesty, strength of character and, as a consequence, high civic courage distinguished the actions of this man and determined the greatness and adversity of his inspired destiny.
A fighter, purposeful and active, looking for his own path, not in a hurry to carry out ill-conceived orders, an excellent organizer of group air combat and, as time has shown, air warfare, Pokryshkin was very inconvenient to many superiors. Initiative and independence do not always find recognition, and during the hard times of war they cost the ace a lot of strength. At the same time, Pokryshkin was not ambitious, as evidenced by his refusal in February 1944 from a high position at the Air Force headquarters and from the immediate rank of general's shoulder straps.
Despite his outward sternness, as a true pilot, he was characterized by balanced and precise humor; he himself loved jokes, was not offended by witticisms directed at himself, and appreciated humorists. By nature, Pokryshkin was very reserved and delicate. Companions and relatives testified that swearing in his mouth was impossible under any circumstances: not in the excitement of an air battle, not when other people made mistakes, not during domestic troubles.
The author of the popular formula: altitude - speed - maneuver - fire - Pokryshkin on the ground was very restrained and taciturn, able to express his thoughts clearly and concisely. No one ever heard abuse from his lips, and the pilot’s honesty and integrity often caused conflicts with his superiors.
In the late winter of 1942, his regiment was recalled from the front to master a new type of American fighter, the P-39N Airacobra. During training, Pokryshkin often disagreed with the new regiment commander, Isaev, who did not accept Pokryshkin's criticism of Soviet military aviation doctrine.
Uncompromising defense of his tactical innovations and sharp objections to the regiment commander in 1942 led to Pokryshkin’s exclusion from the lists of the regiment and from the party. Only the intervention of higher command saved him from the tribunal.
In January 1943, the 16th Guards Aviation Regiment was sent abroad to Iran to receive new equipment. The regiment returned to the front on April 8, 1943. During his first flight on the new Airacobra aircraft, Pokryshkin shot down a Bf-109. The next day, April 9, he was able to confirm 2 more of the 7 aircraft he shot down. In total, during this period, Pokryshkin chalked up ten Bf-109s shot down. Pokryshkin received his first title of Hero of the Soviet Union on April 24, 1943, and was awarded the rank of major in June.
5Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin - the thunderstorm of the pilots of the Third Reich (11 photos)
In 1943, Pokryshkin fought in the Kuban against the famous German fighter aircraft. His new tactics for air policing, such as the “high-speed swing”, “Kuban whatnot” and the use of ground-based radars, as well as an advanced ground control system, brought the Soviet Air Force its first big victory over the Luftwaffe.
In most sorties, Pokryshkin took on the most difficult task - to shoot down the leader. As he understood from the experience of 1941-1942, knocking out a leader meant demoralizing the enemy and often thereby forcing him to return to his airfield. Pokryshkin received the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on August 24, 1943.
He became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union in the country. And the only one - during the war years.
In total, during the war years, Pokryshkin made 650 sorties, conducted 156 air battles, shot down 59 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group. Of his 65 official victories, only 6 were won in the last two years of the war.
So why were the Germans so afraid of Pokryshkin, since he seemed to have shot down less than some Luftwaffe aces? The point is that the German aces were not always, to put it mildly, modest, and that not all of Pokryshkin’s victories were taken into account.
During 1941, Pokryshkin won 15 more official victories, which were not included in his total score. The reason for this was the destruction of documents from the headquarters of the fighter aviation regiment during the retreat. Alexander Ivanovich himself said on this occasion that these uncounted planes would still go to the general account of the Victory.
In addition, the unofficial list of his victories (like that of all Red Army pilots) may in fact be much larger, since in the Order of the USSR NKO No. 0299 “On the procedure for awarding the flight personnel of the Red Army Air Force for good combat work and measures to combat hidden desertion among individual pilots” dated August 19, 1941, the following was said:
The number of downed aircraft is established in each individual case by the testimony of a fighter pilot at the site where the downed enemy aircraft fell and confirmations from the commanders of ground units or by the establishment on the ground of the crash site of the downed enemy aircraft by the regiment command.
At a meeting at the Air Army Headquarters, which took place after intense fighting in the Kuban, Pokryshkin criticized this order:
“In his speech, he spoke about the advisability of intercepting enemy bombers on their flight route to the target in order to prevent attacks on our ground forces. He gave examples of my eight intercepting large groups of enemy bombers deep behind enemy lines. Unfortunately, destroyed equipment is not counted towards us. An order issued at the beginning of the war established that downed enemy aircraft must be confirmed by our ground forces or recorded by a film machine gun. How can advanced units see an air battle if we are fighting twenty to thirty kilometers behind enemy lines? Our industry still produces aircraft without film machine guns. For example, in the Myskhako area we had to conduct the main battles over the sea, fifty kilometers west of Novorossiysk. The downed enemy vehicles were clearly visible to the shooters of the bombers we were escorting. But their data does not confirm victory in an air battle. I asked on behalf of the fighter pilots to change this order.”
Subsequently, in NKO order No. 0489 of June 17, 1942, these comments were taken into account:
“Payment for downed enemy aircraft should be made in cases where this is confirmed by ground troops, photographs or a report from several crews.”
Pokryshkin also often gave the planes he shot down to the accounts of his subordinates (mostly wingmen), thus stimulating them. This was quite common. He tried to support his subordinates and emphasize that in battle, victory depends on the coherence of the actions of all participants.
The stars no longer fit on the fuselage
The legendary battle of April 29, 1943 is widely known. Then the eight “airacobras” led by Pokryshkin scattered and turned back three echelons of Yu-87 (81 aircraft). In addition, they were covered by ten Me - 109. One pair pinned down enemy fighters, the other six with a “falcon strike” through a powerful fire barrier (the gunners of 27 bombers sent more than 400 bullets per second towards them), twice repeating a mathematically calculated maneuver with a variable dive profile and a sharp going up, she shot 12 Junkers (four of them were Pokryshkin).
Four against 50, three against 23, alone against 8 Pokryshkin entered the battle. And I never knew defeat. Moreover, in every battle he took upon himself the most dangerous thing - the attack of the leader of the German groups. This happened back in 1941-1942, when, with sometimes a tenfold numerical superiority of the Germans in the air, the only way to turn the tide of the battle was to defeat the ace commander. This immediately deprived the enemy of control and confidence. The Siberian hero, who endured overloads unimaginable for most pilots, and was omnipresent in the sky (“How many of them are there, Pokryshkins?!” - the desperate cry of a German pilot once reached the regimental radio) in addition to brilliant personal victories, became the author of the main tactical techniques and formations of his regiment. This tactic, noticed and appreciated after the impressive successes of the regiment, became the basis of the actions of Soviet fighter aircraft from 1943, ensuring its superiority over the enemy.
Pokryshkin created his own system for training aces. He attached particular importance to combat friendship and teamwork in squadrons. More than once Pokryshkin left a German plane already caught in his sights to save his pilot who was in danger. Until the end of his days, he was most proud of the fact that not one of those whom he led into battle died through his fault...
8Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin - the thunderstorm of the pilots of the Third Reich (11 photos)
Pokryshkin and Levitan
Born on March 6, 1913 in the city of Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk), in a working-class family. He graduated from 7th grade and worked as a mechanic at a factory. Since 1932 in the ranks of the Red Army. In 1933 he graduated from the Perm School of Aviation Technicians, in 1939 - the Kachin Military Aviation School of Pilots.
Since June 1941, senior lieutenant A.I. Pokryshkin has been in the active army. Until February 1944 he fought as part of the 55th IAP (16th Guards IAP); from April 1944 to May 1945 - in the Directorate of the 9th Guards IAD. He flew the MiG-3, I-16, Yak-1, and Airacobra.
By April 1943, the squadron commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (216th Mixed Aviation Division, 4th Air Army, North Caucasus Front), Captain A. I. Pokryshkin, flew 354 combat missions, conducted 54 air battles, and shot down 13 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group.
On May 24, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
On August 24, 1943, for 455 combat missions and 30 personally shot down enemy aircraft by July 1943, the squadron commander of the same regiment (9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division) of the Guard, Major A. I. Pokryshkin, was awarded the second Gold Star medal.
On August 19, 1944, for 550 sorties and participation by May 1944 in 137 air battles, in which he personally shot down 53 enemy aircraft, acting as commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (the same division, 8th Air Army, 1st th Ukrainian Front) Guard Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Pokryshkin was the first in the country to be awarded the third Gold Star medal.
After the war, he mastered jet technology. He was one of the first to fly the MiG-9. He also mastered other types of jet fighters to perfection. In 1948 he graduated from the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze, in 1968 - 1971 he was deputy commander-in-chief of the country's Air Defense Forces. Since 1972 - Air Marshal. In 1972 - 1981, Chairman of the Central Committee of the USSR DOSAAF. Since 1981 - in the General Inspection Group of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Denutat of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 2 - 10 convocations. Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1979 - 1984. Died November 13, 1985. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.
In one of the private aviation museums in France there is his front-line Airacobra; in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Chisinau there is a MiG-17, which Pokryshkin flew in the post-war period. Author of the books: “Wings of a Fighter”, “Your Honorable Duty”, “Sky of War”, “Know Yourself in Battle”, “Fighter Aviation Tactics”.
Awarded the orders: Lenin (six), October Revolution, Red Banner (four times), Suvorov 2nd degree (twice), Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star (twice), "For service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" 3- th degree; medals and foreign orders. A bronze bust was installed in the Hero’s homeland. Honorary citizen of Novosibirsk, where one of the streets bears his name.
* * *Among the names of military pilots, the name of Pokryshkin stands apart. Having one of the highest official results in the number of aerial victories, he was the author, guide and bearer of new tactical formations and air combat techniques, an unbending fighter against routine, an example of a fighter - skillful, fierce and noble. Natural wisdom, honesty, strength of character and, as a consequence, high civic courage distinguished the actions of this man and determined the greatness and adversity of his inspired destiny.
It is probably not an exaggeration to note that at the end of the Second World War, A.I. Pokryshkin was not only the most famous pilot in the world, but also the most authoritative figure, along with I. Polbin, in Soviet aviation. "Akhtung! Akhtung! Pokryshkin is in the air!" - this phrase was not only a find of Soviet propaganda: starting in the spring of 1943, German warning posts, using agents, urgently warned that the famous Russian ace was in the air. Which meant - to increase caution, to get out of protracted air battles, for the “hunters” to gain altitude, for young people to return to the airfields. During the war, he commanded a squadron, regiment, division, and his unit was always among the most productive units of the Red Army.
The one who shot down the Russian ace was promised high rewards, and there was no shortage of people who wanted to distinguish themselves, but this task turned out to be too tough for even a very experienced enemy. And it wasn’t just Pokryshkin’s exceptional skill. It is appropriate to remember that in his squadron, and then in the regiment and division, such aces as Rechkalov and the Glinka brothers, Klubov and Babak, Fedorov and Fadeev took place. When such a group fought, it was, at least, imprudent to expect to defeat its commander.
Of course, the war was the main “mentor” for all of them, but few can quickly learn lessons and correct mistakes. The roots of Pokryshkin’s “academy” were in his old notebooks, where information about Nesterov and Kruten, about air battles in Spain and on the Khalkhin-Gol River was collected bit by bit, and his own findings and failures were analyzed. Later, he will start an album of air battles, decorating it with a truly knightly motto: “Fighter! Ask: not just how much the enemy is, but where he is!”
A fighter, purposeful and active, looking for his own path, not in a hurry to carry out ill-conceived orders, an excellent organizer of group air combat and, as time has shown, air warfare, Pokryshkin was very inconvenient to many superiors. Initiative and independence do not always find recognition, and during the hard times of war they cost the ace a lot of strength. At the same time, Pokryshkin was not ambitious, as evidenced by his refusal in February 1944 from a high position at the Air Force headquarters and from the immediate rank of General's shoulder straps...
Despite his outward sternness, as a true pilot, he was characterized by balanced and precise humor; he himself loved jokes, was not offended by witticisms directed at himself, and appreciated humorists. By nature, Pokryshkin was very reserved and delicate. Companions and relatives testified that swearing in his mouth was impossible under any circumstances: not in the excitement of an air battle, not when other people made mistakes, not during domestic troubles.
One of his comrades recalled after the war:
“For us, the pilots, it was clear what Sasha Pokryshkin was worth, even when he was not yet famous, but was an equal among us, equals, attentive, caring for the younger ones, reliable in any combat mission, selfless and persistent. We were confident The fact is that Sasha will never abandon anyone in battle, will not let anyone down, no matter how difficult and difficult it is, and this is the main thing for pilots, and this is what Pokryshkin is all about.”
The author of the popular formula: altitude - speed - maneuver - fire - Pokryshkin on the ground was very restrained and taciturn, able to express his thoughts clearly and concisely. No one ever heard abuse from his lips, and the pilot’s honesty and integrity often caused conflicts with his superiors.
The people's hero of the USSR and the national hero of Russia was born in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk) into a poor family of immigrants from the Vyatka province on March 6, 1913. Sasha Pokryshkin experienced need early and at the age of 14 he was already a roofer at Sibstroytrest, living up to his name, as sometimes happens with Russian people.
The dream of a flying profession took possession of Pokryshkin in early childhood, and it seemed that by the will of providence itself he was striving for the sky... To get into a flight school, you had to have a working specialty; The “philistine” profession of an accountant, what his parents dreamed of seeing him do, did not fall into this category, and after finishing the 7th grade, Sasha entered the secondary school. His parents did not support him, and the boy left his father’s home forever. He decisively exchanged his faithful craft and relative well-being for one of the 16 beds in a dorm room, a piece of bread with boiling water and hungry, furious study... After 4 years, the coveted ticket to the aviation school was received; he goes to Perm and here he finds out that the school now trains only... aircraft technicians.
Having thoroughly studied the materiel, the young man becomes an excellent specialist, and now the management does not want to let go of the 2nd rank military technician Pokryshkin. But he is indomitable: in September 1938, during his vacation, in 17 days he mastered the 2-year flying club program and passed the exam as an external student with excellent marks. His determination scares some, delights others. Pokryshkin was sent to flight school, and again with excellent marks, less than a year later he graduated from the famous Kacha and was assigned to the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment, stationed near the city of Balti, near the Soviet-Romanian border.
The joy of flying, awareness of the importance of the work being performed, military brotherhood made his life happy, filled it with energy and inspiration. Alexander systematically engages in self-education, studying physics and physiology, mathematics and descriptive geometry, flight theory and military history. Subordinating his life to a single goal, he even changed his sports priorities: now it’s gymnastics, trampoline, Rhine wheel, special exercises for training the vestibular system.
2 months before the start of the war, the 55th IAP, where Pokryshkin served, who had previously flown I-15 and I-153, was re-equipped with brand new MiG-3s. Alexander Ivanovich was one of the first to take off in the new machine, appreciated its advantages, and pointed out a dangerous design defect, which was eliminated later in the series.
Striving to reach maximum heights in mastering the aircraft, Pokryshkin devoted all his strength and knowledge to improving his combat and flight skills. For example, at first he did not shoot well at the “cone”, but constant training brought him to the ranks of the best snipers in the regiment. Considering the fact that pilots in the air performed worse right turns while avoiding them, he deliberately trained in sharp maneuvers to the right. In general, Pokryshkin paid great attention to sharp maneuvering in fights, and in order to withstand significant overloads in flight, he intensively played sports. During breaks between training sessions, Pokryshkin even calculated how much time it took to change the position of the fighter from the moment the pilot pressed the control sticks - in battle, everything seemed important.
Pokryshkin received his baptism of fire in the very first days of the war, being deputy squadron commander of the 55th Air Regiment. Pokryshkin shot down his first plane on June 22, 1941 - unfortunately, it was a Soviet Su-2 short-range bomber that landed on the fuselage in a field. The chaos of the first day of the war saved the future ace, and he escaped with only a major scolding.
On June 23, while reconnaissance of crossings across the Prut, his pair met five Me-109s. While fighting off an attack on his wingman, Pokryshkin set fire to one of the Messers in short bursts as he exited the dive. Fascinated by the sight of his first defeated enemy, he himself came under attack from a German fighter, but escaped at low level and landed the damaged car at his airfield.
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MiG-3 fighter. On such a car A.I. Pokryshkin met the war.
On July 3, 1941, the pilot was shot down over the Prut by anti-aircraft artillery fire, having by that time won at least 5 air victories on the MiG-3, having carried out a dozen attack missions on the I-16 and having earned... the disfavor of the division commander, who saw obstinacy in his actions. While in the medical unit after the wrecked car landed on the edge of the forest, he started a notebook, entitled “Fighter Tactics in Combat.” These notes, clippings, diagrams became the beginning of Pokryshkin’s science of winning; unfortunately, all this property has not been published in any detail, but in its influence on the fate of thousands of people, on the very course of the air war, it is not comparable with any other theoretical constructs or practical instructions. (This notebook was saved by M.K. Pokryshkina and transferred by her to the Central Museum of the Armed Forces.)
Soon Alexander Ivanovich again takes part in the battles, again flies out on an attack and conducts reconnaissance and is again knocked out. On October 5, the Pokryshkin pair, while performing a reconnaissance flight, were suddenly attacked by four Me-109s. Having lost his wingman, the Soviet pilot single-handedly managed to shoot down one enemy fighter and tried to leave the battle on a downed plane. The three remaining Me-109s rushed in pursuit, one after another shooting at the defenseless MiG.
“Just before the ground,” recalled A.I. Pokryshkin, “the engine stalled, I leveled the plane and went to land “on my stomach.” In the field of view there was the earth, a railway booth, a girl driving a cow with a rod. Such a peaceful picture. And suddenly a shot on the armored back ". But it is no longer possible to dive under the highway - the ground does not allow it. Explosions are heard in the plane, and it, with the control broken, goes to the ground. Rumble... Hitting my head on the dashboard - and I lose consciousness..."
Having landed in a field, he tried to take out his fighter on a truck, but, finding himself surrounded, was forced to burn it. During the fighting, at the head of a group of Red Army soldiers, the pilot went out to his own.
Pokryshkin's front-line fame preceded his official recognition. Upon returning to the unit, he is entrusted with retraining young people from I-16 to MiG-3 and, on the personal orders of the regiment commander V. Ivanov, he introduces the reinforcements to tactical discoveries, the author of which he himself was: with an open battle formation, with a targeted attack from above at high speed - the so-called “falcon strike”, with separation in height. And then the hardest battles began over Rostov...
General von Kleist's tank divisions broke into Rostov on November 21, 1941, but the Germans were not destined to stay in this city for long. Thanks to the important intelligence that Alexander Pokryshkin was able to obtain in a very difficult flight in conditions of limited visibility, when the lower edge of the clouds dropped to 30 meters, the Soviet command promptly learned about the location of the German units and the direction of their main attack. The skill and vigilance of one of its pilots saved the Red Army from what losses! The significance of what he had accomplished was all too obvious.
On the eve of the new year, 1942, in Rovenki, at the division headquarters, A.I. Pokryshkin was awarded the Order of Lenin - the highest order of the Soviet Union according to the statute. The award sheet, signed on December 19, stated:
“He enjoys exceptional authority and respect among his subordinates and the entire flight crew of the regiment. He courageously carries out combat missions to destroy the German invaders. In the fight against these monsters, Comrade Pokryshkin was shot down twice in unequal air battles... Has 190 combat missions... One of the best scouts in the regiment and division."
The command highly appreciated the pilot's reports, and he was increasingly sent on reconnaissance missions. Despite strict instructions, Pokryshkin constantly got involved in battle, considering it shameful to return with full ammunition. One day he flew back with a broken canopy canopy - a Ju-88 tail gunner's bullet hit the sight directly and the pilot miraculously escaped death.
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Once again involved in hostilities, flying to attack enemy positions and escort bombers, Pokryshkin increasingly began to think about the methods of air battles, recording his thoughts in a diary entitled “Fighter Tactics in Combat.” In the autumn of 1941 he wrote:
“The main reason for failures when escorting SBs was the low speed of fighters. And as a consequence of this, combat was conducted on horizontal maneuvers. There was only one conclusion: escorting bombers, especially outdated designs, must be carried out only at high speed. To obtain it, the accompanying flights and pairs need to fly carried out in a snake pattern, above and behind the bombers, echeloned in height. At the same time, pairs and flights of fighters, in my opinion, should form a snake towards each other, for mutual cover. This is a method of escort using the “scissors” method.
It is difficult to judge the planes shot down by A.I. Pokryshkin in 1941. Some of the regiment's documents have not survived. There was a strict rule according to which “enemy aircraft that fell on enemy territory are not included in the results of combat work.”
In the division's documents, in any case, Pokryshkin is listed on the list of 7 pilots who shot down 5 or more enemy aircraft on December 22, 1941 and had more than 150 combat missions. After the death of her husband, M.K. Pokryshkina found records in the pilot’s personal archive in which, in the last year of his life, he wrote down from memory successful air battles of the first year. Result: 11 aircraft shot down in the air (7 Me-109, 2 Hs-126, 2 Ju-88); 8 aircraft were shot down in the air (4 Me-109, 2 Ju-88, 2 Hs-126); destroyed at the airfield - 1 Ju-87; 2 Ju-87s were shot down at the airfield. In total, 21 aircraft were shot down and damaged.
After the difficult battles of 1941, the 55th IAP was withdrawn to the rear for reorganization and, by Order of the People's Commissar of Defense of March 7, 1942, No. 70 was transformed into the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
On March 14, 1942, regiment commander V.P. Ivanov and military commissar M.A. Pogrebnoy signed the award sheet:
“Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin... is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union... During the hostilities he had 288 combat missions, of which: to attack enemy troops - 63; to reconnaissance of enemy troops - 133; to escort his bombers - 19; covering friendly troops - 29; intercepting enemy aircraft - 36; reconnaissance with attack - 8.
He took part in 26 air battles, personally shot down 4 enemy aircraft and 3 aircraft as part of a flight, destroyed and disabled 45 enemy vehicles.
For the excellent performance of combat missions he received gratitude from the commander of the 9th Army Air Force. During the Rostov operation, he made 13 single sorties for reconnaissance and attack of enemy troops, as a result, he destroyed 12 vehicles with cargo, disabled 4 anti-tank guns...
Master of flying in clouds and difficult weather conditions. He is the best reconnaissance officer of the regiment. He deservedly enjoys military authority among all the personnel of the regiment."
The reasons why this award remained only an archive page will be discussed below.
Replenished with new Yak-1 aircraft, the 16th Guards IAP again went to the front in June 1942. The summer passed in endless battles, reconnaissance flights and relocations. Within 6 months, A.I. Pokryshkin scored at least 7 victories on the Yak (2 Ju-88, Me-110, 4 Me-109).
The air battle on August 2, 1942 turned out to be very successful, when five Yakovs, led by Pokryshkin, intercepted 2 groups of 33 Me-110s and Ju-88s. Residents of the Cossack village of Kavkazskaya answered the question: “When did the Germans bomb the city of Kropotkin?” - they answered the pilot: “Early in the morning, at the same hour, as scheduled.” The old man asked: “Sons, does this mean you will block the sky from the infidels?” “Soon they will stop being impudent,” Pokryshkin promised. But the new regiment commander (from July 31, 1942 he became the Guard battalion commissar Nikolai Vasilyevich Isaev) did not support the commander: “Let the air defense handle this”...
And yet, the interception took place. The unexpected attack by the Yakovs cost the Germans dearly. In Pokryshkin’s personal archive there is a note made for himself:
“I, with two pilots, Naumenko and Berezhny, fought with 18 aircraft, Fedorov and Verbitsky with 15. In this battle we shot down 4 aircraft and knocked out 1, it landed on our territory north of Kropotkin. In this battle I shot down 2 Yu-88 and 1 Me-110. Fedorov 1 Me-110. Due to the fact that we fought as a group of five and there were 5 planes shot down, I suggested that the pilots divide the downed planes into each one."
Understanding the importance of the role of wingmen, trying to raise their spirit, Alexander Ivanovich more than once credited the young pilots with the planes he had shot down. “He who is brave is safe,” the front posters did not deceive. The Me-110s managed to drop bombs on the airfield, which fell on the very caponiers from which the Pokryshkin five took off...
In the reporting documents, the regiment commander ordered that only 2 group victories over the Me-110 be credited to Pokryshkin.
However, the most terrible things for him were not the Messers and Junkers, not the fogs and anti-aircraft guns, but envy and evil vindictiveness. The long-standing unfriendliness of the former regiment navigator N.V. Isaev, who now became the regiment commander, coupled with obsequious meanness, almost cost Pokryshkin his life: he was soon removed from the regiment staff, his nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was recalled, he was expelled from the party, and the case was sent to tribunal. And after all, we were talking about a pilot who spent 1.5 years in continuous battles, flew about 400 combat missions and actually shot down about 20 enemy aircraft in the air!
And it all happened like this. In the village of Nasosny in the ZAP (reserve air regiment), the Guardsmen had a place at the end of the queue to receive new equipment from several “horseless” regiments. The mood immediately dropped. Moreover, the living conditions and supplies of the regiments withdrawn from the front and stationed in Dagestan and Azerbaijani villages in those months of the summer and autumn of 1942 could not be called tolerable. The dormitories are overcrowded. In the flight crew canteen, breakfast began at 4:30 a.m., lunch at 4:18 p.m., and dinner at 10:23 p.m. As the pilot of the 45th regiment M.G. Petrov, who was standing in those lines, recalled, after breakfast it was necessary to get in line for lunch... The canteen was “boarded”, “stormed”...
Stormy squabbles and quarrels were not uncommon in these lines of front-line soldiers with frayed nerves. The heat reached 45 degrees. Only local wine on the market was cheap and accessible. In the orders of that time, penalties for “abuse” and related violations of order were not uncommon.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin recalled:
“I accidentally found myself in such a story. During dinner, three tipsy senior officers accosted me and Golubev and Trud, who were sitting next to me. Unable to tolerate rudeness and insults, I gave a sharp rebuff and ended up in the guardhouse for insubordination.”
An eyewitness to that incident, an aircraft technician, said that the Guardsmen had the privilege of having separate tables for them in the dining room. The privilege in that environment is quite significant. And so two lieutenant colonels and a major sat down at the table of the 16th Guards Regiment. Among them was the commander of the 298th regiment I. A. Taranenko. They were served dinner. Pokryshkin told them about the rights of the Guardsmen. He also said that these rights must be earned... The response was: “Comrade captain, how are you behaving?! We are senior in rank...”
Word by word. More and more pilots were approaching the scene of the “incident”, divided into two “enemy sides”. Tables began to move, passions began to heat up. Then, according to an eyewitness, “someone hit someone with a box.”
It was no longer possible to understand anything in that chaos. After the arrival of the commandant with his guards, the pilots united against the unloved “rear forces.” The fight spilled out into the street, some participants “began to salute and shoot upward to raise their courage.” Only the head of the garrison, Colonel Gubanov, who arrived in a Dodge with machine gunners, restored order. Pokryshkin was named as the instigator...
Taking advantage of the situation, the regiment commander, Major N.V. Isaev, decided in one fell swoop to get rid of the “troublemaker” who, as he believed, was undermining his authority...
Returning to the regiment from the guardhouse, Pokryshkin learns that he has been removed from the post of commander and removed from the staff. At the party bureau he was expelled from the CPSU(b) and, moreover, the case was sent to the Baku Military Tribunal! The paper that the regimental commander wrote for the tribunal contained enough “compromising evidence” for at least the penal battalion! Insults to senior commanders, bickering with superiors and, most disgustingly, “violations of the requirements of the fighter aviation charter”! In August - September 1942, when the formidable order No. 227 had just come into effect, the threat to Pokryshkin was more than real. At the regiment headquarters, an honest man who understood what was going on, the head of the combat unit, senior lieutenant Leonty Ivanovich Pavlenko, showed Pokryshkin a character reference for him, signed by Isaev. Alexander Ivanovich could not believe his eyes: “The meanness captured on paper burned...”
The situation was almost hopeless. Apart from his fellow soldiers, no one here in the rear, far from the front, knew what kind of pilot Pokryshkin was or how he fought. Commissioner Pogrebnoy is in the hospital. The regiment commander expressed his opinion. The chief of staff, Ya. M. Dansky, and the head of the special department, A. V. Prilipko, apparently, did not object. Pokryshkin's nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was withdrawn. Prilipko began interrogating the pilots in order to find out cases of his negative behavior in battles! The pilots remembered the smile on the lips of the special officer, strangely combined with a cold, hard gaze... The system of special departments - military counterintelligence (since April 1943 - "SMERSH" - "Death to Spies") permeated the Red Army through and through. Subordinate not to the army command, but to the NKVD, the special officers had broad powers.
Unexpectedly, the messenger called Pokryshkin to Isaev. It turns out that the commander of the 4th Air Army N.F. Naumenko, who was not yet familiar with the Pokryshkin case, ordered him to speak to the pilots of the 298th regiment and talk about the Messerschmitt. The regiment commander turned out to be Lieutenant Colonel I. A. Taranenko. After this speech and answers to questions, the satisfied hosts, the commander and the commissar, invited the guest to the table. Surprised by the troubles that befell the captain, Taranenko, who recalled the quarrel in the dining room as a misunderstanding, promised to write an explanation about this. Interestingly, the 298th Regiment, which was transformed into the 104th Guards for the battles in the Kuban, in August 1943 joined the 9th Guards Division, which was later commanded by Pokryshkin. Taranenko became a Hero of the Soviet Union, and after the war, the general became an aviation lieutenant.
Having arrived from the hospital, although still ill, M.A. Pogrebnoy, horrified at how far things had gone, wrote another, objective description in his apartment. L.I. Pavlenko exposed the deception of Isaev, who did not want to send this document to the tribunal.
The tangle of intrigue began to unwind in the opposite direction. Isaev still did not take into account that the front-line reputation of his commander was very high. Pokryshkin secretly followed his regiment in a train of cars to a new location. Here Colonel Volkov, whose division temporarily included the regiment, asked about him. A conversation took place with Volkov and his commissar, then at the regimental party bureau, Alexander Ivanovich was reinstated in the party. The worst seems to be behind us...
 N.V. Isaev.
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Having already realized that he had “overdone it,” Isaev offers Pokryshkin the position of his deputy, which is refused. Alexander Ivanovich is again the squadron commander.
Who was he, the one who almost killed the hero? The type of vindictive, arrogant boss who sees only the bad in others and loves it when people don’t question him is, alas, eternal in the history of countries and peoples. This type of commander - a demagogue who tries to compensate for his unpreparedness for a modern war with strong-willed "pressure" and a dispassionate attitude towards losses, towards the cost of battle - is a frequent phenomenon in the Red Army in the first years of the war... That is why Pokryshkin, in the mid-1960s Having prepared his first book, “The Sky of War,” for publication, he insisted on keeping his confrontation with the regiment commander in the text. Alexander Ivanovich saw this as a most important military and moral problem, and did not at all settle old scores. In both "Sky of War" and "Know Yourself in Battle" the commander's surname is changed to Kraev or Zaev.
The reason that Alexander Ivanovich’s attitude towards the commander remained sharply negative is clear and obvious. He forgave mistakes and blunders of his comrades. Forgave those who went into battle, risking their lives. And Isaev, having become a regiment commander, almost completely stopped flying. Such regiment commanders had no respect among the flight personnel. This position was supposed to be occupied by the strongest, smartest and most experienced pilot, leader...
Nikolai Vasilyevich Isaev was quite young, born in 1911 in St. Petersburg. Representative, strong, massive build, excellent athlete, played in the Leningrad youth football team together with the celebrities of the 1920s Butusov and “Peka” Dementiev. Childhood was difficult. His father, a St. Petersburg worker - a carpenter, died early, his mother was seriously ill. After labor school and boarding school, Nikolai studies at the Food Industry Federal Institution at the First Candy and Chocolate Factory named after K. Samoilova. He joins the party and soon becomes the director of the restaurant. Then 400 young communists are called to the district committees and offered a path to flight schools. N.V. Isaev himself admitted: “By that time I already had a profession, and it was very far from flying, and if I suddenly began to insist that I had dreamed of flying since childhood, it would be an obvious lie...” It was not in the aspiring director of a restaurant with a flying vocation, flying aspirations. Having entered the Kachin School, he believes that “pilots are not some special people. Anyone can fly if they are focused, if they can control themselves.”
Executive, who knew how to get along with his superiors, Isaev was a senior officer at the school; This is how he looks in the photograph next to the flight school banner. He served in the Far East and was promoted as a pilot and political worker. Squadron commissar, battalion commissar... For combat missions in the Soviet-Finnish War, for a group victory over the Blenheim bomber, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
On the 4th day of the Great Patriotic War, Isaev shoots down a Ju-88. For the battles near Rostov, like Pokryshkin, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. He was hit near the Dnieper and wounded in the arm. Perhaps the injury affected his combat activity.
Occasionally, even in the 16th Guards Regiment, Isaev, not on the busiest days, makes combat missions. In the documents of the regiment there is, for example, a record that on July 27, 1942, it shot down a Henschel-126, and on September 4, 1943, an FV-187. Probably, a typo crept in - the Luftwaffe did not have such aircraft... According to data as of January 1943, Isaev had 220 combat missions on his account.
People wore the same shoulder straps and stars, remaining different in their inner essence. The Germans were never able to understand why the command staff of the Red Army was so contrastingly different in level and training. Either the Russians are tactically illiterate and litter the battlefield with unjustified casualties, or they show miracles of ingenuity and creativity... In the German army, which preserved centuries-old Prussian traditions and school, such a gap in the level of officers was not allowed. And in the Red Army, the consequences of the revolution were never fully overcome: order No. 1, the reprisal of soldiers and sailors against officers, who were shot without trial and thrown off the sides of ships, and much more. The officer's code of honor was also destroyed.
Before the war, L. Mehlis instilled denunciation in the army. And there were those who, taking advantage of the atmosphere of spy mania and the search for “pests,” cleared their career ladder. During the war, a lot changed, shoulder straps and the very word “officer” returned, unity of command, in which the commissars lost some of their rights and became political deputies.
All this manifested itself with the highest intensity in the fate of A.I. Pokryshkin at the turn of 1942 - 1943. And Alexander Ivanovich was able to talk about this in his books as an internal conflict that inevitably arises in society and the army during a period of strength testing. After all, in a peaceful, quiet time, people like Pokryshkin and Isaev are difficult to distinguish. The second one is more likely to succeed... But war requires other qualities...
From the combat characteristics of A. I. Pokryshkin, signed on December 26 by the regiment commander N. V. Isaev, a different approach to the people of the regiment commander and the commander is visible, and an echo of the recently occurring conflict is heard here:
“He copes well with the position of squadron commander. He enjoys well-deserved authority. He works a lot on himself in studying the tactics of the enemy air force and skillfully passes it on to his subordinates. Comrade Pokryshkin’s shortcoming is the combat soldering of the flight personnel through friendly relations, and not through the commander’s exactingness. There were quarrels and insults to senior superiors..."
Information about enemy aircraft shot down by A.I. Pokryshkin in 1942 is very contradictory. The main combat missions for the regiment's pilots that year remained attack aircraft, reconnaissance, and escort of bombers and Il-2s. Almost all the planes shot down by Pokryshkin fell on enemy territory, and therefore, as already mentioned, according to those regulations they could not be counted.
There are contradictions in documents from the end of 1942 regarding the downed planes credited to A.I. Pokryshkin. The combat description states: he conducted 40 air battles, in which he personally shot down 6 aircraft and 6 in the group. In the report for January 4, 1943, for some reason his combat count was reduced: 3 personally shot down (06/26/1941 - Me-109, 07/3/1941 - PZL-24, 07/9/1942 - Me-109F ). In the group - 4 (07/05/1941 - Hs-126; 08/2/1942 - Z Me-110). When attacking enemy airfields - 2 Ju-88. In total - 9 aircraft.
Based on the study of the pilot’s books and his notes in notebooks, researcher O. V. Levchenko made the following calculation: in 1942, A. I. Pokryshkin shot down 12 aircraft and knocked out 4.
The 216th Fighter Aviation Division (from June 17, 1943, which became the 9th Guards Division), suffering losses and not receiving new aircraft, turned out to be completely exhausted by the fall. The 16th Guards Aviation Regiment, in which Pokryshkin fought, having handed over their battered vehicles, left for reorganization - to master new equipment.
Having retrained in the 25th ZAP and received American Airacobras in Tehran in March 1943, on April 9 the regiment began combat work from the Krasnodar airfield. The Kuban epic began...
The pilots of Captain A. Pokryshkin’s squadron made their first combat mission after a long break on April 14 and were successful - they shot down 2 Me-109s (one of them was his account). The first successes instilled confidence in the correctness of the new tactics developed by Alexander.
The spring of 1943 was truly stellar for Pokryshkin - the air battle in the Kuban. In terms of the concentration of aircraft and the density of air battles, the Kuban battle was the most intense in the Second World War: in 2 months more than 800 German aircraft were shot down here. It was here that Pokryshkin’s remarkable abilities as a fighter pilot manifested themselves. He was the first to widely use the combat formation called “Kuban whatnot” and contributed to its introduction into all units of the USSR fighter aviation. He also developed and implemented other elements of air combat, such as getting out of an enemy attack on a turn in a downward “barrel” with a loss of speed. The unwary enemy jumped past the target and found himself in the crosshairs.
“Look for the enemy,” Pokryshkin taught. “It is not he who must find you, but you who must find him. Surprise and initiative are victory. Attack boldly, decisively. Maneuver in such a way as to deceive and outwit the enemy. If you don’t shoot down, thwart his plan. With this you You will already achieve a lot."
Meanwhile, the air battle over the Kuban flared up. I had to fly up to 5 times a day. And a rare flight took place without meeting the enemy. A typical picture for that period was when a diving LaGG-3 was catching up with a Messer, which was being pursued by a Yak, and so on. The fighters were literally chasing each other. German pilots, losing their planes to our ace, soon began to warn each other about his appearance - “Attention! Pokryshkin is in the air!” In just a week of fighting, he personally shot down 6 enemy aircraft, and the pilots of his squadron - 29!
In these battles, not only his flying skills were demonstrated. He showed himself to be a talented organizer and commander. Many of his tactics were adopted by aviation units. So, during patrols, the Soviet ace never flew in a straight line, so as not to lose speed in a small area. His fighter moved in waves, along the trajectory of an inclined ellipse.
According to official data, Pokryshkin shot down 16 enemy aircraft in the skies of Kuban, but in fact this number was much higher: about 30 (12 - 15 Me-109, 4 - 6 Ju-88, 9 - 13 Ju-87, 2 FW-190) . Here the pilot conducts several outstanding battles. On a memorable day, April 12, in the Krymskaya area, he shot down 4 Me-109s. Fortunately, General K. Vershinin was a witness to this battle, and Pokryshkina was not only counted for the downed vehicles, but was also awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. Later, he destroyed 3 more enemy aircraft and brought the number of aircraft shot down per day to 7. With the exception of the legendary battle of Alexander Gorovets (which, by the way, did not have confirmation in the operational documents of the regiment), the history of Soviet aviation does not know such examples. A few days later, Pokryshkin shot down 3 Ju-87 dive bombers in one battle, and on April 28, as part of eight, having dispersed 3 nine “laptezhniki”, he shot down 5 (!) of them. He attacked with his favorite “falcon strike” - from above, at high speed, with a steep variable dive profile to make it difficult for shooters to aim.
By May 1943, Pokryshkin, with 363 combat missions to his name, was apparently the most experienced Soviet pilot in the Kuban (by the end of the battle he had 31 victories).
On May 24, 1943, for the successful completion of tasks, the squadron commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Captain A. I. Pokryshkin, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the award sheet signed by Guard Lieutenant Colonel N.V. Isaev on April 22, 1943, the numbers are quite modest:
"Flew 354 sorties. Participated in 54 air battles, as a result of which he personally shot down 13 enemy aircraft and 6 in group combat: 3 Me-110, 10 Me-109, 4 Yu-88, 1 Xe-126, 1 PZL -24".
However, the commander of the Air Force of the North Caucasus Front, K. A. Vershinin, expressed his attitude towards Pokryshkin more objectively, rightfully calling him “the most skilled master of air combat.”
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The front-line press has always strived to use every opportunity so that as many aviators as possible learn about every progressive phenomenon in air combat tactics. Typical remarks on this matter are contained in the autobiography written in 1943 by three times Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin:
“During 5 months of intense battles over Kuban and Taman, our unit destroyed 200 German bombers and fighters. My tally grew to 30 personally shot down enemy aircraft. In August 1943, the government awarded me the second Gold Star medal. In the battles in Kuban we showed new tactical techniques, developed our own tactics. They justified themselves in battles. Through the press, we made our achievements in tactics the property of many."
On May 5, 1943, Pokryshkin makes his first flight on the new Airacobra with tail number “100”, replacing his old car with the “unlucky” number “13” for enemies.
As a result of intense fighting in the Kuban, a significant part of the aviation of both sides was knocked out, and a temporary lull occurred in this section of the front. At a meeting convened by General K. A. Vershinin, where the most distinguished pilots, command staff and employees of the Air Force headquarters were present, Pokryshkin unveiled his tactical findings: a “stack” of aircraft in pairs, shifted towards the sun (this order provided an advantage in battles on verticals), justified the need for patrolling at high speeds, which was contrary to existing requirements. Here he criticized the old order on mandatory confirmation of those shot down by ground troops. Fortunately, his speech found a response not only among the pilots present, but also among the command.
Soon in the 4th Air Army, and after a while in all the Air Forces, they also agreed to consider reports from pilots and gunners who witnessed the air battle as official confirmation of the fact of victory.
Three months in the skies of Kuban brought Pokryshkin many victories. He became a mature master of air combat, a skilled organizer and mentor of young pilots. It is difficult to overestimate the influence of Pokryshkin on the young pilots who arrived in the regiment in June 1943. Most of them were not beginners, but more often had sad combat experience. Having selected the most prepared and thoroughly “flyed” them, he led the new arrivals on a combat mission and, in the very first battle, personally shooting down a pair of Me-109s in one attack, he created the conditions for several more victories for the pilots he inspired. His pedagogical skill is evidenced by the fact that 30 pilots who attended Pokryshkin’s school became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 3 of them twice.
Since August 1943, the 16th GvIAP took part in battles on the Mius front, on the Molochnaya River, over the Black Sea, and over the Dnieper. On August 24, for 455 combat missions and 30 personally shot down enemy Guard aircraft by July 1943, Major A. I. Pokryshkin was awarded the second Gold Star medal and became the 10th twice Hero of the Soviet Union in the country.
In battles in southern Ukraine, Pokryshkin shot down 18 Junkers (7 Ju-88, 6 Ju-87, 5 Ju-52) and Me-109. Among those shot down were 2 Ju-88 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Among the particularly victorious and furious ones is the battle in the Greater Tokmak area on September 23, 1943.
In the morning, Pokryshkin, together with G. Golubev, flew out to “hunt”. Having discovered the “laptezhniks” preparing to bomb over the front line, he quickly attacked them; He shot down one, damaged 2 more and was forced to fight with covering fighters.
In the next sortie at the head of the four, noticing a group of Ju-88s, he let them go to the rear, gained altitude and, coming from the direction of the sun, quickly attacked. Confused by the yellow reflections on the wings of bombers: this is how red stars sometimes reflect, he, having given the command “don’t shoot,” walked forward, but, noticing the crosses on the wings, instantly performed a sharp loop and, finding himself behind the leader of the enemy group, pierced him with a cannon burst. It exploded, and Pokryshkin’s plane jumped through the epicenter of a powerful explosion, miraculously remaining unharmed.
The neighboring Junkers was less fortunate: it caught fire when hit by debris and began to fall. Composure is the most important quality of an ace, and, barely jumping out of the fiery cloud, Pokryshkin again makes an extremely short turn and attacks again. The bomber he attacked, snarling in long bursts, tries to escape in a steep dive, but after the second attack by Pokryshkin’s “Cobra” it no longer comes out of the dive... This battle took place in front of the eyes of hundreds of people, dozens of memories were left about it and paintings were written, and yet 3 The Junkers he shot down that day was not counted towards Alexander Ivanovich; the regiment commander considered it to have “spontaneously combusted”...
A few days later, Isaev, who flew out on a UT-2 to inspect the airfield planned for the regiment’s relocation, touched the ground with his wheels during a low-level flight, crashed, and received serious injuries. The regiment commander completely lost his flying skills... A. I. Pokryshkin was appointed acting commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
In November 1943, using external fuel tanks, Pokryshkin conducted a “search and destruction of the enemy on air communications” over the Black Sea. In 4 “hunts” he shoots down 5 Ju-52s. The three-engine Junkers transport, armed with several large-caliber machine guns, was not the easiest enemy, but low dense clouds, stormy seas and strong gusty winds made the “hunting” conditions extremely difficult. The discovery of single aircraft over the sea, in conditions of limited visibility and bad weather, can only be explained by the genius of the pilot.
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In February 1944, Guard Lieutenant Colonel Pokryshkin was called to the Air Force Headquarters in Moscow and Commander-in-Chief A. Novikov, who highly valued him, offered him the position of Chief of Fighter Aviation Combat Training with immediate promotion to the rank of General. Pokryshkin refused and asked to be returned to the front. However, his request was not immediately granted. At the end of March, after the death of the famous ace L.L. Shestakov, Alexander Ivanovich is offered to become the commander of the “marshal” 176th GvIAP, but he rushes to join his people, in Chernigovka, in the roaring world of the airplane cabin and airfield, smelling of gasoline, oil and gunpowder. Only in April is he released, and a few days later Dzusov introduces him to the order by which he, Pokryshkin, is appointed commander of the 9th Guards Mariupol Aviation Division.
As part of the 2nd and then 1st Ukrainian Fronts, the division takes part in the air battle near Iasi. As a division commander, Pokryshkin directs air battles from a guidance point, organizes the interaction of aircraft in the air and with ground troops. The roads of war in the spring of 1944 led Pokryshkin to the lines where the war found him on June 22, 1941...
Senior lieutenant, deputy squadron commander, after 3 years he returned to Transnistria twice as a Hero, Guard lieutenant colonel, commander of the Guards Air Division! But the end of the war was still far away. And wherever the 9th GvIAD conducted combat operations, its commander acted as a talented leader, himself flying on combat missions, inspiring his subordinates by personal example.
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The famous whatnot becomes more powerful and maneuverable: now it is a battle formation of fours with an excess of about 1000 meters in pairs. Although Pokryshkin was practically bound by a ban on participating in air battles, he shot down 7 enemy aircraft in 1944 (4 Ju-87, 2 FW-190, 1 Hs-129), and 4 of them in a manner typical for him, like no one else. another, highly effective air combat.
The air battle carried out by our aces on July 16, 1944 can be called truly classic. The fighting qualities of Soviet commanders and ordinary pilots were revealed in all their splendor. On that day, 12 aircraft of the 16th Guards Regiment under the command of G. A. Rechkalov in the Sushno area protected ground troops from air raids, which were in the starting position for the attack. The fighters of the strike group patrolled at an altitude of 2000 meters. A cover group headed by the leader, Guard Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Pokryshkin, walked above them at an elevation of 400 - 500 meters. And the top tier was occupied by a support group under the command of Guard Senior Lieutenant A. Trud.
Soon it was noticed that a large group of enemy vehicles was heading east. It consisted of more than 30 Ju-87 dive bombers and Hs-129 attack aircraft, covered by 8 FW-190 fighters. Seeing our planes, the enemy formed a column one at a time, closing a defensive circle, and began randomly throwing bombs.
The fighters of G. A. Rechkalov and A. I. Pokryshkin rushed to attack the bombers, and Trud engaged the fighters in battle. A giant carousel spun. With his four, Pokryshkin struck from the inside of the circle and shot down the Hs-129 with the first attack. With the fourth attack he managed to set fire to the Ju-87. Rechkalov and his wingmen rushed into the attack from below and from behind. He was the first to bring down an enemy bomber to the ground. The same fate befell three more Junkers from the well-aimed bursts of Vakhnenko, Klubov and Ivanov. At the exit of the fourth attack, Klubov doubled his score. Thus, 9 downed enemy aircraft fell to the ground, 4 of which were accounted for by Alexander Pokryshkin.
This brilliant battle was later reflected in descriptions and diagrams; aviation youth learned from it. However, Pokryshkin’s maneuvers in this battle were so sharp and swift that by the end of the battle the group lost him, and he shot down 2 attack aircraft without witnesses, alone - they were not officially counted towards his combat account.
On December 22, 1943, the commander of the 9th Guards Mariupol Fighter Aviation Division I.M. Dzusov signed an award sheet - a presentation for the title of three times Hero of the Soviet Union. By order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR dated October 8, 1943, fighter aviation pilots were nominated for the rank of twice Hero for 30 personally shot down aircraft, three times Hero for 50.
A.I. Pokryshkin for the period from June 22, 1941 to December 20, 1943 officially had 550 sorties, 137 air battles and 53 personally shot down aircraft. According to researcher O.V. Levchenko, in 1943 alone, Pokryshkin shot down 61 planes and knocked out 6! But many of those shot down, as the pilot himself said, “were counted towards the war.”
The commander of the 8th Air Army, General - Aviation Lieutenant T. T. Khryukin, on December 24, 1943, gave the following conclusion about Pokryshkin in his award sheet: “The bravest of the brave, the leader, the best Soviet ace. For personally shooting down 50 enemy aircraft, he is worthy of being awarded the highest government award “three times Hero of the USSR.”
The commander of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Army General F.I. Tolbukhin, imposed a resolution: “Worthy of being awarded the award - three times Hero of the USSR.”
In March 1944, there was a reshuffle of personnel in the division. I.M. Dzusov takes N.V. Isaev as his deputy, A.I. Pokryshkin is confirmed as commander of the 16th Guards Regiment. But new changes soon follow. Dzusov is promoted to command the air corps. Pokryshkin was appointed acting division commander! The new division commander inherited the old deputy Isaev...
As Alexander Ivanovich recalled, after receiving such sudden news “I stood in thought for some time. If I become a division commander, I will rarely have to fly on combat missions - staff work, air control on the front line will not allow me to often fight and shoot down planes personally. But if I refuse, then Isaev may be confirmed as commander . Without flying on combat missions and not understanding the dynamics of the battle, he will kill many pilots, which is what happened when he commanded the regiment. In a week I can shoot down at least 3 - 4 enemy aircraft. If I become the commander of a division and command it wisely, then 120 pilots they will shoot down at least 30 or more planes a week, they will suffer fewer losses, and this is more important for our victory than my personal count of those shot down..."
1944 is the year of the 10 “Stalinist strikes” of the Red Army, which finally broke the military machine of Nazism. The Wehrmacht command, like the Soviet leadership in 1942, was misled about the direction of the enemy's main attack. We struck not in the southwest, but in the center of the Eastern Front, defeating the strongest German Army Group Center during Operation Bagration.
On the southern wing of the Soviet-German front at the end of May, the Germans counterattacked the Red Army units, tired of continuous offensive battles. Hitler set his troops the task of holding Romania and preserving strategic oil reserves for the Reich. Near Iasi, 10 German tank divisions went on the offensive. A fierce air battle also unfolded here. The 9th Guards Mariupol Fighter Division was thrown into these battles under the command of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Guard, Lieutenant Colonel A.I. Pokryshkin.
German troops failed to push the Russians back beyond the Prut. The 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division played a special role in this. During the first 10 days of the heaviest fighting, the division shot down 128 aircraft. The 16th Guards Regiment distinguished itself by shooting down 51 German aircraft. 3 pilots of the regiment were killed and 1 was missing.
As Hero of the Soviet Union E.P. Mariinsky from the 129th Guards Regiment wrote: “Never before has a regiment, division, or corps fought such fierce battles or encountered such massive actions by fascist aviation. And who knows, if not for Pokryshkin’s division, which joined the corps shortly before the start of this defensive operation, perhaps few pilots would have survived until the end."
After the battle of Iasi, as Alexander Ivanovich writes, “At my request, the issue of removing Lieutenant Colonel Isaev from the Guard division was resolved. He did not help me in combat work, but was engaged in intrigues against me.”
Isaev, without saying goodbye, left for his new destination. He was transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front as commander of the 273rd Fighter Air Division. On April 6, 1945, for skillful leadership, 280 combat missions, 9 personally shot down and 4 in a group of enemy Guard aircraft, Colonel N.V. Isaev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Only in 1984, Isaev published a small book of memoirs in Lvov, which he called a line from a song - “We brought this day closer as best we could.” The book is written intelligently, politically correct, more about others than about oneself. Correctly said about Pokryshkin and other fellow soldiers. The predecessor, the first regiment commander V.P. Ivanov, is not mentioned at all. The regiment, “like every family, had its own traditions, habits, and sometimes disagreements. But our combat work always remained above all.” Words words words...
G. G. Golubev recalls how many years later in Kiev, at one of the receptions dedicated to Victory Day, N. V. Isaev approached him and asked to talk with Pokryshkin: “Let him rehabilitate me, forgive me…” Alexander Ivanovich listened to the follower and said: “Why can’t he come up himself?” The conversation didn't take place...
A. I. Pokryshkin (left) and G. G. Golubev. Winter 1944 - 1945.
In the summer of 1944, Pokryshkin's division came under the command of the commander of the 2nd Air Army, General S.A. Krasovsky. In the Lvov-Sandomierz operation (July 13 - August 29), Pokryshkin's division was always at the forefront of the attack. The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in this strategic operation defeated the Army Group "Northern Ukraine", liberated Western Ukraine together with the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and, together with the 1st Belorussian Front, the south-eastern regions of Poland. On the western banks of the Vistula, a large Sandomierz bridgehead was captured.
On July 14, when Boris Glinka was shot down and seriously wounded, Pokryshkin urgently arrived at the 16th Guards Regiment. At such moments, the division commander considered it his duty to use a personal combat mission to “smooth out the psychological impact” caused by the injury of such an ace and Hero as B.B. Glinka. Pokryshkin, after analyzing the mistakes made, leads the shock eight, and Andrei Trud’s four ensures his actions.
To attack a group of 40 Ju-87 and Hs-129 aircraft, accompanied by an FW-190, the leader uses a frontal attack. In this battle, the radio receiver on Pokryshkin’s Airacobra failed. However, the division commander decides to continue the flight, since “my return will cause disorganization.” Having slipped into the circle of German planes, maneuvering, Pokryshkin shoots down 2 Junkers and a Henschel, another Ju-87 is shot down. Just above the wing of his Airacobra there passes the cannon fire of a Focke-Wulf.
For the battles on the Sandomierz bridgehead, the 9th Guards Mariupol Fighter Air Division was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky. The 16th Guards Regiment was given the honorary name "Sandomierz".
In August 1944, the regiments of the 9th Guards Air Division were already based at airfields near the Vistula. From here it was not far to Berlin. The division's pilots were preparing for a decisive assault on the German capital.
On August 19, 1944, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, courage, bravery and heroism shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was awarded the third Gold Star medal. He became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union in the country.
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This news found him at the field airfield. This is what Pravda correspondent Nathan Rybak wrote in the issue dated August 20, 1944:
“Every day Pokryshkin’s military glory expands, the number of planes he shot down increases. But he does not calm down. He painstakingly and carefully studies the enemy’s behavior, analyzes each battle in detail, draws diagrams, delving into the details of his own work and the actions of each wingman... This is how he sharpens mastery, this is how an unshakable belief in one’s strength is born.Now Alexander Pokryshkin has 59 destroyed fascist aircraft on his combat account!
When victory enters every home, we will remember that it was gained in fierce battles with an insidious and powerful enemy. And we will remember that Alexander Pokryshkin, our wonderful falcon, fought gloriously for victory.”
Until the end of the war, Alexander Ivanovich remained the only three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was awarded the third Gold Star medal on June 1, 1945, and Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub on August 18 of the same victorious year.
At dawn on January 12, the strategic Vistula-Oder operation began. After a colossal force of artillery bombardment, the troops of the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts went forward. Under the mighty blows, the supports of the “Third Reich”, designed by Hitler for a thousand years, collapsed. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command planned this offensive for January 20, but the dates were changed at the request of the allies, whom the Germans shocked with their last onslaught in the Ardennes in December 1944 - January 1945...
The European damp, uncomfortable winter gave way to spring fogs and mud. For some time, bad weather did not allow the full power of Soviet aviation to be deployed. Only “old men,” experienced pilots, were sent on combat missions. On the first day of the offensive, one of Pokryshkin’s favorite students, the commander of the 1st squadron of the 16th Guards Aviation Regiment, Captain Viktor Ivanovich Zherdev, was shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Heavily wounded, he fell a little short of reaching his own... The retreating German infantrymen tore off the pilot's tunic with orders, stabbed him with knives... The "old man", one of the best aces of the division, was 25 years old... Saying goodbye to Zherdev, Alexander Ivanovich for the second time during the entire war, as at the funeral of Alexander Klubov, I could not hold back my tears.
The 9th Guards Division covered the 3rd Guards Tank Army of P. S. Rybalko, the 5th Guards Army of A. S. Zhadov, the 52nd Army of K. A. Koroteev, the 4th Guards Army in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations. tank army of D. D. Lelyushenko.
Pokryshkin continues to participate in combat missions. On January 16, on the move, while climbing, he attacked and shot down a Ju-87 dive bomber.
In one of the attack aircraft the weapon fails, but it is no longer possible to turn away from the anti-aircraft battery - they will immediately shoot you down at point-blank range. The pilot suppresses the anti-aircraft gunners psychologically, diving towards the battery almost to the ground. Engineer Kopylov asks how pine needles could end up in the cutouts of the propeller spinner?
In February 1945, not having normal airfields for basing the division, Pokryshkin decided to use part of the Breslau-Berlin highway. With his wingman G. Golubev, he was the first to land on a highway strip, the width of which was 3 meters narrower than the wingspan of the Airacobra. This was the only case in the history of world aviation when an entire fighter air division successfully operated from a section of an ordinary highway for a month and a half, without having a single accident.
Ilya Davidovich Gurvits, in 1944 - 1945 a mechanic for electrical and radio equipment of A. I. Pokryshkin’s aircraft, recalled after the war:
“Our division commander was forbidden to fly, but I can confirm as a control mechanic, he flew regularly until the last days of the war. He ignored this ban!.. When there were few air battles, Pokryshkin ordered holders for a 100-kilogram bomb to be mounted on the Cobras. I stormed and bombed myself..."
Continuing to fly at the head of groups of pilots of his division, Pokryshkin made his last combat missions over Berlin. By the end of the war, he had flown more than 650 combat missions and, participating in 156 air battles, officially shot down 53 enemy aircraft personally and 6 as part of a group. [ M. Yu. Bykov in his research points to 46 personal and 6 group victories of the pilot. ] In military historical and memoir literature there are assumptions about a much larger number of victories he actually won - 72, 90, more than 100.
Thus, Novosibirsk researchers very scrupulously studied all the military activities of their great fellow countryman: they analyzed his diaries, the regiment’s combat documents, the memoirs of his comrades, and other sources. And they came to the conclusion that A.I. Pokryshkin shot down 94 enemy aircraft during the war (36 Me-109, 23 Ju-87, 18 Ju-88, 4 Me-110, 4 Hs-126, 4 Ju-52, 3 FW-190, 1 Hs-129, 1 Fi-156), knocked out 19 and burned 3 more on the ground.
Be that as it may, probably like no one else, the official results of his combat work were underestimated, for which there are a number of both objective and subjective reasons.
When in the summer of 1945 Pokryshkin was offered to enter the Air Force Academy, he refused with his characteristic determination and asked to be sent to the M.V. Frunze Military Academy, where he could gain broader knowledge. Many people remember the episode when, in practical gun firing with three shells, A. Pokryshkin and V. Lavrinenkov achieved an absolute result. None of those who took the test at that time, and among the examinees there were also experienced artillerymen, could repeat their success. The ace graduated from the Academy in 1948 with a gold medal.
After graduating from the academy, Pokryshkin was appointed deputy corps commander in Rzhev... Only a year later, three times, the Hero with his wife and two small children finally received an apartment in one of the 100 Finnish houses brought here...
When, at the end of 1950, a warehouse of old ammunition was found under one of the houses, and it was dangerous to wait for sappers, he, forming a chain, was the first to jump into the pit and began to dismantle the stack of rusty shells. The combat pilot remained a fearless knight all his life.
Only in 1953 Pokryshkin received the rank of General and a year later was appointed in Rostov-on-Don as deputy commander of the Air Army. After graduating with honors from the General Staff Academy, he became commander of the 8th Separate Air Defense Army and remained in this position for 10 years. And while studying at the academy and later, until 1963, Alexander Ivanovich flew almost all types of Soviet fighters. There were some incidents. One of the most dangerous things happened during his service in Rostov, when during a night flight, at a great distance from the airfield, the attitude indicator failed... Only enormous flying experience and a specific “memory of space” helped him return to the airfield and land the car.
In the early 1960s, he defended his dissertation on the application of network planning in air defense forces. Probably, this intense analytical work helped him endure the severity of parting with heaven. The command in a unique way “appreciated” the innovations summarized in the dissertation, rewarding for them... colleague Pokryshkin, who had a very general idea of the work.
In August 1968, he was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense. Relations with the commander, Marshal Batitsky, did not work out, and his service in this position was especially difficult. When the opportunity presented itself, he decisively went to work for DOSAAF, to the position of chairman of the society, and enthusiastically took up military patriotic work.
In his life, Alexander Ivanovich passed the test of “copper pipes” with honor and fully drank the bitterness of their other side - the envy of officials for the glory of the People's Hero. Here there is air defense instead of the Air Force, and General Stars detained for 10 years, and a continuous series of business trips “with Batitsky.” He was the “Honored Military Pilot of France”, but he never became, just as Kozhedub did not become, the “Honored Military Pilot of the USSR”... France is the birthplace of chivalry.
In December 1972, Pokryshkin was awarded the rank of Air Marshal. One day he called the Central Committee and asked for his resignation. They objected, persuaded, offered options, but he left his last position on his own. He died on November 13, 1985 in the arms of his inconsolable Maria after several days of unconsciousness, when in delirium he called his friends to attack, warned them of danger, and again overtook the hated enemy...
* * *In 1986, Maria Kuzminichna Pokryshkina received a letter written on the morning of June 22, on the 45th anniversary of the start of the war. The author of the letter was Boris Ivanovich Kolesnikov, a combat comrade of Alexander Ivanovich in 1941 - 1942, a fighter pilot in the fraternal 4th and then 170th regiments. In this and subsequent letters in the last year of his life, the veteran recalled the first year of war. Kolesnikov did not have to meet Pokryshkin after 1943; he fought on other fronts and was awarded several military orders. After the war, he was seriously injured in an accident at the airfield, became disabled, and did not remind his comrade, who became a Hero three times, about himself. I wrote it to my wife, whom I saw after the death of Alexander Ivanovich in one of the TV shows. The letters of the retired major, which were kept by M.K. Pokryshkina, formed into an inspired poem about the pilots of the first year of the war. I would like to complete the article about A.I. Pokryshkin with the lines of a letter from a friend - an eyewitness to the military feat of Alexander Ivanovich, without changing anything in his style.
“For us, those who fought in the skies of war, the question of “who is worth what” was resolved simply: the war was cruel, bloody, and it clearly, incomparably clearer than in ordinary life, highlighted the inner content of a person and directly answered this question. For us, the pilots, it was clear what Sasha Pokryshkin was worth, when he was not yet glorified, famous, but was an equal among equals, attentive and caring about the younger ones. We saw his reliability in any combat mission, dedication, perseverance and We were always confident that in battle Sasha would never leave anyone, would not let anyone down, no matter how difficult and difficult it was. This is the main thing for pilots, and this is what Pokryshkin is all about!
War has a different scale, a different dimension of time. The first difficult years of the war brought us so close to the pilots of the fraternal 55th regiment, gave us such an opportunity to get to know each other, that in peacetime this would take years...
In 1941 - 1942, he and I were equal in position, in rank, this meant - a parachute on the back, a cockpit, a throttle sector and rushed into the unknown, often according to a thoughtless, without taking into account our capabilities, order from above, and who was this “from above” “Sasha probably told you.
We put all our soul, all our diligence, all our skill into the combat flight; we worked, figuratively speaking, “sweat” under the fire of anti-aircraft guns, “Messov”, and the division commander mercilessly “driven” us, considering himself impeccable in the orders and instructions given to them, and the orders and instructions were wrong and did not correspond to the prevailing front-line situation. We also got it because Alexander Pokryshkin, Anatoly Morozov, Boris Kolesnikov too zealously defended justice and their opinions in direct debates with the division commander.
The division commander had only his own “principles”, unlimited power and a high military rank, and we only had three “heads up” of senior lieutenants on our buttonholes, but we had already acquired and tested, roughly speaking, the hard way, experience and knowledge of combat work. Tolya Morozov, who was often the leader, during such debates with the division commander directly told him: “Comrade division commander, for you everything is wrong, everything is wrong, fly with us at least once and show us how it should be - we guarantee you, We'll cover you securely." Here the division commander fell silent thoughtfully - he had not flown a MiG, and, apparently, was not eager to take to the skies of war, although he was quite young.
Journalist Yuri Aleksandrovich Marchuk, who apparently became closely acquainted and met with our former division commander, about whom, I think, you have heard quite a lot from Sasha, asked me a question in one of his letters: “Why is A. I. Pokryshkin so disrespectful and not from the lieutenants does he speak about the division commander in his book “Sky of War?” Although Sasha, I think, due to his tact, did not even mention the division commander’s last name in the book...
I remembered everything, and my soul was indignant, I wrote to Marchuk directly, without rounding off the sharp corners: no, Yuri Aleksandrovich, A.I. Pokryshkin did not write the book “Sky of War” from the position of a lieutenant, but from the position of a mature, experienced pilot and commander, who had experienced everything in battles. As for respect, Yuri Aleksandrovich, it must be earned, but we, pilots, could not and did not want to respect only for ranks and ranks. During the war years we met too many non-flying commanders who controlled the destinies of pilots, and this was not in our favor and not for the benefit of the cause.
We achieved Victory at great cost, and books about the war should contain only the truth!
We knew the true value of our profession as a military pilot and forever remained irreconcilable to the injustice and arbitrariness that was allowed to us by people who did not know what a real flight, a combat mission, flight life, or combat work was.
Our “Carmen” (Hero of the Soviet Union Afanasy Karmanov, June 22 - 23, 1941, who shot down 5 planes) was strong in the air, and I’ll tell you straight away - Karmanov and Pokryshkin had a lot in common - they flew somehow especially freely, relaxed and surprisingly purposeful, bold, bold, but deliberate. So absurdly, so offensively, “Carmen” died, so eager was he to take to the skies of war, but he was only able to fight for one day. He could have done a lot, but he died, and Sasha was “born in a shirt”... You, Maria Kuzminichna, understand - from everyone at whom we directed a sheaf of machine-gun and then cannon fire, we also received, and in the majority cases, even more, delivery of lead.
It was as if I had re-traveled in my memory that thorny and incomparable path from the Prut to the foothills of the Caucasus... We even ended up in Transcaucasia. I remember in those places Sasha and Komosa, it seems, were leading a little dog on a leash. We met, smiled at me through sadness and resentment: “Well, are you done with the war?” And then our path began from Kuban, also long and also thorny, to Victory.
The last memorable meeting for me was in Kuban, in May 1943. We met only 3 veterans of those who took off into the skies of Moldova in June 1941. Sasha Pokryshkin, Pal Palych Kryukov and me.
In the book "Sky of War" Sasha devoted more than half of the pages to the combat work of 1941 - 1942 and the combat friends of his regiment of those years. In every line you can feel how memorable and dear it was for him. This is memorable and dear to me too.
Pilots, with rare exceptions, like Isaev and similar types, are a special people, a special tribe. And our friendship is special, long, strong and reliable. And time passes according to our flight clock. For some, a year or three is not enough, but for pilots this is already a long time to create something unusual, inaccessible to others. Risk, solidarity, mutual assistance give rise to special friendship.
I forgot many of the colleagues with whom I worked and communicated in the post-war years, but I remember all the pilots of all the regiments with whom I flew, most of them by name, and there are more than 200 of them. I remember more than 100 cadets with whom I studied at flight school.
Envy is a property of small people. And I, and all his reliable military friends, will forever remain proud of him. I was glad that our pilot, our Sashka Pokryshkin, don’t be offended by this name, we called him that in a comradely way, came out of our midst, became famous himself and glorified fighter aviation with unsurpassed feats in the skies of war.
We, although now former pilots - psychologists, took a closer look and determined what the commander who commands us is worth. Alexander Ivanovich gave a very accurate and fair assessment of those who flew with him and those who commanded him. They began to rise through the ranks - they were already obliged to know what our subordinate pilot was breathing, what his worth was, and here they simply had no right to make mistakes - lives were at stake.
Years passed, and for young people and journalists, somehow everything was concentrated in one thing - Pokryshkin and the 59 planes he shot down... It is difficult to deeply appreciate what Pokryshkin did during the war years, for this you need to feel it yourself, experience everything, survive everything. I experienced this to some extent and have the right to appreciate the greatness and significance of the feat of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin. Personally, I believed and still believe that Sasha Pokryshkin was and remains an incomparable pilot in the skies of war... Kozhedub and other aces came to the front at a different time, with different equipment, with unspent forces... I still can’t get my head around in my thoughts how we could survive - sortie after sortie, in small groups and even one at a time, attacking airfields, countless columns, crossings, tightly covered by anti-aircraft fire and enemy fighters...
From Kuban, Pokryshkin made such a leap that I’m surprised how much strength and fighting enthusiasm he has left. And one more thing I really appreciate him for is that when he became the commander of a regiment or division, he continued to fly, fight, setting a personal example for his pilots in battle, and in this he is incomparable to anyone.
Sasha was an artist of a special flight pattern of air combat and accurate lightning fire. And I have the right to call him fighter pilot No. 1.
I cannot, I do not want to underestimate the merits of other pilots and even my own in flights and Victory, but I value Sasha’s contribution especially highly, he did more than any of us...
If our youth were to return to us, and I have no doubt, all of us - Sasha Pokryshkin, Tolya Morozov and all the guys dear to me, would not change the profession of a fighter pilot for any other, although flight work was cruel to many. But there was youth, enthusiasm, a desire for the unusual, a desire for the sky and its vastness.
I finished writing and remembered - tomorrow is June 22. On the 45th anniversary of this black date, I wrote you my first letter. I sincerely wish that what we and our generation experienced will not be repeated for your grandchildren.”
List of famous victories of the Guard of Colonel A. I. Pokryshkin:
(From the book by M. Yu. Bykov - “Victories of Stalin’s Falcons”. Publishing house “YAUZA - EKSMO”, 2008.)
| № p/p | Date | Downed aircraft | Air battle location (victory) | Their aircraft |
| 1 | 06/26/1941 | 1 Me-109 | Iasi - Stefanesti | MiG-3, I-16, Yak-1, P-39 Airacobra. |
| 2 | 07/03/1941 | 1 PZL-24 | Straseni | |
| 3 | 07/05/1941 | 1 Hs-126 (in pair - 1/2) | south of Balti | |
| 4 | 07/09/1942 | 1 Me-109 | Birch bark | |
| 5 | 08/02/1942 | 1 Me-110 (in group - 2/5) | Novo-Mikhailovskaya | |
| 6 | 04/09/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Crimean - Abinsk | |
| 7 | 04/12/1943 | 1 Me-109 | east of Troitskaya | |
| 8 | 2 Me-109 | east of Abinskaya | ||
| 9 | 04/15/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Gostogaevsky - Sementsovsky | |
| 10 | 04/16/1943 | 1 Me-109 | south of Kholmskaya | |
| 11 | 04/20/1943 | 1 Me-109 | southwest of Tsemes Bay | |
| 12 | 04/21/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Tsemes Bay | |
| 13 | 04/24/1943 | 1 Me-109 | south of the Myskhako state farm | |
| 14 | 04/30/1943 | 1 Me-109 | east of Akhtyrskaya | |
| 15 | 05/04/1943 | 2 Ju-87 | Nizhnebakanskaya | |
| 16 | 1 Me-109 | south of Sementsovsky | ||
| 17 | 05/05/1943 | 1 Me-109 | south of Nizhnebakanskaya | |
| 18 | 05/06/1943 | 1 Me-109 | south of Nizhnebakanskaya | |
| 19 | 05/08/1943 | 1 Ju-87 | west of Nizhnebakanskaya | |
| 20 | 1 Me-109 | Moldavian | ||
| 21 | 05/14/1943 | 1 Ju-87 | west of Nizhnebakanskaya | |
| 22 | 05/29/1943 | 1 Ju-88 | Varenikovskaya | |
| 23 | 05/31/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Crimean | |
| 24 | 06/14/1943 | 1 Me-109 | north of Kolobatka | |
| 25 | 1 Me-109 | northwest of Slavyanskaya | ||
| 26 | 07/22/1943 | 1 Me-109 | southwest of Kyiv | |
| 27 | 07/23/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Kalinovsky-1 | |
| 28 | 08/17/1943 | 1 Ju-88 | Kramatorskaya - Balbasovka | |
| 29 | 08/22/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Uspenskaya | |
| 30 | 08/23/1943 | 1 Ju-87 | northwest of Artemovka | |
| 31 | 09/19/1943 | 1 Ju-88 | east of Patience | |
| 32 | 09/21/1943 | 2 Ju-87 | northeast of Big Tokmak | |
| 33 | 1 Ju-88 | north of Big Tokmak | ||
| 34 | 1 Ju-88 | southwest of Melochansk | ||
| 35 | 10/07/1943 | 1 Ju-88 | western outskirts of Tambovka | |
| 36 | 05.11.1943 | 1 Ju-52 | fell into the Black Sea | |
| 37 | 06.11.1943 | 1 Ju-52 | fell into the Black Sea | |
| 38 | 11/19/1943 | 1 Ju-52 | south of Tenderovskaya Spit | |
| 39 | November 28, 1943 | 1 Ju-87 | east of Russky Island | |
| 40 | 12/16/1943 | 1 "Storch" | southwest of Kalinovka | |
| 41 | 07/16/1944 | 1 Ju-87 | west of Tobulev | |
| 42 | 1 Ju-87 | west of Sushno | ||
Total aircraft shot down - 46 + 6 [43 + 3]; combat sorties - more than 650; air battles - about 140. |
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Pilot, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, air marshal, Honorary citizen of the city of Novosibirsk.
A.I. Pokryshkin is an outstanding Russian pilot, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, whose name is associated with innovative approaches to the tactics of using combat aviation.
Born on March 6, 1913 in Novonikolaevsk (Novosibirsk) into a poor family of immigrants from the Vyatka province.
In 1928, Pokryshkin successfully completed the seven-year school. For some time he worked as a roofer, and in the spring of 1930, against the will of his father, he entered the school of the Sibkombaynstroy factory school and left home for a dormitory. After 4 years, on a Komsomol ticket, he was sent to Perm, to an aviation school. In September 1938, during his vacation, in 17 days he mastered the two-year flying club program and passed the exam as an external student. Pokryshkin was sent to flight school, and again, with excellent marks, less than a year later he graduated from the famous Kachin pilot school and was assigned to the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Pokryshkin met the war in Moldova and already on June 23 opened a personal account - he shot down the first Me-109. But soon - on July 3 - he himself was hit by anti-aircraft fire. While in the medical unit, he began keeping an album, “Fighter Tactics in Combat,” in which he developed new tactical techniques for air combat.
A.I. Pokryshkin went on the attack with eight fighters against 91 enemy aircraft, four against 50, three against 23, alone against eight and did not know defeat. They reported to Goering about his battle tactics, and the Nazis started a real hunt for him - to no avail. German observers on the ground and in the air warned their pilots: “Attention! Attention! Pokryshkin is in the sky! Alexander Ivanovich always remembered himself and never tired of repeating Suvorov’s rule to his subordinates: “Die yourself, but save your comrade,” and therefore in every battle with the enemy he took upon himself the most dangerous thing - the attack of the leader.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin not only mastered the highest personal art of air combat, not only excellently led these battles in the air, each time choosing the most advantageous battle formations and destroying the maximum number of enemy aircraft, but he also knew how to best prepare the flight crew on the ground for operations in the air.
Air Marshal Pokryshkin became the only three times Hero of the Soviet Union to receive all three Gold Stars during the war.
In 1948 he graduated from the Military Academy named after. Frunze, and then the Academy of the General Staff. A fearless warrior, a patriot of his Motherland and his people, a man of honor and decency - he never pursued glory. Only in 1953 A.I. Pokryshkin received the rank of general, although he already commanded a division during the war.
At the end of the 60s, Alexander Ivanovich became deputy commander-in-chief of air defense, working in this position for about four years, and then, in 1972, he was appointed chairman of the DOSAAF Central Committee and was awarded the rank of marshal.
Having headed the defense society, A.I. Pokryshkin held this post for almost ten years and played a special role in the history of DOSAAF.
Three times Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin was awarded six Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov II degree, Order of the Patriotic War I degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” III degree, 11 foreign orders, many medals.
Both during the war and after its end, Alexander Ivanovich’s connection with his native Novosibirsk was not interrupted. On every visit to the city where he spent his childhood and youth, the famous pilot always visited the Sibselmash plant.-Here he worked in his youth and here he received a ticket to a flying school.
Despite his busy career and social activities, Alexander Ivanovich also found time to engage in literary work. In 1966, his book of memoirs, “The Sky of War,” was published, and much later (after his death) the story “Knowing Yourself in Battle.” Books by A.I. Pokryshkin’s works are still popular not only among war veterans, but also among young people.
LITERATURE:
- The man from the legend Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin. Biobibliographic index. - Novosibirsk, 2013. - 113 p.
- Golden names of Novosibirsk: Honorary citizens and residents of the city (1910-2007). - Novosibirsk, 2008. - P. 38-45.
- Kronich G. High destiny // Creators: Essays about people who wrote their names in the history of Novosibirsk. T.1. - Novosibirsk, 2003. - P. 358-366.
- Petrushin N. The height of his feat // Soviet Siberia. - 2003. - March 5. - P. 3.
- Shumilov V.N. Pokryshkin A.N. // Novosibirsk: Encyclopedia. - Novosibirsk, 2003. - P. 681-682.
ISSUE LIST:
- Pokryshkina, M.K. In the sky - Pokryshkin: [Fragm. book memoirs of M.K. Pokryshkina "Rise, star of memories!" about the thrice Hero of the Owls. Union Air Marshal A.I. Pokryshkin]
- Ustinov, Yu. S. "Falcon Strike" Pokryshkina: [Major General, member. society All-Russian Council in memory of three times Hero of the Owls. Union of A.I. Pokryshkin about some episodes of the combat biogr. pilot]
- Pokryshkina, M.K. Ace in the epicenter of a muddy thunderstorm: [Conversation with the widow of A.I. Pokryshkin, three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Union (Novosibirsk)] / M.K. Pokryshkina; prepared text by A. Timofeev
- Koshelev, A. Family of the hero: little-known pages: To the 85th anniversary of the birth of A.I. Pokryshkin, [three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Union, a native of Novosibirsk (1913-1985): About the history of the family (from the moment of the birth of parents, I.P. Pokryshkin and K.S. Mosunova, in the 2nd half of the 80s of the XIX century in Vyatka provinces)
Since the spring of 1943, the words “Attention, attention, Pokryshkin is in the sky!”, heard from German warning posts, meant the urgent need to increase caution, get out of protracted air battles, “hunters” to gain altitude, young and inexperienced pilots to return to airfields.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that these words are one of the brightest signs of recognition of the flying skill and courage of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, a Soviet ace pilot, one of the most successful fighter pilots among the pilots of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin - the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, holder of six Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, four Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Suvorov II degree, Order of the Patriotic War I degree, two Orders of the Red Star, Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" " In addition, Pokryshkin was awarded medals “For Military Merit”, “For Defense of the Caucasus”, “For Victory over Germany”, “For the Liberation of Prague”, “For the Capture of Berlin” and many others. Pokryshkin was awarded orders and medals from the USA, the GDR, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Cuba, Mongolia and other countries.
During the Great Patriotic War, Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin made 650 sorties, conducted 156 air battles, shot down 59 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group. Sometimes, however, they name a different number of planes shot down by Pokryshkin; some authors reduce their number, while others, on the contrary, increase it somewhat. At present, it is not possible to give the exact number of planes shot down by Pokryshkin for a number of reasons. First of all, because not all downed planes in the chaos of the war were properly documented; in addition, Pokryshkin sometimes “gifted” downed planes to his wingmen. But, be that as it may, Pokryshkin remains one of the greatest fighter pilots.
It all started before the war. Alexander Pokryshkin was born in 1913 in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk), into a working-class family. He was passionate about aviation since childhood. After graduating from school, Alexander worked in construction for some time, and in 1932 he went to serve in the army. In 1933, Pokryshkin graduated from the Perm Aviation School, then studied at advanced training courses for the technical staff of the Red Army Air Force named after K. E. Voroshilov at the 1st Military School of Aviation Technicians in Leningrad, and at the Krasnodar Aero Club. In November 1938, he was sent to study at the Kachin Red Banner Military Aviation School, which he graduated with honors in November 1939. With the rank of lieutenant, A.I. Pokryshkin was assigned to the position of junior pilot in the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was part of the Air Force of the Odessa Military District. In 1940, the regiment was redeployed to Moldova, the city of Balti.
Pokryshkin went through the entire war, from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945, participated in defensive operations in Molavia, the Donbass, the Rostov region, in air battles in the Kuban, in the Crimea, fought as part of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts , participated in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, took Berlin. In addition, in 1943, as part of the 16th Guards Aviation Regiment, he flew to Iran to entrust new equipment supplied under Lend-Lease, and tested American aircraft and new domestic types of fighters, starting with the Yak-1, in combat conditions.
However, this brilliant military career could have ended before it began. And that's why. Alexander Pokryshkin shot down his first plane on June 22, 1941. It was... a Soviet aircraft of the 211th Bomber Regiment - a light bomber SU-2. This disaster happened due to a pure misunderstanding. The fact is that such bombers appeared in our units just before the war and their appearance was unfamiliar to fighters. Pokryshkin, through a misunderstanding, mistook the SU-2 for an enemy aircraft. The future ace was saved by the chaos of the first day of the war and got off with a scolding. In addition, the pilot of our bomber survived the fall.
There was one more moment that could have cost Pokryshkin not only his career, but his freedom and, possibly, his life.
This was in 1942. Pokryshkin was already known as an excellent pilot and commanded a squadron. He had a serious conflict with the regiment commander N.V. Isaev. Pokryshkin was not just a brilliant pilot, he was an innovator and theorist of air combat. He considered the tactics that had developed by this time to be outdated and worked hard on more advanced and modern approaches. According to the recollections of his colleagues, he “drew diagrams, made calculations, applied formulas, the laws of aerodynamics of subsonic speeds. His famous album of standard attacks was widely known to the pilots. His dugout was called the “air academy.” Isaev did not accept criticism of the outdated tactics of Soviet aviation. A series of conflicts led to Pokryshkin being expelled from the party and removed from office. Moreover, once there was a skirmish in the officers' mess, on the basis of which an entire case against Pokryshkin was fabricated. It was sent for trial to a military tribunal. God knows how this story would have ended if not for the intercession of the regiment commissar and higher authorities. The case was dropped, Pokryshkin was returned his party card and reinstated in his position.
Pokryshkin’s innovation lay in the fact that he abandoned the construction of the battle in a horizontal plane, as had been the case until now. By this time, new aircraft and engines had appeared, horizontal and vertical speeds had increased, and the opportunity arose to “climb to heights,” as the pilots said. Pokryshkin’s formula for victory in air combat was as follows: “altitude - speed - maneuver - fire.”
Here is just one example of the application of this formula by Pokryshkin himself.
On April 12, 1943, over the Kuban, while patrolling at high altitude, Guard Captain Pokryshkin saw two pairs of Messerschmitts that were above him. This was the favorite tactic of the German aces: deliver an unexpected stab in the back and escape again. But Pokryshkin sharply threw his fighter up. Having gained altitude, he crossed it and launched an attack from a dive. A well-aimed burst - and one “Messer” went to the ground.
Even at the moment of climbing, Pokryshkin saw that a couple of our fighters were being attacked by four Messerschmitts. He did not attack the fascist he had shot down, but rushed to the aid of his comrades. He hit one Messer with shells, jumped down, turned the plane around and went head-on at the third enemy fighter. Everything in this fight was decided by seconds. Tires carried out three effective attacks - and each one was unique. From above, from below, a frontal attack - it all happened. And in every situation he found the only correct solution and instantly put it into action.
One of the merits of Alexander Pokryshkin should include this fact. That it was his idea to use highways as a landing strip. This played a decisive role during the fighting in Germany.
After the war A.I. Pokryshkin graduated from the Military Academy named after. Frunze, received the rank of major general of aviation, and held positions in the country's high air defense command. Since January 1972, he was chairman of the DOSAAF Central Committee, and since November 1981, he was a military inspector-adviser of the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin died on November 13, 1985 at the age of 72 years.
Alexander Pokryshkin is a shining example of heroism and patriotism. This Soviet pilot ace became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union and rose to the rank of Marshal of the USSR Aviation.
short biography
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was born March 6, 1913 in Novonikolaevsk (modern Novosibirsk). His parents were factory workers. Since childhood, Alexander devoted a lot of time to study.
From the age of 12, Sasha was passionate about aviation. He watched with admiration the flights of the first airplanes.
Study period
After Alexander Pokryshkin graduated from 7-year school in 1928, he got a job in construction. After 2 years he entered Novosibirsk Technical School, where he studied the profession of a metalworker.
After another 1.5 years, Alexander studied at the evening department of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering. In parallel with his studies, he worked as a toolmaker at a factory. "Sibkombinatstroy".
Beginning of service in the Red Army
In summer 1932 Alexander Pokryshkin voluntarily enlisted in the Red Army. In his first year of service, he studied at the Perm Aviation School to become an aircraft technician.
Then he studied at the advanced training courses for the technical staff of the Red Army Air Force named after K. E. Voroshilov at the 1st Military School of Aviation Technicians in Leningrad.
At the end of 1934, Alexander became senior aviation technician air communications unit of the 74th Infantry Division of the North Caucasus Military District (Krasnodar) and remained in this position until November 1938.
During this period, he proposed several improvements to the ShKAS machine gun and a number of other weapons.
Service during the Great Patriotic War
Alexander Pokryshkin went through the entire war: from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945. Due to its proximity to the border, its airfield was bombed on the first day of the war.
First year of the war
In battle on June 26, 1941, he won his first victory, shooting down a fighter during reconnaissance. Messerschmitt Bf.109. On July 3, having won another victory, he was hit by a German anti-aircraft gun behind the front line and spent four days making his way to his unit.
During the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin, seeing how outdated the Soviet Air Force's tactics were, began jotting down his ideas in a notebook. He carefully recorded all the details of the air battles in which he and his friends participated, and made a detailed analysis.
By mid-November 1941, the ace pilot completed 190 combat missions, including the vast majority - 144 sorties - to attack enemy ground forces. In June-December 1941, he shot down 2 German aircraft personally and 1 in a group.
1942
Since 1942, Pokryshkin served on the Southern and North Caucasian fronts. He was in a very difficult relationship with the new regiment commander N.V. Isaev. The latter did not accept Pokryshkin’s criticism of the outdated tactics of Soviet fighter aviation at all.
A series of their conflicts led to the fact that Alexander was first removed from his post, then expelled from the party, and from a skirmish that took place in the flight mess with officers of a neighboring regiment “blinded” a case against him, which was sent for consideration to a military tribunal in Baku.
Only the intercession of the regiment commissar and superior officers saved the combat pilot. The case was dropped, and he himself was reinstated in the party and in his position.
For 1942 A.I. Pokryshkin shot down 1 German plane personally and 1 in a group.
1943
On April 9, 1943, during his first flight on the new Airacobra aircraft with tail number “100”, Pokryshkin shot down a Bf.109.
In air battles in the Kuban against the famous German fighter aircraft, Alexander Ivanovich showed himself in all his brilliance talent of a skilled air fighter and masters of tactics.
His new air policing tactics, such as "speed swing", "Kuban bookcase", and the use of ground-based radars, as well as an advanced ground control system, brought the Soviet Air Force its first major victory over the Luftwaffe.
Knock down the leader
In most missions, Pokryshkin took on the most difficult task - knock down the leader. As he understood from the experience of 1941-1942, knocking out the leader meant demoralizing the enemy and often thereby forcing him to return to his airfield.
In April 1943, he shot down 10 German planes. At the same time Pokryshkin received his first title Hero of the Soviet Union. In May 1943, he shot down 12 aircraft and 2 in June. Pokryshkin received the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union on August 24, 1943. In the air battle in Kuban, he personally shot down 22 enemy aircraft, many of his students became aces, and Pokryshkin gained all-Union fame. By the end of 1943, he had completed 550 combat missions, conducted 137 air battles, and shot down 53 enemy aircraft.
1944
In February 1944, the hero pilot received a promotion and an offer to continue serving in Main Headquarters of the Red Army Air Force- manage the training of new pilots. But a combat pilot rejected this proposal and remained in his regiment.
From the beginning of May 1944 - again in battles on the 2nd Ukrainian and from July - on the 1st Ukrainian front. In June 1944 Pokryshkin received the rank of colonel and took command of the 9th Guards Air Division.
Three times Hero of the USSR
On August 19, 1944, after 550 combat missions and 53 official victories, Pokryshkin was awarded Golden Star of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. He became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union in the country.
1945
In 1945, Colonel Alexander Pokryshkin commanded the division during various offensive operations. The division under his command received the honorary name “Berlin” and was awarded three orders. Pokryshkin himself performed his last combat mission on April 30, 1945. He took part in the 1945 Victory Parade as a standard bearer of the 1st Ukrainian Front.
In the USSR it was officially believed that during the war years Pokryshkin committed 650 sorties, carried out 156 air battles, shot down 59 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group.