Any war is a terrible grief for any people that it affects in one way or another. Throughout its history, humanity has experienced many wars, two of which were world wars. The First World War almost completely destroyed Europe and led to the fall of some major empires, such as the Russian and Austro-Hungarian ones. But even more terrible in its scale was the Second World War, in which many countries from almost all over the world were involved. Millions of people died, and many more were left homeless. This terrible event still affects modern man in one way or another. Its echoes can be found everywhere in our lives. This tragedy left behind a lot of mysteries, disputes over which have not subsided for decades. The heaviest burden was assumed in this life-and-death battle by the Soviet Union, which was not yet fully strengthened from the revolution and civil wars and was only expanding its military and peaceful industry. An irreconcilable rage and desire to fight the invaders who encroached on the territorial integrity and freedom of the proletarian state settled in the hearts of people. Many went to the front voluntarily. At the same time, the evacuated industrial facilities were reorganized to produce products for the needs of the front. The struggle has assumed a truly national scale. That is why it is called the Great Patriotic War.

Who are the aces?

Both the German and Soviet armies were well trained and equipped with equipment, aircraft and other weapons. The personnel numbered in the millions. The collision of such two war machines gave birth to its heroes and its traitors. Some of those who can rightfully be considered heroes are the aces of World War II. Who are they and why are they so famous? An ace can be considered a person who has achieved heights in his field of activity that few others have managed to conquer. And even in such a dangerous and terrible matter as the military, there have always been their professionals. Both the USSR and the Allied forces, and Nazi Germany had people who showed the best results in terms of the number of enemy equipment or manpower destroyed. This article will tell about these heroes.

The list of World War II aces is extensive and includes many individuals famous for their exploits. They were an example for an entire people, they were adored and admired.

Aviation is without a doubt one of the most romantic, but at the same time dangerous branches of the military. Since any equipment can fail at any time, the job of a pilot is considered very honorable. It requires iron endurance, discipline, and the ability to control oneself in any situation. Therefore, aviation aces were treated with great respect. After all, to be able to show good results in such conditions when your life depends not only on technology, but also on yourself is the highest degree of military art. So, who are these ace pilots of World War II, and why are their exploits so famous?

One of the most successful Soviet ace pilots was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub. Officially, during his service on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, he shot down 62 German aircraft, and he is also credited with 2 American fighters, which he destroyed at the end of the war. This record-breaking pilot served in the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment and flew a La-7 aircraft.

The second most productive during the war was Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin (who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times). He fought in Southern Ukraine, in the Black Sea region, and liberated Europe from the Nazis. During his service he shot down 59 enemy aircraft. He did not stop flying even when he was appointed commander of the 9th Guards Aviation Division, and achieved some of his aerial victories while already in this position.

Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev is one of the most famous military pilots, who set a record of 4 flights per destroyed aircraft. In total, during his military service he destroyed 57 enemy aircraft. Twice awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

He also had a high result. He shot down 55 German aircraft. Kozhedub, who happened to serve for some time with Evstigneev in the same regiment, spoke very respectfully of this pilot.

But, despite the fact that the tank forces were one of the most numerous in the Soviet army, for some reason the USSR did not have ace tankers of the Second World War. Why this is so is unknown. It is logical to assume that many personal scores were deliberately inflated or underestimated, so it is not possible to name the exact number of victories of the above-mentioned masters of tank combat.

German tank aces

But the German tank aces of World War II have a much longer track record. This is largely due to the pedantry of the Germans, who strictly documented everything, and they had much more time to fight than their Soviet “colleagues.” The German army began active operations back in 1939.

German tanker No. 1 is Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann. He fought with many tanks (Stug III, Tiger I) and destroyed 138 vehicles throughout the war, as well as 132 self-propelled artillery installations from various enemy countries. For his successes he was repeatedly awarded various orders and badges of the Third Reich. Killed in action in 1944 in France.

You can also highlight such a tank ace as For those who are in one way or another interested in the history of the development of the tank forces of the Third Reich, the book of his memoirs “Tigers in the Mud” will be very useful. During the war years, this man destroyed 150 Soviet and American self-propelled guns and tanks.

Kurt Knispel is another record-breaking tanker. During his military service, he knocked out 168 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns. About 30 cars are unconfirmed, which prevents him from matching Wittmann's results. Knispel died in battle near the village of Vostits in Czechoslovakia in 1945.

In addition, Karl Bromann had good results - 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Ernst Barkmann - 66 tanks and self-propelled guns, Erich Mausberg - 53 tanks and self-propelled guns.

As can be seen from these results, both Soviet and German tank aces of World War II knew how to fight. Of course, the quantity and quality of Soviet combat vehicles was an order of magnitude higher than that of the Germans, however, as practice has shown, both were used quite successfully and became the basis for some post-war tank models.

But the list of military branches in which their masters distinguished themselves does not end there. Let's talk a little about submarine aces.

Masters of Submarine Warfare

Just as in the case of aircraft and tanks, the most successful are the German sailors. Over the years of its existence, Kriegsmarine submariners sank 2,603 ​​ships of allied countries, the total displacement of which reaches 13.5 million tons. This is a truly impressive figure. And the German submarine aces of World War II could also boast of impressive personal accounts.

The most successful German submariner is Otto Kretschmer, who has 44 ships, including 1 destroyer. The total displacement of the ships sunk by him is 266,629 tons.

In second place is Wolfgang Lüth, who sent 43 enemy ships to the bottom (and according to other sources - 47) with a total displacement of 225,712 tons.

He was also a famous naval ace who even managed to sink the British battleship Royal Oak. This was one of the first officers to receive oak leaves; Prien destroyed 30 ships. Killed in 1941 during an attack on a British convoy. He was so popular that his death was hidden from the people for two months. And on the day of his funeral, mourning was declared throughout the country.

Such successes of German sailors are also quite understandable. The fact is that Germany began a naval war back in 1940, with a blockade of Britain, thus hoping to undermine its naval greatness and, taking advantage of this, to successfully capture the islands. However, very soon the plans of the Nazis were thwarted, as America entered the war with its large and powerful fleet.

The most famous Soviet submarine sailor is Alexander Marinesko. He sank only 4 ships, but what ones! The heavy passenger liner "Wilhelm Gustloff", the transport "General von Steuben", as well as 2 units of the heavy floating battery "Helene" and "Siegfried". For his exploits, Hitler added the sailor to his list of personal enemies. But Marinesko’s fate did not work out well. He fell out of favor with the Soviet regime and died, and people stopped talking about his exploits. The great sailor received the Hero of the Soviet Union award only posthumously in 1990. Unfortunately, many USSR aces of World War II ended their lives in a similar way.

Also famous submariners of the Soviet Union are Ivan Travkin - he sank 13 ships, Nikolai Lunin - also 13 ships, Valentin Starikov - 14 ships. But Marinesko topped the list of the best submariners of the Soviet Union, as he caused the greatest damage to the German navy.

Accuracy and stealth

Well, how can we not remember such famous fighters as snipers? Here the Soviet Union takes the well-deserved palm from Germany. Soviet sniper aces of World War II had a very high track record. In many ways, such results were achieved thanks to massive government training of the civilian population in shooting from various weapons. About 9 million people were awarded the Voroshilov Shooter badge. So, what are the most famous snipers?

The name of Vasily Zaitsev frightened the Germans and inspired courage in Soviet soldiers. This ordinary guy, a hunter, killed 225 Wehrmacht soldiers with his Mosin rifle in just a month of fighting at Stalingrad. Among the outstanding sniper names are Fedor Okhlopkov, who (during the entire war) accounted for about a thousand Nazis; Semyon Nomokonov, who killed 368 enemy soldiers. There were also women among the snipers. An example of this is the famous Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who fought near Odessa and Sevastopol.

German snipers are less known, although several sniper schools have existed in Germany since 1942, which provided professional training. Among the most successful German shooters are Matthias Hetzenauer (345 killed), (257 killed), Bruno Sutkus (209 soldiers shot). Also a famous sniper from the countries of the Hitler bloc is Simo Haiha - this Finn killed 504 Red Army soldiers during the war years (according to unconfirmed reports).

Thus, the sniper training of the Soviet Union was immeasurably higher than that of the German troops, which allowed Soviet soldiers to bear the proud title of aces of the Second World War.

How did you become aces?

So, the concept of “ace of World War II” is quite broad. As already mentioned, these people achieved truly impressive results in their business. This was achieved not only through good army training, but also through outstanding personal qualities. After all, for a pilot, for example, coordination and quick reaction are very important, for a sniper - the ability to wait for the right moment to sometimes fire a single shot.

Accordingly, it is impossible to determine who had the best aces of World War II. Both sides performed unparalleled heroism, which made it possible to single out individual people from the general mass. But it was possible to become a master only by training hard and improving your combat skills, since war does not tolerate weakness. Of course, dry statistics will not be able to convey to modern people all the hardships and adversities that war professionals experienced during their rise to the honorary pedestal.

We, the generation that lives without knowing such terrible things, should not forget about the exploits of our predecessors. They can become an inspiration, a reminder, a memory. And we must try to do everything to ensure that such terrible events as the past wars do not happen again.

Our ace pilots terrified the Germans during the Great Patriotic War. The exclamation “Akhtung! Akhtung! Pokryshkin is in the sky!” became widely known. But Alexander Pokryshkin was not the only Soviet ace. We remembered the most productive ones.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

Ivan Kozhedub was born in 1920 in the Chernigov province. He is considered the most successful Russian fighter pilot in personal combat, with 64 aircraft shot down. The start of the famous pilot’s career was unsuccessful; in the very first battle, his plane was seriously damaged by an enemy Messerschmitt, and when returning to base, he was mistakenly fired upon by Russian anti-aircraft gunners, and only by a miracle did he manage to land. The plane could not be restored, and they even wanted to repurpose the unlucky newcomer, but the regiment commander stood up for him. Only during his 40th combat mission on the Kursk Bulge, Kozhedub, having already become a “father” - deputy squadron commander, shot down his first “laptezhnik”, as ours called the German “Junkers”. After that, the count went to tens.

Kozhedub fought his last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, in the skies over Berlin. In addition, Kozhedub also has two American Mustang planes shot down in 1945, which attacked him, mistaking his fighter for a German plane. The Soviet ace acted according to the principle that he professed even when working with cadets - “any unknown aircraft is an enemy.” Throughout the war, Kozhedub was never shot down, although his plane often received very serious damage.

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin

Pokryshkin is one of the most famous aces of Russian aviation. Born in 1913 in Novosibirsk. He won his first victory on the second day of the war, shooting down a German Messerschmitt. In total, he has 59 planes shot down personally and 6 in a group. However, this is only official statistics, since, as the commander of an air regiment, and then an air division, Pokryshkin sometimes gave downed planes to young pilots in order to encourage them in this way.

His notebook, entitled “Fighter Tactics in Combat,” became a veritable manual for air warfare. They say that the Germans warned about the appearance of the Russian ace with the phrase: “Akhtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin in the air." The one who shot down Pokryshkin was promised a big reward, but the Russian pilot turned out to be too tough for the Germans. Pokryshkin is considered the inventor of the “Kuban whatnot” - a tactical method of air combat; the Germans nicknamed him the “Kuban escalator”, since the planes arranged in pairs resembled a giant staircase. In the battle, German planes leaving the first stage came under attack from the second, and then the third stage. His other favorite techniques were the falcon kick and the high-speed swing. It is worth noting that Pokryshkin won most of his victories in the first years of the war, when the Germans had a significant superiority in the air.

Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev

Born in 1918 in the village of Aksayskaya near Rostov. His first battle is reminiscent of the feat of the Grasshopper from the movie “Only Old Men Go to Battle”: without an order, for the first time in his life, taking off at night under the howl of an air raid on his Yak, he managed to shoot down a German Heinkel night fighter. For such self-will, he was punished and presented with a reward.

Subsequently, Gulaev usually did not limit himself to one downed plane per mission; three times he scored four victories in a day, twice destroyed three planes, and made a double in seven battles. In total, he shot down 57 aircraft personally and 3 in a group. Gulaev rammed one enemy plane when it ran out of ammunition, after which he himself got into a tailspin and barely had time to eject. His risky style of fighting became a symbol of the romantic trend in the art of aerial combat.

Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov

Born in 1920 in the Perm province. On the eve of the war, a slight degree of color blindness was discovered at the medical flight commission, but the regiment commander did not even look at the medical report - pilots were very much needed. He won his first victory on the outdated I-153 biplane number 13, which was unlucky for the Germans, as he joked. Then he ended up in Pokryshkin’s group and was trained on the Airacobra, an American fighter that became famous for its tough temperament - it very easily went into a tailspin at the slightest mistake by the pilot; the Americans themselves were reluctant to fly such aircraft. In total, he shot down 56 aircraft personally and 6 in a group. Perhaps no other ace of ours personally has such a variety of types of downed aircraft as Rechkalov, these include bombers, attack aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, fighters, transport aircraft, and relatively rare trophies - “Savoy” and PZL -24.

Georgy Dmitrievich Kostylev

Born in Oranienbaum, present-day Lomonosov, in 1914. He began his flight practice in Moscow at the legendary Tushinsky airfield, where the Spartak stadium is now being built. The legendary Baltic ace, who covered the skies over Leningrad and won the largest number of victories in naval aviation, personally shot down at least 20 enemy aircraft and 34 in the group.

He shot down his first Messerschmitt on July 15, 1941. He fought on a British Hurricane, received under lend-lease, on the left side of which there was a large inscription “For Rus'!” In February 1943, he ended up in a penal battalion for causing destruction in the house of a major in the quartermaster service. Kostylev was amazed by the abundance of dishes with which he treated his guests, and could not restrain himself, since he knew first-hand what was happening in the besieged city. He was deprived of his awards, demoted to the Red Army and sent to the Oranienbaum bridgehead, to the places where he spent his childhood. The penalty officers saved the hero, and already in April he again takes his fighter into the air and wins victory over the enemy. Later he was reinstated in rank and his awards were returned, but he never received the second Hero Star.

Maresyev Alexey Petrovich

A legendary man, who became the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy’s story “The Tale of a Real Man,” a symbol of the courage and perseverance of the Russian warrior. Born in 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Saratov province. In a battle with the Germans, his plane was shot down, and the pilot, wounded in the legs, managed to land on territory occupied by the Germans. After which he crawled to his people for 18 days, in the hospital both legs were amputated. But Maresyev managed to return to duty, he learned to walk on prosthetics and took to the skies again. At first they didn’t trust him; anything can happen in battle, but Maresyev proved that he could fight no worse than others. As a result, to the 4 German planes shot down before the injury, 7 more were added. Polevoy’s story about Maresyev was allowed to be published only after the war, so that the Germans, God forbid, would not think that there was no one to fight in the Soviet army, they had to send disabled people.

Popkov Vitaly Ivanovich

This pilot also cannot be ignored, because it was he who became one of the most famous incarnations of an ace pilot in cinema - the prototype of the famous Maestro from the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle.” The “Singing Squadron” actually existed in the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where Popkov served, it had its own choir, and two aircraft were given to it by Leonid Utesov himself.

Popkov was born in Moscow in 1922. He won his first victory in June 1942 over the city of Kholm. He took part in battles on the Kalinin Front, on the Don and the Kursk Bulge. In total, he flew 475 combat missions, conducted 117 air battles, and personally shot down 41 enemy aircraft plus 1 in the group. On the last day of the war, Popkov, in the sky over Brno, shot down the legendary German Hartmann, the most successful ace of World War II, but he managed to land and survive, however, this still did not save him from captivity. Popkov's popularity was so great that a monument was erected to him during his lifetime in Moscow.

Most of the names from the list of ace pilots of the Great Patriotic War are well known to everyone. However, besides Pokryshkin and Kozhedub, among the Soviet aces, another master of air combat is undeservedly forgotten, whose courage and courage even the most titled and successful pilots can envy.

Better than Kozhedub, better than Hartman...
The names of the Soviet aces of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin, are known to everyone who is at least superficially familiar with Russian history. Kozhedub and Pokryshkin are the most successful Soviet fighter pilots. The first has 64 enemy aircraft shot down personally, the second has 59 personal victories, and he shot down 6 more planes in the group.
The name of the third most successful Soviet pilot is known only to aviation enthusiasts. During the war, Nikolai Gulaev destroyed 57 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in a group.
An interesting detail - Kozhedub needed 330 sorties and 120 air battles to achieve his result, Pokryshkin - 650 sorties and 156 air battles. Gulaev achieved his result by carrying out 290 sorties and conducting 69 air battles.
Moreover, according to award documents, in his first 42 air battles he destroyed 42 enemy aircraft, that is, on average, each battle ended for Gulaev with a destroyed enemy aircraft.
Fans of military statistics have calculated that Nikolai Gulaev’s efficiency coefficient, that is, the ratio of air battles to victories, was 0.82. For comparison, for Ivan Kozhedub it was 0.51, and for Hitler’s ace Erich Hartmann, who officially shot down the most aircraft during World War II, it was 0.4.
At the same time, people who knew Gulaev and fought with him claimed that he generously recorded many of his victories on his wingmen, helping them receive orders and money - Soviet pilots were paid for each enemy aircraft shot down. Some believe that the total number of planes shot down by Gulaev could reach 90, which, however, cannot be confirmed or denied today.

A guy from the Don.
Many books have been written and many films have been made about Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, air marshals.
Nikolai Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, was close to the third “Golden Star”, but never received it and did not become a marshal, remaining a colonel general. And in general, if in the post-war years Pokryshkin and Kozhedub were always in the public eye, engaged in the patriotic education of youth, then Gulaev, who was practically in no way inferior to his colleagues, remained in the shadows all the time.
Perhaps the fact is that both the war and post-war biography of the Soviet ace was rich in episodes that do not fit well into the image of an ideal hero.
Nikolai Gulaev was born on February 26, 1918 in the village of Aksai, which has now become the city of Aksai in the Rostov region. The Don freemen were in the blood and character of Nicholas from the first days until the end of his life. After graduating from a seven-year school and a vocational school, he worked as a mechanic at one of the Rostov factories.
Like many of the youth of the 1930s, Nikolai became interested in aviation and attended a flying club. This hobby helped in 1938, when Gulaev was drafted into the army. The amateur pilot was sent to the Stalingrad Aviation School, from which he graduated in 1940. Gulaev was assigned to air defense aviation, and in the first months of the war he provided cover for one of the industrial centers in the rear.

Reprimand complete with reward.
Gulaev arrived at the front in August 1942 and immediately demonstrated both the talent of a combat pilot and the wayward character of a native of the Don steppes.
Gulaev did not have permission to fly at night, and when on August 3, 1942, Hitler’s planes appeared in the area of ​​responsibility of the regiment where the young pilot served, experienced pilots took to the skies. But then the mechanic egged Nikolai on:
- What are you waiting for? The plane is ready, fly!
Gulaev, deciding to prove that he was no worse than the “old men,” jumped into the cockpit and took off. And in the very first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, he destroyed a German bomber. When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the arriving general said: “For the fact that I flew out without permission, I am reprimanding, and for the fact that I shot down an enemy plane, I am promoting him in rank and presenting him for a reward.”

Nugget.
His star shone especially brightly during the battles on the Kursk Bulge. On May 14, 1943, repelling a raid on the Grushka airfield, he single-handedly entered into battle with three Yu-87 bombers, covered by four Me-109s. Having shot down two Junkers, Gulaev tried to attack the third, but ran out of ammunition. Without hesitating for a second, the pilot went to ram, shooting down another bomber. Gulaev’s uncontrollable “Yak” went into a tailspin. The pilot managed to level the plane and land it at the leading edge, but on his own territory. Having arrived at the regiment, Gulaev again flew on a combat mission on another plane.
At the beginning of July 1943, Gulaev, as part of four Soviet fighters, taking advantage of the surprise factor, attacked a German armada of 100 aircraft. Having disrupted the battle formation, shooting down 4 bombers and 2 fighters, all four returned safely to the airfield. On this day, Gulaev’s unit made several combat sorties and destroyed 16 enemy aircraft.
July 1943 was generally extremely productive for Nikolai Gulaev. This is what is recorded in his flight log: “July 5 - 6 sorties, 4 victories, July 6 - Focke-Wulf 190 shot down, July 7 - three enemy aircraft shot down as part of a group, July 8 - Me-109 shot down , July 12 - two Yu-87s were shot down.”
Hero of the Soviet Union Fedor Arkhipenko, who had the opportunity to command the squadron where Gulaev served, wrote about him: “He was a genius pilot, one of the top ten aces in the country. He never hesitated, quickly assessed the situation, his sudden and effective attack created panic and destroyed the enemy’s battle formation, which disrupted his targeted bombing of our troops. He was very brave and decisive, often came to the rescue, and sometimes one could feel the real passion of a hunter in him.”

Flying Stenka Razin.
On September 28, 1943, the deputy squadron commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (205th Fighter Aviation Division, 7th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Army, Voronezh Front), Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
At the beginning of 1944, Gulaev was appointed squadron commander. His not very rapid career growth is explained by the fact that the ace’s methods of educating his subordinates were not entirely ordinary. Thus, he cured one of the pilots of his squadron, who was afraid of getting close to the Nazis, from fear of the enemy by firing a burst from his on-board weapon next to the wingman’s cabin. The subordinate’s fear disappeared as if by hand...
The same Fyodor Archipenko in his memoirs described another characteristic episode associated with Gulaev: “Approaching the airfield, I immediately saw from the air that the parking lot of Gulaev’s plane was empty... After landing, I was informed that all six of Gulaev were shot down! Nikolai himself landed wounded at the airfield with the attack aircraft, but nothing is known about the rest of the pilots. After some time, they reported from the front line: two jumped out of planes and landed at the location of our troops, the fate of three more is unknown... And today, many years later, I see the main mistake Gulaev made then in the fact that he took with him into combat the departure of three young pilots who had not been shot at at once, who were shot down in their very first battle. True, Gulaev himself won 4 aerial victories that day, shooting down 2 Me-109, Yu-87 and Henschel.”
He was not afraid to risk himself, but he also risked his subordinates with the same ease, which sometimes seemed completely unjustified. The pilot Gulaev did not look like the “aerial Kutuzov”, but rather like the dashing Stenka Razin, who had mastered a combat fighter.
But at the same time he achieved amazing results. In one of the battles over the Prut River, at the head of six P-39 Airacobra fighters, Nikolai Gulaev attacked 27 enemy bombers, accompanied by 8 fighters. In 4 minutes, 11 enemy vehicles were destroyed, 5 of them by Gulaev personally.
In March 1944, the pilot received a short-term leave home. From this trip to the Don he came withdrawn, taciturn, and bitter. He rushed into battle frantically, with some kind of transcendental rage. During the trip home, Nikolai learned that during the occupation his father was executed by the Nazis...

The Soviet ace was almost killed by a pig...
On July 1, 1944, Guard Captain Nikolai Gulaev was awarded the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for 125 combat missions, 42 air battles, in which he shot down 42 enemy aircraft personally and 3 in a group.
And then another episode occurs, which Gulaev openly told his friends about after the war, an episode that perfectly shows his violent nature as a native of the Don. The pilot learned that he had become a twice Hero of the Soviet Union after his next flight. Fellow soldiers had already gathered at the airfield and said: the award needed to be “washed,” there was alcohol, but there were problems with snacks.
Gulaev recalled that when returning to the airfield, he saw pigs grazing. With the words “there will be a snack,” the ace boards the plane again and a few minutes later lands it near the barns, to the amazement of the pig owner.
As already mentioned, the pilots were paid for downed planes, so Nikolai had no problems with cash. The owner willingly agreed to sell the boar, who was loaded with difficulty into the combat vehicle. By some miracle, the pilot took off from a very small platform together with the boar, distraught with horror. A combat aircraft is not designed for a well-fed pig to dance inside it. Gulaev had difficulty keeping the plane in the air...
If a catastrophe had happened that day, it would probably have been the most ridiculous case of the death of a twice Hero of the Soviet Union in history. Thank God, Gulaev made it to the airfield, and the regiment cheerfully celebrated the hero’s award.
Another anecdotal incident is related to the appearance of the Soviet ace. Once in battle he managed to shoot down a reconnaissance plane piloted by a Nazi colonel, holder of four Iron Crosses. The German pilot wanted to meet with the one who managed to interrupt his brilliant career. Apparently, the German was expecting to see a stately handsome man, a “Russian bear” who would not be ashamed to lose... But instead, a young, short, plump captain Gulaev came, who, by the way, in the regiment had a not at all heroic nickname “Kolobok”. The German's disappointment knew no bounds...

A fight with political overtones.
In the summer of 1944, the Soviet command decided to recall the best Soviet pilots from the front. The war is coming to a victorious end, and the leadership of the USSR begins to think about the future. Those who distinguished themselves in the Great Patriotic War must graduate from the Air Force Academy in order to then take leadership positions in the Air Force and Air Defense.
Gulaev was also among those summoned to Moscow. He himself was not eager to go to the academy; he asked to remain in the active army, but was refused. On August 12, 1944, Nikolai Gulaev shot down his last Focke-Wulf 190.
And then a story happened, which, most likely, became the main reason why Nikolai Gulaev did not become as famous as Kozhedub and Pokryshkin. There are at least three versions of what happened, which combine two words - “brawler” and “foreigners”. Let's focus on the one that occurs most often.
According to it, Nikolai Gulaev, already a major by that time, was summoned to Moscow not only to study at the academy, but also to receive the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Considering the pilot’s combat achievements, this version does not seem implausible. Gulaev’s company included other honored aces who were awaiting awards.
The day before the ceremony in the Kremlin, Gulaev went to the restaurant of the Moscow Hotel, where his pilot friends were relaxing. However, the restaurant was crowded, and the administrator said: “Comrade, there is no room for you!” It was not worth saying such a thing to Gulaev with his explosive character, but then, unfortunately, he also came across Romanian soldiers, who at that moment were also relaxing in the restaurant. Shortly before this, Romania, which had been an ally of Germany since the beginning of the war, went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
The angry Gulaev said loudly: “Is it that there is no place for the Hero of the Soviet Union, but there is room for enemies?”
The Romanians heard the pilot’s words, and one of them uttered an insulting phrase in Russian towards Gulaev. A second later, the Soviet ace found himself near the Romanian and hit him in the face.
Not even a minute had passed before a fight broke out in the restaurant between the Romanians and Soviet pilots.
When the fighters were separated, it turned out that the pilots had beaten members of the official Romanian military delegation. The scandal reached Stalin himself, who decided to cancel the awarding of the third Hero star.
If we were talking not about the Romanians, but about the British or Americans, most likely, the matter for Gulaev would have ended quite badly. But the leader of all nations did not ruin the life of his ace because of yesterday’s opponents. Gulaev was simply sent to a unit, away from the front, Romanians and any attention in general. But how true this version is is unknown.

A general who was friends with Vysotsky.
Despite everything, in 1950 Nikolai Gulaev graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, and five years later from the General Staff Academy. He commanded the 133rd Aviation Fighter Division, located in Yaroslavl, the 32nd Air Defense Corps in Rzhev, and the 10th Air Defense Army in Arkhangelsk, which covered the northern borders of the Soviet Union.
Nikolai Dmitrievich had a wonderful family, he adored his granddaughter Irochka, was a passionate fisherman, loved to treat guests to personally pickled watermelons...
He also visited pioneer camps, participated in various veterans’ events, but still there was a feeling that instructions were given from above, in modern terms, not to promote his person too much.
Actually, there were reasons for this even at a time when Gulaev was already wearing general’s shoulder straps. For example, he could, with his authority, invite Vladimir Vysotsky to speak at the House of Officers in Arkhangelsk, ignoring the timid protests of the local party leadership. By the way, there is a version that some of Vysotsky’s songs about pilots were born after his meetings with Nikolai Gulaev.

Norwegian complaint.
Colonel General Gulaev retired in 1979. And there is a version that one of the reasons for this was a new conflict with foreigners, but this time not with the Romanians, but with the Norwegians. Allegedly, General Gulaev organized a hunt for polar bears using helicopters near the border with Norway. Norwegian border guards appealed to the Soviet authorities with a complaint about the general's actions. After this, the general was transferred to a staff position away from Norway, and then sent to a well-deserved rest.
It is impossible to say with certainty that this hunt took place, although such a plot fits very well into the vivid biography of Nikolai Gulaev. Be that as it may, the resignation had a bad effect on the health of the old pilot, who could not imagine himself without the service to which his whole life was devoted.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow, at the age of 67 years. His final resting place was the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital.

When people talk about aces of World War II, they usually mean pilots, but the role of armored vehicles and tank forces in this conflict also cannot be underestimated. There were aces among the tankers as well.

Kurt Knispel

Kurt Kniepsel is considered the most successful tank ace of World War II. He has almost 170 tanks to his name, but not all of his victories have been confirmed so far. During the war years, he destroyed 126 tanks as a gunner (20 unconfirmed), and as a heavy tank commander - 42 enemy tanks (10 unconfirmed).

Knipsel was nominated for the Knight's Cross four times, but never received this award. The tanker's biographers attribute this to his difficult character. The historian Franz Kurowski, in his book about Knipsel, writes about several incidents in which he showed far from the best discipline. In particular, he stood up for a beaten Soviet soldier and got into a fight with a German officer.

Kurt Knipsel died on April 28, 1945, after being wounded in a battle with Soviet troops near the Czech town of Vostitz. In this battle, Knipsel destroyed his 168th officially registered tank.

Michael Wittmann

It was convenient to make Michael Wittmann, unlike Kurt Knipsel, a hero of the Reich, even though not everything in his “heroic” biography was pure. Thus, he claimed that during the winter battles in Ukraine in 1943-1944 he destroyed 70 Soviet tanks. For this, on January 14, 1944, he received an extraordinary rank and was awarded the Knight's Cross and oak leaves, but after some time it became clear that in this section of the front the Red Army did not have tanks at all, and Wittmann destroyed two "thirty-fours" captured by the Germans and served in the Wehrmacht. In the darkness, Wittmann’s crew did not see the identification marks on the tank turrets and mistook them for Soviet ones. However, the German command decided not to advertise this story.
Wittmann took part in the battles on the Kursk Bulge, where, according to him, he destroyed 28 Soviet self-propelled guns and about 30 tanks.

According to German sources, as of August 8, 1944, Michael Wittmann had 138 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns and 132 artillery pieces destroyed.

Zinoviy Kolobanov

The feat of tanker Zinovy ​​Kolobanov was included in the Guinness Book of Records. On August 20, 1941, 5 tanks of the company of Senior Lieutenant Kolobanov destroyed 43 German tanks, 22 of them were knocked out within half an hour.
Kolobanov competently built a defensive position.

Kolobanov's camouflaged tanks met the German tank column with volleys. The 3 lead tanks were immediately stopped, then the gun commander Usov transferred fire to the tail of the column. The Germans were deprived of the opportunity to maneuver and were unable to leave the firing range.
Kolobanov's tank came under massive fire. During the battle, it withstood more than 150 direct hits, but the KV-1's strong armor held out.

For their feat, Kolobanov’s crew members were nominated for the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union, but the award again did not find the hero. On September 15, 1941, Zinoviy Kalabanov was seriously wounded (his spine and head were damaged) when a German shell exploded near the KV-1 while refueling the tank and loading ammunition. However, in the summer of 1945, Kolobanov returned to duty and served in the Soviet army for another 13 years.

Dmitry Lavrinenko

Dmitry Lavrinenko was the most successful Soviet tank ace of World War II. In just 2.5 months, from October to December 1941, he destroyed or disabled 52 two German tanks. Lavrinenko's success can be attributed to his determination and combat savvy. Fighting as a minority against superior enemy forces, Lavrinenko managed to get out of almost hopeless situations. In total, he had the opportunity to participate in 28 tank battles, and was burned in a tank three times.

On October 19, 1941, Lavrinenko’s tank defended Serpukhov from the German invasion. His T-34 single-handedly destroyed a motorized enemy column that was advancing along the highway from Maloyaroslavets to Serpukhov. In that battle, Lavrinenko, in addition to war trophies, managed to obtain important documents.

On December 5, 1941, the Soviet tank ace was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Even then, he had 47 destroyed tanks to his name. But the tanker was awarded only the Order of Lenin. However, by the time the award ceremony was supposed to take place, he was no longer alive.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Dmitry Lavrinenko only in 1990.

Creighton Abrams

It must be said that masters of tank combat were not only in the German and Soviet troops. The allies also had their own “aces”. Among them we can mention Creighton Abrams. His name has been preserved in history; the famous American M1 tank is named after him.

Abrams was the one who organized the tank breakthrough from the Normandy coast to the Moselle River. Creighton Abrams' tank units reached the Rhine and, with infantry support, saved the landing group surrounded by the Germans in the German rear.

Abrams' units have about 300 units of equipment, although most of them are not tanks, but supply trucks, armored personnel carriers and other auxiliary equipment. The number of destroyed tanks among the “trophies” of Abrams’ units is small - approximately 15, of which 6 are personally credited to the commander.

Abrams's main merit was that his units managed to cut off enemy communications on a large section of the front, which significantly complicated the position of the German troops, leaving them without supplies.

Anatoly Dokuchaev

ACES RANKING
Whose pilots were better in World War II?

Ivan Kozhedub, Alexander Pokryshkin, Nikolai Gulaev, Boris Safonov... These are famous Soviet aces. How do their results compare against the achievements of the best foreign pilots?

It is difficult to determine the most effective air combat master, but I think it is still possible. How? Initially, the author of the essay tried to find an appropriate technique. For this, on the advice of experts, the following criteria are applied. The first, and most important, is what kind of enemy the pilot had to fight against. The second is the nature of the pilot’s combat work, because some entered into fights in any conditions, others fought as “free hunters.” The third is the combat capabilities of their fighters and opposing vehicles. The fourth is the number (average result) of enemy aircraft shot down in one sortie, in one battle. The fifth is the number of lost fights. The sixth is the number of cars hit. The seventh is the method of counting victories. Etc. and so on. (analysis of all factual material available to the author). Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Bong, Johnson, Hartmann and other famous pilots received a certain number of points with a plus and a minus. The pilot rating (calculations were carried out on a computer) was, of course, conditional, but it is based on objective indicators.

So, Ivan Kozhedub (USSR Air Force) - 1760 points. Nikolay Gulaev (USSR Air Force) - 1600, Erich Hartmann (Luftwaffe) - 1560, Hans-Joachim Marcel (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Gerd Barkhorn (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Richard Bong (US Air Force) - 1380, Alexander Pokryshkin (USSR Air Force) - 1340. This is the first seven.

It is clear that many readers will require an explanation for the above rating, and that is why I am doing this. But first, about the strongest representatives of the air schools of World War II.

OUR

The highest result among Soviet pilots was achieved by Ivan Kozhedub - 62 aerial victories.

The legendary pilot was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy region. In 1939, he mastered the U-2 at the flying club. The following year he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots. Learns to fly UT-2 and I-16 aircraft. As one of the best cadets, he is retained as an instructor. In 1941, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, he and the school staff were evacuated to Central Asia. There he asked to join the active army, but only in November 1942 he received a assignment to the front in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Major Ignatius Soldatenko, a participant in the war in Spain.

The first combat flight took place on March 26, 1943 on a La-5. He was unsuccessful. During an attack on a pair of Messerschmitt Bf-109s, his Lavochkin was damaged and then fired upon by its own anti-aircraft artillery. Kozhedub was able to bring the car to the airfield, but it was not possible to restore it. He made his next flights on old planes and only a month later received the new La-5.

Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943. It was then that the 23-year-old pilot opened his combat account. In that fight, having entered into a battle with 12 enemy aircraft as part of the squadron, he won his first victory - he shot down a Ju87 bomber. The next day he wins a new victory. July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys two Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters. In August 1943, the young pilot became squadron commander. By October, he had already completed 146 combat missions, 20 downed aircraft, and was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on February 4, 1944). In the battles for the Dnieper, the pilots of the regiment in which Kozhedub was fighting met with Goering’s aces from the Mölders squadron and won. Ivan Kozhedub also increased his score.

In May-June 1944 he fights in the received La-5FN for #14 (a gift from collective farmer Ivan Konev). First it shoots down a Ju-87. And then over the next six days he destroys another 7 enemy vehicles, including five Fw-190s. The pilot is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (awarded on August 19, 1944)...

One day, the aviation of the 3rd Baltic Front was caused a lot of trouble by a group of German pilots led by an ace who scored 130 air victories (of which 30 were deducted from his account for destroying three of his fighters in a fever), his colleagues also had dozens of victories. To counter them, Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the front with a squadron of experienced pilots. The result of the fight was 12:2 in favor of the Soviet aces.

At the end of June, Kozhedub transferred his fighter to another ace - Kirill Evstigneev and transferred to the training regiment. However, in September 1944, the pilot was sent to Poland, to the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front in the 176th Guards Proskurov Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment (as its deputy commander) and fought using the “free hunt” method - on the latest Soviet fighter La-7. In a vehicle with #27, he would fight until the end of the war, shooting down another 17 enemy vehicles.

February 19, 1945 Kozhedub destroys an Me 262 jet aircraft over the Oder. He shoots down the sixty-first and sixty-second enemy aircraft (Fw 190) over the capital of Germany on April 17, 1945 in an air battle, which is studied as a classic example in military academies and schools. In August 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. Ivan Kozhedub finished the war with the rank of major. In 1943-1945. he completed 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles. The Soviet pilot has not lost a single fight and is the best allied aviation ace.

On the personal account of Alexander Pokryshkin - 59 downed aircraft (plus 6 in the group), Nikolai Gulaev - 57 (plus 3), Grigory Rechkalov - 56 (plus 6 in the group), Kirill Evstigneev - 53 (plus 3 in the group), Arseny Vorozheikin - 52, Dmitry Glinka - 50, Nikolai Skomorokhov - 46 (plus 8 in the group), Alexander Koldunov - 46 (plus 1 in the group), Nikolai Krasnov - 44, Vladimir Bobrov - 43 (plus 24 in the group), Sergei Morgunov - 43, Vladimir Serov - 41 (plus 6 in the group), Vitaly Popkov - 41 (plus 1 in the group), Alexey Alelyukhin - 40 (plus 17 in the group), Pavel Muravyov - 40 (plus 2 in the group).

Another 40 Soviet pilots shot down 30 to 40 aircraft each. Among them are Sergey Lugansky, Pavel Kamozin, Vladimir Lavrinenkov, Vasily Zaitsev, Alexey Smirnov, Ivan Stepanenko, Andrey Borovykh, Alexander Klubov, Alexey Ryazanov, Sultan Amet-Khan.

27 Soviet fighter pilots, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times and twice for their military exploits, scored from 22 to 62 victories, in total they shot down 1044 enemy aircraft (plus 184 in the group). Over 800 pilots have 16 or more victories. Our aces (3% of all pilots) destroyed 30% of enemy aircraft.

ALLIES AND ENEMIES

Of the allies of the Soviet pilots, the best were the American pilot Richard Bong and the English pilot Johnny Johnson.

Richard Bong distinguished himself during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater of Operations. During 200 combat missions from December 1942 to December 1944, he shot down 40 enemy aircraft - all Japanese. The pilot in the United States is considered an ace of “all times,” noting his professionalism and courage. In the summer of 1944, Bong was appointed to the position of instructor, but voluntarily returned to his unit as a fighter pilot. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the country's highest honor. In addition to Bong, eight other USAF pilots achieved 25 or more aerial victories.

Englishman Johnny Johnson has 38 enemy aircraft shot down, all fighters. During the war he rose from sergeant, fighter pilot to colonel, air wing commander. Active participant in the air "Battle of Britain". Another 13 RAF pilots have over 25 aerial victories.

The name of the French pilot Lieutenant Pierre Klosterman, who shot down 33 fascist planes, should also be mentioned.

The leader of the German Air Force was Erich Hartmann. The German pilot is known as the most successful fighter pilot in the history of air combat. Almost all of his service was spent on the Soviet-German front, here he scored 347 aerial victories, and he also had 5 downed American P-51 Mustangs (352 in total).

He began serving in the Luftwaffe in 1940 and was sent to the Eastern Front in 1942. He fought on the Bf-109 fighter. On the third flight he was shot down.

Having won his first victory (he shot down an Il-2 attack aircraft) in November 1942, he was wounded. By mid-1943, he had 34 aircraft, which was no exception. But on July 7 of the same year he emerged victorious in 7 fights, and two months later he brought the count of his aerial victories to 95. On August 24, 1944 (according to the pilot himself), he shot down 6 aircraft in just one combat mission, and by the end of the same day he won 5 more victories, bringing the total number of aircraft shot down to 301. He won the last air battle on the last day of the war - May 8, 1945. In total, Hartmann flew 1,425 combat missions, entering combat in 800 of them. Twice he parachuted out of burning cars.

There were other pilots in the Luftwaffe who had solid results: Gerd Barkhorn - 301 victories, Günter Rall - 275, Otto Kittel - 267, Walter Novotny - 258, Wilhelm Batz - 237, Erich Rudorfer - 222, Heinrich Behr - 220, Hermann Graf - 212, Theodor Weissenberger - 208.

106 German Air Force pilots destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft each, for a total of 15,547, and the top 15 destroyed 3,576 aircraft.

CONDITIONS OF VICTORIES

And now an explanation for the above rating. It is more logical to compare the Soviet and German air forces: their representatives shot down the largest number of aircraft, and more than a dozen aces emerged from their ranks. Finally, the outcome of World War II was decided on the Eastern Front.

At the beginning of the war, German pilots were better trained than Soviet pilots; they had experience in battles in Spain, Poland, and campaigns in the West. The Luftwaffe has developed a good school. It produced highly qualified fighters. So it was against them that the Soviet aces fought, so their combat score was therefore more significant than that of the best German pilots. After all, they shot down professionals, not weaklings.

The Germans had the ability to thoroughly prepare pilots for the first battle at the beginning of the war (450 hours of flight training; however, in the second half of the war - 150 hours), and carefully “tested” them in combat conditions. As a rule, young people did not immediately enter into fights, but only watched them from the sidelines. We mastered, so to speak, the methodology. For example, in the first 100 sorties at the front, Barkhorn did not have a single battle with Soviet pilots. I studied their tactics and habits, and at decisive moments I walked away from the meeting. And only after gaining experience did he rush into the fray. So the best German and Russian pilots, including Kozhedub and Hartmann, are pilots of downed planes of varying skill.

Many Soviet pilots in the first period of the Great Patriotic War, when the enemy was rapidly rushing into the depths of the USSR, had to go into battle, often without good training, sometimes after 10-12 hours of flight training on a new brand of aircraft. The newcomers came under cannon and machine-gun fire from German fighters. Not all German aces could withstand confrontation with experienced pilots.

“At the beginning of the war, Russian pilots were imprudent in the air, acted constrained, and I easily shot them down with attacks that were unexpected for them,” noted Gerd Barkhorn in his book “Horrido.” “But still, we must admit that they were much better than the pilots other European countries with which we had to fight. As the war progressed, Russian pilots became more and more skilled air fighters. Once in 1943, I had to fight a Soviet pilot in a Bf-109G, piloting a LaGG-3. The spinner of his car was painted red color, which meant a pilot from a guards regiment. We knew this from intelligence data. Our battle lasted about 40 minutes, and I could not defeat him. We did everything we knew and could in our vehicles. Still, we were forced to disperse. Yes, he was a real master!"

At the final stage of the war, Soviet pilots gained mastery not only in battles. A flexible aviation training system adapted to military conditions was created. Thus, in 1944, compared to 1941, the flight time per pilot increased by more than 4 times. With the transfer of strategic initiative to our troops, regimental training centers began to be created at the fronts to prepare reinforcements for combat operations.

The successes of Hartmann and other German pilots were greatly facilitated by the fact that many of them, unlike our pilots, were allowed to conduct “free hunting” throughout the war, i.e. engage in battle in favorable conditions.

It should also be frankly admitted: the achievements of German pilots are largely related to the quality of the equipment with which they fought, although not everything is simple here.

The “personal” fighters of the aces of the opposing sides were not inferior to each other. Ivan Kozhedub fought on La-5 (at the end of the war on La-7). This machine was in no way inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf-109, on which Hartmann fought. In terms of speed (648 km/h), the Lavochkin was superior to certain modifications of the Messers, but was inferior to them in maneuverability. No weaker than the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 were the American fighters P-39 Airacobra and P-38 Lightning. Alexander Pokryshkin fought on the first, Richard Bong on the second.

But in general, in terms of their performance characteristics, many Soviet Air Force aircraft were inferior to Luftwaffe aircraft. And we’re not just talking about I-15 and I-15 bis fighters. German fighters, to tell the truth, retained their advantage until the end of the war, because German companies constantly continued to improve them. Already under the bombing of the Allied aviation, they managed to produce about 2000 Messerschmitt Me163 and Me262 jet fighters, the speed of which reached 900 km/h.

And then, data on downed aircraft cannot be considered in isolation from the number of sorties and battles conducted. Let's say that Hartmann made a total of 1,425 combat missions during the war years, and entered into battles in 800 of them. Kozhedub made 330 combat missions during the war and fought 120 battles. It turns out that the Soviet ace needed 2 air battles for one downed plane, the German - 2.5. It should be taken into account that Hartmann lost 2 fights and had to jump with a parachute. Once he was even captured, but, taking advantage of his good knowledge of the Russian language, he escaped.

It is impossible not to pay attention to the German method of counting downed vehicles using film-photo machine guns: if the route was along the plane, it was believed that the pilot had won, although often the vehicle remained in service. There are hundreds, thousands of cases where damaged aircraft returned to airfields. When the good German film-photo machine guns failed, the score was kept by the pilot himself. Western researchers, when talking about the performance of Luftwaffe pilots, often use the phrase “according to the pilot.” For example, Hartmann stated that on August 24, 1944 he shot down 6 aircraft in one combat mission, but there is no other evidence of this.

On domestic aircraft, photographic equipment that recorded hits on enemy vehicles began to be installed almost at the end of the war, and it served as an additional means of control. Only victories confirmed by participants in the battle and ground observers were recorded on the personal account of Soviet pilots.

In addition, Soviet aces never took credit for the planes destroyed together with the newcomers, since they began their combat journey and asserted themselves. Kozhedub has a lot of such “handouts” to his credit. So his account is different from the one listed in the encyclopedia. He rarely returned from a combat mission without victory. In this indicator, perhaps only Nikolai Gulaev surpasses him. Now, apparently, the reader understands why Ivan Kozhedub’s rating is the highest, and Nikolai Gulaev is second on the list.