Representatives of the Soviet air force made a huge contribution to the defeat of the Nazi invaders. Many pilots gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our Motherland, many became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Some of them forever entered the elite of the Russian Air Force, the famous cohort of Soviet aces - the thunderstorm of the Luftwaffe. Today we will recall the 10 most successful Soviet fighter pilots, who chalked up the most enemy aircraft shot down in air battles.
On February 4, 1944, the outstanding Soviet fighter pilot Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was awarded the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. By the end of the Great Patriotic War, he was already three times Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war years, only one more Soviet pilot was able to repeat this achievement - it was Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin. But the history of Soviet fighter aircraft during the war does not end with these two most famous aces. During the war, another 25 pilots were twice nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, not to mention those who were once awarded this highest military award of the country in those years.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
During the war, Ivan Kozhedub flew 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft. He flew on planes La-5, La-5FN and La-7.
Official Soviet historiography included 62 downed enemy aircraft, but archival research showed that Kozhedub shot down 64 aircraft (for some reason, there were no two air victories - April 11, 1944 - PZL P.24 and June 8, 1944 - Me 109) … Among the trophies of the Soviet ace pilot were 39 fighters (21 Fw-190, 17 Me-109 and 1 PZL P.24), 17 dive bombers (Ju-87), 4 bombers (2 Ju-88 and 2 Non-111), 3 attack aircraft (Hs-129) and one Me-262 jet fighter. In addition, in his autobiography, he indicated that in 1945 he shot down two American P-51 Mustang fighters, which attacked him from a long distance, mistaking it for a German plane.
In all likelihood, had Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) started the war in 1941, his number of downed planes could have been even higher. However, his debut came only in 1943, and the future ace shot down his first plane in the battle at the Kursk Bulge. On July 6, during a combat mission, he shot down a German Ju-87 dive bomber. Thus, the pilot's performance is really amazing, in just two military years he managed to bring the score of his victories to a record in the Soviet Air Force.
At the same time, Kozhedub was never shot down during the entire war, although he several times returned to the airfield on a badly damaged fighter. But the last could have been his first air battle, which took place on March 26, 1943. His La-5 was damaged by a burst of a German fighter, the armored backrest saved the pilot from an incendiary projectile. And upon returning home, his plane was fired upon by its own air defense, the car received two hits. Despite this, Kozhedub managed to land the plane, which could no longer be fully restored.
The future best Soviet ace made his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shotkinsky flying club. In early 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army and in the fall of the same year he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, after which he continued to serve in this school as an instructor. With the outbreak of the war, the school was evacuated to Kazakhstan. The war itself began for him in November 1942, when Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division. The formation of the division was completed only in March 1943, after which it flew to the front. As mentioned above, he won his first victory only on July 6, 1943, but a start was made.
Already on February 4, 1944, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, at that time he managed to make 146 sorties and shoot down 20 enemy aircraft in air battles. He received his second star in the same year. He was presented for the award on August 19, 1944 for 256 completed combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft. At that time, as a captain, he served as deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
In air battles, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was distinguished by fearlessness, composure and automatic piloting, which he brought to perfection. Perhaps the fact that he spent several years as an instructor before being sent to the front played a very large role in his future success in the sky. Kozhedub could easily conduct aimed fire at the enemy at any position of the aircraft in the air, and also easily performed complex aerobatics. Being an excellent sniper, he preferred to conduct aerial combat at a distance of 200-300 meters.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub won his last victory in the Great Patriotic War on April 17, 1945 in the skies over Berlin, in this battle he shot down two German FW-190 fighters. Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, the future Marshal of Aviation (rank awarded on May 6, 1985), Major Kozhedub became on August 18, 1945. After the war, he continued to serve in the country's Air Force and went through a very serious career path, bringing still a lot of benefits to the country. The legendary pilot died on August 8, 1991, and was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin
Alexander Ivanovich Tires fought from the very first day of the war to the last. During this time, he flew 650 sorties, in which he conducted 156 air battles and officially personally shot down 59 enemy aircraft and 6 aircraft in the group. He is the second most effective ace of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition after Ivan Kozhedub. During the war years he flew on the MiG-3, Yak-1 and the American P-39 Airacobra.
The number of downed planes is very relative. Quite often, Alexander Pokryshkin made deep raids behind enemy lines, where he also managed to win victories. However, only those of them were counted that could be confirmed by ground services, that is, if possible, over their territory. Only in 1941 he could have had 8 such unaccounted victories. At the same time, they accumulated throughout the war. Also, Alexander Pokryshkin often gave the planes shot down by him at the expense of his subordinates (mainly wingmen), thus stimulating them. This was quite common in those years.
Already during the first weeks of the war, Pokryshkin was able to understand that the tactics of the Soviet Air Force were outdated. Then he began to enter his notes on this account in a notebook. He kept an accurate record of air battles in which he and his friends took part, after which he made a detailed analysis of what was written. At the same time, at that time he had to fight in very difficult conditions of constant retreat of Soviet troops. Later he said: "Those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know a real war."
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and massive criticism of everything related to that period, some authors began to "cut" the number of Pokryshkin's victories. This was also due to the fact that at the end of 1944, the official Soviet propaganda finally made the pilot "a bright image of a hero, the main fighter of the war." In order not to lose the hero in a random battle, it was ordered to limit the flights of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, who by that time was already in command of the regiment. On August 19, 1944, after 550 sorties and 53 officially won victories, he became three times Hero of the Soviet Union, the first in history.
The wave of “revelations” that swept over him after the 1990s also swept over him because after the war he managed to take the post of Commander-in-Chief of the country's air defense forces, that is, he became a “major Soviet official”. If we talk about the low ratio of victories to accomplished sorties, then it can be noted that for a long time at the beginning of the war, Pokryshkin on his MiG-3, and then Yak-1 flew to attack enemy ground forces or perform reconnaissance flights. For example, by mid-November 1941, the pilot had already completed 190 combat missions, but the overwhelming majority of them - 144 were aimed at attacking enemy ground forces.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was not only a cold-blooded, courageous and virtuoso Soviet pilot, but also a thinking pilot. He was not afraid to criticize the existing tactics of using fighter aircraft and advocated its replacement. Discussions on this matter with the regiment commander in 1942 led to the fact that the ace pilot was even expelled from the party and the case was sent to the tribunal. The pilot was saved by the intercession of the regiment commissar and higher command. The case against him was dropped and reinstated in the party. After the war, Pokryshkin clashed with Vasily Stalin for a long time, which had a detrimental effect on his career. Everything changed only in 1953 after the death of Joseph Stalin. Subsequently, he managed to rise to the rank of Air Marshal, which was awarded to him in 1972. The famous pilot-ace died on November 13, 1985 at the age of 72 in Moscow.
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov fought from the very first day of the Great Patriotic War. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war, he flew more than 450 sorties, shooting down 56 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group in 122 air battles. According to other sources, the number of his personal aerial victories could exceed 60. During the war years he flew on the I-153 "Chaika", I-16, Yak-1, P-39 "Airacobra" aircraft.
Probably no other Soviet fighter pilot had such a variety of downed enemy vehicles as that of Grigory Rechkalov. Among his trophies were Me-110, Me-109, Fw-190 fighters, Ju-88, He-111 bombers, Ju-87 dive bomber, Hs-129 attack aircraft, Fw-189 and Hs-126 reconnaissance aircraft, and such a rare machine as the Italian "Savoy" and the Polish PZL-24 fighter, which was used by the Romanian Air Force.
Surprisingly, the day before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Rechkalov was suspended from flights by the decision of the medical flight commission, he was diagnosed with color blindness. But upon returning to his unit with this diagnosis, he was still allowed to fly. The outbreak of the war forced the authorities to simply close their eyes to this diagnosis, simply ignoring it. At the same time, he served in the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment since 1939, together with Pokryshkin.
This brilliant military pilot was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing an example of determination, courage and discipline in one sortie, in another he could distract himself from the main task and just as decisively start pursuing a random opponent, trying to increase the score of his victories. His combat fate in the war was closely intertwined with the fate of Alexander Pokryshkin. He flew with him in the same group, replaced him as squadron commander and regiment commander. Pokryshkin himself considered frankness and directness to be the best qualities of Grigory Rechkalov.
Rechkalov, like Pokryshkin, fought on June 22, 1941, but with a forced break for almost two years. In the very first month of the fighting, he managed to shoot down three enemy aircraft on his outdated I-153 biplane fighter. He also managed to fly on an I-16 fighter. On July 26, 1941, during a combat mission near Dubossary, he was wounded in the head and in the leg by ground fire, but managed to bring his plane to the airfield. After this injury, he spent 9 months in the hospital, during which time the pilot underwent three operations. And once again the medical commission tried to put an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the future famous ace. Grigory Rechkalov was sent to serve in a reserve regiment, which was equipped with U-2 aircraft. The future twice Hero of the Soviet Union took this direction as a personal insult. At the district air force headquarters, he managed to ensure that he was returned to his regiment, which at that time was called the 17th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. But very soon the regiment was recalled from the front for rearmament with the new American Airacobra fighters, which were sent to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease program. For these reasons, Rechkalov began to beat the enemy again only in April 1943.
Grigory Rechkalov, being one of the domestic stars of fighter aviation, could perfectly interact with other pilots, guessing their intentions and working together as a group. Even during the war years, a conflict arose between him and Pokryshkin, but he never sought to throw out any negative about this or accuse his opponent. On the contrary, in his memoirs, he spoke well of Pokryshkin, noting that they managed to unravel the tactics of the German pilots, after which they began to use new techniques: they began to fly in pairs, not in units, it is better to use radio for guidance and communication, to echelon their so-called “whatnot.
Grigory Rechkalov scored 44 victories on the Aircobra, more than other Soviet pilots. After the end of the war, someone asked the renowned pilot what he valued most in the Airacobra fighter, on which so many victories were won: the power of a volley, speed, visibility, engine reliability? To this question, the ace pilot replied that all of the above, of course, mattered, these were the obvious advantages of the aircraft. But the main thing, he said, was in the radio. The Aerocobra had excellent radio communication, which was rare in those years. Thanks to this connection, the pilots in battle could communicate with each other, as if by telephone. Someone saw something - all the members of the group are aware of it at once. Therefore, in combat missions, we did not have any surprises.
After the end of the war, Grigory Rechkalov continued his service in the Air Force. True, not as long as other Soviet aces. Already in 1959, he went into the reserve with the rank of Major General. Then he lived and worked in Moscow. He died in Moscow on December 20, 1990 at the age of 70.
Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev ended up on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in August 1942. In total, during the war years, he made 250 sorties, conducted 49 air battles, in which he personally destroyed 55 enemy aircraft and 5 more aircraft in the group. These statistics make Gulaev the most effective Soviet ace. For every 4 sorties, he had a downed plane or, on average, more than one plane for every air battle. During the war he flew on I-16, Yak-1, P-39 "Airacobra" fighters, most of his victories, like Pokryshkin and Rechkalov, he won on "Aerocobra".
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev shot down not much fewer planes than Alexander Pokryshkin. But in terms of the effectiveness of the battles, he far surpassed both him and Kozhedub. At the same time, he fought for less than two years. At first, in the deep Soviet rear, as part of the air defense forces, he was engaged in the protection of important industrial facilities, protecting them from enemy air raids. And in September 1944, he was almost forcibly sent to study at the Air Force Academy.
The Soviet pilot made his most effective battle on May 30, 1944. In one air battle over Sculeni, he managed to shoot down 5 enemy aircraft at once: two Me-109, Hs-129, Ju-87 and Ju-88. During the battle, he himself was seriously wounded in his right arm, but having concentrated all his strength and will, he was able to bring his fighter to the airfield, bleeding to death, landed and, having taxied into the parking lot, lost consciousness. The pilot came to his senses only in the hospital after the operation, and here he learned about the awarding of the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union to him.
All the time Gulaev was at the front, he fought desperately. During this time, he managed to make two successful rams, after which he managed to land his damaged plane. Several times during this time he was wounded, but after being wounded he invariably returned back to duty. In early September 1944, the ace pilot was forcibly sent to study. At that moment, the outcome of the war was already clear to everyone, and they tried to protect the famous Soviet aces, sending them to the Air Force Academy by order. Thus, the war ended unexpectedly for our hero as well.
Nikolai Gulaev was called the brightest representative of the "romantic school" of air combat. Often, the pilot dared to commit "irrational actions" that shocked the German pilots, but helped him gain victories. Even among other far from ordinary Soviet fighter pilots, the figure of Nikolai Gulaev stood out for his colorfulness. Only such a person, possessing unparalleled courage, would be able to conduct 10 super-productive air battles, having recorded two of his victories in a successful ramming of enemy aircraft. Gulaev's modesty in public and in his self-esteem was discordant with his extremely aggressive and persistent manner of conducting aerial combat, and he managed to carry openness and honesty with boyish spontaneity throughout his life, retaining some youthful prejudices until the end of his life, which did not prevent him from reaching the rank of Colonel-General of Aviation. The illustrious pilot died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow.
Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev
Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev is twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Like Kozhedub, he began his combat path relatively late, only in 1943. During the war years, he flew 296 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles, personally shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and 3 in the group. He flew the La-5 and La-5FN fighters.
The almost two-year "delay" in appearing at the front was due to the fact that the fighter pilot suffered from stomach ulcer, and with this disease he was not allowed to the front. Since the beginning of World War II, he worked as an instructor at a flight school, and after that he overtook Lend-Lease "Airacobras". His work as an instructor gave him a lot, as well as another Soviet ace Kozhedub. At the same time, Evstigneev did not stop writing reports to the command with a request to send him to the front, as a result, they were still satisfied. Kirill Evstigneev received his baptism of fire in March 1943. Like Kozhedub, he fought as part of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flew on a La-5 fighter. On his very first sortie on March 28, 1943, he won two victories.
For the entire time of the war, the enemy did not manage to shoot down Kirill Evstigneev. But from his own he got it twice. For the first time, the Yak-1 pilot, who was carried away by air combat, crashed into his plane from above. The Yak-1 pilot immediately jumped out of the plane, which had lost one wing, with a parachute. But Evstigneev's La-5 suffered less, and he managed to drag the plane to the positions of his troops, landing the fighter next to the trenches. The second case, more mysterious and dramatic, occurred over its territory in the absence of enemy aircraft in the air. The fuselage of his plane was pierced by a line, damaging Evstigneev's legs, the car caught fire and went into a dive, and the pilot had to jump out of the plane with a parachute. In the hospital, doctors tended to amputate the pilot's foot, but he overtook them with such fear that they abandoned their venture. And after 9 days, the pilot escaped from the hospital and with crutches reached the location of his home unit 35 kilometers away.
Kirill Evstigneev constantly increased the number of his aerial victories. Until 1945, the pilot was ahead of Kozhedub. At the same time, the unit's doctor periodically sent him to the hospital to heal an ulcer and a wounded leg, which the ace pilot terribly opposed. Kirill Alekseevich was seriously ill since the pre-war times, in his life he underwent 13 surgical operations. Very often the famous Soviet pilot flew overcoming physical pain. Evstigneev, as they say, was obsessed with flying. In his spare time, he tried to train young fighter pilots. He was the initiator of training air battles. For the most part, Kozhedub was his opponent. At the same time, Evstigneev was completely devoid of a sense of fear, even at the very end of the war, he cold-bloodedly went into a frontal attack on the six-gun Fokkers, winning victories over them. Kozhedub spoke about his comrade in arms like this: "Flint Pilot".
Captain Kirill Evstigneev ended the war of the guards as navigator of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilot spent his last battle in the skies of Hungary on March 26, 1945, in his fifth La-5 fighter during the war. After the war, he continued to serve in the USSR Air Force, in 1972 he retired with the rank of Major General, lived in Moscow. He died on August 29, 1996 at the age of 79, and was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital.
