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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After graduating from the 7-year-old school, he was admitted to the workers' faculty of the Shostka Chemical-Technological College, and in 1938 fate brought him to the flying club. The smart uniform of the accountants played in this decision by no means last role. Here, in April 1939, Kozhedub makes his first flight, having experienced the first flight sensations. The beauties of the native land, opened from a height of 1500 meters, made a strong impression on the inquisitive young man.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighter La-5 - the first fighting machine Ivan Kozhedub. Spring 1943.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AT best position there were Luftwaffe units - Ju-87 bombers in such a situation flew with almost impunity, without cover, in case of danger, lining up in a defensive circle at low altitude. These days Kozhedub great attention devoted to the development of air combat tactics at low altitudes in low cloud cover and grey, uniform terrain with no visible landmarks. Later he wrote:

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

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

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

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

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

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A strict command order forbade the divisional commander to engage in battle personally, and no official victories he did not win during this period. Although, according to the recollections of some pilots, participants in those long-standing events, several times (unofficially, of course), Ivan Kozhedub still took to the air ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The first combat "baptism".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich - the most productive military pilot of the Great Patriotic War. Later - Air Marshal, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded 14 Soviet and 6 foreign orders, Soviet and foreign medals. During the Great Patriotic War, he made 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles, personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. According to official data by I.N. Kozhedub - the most productive Soviet fighter pilot.

The future pilot was born on July 6, 1922 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy region, becoming the fifth child in a poor peasant family. He graduated from the workers' faculty of the Shostinsky Chemical-Technological College. In 1938 he came to the flying club, where in April 1939 he made his first flight. Then, at the beginning of 1940, he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School, after which he remained there to work as an instructor. Since the beginning of the war, I.N. Kozhedub repeatedly wrote reports about being sent to the front, but his requests were granted only in the fall of 1942, when I.N. Kozhedub was sent to Moscow, and then to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was armed with the latest La-5 fighters.

At the beginning military career Ivan Nikitovich was pursued by failures, the pilot was almost transferred to the warning post. Only the intercession of the regiment commander, Major I. Soldatenko, helped him stay in the regiment.

The pilot won his first victory during the 40th sortie, shooting down a German dive bomber. In the future, I.N. Kozhedub showed himself to be a brave and skillful pilot, in which audacity was combined with prudence, initiative with diligence. Kozhedub sometimes treated his combat vehicle as if it were a living being. , for him, the plane was a friend, and the fighter answered him the same: during the war years, the pilot never had to jump with a parachute.

In September 1944, Kozhedub was transferred to the 176th "Marshal" Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where many famous military pilots were assembled. As part of this regiment, he ended the war. On account of Ivan Nikitovich, among the many types of German aircraft, there is also a Me-262 jet fighter, which he shot down on April 19, 1945 over the Oder.

After the war, I.N. Kozhedub graduated from the Air Force Academy and was appointed to command the 326th Fighter Aviation Division. During the Korean War from March 1951 to February 1952. Kozhedub's division won 215 victories, losing 52 aircraft and 10 pilots. True, Kozhedub himself did not participate in sorties due to the strict command ban. Upon returning to his homeland, Kozhedub graduated from the Academy of the General Staff, held a number of high command positions in the Air Force, including commanding the aviation of the Moscow Military District. In 1985, N.I. Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Air Marshal.

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich (1920-1991). Long road to victory. And for senior sergeant Kozhedub, it was painfully long. He, an excellent pilot-instructor, was kept in the rear, in Chimkent. Only in March 1943 Ivan was sent to the front. And in the very first battle, his La-5 stitches the Messerschmitt line. An enemy shell gets stuck in the armored back, when returning, the plane "catches" two hits from its anti-aircraft gunners and Kozhedub barely managed to land the combat vehicle.

They wanted to remove him from flying. But the intercession of the regimental commander helped - he saw something in the unfortunate newcomer and was not mistaken. After the Kursk Bulge, Kozhedub became an ace (a fighter who shot down at least 5 aircraft) and a holder of the Order of the Red Banner.

By February 1944, 20 stars were red on the fuselage of his Lavochkin. That is how many Nazi vultures were destroyed by Senior Lieutenant Kozhedub. And the first Golden Star adorned his uniform. The plane La-5FN, released on the personal savings of the collective farmer Konev, became the next machine of the Hero.

Kozhedub became a deputy regiment commander, received the rank of captain, and, having shot down 48 German aircraft in 256 sorties, was awarded the second Gold Star in August 1944. Ivan became a hero three times after World War II - on August 18, 1945. His personal combat score was 62 downed aircraft, 330 sorties and 120 air battles.

In terms of the number of enemies shot down, Ivan Kozhedub was the first in the Red Army. Even jet Me-262, secret weapon Third Reich stuck in the ground from a well-aimed burst Soviet ace. And the pilots of two American Mustangs shot down by him, who wanted to attack the “Russian Ivan” in the sky over Germany, said that they mistook Kozhedub’s plane for the Focke-Wulf.

Kozhedub also fought with the pilots of the overseas empire in Korea. His division destroyed 216 enemy planes that carried Democracy in their bomb bays.

After Korean War Ivan Nikitovich commanded air army, served in the Air Force. The famous Soviet ace, who was never shot down during the war on August 8, 1991, died.

Video - Two wars by Ivan Kozhedub (2010)