Fighter pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Sementsov. Stripped of the title of hero. as a pilot, hero of the Soviet Union, Captain Bychkov became a major in the Nazi German Air Force Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev

February 6 is the day of remembrance of the famous pilot, retired aviation lieutenant general, twice hero of the Soviet Union Vitaly Popkov. In his single-engine La-5FN fighter, he flew 475 missions and conducted 113 air combats, including one ramming attack. According to various sources, Popkov had from 40 to 60 victories: he is rightfully among the recognized aces of the Great Patriotic War. By the way, it was he who became the prototype for two heroes of the famous film “Only Old Men Go to Battle” - “Maestro” Titarenko and “Grasshopper” Alexandrov.

We have collected facts about the Soviet aces who shot down the largest number of enemy vehicles.

Vitaly Popkov

Twice hero of the Soviet Union, he personally shot down 47 enemy aircraft and 13 in a group.

Popkov graduated from the flight school in the “star” class: together with the future aces - Kozhedub, Lavrinenkov, Borovykh, Likholetov. The young man was sent to the front in 1942. He ended up in the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. They say that having reached the airfield on the transfer plane, Popkov could not resist and climbed into an unfamiliar LaGG-3 plane, where he was discovered by a sentry. The commander invited the nimble guy to fly as his replacement.

Popkov won his first victory in June 1942, in the vicinity of the city of Kholm - he shot down a Do-217 bomber using the same LaGG-3. Shortly before this, he violated flight discipline, showed himself to be a reckless driver and was appointed permanent kitchen duty officer. That day, two Do-217s and two Me-109s covering them appeared over the airfield. Popkov, right in his apron, jumped into the plane and, on the very first approach, shot down one Dornier. The regiment commander only managed to say: “Why didn’t you grab the Messers too?” So the way to the young pilot was again opened to sky.

Popkov recalled that in August of the same year he shot down one of the most famous fascist aces. It was near Stalingrad. Hermann Graf, the Luftwaffe ace, had 212 victories at that time. He spent several years in Soviet camps and returned to Germany a convinced anti-fascist.

Ivan Kozhedub

Three times hero of the Soviet Union, he has 64 victories on his record. He flew on La-5, La-5FN, La-7, Il-2, MiG-3 aircraft. Kozhedub conducted his first air combat in a La-5 in March 1943. Together with the leader, he was supposed to guard the airfield, but after taking off, the pilot lost sight of the second plane, received damage from the enemy, and then also came under his own anti-aircraft artillery. Kozhedub had difficulty landing the plane, which had more than 50 holes.

After an unsuccessful battle, they wanted to transfer the pilot to ground duty. However, he firmly decided to return to the sky: he flew as a messenger, studied the experience of the famous fighter Pokryshkin, from whom he adopted the battle formula: “Altitude - speed - maneuver - fire.” In his first battle, Kozhedub lost precious seconds recognizing the aircraft that attacked him, so he spent a lot of time memorizing the silhouettes of aircraft.

Having been appointed deputy squadron commander, Kozhedub took part in air battles on the Kursk Bulge. In the summer of 1943, he received his first Order of the Red Banner of Battle. By February 1944, the number of aircraft shot down by Kozhedub exceeded three dozen. The pilot was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

They say that Kozhedub loved his planes very much and considered them “alive.” And not once during the entire war did he leave his car, even when it was on fire. In May 1944, he was given a special La-5 FN aircraft. The beekeeper of the Bolshevik agricultural farm of the Budarinsky district of the Stalingrad region, Vasily Viktorovich Konev, transferred his personal savings to the Defense Fund and asked to build an aircraft with them in the name of his deceased nephew, fighter pilot, hero of the Soviet Union, Georgy Konev. On one of the sides of the plane they wrote: “In the name of Lieutenant Colonel Konev,” on the second - “From the collective farmer Vasily Viktorovich Konev.” The beekeeper asked to transfer the aircraft to the best pilot. It turned out to be Kozhedub.

In February 1945, the ace shot down a German Me-262 jet fighter, and attacked the last enemy aircraft in April. In total, Kozhedub flew 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles.

Alexander Pokryshkin

Three times hero of the Soviet Union, who personally shot down 59 enemy aircraft and six aircraft in a group. Flew MiG-3, Yak-1, P-39, Airacobra.

The genius of flying received a baptism of fire in the first days of the war. Then he was the deputy squadron commander of the 55th Air Regiment. There was a misunderstanding: on June 22, 1941, Pokryshkin shot down a Soviet Su-2 short-range bomber. The plane landed on the fuselage in a field, the pilot survived, but the navigator died. Pokryshkin later admitted that he simply did not recognize the plane: “Sukhoi” appeared in military units right before the war.

But the very next day the pilot distinguished himself: during a reconnaissance flight he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf.109 fighter. This was Pokryshkin's first combat victory. And on July 3, he was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery over the Prut. By that time, the pilot had won at least five victories.

While in the hospital, Pokryshkin began making notes in a notebook, which he entitled “Fighter Tactics in Combat.” It was there that his science of winning was described. Many of Pokryshkin’s combat and reconnaissance missions were unique. So, in November 1941, in conditions of limited visibility (the edge of the clouds dropped to 30 meters), he obtained information about tank divisions in the Rostov region. On the eve of the 1942 offensive, the pilot was awarded the Order of Lenin. Then he had already been shot down twice and had 190 combat missions.

In the air battle in Kuban in the spring of 1943, Pokryshkin for the first time widely used the “Kuban Whatnot” combat formation, which was later distributed to all fighter air units. The pilot had many original tactics to win the battle. For example, he came up with a way out of an enemy’s attack on a turn with a downward “barrel”, with a loss of speed. The enemy then found himself in the crosshairs.

By the end of the war, Pokryshkin was the most famous pilot at the fronts. Then the phrase was widespread: “Akhtung! Akhtung! Pokryshkin in the air!” The Germans actually notified pilots about the flights of the Russian ace, warning them to be careful and gain altitude so as not to take risks. Until the end of the war, the famous pilot was the only three-time hero of the Soviet Union: he was awarded the third “Gold Star” on August 19, 1944, after 550 combat missions and 53 official victories. Georgy Zhukov became a hero three times on June 1, and Ivan Kozhedub on August 18, 1945.

By the end of the war, Pokryshkin flew more than 650 combat missions and took part in 156 air battles. According to unofficial data, the ace had more victories - up to a hundred.

Nikolay Gulaev

Twice hero of the Soviet Union. He personally shot down 57 enemy aircraft and four aircraft in a group. He flew on Yak-1, Il-2, La-5, La-7, P-39, and Airacobra aircraft.

At the beginning of the war, Gulaev was sent to the air defense of one of the industrial centers located far from the front line. But in March 1942, he, among the ten best pilots, was sent to the defense of Borisoglebsk. On August 3, Gulaev took part in his first battle: he took off without orders, at night, and shot down a German Heinkel bomber. The command announced a punishment to the pilot and immediately presented him with an award.

In February 1943, Gulaev was sent to the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment, in which he shot down more than 50 enemy aircraft in a year. He was extremely effective: he shot down up to five planes a day. Among them were twin-engine bombers 5 He-111 and 4 Ju-88; FW-189 spotters, Ju-87 dive bombers. Other front-line aviation pilots had mostly downed fighters on their record.

On the Kursk Bulge, in the Belgorod region, Gulaev especially distinguished himself. In his first battle, on May 14, 1943, the pilot alone entered into battle with three Ju-87 bombers, which were covered by four Me-109s. At low altitude, Gulaev made a “slide” and shot down first the leading bomber, and then another bomber. The pilot tried to attack the third plane, but he ran out of ammunition. And then Gulaev decided to go for the ram. The left wing of the Yak-1, on which he was flying, hit the plane of the Ju-87. The German plane fell apart. The Yak-1, having lost control, went into a tailspin, but Gulaev was able to level it and land it. The feat was witnessed by infantrymen of the 52nd Infantry Division, who carried what they thought was a wounded pilot out of the cockpit in their arms. However, Gulaev did not receive a scratch. He did not say anything to the regiment - what he did became known a few hours later, after the infantrymen reported. After the pilot complained that he remained “horseless,” he was given a new plane. And later they were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Gulaev made his last combat flight from the Polish Turbya airfield on August 14, 1944. For three days in a row the day before, he shot down one plane. In September, the ace was forcibly sent to study at the Air Force Academy. He served in aviation until 1979, when he retired.

In total, Gulaev made 250 combat missions and 49 air battles. Its performance was considered record-breaking.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union pilot Nikolai Gulaev. Photo: RIA Novosti www.ria.ru

By the way

Soviet aces made up approximately three percent of the total number of pilots. They destroyed a third of the enemy aircraft. 27 pilots were awarded the title twice and three times Hero of the Soviet Union. During the war they scored between 22 and 62 victories and shot down a total of 1,044 aircraft.

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 illustrious cohort of Soviet aces - the threat of the Luftwaffe. Today we remember the 10 most successful Soviet fighter pilots, who accounted for 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 war does not end with these two most famous aces of Soviet fighter aviation. 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 in the country of those years.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

During the war, Ivan Kozhedub made 330 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft. He flew on La-5, La-5FN and La-7 aircraft.

Official Soviet historiography listed 62 downed enemy aircraft, but archival research showed that Kozhedub shot down 64 aircraft (for some reason, two air victories were missing - 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 He-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 him for a German plane.

In all likelihood, if Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) had started the war in 1941, his count of downed aircraft could have been even higher. However, his debut came only in 1943, and the future ace shot down his first plane in the battle of Kursk. On July 6, during a combat mission, he shot down a German Ju-87 dive bomber. Thus, the pilot’s performance is truly amazing; in just two war years he managed to bring 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 returned to the airfield several times in a heavily 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 from a German fighter; the armored back saved the pilot from an incendiary shell. 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 took his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shotkinsky flying club. At the beginning of 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army and in the fall of the same year he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots, after which he continued to serve in this school as an instructor. With the beginning 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 had been 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 fly 146 combat missions 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 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 before being sent to the front he spent several years as an instructor played a very large role in his future successes 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 air 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. The future air marshal (title awarded on May 6, 1985), Major Kozhedub, became a three-time Hero of the Soviet Union 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 many more 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 Pokryshki fought from the very first day of the war to the last. During this time, he made 650 combat missions, 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 successful ace of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition after Ivan Kozhedub. During the war he flew MiG-3, Yak-1 and American P-39 Airacobra aircraft.

The number of aircraft shot down is very arbitrary. Quite often, Alexander Pokryshkin made deep raids behind enemy lines, where he also managed to win victories. However, only those that could be confirmed by ground services were counted, that is, if possible, over their territory. He could have had 8 such unaccounted victories in 1941 alone. Moreover, they accumulated throughout the war. Also, Alexander Pokryshkin often gave the planes he shot down at the expense of his subordinates (mostly wingmen), thus stimulating them. In those years this was quite common.

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 write down his notes on this matter in a notebook. He kept a careful record of the air battles in which he and his friends took part, after which he made a detailed analysis of what he had written. Moreover, at that time he had to fight in very difficult conditions of constant retreat of Soviet troops. He later said: “Those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know the real war.”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and massive criticism of everything that was associated with that period, some authors began to “cut down” the number of Pokryshkin’s victories. This was also due to the fact that at the end of 1944, 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 already commanded the regiment. On August 19, 1944, after 550 combat missions and 53 officially won victories, he became a three-time Hero of the Soviet Union, the first in history.

The wave of “revelations” that washed over him after the 1990s also affected 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 sorties, it can be noted that for a long time at the beginning of the war, Pokryshkin flew on his MiG-3, and then the Yak-1, 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 vast majority of them - 144 - were to attack enemy ground forces.

Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was not only a cold-blooded, brave 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 he was reinstated in the party. After the war, Pokryshkin had a long conflict with Vasily Stalin, 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 ace pilot 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 combat missions, 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, he flew 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 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, as well as such a rare car 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 flying by decision of the medical flight commission; he was diagnosed with color blindness. But upon returning to his unit with this diagnosis, he was still cleared to fly. The beginning of the war forced the authorities to simply turn a blind eye 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 had a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing an example of determination, courage and discipline in one mission, in another he could be distracted from the main task and just as decisively begin the pursuit of a random enemy, 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, replacing 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 since June 22, 1941, but with a forced break of almost two years. In the first month of fighting, he managed to shoot down three enemy aircraft in his outdated I-153 biplane fighter. He also managed to fly on the I-16 fighter. On July 26, 1941, during a combat mission near Dubossary, he was wounded in the head and leg by fire from the ground, 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 on the path 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 to be re-equipped with 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, was perfectly able to 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 negativity about this or blame 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 rather than in flights, it was better to use radio for guidance and communication, and echeloned their machines with the so-called “ bookcase."

Grigory Rechkalov won 44 victories in the Airacobra, more than other Soviet pilots. After the end of the war, someone asked the famous pilot what he valued most in the Airacobra fighter, on which so many victories were won: the power of the fire salvo, speed, visibility, reliability of the engine? 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, according to him, was the radio. The Airacobra had excellent radio communication, rare in those years. Thanks to this connection, pilots in battle could communicate with each other, as if on the phone. Someone saw something - immediately all members of the group are aware. Therefore, we did not have any surprises during combat missions.

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 retired to the reserve with the rank of major general. After which 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 found himself 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. Such statistics make Gulaev the most effective Soviet ace. For every 4 missions he had a plane shot down, or on average more than one plane for every air battle. During the war, he flew I-16, Yak-1, P-39 Airacobra fighters; most of his victories, like Pokryshkin and Rechkalov, he won on the Airacobra.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev shot down not much fewer planes than Alexander Pokryshkin. But in terms of effectiveness of fights, he far surpassed both him and Kozhedub. Moreover, 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 performed his most effective battle on May 30, 1944. In one air battle over Skuleni, 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 concentrating all his strength and will, he was able to bring his fighter to the airfield, bleeding, landed and, having taxied to the parking lot, lost consciousness. The pilot only came to his senses in the hospital after the operation, and here he learned that he had been awarded the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The entire 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. He was wounded several times during this time, but after being wounded he invariably returned back to duty. At the beginning of 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 by ordering them to the Air Force Academy. Thus, the war ended unexpectedly for our hero.

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 win victories. Even among other far from ordinary Soviet fighter pilots, the figure of Nikolai Gulaev stood out for its colorfulness. Only such a person, possessing unparalleled courage, would be able to conduct 10 super-effective air battles, recording two of his victories by successfully ramming enemy aircraft. Gulaev's modesty in public and in his self-esteem was dissonant with his exceptionally aggressive and persistent manner of conducting air 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 rising to the rank of rank of Colonel General of Aviation. The famous pilot died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow.

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Like Kozhedub, he began his military career relatively late, only in 1943. During the war years, he made 296 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles, personally shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and 3 in the group. He flew 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 a stomach ulcer, and with this disease he was not allowed to go to the front. Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked as an instructor at a flight school, and after that he drove Lend-Lease Airacobras. Working as an instructor gave him a lot, as did 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 nevertheless satisfied. Kirill Evstigneev received his baptism of fire in March 1943. Like Kozhedub, he fought as part of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment and flew the La-5 fighter. On his first combat mission, on March 28, 1943, he scored two victories.

During the entire war, the enemy never managed to shoot down Kirill Evstigneev. But he got it twice from his own people. The first time the Yak-1 pilot, 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 damage, and he managed to reach the positions of his troops, landing the fighter next to the trenches. The second incident, more mysterious and dramatic, occurred over our territory in the absence of enemy aircraft in the air. The fuselage of his plane was pierced by a burst, damaging Evstigneev’s legs, the car caught fire and went into a dive, and the pilot had to jump from the plane with a parachute. At the hospital, doctors were inclined to amputate the pilot’s foot, but he filled them with such fear that they abandoned their idea. And after 9 days, the pilot escaped from the hospital and with crutches traveled 35 kilometers to his home unit.

Kirill Evstigneev constantly increased the number of his aerial victories. Until 1945, the pilot was ahead of Kozhedub. At the same time, the unit doctor periodically sent him to the hospital to treat an ulcer and a wounded leg, which the ace pilot terribly resisted. Kirill Alekseevich was seriously ill since 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 free time, he tried to train young fighter pilots. He was the initiator of training air battles. For the most part, his opponent in them was Kozhedub. At the same time, Evstigneev was completely devoid of any sense of fear, even at the very end of the war he calmly launched a frontal attack on the six-gun Fokkers, winning victories over them. Kozhedub spoke of his comrade in arms like this: “Flint pilot.”

Captain Kirill Evstigneev ended the Guard War as a navigator of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilot spent his last battle in the skies of Hungary on March 26, 1945, on his fifth La-5 fighter of the war. After the war, he continued to serve in the USSR Air Force, retired in 1972 with the rank of major general, and lived in Moscow. He died on August 29, 1996 at the age of 79, and was buried at the Kuntsevo cemetery in the capital.

Information sources:
http://svpressa.ru
http://airaces.narod.ru
http://www.warheroes.ru

L Avrenov Alexander Filippovich - assistant commander of the 291st Fighter Aviation Regiment for the air rifle service of the 265th Fighter Aviation Division of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps of the 4th Air Army of the North Caucasus Front, lieutenant.

Born on April 20, 1920 in the village of Pechernikovskie Vyselki, Mikhailovsky District, Ryazan Region, into a peasant family. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1943. After graduating from 7th grade in 1936, he came to Moscow. He graduated from the FZU school and worked as a turner at the Dynamo plant. He studied at the flying club.

In the Red Army since 1938. In 1940 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School.

In the active army since April 1943. Fought on the North Caucasus, Southern, and 4th Ukrainian fronts. He took part in the Yak-1 aircraft in air battles in the Kuban, on the Molochnaya River, for the city of Melitopol and Crimea.

By June 1943, Lieutenant Lavrenov made 47 combat missions, in 26 air battles he personally shot down 17 and 3 enemy aircraft as part of a group.

U of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on November 1, 1943 for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown to Lieutenant Alexander Filippovich Lavrenov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1273).

In total, he performed about 150 combat missions, participating in 40 air battles, and chalked up 26 personal victories and 3 in the group.

On March 26, 1944 he died in an air battle over Sivash. He was buried in the village of Krasnoarmeyskoye, Krasnoperekopsk district, Crimean region.

Awarded the Order of Lenin, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and the Red Star.

The memorial plaque was installed on the school building in the village of Pechernikovskie Vyselki. A street in the city of Mikhailov, Ryazan region, and a ship of the Ministry of River Management bear his name.

Alexander Lavrenov began his front-line journey in April 1943 in the skies of Kuban. On April 29, he shot down his first Messerschmitt. A few days later - on May 2, 1943 - over the Blue Line, in a fierce battle with the aces of the General Udet squadron, he shot down 2 more Messerschmitts over the Kyiv station.

On May 27, 1943, Lieutenant Lavrenov took to the skies as part of six Yak-1s to escort 12 Pe-2 bombers. When the “pawns” dropped bombs on the fascist positions in the village of Krymskaya, Lavrenov saw 3 groups of Yu-88 bombers approaching the front. He and his partner went on the attack. The very first shots from the cannon and machine guns shot down one “bomber”. Having missed the second group, our pilots went to attack the third. Lavrenov approached one of the bombers from below and pulled the trigger. The enemy vehicle rushed down, trailing a black tail of smoke.

Junior Lieutenant Vasily Konobaev also set fire to the Junkers and, rushing past it, attacked the second one. The fascist pilot, noticing the danger, rushed to the side and collided with another bomber flying in a single formation. Both Junkers, tumbling randomly, flew down. At this time, eight “Messers” appeared. But a couple of Soviet pilots, skillfully maneuvering, went on the attack themselves. One attack by Lavrenov was successful: the Messer went to the ground. As a result, the pair shot down 6 planes in one battle!

Already at the beginning of June, a month and a half after the start of combat work, Lieutenant Lavrenov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By this time, he had shot down 17 enemy aircraft in 47 sorties. Almost one plane for every 3rd flight!

In July 1943, Alexander Lavrenov received a new fighter, built at the expense of Academician V.N. Obraztsov and named “Rtishchevsky Railwayman”. He continued combat missions on this fighter.

In the fall of 1943, Alexander Lavrenov's regiment was redeployed to the Southern Front. Hitler's command made a lot of efforts to hold the city of Melitopol - the gateway to the Crimea and the lower Dnieper.

On September 10, 1943, Lavrenov, together with Konobaev, discovered a train with ammunition in the town of Bolshoi Tokmak and immediately went on the attack. The cannon roared, the machine guns started firing, and a red-orange column of explosion rose into the sky. For a long time, shells and gas tanks exploded at the station, black fountains of smoke flew into the sky...

On September 15, 1943, a group of fighters under the command of Lavrenov flew out to intercept Heinkels flying to attack our ground forces. The Yaks crashed into a group of Heinkels and began to disperse them. In a short fight, Lavrenov and Konobaev were shot down by a Heinkel.

On January 20, 1944, Lavrenov and his new partner, junior lieutenant Morya (Konobaev died on September 18, 1943), having flown out on a free “hunt”, discovered an enemy airfield where there were about 50 Yu-52 transport aircraft. Lavrenov put the Yak into a dive. With a well-aimed burst, he set fire to one plane, and at the exit from the attack, he set fire to the second. The seas were broken by another Junkers. At this time, 2 Messerschmitts appeared and launched an attack on Lavrenov. The Sea pilot promptly covered his commander and killed the leading Messer with a well-aimed burst. Arriving at the airfield, Lavrenov reported on the scouted airfield. An hour later, Il-2 attack aircraft took off. They were led by Lavrenov and Morya. In that battle, 20 Ju-52 aircraft were destroyed.

March 26, 1944 turned out to be the darkest day of the entire war for the 291st Fighter Aviation Regiment. On this day, the commander of the 278th Fighter Aviation Division sent unattached pairs of young pilots to cover the crossing of the Sivash. And he organized a seminar for the aces. Above Sivash, the newcomers met several dozen fascist bombers, accompanied by fighters. Having scattered, they started fighting one by one.

The commander of the 291st Air Regiment, Major Volkov, Captain Lavrenov and several other fighters flew to the rescue. But they couldn’t fix the matter. They had to fight German aces from the 52nd Fighter Squadron. Volkov managed to shoot down one Messer, but fell into the pincers of two pairs of Me-109s. Lavrenov rushed to the commander’s rescue. But it was already too late. Volkov's plane caught fire and began to fall to the ground. Captain Lavrenov fired a long burst into the nearest Messer, but did not have time to turn to the side and crashed into the tail of the enemy plane... Both planes fell apart...

On this black day - March 26, 1944 - in addition to regiment commander A.A. Volkov and Hero of the Soviet Union A.F. Lavrenov, 8 more pilots of the 291st Fighter Aviation Regiment died in an unequal battle...

By this time, Alexander Filippovich Lavrenov’s combat account officially included 29 aerial victories, won by him personally and in a group with his comrades.

There are rarely joyful days at the front. September 6, 1943 was one of those for the personnel of the 937th Fighter Wing and, perhaps, for the entire 322nd Fighter Division. Military friends saw off the regiment commander, Major Alexei Koltsov, and the regiment navigator, Captain Semyon Bychkov, to Moscow. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 2, 1943, “for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the courage and heroism shown,” they were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And now they were flying to the capital

For a well-deserved reward in air battles with enemies.

Front-line aviators gathered in the Kremlin on September 10. The awards were presented by Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR I. Ya. Veres. Attaching it to the ceremonial tunic, on which two Orders of the Red Banner were already shining, Veres wished Bychkov new successes in air battles with the hated enemy.

Not all Soviet soldiers lived to see May 9, 1945. On November 7, 1943, the Lavochkin group under the command of Koltsov attacked an enemy airfield. The pilots of the 937th Air Regiment flew at the enemy like a fiery tornado. On both sides they set fire to 9 bombers and disabled 14. During the attack, a fragment of an anti-aircraft shell damaged the regiment commander's car. Koltsov was wounded. And a large group of Messers took off from a nearby airfield. An air battle ensued, in which Captain Bychkov won another victory, shooting down an enemy fighter.

Major Koltsov also chalked up one Messerschmitt in this unequal battle, but wounded and on a damaged plane, he could not resist the enemy. His fighter crashed near the village of Liozno, Vitebsk region. A.I. Koltsov was buried in the village of Chernitsy, Lioznensky district. There is a monument on his grave, and memorial plaques on the buildings of the school and boarding school in Liozno and the mechanical plant in Voronezh, where he worked as a motor mechanic in the early 1930s. Information about the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major Alexei Ivanovich Koltsov, is included in the two-volume short biographical dictionary “Heroes of the Soviet Union,” published in 1987 - 1988.

But why doesn’t the same dictionary say a word about his fellow soldier - Captain Semyon Trofimovich Bychkov? This fairly complete publication, verified by military historians, contains biographical information about only one Bychkov - Sergeant Bychkov Nikolai Vasilyevich earned this high state award for crossing the Dnieper. What is this - a mistake by the compilers of the biographical dictionary, an inaccuracy? Documents from military archives make it possible to give a sufficiently objective and reliable answer to this difficult question...

Semyon Trofimovich Bychkov was born in 1919 in the village of Petrovka, Khokholsky district, Voronezh region, into the family of an employee. In 1935 he graduated from 7 classes. His path to military aviation was common for young men of pre-war generations: first a flying club (1938), then studying at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots. He improved his flying skills at courses for deputy squadron commanders (1941).

The presentation of the navigator of the 937th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Captain Semyon Trofimovich Bychkov, written by the regiment commander, Major A.I. Koltsov in the summer of 1943, reflected the long combat path of the fighter pilot.

“He took part in air battles with German pirates from the very beginning of the Patriotic War. In total, he made 230 successful combat missions, took part in 60 air battles. On the Moscow, Bryansk and Stalingrad fronts for the period 1941 - 1942, he personally shot down (confirmed) 13 enemy aircraft , of which 5 bombers, 7 fighters and 1 transport aircraft.For successes in fierce air battles and the heroic defense of Stalingrad, he was awarded the first Order of the Red Banner in 1942.

Participating in fierce air battles with superior enemy aviation forces on the Oryol sector of the front from July 12 to August 10, 1943, he proved himself to be an excellent fighter pilot, who combined courage with great skill. He enters battle boldly and decisively, carries it out at a fast pace, imposes his will on the enemy, using his weaknesses. He proved himself to be an excellent commander and organizer of group air battles. The regiment's pilots, trained by his daily painstaking work, personal example and demonstration, carried out 667 successful combat missions, shot down 69 enemy aircraft, and there were never any cases of forced landings or loss of orientation.

In August 1942 he was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. In the last operation from July 12 to August 10, 1943, he shot down 3 enemy aircraft. On July 14, 1943, in a group of 6 La-5s, in a battle against 10 Yu-87, 5 Yu-88, 6 FV-190, he personally shot down 1 Yu-87, which fell in the Rechitsa area.

On July 15, 1943, as part of 3 La-5, it intercepted and shot down an enemy aircraft - a Yu-88 reconnaissance aircraft, which crashed in the Yagodnaya area...

On July 31, 1943, in an air battle, he personally shot down 1 Yu-88, which crashed in the Masalskoye area.

Conclusion: for courage and heroism shown in battles with the German invaders and personally shooting down 15 and 1 enemy aircraft in a group, he is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union."

On December 11, 1943, while carrying out another combat mission in the Orsha area, La-5, led by Captain S. T. Bychkov, came under crossfire from German anti-aircraft artillery. Having received a lot of holes, the plane made an emergency landing in a swampy place; the seriously wounded pilot, unconscious and with a serious head wound, was pulled out from under the wreckage of the car by enemy machine gunners. Semyon Bychkov woke up in a German military hospital...

In the fall of 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Holtero of the German General Staff, head of the Vostok intelligence processing point at the Luftwaffe command headquarters, who processed the results of interrogations of Soviet pilots, proposed forming a flight unit from prisoners ready to fight on the side of Germany. At the same time, he secured full support for his idea from former Soviet aviation colonel Viktor Maltsev.

Since October 1943, Soviet captured aviators began to be taken from various prisoner of war camps to a camp located near Suwalki. Here, in various ways, they were sought to agree to join the armed forces of free Russia, then they underwent a medical examination, and were checked professionally.

Those deemed fit were trained in a two-month course, after which they were given a military rank, they took an oath, and then were seconded to the “aviation group” of Lieutenant Colonel Holters at Moriesfeld near Eastenburg (East Prussia), where they were used according to their flying specialties: technical personnel repaired damaged aircraft. the Germans received Soviet aircraft, while the pilots were retrained on various types of German military aircraft. Those former Soviet aviators who were especially trusted by the enemies, as part of the German squadron, ferried aircraft from factory sites to military airfields on the Eastern Front.

Under the 1st German Air Fleet, stationed in the Baltic states, an additional night combat group "Ostland" was formed at the same time, which, in addition to the Estonian group (three squadrons) and the Latvian group (two squadrons), also included the first "Eastern" the squadron is the first “Russian” aviation unit in the German Luftwaffe. Before its disbandment in June 1944, the 1st Squadron flew up to 500 combat missions behind Soviet lines.

German fighter, bomber and reconnaissance squadrons later included aircraft with “Russian” crews who distinguished themselves in air battles, bombing raids, and reconnaissance flights. In general, the experience with Soviet captured aviators seemed quite successful to the Luftwaffe command, and both German and Vlasov military observers unanimously noted the high fighting qualities of the personnel of the Holters-Maltsev air group.

On March 29, 1944, the newspaper of the Vlasov army “Volunteer” published an appeal to Soviet captured pilots, signed by Heroes of the Soviet Union Captain Semyon Bychkov and Senior Lieutenant Bronislav Antalevsky, in which they stated that “... shot down in a fair battle, we found ourselves in captivity of the Germans. Not only were we not tormented or tortured, on the contrary, we met from the German officers and soldiers the warmest and comradely attitude and concern for our shoulder straps, orders and military merits."

And some time later, their new statement was published: “We - captain Semyon Trofimovich Bychkov and senior lieutenant Bronislav Romanovich Antilevsky, former pilots of the Red Army, twice order bearers and Heroes of the Soviet Union - learned that hundreds of thousands of Russian volunteers, yesterday’s Red Army soldiers, are fighting today shoulder to shoulder with German soldiers against Stalin's rule, and we also joined these ranks."

Twice a recording of Bychkov’s speech with a call to go over to the side of the German army was broadcast by the Germans in various sectors of the Eastern Front. It seems that the aviators of the 322nd Air Division could have known about the treason of their fellow soldier.

Was the transition of a combat Soviet aviator to the side of the enemy forced or voluntary? We cannot exclude either the first or second version. When in July 1946, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR began to consider the case on charges of A. A. Vlasov, V. F. Malyshkin, G. N. Zhilenkov, V. I. Maltsev and others of treason and others “especially dangerous for USSR state war crimes", S. T. Bychkov was called as a witness.

The minutes of the court hearing record: “Witness Bychkov told how at the end of January 1945, in the Moritzfeld camp, the commander of the aviation of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) Maltsev recruited Soviet pilots held in this camp. When Bychkov responded to Maltsev’s offer to serve in the “ROA aviation” refused, he was so beaten that he was sent to the infirmary, where he lay for two weeks. Maltsev did not leave him alone there either. He intimidated him with the fact that in the USSR he would still be “shot as a traitor,” and if he still refused "To serve in the ROA, then he, Maltsev, will make sure that Bychkov is sent to a concentration camp, where he will undoubtedly die. In the end, Bychkov could not stand it and agreed to serve in the ROA."

It is possible that the Nazis actually used methods of “physical pressure” on Semyon Bychkov (we now know what was meant by these “methods” in the Nazi and Stalin dungeons), and his consent to serve in the aviation of the “Committee for the Liberation Movement of the Peoples of Russia” (KONR) was forced.

But an indisputable fact is also that witness Bychkov did not tell the notorious Chairman of the Military Collegium, Colonel General of Justice V.V. Ulrich, the whole truth at this court hearing. And it was that in Moritzfeld there was not a camp for prisoners of war at all, but for former Red Army pilots who, for various reasons, were forced to agree to join the ROA, and besides, in January 1945 it had already been cleared of enemies by the advancing Soviet troops.

Captain Bychkov and senior lieutenant Antilevsky already at the beginning of 1944 spoke in camps for prisoners of war and eastern workers, openly calling for “armed struggle against the Stalinist regime” and, as part of an air group, participated in combat missions against the troops of the Red Army.

Bychkov enjoyed great confidence among the Nazis. He was trusted to transport combat vehicles from aircraft factories to front-line airfields, and he taught flying skills to ROA pilots. No one could stop him from flying an enemy combat aircraft across the front line. But he didn't. And the Germans appreciated his dedication to the “liberation mission” of the ROA, awarding him the rank of major in the German army.

On February 4, 1945, during the first review of aviation units that were in the process of formation, General Vlasov presented military awards to ROA aviators. Among others, the orders were awarded to Major Bychkov and the newly appointed captain of the ROA Antilevsky.

On December 19, 1944, an order was issued by the “Reissmarshal of the Greater German Reich and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe” Hermann Goering on the creation of the ROA air force, which emphasized that “the leadership of the formation is in the hands of the ROA,” and they are directly subordinate to Vlasov.

On February 2, 1945, Vlasov and Maltsev, at the invitation of Reichsmarshal Goering, participated in a meeting in Karinhall. Maltsev, on Vlasov’s proposal, was promoted to major general, and received the powers of commander of the ROA Air Force or “chief of the air force of the peoples of Russia.”

On February 13, the staff of the ROA Air Force headquarters was approved. Most of the positions in the headquarters were occupied by officers of the tsarist and white armies, who served in the Yugoslav military aviation in the period between the two wars. Among them were the St. George cavaliers, Colonels L. Baydok and Antonov, Major V. Shebalin.

On February 10, 1945, the formation of aviation units began in Marienbad. The first air regiment (commander Colonel Baydak, chief of staff Major Shebalin) was formed in Eger. The fastest was to form the 5th Fighter Squadron named after Colonel Alexander Kazakov, the famous Russian aviator, hero of the First World War, who then fought in the ranks of the White Guard armies against Soviet power.

Major S. T. Bychkov was appointed squadron commander. The squadron was stationed in Eger and consisted of 16 Me-109G-10 fighters. According to the calculations of the ROA Air Force headquarters, it should have been used “for battles in the east” already in March.

The 2nd squadron (commanded by Captain Antilevsky) was armed with German bombers and was intended to carry out night combat sorties. In mid-February, Maltsev reported to General Vlasov that “independent combat groups of the ROA Air Force are ready for deployment at the front.”

Soviet troops advanced west rapidly and the fulfillment of combat missions of the German command faded into the background: the headquarters of the ROA Air Force sought to save its aviation units. Yet on April 13, 1945, a squadron of night bombers from the air supported the advance of the 1st ROA Division on the Soviet Erlenhof bridgehead, south of Fürstenberg.

On April 13, Vlasov informed Maltsev of his decision to gather all KONR armed forces east of Salzburg or to Bohemia. ROA units set off, and on April 23, Air Force communications units joined Neyerke. On April 24, at the military council, it was finally recognized that by that time it was obvious to the most rabid Nazis: the final defeat of the Wehrmacht was a matter of a few days.

Therefore, Maltsev, together with the German Luftwaffe general Aschbusnner, went to negotiate with the Americans in order to obtain from them the status of political refugees for the military personnel of the air units of the Russian Liberation Army.

At the negotiations at the headquarters of the 12th US Army Corps, the Americans behaved extremely correctly, but it soon became clear that they were completely unaware that troops of some Russian liberation army were fighting against them on the side of the Germans. Brigadier General Kenin said that the command of the corps, and indeed the entire 3rd American Army, of which it is a part, is not authorized to enter into negotiations on granting political asylum to someone, that this issue is solely the responsibility of the President and the US Congress. The American general firmly stated: we can only talk about the unconditional surrender of weapons.

The surrender of weapons took place on April 27 in Langdorf, between Zwieselen and Resen. A group of officers, consisting of 200 people, including Semyon Bychkov, after temporary internment in the French city of Cherbourg in September 1945, was transferred to Soviet troops.

On August 24, 1946, S. T. Bychkov was sentenced to death under Article 58.1-B of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR by the military tribunal of the Moscow Military District. The next day, Bychkov submitted a petition for pardon to the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. He wrote that “he made an emergency landing and, with a severe head wound, found himself under the wreckage of the plane in an unconscious state... During interrogations, he did not reveal military secrets to the enemy, he joined the ROA under duress, and deeply repents of what he did.” His request was rejected...

Anatoly Kopeikin,

correspondent for the magazine "Aviation and Cosmonautics"

THE FATE OF THE REST OF VLASOV’S “FALCONS”

Soldiers of the 3rd American Army took Major General Maltsev to a prisoner of war camp near Frankfurt am Main, and then also transported him to Cherbourg. It is known that the Soviet side repeatedly and persistently demanded his extradition. Finally, the Vlasov general was nevertheless handed over to the NKVD officers, who, under escort, took him to their camp, located not far from Paris.

Maltsev tried to commit suicide twice - at the end of 1945 and in May 1946. While in a Soviet hospital in Paris, he opened the veins in his arms and made cuts on his neck. But he failed to avoid retribution for betrayal. On a specially flown Douglas he was taken to Moscow, where on August 1, 1946 he was sentenced to death and soon hanged along with Vlasov and other leaders of the ROA. Maltsev was the only one of them who did not ask for mercy or mercy. He only reminded the judges of the military board in his last word about his unfounded conviction in 1938, which undermined his faith in Soviet power.

S. Bychkov, as we have already said, was “reserved” for this trial as a witness. They promised that if they gave the necessary testimony, they would save his life. But on August 24 of the same year, the military tribunal of the Moscow Military District sentenced him to death. The sentence was carried out on November 4, 1946. And the Decree depriving him of the title of Hero took place 5 months later - March 23, 1947.

As for B. Antilevsky, almost all researchers on this topic claim that he managed to avoid extradition by hiding in Spain under the protection of Generalissimo Franco, and that he was sentenced to death in absentia. “The traces of the regiment commander Baydak and two officers of his staff, majors Klimov and Albov, were never found. Antilevsky managed to fly away and get to Spain, where, according to information from the “authorities” who continued to look for him, he was spotted already in the 1970s. Although he was sentenced to death in absentia by a decision of the Moscow Military District court immediately after the war, for another 5 years he retained the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and only in the summer of 1950 did the authorities come to their senses and deprive him of this award in absentia”...

But the materials of the criminal case against B. R. Antilevsky do not provide grounds for such allegations. It is difficult to say where B. Antilevsky’s “Spanish trace” originates. Perhaps for the reason that his Fi-156 Storch plane was prepared for flight to Spain, and he was not among the officers captured by the Americans. According to the case materials, after the surrender of Germany, he was in Czechoslovakia, where he joined the “false partisan” detachment “Red Spark” and received documents as a participant in the anti-fascist movement in the name of Berezovsky. Having this certificate in hand, he was arrested by NKVD officers when trying to enter the territory of the USSR.

On June 12, 1945, Antilevsky-Berezovsky was repeatedly interrogated, fully convicted of treason, and on July 25, 1946, he was convicted by the military tribunal of the Moscow Military District under Art. 58-1 "b" of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR to capital punishment - execution, with confiscation of property personally belonging to him. There is no information about the execution of the sentence in the case. The decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to deprive B. Antilevsky of all awards and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union actually took place much later - on July 12, 1950.

Sergei Litavrin was born in 1921 in the village of Dvurechki, Gryazinsky district, into a peasant family. In 1928, Sergei’s father went to work at the Lipetsk iron mines and moved the family to Lipetsk. In 1938, after graduating from 8 classes of secondary school No. 5, Litavrin entered the Voronezh Radio Technical School. But he soon returned to Lipetsk and began studying at the flying club. A year later he was enrolled as a cadet at the fighter pilot school. After graduating from school, he served as an aviation flight commander.

Since June 1941, Litavrin served on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. From the first days, he wanted to quickly meet with the air enemy in order to severely punish the enemy for all his atrocities. But so far there have been no such meetings. The first time, when Sergei and his friends were alerted and flew out to intercept enemy bombers, they managed to escape, leaving behind fires and traces of destruction. The second time, our pilots saw only the dots of the receding planes...

Junior Lieutenant Litavrin opened his combat account on June 27, 1941, when he flew out on a mission together with flight commander Lieutenant V. Yedkin and destroyed a Ju-88 bomber. A few days later, Sergei shot down the second bomber, which found its grave at the bottom of Lake Pskov.

July - August 1941 were hot in the Leningrad sky. The regiment's pilots flew 5-7 sorties a day. Together with his fighting friends, Sergei continued to successfully fight the enemy. By the fall of 1941, he had already shot down 6 enemy aircraft.

In the harsh days of October 1941, newspapers wrote about Sergei Litavrin more than once, and many Leningraders learned from them about his exploits. They sent letters to the pilot, thanking him for his courage in battle and sharing news. These letters brought a lot of joy to Sergei and gave him new strength. Sergei was especially excited by a letter from Arseny Korshunov, an electric welder at the Metal Plant, where military equipment was repaired. In his reply letter, Sergei invited him to visit. Soon their meeting took place. Having accepted the pilot’s invitation, Korshunov arrived at the airfield where Litavrin’s regiment was based. Not alone, but with his friend Ivan Grigoriev.

Sergei Litavrin was very friendly with the pilot Ilya Shishkan. They were always seen together. And now two front-line friends received two Leningrad workers. They took them around the airfield, where the Hawks stood in shelters, introduced them to their fellow pilots, and told them about the glorious deeds of the fighter regiment, which began combat activity from the first day of the Great Patriotic War. And then the Leningrad workers were invited to the canteen and treated to a front-line lunch. A few days later, Sergei and Ilya visited the plant in Leningrad to visit Arseny and Ivan.

Friendship began between the pilots and workers. They maintained constant correspondence with each other and visited each other more than once. The workers reported how they were working for the front, the pilots - about new victories.

And Sergei’s tally of these victories was constantly increasing. On board his plane, painted stars were lined up in a row, according to the number of downed planes. In May 1942, Sergei was accepted into the party, and in the next battle he won another victory in a battle between five of our fighters and 12 Messers.

On May 29, defending the Volkhov hydroelectric power station, Litavrin’s six won a new victory - now in a battle with 18 bombers and 12 enemy fighters. Three Junkers and two Messers were destroyed. Litavrin shot down two Junkers.

Among the pilots of the Leningrad Front, Sergei gained fame as a skilled bomber hunter. He was never embarrassed by the enemy's numerical superiority or powerful fighter cover. Litavrin's friends noted that he perfectly combined the prudence of a mature warrior and the high skill of a pilot with audacity and courage. The battles carried out by Litavrin became textbooks for young pilots and served as a convincing example of what can be achieved if air combat is treated as an art. This is what allowed Sergei Litavrin to win brilliant victories.

One day, a group of 9 fighters under the command of Litavrin imposed a battle on 40 Junkers and Messerschmitts and shot down 8 aircraft without losing a single one. Another time, Litavrin and his nine attacked an even larger group of 60 aircraft and shot down 5 of them.

August and September 1942 were perhaps the most active months of air combat on the Leningrad Front.

On a clear sunny morning, at 9 o’clock, an ominous hum of engines was heard. A huge number of black and gray bombers appeared in the sky. “On the floor” above, maneuvering and circling as if in a whirlwind, rushed “Messers” - the constant companions of the bombers.

Soon our fighters appeared. There were clearly fewer of them. The distance between the enemy air armada and our squadrons was shrinking every second. What happened next is even difficult to convey. In an instant everything became confused, mixed up and spinning. Only, burdened with the weight of their cargo, did the bombers continue to fly “calmly”. True, their clear structure was soon disrupted. Individual vehicles, pursued by Soviet aces, began to descend ahead of time and, without going into a dive, dropped bombs. But then one, then a second, then a third heavy car with a swastika caught fire and, sharply reducing speed, they went down, dragging a tail of fire and black smoke behind them. Some Junkers fell differently - at first they flared up like a torch, then broke and immediately flew down in pieces. Parachute canopies also appeared in the air. It was the pilots who had managed to leave the burning vehicles descending. And the battle did not stop. It seemed like there would be no end to it...

“Fierce 7-hour air battle” - the headlines of Leningrad newspapers read the next day. And below them are remarks: “Our pilots scattered 8 echelons of enemy bombers and destroyed 21 aircraft.” In one of the correspondence this battle was described as follows:

“Trying to return the lines occupied by our units, the enemy threw over 120 aircraft yesterday at our forward positions. Enemy bombers walked in echelons under the cover of fighters. Several kilometers from the target they were met by fighters from Pavlov’s, Mishchenko’s and Bogoveshchensky’s units. One group of our pilots took the enemy fighters fell into the iron pincers, and the other rushed into the attack and crashed into the first echelon of bombers, starting a fierce battle with them.In the very first minutes of the air battle, the fighters of unit commander Pavlov distinguished themselves.

The pilots of Senior Lieutenants Litavrin and Plekhanov met 10 Ju-88 bombers, which were escorted and covered by fighters, and immediately went on the attack. Lieutenant Shestakov shot down the Junkers, but was himself attacked by the Me-109. With a successful maneuver, Shestakov got out of the threatened position and from a short distance set fire to the plane that attacked him. Senior Lieutenant Plekhanov, having driven them out of formation, set fire to two Ju-88s. Pilots Vysotsky, Golovach, Litavrin each destroyed one Junkers. Senior Lieutenant Kudryavtsev, leaving the battle with the fighters, overtook two enemy bombers and shot them down. So within 50 minutes the first echelon of the enemy was destroyed...

But soon the next echelons of air pirates began to appear. They were met by our fighters. Pilot Mishchenko, together with Senior Lieutenant Karpov, shot down 2 bombers. Captain Zhidov shot 2 Me-109s. Five aircraft commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union Captain Pidtykan were attacked by 10 Me-109s. Skillfully maneuvering and covering each other, our pilots broke out of the ring of enemy aircraft and immediately rushed at the fascist bombers. Pidtykan destroyed the Ju-88. Four of our planes, under the command of Captain Oskalenko, entered into battle with 4 Junkers when they dived onto the front line of our defense. As a result, one Ju-88 was set on fire, the other, pursued by Sergeant Major Bachin, was shot at short range by machine-gun fire. Senior Lieutenant Zanin, despite being seriously wounded in the battle, brought his plane safely to the airfield."

Fighting with large groups of enemy aircraft, Litavrin and his squadron could not only successfully fight, but also win victories without losses that not every experienced air fighter could achieve. And there were many famous aces on the Leningrad Front. By the end of 1942, Sergei had 10 aircraft, mostly bombers, that he personally shot down.

On January 12, 1943, a powerful artillery barrage heralded the beginning of the offensive of our troops near Leningrad. Volleys of hundreds of guns merged into a single cannonade. The troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts rushed towards each other to break the enemy blockade ring.

And now Litavrin is in the air again. He had to conduct reconnaissance and identify how the enemy behaved behind the front line. Together with Sergei, three more went on the mission: experienced air fighters Grigory Bogomazov and Sergei Demenkov and a young fighter pilot Arkady Morozov.

During the flight, two enemy fighters unexpectedly fell on Litavrin. The wingmen were on alert and covered the commander. The enemy attack failed. Sergei noticed that German planes were not similar in appearance to the Me-109 known to him. And they surpass them in the power of fire. These were the new FW-190 fighters.

Our pilots energetically counterattacked them, but the German fighters quickly went up into the thin clouds. Litavrin and his wingmen rushed after the Fokkers into the whitish veil of clouds, trying to keep up with them. A cannon-machine gun burst rushed after the enemy... second... third... Litavrin and his friends shot accurately. And now one FW-190 nodded and began to fall on its side. Then black smoke poured out from under the wing. The enemy fighter went into a tailspin.

The second Fokker, maneuvering frequently to escape the fire, began to pull to the west. But he didn't go far. Litavrin and his wingmen beat him up so much that he was unable to continue the flight and plopped down on the ice of Lake Ladoga not far from the shore occupied by enemy troops. As soon as it got dark, a group of our brave men from the emergency technical team made their way to the plane and literally dragged it off the lake under the enemy’s nose. In the morning, technicians disassembled the FW-190 and sent it to the workshops. There the Fokker was reassembled, repaired and flown.

The new German fighter that appeared on the Leningrad Front became the subject of careful study in the regiment. It turned out that although it is of the latest design, it still does not have any special advantages compared to Soviet vehicles, it is not free from vulnerabilities, and it can be shot down just as successfully as the Messerschmitts.

During the days of the battles to break the blockade of Leningrad, Litavrin knew no peace. As soon as the weather permitted, he lifted his wingmen into the air, cleared the sky of enemy aircraft, stormed enemy troops, and suppressed battery fire.

The offensive of our troops ended with the breaking of the blockade of the city. The country and especially the Leningraders celebrated the victory. The pilots also celebrated it. And Sergei gained another great joy. On January 28, 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Spring brought Sergei further victories over the enemy. There, on March 23, 1943, four fighters of the 158th Air Regiment, led by Captain S.G. Litavrin, in the Krasny Bor - Pushkin area of ​​the Leningrad Region intercepted 9 Ju-88 bombers under the cover of 6 fighters. Our pilots, despite the numerical superiority of the enemy, boldly entered the battle. They destroyed 3 enemy aircraft and put the enemy to flight.

With the onset of the summer of 1943, German aviation began to launch massive raids on Leningrad and the most important objects of the Leningrad Front. One of the largest was committed on May 30: 47 bombers under the cover of 20 fighters tried to break through to the city. Our pilots blocked their path.

The first and strongest blow to the enemy was delivered by Sergei Litavrin’s eight. She boldly crashed into the formation of bombers and caused confusion. Other groups of Soviet fighters following Litavrin took advantage of this. Driving the Me-109 aside, they hit the bombers in unison. The attacks followed one after another. Plumes of smoke appeared in the sky - several enemy vehicles fell to the ground. Randomly dropping their bomb load, the Junkers turned back. But not everyone managed to get to their airfields - 31 enemy planes met an inglorious end on the outskirts of the heroic city. The German group lost almost half of its members.

In those days, reports from the Soviet Information Bureau often mentioned Novaya Ladoga, which was located on the route between the mainland and Leningrad. This area became the scene of fierce air battles. The Luftwaffe command, having failed to achieve success in the raids on Leningrad, tried to interrupt the movement of communications along which the besieged city was supplied.

On June 4, 1943, 6 fighters of the 158th Air Regiment under the command of Captain S.G. Litavrin flew to intercept enemy bombers in the Kolpino-Krasny Bor area. By radio the group was redirected to the area of ​​the city of Mga. Here she entered into battle with enemy aircraft. Despite the 10-fold superiority, the enemy was forced to turn back, losing 6 bombers.

The next day, June 5, about 100 enemy aircraft rushed to the Novaya Ladoga area. The bombers walked in echelons, several dozen vehicles in each. They were accompanied by fighter jets. Our fighters were scrambled from almost all airfields located near Lake Ladoga to repel this raid.

Litavrin’s six were sent to the Volkhovstroy area. And on time. There Sergei met a group of 40 Non-111s, which were covered by 20 Me-109s and FW-190s. The enemy had a multiple advantage, and our pilots won. Litavrin's six shot down 7 Heinkel-111 bombers and 1 Focke-Wulf-190 fighter without losing a single aircraft.

On June 18, pilots of the 7th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Corps shot down 12 enemy aircraft on the approaches to Leningrad. On this day, Major I.P. Neustroev, Captains G.N. Zhidov and S.G. Litavrin especially distinguished themselves in air battles.

On June 24, a group of fighters under the command of Sergei Litavrin fought with enemy bombers in the area of ​​​​the city of Kolpino, Leningrad Region, and did not allow the enemy to reach protected objects. In this battle, Captain S. G. Litavrin destroyed the 14th enemy aircraft.

For skillful leadership of combat operations and personal courage, Sergei Litavrin was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky in June 1943. Other pilots of the regiment in which Sergei Litavrin fought also won many remarkable victories. And so on July 7, 1943, the aviation regiment was awarded the title of 103rd Guards. And a day later, the Air Defense Aviation Corps, which included the regiment, received this title.

On September 13, 1943, the air corps was awarded the Guards Banner. At one of the front-line airfields, fighters lined up in two even rows. The stars painted on the sides sparkled under the rays of the sun. Each of them meant a downed enemy plane. There were 15 stars on board the Litavrin fighter.

The fame of Sergei Litavrin's military exploits thundered throughout the Leningrad Front. She also reached his native place. Residents of the city of Lipetsk were proud of their fellow countryman, wrote letters to him, asking him to tell him about military affairs and front-line life. Litavrin answered. Sergei went on vacation several times to his home, where his mother and sister lived, and met with fellow countrymen. These meetings brought many pleasant moments to the famous pilot. At the beginning of 1944, Komsomol members of Lipetsk decided to give Litavrin a gift.

Komsomol members and youth of the city of Lipetsk collected and donated 100,000 rubles to the defense fund. With the money raised, a Yak-9 aircraft was built and handed over to a brave pilot - a fellow countryman. To receive a personalized car, Sergei flew to his homeland. He returned to the regiment on February 4, 1944 on a new fighter. On board the Yak-9 were the words: “To the Hero of the Soviet Union Litavrin from the Komsomol members and the youth of the city of Lipetsk.”

A period of temporary calm ensued. The enemy was driven back from the southern outskirts of Leningrad. The front line moved towards Estonia, and fighter air regiments were also relocated there. And Litavrin’s regiment guarded the air approaches to Leningrad. The Germans were not particularly active. Only occasionally did single reconnaissance aircraft appear at high altitudes above Leningrad. Our pilots received a respite, which ended in June 1944. At this time, the troops of the Leningrad Front went on the offensive on the Karelian Isthmus.

Large groups of our bombers delivered powerful blows to the enemy's long-term defenses. Accompanying them temporarily became the “profession” of Sergei Litavrin. True, by this time enemy aircraft no longer dominated the air. And the Finnish Brewster-type fighters did not dare to attack our groups when they were in formation and approaching the target. Perhaps only with a solid numerical superiority. But this happened rarely. "Brewsters" attacked single aircraft at the moment when they were leaving the attack and had not yet had time to take their place in the ranks. This is where it was necessary to keep a vigilant eye so that the Brewsters did not break through. Sergei mastered his new “profession” well.

On June 18, 1944, Litavrin led his squadron to escort a group of 27 Pe-2 dive bombers that were bombing enemy troops in the Hiitola area. The dive bombers successfully completed the task. The enemy's defensive fortifications were mixed with the ground. Thick black smoke hung over the positions. And when the Petlyakovs set off on a reverse course, 16 Brewsters tried to attack them. Litavrii was on the alert. He quickly divided the squadron into groups, briefly explained the plan of action, and he himself began to gain altitude in order to more conveniently lead the battle.

In a long and stubborn battle, our pilots shot down 5 Finnish fighters. All our bombers returned safely to the airfield, having completed their combat mission. And although Sergei himself did not shoot down a single enemy vehicle in this battle, his skillful leadership of the group did its job. Victory is ours.

The fighting on the Karelian Isthmus ended. The technician painted the 19th star on board Litavrin’s plane. As it turned out - the last one. Although the war is not over yet, peaceful days have come for Sergei and his friends. The enemy no longer appeared over Leningrad.

During the war years, Sergei Gavrilovich Litavrin made 462 successful combat missions, participated in 90 air battles, shot down 19 enemy aircraft personally and 5 in a group with his comrades, and destroyed 2 spotter balloons.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Sergei Gavrilovich, holding a number of command positions, continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1957, Guard Colonel S.G. Litavrin tragically died in the line of duty.

The memory of the brave fighter pilot is sacredly preserved in Leningrad - the city that he courageously defended during the war, and in the Lipetsk village of Dvurechki, and in Lipetsk itself, where he spent his childhood and youth. One of the streets of Lipetsk is named after the Hero. At secondary school No. 5 on Zegel Street, there is a memorial plaque on which Litavrin’s name is listed along with other students of the school who performed heroic deeds during the war. And in the village of Dvurechki, on the memorial plaque, Litavrin’s surname is written next to the surnames of his fellow countrymen - the commander of the first missile battery, Captain I. A. Flerov, and other heroes of the Great Patriotic War.