It's time to write about the hero who became famous in the Great Patriotic War for his feats of arms. After all, such people forged victory. Ivan Kozhedub became a hero of the Soviet Union three times in a row! In the history of the country, such honor was given only to three people: in fact, Kozhedub, Marshal and Defense Minister Semyon Budyonny and pilot Alexander Pokryshkin. The hero of this article was the most productive among the pilots of the Soviet Union and the pilots of the allied forces in the Second World War. He has 64 victories in aerial battles. Ivan Nikitovich received his first hero star almost 70 years ago - on February 4, 1944. At that time he was 24 years old. Three times the hero of the Soviet Union showed by his example that one in the field can be a warrior.

Born in the village into a poor family of a church head, Ivan Nikitovich was the youngest of five children. The boy was born after a terrible famine. Vanya's father was a man for his low birth, surprisingly educated and intelligent. In between hard work, he read books to children and even wrote poetry. But not only a good education at home was given to his son by the pious church elder. The father kept the boy in severity, but within reason. At the age of five, Vanya was already guarding the garden from thieves, not closing his eyes all night. It seemed like a strange thing: thieves were rare guests at that time. At a more conscious age, Kozhedub asked his father why he sent him to guard the garden, which no one really needed. The headman replied that this was only in order to instill in his son resistance to trials.

After graduating from school, the future hero entered the chemical-technological college, at the same time he worked part-time in the library. Ivan Kozhedub, like him, treated aviation as a hobby. Just like the first man in space, he went to the flying club, where he showed himself to be a promising pilot. Service in the army finally gave Ivan confidence in the choice of a further profession. He graduated with honors from flying school and, as one of the best cadets, was asked to remain as an instructor pilot. At that time he flew UT-2 and I-16.

During the war, the young pilot was evacuated along with his entire flight school to Kazakhstan. Kozhedub passionately asked the command to send him to the front to beat the Germans. The request was granted only in 1942. In November of the same year, Ivan Nikitovich arrived in Ivanovo, where the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division was being formed. Six months later, Kozhedub flew to the war, to the Voronezh front.

The first air battle was rather unsuccessful for the future ace. He was shot down by a burst of Messerschmitt-109, on top of everything else, Soviet anti-aircraft guns accidentally hit his La-5. With great difficulty, Kozhedub landed the plane, but the combat vehicle could not be restored. They even wanted to remove the famous pilot from flights, transferring him to a warning post. The squadron commander stood up for his young talent. The pilot did not disappoint his superiors, and in the summer Ivan was awarded the rank of junior lieutenant, and a little later he became deputy commander. July 6, 1943 at Kursk Bulge Kozhedub shot down his first German plane. It was the Junkers U-87 bomber. The next day, Ivan repeated his feat, and on July 9 he shot down two fighters at once. In August 1943, the great pilot was appointed squadron commander.

On September 30, 1943, Ivan accompanied the crossing of the Dnieper. The young pilot, left in the air without cover, noticed German Junkers in the distance. Even if it was reckless, Kozhedub sent his plane into their slender wedge. The future glorified ace managed to invade the ranks of opponents. German bombers were confused in order, stopped bombing the column of troops and regrouped for the attack. Having gathered in time, the pilot noticed the Junkers "U-87" that had fought back from the "flock", which he shot down. The bombers had to retreat. After the battle, Ivan Nikitovich said a phrase, which he repeated quite often afterwards: "They fight not by numbers, but by skill!"

But after only three days, Ivan had a really hard time. Kozhedub, together with his colleagues, covered the bridgehead on the river bank on nine La-5 aircraft (the pilots called them "lavochkin"). A column of Junkers-87 bombers of nine aircraft, covered by six Me-109 fighters, appeared in the sky. Kozhedub and his comrades were not at a loss and pounced on significant enemy forces who did not expect such agility. Two bombers were shot down, the column turned back, losing combat units. By October 1943, the squadron commander had flown 146 sorties and personally shot down 20 German aircraft.

On February 4, 1944, Ivan Nikitovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor in battles against the invaders. Despite the frequent shelling by enemy forces, Kozhedub managed to survive in any conditions. After the next destruction of the combat vehicle, a hybrid plane was built with the money of a local collective farmer-beekeeper, on which the ace flew since May 1944. This continued until August, when the hero was assigned a new fighter "La-7". On August 19, for exceptional discipline and military craft, the command awarded Kozhedub the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. He had 256 sorties and 48 downed enemy aircraft.

In mid-February 1945, Ivan Kozhedub was attacked by a plane unknown at that time. It was the newest German Luftwaffe or Me-262 fighter-bomber. The combat vehicle was almost the most advanced marvel of the military industry at the time, due to its impressive speed. But it was also shot down during a prolonged battle by our famous pilot, who was used to attacking from a long distance.

In April 1945, quite a few things happened to Ivan. strange story... Driving away German fighters from the Allied aircraft, Kozhedub was attacked by American combat vehicles, which confused him with a German. Ivan shot down two planes that really belonged to the US Air Force.

On August 18, 1945, Kozhedub received the third "Gold Star" of the hero of the Soviet Union for his exceptional skill. Throughout his flying career, the ace was shot down many times, but he always tried to land the plane, which he succeeded. Distinguished by exceptional skill, superhuman accuracy and the ability to perform the most complex flight aerobatics, Kozhedub rarely went into close combat, trying to hit from a long distance. In 1985 he was promoted to Air Marshal. The hero died on August 8, 1991.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, many boys dreamed of becoming pilots. Nobody really thought about how difficult it is to fly in the sky. It seemed to the guys that the pilots were romantics who got great pleasure from the flight.

How did the first Hero Pilots get their ranks?

For the first time, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded in 1934, although since the founding of the Soviet state until 1939 there were no wars, that is, the pilots did not carry out combat missions. Note that it was the pilots who became the first Heroes of the Soviet Union. These names are not as well known as the names of some aviators during the Second World War. Let's remember who these first pilots are - Heroes of the Soviet Union.

As you know, in 1934 there was an operation to rescue the Chelyuskinites. It was not possible to save people without the participation of aircraft. At the same time, the technology at that time was still poorly developed, and the rescue mission could get a positive result only thanks to the high professionalism and heroism of the pilots.

First Heroes by name

Nikolay Kamanin received the Gold Star of Hero # 1 at the age of 25. He made 9 flights over the Arctic, while rescuing 34 people (the crew of the sunken icebreaker "Chelyuskin" consisted of 104 people). In the photo below, Kamanin is shown on the left.

The complexity of the mission to rescue the sailors was that the area was not sufficiently explored at that time. Also, the pilots did not have full confidence in the reliability of motors, because such long distances at that time they practically did not fly yet.

Mikhail Vodopyanov made three difficult sorties, during which he was able to save more than 10 people. The uniqueness of this pilot's participation in the rescue operation lies in the fact that a few months before that he had received severe injuries and was treated for a long time. The authorities did not want to allow him to the operation, but he insisted.

Also in this operation took part such pilots - Hero of the Soviet Union, such as Ivan Doronin, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov, Mavriky Slepnev. Each pilot made a huge contribution to saving people in the Arctic Ocean.

War and great pilots

Analyzing the orders for conferring the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union during the Second World War, we find an interesting trend: more than 50% of the noted legendary warriors who defended our Motherland from invaders are pilots. Of course, fighting on the ground is also not easy, but air battles are much more difficult than ground battles. The level of courage and endurance of Soviet pilots is simply amazing. WWII pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union made a huge contribution to the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany.

In this section, it is worth mentioning about Alexei Maresyev and Pyotr Shemendyuk. These heroes, even in spite of severe physical injuries, continued to serve in the aviation.

For example, Maresyev is a famous hero of B. Polevoy's work "The Story of a Real Man".

His plane was shot down over the territory that the Germans controlled at that time. The pilot could not eject. Fell to the ground with the car. It so happened that during the impact on the ground, he was thrown out of the cab. For 18 days, the hero crawled to the front line. Discovered by Soviet children in Novgorod region... After that, he was treated for some time in a Novgorod village. After a long treatment and amputation of both legs, he was able to return to duty and made more than one combat mission.

Fighter pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union often returned to the front after being wounded. According to verified, but little-known information, about 20 Soviet pilots fought against the Nazis with amputated legs, arms or other severe injuries to the limbs.

It should be noted that for many pilots the Second World War was not the first combat experience. Everyone knows that many Soviet soldiers took part in the hostilities in Spain (civil war). For example, Sergei Gritsevets is considered one of the aces pilots of the 1930s. A Belarusian by nationality, he was born in 1909 in the Grodno province. He came to aviation on a Komsomol ticket in 1931. The pilot's track record according to official information is 40 downed aircraft.

Development of military aviation of the USSR

Pilots - Heroes of the Soviet Union showed themselves excellently during the Second World War. Although initially the technical level of German aircraft surpassed the equipment and quality of Soviet aircraft, the skill level of the "red" pilots, already some time after the start of the war, more than compensated for all the shortcomings of technology.

The improvement of Soviet combat aviation actually took place during the war. The fact is that in the first days of hostilities, most of the Soviet aircraft were destroyed at airfields during the Nazi bombing raids. According to many experts, this is even better. If wooden planes were to engage Junkers or other fighters, they would not have a single chance of winning aerial combat. Such decisiveness of the fascists saved the lives of many Soviet pilots.

During the war years, according to rough estimates, the aces shot down more than 4,000 of the best German aircraft. The rating of the Soviet aces is determined primarily by the number of Junkers shot down. Let's talk about each of the best separately.

The legendary Ivan Kozhedub was born in 1920 in the Shostka region of modern Ukraine. After graduating from school in 1934, he entered the Chemical Technology College. For a long time, aviation for him was no more than a hobby. Kozhedub's path in aviation began with military service in 1940. He came to the front at the end of 1942 after working as an instructor at an aviation school. By the way, the first battle in the air for the legendary pilot could be the last one at the same time, because first his plane was knocked out by the Germans, and then by "theirs". Kozhedub passed this test and was able to land his car. In the photo below, he is shown on the right.

Such pilots - three times Hero of the Soviet Union, like Ivan Kozhedub, quickly become professionals in their field. They don't need very much time to prepare. So, for some time after this accident, Kozhedub did not fly. The pilot's sidereal time came during the Battle of the Kursk Bulge. For several sorties in July 1943 he managed to shoot down 4 Junkers. Until the beginning of 1944, there were already several dozen victories in the hero's track record. Until the end of the war, he was able to shoot down 18 aircraft of this brand.

Semyon Vorozheikin and other twice Heroes of the USSR

This result was not surpassed by anyone, and only Vorozheikin Arseny Alexandrovich could repeat. This pilot was twice awarded a Hero's Star. The overall combat result of Vorozheikin is 46 shot down enemy aircraft. Besides him, pilots - twice - are:

• Alekseenko Vladimir Avramovich;
• Alelyukhin Alexey Vasilievich;
• Amet-Khan Sultan;
• Andrianov Vasily;
• Begeldinov Talgat Yakubekovich;
• Trouble Leonid Ignatievich;
• Beregovoy Georgy Timofeevich;
• Gulaev Nikolay Dmitrievich;
• Sergei Prokofievich Denisov.

For the successful use of aviation technology, it must pass flight tests. For this, test pilots work. Very often they risk their lives, because no one has flown before them on the tested model of the aircraft. Many were awarded the Star of the Hero of the USSR. The most outstanding tester of aviation technology of the Soviet period is considered

The crews under the leadership of Chkalov made 2 record-breaking air flights for their time (Moscow-Vancouver via the North Pole and Moscow- Far East). The length of the route to Vancouver was 8504 km.

Other Soviet test pilots include Stepan Mikoyan, Vladimir Averyanov, Mikhail Gromov, Ivan Dzyuba, Nikolai Zamyatin and Mikhail Ivanov. Most of these pilots did not have a first technical education, but the entire aviation elite is united by one feature: they underwent theoretical training in the system of aviation clubs developed at that time. Such peculiar schools gave the students the opportunity to receive theoretical and practical training at a fairly high level.

Assault aviation of the USSR during the Second World War

Attack pilots, Heroes of the Soviet Union during the war years, occupy an honorable place in the lists of people marked with state awards for their exploits during the air battles of 1941-1945. According to historical data, more than 2,200 pilots received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Moreover, it is the attack aircraft in the list that you can find most of all (860 names).

Also, there are many representatives of this type of aviation in the lists of twice Heroes of the Union. As you know, the two heroic Gold Stars had 65 pilots to their credit. In this list, attack aircraft also occupy the first place (27 people).

Who could get the title of Hero three times?

Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub - these pilots, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, inscribed their names in the annals of the Second World War in gold letters.

The fact is that three times the state awarded only three people with such a high rank. In addition to two pilots, this is a military man known since the revolution, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny. Pokryshkin received his awards on orders from May 24 and August 24, 1943, as well as August 19, 1944. Ivan Kozhedub was marked by orders of the Commander-in-Chief of February 4 and August 19, 1944, as well as after the end of hostilities in August 1945.

The contribution of Soviet pilots to the victory over the enemy is simply invaluable!

I had to post the long-promised post by May 8 ...
everyone was waiting for the promised photos ...
Bearing in mind that the way to dinner is a spoon - but in the bed // no need(With)
I write, relying on the material that you (if desired) will be easy to check.

so, the well-known heroes of the USSR twice, three times, four times

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (12/01/1896 - 06/18/1974) - (three times Hero of the USSR at the end of the Second World War)
1 star - (Decree August 28, 1939, Golden Star No. 435) for the battles near Khalkin-Gol (Mongolian People's Republic)
2 star (Decree of July 29, 1944, Gold Star No. 22) for crossing the Dnieper and reaching the borders of the USSR
3rd Star (Decree of June 1, 1945, Gold Star No. 2) for the capture of Berlin
In 1956 (01.12.1956, Gold Star No. 1) the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. awarded the fourth "Gold Star". Several points should be noted here. First, formally he was awarded on the occasion of his 60th birthday, which the Regulation on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union did not provide. Secondly, this Regulation determined the awarding of one person with only three “Gold Stars”. Thirdly, he was awarded a month after the “mutiny” in Hungary, the suppression of which by the forces of the Soviet Army he personally organized, i.e. merit in Hungarian events was the true reason for the award.)
+ Star of the Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic (1969) + two St. George's crosses in the First World War ...
see here (wikipedia to help you :)
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%96%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BE%D1%80 % D0% B3% D0% B8% D0% B9_% D0% 9A% D0% BE% D0% BD% D1% 81% D1% 82% D0% B0% D0% BD% D1% 82% D0% B8% D0 % BD% D0% BE% D0% B2% D0% B8% D1% 87 # .D0.9D.D0.B0.D0.B3.D1.80.D0.B0.D0.B4.D1.8B_.D0. B8_.D0.B7.D0.BD.D0.B0.D0.BA.D0.B8_.D0.BF.D1.80.D0.B8.D0.B7.D0.BD.D0.B0.D0.BD. D0.B8.D1.8F

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (well, in peacetime all 4 were assigned to him, but ... you can't throw out a line from the song) + he is also a hero of social services. labor
(if it is badly needed, I will post all of his 86 awards - but in a different text)

Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny 13 (25) .04.1883 - October 26, 1973 - also became a hero three times in peacetime (Khrushchev's decrees of February 1, 1958 and April 24, 1963);
and Brezhnev awarded the 85-year-old Marshal with the third “Golden Star” in 1968 (Decree of February 22, 1968)
We will also place him here, even if for pre-war and pre-revolutionary merits
Few people know that he is FULL George Knight(4 St. George's crosses and 4 St. George medals for bravery)
as well as 5 Orders of the Battle Red Banner and one of the first holders of the Orders of Lenin (and all this, like the marshal title - before the beginning of the Second World War, for the civilian)

I can't help but put this photo (thanks for the photo to my Kiev friend Andrey Weber!)

Now about THREE pilots three times heroes of the USSR
(have you only heard of two?)

Here is the most famous of the official photographs of THREE three times Heroes of the USSR:

1. Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich (March 6, 1913 - November 13, 1985)
1st Star - (Decree of 05.24.1943, Hero's Star No. 993)
2nd star - (Decree of 08.24.1943, Hero's Star No. 10)
3rd Star - (Decree of 08/19/1944, Hero's Star No. 1)

3. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich (June 8, 1920 - August 8, 1991)
1st star - (Decree of 02/04/1944, Hero's Star No. 1472)
2nd star - (Decree of 08/19/1944, Hero's Star No. 36)
3rd Star - (Decree of 08/18/1945, Hero's Star No. 3)

But there was also a fourth ...
Gulaev Nikolay Dmitrievich (February 26, 1918 - September 27, 1985)
Moreover, he should have received his third star of the Hero of the USSR in July 1944. First!
Here is a scan from the newspaper - with the Decree on the nomination for the title of Three times Hero of the USSR.

1st star - (Decree of 09/28/1943, Hero's Star No. 1497)
2nd star - (Decree from ???????, Hero's Star No. ???????)
3rd star - (Decree of 07/01/1944, delivery did not take place)

Here is a photo from the newspaper about the performance

What happened?
And why did the renowned ace, who personally shot down 57 enemy aircraft (and 4 in the group), being nominated for a high award, summoned from the front to Moscow to receive it, never received it?
And the famous Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin were able to surpass his achievement in 57 personally shot down planes (in 69 combat missions!) Only a year later! Pokryshkin shot down his 59th after the announcement of surrender, on May 8, 1945.

And Gulaev himself no longer flew since August 1944 (early September).

It's all the fault of human envy and gray rear restaurant mice in greatcoats ... provoking an unrestrained and honest major to shout "And you rear bitches can only walk around restaurants, shoot prisoners in the back of the head, lie behind our backs in foreign detachments, and denunciations to write to friends! "

Maybe it’s worth canceling this cancellation already?

Moreover, on the Don, where Nikolai comes from - this "rehabilitation" would be VERY handy

* but I personally would very much like to see the originals of the award decrees and the denunciations that became the reason for their cancellation

And We would not have had 98 twice heroes of the Second World War, but 105
Including two from the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Ouch!
Who doesn't catch flies in the premium department? :)
Reread at the very beginning of the post - the proverb about a spoon!

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of April 16, 1934. Later, on August 1, 1939, as an additional insignia for the Heroes of the USSR, the Gold Star medal was approved, in the form five pointed star fixed on a rectangular block, which was issued to those awarded together with the Order of Lenin and a diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. At the same time, it was established that those who had repeated the feat worthy of the title of Hero were awarded the second Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal. When re-awarding him in the homeland of the hero, his bronze bust was installed. The number of awards with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was not limited.

First Heroes of the Soviet Union

The list of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union was opened on April 20, 1934 by polar pilots who took part in rescuing the passengers of the legendary steamer Chelyuskin in distress: Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Nikolai Kamanin, Vasily Molokov, Mikhail Vodopyanov, Mavriky Slepnev and Ivan Doronin.

Heroes of the Soviet Union of the Great Patriotic War

More than 90 percent of the total number of Heroes of the Soviet Union appeared in the country during the Great Patriotic War. This high title was awarded to 11 thousand 657 people, of which 3051 - posthumously. This list includes 107 fighters who became twice heroes (7 were awarded posthumously), and 90 women were also included in the total number of those awarded (49 - posthumously).

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War were:

Air Force:

Fighter pilots junior lieutenants Mikhail Petrovich Zhukov, Stepan Ivanovich Zdorovtsev and Petr Timofeevich Kharitonov, who distinguished themselves in air battles with enemy bombers.

On June 28, these pilots on their I-16 fighters used ramming strikes against enemy Ju-88 bombers (the first ram was carried out 15 minutes after the start of the war by Dmitry Kokorev).

Navy:

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union in the fleet was first awarded to a seaman of the Northern Fleet, squad commander Senior Sergeant Vasily Pavlovich Kislyakov, who distinguished himself during the landing in Motovsky Bay in the Arctic in July 1941 (replaced the killed commander, and then for 7 hours one held the altitude) ...

Infantry:

The first Hero of the Soviet Union in the ground forces was the commander of the 1st Moscow Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Army, Colonel Yakov Grigorievich Kreizer, for organizing the division's combat operations, which, inflicting a counterstrike on the enemy, delayed his offensive for two days at the turn of the Berezina River.

Armored troops:

The first (no other data found) Heroes of the Soviet Union were the tank commander of the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division of the 14th army of the Northern Front, senior sergeant Borisov Alexander Mikhailovich and the deputy commander of the tank battalion of the 115th tank regiment of the 57th tank division 20th Army of the Western Front, Captain Kaduchenko Joseph Andriyanovich.

Artillery:

The first of the artillerymen Hero of the Soviet Union was the gunner of the anti-tank battery of the 680th Infantry Regiment of the 169th Infantry Division of the 18th Army of the Southern Front, the Red Army soldier Yakov Kharitonovich Kolchak.

People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs:

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the border guards of the outpost No. 5 of the 25th Cagul border detachment of the Moldavian border district, who entered the battle on the Prut River on June 22, 1941: Senior Lieutenant Alexander Konstantinov, Junior Lieutenant Ivan Dmitrievich Buzytskov, Junior Sergeant Vasily Fedorovich Mikhalkov. For 11 days, the outpost was completely surrounded.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was also awarded to the head of outpost No. 12 of the 25th Cahul border detachment of the Moldavian border district, Lieutenant Vetchinkin Kuzma Fedorovich.

Partisans:

The first Heroes of the Soviet Union were the Belarusian secretary of the district party committee, commissar of the partisan detachment "Red October" Bumazhkov Tikhon Pimenovich and the commander of the same detachment Pavlovsky Fyodor Illarionovich.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union is borne by four full holders of the Order of Glory:

Four Heroes there are only two on the list - these are Marshals of the USSR Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev.

Among all the Heroes of the Soviet Union, 35% were privates and sergeants (soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen), 61% were officers and 3.3% (380 people) were generals, admirals and marshals.

In September 2000, at the initiative of the then Mayor Vasily Dzharty, by the decision of the executive committee of the city council, the Heroes Alley was laid in Makeyevka, on which a memorial obelisk was erected, where the names of 64 Heroes of the Soviet Union who lived and worked in Makeyevka were immortalized.

I don’t know how now, but in Soviet times, almost every schoolchild knew about the outstanding Soviet aces Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, who shot down 62 German planes, and Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, who knocked 59 fascists to the ground, and were awarded the three times the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their outstanding deeds.
Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich (21.02 (06.03) 1913-1985) - fighter pilot, air marshal (1972), three times Hero of the Soviet Union (24 May, 24 August 1943, 19 August 1944).
Born in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk) in a working class family. After graduating from a 7-year school, he worked as a mechanic, then graduated from the Perm Aviation School of Technicians (1933), Refresher courses technical staff and the Kachin Aviation School (1939).
The great Patriotic War met the deputy squadron commander, later became squadron commander, assistant commander and commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 7th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 8th Air Army of the 1st Ukrainian front, and since May 1944 - the commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division of the 4-1 Air Army of the North Caucasian Front.
For participation in 54 battles, in which 13 enemy aircraft were personally shot down, he was awarded the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Pokryshkin was awarded the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his participation in air battles in the Kuban (455 sorties were made, 30 enemy aircraft were shot down).
For commanding a division in the battles over the Prut, Yassy and participating in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation (by May he made 550 sorties, participated in 137 air battles, personally shot down 53 aircraft), he was the first to be awarded the third Golden Star.
In 1968 -1971. was the deputy commander-in-chief of the country's air defense, and in 1972-1981. - Chairman of the Central Committee of the USSR DOSAAF. He was awarded many orders and medals. Buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
Alexander Ivanovich is the author of the book "Wings of a Fighter" (1944) and a number of articles on the tactics of fighter combat. In 1948 he graduated from the Military Academy. MV Frunze, in 1957 - the Military Academy of the General Staff.
Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was the fifth child in a poor peasant family. His father was an outstanding person. Torn between factory earnings and peasant labor, he found the strength to read books and even write poetry. A religious man, of a subtle and demanding mind, he was a strict and persistent educator: diversifying his son's duties in the household, he taught him to be industrious, persistent, and diligent. By the age of six, Ivan went to school. After finishing the seven-year period, he was admitted to the workers' faculty of the Shostka Chemical-Technological College, and in 1938 fate brought him to the flying club.
At the beginning of the war, Sergeant Kozhedub was even more persistent in his "destructive" self-education. In the fall of 1942, after numerous requests and reports, senior sergeant Kozhedub was sent to Moscow, from where he ended up in the 240th IAP. In August 1942, the 240th IAP was armed with the latest La-5 fighters at that time. The retraining was carried out in a hurry, and the regiment suffered heavy losses in the Stalingrad direction. The following training and retraining was carried out thoroughly: at the end of December 1942, after a busy month theoretical training with daily exercises, the pilots began flying in new aircraft. On one of the training flights, when immediately after takeoff due to engine breakdown the thrust dropped sharply, Kozhedub resolutely 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. On his first sortie to cover the airfield, he came under attack by enemy fighters, trying to attack a group of bombers, and then fell into the zone of fire of his own anti-aircraft artillery. His plane was seriously damaged, Kozhedub miraculously survived. During the 40th sortie on the Kursk Bulge, paired with his constant wingman V. Mukhin, Kozhedub shot down his first German - "laptezhnik". Kozhedub won 4 official victories. He did not lose a single car, although it happened to burn, bring holes, land on airfields strewn with craters. Of his machines, two are the most famous. One - La-5FN with bright white inscriptions with red edging on both sides had an amazing front-line fate. On this plane, Kozhedub fought in May - June 1944, shot down 7 aircraft. The second is La-7, with tail number 27. On this fighter, Ivan Nikitovich flew in the "Marshal's" giap, he ended the war on it, shot down 17 enemy vehicles on it. On February 19, 1945, over the Oder, together with Dmitry Titarenko, he met the Me-262. It was one of the first aerial victories in world aviation over a jet aircraft. In April 1945, Kozhedub drove off a pair of German fighters from the American B-17 with a barrage burst and noticed a group of approaching aircraft. The Soviet ace fired at the presenter - he exploded in the air. This battle was one of the first air battles with the Americans, the forerunner of the great air war in Korea. In total, during the war, Ivan Nikitovich conducted 330 sorties, 120 air battles, personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. After the war, Guards Major Kozhedub continued to serve in the 176th Guards. At the end of 1945, on the Monino train, he met the tenth-grader Veronica, who soon became his wife. In 1949, Ivan Nikitovich graduated from the Military Air Force, received an appointment to the post of divisional commander near Baku, but V. Stalin left him near Moscow. Among the first, the division was armed with the MiG-15 and at the end of 1950 was sent to the Far East. From March 1951 to February 1952, Kozhedub's division won 215 victories in the skies of Korea, shot down 12 "super-fortresses", losing 52 aircraft and 10 pilots. It was one of the brightest pages of the combat use of jet aircraft in the history of the Soviet Air Force. Kozhedub was forbidden to personally participate in hostilities, and he made only training flights. During his business trip, Colonel Kozhedub not only carried out the operational leadership of the division, but also took an active part in the organization, training and rearmament. The life of the commander himself, who became a major general in the summer of 1953, remained unsettled. His family huddled in a makeshift at the airport, then in old dacha... A year later, he was sent to study at the Academy of the General Staff. Part of the course passed as an external student, after graduating from the academy, Kozhedub was appointed first deputy head of the country's Air Force Combat Training Directorate, from May 1958 to 1964. he was the first deputy commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad and then the Moscow military districts. Until 1970, Ivan Nikitovich regularly flew in fighters, mastered dozens of types of aircraft and helicopters. He left flight work himself and immediately. The units led by Kozhedub were always low. From the post of commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District, he returned to the post of First Deputy Chief of the Air Force Combat Training Directorate, from where he was transferred almost 20 years ago, and in 1978 he was transferred to the group of inspectors general of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1985 he was awarded the rank of Air Marshal. All this time Kozhedub resignedly carried on a huge social work.
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny (April 13 (April 25) 1883 - October 26, 1973) - one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union in the history of the revolution in Russia. Budyonny was drafted into the pre-revolutionary Russian army at the age of 20. He came from the family of a landless laborer. Then - the "errand boy" of the merchant, the handyman of the blacksmith, the fireman ...
In the army, Budyonny was enlisted in the cavalry, participated in the Russian-Japanese war. The imperialist war began for him with the battle near Warsaw. A few days later, he showed himself in intelligence and was awarded George cross... He finished the war on the Russian-Turkish front with a full "bow" of St. George's crosses of all four degrees and four medals. Finished October Revolution... Demobilization began throughout the army. Together with other soldiers, the gallant cavalryman was returning home, but he took with him from the front a saber, a rifle and a cavalry saddle. Felt: useful. Soon a civil war broke out in the south of Russia, on the Don. The White Cossacks approached the village of Platovskaya, where the Budyonny family lived.
1918: Budyonny - detachment commander. volunteers, squadron commander, cavalry battalion, assistant regiment commander, brigade commander, acting commander. 1919; Budyonny is the commander of a division, a cavalry corps, an army commander of the 1st Cavalry Army ... Budyonny's great merit was his understanding of the role of cavalry in the new conditions civil war: Cavalry squadrons and regiments of Budyonny attacked swiftly and suddenly, always looking for a battle and invariably put the more numerous enemy to flight. One of the first Semyon Mikhailovich began to seek the creation of cavalry units that could independently solve operational and strategic tasks, and such a unit is the first in the world military history- was created; First Cavalry Army. In incredibly difficult conditions, she carried out a number of classic offensive operations, defeated the countless hordes of Mamontov and Shkuro, Denikin, Wrangel and made a huge contribution to the victory of the Soviet Republic over the White Guards and interventionists. In the history of military art, Budyonny's conceived and brilliantly carried out the thousand-verst transition of the First Horse from the Kuban to the Ukraine in the spring of 1920, to the South-Western Front, entered the history. Budyonny held the posts of a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and an inspector of the Red Army cavalry, commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, or, already in the Great Patriotic War, commander-in-chief of the troops of the Southwest and North Caucasian directions, commander of the cavalry of the Soviet Army and a member of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. However, the last posts were for the most part honorable, since already at the beginning of the Second World War, when the cavalry tasks began to be performed by tank formations, Budyonny's military knowledge was depreciated. During the war of 1941-1945, no significant hostilities with his participation were committed. In 1924, Budyonny was involved in a political struggle on the side of I. Stalin (Stalin and Voroshilov were members of his military revolutionary council). A fragment of the biography of that time in ruthless terms is described by Stalin's secretary Bazhanov in his book of memoirs: “In the end, they somehow decided to let him attend a meeting of the famous Politburo. I give orders to let in the summoned military, including Budyonny, into the hall. Budyonny enters on tiptoe, but rattles heavily with heavy boots. Between the table and the wall, the passage is wide, but the whole figure of Budyonny expresses fear that something might be knocked over and broken. next to Rykov. Budyonny sits down. His mustache sticks out like a cockroach. He looks straight ahead and clearly does not understand anything in what is being said. which, they say, can do anything, even turn a man into a woman. ”Then Budyonny became a marshal, and in 1943 he even entered the Central Committee of the Party. a, and if Stalin had a sense of humor, at the same time, following the example of Caligula, he could introduce the Budyonnovsky horse into the Central Committee. But Stalin did not have a sense of humor.
So, as we can see Three citizens of the USSR were awarded with three medals of the hero of the Soviet Union: Three medals “Gold Star” were awarded to three people: Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny. (02/01/1958, 04/24/1963, 02/22/1968), Colonel-General of Aviation Kozhedub I.N. (02/04/1944, 08/19/1944, 08/18/1945) and Air Marshal Pokryshkin A.I. (05.24.1943, 08.24.1943, 08.19.1944). And as you can see, S.M. Budyonny received the third medal in 1968.