The best aces of the German Luftwaffe. Air aces of World War II
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 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 history of Soviet fighter aviation during the war does not end with these two most famous aces. During the war, another 25 pilots were twice nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, not to mention those who were once awarded this highest military award 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 on Kursk Bulge. 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 incendiary projectile. And upon returning home, his plane was fired upon by its own air defense, and 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 on 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 best qualities Grigory Rechkalov believed in frankness and directness.
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 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 was suffering peptic ulcer stomach, but with this disease they were 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 it did for others 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 out of 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 base.
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 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.
Sources of information:
http://svpressa.ru
http://airaces.narod.ru
http://www.warheroes.ru
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This article will not talk about the best fighter pilots, but about the most successful pilots who achieved the largest number downed enemy aircraft. Who are they aces, and where did they come from? Fighter aces were those who were primarily aimed at destroying aircraft, which did not always coincide with the main task of combat missions, but was often a secondary goal, or just a way to complete the task. In any case, the main task of the Air Force, depending on the situation, was either to destroy the enemy or to prevent the destruction of its military potential. Fighter aircraft always performed an auxiliary function: either prevented enemy bombers from reaching the target, or covered their own. Naturally, the share of fighters in the Air Force, on average in all warring countries, occupied about 30% of the total number of military air fleets. Thus, the best pilots should be considered not those who shot down a record number of aircraft, but those who completed combat mission. And since there was an overwhelming majority of them at the front, identifying the best among them is very problematic, even taking into account the award system.
However, the human essence has always required a leader, and the military propaganda of a hero, a role model, hence the qualitative indicator “best” turned into a quantitative indicator “ace”. Our story will be about such fighter aces. By the way, according to the unwritten rules of the Allies, a pilot who has won at least 5 victories is considered an ace, i.e. destroyed 5 enemy aircraft.
Due to the fact that the quantitative indicators of downed aircraft in opposing countries are very different, at the beginning of the story, we will abstract from subjective and objective explanations and focus only on dry numbers. At the same time, we will keep in mind that “additions” occurred in all armies, and as practice shows, in units, and not in tens, which could not significantly affect the order of the numbers under consideration. We will begin the presentation by country, from the best results to the least.
Germany
Hartmann Erich (Erich Alfred Hartmann) (04/19/1922 - 09/20/1993). 352 victories
Fighter pilot, major. From 1936 he flew gliders in a flying club, and from 1938 he began to learn to fly airplanes. After graduating from aviation school in 1942, he was sent to a fighter squadron operating in the Caucasus. He took part in the Battle of Kursk, during which he shot down 7 aircraft in one day. The maximum result of a pilot is 11 aircraft shot down in one day. Was shot down 14 times. In 1944 he was captured, but managed to escape. Commanded the squadron. He shot down his last plane on May 8, 1945. His favorite tactics were ambush and short-range fire. 80% of the pilots he shot down did not have time to understand what happened. I never got involved in a “dog fight”, considering the fight with fighters a waste of time. He himself described his tactics in the following words: “saw - decided - attacked - broke away.” He made 1,425 combat missions, participated in 802 air battles and shot down 352 enemy aircraft (347 Soviet aircraft), achieving the best result in the entire history of aviation. Awarded the German Cross in gold and the Knight's Cross with oak leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
The second German pilot to shoot down more than 300 aircraft is Gerhard Barkhorn, who destroyed 301 enemy aircraft in 1,100 missions. 15 German pilots shot down from 200 to 300 enemy aircraft, 19 pilots shot down from 150 to 200 aircraft, 104 pilots recorded from 100 to 150 victories.
During World War II, according to German data, Luftwaffe pilots scored about 70,000 victories. More than 5,000 German pilots became aces, scoring five or more victories. Of the 43,100 (90% of all losses) Soviet aircraft destroyed by Luftwaffe pilots during World War II, 24 thousand were accounted for by three hundred aces. More than 8,500 German fighter pilots were killed and 2,700 were missing or captured. 9,100 pilots were injured during combat missions.
Finland
Fighter pilot, warrant officer. In 1933 he received a private plane pilot's license, then graduated from the Finnish Aviation School and in 1937 began military service with the rank of sergeant. Initially he flew on a reconnaissance plane, and from 1938 - as a fighter pilot. Sergeant Juutilainen scored his first aerial victory on December 19, 1939, when he shot down a Soviet DB-3 bomber over the Karelian Isthmus with an FR-106 fighter. A few days later in battle over the northern shore Lake Ladoga shot down an I-16 fighter. He is the most successful pilot to fly the Brewster fighter, with 35 victories. He also fought on the Bf.109 G-2 and Bf.109 G-6 fighters. In 1939-1944 he made 437 combat missions, shooting down 94 Soviet aircraft, two of which during the Soviet-Finnish war. He is one of four Finns twice awarded the Mannerheim Cross II class (and the only one among them who does not have an officer rank).
The second most successful Finnish pilot is Hans Henrik Wind, who flew 302 combat missions and scored 75 victories. 9 Finnish pilots, having completed from 200 to 440 sorties, shot down from 31 to 56 enemy aircraft. 39 pilots shot down from 10 to 30 aircraft. According to expert estimates, the Red Army Air Force lost 1,855 aircraft in air battles with Finnish fighters, 77% of which were Finnish aces.
Japan
Fighter Pilot, Jr. Lieutenant posthumously. In 1936 he entered the school of reservist pilots. He started the war on the Mitsubishi A5M fighter, then flew on the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. According to the recollections of contemporaries, both Japanese and American pilots, Nishizawa was distinguished by his incredible skill in piloting a fighter. He won his first victory on April 11, 1942 - he shot down an American P-39 Airacobra fighter. Over the next 72 hours he shot down 6 more enemy aircraft. On August 7, 1942, he shot down six Grumman F4F fighters on Guadalcanal. In 1943, Nishizawa chalked up 6 more downed planes. For his services, the command of the 11th Air Fleet awarded Nishizawa a combat sword with the inscription “For Military Valor.” In October 1944, covering kamikaze planes, he shot down his last 87th plane. Nishizawa died as a passenger on a transport plane while flying to pick up new aircraft. The pilot was posthumously given the posthumous name Bukai-in Kohan Giko Kyoshi, which translates as “In the ocean of war, one of the revered pilots, a revered person in Buddhism.”
The second most successful Japanese pilot is Iwamoto Tetsuzo (岩本徹三), who has 80 victories. 9 Japanese pilots shot down from 50 to 70 enemy aircraft, another 19 - from 30 to 50.
USSR
Fighter pilot, major on the day the war ended. He took his first steps in aviation in 1934 at a flying club, then graduated from the Chuguev Aviation Pilot School, where he served as an instructor. At the end of 1942 he was seconded to a fighter aviation regiment. From the spring of 1943 - on the Voronezh Front. In the first battle he was shot down, but managed to return to his airfield. Since the summer of 1943, with the rank of ml. The lieutenant was appointed deputy squadron commander. On the Kursk Bulge, during his 40th combat mission, he shot down his first plane, a Yu-87. The next day he shot down the second, and a few days later - 2 Bf-109 fighters. The first title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Kozhedub (already a senior lieutenant) on February 4, 1944 for 146 combat missions and 20 downed enemy aircraft. From the spring of 1944 he fought on the La-5FN fighter, then on the La-7. Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal on August 19, 1944 for 256 combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a guard major, made 330 sorties, in 120 air battles he shot down 64 enemy aircraft, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 each Ju-88 and He-88 bombers. 111", 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter. Kozhedub received the third Gold Star medal on August 18, 1945 for high military skill, personal courage and bravery shown on the war fronts. In addition, Kozhedub was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin, 7 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of the Red Star.
The second most successful Soviet pilot is Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich, who flew 650 combat missions, fought 156 battles and won 59 victories, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. In addition, 5 Soviet fighter pilots shot down over 50 enemy aircraft. 7 pilots shot down from 40 to 50 aircraft, 34 - from 30 to 40 aircraft. 800 pilots have between 16 and 30 victories. More than 5 thousand pilots destroyed 5 or more aircraft. Separately, it is worth noting the most successful female fighter - Lydia Litvyak, who scored 12 victories.
Romania
Fighter pilot, captain. In 1933, he became interested in aviation, created his own flying school, was involved in aviation sports, and was the champion of Romania in aerobatics in 1939. By the beginning of the war, Cantacuzino had flown over two thousand hours, becoming an experienced pilot. In 1941, he served as a transport airline pilot, but soon voluntarily transferred to military aviation. As part of the 53rd Squadron of the 7th Fighter Group, equipped with British Hurricane fighters, Cantacuzino took part in battles on the Eastern Front. In December 1941 he was recalled from the front and demobilized. In April 1943, he was again mobilized into the same 7th Fighter Group, equipped with Bf.109 fighters, and fought on the Eastern Front, where in May he was appointed commander of the 58th Squadron with the rank of captain. He fought in Moldova and Southern Transylvania. He made 608 sorties, shot down 54 enemy aircraft, among which were Soviet, American, and German aircraft. Among Constantin Cantacuzino's awards were the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave and the German Iron Cross 1st class.
The second most successful Romanian pilot is Alexandru Şerbănescu, who flew 590 combat missions and shot down 44 enemy aircraft. Romanian Ion Milu flew 500 missions and scored 40 victories. 13 pilots shot down from 10 to 20 aircraft, and 4 - from 6 to 9. Almost all of them flew German fighters and shot down Allied aircraft.
United Kingdom
In 1936, he joined a special South African battalion, and then entered a civilian flight school, after which he was sent to the Primary Flight School. In the spring of 1937, he mastered the Gloster Gladiator biplane fighter and a year later was sent to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. In August 1940, he took part in the first air battle, in which he shot down his first plane, but was also shot down. A week later he shot down two more enemy aircraft. Taking part in the battles for Greece, where he fought on the Hawker Hurricane Mk I fighter, he shot down several Italian planes every day. Before the German invasion of Greece, Marmaduke had 28 aircraft shot down and commanded a squadron. Over the course of a month of fighting, the pilot brought the number of aircraft shot down to 51 and was shot down in an unequal battle. Awarded the Cross "For Distinguished Flying Merit".
The second most successful British pilot is James Edgar Johnson, who flew 515 combat missions and scored 34 victories. 25 British pilots shot down between 20 and 32 aircraft, 51 between 10 and 20.
Croatia
Fighter pilot, captain. After graduating from aviation school with the rank of junior lieutenant, he entered service in the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the creation of the Independent State of Croatia, he joined the Air Force of the newly formed state. In the summer of 1941, he underwent training in Germany and became part of the Croatian Air Legion. The first combat flight took place on October 29, 1942 in Kuban. In February 1944, Dukovac made his 250th mission, scoring 37 victories, for which he was awarded the German Cross in gold. That same year, during the fighting in Crimea, Dukovac won his 44th victory. On September 29, 1944, his Me.109 plane was shot down, and the Croatian ace was captured by the Soviets. For some time he worked as a flight instructor in the USSR Air Force, after which he was sent to the Yugoslav partisan army as the same instructor. In February 1945, the Yugoslavs learned that Dukovac had previously served in the Ustasha aviation and ordered his immediate arrest, but on August 8, 1945, he escaped to Italy and surrendered to the Americans, where he was registered as a Luftwaffe prisoner of war. In January 1946, he was released and went to Syria, where he participated in the Arab-Israeli War as part of the Syrian Air Force.
The second most successful Croatian pilot was Franjo Jal, who scored 16 aerial victories. 6 Croatian pilots shot down 10 to 14 aircraft.
USA
Fighter pilot, major. In 1941, Bong entered the military flight school, and upon graduation became an instructor pilot. Once at the front, he was in a training squadron until the end of 1942. In the first battle he shot down two Japanese planes at once. Within two weeks, Bong shot down three more planes. During the battles, he used a method of air attacks known as “air superiority tactics.” The method involved attacking from high altitude, heavy fire at close range, and a quick escape at high speed. Another tactical principle of the time was: "Never engage in close combat with a Zero." By the beginning of 1944, Bong had 20 downed aircraft and a Distinguished Service Cross to his personal account. In December 1944, with 40 victories earned in 200 combat missions, Bong received the Medal of Honor and returned from the front to serve as a test pilot. Killed while testing a jet fighter.
The second most successful American pilot is Thomas Buchanan McGuire, who shot down 38 enemy aircraft in the P-38 fighter. 25 American pilots had up to 20 downed aircraft. 205 had between 10 and 20 victories. It is noteworthy that all American aces achieved success in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Hungary
Fighter pilot, lieutenant. After leaving school, at the age of 18 he volunteered to join the Royal Hungarian Air Force. Initially he served as a mechanic, and later underwent pilot training. As a fighter pilot, he took part in World War II operations in Hungary, flying an Italian Fiat CR.32 aircraft. From the summer of 1942 he fought on the Eastern Front. By the end of the war, he made 220 combat missions, never losing his aircraft, and shot down 34 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class and many Hungarian medals. Died in a plane crash.
The second most successful Hungarian pilot is Debrody Gyorgy, who shot down 26 enemy aircraft in 204 combat missions. 10 pilots shot down from 10 to 25 aircraft, and 20 pilots from 5 to 10. Most of them flew German fighters and fought against the Allies.
Fighter pilot, lieutenant colonel. In 1937 he received a private pilot's license. After the surrender of France, in March 1942 he joined the Free French Air Force in Great Britain. After graduating from the English Air Force School RAF Cranwell with the rank of Air Sergeant, he was sent to the 341st Squadron RAF, where he began flying Supermarine Spitfire aircraft. Klostermann scored his first two victories in July 1943, destroying two Focke-Wulf 190s over France. From July to November 1944 he worked at the headquarters of the French Air Force. In December he returned to the front again, began flying in the 274th Squadron, received the rank of lieutenant and transferred to the Hawker Tempest aircraft. From April 1, 1945, Klosterman was commander of the 3rd Squadron, and from April 27 he commanded the entire 122nd Air Wing. During the war he made 432 combat missions, achieving 33 victories. He was awarded the Legion of Honor, the Order of Liberation and many medals.
The second most successful French pilot, Marcel Albert, who fought as part of the Normandie-Niemen fighter regiment on the Eastern Front, shot down 23 enemy aircraft. During the fighting, 96 pilots of this regiment flew 5,240 combat missions, conducted about 900 air battles, and won 273 victories.
Slovakia
After graduating from school, he studied at the flying club, then served in a fighter regiment. After the collapse of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the regiment passed to the army of the Slovak state. From July 1941 he served on the Eastern Front as a reconnaissance aircraft on the Avia B-534 biplane. In 1942, Rezhnyak retrained to fly the Bf.109 fighter and fought in the Maykop area, where he shot down his first plane. Since the summer of 1943 he guarded the skies of Bratislava. During the war he shot down 32 enemy aircraft. He was awarded a number of orders and medals: German, Slovak and Croatian.
The second most successful Slovak pilot was Izidor Kovarik, who scored 29 victories in the Bf.109G fighter. Slovakian Jan Herthofer, using the same fighter, shot down 27 enemy aircraft. 5 pilots shot down from 10 to 19 aircraft, and another 9 – from 5 to 10 aircraft.
Canada
Fighter pilot, captain. After dropping out of school, Burling got a job transporting air cargo for mining companies, where he gained piloting experience as a co-pilot. In 1940 he enlisted in the RAF, where he was trained to fly the Spitfire fighter. Upon graduation, he was assigned as a sergeant to the 403rd Squadron. His lack of discipline and individuality, as well as his desire to fight, caused his fellow soldiers to dislike him. After some time, Beurling was transferred to No. 41 Squadron RAF, whose main tasks included convoy protection and operations over French territory. Beurling scored his first victory in May 1942, shooting down an Fw 190. A few days later, George shot down a second plane, for which he left the formation and left his leader without cover. This act caused hostility from his comrades and discontent from his superiors. Therefore, at the first opportunity, Beurling transferred to the 249th squadron in Malta, to repel attacks on the island from the Air Force of the Third Reich and Italy. It was in Malta that Baz Beurling received the nickname "Madcap". On his first combat mission over Malta, Beurling shot down three enemy aircraft. Six months later, the pilot had 20 victories, a medal and a cross “For Distinguished Flying Achievement”. During the evacuation from Malta due to injury, the transport plane crashed and fell into the sea. Of the 19 passengers and crew, only three survived, incl. and the wounded Burling. The pilot did not have to fight again until the end of the war. He had 31 personal victories to his name. Died in the tenth accident of his flying career, while flying over a new Israeli aircraft.
The second most successful Canadian pilot was Vernon C. Woodward, who shot down 22 aircraft. 32 Canadian pilots shot down between 10 and 21 aircraft.
Australia
Fighter pilot, colonel. In 1938 he learned to fly at the New South Wales Aero Club. When World War II began, Clive joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). After training, he was sent to 73 Squadron RAF, where he flew the Hawker Hurricane fighter, and then retrained to fly the P-40 fighter. On his 30th combat mission, Clive achieved his first aerial victory. In the skies over Libya he fought with two of the most famous German aces in Africa. For defeating one and damaging the plane of another, he was awarded the Cross for Distinguished Flying Merit. On December 5, 1941, over Libya, Clive shot down 5 Ju-87 dive bombers within a few minutes. And three weeks later he shot down a German ace, who had 69 aerial victories. In the spring of 1942, Caldwell was recalled from North Africa. He had 22 victories in 550 flight hours in 300 combat missions. In the Pacific theater, Clive Caldwell commanded the 1st Fighter Wing, equipped with Supermarine Spitfires. While repelling raids on Darwin, he shot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and a Nakajima B5N bomber. In total, during the war years he shot down 28 enemy aircraft.
The second most successful Australian driver is Keith Truscott, who has 17 victories. 13 pilots shot down from 10 to 17 enemy aircraft.
In 1938 he joined the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, after which he was sent to the 54th Squadron RAF. He won his first aerial victory on May 25, 1940 - he shot down a German Bf.109. He was awarded the Cross for Distinguished Flying Achievement. At the end of the Battle of Britain, Colin had 14 personal victories. At the beginning of 1943 he was appointed squadron commander, then became wing commander. In 1944, Colin Gray was appointed commander of the 61st Army of the United Oceanic Union (OCU). Colin had 27 victories in more than 500 combat missions.
The second most successful New Zealand pilot was Alan Christopher Deere, who shot down 22 enemy aircraft. Three more pilots shot down 21 aircraft each. 16 pilots scored from 10 to 17 victories, 65 pilots shot down from 5 to 9 aircraft.
Italy
In 1937 he received a glider pilot's license, and in 1938 an airplane pilot's license. After completing a fighter pilot training course at an aviation school, he received the rank of sergeant and was assigned to the 366th Fighter Squadron. Teresio Martinoli scored his first aerial victory on June 13, 1940, flying Fiat CR.42 fighters, shooting down an English bomber over Tunisia. Until September 8, 1943, when Italy signed the unconditional surrender documents, the Italian ace had 276 combat missions and 22 victories, most of which were achieved in the C.202 Folgore. He died during a training flight while retraining for the American P-39 fighter. He was awarded the Gold Medal "For Military Valor" (posthumously) and twice the Silver Medal "For Military Valor". Also awarded the German Iron Cross 2nd class.
Three Italian pilots (Adriano Visconti, Leonardo Ferrulli and Franco Lucchini) shot down 21 aircraft each, 25 from 10 to 19, 97 from 5 to 9.
Poland
Fighter pilot, lieutenant colonel at the end of the war. He made his first acquaintance with aviation at a flying club. In 1935 he joined the Polish Army. In 1936-1938. Studied at the school of aviation custodians. Since the beginning of World War II, he participated in battles on the PZL P.11c fighter. In September 1939 he won four personal victories. In January 1940 he was sent to Great Britain for retraining. From August 1940, he took part in the Battle of Britain, flew a Hawker Hurricane fighter, was shot down, and promoted to captain. After mastering the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he was appointed squadron commander. Since 1943 - air wing commander. During the war, he made 321 combat missions and shot down 21 enemy aircraft. Awarded the Silver Cross and the Gold Cross of the Military Order "Virtuti Militari", the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, the Grunwald Cross of the 3rd degree, the Cross of the Brave (four times), the Air Medal (four times), the Order of Distinguished Service (Great Britain), the Cross of Distinguished Service flying merits" (Great Britain, three times), etc.
The second most successful Polish driver is Witold Urbanowicz, who scored 18 victories. 5 Polish pilots scored between 11 and 17 aerial victories. 37 pilots shot down between 5 and 10 aircraft.
China
In 1931 he entered the Central Officers Academy. In 1934, he transferred to the Central Aviation School, graduating in 1936. He became a participant in the Sino-Japanese War, flying the Curtiss F11C Goshawk fighter, then the Soviet I-15 and I-16. He won 11 personal victories.
11 Chinese pilots scored between 5 and 8 victories during the war.
Bulgaria
In 1934 he entered the Higher Army School, becoming a cavalry officer. He continued his studies at the Military Aviation Academy in Sofia, from which he graduated in 1938, receiving the rank of second lieutenant. Then Stoyanov was sent for training to Germany, where he completed three courses - fighter pilot, instructor and fighter unit commander. He flew on the Bücker Bü 181, Arado, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel He51, Bf.109 and others. In 1939 he returned to Bulgaria and became an instructor at a fighter pilot school. In mid-1943, he was appointed squadron commander and scored his first aerial victory, shooting down an American B-24D bomber. In September 1944, Bulgaria went over to the side of the Anti-Hitler coalition and declared war on the Third Reich. Stoyanov was awarded the rank of captain of the Bulgarian Army and a little later, for successful actions against German troops in Macedonia and Kosovo, he was promoted to the rank of major. During the war he made 35 combat missions and won 5 air victories.
After reading the performance ratings of fighter pilots of the Second World War, the question arises about too large a spread in the numbers of victories won. If the low performance of pilots from small countries is quite explainable by the size of their air forces and limited participation in combat operations, then the difference in downed aircraft among the main countries participating in the war (Britain, Germany, USSR, USA, Japan) requires careful analysis. This is what we will do now, paying attention only to the most important factors influence.
So, Germany, in the ranking figures, has incredibly high performance. We will immediately discard the explanation for this by the unreliability of recording victories, which many researchers are guilty of, since only Germany had a coherent accounting system. At the same time, no system provided absolutely accurate accounting, because war is not exactly an accounting exercise. However, the statements that the “postscripts” reached 5-6 times the actual results are not true, since the data on enemy losses declared by Germany approximately corresponds to the data shown by this enemy. And the data on aircraft production by country does not allow one to freely fantasize. Some researchers cite various reports of military leaders as evidence of attributions, but bashfully keep silent about the fact that the records of victories and losses were kept in completely different documents. And in the reports, the enemy’s losses are always more than the real ones, and our own are always less.
It should also be noted that most (but not all) German pilots achieved their greatest results on the Eastern Front. In the Western Theater of Operations, the achievements were much more modest, and there were very few pilots who achieved record results there. Hence, there is an opinion that German aces shot down Soviet Ivans in batches due to their poor training and outdated aircraft. But on the Western Front, the pilots were better and the planes were newer, which is why they shot down few. This is only partly true, although it does not explain all the statistics. This pattern looks very simple. In 1941-1942 both the combat experience of German pilots, and the quality of aircraft, and most importantly their quantity, were significantly superior to the Soviet Air Force. Already starting in 1943, the picture began to change dramatically. And by the end of the war, the Ivans were already shooting down the Krauts in batches. That is, in the Red Army the number of trained pilots and the number of aircraft clearly exceeded the German Air Force. Although the technology was still inferior to German. As a result, 5-7 moderately trained pilots in an average fighter could easily shoot down a German beginner in a “cool” plane. By the way, the same Stalinist tactics were also used in tank forces. As for the Western Front, the air war began only in the middle of 1944, when Germany no longer had a sufficient number of aircraft and good pilots. There was no one and nothing to shoot down the allies with. In addition, the tactics of mass raids (500-1000) aircraft (bombers with fighter cover) used by the Allies did not particularly allow German fighter pilots to “walk” in the sky. At first, the Allies lost 50-70 aircraft per raid, but as the Luftwaffe became thinner, the losses dropped to 20-30. At the end of the war, the German aces were content with only single aircraft that had been shot down and strayed from the “flock.” Only a few dared to approach the air “armada” within striking distance. Hence the low performance of German aces on the Western Front.
The next factor in the high performance of the Germans was the high intensity of combat missions. The air force of no country even came close to the number of combat sorties carried out by the Germans. Both fighters, attack aircraft and bombers carried out 5-6 combat missions per day. In the Red Army - 1-2, and 3 is a heroic feat. The Allies made one sortie over several days, and in critical situations - 2 per day. Japanese pilots flew a little more intensively - 2-3 combat sorties per day. We could have done more, but the huge distances from the airfields to the battlefield took up time and energy. The explanation for such intensity of German flights lies not only in the selection of exclusively physically healthy pilots, but also in the organization of the flights themselves and air combat. The Germans placed their field airfields as close to the front as possible - at the distance of the range limit of long-range artillery. This means that a minimum of resources were spent on approaching the battlefield: fuel, time and physical strength. The Germans, unlike Soviet fighters, did not hang in the air for hours on patrol, but took off at the command of aircraft detection services. The radar guidance system of aircraft to the target, and their total radio coverage, allowed German pilots not only to quickly find the target, but also to take an advantageous position for battle. We should not forget that the control of almost any German aircraft was incredibly easier and incomparable with the Soviet one, where remarkable physical strength was required, and automation was not even a dream. There is nothing to compare German sights on cannons and machine guns with, hence the high accuracy in shooting. It should also be remembered that German pilots, under high loads, could freely use amphetamines (pervitin, isophane, benzedrine). As a result, pilots spent significantly less resources and effort on one combat mission, which made it possible to fly more often and with greater efficiency.
An important factor in effectiveness was the tactics used by the German command of fighter formations. Their high maneuverability in relocating them to the “hottest” spots of the entire Eastern Front allowed the Germans not only to situationally gain “superiority” in the air in a specific sector of the front, but also the opportunity for pilots to constantly participate in battles. The Soviet command tied fighter units to a specific section of the front, or at best to the entire length of the front line. And not a step from there. And the Soviet fighter pilot fought only when something happened in his sector of the front. Hence the number of combat sorties is 3-5 times less than German aces.
The Soviet tactics of using attack aircraft in small groups at the front line or near the enemy’s rear with little fighter cover was a welcome “food” for German fighters almost until the end of the war. Receiving information about such groups through warning systems, the Germans attacked such groups with entire squadrons, carried out one or two attacks, and left unharmed, without getting involved in a “dog dump.” And at this time, 3-5 Soviet aircraft were shot down.
It is also interesting that the Germans replenished their fighter squadrons directly at the front, i.e. without distracting the remaining pilots from combat operations. Until 1944, Soviet air regiments were withdrawn from the front almost every three months (up to 60% of the aircraft, and often the pilots, too) to be reorganized and replenished with all their personnel. And the combat pilots sat in the rear for 3-6 months along with the newcomers, testing out new cars and courting local young ladies instead of combat missions.
And a few words about free “hunters”. Free hunting is understood as a combat flight, usually of a pair of fighters, less often of two pairs, with the goal of detecting and shooting down an enemy aircraft, without “fettering” the pilots by any combat conditions (flight area, target, method of combat, etc.). Naturally, free hunting was allowed to experienced pilots who already had dozens of victories to their credit. In many cases, the aircraft of such pilots differed favorably from serial ones: they had reinforced engines and weapons, special retrofitting, high-quality service and fuel. Typically, the prey of free “hunters” were single targets (communication aircraft, stragglers, damaged or lost aircraft, transport aircraft, etc.). Hunters also “herded” enemy airfields, where they shot at planes on takeoff or landing, when they were practically helpless. As a rule, the “hunter” made one sudden attack and quickly left. If the “hunter” was not in danger, there were more attacks, including the shooting of the pilot or crew escaping by parachute. "Hunters" always attacked the weak, be it by type of aircraft or technical parameters cars, and never got involved in air battles with equals. As an example, we can cite the memories of German pilots who received a warning from ground services about the presence of danger. So, with the message “Pokryshkin in the air,” enemy planes, especially “hunters,” left the dangerous area in advance. Air duels between fighter pilots, such as those shown in the film “Only Old Men Go to Fight,” are nothing more than a fiction of the screenwriters. The pilots of no army would do such extravagance, because suicides were quickly identified by doctors.
The Air Forces of all countries had free “hunters,” however, the effectiveness of their activities depended on the conditions prevailing at the front. Free hunting tactics are effective under three conditions: when the hunter’s vehicle is qualitatively superior to the enemy’s; when the pilot’s skill is above the average level of enemy pilots; when the density of enemy aircraft in a given sector of the front is sufficient for the random detection of single aircraft or the radar guidance system is operating at the enemy aircraft. Of all the armies that fought, only the Luftwaffe had such conditions, almost until the end of the war. The German “record holders,” especially those promoted by propaganda, did not hide the fact that they obtained a significant part of their “booty” from a free “hunt” when nothing threatened their safety.
On the Soviet side, Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, and many other fighter pilots participated in the free “hunt.” And no one forbade them from doing this, as many researchers write, but the results of this hunt were often without trophies. They didn’t find any prey, they didn’t have the conditions of the Luftwaffe, and they burned the fuel and life of their vehicles. Therefore, most of the victories of Soviet pilots were achieved in group battles, and not in “hunting”.
Thus, the combination of a number of conditions provided the German aces with high performance in personal victories. On the opposing side, i.e. Soviet pilots did not have such conditions.
The pilots of Great Britain and the USA did not have such conditions. But for Japanese pilots, certain factors (not all like the Germans) contributed to achieving high results. And the first among them is the high concentration of enemy aircraft in specific sectors of the front, the excellent training of Japanese pilots, the dominance at first technical capabilities Japanese fighters over American ones. The incredible concentration of aircraft during the Soviet-Finnish war also contributed to the Finnish fighter pilots, who “crushed” a huge number of enemy aircraft on a small section of the front in a short period of time.
This conclusion is indirectly confirmed by data on the number of combat sorties per shot down enemy aircraft. For almost aces of all countries it is approximately the same (4-5), at least it does not differ significantly.
A few words about the importance of aces at the front. Approximately 80% of aircraft shot down during the war were accounted for by ace pilots, regardless of which theater of operations they fought in. Thousands of pilots have flown hundreds of combat missions without shooting down a single aircraft. Even more pilots died without their personal account. And such survivability and effectiveness of aces was not always proportional to the number of hours spent in the air, although experience did not take last place in combat skill. The main role was played by the personality of the pilot, his physical and psychological qualities, talent and even such inexplicable concepts as luck, intuition and luck. They all thought and acted outside the box, avoiding templates and generally accepted norms. Often their discipline suffered and there were problems in relations with the command. In other words, these were special unusual people, invisible threads associated with the sky and the war machine. This explains their effectiveness in battles.
And lastly. The first three places in the ranking of aces were taken by pilots from countries that were defeated in the war. The winners occupy more modest places. Paradox? Not at all. After all, in the First World War, the German was the leader in the performance rating among fighters. And Germany lost the war. There are also explanations for this pattern, but they require detailed, thoughtful analysis, and not a cavalry charge. Try to solve the riddle yourself.
From all of the above it follows that simple explanations, such as those attributed to, or engaged in only free “hunting” and so on, etc., do not exist in such a complex mechanism as war. Everything is subject to analysis and sober reflection, without dividing into our good and your bad.
Based on materials from the sites: http://allaces.ru; https://ru.wikipedia.org; http://army-news.ru; https://topwar.ru.
Our ace pilots terrified the Germans during the Great Patriotic War. The exclamation “Akhtung! Akhtung! Pokryshkin is in the sky!” became widely known. But Alexander Pokryshkin was not the only Soviet ace. We remembered the most productive...Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub
Ivan Kozhedub was born in 1920 in the Chernigov province. He is considered the most successful Russian fighter pilot in personal combat, with 64 aircraft shot down.
The start of the famous pilot’s career was unsuccessful; in the very first battle, his plane was seriously damaged by an enemy Messerschmitt, and upon returning to base, he was mistakenly fired upon by Russian anti-aircraft gunners, and only by a miracle did he manage to land.
The plane could not be restored, and they even wanted to repurpose the unlucky newcomer, but the regiment commander stood up for him. Only during his 40th combat mission on the Kursk Bulge, Kozhedub, having already become a “father” - deputy squadron commander, shot down his first “laptezhnik”, as ours called the German “Junkers”. After that, the count went to tens.
Kozhedub fought his last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, in the skies over Berlin. In addition, Kozhedub also has two American Mustang planes shot down in 1945, which attacked him, mistaking his fighter for a German plane. The Soviet ace acted according to the principle that he professed even when working with cadets - “any unknown aircraft is an enemy.”
Throughout the war, Kozhedub was never shot down, although his plane often received very serious damage.
Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin
Pokryshkin is one of the most famous aces of Russian aviation. Born in 1913 in Novosibirsk. He won his first victory on the second day of the war, shooting down a German Messerschmitt. In total, he has 59 planes shot down personally and 6 in a group. However, this is only official statistics, since, as the commander of an air regiment, and then an air division, Pokryshkin sometimes gave downed planes to young pilots in order to encourage them in this way.
His notebook, entitled “Fighter Tactics in Combat,” became a veritable manual for air warfare. They say that the Germans warned about the appearance of the Russian ace with the phrase: “Akhtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin in the air." The one who shot down Pokryshkin was promised a big reward, but the Russian pilot turned out to be too tough for the Germans.
Pokryshkin is considered the inventor of the “Kuban whatnot” - a tactical method of air combat; the Germans nicknamed him the “Kuban escalator”, since the planes arranged in pairs resembled a giant staircase. In the battle, German planes leaving the first stage came under attack from the second, and then the third stage. His other favorite techniques were the falcon kick and the high-speed swing.
It is worth noting that Pokryshkin won most of his victories in the first years of the war, when the Germans had a significant superiority in the air.
Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
Born in 1918 in the village of Aksayskaya near Rostov. His first battle is reminiscent of the feat of the Grasshopper from the movie “Only Old Men Go to Battle”: without an order, for the first time in his life, taking off at night under the howl of an air raid on his Yak, he managed to shoot down a German Heinkel night fighter. For such self-will, he was punished and presented with a reward.
Subsequently, Gulaev usually did not limit himself to one downed plane per mission; three times he scored four victories in a day, twice destroyed three planes, and made a double in seven battles. In total, he shot down 57 aircraft personally and 3 in a group.
Gulaev rammed one enemy plane when it ran out of ammunition, after which he himself got into a tailspin and barely had time to eject. His risky style of fighting became a symbol of the romantic trend in the art of aerial combat.
Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov
Born in 1920 in the Perm province. On the eve of the war, a slight degree of color blindness was discovered at the medical flight commission, but the regiment commander did not even look at the medical report - pilots were very much needed.
He won his first victory on the outdated I-153 biplane number 13, which was unlucky for the Germans, as he joked. Then he ended up in Pokryshkin’s group and was trained on the Airacobra, an American fighter that became famous for its tough temperament - it very easily went into a tailspin at the slightest mistake by the pilot; the Americans themselves were reluctant to fly such aircraft.
In total, he shot down 56 aircraft personally and 6 in a group. Perhaps no other ace on his personal account has such a variety of types of downed aircraft as Rechkalov, these include bombers, attack aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, fighters, transport aircraft, and relatively rare trophies - “Savoy” and PZL -24.
Georgy Dmitrievich Kostylev
Born in Oranienbaum, present-day Lomonosov, in 1914. He began his flight practice in Moscow at the legendary Tushinsky airfield, where the Spartak stadium is now being built.
The legendary Baltic ace, who covered the skies over Leningrad and won the largest number of victories in naval aviation, personally shot down at least 20 enemy aircraft and 34 in the group. He shot down his first Messerschmitt on July 15, 1941. He fought on a British Hurricane, received under lend-lease, on the left side of which there was a large inscription “For Rus'!”
In February 1943, he ended up in a penal battalion for causing destruction in the house of a major in the quartermaster service. Kostylev was amazed by the abundance of dishes with which he treated his guests, and could not restrain himself, since he knew first-hand what was happening in the besieged city. He was deprived of his awards, demoted to the Red Army and sent to the Oranienbaum bridgehead, to the places where he spent his childhood.
Penalties saved the hero, and already in April he again takes his fighter into the air and wins victory over the enemy. Later he was reinstated in rank and his awards were returned, but he never received the second Hero Star.
Maresyev Alexey Petrovich
A legendary man, who became the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy’s story “The Tale of a Real Man,” a symbol of the courage and perseverance of the Russian warrior. Born in 1916 in the city of Kamyshin, Saratov province.
In a battle with the Germans, his plane was shot down, and the pilot, wounded in the legs, managed to land on territory occupied by the Germans. After which he crawled to his people for 18 days, in the hospital both legs were amputated. But Maresyev managed to return to duty, he learned to walk on prosthetics and took to the skies again.
At first they didn’t trust him; anything can happen in battle, but Maresyev proved that he could fight no worse than others. As a result, to those shot down before being wounded 4 German planes 7 more were added. Polevoy’s story about Maresyev was allowed to be published only after the war, so that the Germans, God forbid, would think that in Soviet army There is no one to fight, so we have to send disabled people.
Popkov Vitaly Ivanovich
This pilot also cannot be ignored, because it was he who became one of the most famous incarnations of an ace pilot in cinema - the prototype of the famous Maestro from the film “Only Old Men Go to Battle.” The “Singing Squadron” actually existed in the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where Popkov served, it had its own choir, and two aircraft were given to it by Leonid Utesov himself.
Popkov was born in Moscow in 1922. He won his first victory in June 1942 over the city of Kholm. He took part in battles on the Kalinin Front, on the Don and the Kursk Bulge. In total, he flew 475 combat missions, conducted 117 air battles, and personally shot down 41 enemy aircraft plus 1 in the group.
On the last day of the war, Popkov, in the skies over Brno, shot down the legendary German Hartmann, the most successful ace of World War II, but he managed to land and survive, however, this still did not save him from captivity. Popkov's popularity was so great that a monument was erected to him during his lifetime in Moscow.
Grigory Shuvalov
ACES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
The question about ASAH - not about the German gods (although... how to say... :-)), but about the highest class fighter pilots - from the Second World War remains open. Over the past twenty to thirty years, so much custom-made nonsense has been written on this topic (usually “from our side”!) that all the rather boring and monotonous Soviet agitprop on this topic, published in 1961-1985, has been drowned in it. Separating the “wheat from the chaff” there is obviously a pointless exercise, because opponents will cover their ears and, on the one hand, will stubbornly repeat about “the Safkov didn’t know how to fly planes in the fucking schools of the land lizrulyozz!”, and on the other hand, they will constantly mutter about “the Krauts, the cowards, the Japanese, the fanatics, the rest of them, they didn’t know how to conquer!” Listening to this is boring and embarrassing. I'm ashamed of the people who fought, you know. In front of everyone. Therefore, in the first part of this article (and the second part, in general, does not belong to me), I will simply present a summary table of the “leading three” for all the main warring countries. Only with numbers. Only with CONFIRMED and VERIFIED figures. So...
|
Quantity shot down enemy aircraft |
|
|
"Allies" |
|
|
USSR |
|
| A.L. Pokryshkin | |
| I.N.Kozhedub | |
| G.A. Rechkalov | |
|
British Empire |
|
|
United Kingdom |
|
| D.E.Johnson | |
| V. Wale | |
| J.R.D.Braham | |
|
Australia |
|
| K.R. Caldwell | |
| A.P. Holdsmith | |
| John L. Waddy | |
|
Canada |
|
| G.F.Burling | |
| H.W.McLeod | |
| W.K.Woodworth | |
|
New Zealand |
|
| Colin F. Gray | |
| E.D. Mackey | |
| W. W. Crawford-Campton | |
|
South Africa |
|
| Marmaduke Thomas St. John Pattle | |
| A.G. Mallon | |
| Albert G. Lewis | |
|
Belgium |
|
| Rudolf deHemricourt deGrun | |
| Vic Ortmans | |
| Dumonso deBergandal | |
| Richard Gere Bong | |
| Thomas McQueyrie | |
| David McCampbell | |
|
France |
|
| Marcel Albert | |
| Jean E.F. deMaze | |
| Pierre Closterman | |
|
Poland |
|
| Stanislav Skalsky | |
| B.M. Gladysh | |
| Vitold Urbanovich | |
|
Greece |
|
| Vassilios Vassiliades | |
| Ioanis Kellas | |
| Anastassios Bardivilias | |
|
Czechoslovakia |
|
| K.M.Kuttelwascher | |
| Josef Frantisek | |
|
Norway |
|
| Svein Höglund | |
| Helner G.E. Grün-Span | |
|
Denmark |
|
| Kai Birkstead | |
|
China |
|
| Lee Kwei-Tan | |
| Liu Tsui-Kan | |
| Lo Chi | |
|
"Axis" |
|
|
Germany |
|
| Gerhardt Barkhorn | |
| Walter Nowotny | |
| Gunther Rahl | |
|
Finland |
|
| Eino Ilmari Juutilainen | |
| Hans Henrik Wind | |
| Antero Eino Luukanen | |
|
Italy |
|
| Teresio Vittorio Martinolli | |
| Franco Lucchini | |
| Leonardo Ferruli | |
|
Hungary |
|
| Dözhi Szentüdörgyi | |
| Győr Debrodi | |
| Laszlo Molnar | |
|
Romania |
|
| Konstantin Cantacuzino | |
| Alexander Serbanescu | |
| Ion Milu | |
|
Bulgaria |
|
| Iliev Stoyan Stoyanov | |
| Angelov Petar Bochev | |
| Nenov Ivan Bonev | |
|
Croatia |
|
| Mato Dukovac | |
| Tsvitan Galich | |
| Dragutin Ivanich | |
|
Slovakia |
|
| Jan Rezniak | |
| Isidor Kovarik | |
| Jan Herzover | |
|
Spain |
|
| Gonzalo Hevia | |
| Mariano Medina Quadra | |
| Fernando Sanchez-Ariona | |
|
Japan |
|
| Hiroyoshi Nishizawa | |
| Shoiki Sugita | |
| Saburo Sakai | |
Conclusion:
So, based on the above, we can come to the conclusion that ramming, as a form of combat, was characteristic not only of Soviet pilots - ramming was carried out by pilots from almost all countries participating in the battles. ... it must be admitted that the Japanese still surpassed us in the sphere of the “purely Soviet form of combat.” If we evaluate only the effectiveness of the "kamikazes" (operating since October 1944), then at the cost of the lives of more than 5,000 Japanese pilots, about 50 were sunk and about 300 enemy warships were damaged, of which 3 sunk and 40 damaged were aircraft carriers with a huge capacity. the number of aircraft on board.
Anatoly Dokuchaev
ACES RANKING
Whose pilots were better in World War II?
Ivan Kozhedub, Alexander Pokryshkin, Nikolai Gulaev, Boris Safonov... These are famous Soviet aces. How do their results compare against the achievements of the best foreign pilots?
It is difficult to determine the most effective air combat master, but I think it is still possible. How? Initially, the author of the essay tried to find an appropriate technique. For this, on the advice of experts, we used following criteria. The first, and most important, is what kind of enemy the pilot had to fight against. The second is the nature of the pilot’s combat work, because some entered into fights in any conditions, others fought as “free hunters.” Third - combat capabilities their fighters and opposing vehicles. The fourth is the number (average result) of enemy aircraft shot down in one sortie, in one battle. The fifth is the number of lost fights. The sixth is the number of cars hit. The seventh is the method of counting victories. Etc. etc. (analysis of all factual material available to the author). Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Bong, Johnson, Hartmann and other famous pilots received a certain number of points with a plus and a minus. The pilot rating (calculations were carried out on a computer) was, of course, conditional, but it is based on objective indicators.
So, Ivan Kozhedub (USSR Air Force) - 1760 points. Nikolay Gulaev (USSR Air Force) - 1600, Erich Hartmann (Luftwaffe) - 1560, Hans-Joachim Marcel (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Gerd Barkhorn (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Richard Bong (US Air Force) - 1380, Alexander Pokryshkin (USSR Air Force) - 1340. This is the first seven.
It is clear that many readers will require an explanation for the above rating, and that is why I am doing this. But first, about the strongest representatives of the air schools of World War II.
OUR
Ivan Kozhedub achieved the highest result among Soviet pilots - 62 aerial victories.
The legendary pilot was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy region. In 1939, he mastered the U-2 at the flying club. The following year he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots. Learns to fly UT-2 and I-16 aircraft. As one of the best cadets, he is retained as an instructor. In 1941, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, he and the school staff were evacuated to Central Asia. There's asking in active army, but only in November 1942 was sent to the front to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Major Ignatius Soldatenko, a participant in the war in Spain.
The first combat flight took place on March 26, 1943 on a La-5. He was unsuccessful. During an attack on a pair of Messerschmitt Bf-109s, his Lavochkin was damaged and then fired upon by its own anti-aircraft artillery. Kozhedub was able to bring the car to the airfield, but it was not possible to restore it. He made his next flights on old planes and only a month later received the new La-5.
Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943. It was then that the 23-year-old pilot opened his combat account. In that fight, having entered into a battle with 12 enemy aircraft as part of the squadron, he won his first victory - he shot down a Ju87 bomber. The next day he wins a new victory. July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys two Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters. In August 1943, the young pilot became squadron commander. By October, he had already completed 146 combat missions, 20 downed aircraft, and was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on February 4, 1944). In the battles for the Dnieper, the pilots of the regiment in which Kozhedub was fighting met with Goering’s aces from the Mölders squadron and won. Ivan Kozhedub also increased his score.
In May-June 1944 he fights in the received La-5FN for #14 (a gift from collective farmer Ivan Konev). First it shoots down a Ju-87. And then over the next six days he destroys another 7 enemy vehicles, including five Fw-190s. The pilot is nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (awarded on August 19, 1944)...
One day, the aviation of the 3rd Baltic Front was caused a lot of trouble by a group of German pilots led by an ace who scored 130 air victories (of which 30 were deducted from his account for destroying three of his fighters in a fever), his colleagues also had dozens of victories. To counter them, Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the front with a squadron of experienced pilots. The result of the fight was 12:2 in favor of the Soviet aces.
At the end of June, Kozhedub transferred his fighter to another ace - Kirill Evstigneev and transferred to the training regiment. However, in September 1944, the pilot was sent to Poland, to the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front in the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment (as its deputy commander) and fought using the “free hunt” method - on the latest Soviet fighter La-7. In a vehicle with #27, he would fight until the end of the war, shooting down another 17 enemy vehicles.
February 19, 1945 Kozhedub destroys an Me 262 jet aircraft over the Oder. He shoots down the sixty-first and sixty-second enemy aircraft (Fw 190) over the capital of Germany on April 17, 1945 in an air battle, which is studied as a classic example in military academies and schools. In August 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. Ivan Kozhedub finished the war with the rank of major. In 1943-1945. he completed 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles. The Soviet pilot has not lost a single fight and is the best allied aviation ace.
On the personal account of Alexander Pokryshkin - 59 downed aircraft (plus 6 in the group), Nikolai Gulaev - 57 (plus 3), Grigory Rechkalov - 56 (plus 6 in the group), Kirill Evstigneev - 53 (plus 3 in the group), Arseny Vorozheikin - 52, Dmitry Glinka - 50, Nikolai Skomorokhov - 46 (plus 8 in the group), Alexander Koldunov - 46 (plus 1 in the group), Nikolai Krasnov - 44, Vladimir Bobrov - 43 (plus 24 in the group), Sergei Morgunov - 43, Vladimir Serov - 41 (plus 6 in the group), Vitaly Popkov - 41 (plus 1 in the group), Alexey Alelyukhin - 40 (plus 17 in the group), Pavel Muravyov - 40 (plus 2 in the group).
Another 40 Soviet pilots shot down 30 to 40 aircraft each. Among them are Sergey Lugansky, Pavel Kamozin, Vladimir Lavrinenkov, Vasily Zaitsev, Alexey Smirnov, Ivan Stepanenko, Andrey Borovykh, Alexander Klubov, Alexey Ryazanov, Sultan Amet-Khan.
27 Soviet fighter pilots, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times and twice for their military exploits, scored from 22 to 62 victories, in total they shot down 1044 enemy aircraft (plus 184 in the group). Over 800 pilots have 16 or more victories. Our aces (3% of all pilots) destroyed 30% of enemy aircraft.
ALLIES AND ENEMIES
Of the allies of Soviet pilots, the best were the American pilot Richard Bong and the English pilot Johnny Johnson.
Richard Bong distinguished himself during the Second World War in the Pacific Theater of Operations. During 200 combat missions from December 1942 to December 1944, he shot down 40 enemy aircraft - all Japanese. The pilot in the United States is considered an ace of “all times,” noting his professionalism and courage. In the summer of 1944, Bong was appointed to the position of instructor, but voluntarily returned to his unit as a fighter pilot. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the country's highest honor. In addition to Bong, eight other USAF pilots achieved 25 or more aerial victories.
Englishman Johnny Johnson has 38 enemy aircraft shot down, all fighters. During the war he rose from sergeant, fighter pilot to colonel, air wing commander. Active participant in the air "Battle of Britain". Another 13 RAF pilots have over 25 aerial victories.
The name of the French pilot Lieutenant Pierre Klosterman, who shot down 33 fascist planes, should also be mentioned.
The leader of the German Air Force was Erich Hartmann. The German pilot is known as the most successful fighter pilot in the history of air combat. Almost all of his service was spent on the Soviet-German front, here he scored 347 aerial victories, and he also had 5 downed American P-51 Mustangs (352 in total).
He began serving in the Luftwaffe in 1940 and was sent to the Eastern Front in 1942. He fought on the Bf-109 fighter. On the third flight he was shot down.
Having won his first victory (he shot down an Il-2 attack aircraft) in November 1942, he was wounded. By mid-1943, he had 34 aircraft, which was no exception. But on July 7 of the same year he emerged victorious in 7 fights, and two months later he brought the count of his aerial victories to 95. On August 24, 1944 (according to the pilot himself), he shot down 6 aircraft in just one combat mission, and by the end of the same day he won 5 more victories, bringing the total number of aircraft shot down to 301. He won the last air battle on the last day of the war - May 8, 1945. In total, Hartmann flew 1,425 combat missions, entering combat in 800 of them. Twice he parachuted out of burning cars.
There were other pilots in the Luftwaffe who had solid results: Gerd Barkhorn - 301 victories, Günter Rall - 275, Otto Kittel - 267, Walter Novotny - 258, Wilhelm Batz - 237, Erich Rudorfer - 222, Heinrich Behr - 220, Hermann Graf - 212, Theodor Weissenberger - 208.
106 German Air Force pilots destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft each, for a total of 15,547, and the top 15 destroyed 3,576 aircraft.
CONDITIONS OF VICTORIES
And now an explanation for the above rating. It is more logical to compare the Soviet and German air forces: their representatives shot down the largest number of aircraft, and more than a dozen aces emerged from their ranks. Finally, the outcome of World War II was being decided on the Eastern Front.
At the beginning of the war, German pilots were better trained than Soviet pilots; they had experience in battles in Spain, Poland, and campaigns in the West. The Luftwaffe has developed a good school. It produced highly qualified fighters. So it was against them that the Soviet aces fought, so their combat score was therefore more significant than that of the best German pilots. After all, they shot down professionals, not weaklings.
The Germans had the ability to thoroughly prepare pilots for the first battle at the beginning of the war (450 hours of flight training; however, in the second half of the war - 150 hours), and carefully “tested” them in combat conditions. As a rule, young people did not immediately enter into fights, but only watched them from the sidelines. We mastered, so to speak, the methodology. For example, in the first 100 sorties at the front, Barkhorn did not have a single battle with Soviet pilots. He studied their tactics and habits, and at decisive moments he avoided the meeting. And only after gaining experience did he rush into the fray. So the best German and Russian pilots, including Kozhedub and Hartmann, are pilots of downed planes of varying skill.
Many Soviet pilots in the first period of the Great Patriotic War, when the enemy was rapidly rushing into the depths of the USSR, had to go into battle, often without good training, sometimes after 10-12 hours of flight training on a new brand of aircraft. The newcomers came under cannon and machine-gun fire from German fighters. Not all German aces could withstand confrontation with experienced pilots.
“At the beginning of the war, Russian pilots were imprudent in the air, acted constrained, and I easily shot them down with attacks that were unexpected for them,” noted Gerd Barkhorn in his book “Horrido.” “But still, we must admit that they were much better than the pilots other European countries with which we had to fight. As the war progressed, Russian pilots became more and more skilled air fighters. Once in 1943, I had to fight with a Soviet pilot on a Bf-109G, piloting a LaGG-3. The spinner of his car was painted red. color, which meant a pilot from guards regiment. We knew this from intelligence data. Our fight lasted about 40 minutes, and I could not defeat him. We did everything we knew and could with our cars. Still, they were forced to disperse. Yes, he was a real master!"
At the final stage of the war, Soviet pilots gained mastery not only in battles. A flexible aviation training system adapted to military conditions was created. Thus, in 1944, compared to 1941, the flight time per pilot increased by more than 4 times. With the transfer of strategic initiative to our troops, regimental regiments began to be created at the fronts. training centers to prepare reinforcements for combat operations.
The successes of Hartmann and other German pilots were greatly facilitated by the fact that many of them, unlike our pilots, were allowed to conduct “free hunting” throughout the war, i.e. engage in battle in favorable conditions.
It should also be frankly admitted: the achievements of German pilots are largely related to the quality of the equipment with which they fought, although not everything is simple here.
The “personal” fighters of the aces of the opposing sides were not inferior to each other. Ivan Kozhedub fought on La-5 (at the end of the war on La-7). This machine was in no way inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf-109, on which Hartmann fought. In terms of speed (648 km/h), the Lavochkin was superior to certain modifications of the Messers, but was inferior to them in maneuverability. No weaker than the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 were the American fighters P-39 Airacobra and P-38 Lightning. Alexander Pokryshkin fought on the first, Richard Bong on the second.
But in general, in terms of their performance characteristics, many Soviet Air Force aircraft were inferior to Luftwaffe aircraft. And we’re not just talking about the I-15 and I-15 bis fighters. German fighters, to tell the truth, retained their advantage until the end of the war, because German companies constantly continued to improve them. Already under the bombing of the Allied aviation, they managed to produce about 2000 Messerschmitt Me163 and Me262 jet fighters, the speed of which reached 900 km/h.
And then, data on downed aircraft cannot be considered in isolation from the number of sorties and battles conducted. Let's say that Hartmann made a total of 1,425 combat missions during the war years, and entered into battles in 800 of them. Kozhedub made 330 combat missions during the war and fought 120 battles. It turns out that the Soviet ace needed 2 air battles for one downed plane, the German - 2.5. It should be taken into account that Hartmann lost 2 fights and had to jump with a parachute. Once he was even captured, but, taking advantage of his good knowledge of the Russian language, he escaped.
It is impossible not to pay attention to the German method of counting downed vehicles using film-photo machine guns: if the route was along the plane, it was believed that the pilot had won, although often the vehicle remained in service. There are hundreds, thousands of cases where damaged aircraft returned to airfields. When the good German film-photo machine guns failed, the score was kept by the pilot himself. Western researchers, when talking about the performance of Luftwaffe pilots, often use the phrase “according to the pilot.” For example, Hartmann stated that on August 24, 1944 he shot down 6 aircraft in one combat mission, but there is no other evidence of this.
On domestic aircraft, photographic equipment that recorded hits on enemy vehicles began to be installed almost at the end of the war, and it served as an additional means of control. Only victories confirmed by participants in the battle and ground observers were recorded on the personal account of Soviet pilots.
In addition, Soviet aces never took credit for the planes destroyed together with the newcomers, since they began their combat journey and asserted themselves. Kozhedub has a lot of such “handouts” to his credit. So his account is different from the one listed in the encyclopedia. He rarely returned from a combat mission without victory. In this indicator, perhaps only Nikolai Gulaev surpasses him. Now, apparently, the reader understands why Ivan Kozhedub’s rating is the highest, and Nikolai Gulaev is second on the list.
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