home Diagnosis and diseases Personal life. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub three times Hero of the Soviet Union

Personal life. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub three times Hero of the Soviet Union

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was never shot down during the Great Patriotic War, and although he was shot down, he always landed his plane. Kozhedub also has the world's first jet fighter, the German Me-262. In total, he flew 330 combat missions during the war. In these sorties, 64 enemy aircraft were destroyed. He is three times Hero of the Soviet Union.

Each ace pilot has his own handwriting in the sky, unique to him alone. Ivan Kozhedub also had it, a man whose character harmoniously combined courage, bravery and exceptional composure. He knew how to accurately and quickly weigh the situation and instantly find the only correct move in the current situation.

He was a master of the car and could drive it even with his eyes closed.

All his flights were a cascade of all kinds of maneuvers - turns and snakes, slides and dives. It was not easy for everyone who had to fly with Kozhedub as a wingman to stay in the air behind their commander. Kozhedub always sought to find the enemy first. But at the same time, don’t “expose yourself” yourself. After all, in 120 air battles he was never shot down!

Childhood and youth

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was born into a large peasant family in Ukraine in the village of Obrazhievka, Chernigov province. He was the most youngest child, had three older brothers and a sister. The date of birth is officially considered to be June 8, 1920, but, as you know, he added two years to himself, which were needed to enroll in a technical school. The real date of birth of Ivan Kozhedub is July 6, 1922. His father farmed and worked in a factory, but found time for books and even wrote poetry himself. He raised his children in strictness, trying to instill in them such qualities as perseverance, hard work and diligence.

When Vanya went to school, he already knew how to write and read. He studied well, but attended school intermittently, because after completing his first year school year his father sent him to a neighboring village to work as a shepherd. Before entering the Chemical Technology College in 1934, Ivan Nikitovich managed to work in the library. 1938 became a turning point in the young man’s fate - then he began to attend the flying club.

In the spring of 1939, his first flight took place, which left a great impression. Already in 1940, having decided to become a fighter pilot, he entered a military flight school, after which he was left as an instructor here.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub and the entire school were transferred to Kazakhstan, but after numerous reports, in the fall of 1942 he was sent to Moscow. Here he ends up in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Ignatius Soldatenko. Ivan Nikitovich took off for his first combat mission in March 1943, but after coming under fire, he was miraculously able to land almost unharmed. About a month passed before the future great pilot sat down for his new La-5 aircraft.

Ivan Kozhedub opened his personal combat account in July 1943, during Battle of Kursk. This was his fortieth combat mission. Within a few days, 4 victories were already on the list. On August 6, 1943, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub received his first award - the Order of the Red Banner of Battle. At the same time, he himself began to command the squadron. In the fall of 1943, he was sent to the rear; hot, heavy battles lay ahead, and he needed to recuperate.

After returning to the front, he decides to change his tactics, settling on low-level flight, which required courage and great skill. For military services, at the beginning of February 1944, the young promising fighter pilot was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By August 1944, Kozhedub received the second Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, at which time he personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft in 246 sorties. In the first autumn month of 1944, a group of pilots led by Kozhedub was sent to the Baltic states.

Here, in just a few days, under his command, 12 German planes were shot down, they lost only 2 of their own. After such a victory, the enemy abandoned active operations in this territory. Another significant one air battle took place in the winter, in February 1945. Then 8 enemy aircraft were shot down and 1 aircraft was destroyed Soviet army. A significant personal achievement for Ivan Kozhedub was the destruction of the Me-262 jet, which was significantly faster than his Lavochkin. In April 1945, the great fighter pilot shot down his last 2 enemy aircraft.

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub was already a major; he had 62 downed aircraft and 330 sorties and 120 air combats. In August 1945, for the third time he was named Hero of the Soviet Union.

Post-war years

After the end of the war, he decided to continue his service. At the end of 1945, Ivan Nikitovich met his future wife. In their marriage they had two children: a son and a daughter. He also continued to study, graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1949, and from the Military Academy in 1956. General Staff. He took part in hostilities in Korea, under his command was the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. In 1985, Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the high rank of Air Marshal.

Also in his biography it is necessary to note his social activities. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, as well as a people's deputy of the USSR. Ivan Kozhedub died at his dacha on August 8, 1991.

The end of 1946 brought changes to the personal life of Ivan Kozhedub. Returning in the evening to Monino near Moscow by train, Ivan met tenth-grader Veronica, who soon became his wife, a faithful and patient companion throughout his life, chief adjutant and assistant, as Ivan Nikitovich himself called her. Little is known about Kozhedub’s personal life, and there is an explanation for this: his true personal life, according to his loved ones, was and remained aviation. But something can be learned from the stories of the son of the famous pilot, Nikita Ivanovich, captain 1st rank in the reserves. So it became known that the first acquaintance on the train could be the last for both young people. Veronica did not like the young officer at first; he seemed unattractive due to his short stature and Ukrainian accent. But, having parted coolly, the young people met again after some time on the same train. Ivan took the initiative into his own hands and persuaded Veronica to go dancing with him at the garrison club.

It was winter, just before New Year. Kozhedub met Veronica in a flight raglan, worn over his jacket. While they walked through the territory of the unit towards the club, the girl was surprised that all the officers, even those of higher rank, saluted Ivan. I thought: what kind of major is he if even the colonels salute him and stand at attention? The point is that saluting and following the command “Attention!” Even senior ranks were bound by the military rules established by Joseph Stalin (under Khrushchev, these rules were abolished) before the Hero of the Soviet Union. But Ivan did not admit to her what the secret was until they entered the club.

When he took off the raglan, the girl saw three Hero Stars, a bunch of medal strips - and was speechless

After the dances there was a feast where Kozhedub, according to the established tradition, introduced his chosen one to the officers. Then he told Veronica how his comrades came up to him and whispered in his ear: “Well, Ivan, I approve of the choice.” The young people had already celebrated the New Year of 1947 together. And on the morning of January 1, in the Monino village council, they were quickly signed, without witnesses. Since then, the Kozhedubs have lived in perfect harmony for almost fifty years.

Home driving force The Kozhedub family always had only love.

Children did not remember their parents ever offending each other

But they remembered that from every trip dad always brought gifts not only to them, but also to mom. In all household chores, Ivan Nikitovich relied on his wife and diligently hid the dangers of his life from her. professional life- took care of my wife.

In 1947, daughter Natalya was born, and in 1953, son Nikita (Captain 3rd Rank in the USSR Navy) was born.

Planes on which Ivan Kozhedub flew

La-5. The Hero of the Soviet Union carried out his first combat mission on March 26, the flight ended unsuccessfully: his first combat fighter La-5 (airborne number 75) was damaged in battle, and upon returning to the airfield it was also fired upon by its own anti-aircraft artillery. With great difficulty, the pilot was able to bring the car to the airfield and land. After that, I flew old fighters for about a month until I received the new La-5 again. It was an excellent lightweight fighter with the number “14” and inscriptions written in white with a red border: on the left side - “In the name of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Konev”, on the right - “From the collective farmer Vasily Viktorovich Konev”. La-5 is a single-engine wooden low-wing aircraft. The main structural material used in the aircraft's airframe was pine. Delta wood was used to produce some of the wing frames and spars. The fighter's armament consisted of two synchronized 20-mm ShVAK cannons with pneumatic and mechanical reloading. The total ammunition was 340 shells. Used to aim at the target red dot sight PBP-la.

La-7. At the end of June 1944, the Soviet ace was transferred as deputy commander to the famous 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. This formation, the first in the Soviet Air Force, received the latest La-7 fighters in August 1944. It became a further modernization of the La-5 fighter and one of the best production aircraft of the end of World War II. This fighter had excellent flight characteristics, high maneuverability and good weapons. At low and medium altitudes, it had an advantage over the last piston fighters of Germany and the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The La-7, on which Kozhedub ended the war, is currently in the Central Museum of the Russian Air Force in the village of Monino.



Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:	The village of Obrazhievka, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR
Date of death:
A place of death:	Moscow, USSR

Type of army:	Aviation (air force) of the Red Army, fighter aircraft of the USSR Air Force
Years of service:
	Air Marshal of the USSR Air Force
	240 IAP, 176 Guards. IAP
Battles/wars:	Great Patriotic War: 1 - Battle of Kursk 2 - Battle of Berlin Korean War 1950-1953
Retired:	Writer Deputy of the Supreme Council of the USSR People's Deputy of the USSR

List of aerial victories

Bibliography

(ukr. Ivan Mikitovich Kozhedub; June 8, 1920, Obrazhievka village, Glukhov district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR - August 8, 1991, Moscow) - Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 downed aircraft). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Air Marshal (6 May 1985).

Pseudonym during the fighting in Korea - Krylov.

Biography

Ivan Kozhedub was born in the village of Obrazhievka, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province (now Shostkinsky district, Sumy region) of the Ukrainian SSR in the family of a peasant - a church warden. He belonged to the second generation of Soviet fighter pilots who took part in the Great Patriotic War.

In 1934, Kozhedub graduated from school and entered the Chemical Technology College in the city of Shostka.

He took his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shostka flying club. Since 1940 - in the ranks of the Red Army. In 1941 he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, where he began serving as an instructor.

After the start of the war, he was evacuated to Central Asia, Shymkent. In November 1942, Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division, which was being formed in Ivanovo. In March 1943, as part of the division, he flew to the Voronezh Front.

The first air battle ended in failure for Kozhedub and almost became the last - his La-5 was damaged by a cannon fire from a Messerschmitt-109, the armored back saved him from an incendiary projectile, and upon returning the plane was fired upon by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners, it was hit by 2 anti-aircraft shells. Despite the fact that Kozhedub managed to land the plane, it was not subject to full restoration, and the pilot had to fly on the “remnants” - the free aircraft available in the squadron. Soon they wanted to take him to the warning post, but the regiment commander stood up for him. On July 6, 1943, on the Kursk Bulge, during his fortieth combat mission, Kozhedub shot down his first German aircraft, a Junkers Ju-87 bomber. The very next day he shot down the second, and on July 9 he shot down 2 Bf-109 fighters at once. The first title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Kozhedub on February 4, 1944 for 146 combat missions and 20 downed enemy aircraft.

Since May 1944, Ivan Kozhedub fought on the La-5FN (side number 14), built at the expense of the collective farmer-beekeeper of the Stalingrad region V.V. Konev. In August 1944, having received the rank of captain, he was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment and began to fight on the new La-7 fighter. 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, flew the La-7, made 330 combat missions, shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He bombers each -111, 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter. Kozhedub fought his last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, in the skies over Berlin. Throughout the war, Kozhedub was never shot down. Kozhedub received the third Gold Star medal on August 18, 1945 for high military skill, personal courage and bravery shown on the war fronts. He was an excellent shooter and preferred to open fire at a distance of 200-300 meters, rarely approaching at a shorter distance.

Kozhedub’s flight biography also includes two US Air Force P-51 Mustangs shot down in 1945, which attacked him, mistaking him for a German plane.

I.N. Kozhedub was never shot down during the Great Patriotic War, and although he was shot down, he always landed his plane. He is also considered the first fighter pilot in the world to shoot down a German Me-262 jet fighter.

At the end of the war, Kozhedub continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1949 he graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy. At the same time, he remained an active fighter pilot, having mastered the MiG-15 jet in 1948. In 1956 - Military Academy of the General Staff. During the Korean War, he commanded the 324th Fighter Aviation Division (324 IAD) as part of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. From April 1951 to January 1952, the division's pilots scored 216 aerial victories, losing only 27 aircraft (9 pilots died).

In 1964-1971 - Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Since 1971 he served in the central apparatus of the Air Force, and since 1978 - in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1970, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Aviation. And in 1985, I. N. Kozhedub was awarded military rank Air Marshal. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd–5th convocations, and a people's deputy of the USSR.

List of aerial victories

In official Soviet historiography, the result of Kozhedub’s combat activities looks like 62 enemy aircraft shot down personally. However, recent archival research has shown that this figure is slightly underestimated - in the award documents (from where it, in fact, was taken), for unknown reasons, two air victories are missing (June 8, 1944 - Me-109 and April 11, 1944 - PZL P.24), while they were confirmed and officially entered into the pilot’s personal account.

Date of victory	Aircraft type	Place of victory
		zap. Zavidovka
		Art. Gostishchevo
		Krasnaya Polyana
		eastern Pokrovka
		Charming
		Iskrovka



		north Iskrovka
		southwest Borodayevka
		zap. Borodayevka
		zap. Borodayevka

		Petrovka
		southwest Andreevka
		southwest Andreevka
		north-west Borodayevka
		southwest Red Kut
		zap. Kutsevalovka
		Borodayevka
		Dneprovo-Kamenka
		north Flat
		south Petrovka
		south Homespun
		Krivoy Rog
		zap. Budovka
		Novo-Zlynka
		eastern Nechaevka
		zap. Lipovka

		Lebedin - Shpola

		north Iasi
		southeast Vulture
		Horlesti
		Horlesti
		Targu Frumos – Dumbravitsa
		eastern Vulture
		Alien Water
		zap. Stynka
		Rediu Ului - Teter
		Rediu Ului - Teter
		north-west Iasi


		north-west Strenci
		southwest Ramnieki - Dakst
		north-west Valmiera
		south Studzyana
		north-west env. Morin airfield
		zap. Kinitz
		zap. Kinitz
		lake Kitzer See
		eastern Alt-Friedland
		north Furstenfelde
		north Brünchen
		north Küstrin
		north-west Küstrin
		north Seelow
		eastern Guzov
		Art. Verbig

At the end of the Great Patriotic War, American pilots in the area of action Soviet aviation were shot down soviet fighters. I.N. Kozhedub flew out and personally shot down two American fighters responsible for this act of aggression. Nikolai Bodrikhin’s book “Soviet Aces” gives slightly different circumstances of this episode: Kozhedub drove away the German planes attacking him from the American bomber, after which he himself was attacked by an American fighter from a very long distance. Kozhedub shot down two American planes; judging by the words of a surviving American pilot, the Americans mistook Kozhedub’s plane for a German Focke-Wulf.

Awards

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union (02/04/1944, No. 1472; 08/19/1944, No. 36; 08/18/1945, No. 3)
Knight of two Orders of Lenin (02/04/1944; 02/21/1978)
Knight of the Seven Orders of the Red Banner (07/22/1943, No. 52212; 09/30/1943, No. 4567; 03/29/1945, No. 4108; 06/29/1945, No. 756; 06/02/1951, No. 122; 02/22/1968, No. 23; 26.06. 1970, No. 537483)
Knight of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (07/31/1945, No. 37500)
Knight of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (04/06/1985)
Knight of two Orders of the Red Star (06/04/1955; 10/26/1955)
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in Armed Forces USSR" II degree (02.22.1990)
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (04/30/1975)
Knight of the Order of the Red Banner of the Mongolian People's Republic
Honorary citizen of the cities: Balti, Chuguev, Kaluga, Kupyansk, Sumy, etc.

Memory

A bronze bust of Kozhedub was installed in his homeland in the village of Obrazhievka. His La-7 (board number 27) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Monino. Also named after Ivan Kozhedub is a park in the city of Sumy (Ukraine) near the entrance there is a monument to the pilot, as well as a street in the South-East of Moscow (Marshal Kozhedub Street).

The name of the Three-time Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is borne by the Kharkov Air Force University (formerly KhVU, KhIL), as well as the Shostka Chemical-Technological College. On May 8, 2010, a monument to Kozhedub was unveiled in the Park of Glory in Kyiv. On June 8, 2010, in the city of Shostka, in commemoration of Kozhedub’s 90th anniversary, a bust was erected near the Ivan Kozhedub Museum. On November 12, 2010, a monument to Kozhedub was erected in Kharkov, on the territory of the Kharkov Air Force University.

Filmed about Kozhedub documentary"Secrets of the century. Two wars of Ivan Kozhedub."

Bibliography

Kozhedub I. Three battles. - M.: Military Publishing House NKO USSR, 1945. - 40 p.
I serve the Motherland. - M. - L.: Detgiz, 1949.
Victory Day. - M., 1963.
I. N. Kozhedub Loyalty to the Fatherland. - M.: Children's literature, 1969, 1975. - 430 p. — 100,000 copies.
Friends and fellow soldiers. - M., Children's literature, 1975.
Ivan Kozhedub Loyalty to the Fatherland. Looking for a fight. - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2006. - 608 p. - (Stalin's Falcons). — 5000 copies. — ISBN 5-699-14931-7
I. N. Kozhedub Unknown Kozhedub. I serve the Motherland. - M.: Yauza, Eksmo, 2009. - 368 p. - (The greatest Soviet aces). — 4000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-699-34385-0

He was a master of the car and could drive it even with his eyes closed.

Childhood and youth

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was born into a large peasant family in Ukraine in the village of Obrazhievka, Chernigov province. He was the youngest child and had three older brothers and a sister. The date of birth is officially considered to be June 8, 1920, but, as you know, he added two years to himself, which were needed to enroll in a technical school. The real date of birth of Ivan Kozhedub is July 6, 1922. His father farmed and worked in a factory, but found time for books and even wrote poetry himself. He raised his children in strictness, trying to instill in them such qualities as perseverance, hard work and diligence.

When Vanya went to school, he already knew how to write and read. He studied well, but attended school intermittently, because at the end of the first school year his father sent him to a neighboring village to work as a shepherd. Before entering the Chemical Technology College in 1934, Ivan Nikitovich managed to work in the library. 1938 became a turning point in the young man’s fate - then he began to attend the flying club.

Ivan Kozhedub opened his personal combat account in July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk. This was his fortieth combat mission. Within a few days, 4 victories were already on the list. On August 6, 1943, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub received his first award - the Order of the Red Banner of Battle. At the same time, he himself began to command the squadron. In the fall of 1943, he was sent to the rear; hot, heavy battles lay ahead, and he needed to recuperate.

Here, in just a few days, under his command, 12 German planes were shot down, they lost only 2 of their own. After such a victory, the enemy abandoned active operations in this territory. Another significant air battle took place in the winter, in February 1945. Then 8 enemy aircraft were shot down, and 1 Soviet army aircraft was destroyed. A significant personal achievement for Ivan Kozhedub was the destruction of the Me-262 jet, which was significantly faster than his Lavochkin. In April 1945, the great fighter pilot shot down his last 2 enemy aircraft.

Post-war years

After the end of the war, he decided to continue his service. At the end of 1945, Ivan Nikitovich met his future wife. In their marriage they had two children: a son and a daughter. He also continued to study, graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1949, and from the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1956. He took part in hostilities in Korea, under his command was the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. In 1985, Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the high rank of Air Marshal.

When he took off the raglan, the girl saw three Hero Stars, a bunch of medal strips - and was speechless

The main driving force of the Kozhedub family has always been only love.

Children did not remember their parents ever offending each other

But they remembered that from every trip dad always brought gifts not only to them, but also to mom. In all household chores, Ivan Nikitovich relied on his wife and diligently hid from her the dangers of his professional life - he took care of his wife.

In 1947, daughter Natalya was born, and in 1953, son Nikita (Captain 3rd Rank in the USSR Navy) was born.

Planes on which Ivan Kozhedub flew

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich is the most successful military pilot of the Great Patriotic War. Subsequently, he was an air marshal, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded 14 Soviet and 6 foreign orders, Soviet and foreign medals. During the Great Patriotic War he made 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles, personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. According to official data I.N. Kozhedub - the most successful Soviet fighter pilot.

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

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

The pilot scored his first victory during his 40th combat mission, shooting down a German dive bomber. Subsequently, I.N. Kozhedub proved himself to be a brave and skillful pilot, in whom audacity was combined with prudence, initiative with diligence. Kozhedub sometimes treated his combat vehicle like a living creature , for him the plane was a friend, and the fighter responded in kind: during the war years the pilot never had to jump with a parachute.

In September 1944, Kozhedub was transferred to the 176th “Marshal” Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where many famous military pilots were gathered. As part of this regiment he ended the war. Among many types of German aircraft, Ivan Nikitovich’s account includes the Me-262 jet fighter, which he shot down on April 19, 1945 over the Oder.

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

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich (1920–1991). The road to victory is long. And for Senior Sergeant Kozhedub it was painfully long. He, an excellent pilot-instructor, was kept in the rear, in Chimkent. Only in March 1943 was Ivan sent to the front. And in the very first battle, his La-5 is pierced by a Messerschmitt burst. The enemy shell gets stuck in the armored back, when returning the plane “catches” two hits from its anti-aircraft gunners and Kozhedub barely managed to land the combat vehicle.

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

By February 1944, there were 20 stars on the fuselage of his Lavochkin. That’s exactly how many of Hitler’s vultures were destroyed by Senior Lieutenant Kozhedub. And the first Gold Star adorned his uniform. The La-5FN aircraft, produced with the personal savings of the collective farmer Konev, became the Hero’s next car.

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

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

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

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

Diagnostics and diseases. Medicines from A to Z

Personal life. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub three times Hero of the Soviet Union

Childhood and youth

Post-war years

Planes on which Ivan Kozhedub flew

Biography

List of aerial victories

Awards

Memory

Bibliography

Childhood and youth

Post-war years

Planes on which Ivan Kozhedub flew

Video - Two wars by Ivan Kozhedub (2010)