Ivan Kozhedub - Soviet pilot, hero Soviet Union, who fought during the Great Patriotic War, participated in the conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, located in what is now Ukraine. His childhood spanned years civil war, he lived in an ordinary peasant family. The boy was no different from other guys of that period; he spent all his time on the street with his friends. After graduating from the local school, Ivan went to the city of Shostka to enter the chemical technology college. During his training, he was a member of a flying club, where he was instilled with a love for aviation. After graduating from college, he continued to pursue his hobby. He became a student at the Chuguev Military Aviation School, where he studied until the early 40s. After graduation, Ivan remained to work there as a teacher.
The turning point for Kozhedub was joining the Red Army. Then he realized that he wanted to devote himself to military affairs. The Great Patriotic War began. Ivana and the rest Teaching Staff evacuated to Kazakhstan. There the pilot received the rank of senior sergeant. A few months later he was sent to the front as part of the 240th Fighter Regiment. His first plane was the LA-5 model; the pilot proudly called it “Lopakhin”. Unfortunately, Kozhedub’s first flight was unsuccessful; he was shot down. Nevertheless, he heroically landed the damaged unit. In 1943 he became a junior lieutenant.
The Battle of Kursk brought him glory. There he was able to shoot down several enemy fighters. For his bravery, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1944, Kozhedub was given a captain. He becomes the pilot of the new La-7 aircraft. During offensive operation upon release of Eastern Europe he shot down several dozen enemy bombers. He celebrated the victory in Berlin, where he received his second “Golden Star”. At the end of the war, Kozhedub collided with two American pilots, who accidentally perceived him as an enemy. Ivan, in self-defense, shot down planes, which may have played a role in aggravating relations.
After the war, he entered the Red Banner Air Force Academy, where he received higher education. At the same time, the great pilot was testing new aircraft models. But military service didn't leave him. Ivan took a direct part in the Korean War. Thanks to his skill, many battles were won with minimal losses. After returning to civilian life, he served as an Air Force commander. For the next 10 years he worked as an inspector for the Ministry of Defense. Only in 1985, having become an Air Marshal, Ivan decided to change the direction of his activities. He became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, where he worked until his death. He died on August 8, 1991, the cause of death was a heart attack. Even after 30 years, everyone continues to revere the exploits of Ivan Kozhedub, which speaks of his undoubted contribution to the development of aviation; he was a true patriot of his country.
Biography 2
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub became one of the most famous Soviet aces who participated in the Great Patriotic War. His biography reflected the peculiarities of the era.
He was born in a simple Ukrainian village in 1920. The future Air Marshal was not entirely lucky with his social background, which was then paid much more attention than now. However, the son of a village church elder, like many of his peers, became seriously interested in aviation. At the chemical-technological technical school, where he entered after graduation, there was a flying club, which the young man joined.
At the beginning of the war, Kozhedub was sent to be evacuated to Kazakhstan to complete his training as a military pilot, and in 1942 he was released into a fighter regiment with the rank of sergeant. The following year, Ivan Nikitovich takes part in battles on the Voronezh Front, piloting a La-5 fighter. The debut was not very successful - the plane was damaged after being fired upon by its own Soviet anti-aircraft gunners. However, not that time, and throughout the entire war, was the pilot shot down even once, although he fighting machine repeatedly received serious damage.
At the end of the war, Kozhedub shot down sixty-two enemy aircraft, flying three hundred and thirty sorties. He shot down the last one in the sky over the German capital in April 1945, at the same time receiving the Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time.
After the victory, the honored pilot remained in military aviation, studied at the Air Force Academy, while simultaneously mastering new types of aircraft.
During the Korean War, where Soviet pilots fought the Americans and their allies, he commanded an air division. Having lost only twenty-seven aircraft, his subordinates shot down 216 enemy aircraft.
In 1964-71. Ivan Nikitovich served as deputy commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. He subsequently served on the Department of Defense Inspector General team. It was not customary for senior military leaders to retire, so they formally held a high position, but did not actually command.
In 1991, the Air Marshal (the title was awarded in 1985) dies, still holding the same honorary position.
Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was born on July 8, 1920 in the present day. Obrazhievka village, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian People's Republic, died 1991 in, Soviet military leader, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation. Three times the Soviet Union. Air Marshal.
The feat of Ivan Kozhedub.
Most Ukrainians fought on the side against the Nazis during World War II. They fought skillfully and bravely, so that
2021 Ukrainians became Hero of the Soviet Union (out of 11,603, that’s 17.4%);
25 Ukrainians became twice Heroes (out of 101, or 25%);
One of the three - - three times a Hero.
The most famous hero born in was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, past the path from 1943 to 1945 from sergeant to guard major and officially shot down 64 enemy aircraft. His colleagues said about him: “This is a man who felt at home in the sky.” Throughout the history of Ivan Kozhebud’s flights, there were many events that could be called heroic, since he always used any excuse to take to the skies. Ivan Kozhedub has 330 combat missions, 120 air battles and 62 (according to other sources 64) downed enemy aircraft. It hit the target from any position of the aircraft. Kozhedub was never shot down himself, although he repeatedly brought a shot down fighter or landed on an airfield damaged by bombs. He had been ill with the sky all his life and made his dream a calling. Military experts note 4 main feats of Ivan Kozhedub:
1. On September 30, 1943, Kozhedub accompanied in the sky the crossing of troops across the Dnieper. Making a turn, he found himself in the sky without the cover of his comrades, and at the same moment he noticed German Junkers in the sky. The famous pilot was not confused, did not panic, and single-handedly dived at the bombers. Having made several turns, he burst into the enemy’s link. The attack by the brave Russian lone pilot was so unexpected and daring for the Germans that they stopped dropping bombs in confusion and took up defensive positions. Seeing the enemy's confusion, Ivan Nikitovich decided to take an even bolder step - he dived on one of the Ju-87s that had come off and shot it down. The burning wreckage of the collapsed plane lowered the enemy's morale, and the bombers retreated.
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II degree
Knight of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree
Foreign: Knight of the Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia).
Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (GDR).
Knight of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland.
Knight of the Order of the National Flag (DPRK).
Biography of Ivan Kozhedub.
1940 - entered service in the Red Army and in the fall of the same year graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots, after which he continued to serve there as an instructor.
In 2010, in the city of Shostka, to commemorate Kozhedub’s 90th birthday, a bust was erected near the Ivan Kozhedub Museum.
A street in the Aviator microdistrict of the city of Balashikha, Moscow region, is named after Ivan Kozhedub.
A small street in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan is named after Ivan Kozhedub.
A pioneer camp in the Moscow region (Odintsovo district, near Kubinka) is named after Ivan Kozhedub.
The model of the La-5 aircraft, on which I. N. Kozhedub made his first flight from the Urazovsky airfield during the war, was opened in May 1988 in the Belgorod region.
.A documentary biographical film with live-action reconstructions from the series “Secrets of the Century” dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Colonel General of Aviation Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub has been posted - Two wars Ivan Kozhedub (First channel, 2010).
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Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub is a famous pilot ace of World War II, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 personal victories). Three times hero of the Soviet Union. He took part in hostilities from 1943 to 1945, making all his combat missions on fighters designed by Lavochkin - La-5 and La-7. During the entire war he was never shot down. At the end of the war, he continued to serve in the Air Force, remaining an active pilot and mastering the MiG-15 jet fighter. Graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy, in 1985 he was awarded the pilot military rank air marshal.
Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 into a peasant family in the small Ukrainian village of Obrazhievka, Shostkinsky district, Sumy region. Subsequently he graduated from the Chemical Technology College and the Shostka Aero Club. He entered the Red Army in 1940. In 1941 he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots, where he served as an instructor. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub, along with the aviation school, was evacuated to Central Asia. After submitting numerous reports asking to be sent to the front, his wish was granted. In November 1942, Sergeant Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the disposal of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) of the emerging 302nd Fighter Aviation Division. In March 1943, parts of the division were sent to the Voronezh Front.
The future ace and Hero of the Soviet Union made his first combat mission on March 26, the flight ended unsuccessfully: his La-5 fighter (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.
The ace pilot opened his combat account of his victories on July 6, 1943 at the Kursk Bulge, shooting down a Ju-87 dive bomber. The very next day, Kozhedub won a second aerial victory, shooting down another Ju-87, and in an air battle on July 9 he was able to shoot down 2 German Me-109 fighters at once. Already in August 1943, Ivan Kozhedub became squadron commander. The first title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was received by the squadron commander of the 240th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kozhedub, on February 4, 1944 for 146 combat missions, in which he shot down 20 German aircraft.
Since May 1944, Kozhedub fought on a new modification of the Lavochkin fighter - La-5FN (board number 14), which was built with money from the collective farmer of the Stalingrad region V.V. Koneva. Just a few days after receiving it, he shoots down a Ju-87 with it. Over the next six days, the ace pilot chalked up 7 more enemy aircraft. At the end of June he transfers his fighter to K.A. Evstigneev (later twice Hero of the Soviet Union), and he himself transferred to the training regiment. But already in August, Ivan Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment of the IAP. At the same time, the regiment is undergoing a rearmament procedure, receiving new La-7 fighters. The ace pilot received a plane with tail number 27. Ivan Kozhedub would fly it until the very end of the war.
The second Gold Star medal of the Guard, Captain Ivan Kozhedub, was awarded on August 19, 1944 for 256 combat missions, in which he personally shot down 48 German aircraft. Once, during an air battle on a La-7 fighter, which was passing over enemy territory, Kozhedub’s plane was shot down. The engine of the car stalled and Ivan Kozhedub, in order not to surrender to the Germans, chose a target for himself on the ground and began to dive on it. When there was very little left to the ground, the fighter’s engine suddenly started working again and Kozhedub was able to pull the car out of the dive and returned safely to the airfield.
On February 12, 1945, Ivan Kozhedub paired with his wingman Lieutenant V.A. Gromakovsky patrolled the space above the front line, being in “free hunting” mode. Having discovered a group of 13 FW-190 fighters, Soviet pilots immediately attacked them, shooting down 5 German fighters. Three of them were chalked up by Ivan Kozhedub, two by Gromakovsky. On February 15, 1945, in a flight over the Oder, Kozhedub was able to shoot down a German Me-262 jet fighter flown by non-commissioned officer K. Lange from I./KG(J)54.
By the end of the Great Patriotic War, Guard Major Ivan Kozhedub completed 330 combat missions and conducted 120 air battles, shooting down 64 enemy aircraft. This number does not include 2 American P-51 Mustang fighters, which the Soviet ace shot down in the spring of 1945. At the same time, the Americans were the first to attack the La-7 fighter, which was flown by the Soviet pilot. According to an American pilot who survived this air battle, they confused Kozhedub’s La-7 with a German FW-190 fighter and attacked him. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub received the third “Golden Star” after the war for high military skill, personal courage and bravery.
Among the enemy aircraft shot down by Ivan Kozhedub were:
21 FW-190 fighters;
18 Me-109 fighters;
18 Ju-87 bombers;
3 Hs-129 attack aircraft;
2 He-111 bombers;
1 PZL P-24 fighter (Romanian);
1 Me-262 jet aircraft.
La-5 and La-5FN
La-5 is a single-engine wooden low-wing aircraft. Like the LaGG-3 fighter, 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 wooden parts of the aircraft skin were glued together using special urea KM-1 or VIAM-B-3 resin glue.
The aircraft wing, composed of NACA-23016 and NACA-23010 profiles, was technologically divided into a center section and 2 two-spar consoles, which had a working plywood skin. The main landing gear was connected to the metal pipe using an end rib. Between the center section spars there were caissons for gas tanks, made of plywood, and in the bow there were domes for the landing gear wheels.
The plane's spars were made of wood with special shelves made of delta wood (on fighters of the La-5FN modification, starting in 1944, metal spars were mounted.) The consoles with plywood sheathing were joined by automatic slats, Frize-type ailerons with a duralumin frame, sheathed with percale and Schrenk-type flaps. The left aileron had a trimmer.
The fuselage of the fighter consisted of a wooden monocoque made as one piece with the keel and a forward metal truss. The frame consisted of 15 frames and 4 spars. The fuselage of the fighter was tightly fastened to the center section with 4 steel units. The pilot's cabin was covered with a plexiglass sliding canopy, which could be locked in the closed and open positions. On the frame behind the back of the pilot's seat there was an armor plate 8.5 mm thick.
The stabilizer is two-spar, completely wooden with plywood working skin, the tail is cantilever. The stabilizer of the vehicle consists of 2 halves, which were attached to the power elements of the tail section of the vehicle. The elevator with trimmer had a duralumin frame, which was covered with canvas and, like the stabilizer, consisted of two halves. Control of the fighter was mixed: elevators and yaws using cables, ailerons using rigid rods. The flaps were released and retracted using a hydraulic drive.
The fighter's landing gear was retractable, double-supported with a tail wheel. The main landing gear had oil-pneumatic shock absorbers. The main wheels of the La-5 had dimensions of 650x200 mm and were equipped with air chamber brakes. The freely oriented tail support was also retracted into the fuselage and had a wheel measuring 300 by 125 mm.
The fighter's power plant consisted of a radial air-cooled M-82 engine, which had a maximum power of 1850 hp. and a three-blade variable pitch propeller VISH-105V with a diameter of 3.1 meters. The exhaust pipes were combined into 2 reactive-type manifolds. To regulate the engine temperature, frontal louvers were used, which were located on the front ring of the hood, as well as 2 flaps on the sides of the hood behind the engine. The aircraft engine was started using compressed air. An oil tank with a capacity of 59 liters was located at the junction of the metal truss and the wooden part of the fuselage. Fuel with a volume of 539 liters was in 5 tanks: 3 center section and 2 console.
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. On La-5FN model aircraft, wing bomb racks were additionally installed, which were designed to carry bombs weighing up to 100 kg.
In addition to the standard set of control and flight navigation instruments, the fighter's equipment included an oxygen device, a short-wave radio station RSI-4 and a landing light. The oxygen supply was enough for 1.5 hours of flight at an altitude of 8000 m.
The letters FN in the La-5FN markings stood for Forced Direct Fuel Injection and referred to the engine. This aircraft began to enter service with the troops in March 1943. Its ASh-82FN engine developed a maximum power of 1850 hp. and could withstand forced mode for 10 minutes of flight. This version of the La-5 fighter was the fastest. At the ground, the car accelerated to 593 km/h, and at an altitude of 6250 meters it could reach a speed of 648 km/h. In April 1943, a series of air battles between the La-5FN and the captured Bf.109G-2 fighter. Training battles demonstrated the overwhelming superiority of the La-5 in speed at low and medium altitudes, which were the main ones for air battles Eastern Front.
The La-7 was 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.
In my own way appearance and the size of the fighter differed very slightly from the La-5. One of the significant differences were the spars, which, like on the latest La-5FN series, were made of metal. At the same time, the skin and ribs of the aircraft remained unchanged. The cross-sectional dimensions of the side members were reduced, which freed up additional space for fuel tanks. The mass of the fighter's spars has been reduced by 100 kg. The aerodynamics of the fighter have improved significantly, this was achieved, in particular, by moving and improving the shape of the radiator. The internal sealing of the aircraft has also been improved by completely eliminating the gaps between the pipes and the holes for them in the fire bulkhead and the cracks in the hood. All these improvements allowed the La-7 to gain an advantage over the La-5 in flight speed, climb rate and maximum ceiling. Maximum speed La-7 was 680 km/h.
The La-7 could be armed with two 20-mm ShVAK cannons or 3 20-mm B-20 cannons. The guns had hydromechanical synchronizers that prevented shells from hitting the propeller blades. Most of the La-7, like the La-5, was armed with two ShVAK cannons, which had 200 rounds of ammunition per barrel. The fighter's ammunition included armor-piercing incendiary and fragmentation incendiary shells weighing 96 grams. Armor-piercing incendiary shells at a distance of 100 meters normally pierced armor up to 20 mm thick. bombs weighing up to 100 kg could be suspended on two underwing units of the fighter.
Sources used:
www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=403
www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/la5.html
www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/la7.html
Materials from the free Internet encyclopedia "Wikipedia"
Ivan Kozhedub short biography military pilot is described in this article.
Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich short biography
Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka (now Sumy region of Ukraine) in the family of a church elder.
Having received secondary education, in 1934 he entered the chemical-technological technical school of the city of Shostok, which had a flying club, which the young man joined.
The Great Patriotic War began and Ivan Nikitovich, as a member of the aviation school, was evacuated to Kazakhstan and was soon awarded the rank of senior sergeant.
In November 1942, he was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, located in Ivanovo. From there, in March 1943, Kozhedub was sent to the Voronezh Front.
Ivan Kozhedub’s first combat flight was not very successful, since his La-5 fighter first fired at the German Messerschmitt with a cannon burst, and then (by mistake) at the Soviet anti-aircraft gunners (two shells hit). Despite the damage, Kozhedub managed to land the fighter.
Until February 1944, he flew 146 missions and destroyed 20 German aircraft. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In August 1944, the hero was awarded a second Gold Star medal for 48 downed enemy vehicles and 256 sorties. And by the end of the war he already had 62 enemy kills in the air.
His last exploit occurred over Berlin in April 1945, when another Nazi plane was shot down. During the war, the Germans failed to shoot it down even once. In the same month, Ivan Nikitovich received another Gold Star medal, becoming three times Hero of the Soviet Union.
In 1946, the hero continued his studies in the Air Force three times. In 1949 he graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy and mastered the MiG-15 jet. Despite Peaceful time in the USSR, his exploits did not end there - during the Korean War, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub headed the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. Under his leadership, the pilots won 216 victories in the sky with losses of nine people and 27 aircraft.
From 1964 to 1971 he was deputy commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Since 1978, he was a member of the general inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense. For services to the country and numerous exploits, in 1985 he was awarded the title of Air Marshal.
Ivan Kozhedub interesting facts
What plane did Ivan Kozhedub fly on? During the war, Kozhedub replaced 6 Lavochkins (La-5), and not a single plane let him down. And he did not lose a single car, although it happened that it was on fire, caused holes, landed on airfields dotted with craters...
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.