Pilot twice hero of the soviet union grigory. Stalin's soldiers

Sergei Gritsevets lived a short but unusually bright life and left a noticeable mark in the history of Russian aviation. The son of a poor Belarusian peasant, he was born on July 19, 1909 in the village of Borovtsy, now the Baranovichi district of the Brest region. He graduated from 7 classes in 1927. He worked as a laborer in the service of the track on the railway, in "Lnotorg", a locksmith's apprentice in the hilt shop of a mechanical plant in Zlatoust. He graduated from FZU, studied at the evening department of the metallurgical technical school. Since 1931 in the ranks of the Red Army.

In June 1931, on a Komsomol ticket, he arrived at the 3rd Orenburg Military Pilot School, where he was considered one of the most initiative and capable cadets. Fighting sheets of those years called to be equal in study to Sergei. After graduating from aviation school in September 1932, Gritsevets became a fighter pilot. First he served in the Kiev air brigade, and from December 1933 in the 1st Red Banner IAE in Gatchina. As part of this squadron, he then served in the Far East, became the chief of the air rifle service of the squadron, and then was appointed flight commander. From August 1, 1936, he studied at the Odessa School of Air Combat and Aerobatics, then was an instructor pilot there.

A military pilot with a small suitcase was waiting for the tram number 13, as it was called "aviation" here, to go from the Odessa-Glavnaya railway station in the direction of Lustdorf, a seaside children's climate station. The sultry day of the end of July 1936 was approaching, but the morning was not yet hot, and Sergei felt cheerful and light, enjoying the fresh and humid sea air. The mood was excellent.

Almost empty at an early hour, the carriage, having accepted the lonely passenger, ran through the deserted streets, lined with trees in the middle strip, interspersed with subtropical ones. In front of Lyustdorf the tram turned onto Ulyanovka and stopped near the checkpoint of the aviation school. Sergei Gritsevets got out, and the car, rattling and ringing, turned into the city.

The core of the aerobatics school was the special-purpose aviation squadron. Talented regular pilots of the Red Army Air Force, under the guidance of experienced instructors - methodologists, honed the skills of conducting aerial combat here, increased the accuracy of aerial fire, in a word, mastered the full course of using the latest aircraft in battle - the I-16 fighter.

By the end of July 1936, most of the first set of fighter pilots had gathered at the Odessa Air Combat School ...

Sergei wrote to his brother Ivan in Moscow:

"Since August 1, I have been in Odessa and study at school. By the way, the theory is presented very well. I fly a new fighter. I have to work a lot: 7 hours a day and during extracurricular hours we study until 1 - 2 am. This is true , it happens on some days. Our study, it turns out, is designed for a year, but they also say that with an increased pace of study we will finish school in 6 - 8 months. That would be very good. If so, then Galya will live for this time it will be boring for my mother to live apart, but we are no stranger to her. That's the way it is with us. So far, all the best. Your brother Seryozha ... "

Then it happened in the aviation units. The rank of senior lieutenant was the Acting Flight Commander of the 8th Odessa Pilot School of the Kiev Military District.

In June 1938, as part of a group of 34 pilots, he arrived in Spain to provide assistance to the Republican Air Force. He had the pseudonyms "Sergio" and "Commander Serge".

In battles with enemy aircraft in unequal conditions, when the ratio between republican and Franco aircraft was often 1: 5, he came to the conviction that the only correct tactic of fighting in such conditions could only be a group "falcon strike" - a sudden attack of the enemy by the entire squadron from above, behind.

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Wingspan, m
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takeoff
engine's type
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on high
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Armament:	four 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns

On August 14, 1938, a group of aircraft, which he commanded, used this new tactical technique for the first time in an air battle. The blow was so unexpected and overwhelming for the enemy that the enemy group lost control. Several enemy vehicles fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Gritsevets' group in full force returned to the airfield.

In total, in the skies of Spain, Sergei Gritsevets made 88 sorties with a total flight time of 115 hours, in 42 (according to other sources in 24) air battles he shot down 30 enemy aircraft (6 personally and 24 as part of a group).

The pilots of the group under his leadership shot down 85 aircraft. The news of one of his combat missions spread all over the world ...

An air battle with German He-51s and Italian Cr-32s began near the Ebro River over the positions of Lister's corps, to which Spanish and foreign journalists were invited that day. Senior Lieutenant Gritsevets fought in the sky with superior enemy forces. But how! On the "donkey" - as the maneuverable I-16 was nicknamed - Sergey impudently attacked a group of enemy aircraft. The central newspaper of the Spanish communists "Mundo Obrero" reported about this unequal battle: "Sergio, a brave pilot of the Republic, faithful to his military duty, fighting heroically, in one sortie shot down 7 (seven!) Nazi planes (of which 5 Fiats CR-32), but his car was also badly damaged. "

He-51

Fiat CR-32

Many foreign newspapers also wrote about this feat. Among others - the English "Daily News", whose correspondent watched the air battle and even managed to find out the real name of Camarado Sergio. The newspaper came out with a catchy headline: "Russian pilot Sergei Gritsevets is a man of amazing courage." [According to S. V. Abrosov's data, in reality, during one of the sorties to escort the Security Council, Sergei had to fight off 7 Fiats alone, but, according to official documents, he did not declare victories in this battle. Most likely, this is just a beautiful legend. ]

Sergei Gritsevets especially distinguished himself in the final and most difficult battles for the Ebro, where the Germans used the experienced Messera armed with cannons and significantly superior to the I-16 in speed. In just 20 days in August 1938, Soviet and Spanish pilots shot down 72 enemy aircraft.

battle of I-16 with Bf-109

In one of the battles on August 13, 1938, together with the Spanish pilot Sergeant Luis Margalef, he knocked out and forced the German He-111 bomber, whose crew was captured, to land on the republican territory.

August 18, 1938 - on the day of Aviation, Gritsevets shot down 2 Italian Fiats. With his pilots, Gritsevets sometimes climbed without oxygen devices to an altitude of up to 7 km, in order from there to unleash a blow on the enemy.

The last time the pilots of Sergei Gritsevets' group participated in the battle on October 15, 1938, when about 100 republican aircraft were taken into the air at once, consisting of 7 squadrons. Then, over the Ebro River, in a tense air battle, by the joint efforts of Soviet and Spanish pilots, 3 Messers and 5 Fiats were shot down. Our losses amounted to 3 aircraft (all pilots escaped by parachute).

However, by the time the 113-day battle for the Ebro ended, of the 34 pilots who arrived with Gritsevets in June 1938, only 7 remained in the ranks.

List of famous victories of Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets:

	date victories	Knocked down airplane	Battle area (falling)	Note
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of the link)
				(as part of a group)
			Barcelona	(paired with Luis Margalef)
				(paired with M. Sapronov)
				(as part of a group)
			Villalba	(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
				(as part of a group)
* Presumably the pilot of this Bf.109 was Condor Legion ace, Chief Lieutenant Otto Bertram, taken prisoner.

Otto Bertram

On February 22, 1939, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree stating that for the exemplary fulfillment of special tasks of the government to strengthen the defensive power of the Soviet Union and the personal courage and courage shown at the same time, Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin himself presented Gritsevets with a certificate of conferring this high title. It should also be noted that the rank of captain Sergei Gritsevets never had: from a senior lieutenant he immediately became a major (December 31, 1938).

In full force, the strengths of the character and flying skills of Sergei Gritsevets manifested themselves in the Khalkhin-Gol sky in the summer of 1939: lightning-quick resourcefulness, keen observation, a sense of comradely revenue, masterly mastery of piloting technique. In air battles, personally and as part of a group, he shot down 12 Japanese aircraft.

At first, Gritsevets flew the I-16, and when the new I-153 ("Seagulls") were received at the end of June, he was appointed squadron commander of these machines.

In most of the combat missions of the Seagulls, the squadron of which Gritsevets was always in the lead, ended with the victory of the Soviet pilots.

So it was in the memorable air battle on August 25, when ground troops pounded the encircled units of the 6th Japanese Army. On this day, 7 air battles took place over Khalkhin-Gol. More than 200 Soviet and Japanese aircraft took part in one of them.

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Wingspan, m
Height, m
Wing area, m2
Weight, kg
empty plane
normal takeoff
normal takeoff
engine's type	1 PD Army type 97
Power, h.p.
Maximum speed, km / h
on high
Cruising speed, km / h
Practical range, km
Combat range, km
Maximum rate of climb, m / min
Practical ceiling, m
Armament:	two synchronous 7.7-mm machine guns type 89

The battle took place at altitudes up to 6,000 meters. Engines roared over the river valley, machine-gun bursts crackled, planes fell down, leaving plumes of black smoke behind them. And in this whirlwind the "Seagull" of the squadron commander stood out.

In the midst of the battle, Gritsevets noticed how a Japanese fighter was attached to the tail of Leonid Orlov's car. Carried away by the attack, Orlov did not notice this, and then Sergei Gritsevets went head-on to the Japanese. The enemy could not withstand the oncoming attack and soared upward with a candle. Gritsevets gave a short aiming burst at the Japanese pilot. He threw his car into a steep dive, pretended to be hit and falls. But such a trick of the enemy was well known to Gritsevets from the battles in Spain. He immediately dived down for the samurai, caught up with him and shot him at close range. The Japanese fighter, without leaving the dive, crashed into a sand dune.

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upper
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empty plane
normal takeoff
maximum takeoff
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Power, h.p.
Maximum speed, km / h
on high
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Rate of climb, m / min
Practical ceiling, m
Armament:	four 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns (2500 rounds)

On June 26, 1939, in the area of ​​Lake Buir-Nur, an air battle with the Japanese began, which lasted about two hours and ended with the complete victory of the Soviet pilots. The enemy lost 15 aircraft. On this day, Sergei Gritsevets performed a feat that became famous throughout the country.

I-153 and I-16 in Mongolia

In the battle, the plane of the commander of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major V.M.Zabaluev, was shot down and he parachuted down on the territory occupied by the enemy.

All this was seen by Sergei Gritsevets. Without thinking twice, he landed his car near the landing comrade, helped him get into the cockpit and took off under the fire of the Japanese infantry. This was the first such case in Soviet aviation.

Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zabaluev

In the sky Khalkhin - Gola S. I. Gritsevets made 138 sorties. In air battles, he shot down 12 enemy aircraft (according to some sources - 10 personally and 2 in a group, according to others - all 12 personally).

List of famous victories of Major S.I.Gritsevets in the skies of Mongolia:

	date victories	Knocked down airplane	Battle area (falling)	Note
			Buir - Nur
			Huhu - Uzun - Obo
			Ganchu	(2 in person and 1 as part of a group)
				(together with Pisanko A.S. and Smirnov B.A.)
			Hamar - Daba

On August 29, 1939, Sergei Gritsevets was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union for victories in aerial battles and the rescue of the commander. He was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Battle Red Banner, 1st degree (08/18/1939).

He was not only an excellent air fighter, but also a wonderful mentor. Dozens of young pilots learned the art of air combat from Gritsevets. He conducted debriefings with them, tactical classes, taught them to combine maneuver and fire: "Only a second is given to the pilot for an aiming burst," he said, "Only one second!"

He really knew how to be the first to give a turn, for some fraction of a second ahead of the enemy. He always attacked unexpectedly, never allowing a template in tactics. By the beginning of World War II, it was Gritsevets who was the most productive Soviet fighter pilot with 42 air victories!

In early September 1939, Major S. I. Gritsevets, together with a group of pilots headed by corps commander Ya. V. Smushkevich, left for Moscow.

He was appointed an advisor to one of the air brigades of the Belarusian Military District. There was a march of the Red Army troops in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

On September 16, Gritsevets with a group of pilots attended a meeting of the District Military Council in Minsk. We returned to our airfield near Orsha at dusk. Gritsevets landed first. Major PI Khara, who was going to land as the second, did not see the letter "T" laid out, began to land on the opposite side of the airfield and crashed into the parked car of Gritsevets at high speed.

As a result of the collision, both planes were destroyed, Khara was seriously injured, and Gritsevets was cut off by a propeller blow. So, an absurd accident caused the death of an outstanding Soviet pilot.

Representatives of the Soviet air force made a huge contribution to the defeat of the Nazi invaders. Many pilots gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our Motherland, many became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Some of them forever entered the elite of the Russian Air Force, the famous cohort of Soviet aces - the thunderstorm of the Luftwaffe. Today we will recall the 10 most successful Soviet fighter pilots, who chalked up 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 these two most famous aces of the Soviet fighter aviation did not end with the war. 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 country's highest military award of those years.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

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

Official Soviet historiography included 62 downed enemy aircraft, but archival research showed that Kozhedub shot down 64 aircraft (for some reason, there were no two air victories - 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 Non-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 it for a German plane.

In all likelihood, had Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) started the war in 1941, his number of downed planes could have been even higher. However, his debut came only in 1943, and the future ace shot down his first plane in the battle at the Kursk Bulge. On July 6, during a combat mission, he shot down a German Ju-87 dive bomber. Thus, the pilot's performance is really amazing, in just two military years he managed to bring the score of 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 several times returned to the airfield on a badly 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 of a German fighter, the armored backrest saved the pilot from an incendiary projectile. And upon returning home, his plane was fired upon by its own air defense, the car received two hits. Despite this, Kozhedub managed to land the plane, which could no longer be fully restored.

The future best Soviet ace made his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shotkinsky flying club. In early 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army and in the fall of the same year he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, after which he continued to serve in this school as an instructor. With the outbreak 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 was 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 make 146 sorties 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 completed 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 he spent several years as an instructor before being sent to the front played a very large role in his future success 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 aerial 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. Three times the Hero of the Soviet Union, the future Marshal of Aviation (rank awarded on May 6, 1985), Major Kozhedub became 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 still a lot of 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 Tires fought from the very first day of the war to the last. During this time, he flew 650 sorties, 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 effective ace of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition after Ivan Kozhedub. During the war years he flew on the MiG-3, Yak-1 and the American P-39 Airacobra.

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

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 enter his notes on this account in a notebook. He kept an accurate record of air battles in which he and his friends took part, after which he made a detailed analysis of what was written. At the same time, at that time he had to fight in very difficult conditions of constant retreat of Soviet troops. Later he said: "Those who did not fight in 1941-1942 do not know a real war."

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and massive criticism of everything related to that period, some authors began to "cut" the number of Pokryshkin's victories. This was also due to the fact that at the end of 1944, the 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 was already in command of the regiment. On August 19, 1944, after 550 sorties and 53 officially won victories, he became three times Hero of the Soviet Union, the first in history.

The wave of “revelations” that swept over him after the 1990s also swept over 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 completed sorties, then it can be noted that for a long time at the beginning of the war, Pokryshkin on his MiG-3, and then Yak-1 flew 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 overwhelming majority of them - 144 were aimed at attacking 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 reinstated in the party. After the war, Pokryshkin clashed with Vasily Stalin for a long time, 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 pilot-ace 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 sorties, 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 years he flew on the 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 that of 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, and such a rare machine 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 flights by the decision of the medical flight commission, he was diagnosed with color blindness. But upon returning to his unit with this diagnosis, he was still allowed to fly. The outbreak of the war forced the authorities to simply close their eyes 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 was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Being an example of determination, courage and discipline in one sortie, in another he could distract himself from the main task and just as decisively start pursuing a random opponent, 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, replaced him as squadron commander and regiment commander. Pokryshkin himself considered frankness and directness to be the best qualities of Grigory Rechkalov.

Rechkalov, like Pokryshkin, fought on June 22, 1941, but with a forced break for almost two years. In the very first month of the fighting, he managed to shoot down three enemy aircraft on his outdated I-153 biplane fighter. He also managed to fly on an I-16 fighter. On July 26, 1941, during a combat mission near Dubossary, he was wounded in the head and in the leg by ground fire, 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 in the way 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 for rearmament with the 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, could perfectly 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 negative about this or accuse 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, not in units, it is better to use radio for guidance and communication, to echelon their so-called “ whatnot ".

Grigory Rechkalov scored 44 victories on the Aircobra, more than other Soviet pilots. After the end of the war, someone asked the renowned pilot what he valued most in the Airacobra fighter, on which so many victories were won: the power of a volley, speed, visibility, engine reliability? 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, he said, was in the radio. The Aerocobra had excellent radio communication, which was rare in those years. Thanks to this connection, the pilots in battle could communicate with each other, as if by telephone. Someone saw something - all the members of the group are aware of it at once. Therefore, in combat missions, we did not have any surprises.

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 went into the reserve with the rank of Major General. Then 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 ended up 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. These statistics make Gulaev the most effective Soviet ace. For every 4 sorties, he had a downed plane or, on average, more than one plane for every air battle. During the war he flew on I-16, Yak-1, P-39 "Airacobra" fighters, most of his victories, like Pokryshkin and Rechkalov, he won on "Aerocobra".

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev shot down not much fewer planes than Alexander Pokryshkin. But in terms of the effectiveness of the battles, he far surpassed both him and Kozhedub. At the same time, 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 made his most effective battle on May 30, 1944. In one air battle over Sculeni, 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 having concentrated all his strength and will, he was able to bring his fighter to the airfield, bleeding to death, landed and, having taxied into the parking lot, lost consciousness. The pilot came to his senses only in the hospital after the operation, and here he learned about the awarding of the second title of Hero of the Soviet Union to him.

All the 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. Several times during this time he was wounded, but after being wounded he invariably returned back to duty. In early 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, sending them to the Air Force Academy by order. Thus, the war ended unexpectedly for our hero as well.

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 gain victories. Even among other far from ordinary Soviet fighter pilots, the figure of Nikolai Gulaev stood out for his colorfulness. Only such a person, possessing unparalleled courage, would be able to conduct 10 super-productive air battles, recording two of his victories on a successful ramming of enemy aircraft. Gulaev's modesty in public and in his self-esteem was discordant with his extremely aggressive and persistent manner of conducting aerial combat, and he managed to carry openness and honesty with boyish spontaneity throughout his life, preserving some youthful prejudices until the end of his life, which did not prevent him from reaching the rank of Colonel-General of Aviation. The illustrious pilot died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow.

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev

Kirill Alekseevich Evstigneev is twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Like Kozhedub, he began his combat path relatively late, only in 1943. During the war years, he flew 296 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles, personally shooting down 53 enemy aircraft and 3 in the group. He flew the La-5 and La-5FN fighters.

The almost two-year "delay" in appearing at the front was due to the fact that the fighter pilot suffered from gastric ulcer, and with this disease he was not allowed to the front. Since the beginning of World War II, he worked as an instructor at a flight school, and after that he overtook Lend-Lease "Airacobras". His work as an instructor gave him a lot, as well as another Soviet ace Kozhedub. At the same time, Evstigneev did not stop writing reports to the command with a request to send him to the front, as a result, they were still satisfied. Kirill Evstigneev received his baptism of fire in March 1943. Like Kozhedub, he fought as part of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flew on a La-5 fighter. On his very first sortie on March 28, 1943, he won two victories.

For the entire time of the war, the enemy did not manage to shoot down Kirill Evstigneev. But he got it twice from his own people. For the first time, the Yak-1 pilot, who was 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, and he managed to drag the plane to the positions of his troops, landing the fighter next to the trenches. The second case, more mysterious and dramatic, occurred over its territory in the absence of enemy aircraft in the air. The fuselage of his plane was pierced by a line, 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. In the hospital, doctors tended to amputate the pilot's foot, but he overtook them with such fear that they abandoned their venture. And after 9 days, the pilot escaped from the hospital and with crutches reached the location of his home unit 35 kilometers away.

Kirill Evstigneev constantly increased the number of his aerial victories. Until 1945, the pilot was ahead of Kozhedub. At the same time, the unit's doctor periodically sent him to the hospital to heal an ulcer and a wounded leg, which the ace pilot terribly opposed. Kirill Alekseevich was seriously ill since the pre-war times, in his life he underwent 13 surgical operations. Very often the famous Soviet pilot flew overcoming physical pain. Evstigneev, as they say, was obsessed with flying. In his spare time, he tried to train young fighter pilots. He was the initiator of training air battles. For the most part, Kozhedub was his opponent. At the same time, Evstigneev was completely devoid of a sense of fear, even at the very end of the war he cold-bloodedly went into a frontal attack on the six-gun Fokkers, winning victories over them. Kozhedub spoke about his comrade in arms like this: “Flint Pilot”.

Captain Kirill Evstigneev finished the war of the guards as navigator of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The pilot spent his last battle in the skies of Hungary on March 26, 1945, in his fifth La-5 fighter during the war. After the war, he continued to serve in the USSR Air Force, in 1972 he retired with the rank of Major General, 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

Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko (September 27 (October 10) 1912, the village of Golubovka, Yekaterinoslav province - February 23, 1943, the village of Sinyavino, Leningrad Region) - Lieutenant General of Aviation, pilot-ace. Together with S. Gritsevets, the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1939). Born on September 27 (October 10), 1912 in the village of Golubovka, Novomoskovsk uyezd, Yekaterinoslavskaya province (now Novomoskovskiy district of Dnepropetrovsk region) in the family of a poor peasant. Ukrainian In 1930 he graduated from the school of peasant youth and entered the Perm Land Management College, which was soon transferred to Moscow. After the first year of the Moscow Land Management College in 1931 he was drafted into the Red Army. In the same year he joined the CPSU (b). In aviation When in the winter of 1931 the appeal of the IX Congress of the Komsomol was published with the appeal "Komsomolets - to the plane!" Gregory took the call as personally addressed to him and submitted an application with a request to send him to aviation. According to the special kit of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in May 1931, he was sent to the 1st Military Pilot School. Comrade Myasnikov in Kach. At the aviation school, he mastered the U-1 and R-1 aircraft. The persistent and disciplined cadet completed the curriculum in 11 months. In 1932, after graduating from the A.F. Myasnikov Kachin Military Aviation School, he remained there to work as an instructor pilot. In 1933-1934. served in the 403rd IAB commanded by brigade commander P.I.Pumpur. He quickly mastered the I-3, I-4, I-5 fighters. Since 1934, he served near Moscow in the 116th Special Purpose Fighter Squadron under the command of Colonel Thomas Susi. Was a flight commander. The squadron carried out special assignments from the Air Force Research Institute. Participated in tests of dynamo-reactive aircraft guns of the Kurchevsky APC 4-bis on I-Z aircraft (N 13535). For success in the service he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor on May 25, 1936. In August 1936, he was awarded a diploma of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and the Central Council of the USSR Osoaviakhim for excellent work in the preparation and conduct of the aviation festival, which took place on August 24, 1936. Participation in hostilities in China and on Khalkhin Gol Senior Lieutenant Kravchenko took part in hostilities in China from March 13 to August 24, 1938. He flew an I-16 (76 hours of combat flight time). On April 29, he shot down 2 bombers, but he was shot down himself, with difficulty put the car on a forced one and spent more than a day getting to his airfield in Nanchang. On July 4, covering Anton Gubenko, who had thrown out with a parachute, he pressed the Japanese fighter so that he crashed into the ground. After the group's flight to Canton, Kravchenko took part in a raid on an enemy airfield. On May 31, 1938, he destroyed 2 aircraft while repelling an enemy raid on Hanhou. A few days later, he destroyed 3 enemy fighters in one battle at once, but he himself was shot down. In the summer of 1938, he won his last victory over Hanhou - he shot down a bomber. In total, in China, he shot down about 10 enemy aircraft, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At the end of December 1938, Kravchenko was awarded the extraordinary military rank of major. He continued flight test work at the Air Force Research Institute in the Stefanovsky detachment. Conducted state tests of fighters: I-16 type 10 with M wing (December 1938 - January 1939), I-16 type 17 (February-March 1939). He carried out a number of test works on the I-153 and DI-6 fighters. On February 22, 1939, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin. After the establishment of the badge of special distinction "Gold Star" he was awarded a medal number 120 on May 29 from the Central Aerodrome. Frunze, a group of 48 pilots and engineers who had combat experience, led by the deputy head of the Air Force Directorate Corps Commander Ya.V. Smushkevich flew on 3 Douglas transport aircraft on the route Moscow - Sverdlovsk - Omsk - Krasnoyarsk - Irkutsk - Chita to strengthen units participating in the Soviet-Japanese conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol river. K. Ye. Voroshilov came to see them off and forbade the flight until parachutes were delivered for everyone. On June 2, 1939, Kravchenko arrived in Mongolia and was appointed an advisor to the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (based at Tamsag-Bulak). After the death of the regiment commander Major N.G. Glazykin in battle, and then the assistant commander of Captain A.I. Balashev, he was appointed regiment commander. The regiment's pilots destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. Kravchenko himself fought 8 air battles from June 22 to July 29, shot down 3 planes personally and 4 in a group, including the famous ace of Major Marimoto. He took part in 2 assault strikes against enemy airfields, in which 32 enemy aircraft were destroyed under his command, on the ground and in the air. On August 10, for courage in battles with aggressors, the Presidium of the Small Khural of the MPR awarded Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko with the Order of the Red Banner for Military Valor. The order was presented by Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiyin Choibalsan with Soviet pilots, awarded for participation in the battles on Khalkhin Gol, 1939.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiyin Choibalsan. On August 29, 1939, Major Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (medal No. 1 / II). G. P. Kravchenko and S. I. Gritsevets became the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. In addition to Kravchenko himself, 13 more pilots of the 22nd IAP were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, 285 people were awarded orders and medals, and the regiment became the Red Banner. On September 12, 1939, a group of Heroes of the Soviet Union took off from the area of ​​the Khalkhin-Gol River to Moscow in 2 transport planes. Marshal Choibalsan greeted Soviet pilots in Ulan Bator. In their honor, a dinner was given on September 14, 1939, the heroes of Khalkhin-Gol were met in Moscow by representatives of the Air Force General Staff and relatives. A gala dinner was held at the Central House of the Red Army. On September 15, 1939, he left for the Kiev military district to participate in the operation to liberate the western regions of Ukraine as an adviser to an aviation division. On October 2, 1939, Major G.P. Kravchenko was recalled from the Kiev military district and appointed head of the fighter aviation department of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. Kravchenko was allocated an apartment in Moscow on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street (now Leninsky Prospekt). Parents, younger brother and sister moved in with him. On November 4, 1939, for the first time in the country, the Gold Star medals were awarded to the Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first in the country and two Gold Star medals at once, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin attached Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko to his tunic. On November 7, 1939, he was the lead of five fighters and opened an air parade over Red Square. In November 1939, Kravchenko was nominated as a candidate for the Moscow Regional Council of Working People's Deputies (he was elected in December). Soviet-Finnish war Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. Initially, the Kravchenko air group (or Special Air Group) consisted of two regiments - SB bombers and I-153 fighters and was deployed on the Ezel (Dago) island in Estonia, but gradually increased to 6 air regiments (71st fighter, 35th, 50th and 73rd high-speed bomber, 53rd long-range bomber and 80th mixed air regiment). Operationally, the brigade was subordinate to the chief of the Red Army Air Force, corps commander Y. Smushkevich. During the hostilities, this brigade often helped the 10th mixed air brigade of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force in organizing joint attacks on Finnish ports and battleships. The distribution of targets between the brigades was as follows: the 10th brigade bombed the ports of the western and southwestern coasts of Finland, as well as enemy transports and warships at sea, and the Kravchenko group - settlements in central and southern Finland. He was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. On February 19, 1940 he was awarded the rank of brigade commander, in April he was awarded the rank of division commander. In the summer of 1940 he took part in the annexation of Estonia. In May-July 1940 - head of the fighter aviation department of the Flight Technical Inspection of the Red Army Air Force. By the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of June 4, 1940, G.P. Kravchenko was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation. From July 19 to November 1940 - Commander of the Air Force of the Baltic Special Military District. Since November 23, 1940, he has been a student of advanced training courses for the commanding staff at the Academy of the General Staff. In March 1941, after graduating from the KUVNAS, he was appointed commander of the 64th IAD of the Kiev Special Military District (12th, 149th, 166th, 246th and 247th IAP), which he commanded until the beginning of the Great World War II.

The Great Patriotic War Since the beginning of the war with Germany after the death of the leadership of the 11th mixed aviation division of the Western Front on June 22, 1941, he was appointed commander of this air division, in July-August 1941 he participated in the Smolensk battle (the 11th air division was attached to the 13th Army of the Central , then the Bryansk front). From November 22, 1941 to March 1942 - Commander of the Air Force of the 3rd Army of the Bryansk Front. Then, in March-May 1942, he was commander of the 8th Strike Aviation Group of the Supreme High Command Headquarters (Bryansk Front). From May 1942, he formed the 215th Fighter Aviation Division, and as its commander participated in the battles on the Kalinin (November 1942 - January 1943) and Volkhov (from January 1943) fronts. On February 23, 1943, Kravchenko shot down the Focke-Wulf 190 in an air battle, but his La-5 plane caught fire. Having flown over the front line, Kravchenko could not reach his airfield and was forced to leave the plane, but the parachute did not open, the pull rope, with which the parachute backpack opens, was interrupted by a shrapnel, and he died. The urn with the ashes was buried in a columbarium in the Kremlin wall on February 28, 1943. The total number of victories won by G. P. Kravchenko is not given in any of the sources (with the exception of P. M. Stefanovsky's book "300 Unknowns", which indicates 19 victories won in battles with the Japanese. Perhaps these figures reflect his total the result of combat activities). According to some memoir sources, in his last battle, he won 4 victories at once (3 planes were shot down with cannon fire, another one was driven into the ground with a skillful maneuver). Some Western sources point to 20 victories won in 4 wars.

gala_gala15 The most productive and FIRST FLYER of the century: twice Hero in the sky and Stenka Razin on the ground ...
Nikolai Gulaev was born on February 26, 1918 in the village of Aksayskaya, which has now become the city of Aksai in the Rostov region.
Donskaya bold freeman was in the blood and character of Nicholas from the first days until the end of his bright life.
He ended up at the front in August 1942 and immediately demonstrated both the talent of a combat pilot and the wayward fierce character of a native of the Don steppes.

The first episode: Gulaev did not have permission for night flights, and when on August 3, 1942, Hitler's planes appeared in the regiment's area of ​​responsibility, where the young pilot served, experienced pilots went into the sky.
But then the mechanic instigated Nikolai: What are you waiting for? The plane is ready, fly!
A 24-year-old guy, deciding to prove that he is no worse than the "old men", jumped into the cockpit and took off - in the very first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, he destroyed a German bomber!

When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the general who arrived said: "For the fact that I took off without authorization, I reprimand, and for the fact that I shot down an enemy plane, I raise the rank and present it for a reward" - this became the code of our hero's life.
The second episode, much later: a slap in the face to a Romanian diplomat who dared to offend the hero.
There were many such episodes, which is why the life of the frantic pilot was not smooth ...

Furious Gulaev. The history of the most effective pilot of World War II

One of the best Soviet aces, Nikolai Gulaev, was not afraid of enemies, bosses, or foreign diplomats.
The names of the Soviet aces of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub and Alexander Pokryshkin, are known to everyone who is at least superficially familiar with Russian history.

Kozhedub and Pokryshkin are the most productive Soviet fighter pilots. On the account of the first 64 enemy aircraft, shot down personally, on the account of the second - 59 personal victories, and he shot down 6 more aircraft in the group.

The name of the third most efficient Soviet pilot is known only to aviation enthusiasts. Nikolai Gulaev during the war destroyed 57 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in the group.

An interesting detail - Kozhedub took 330 sorties and 120 air battles to achieve his result, Pokryshkin - 650 sorties and 156 air battles. Gulaev, on the other hand, achieved his result, having carried out 290 sorties and carried out 69 air battles.

Moreover, according to the award documents, in his first 42 air battles, he destroyed 42 enemy aircraft, that is, on average, each battle ended for Gulaev with a destroyed enemy vehicle.

Fans of military statistics calculated that the coefficient of efficiency, that is, the ratio of air battles and victories, for Nikolai Gulaev was 0.82. For comparison, for Ivan Kozhedub, it was 0.51, and for Hitler's ace Erich Hartmann, who officially shot down the largest number of aircraft during the Second World War, it was 0.4.

At the same time, people who knew Gulaev and who fought with him claimed that he generously recorded many of his victories on the wingmen, helping them to receive orders and money - Soviet pilots were paid for each downed enemy plane. Some believe that the total number of aircraft shot down by Gulaev could have reached 90, which, however, cannot be confirmed or refuted today.

Pilot Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union

Heroes of the Soviet Union, pilots Alexander Pokryshkin (second from left), Grigory Rechkalov (center) and Nikolai Gulaev (right) on Red Square

Nugget

His star shone especially brightly during the battles at the Kursk Bulge. On May 14, 1943, repulsing a raid on the Grushka airfield, he single-handedly engaged three Yu-87 bombers, covered by four Me-109s. Shooting down two Junkers, Gulaev tried to attack the third, but he ran out of cartridges. Without hesitating for a second, the pilot went to the ram, shooting down another bomber. The uncontrollable Yak of Gulaev went into a tailspin. The pilot managed to level the plane and land it at the forward edge, but on his own territory. Arriving at the regiment, Gulaev took off again on another plane on a combat mission.

In early July 1943, Gulaev, as part of a four of Soviet fighters, using the surprise factor, attacked a German armada of 100 aircraft. Having upset the battle formation, shooting down 4 bombers and 2 fighters, all four returned safely to the airfield. On this day, Gulaev's link made several sorties and destroyed 16 enemy aircraft.

July 1943 was generally extremely productive for Nikolai Gulaev. Here is what is recorded in his flight book: "July 5 - 6 sorties, 4 victories, July 6 -" Focke-Wulf 190 "was shot down, on July 7 - three enemy aircraft were shot down in the group, on July 8 -" Me-109 "was shot down , July 12 - two U-87s were shot down.

Hero of the Soviet Union Fyodor Archipenko, who happened to command the squadron where Gulaev served, wrote about him: “This was a nugget pilot who was one of the top ten aces in the country. He never shuddered, quickly assessed the situation, his sudden and effective attack created panic and destroyed the enemy's battle formation, which disrupted the aimed bombing of our troops. He was very courageous and decisive, often came to the rescue, sometimes one could feel the real passion of a hunter in him. "

Flying Stenka Razin

On September 28, 1943, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, Deputy Squadron Commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (205th Fighter Aviation Division, 7th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Force, Voronezh Front), was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In early 1944, Gulaev was appointed squadron commander. His not too rapid career growth is explained by the fact that the ace's methods of educating subordinates were not entirely ordinary. So, one of the pilots of his squadron, who was afraid to get close to the Nazis at close range, he cured of fear of the enemy, firing a burst of airborne weapons next to the wingman's cockpit. The fear of the subordinate vanished as if by hand ...

The same Fyodor Archipenko, in his memoirs, described another characteristic episode associated with Gulaev: “Approaching the airfield, I immediately saw from the air that the parking lot of Gulaev's plane was empty ... After landing, I was informed that all Gulaev's six had been shot down! Nikolai himself sat down wounded at the airfield to the attack aircraft, and nothing is known about the other pilots. After some time, the front line reported: two jumped out of the planes and landed at the location of our troops, the fate of three more is unknown ... And today, many years later, I see Gulaev's main mistake, made then, in what he took with him in battle. the departure of three young, not at all fired pilots at once, who were shot down in their very first battle. True, Gulaev himself won 4 aerial victories that day at once, shooting down 2 Me-109, Ju-87 and Henschel.

He was not afraid to risk himself, but with the same ease he risked his subordinates, which at times looked completely unjustified. Pilot Gulaev did not look like "air Kutuzov", but rather like dashing Stenka Razin, who had mastered a combat fighter.

But at the same time, he achieved amazing results. In one of the battles over the Prut River, at the head of six P-39 Airacobra fighters, Nikolai Gulaev attacked 27 enemy bombers escorted by 8 fighters. In 4 minutes, 11 enemy vehicles were destroyed, of which 5 were personally by Gulaev.

In March 1944, the pilot received a short-term home leave. From this trip to the Don, he came withdrawn, taciturn, bitter. He was torn into battle furiously, with a kind of transcendental fury. During a trip home, Nikolai learned that during the occupation of his father, the Nazis were executed ...

The Soviet ace was almost killed by a pig

On July 1, 1944, Guard Captain Nikolai Gulaev was awarded the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for 125 sorties, 42 air battles, in which he shot down 42 enemy aircraft personally and 3 in a group.

And then another episode takes place, about which Gulaev frankly told his friends after the war, an episode that perfectly shows his violent nature from the Don.

The pilot learned that he had become twice Hero of the Soviet Union after another flight. At the airfield, fellow soldiers have already gathered, who said: the award must be "washed", there is alcohol, but there is a problem with the snack.

Gulaev recalled that when he returned to the airfield, he saw grazing pigs. With the words "there will be a snack," the ace again sits on the plane and a few minutes later puts him near the sheds, to the amazement of the mistress of the pigs.

As already mentioned, the pilots were paid for the downed planes, so Nikolai had no problems with cash. The hostess willingly agreed to sell the boar, which was hardly loaded into a fighting vehicle.

By some miracle, the pilot took off from a very small platform along with a boar, distraught with horror. The combat aircraft is not designed for a plump pig to dance inside it. Gulaev barely kept the plane in the air ...

If a catastrophe happened that day, it would probably be the most ridiculous case of the death of a twice Hero of the Soviet Union in history.

Thank God, Gulaev made it to the airfield, and the regiment cheerfully celebrated the hero's award.

Another anecdotal case is related to the appearance of a Soviet ace. Once in battle, he managed to shoot down a reconnaissance aircraft piloted by a Hitlerite colonel, holder of four Iron Crosses. The German pilot wanted to meet with those who managed to interrupt his brilliant career. Apparently, the German expected to see a stately handsome man, a "Russian bear", who was not ashamed to lose ... And instead came a young, short, plump captain Gulaev, who, by the way, had a not heroic nickname "Kolobok" in the regiment. There was no limit to the German's disappointment ...

Fight with political overtones

In the summer of 1944, the Soviet command decides to withdraw the best Soviet pilots from the front. The war is coming to a victorious end, and the leadership of the USSR begins to think about the future. Those who showed themselves in the Great Patriotic War must graduate from the Air Force Academy in order to then take leading positions in the Air Force and Air Defense.

Among those who were summoned to Moscow was Gulaev. He himself was not eager to enter the academy, asked to remain in the army, but was refused. On August 12, 1944, Nikolai Gulaev shot down his last Focke-Wulf 190.

Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Heroic story. The first Hero of the USSR was a pilot, and the last - a diver
There are at least three versions of what happened, which combine two words - "brawl" and "foreigners". Let's dwell on the one that occurs most often.

According to her, Nikolai Gulaev, by that time already a major, was summoned to Moscow not only to study at the academy, but also to receive the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Considering the pilot's combat achievements, such a version does not look implausible. Gulaev's company also included other honored aces who were awaiting an award.

The day before the ceremony in the Kremlin, Gulaev went to the restaurant of the Moscow Hotel, where his fellow pilots were resting. However, the restaurant was overcrowded, and the administrator said: "Comrade, there is no room for you!"

Saying something like that to Gulaev with his explosive character was not worth it at all, but here, unfortunately, he also came across the Romanian military, who at that moment was also relaxing in a restaurant. Shortly before this, Romania, which had been an ally of Germany since the beginning of the war, had gone over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The enraged Gulaev said loudly: "Is it that there is no place for a Hero of the Soviet Union, but there are enemies?"

The words of the pilot were heard by the Romanians, and one of them issued an offensive phrase in Russian to Gulaev. A second later, the Soviet ace was near the Romanian and savagely hit him in the face.

In less than a minute, a fight broke out in the restaurant between Romanians and Soviet pilots.

When the fighters were separated, it turned out that the pilots had beaten the members of the official military delegation of Romania. The scandal reached Stalin himself, who decided: to cancel the awarding of the third star of the Hero.

If it were not about the Romanians, but about the British or the Americans, most likely, the case for Gulaev would have ended completely deplorable. But the leader of all nations did not begin to ruin the life of his ace because of yesterday's opponents. Gulaev was simply sent to the unit, away from the front, the Romanians and, in general, any attention. But how true this version is is unknown.

General who was friends with Vysotsky

Despite everything, in 1950 Nikolai Gulaev graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, and five years later - from the General Staff Academy.

He commanded the 133rd Air Fighter Division located in Yaroslavl, the 32nd Air Defense Corps in Rzhev, and the 10th Air Defense Army in Arkhangelsk, which covered the northern borders of the Soviet Union.

Nikolai Dmitrievich had a wonderful family, he adored his granddaughter Irochka, was a passionate fisherman, loved to treat guests personally to salted watermelons ...

He also attended pioneer camps, participated in various veteran events, but still there was a feeling that an order was given above, in modern terms, not to promote his person too much.

Actually, the reasons for this were also at a time when Gulaev was already wearing general's shoulder straps. For example, he could, with his power, invite Vladimir Vysotsky to speak at the Officers' House in Arkhangelsk, ignoring the timid protests of the local party leadership. By the way, there is a version that some of Vysotsky's songs about pilots were born after his meetings with Nikolai Gulaev.

Norwegian complaint
Colonel-General Gulaev resigned in 1979. And there is a version that one of the reasons for this was a new conflict with foreigners, but this time not with Romanians, but with Norwegians.
General Gulaev allegedly set up a hunt for polar bears using helicopters near the border with Norway. The Norwegian border guards appealed to the Soviet authorities with a complaint about the actions of the general. After that, the general was transferred to a headquarters position away from Norway, and then sent to a well-deserved retirement.
It is impossible to say with certainty that this hunt took place, although such a plot fits very well into the vivid biography of Nikolai Gulaev.
Be that as it may, the resignation had a bad effect on the health of the old pilot, who could not imagine himself without the service to which his whole life was devoted.
http://www.aif.ru/society/people/neistovyy_gulaev_istoriya_samogo_effektivnogo_letchika_vtoroy_mirovoy_voyny
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Even among far from ordinary fighter pilots, the figure of Nikolai Gulaev stands out for his colorfulness. Only he, a man of unparalleled courage, managed to carry out 10 super-productive battles, 2 of his victories won with a ram. His modesty in public and in self-esteem was discordant with an extremely persistent, aggressive manner of air combat, and he carried his honesty and openness with boyish spontaneity throughout his life, retaining some youthful prejudices to the end.

In March 1942, Nikolai Gulaev, among the 10 best pilots, was sent to the defense of Borisoglebsk. There, the main raids of enemy aircraft were at night, and he had to retrain for night work.

In June 1942, Gulaev was transferred to the 487th Aviation Regiment, where soon, on August 3, 1942, he took his first battle. He won his first victory without an order, taking off for the first time in his life at night, under the howl of an air raid and the cheering remarks of the mechanics. He got lucky. Against the background of the moonlit sky, he saw the silhouettes familiar from the tables and diagrams - "Heinkels". Forcing the engine of his "Yak", he approached the enemy machine so that the flaming exhaust of the engine became clearly visible, and pressed the trigger. The line turned out to be successful: the track sparkled with fast red arrows, which suddenly blossomed into a growing fiery tail in the night. The bomber slid onto the wing, spewing out crimson clouds of burning fuel and, in a random corkscrew, rushed to the ground ... The reaction of the commander to his victory was extraordinary: Nicholas was announced to be punished and presented for a reward. Thus began one of the brightest military destinies in our aviation.

There were fighting days. Gulaev was gaining experience. Now he acted more literately, boldly and decisively. Once a group of fighters under the command of Gulaev flew out on patrol and met more than 20 Ju-87s, who were marching without cover to attack our troops. In the ensuing battle, Nikolai shot down the leader of the enemy group, and his pilots another 2 planes. The rest began hastily to flee behind the front line, randomly dropping bombs. A little later, a new group of Ju-87s appeared - 36 aircraft, now under the protection of 18 Me-109s. Despite the huge advantage of the enemy in forces, our pilots attacked them, crashed into the Ju-87 system and shot down 5 enemy aircraft, forcing the rest to flee.

In February 1943, after completing the flight commander courses, Lieutenant ND Gulaev was sent to the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment. As part of this regiment, he lived his "star" year, shooting down more than 50 enemy vehicles in the air, "creating" a dozen aces, becoming twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
It is not customary to talk about Gulaev's "school", but his special, inspired and risky, outwardly completely devoid of any practicality, the manner of fighting makes him at least a "symbol" of the romantic direction in the art of air combat. Like no one else, he knew how to be effective: 05/30/1944, knocks down 5 planes; twice (07/05/1943, 04/25/1944) he won 4 victories a day, three more times (07/07/1943, 07/12/1943, 04/18/1944) he destroyed 3 aircraft each and in 6 battles (05/14/1943, 10/24/1943, 10/28/1943, 12/15/1943, 12/17/1943, 01/08/1944) made a double. He has 8 twin-engine bombers (5 Non-111 and 4 Ju-88), 3 "frames" - spotter FW-189, 14 "Pieces" - dive bombers Ju-87. Such a weighty distribution of trophies is not typical for front-line aviation pilots, whose list of victories was mainly made up of fighters.

The pilot of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (205th Fighter Aviation Division, 2nd Air Army, Voronezh Front) Senior Lieutenant ND Gulaev especially distinguished himself on the Kursk Bulge near Belgorod. On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, the Luftwaffe concentrated about 1000 aircraft there to support its 4th Panzer Army, General Goth and the Kempf task force. Along with the novelties of armored vehicles, the Wehrmacht for the first time widely used the newest FW-190 A-4, A-5 and A-6 fighters here, which, as a rule, carried 4-6 cannons and 2 machine guns.

In the very first battle on May 14, 1943, repelling the raid on the Grushka airfield, Nikolai single-handedly entered into battle with 3 Ju-87 bombers, covered by 4 Me-109. Having dispersed the plane at low altitude, Nikolai made a "slide" and, approaching the leading bomber, shot it down from the first turn.
The shooter of the second Junkers opened fire on him. Then Gulaev shot him down as well. He tried to attack the third, but he ran out of cartridges, and then Nikolai decided to ram him. With the left wing of his Yak-1, he hit the right plane of the "Junkers" and it crumbled to pieces. The unguided fighter went into a tailspin. After several attempts, Gulaev managed to level the plane and land it at the leading edge.

The infantrymen of the 52nd Infantry Division - witnesses of this heroic feat - carried the pilot out of the cockpit in their arms, thinking that he was wounded. But the brave fighter did not receive a single scratch. In their car, they took the pilot to the airfield.

Arriving at the regiment, Nikolai Dmitrievich did not say a single word about the accomplished feat. Only a few hours later, from the reports of the infantrymen, did the aviators learn about his courage. At a rally dedicated to this event, Gulaev did not say much:
“In my place, each of you would have done the same. It’s a pity that he remained "horseless" ...

The commander immediately ordered a new aircraft to be allocated to the pilot, and on the same day he again took part in the battle ... For this feat, ND Gulaev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Consciousness of his own authority not only strengthened his confidence, but significantly increased his inner discipline and self-control, increased his demands on himself. He carefully studied the literature that fell into his hands, if time allowed, he could spend hours discussing the vicissitudes of the conducted or presented air battles. Now he wins every second interception: on May 22, he shoots down a Ju-88, on the 29th - Ju-87, on June 8 and 25 - 2 Me-109.
The day of the beginning of the Battle of Kursk, which became the bloodiest day of the Second World War, Gulaev marked with 4 personal victories, won in 6 combat missions to cover airfields. The next day, Gulaev shot down an FW-190, on July 7 - Ju-87, as well as Hs-126 and FW-189, recorded as group victories, on the 8th - Me-109, on the 12th - 2 Ju-87. On July 12, Nikolai Gulaev made his "double", already being appointed commander of the 2nd squadron of the 27th fighter aviation regiment.

One day, four fighters, led by Gulaev, fought a very successful battle. Suddenly and boldly, they attacked a large group of 100 enemy aircraft. Having upset the battle formation, shooting down 4 bombers and 2 fighters, all four returned safely to their airfield. On the same day, Gulaev's link made several sorties and destroyed 16 enemy aircraft. On July 9, near Belgorod, Nikolai Gulaev made his second ram and again landed safely by parachute. In total, on the Kursk Bulge, he destroyed 17 enemy aircraft.
By mid-July, when the heavily thinned regiment was withdrawn from the front for replenishment and rearmament, its flight book indicated that by that time it had made 147 landings on the Yak-1 and 4 landings on the Yak-7.

On August 9, 1943, after a brief briefing, he made his first flight in the Aircobra. In the very first combat sortie in a new aircraft, Nikolai destroyed another "Laptezhnik", two days later he shot down a Ju-88 with a powerful burst in the cockpit, the next day - 2 Me-109, on October 29 - another "Messer" and ended the month by shooting down a modified Ne- 111 with enhanced armament and armor. Note that Gulaev won all his victories not in the "free hunt" mode: most of his combat missions were recorded as cover for ground troops, less often - airfields or crossings, on his official account also up to 10 interceptions and reconnaissance.
On September 28, 1943, Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and bravery in battles with enemies. By that time, on his account there were already 27 downed enemy aircraft. At a meeting in the regiment, the Hero gave his comrades his word to double this number. In the front-line newspaper Wings of Victory, Nikolai published a series of articles on best practices.

In one of them, he wrote:
"Although you have won several victories, do not think that you have already achieved perfection, that you have become a first-class fighter pilot. While you are sitting and self-confidently counting your victories, the enemy will overtake you, he will find something new that you missed out of arrogance, and in the next duel will catch you on a cunning maneuver. "

Not to rest on our laurels, to constantly and persistently improve - this was what Nikolai Gulaev called his comrades for. And he himself served as a model for the creatively thinking master of air combat.

In November 1943, from the Zelyonaya airfield, which is not far from Pyatikhatki, he managed to destroy 2 "frames" especially hated by the soldiers of the reconnaissance officer - spotter FW-189 - and on the last day of the month to shoot down his 3rd "Heinkel-111". In the New Year's battles for Kirovograd, Gulaev won 3 double victories and shot down another Ju-88.
At the beginning of 1944, Gulaev already became a squadron commander, took part in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine. On January 8, four fighters under his command, covering ground forces, attacked a large group of enemy bombers and fighters (up to 50 vehicles). Using cloud cover, our pilots suddenly shot down 4 German planes from the very first attack. In this fleeting battle, Nikolai Gulaev destroyed 2 enemy vehicles.
He also fought a remarkable battle in the spring of 1944. In those days, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front crossed the Prut River and created a bridgehead on its western bank. On March 5, the six "Airacobr" under the command of Gulaev flew to cover our ground troops. Soon, the pilots discovered a large group of enemy aircraft. The bombers marched in three nines in a "wedge" battle formation, guarded by 8 fighters. A command came from the ground: "Intercept the enemy and in no case let them reach our line of defense."

Assessing the situation, Gulaev made a daring decision: he himself, as part of two pairs, to attack bombers, and a pair of Pyotr Nikiforov to tie up cover fighters in battle, thereby facilitating the implementation of the main task - the destruction of bombers.
Yes, it was a risk, but a sober risk, based on accurate calculation and the confidence of squadron commander ND Gulaev in the skill of his subordinates, in their courage.
The task given to the leader of the pair, Nikiforov, was especially difficult. The success of the planned battle depended on how it was carried out. But Gulaev knew Nikiforov's skill very well and hoped for it. And not in vain. This pair worked perfectly. She boldly attacked enemy fighters and tied them in battle. The enemy quickly became not up to the cover of the ward bombers.
Meanwhile, Gulaev with his wingmen swiftly crashed into the battle formations of bombers and, one after another, set fire to 3 enemy aircraft. Coming out of the attack, Nikolai saw the enemy throwing bombs anywhere in a panic and turning back. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the four made a second approach to the outgoing planes.

In this battle, in 4 minutes of the battle, our pilots destroyed 11 enemy vehicles, of which 5 were personally by Gulaev. The main task - to prevent the enemy from dropping bombs on our troops - was successfully completed.

During the Korsun - Shevchenko operation and near Uman, he shot down a Me-109, FW-189 and a transport Ju-52.

In March 1944, the Guard Captain ND Gulaev was given leave to travel to his homeland ... Mother and sister survived the occupation, but his father, who was always quietly busy with the economy, was hanged by the Nazis.

Gloomy and unsociable, the formerly cheerful and mischievous squadron commander returned to the unit. In April 1944, he was especially indomitable, never before with such stubbornness and fury did he seek meetings with the enemy, and never - neither before nor after this period - did he manage to shoot down 10 enemy aircraft in 2 weeks. At the same time, he spent 2 of his super-productive battles: on April 18, covering the ground forces in the Cher area, he shot down 2 Ju-87 and Me-109, and on the 25th near Dubossary he pretty much pinched the Fokkers, destroying 4 enemy vehicles. This is how Gulaev himself recalled this fight a year later:
"At 15:30, 6 Airacobra planes flew under my command to cover the ground forces in the bridgehead area. Having typed an altitude of about 4000 meters along the route, I came to the specified area and established communication with the radio guidance station. When completing the mission, I walked with the right all around, deepening into enemy territory by 10 kilometers.

ND Gulaev near his "Aircobra". After making two circles and passing with a course of 260 - 270 °, I found a group of planes flying under the clouds with a course of 90 °, at an altitude of 2000 to 2500 meters in a column of three nines. The battle formation of nines was wedge. Above and behind were, apparently, with a delay, 8 Me-109. Having leveled up on a collision course, I attacked one group with two pairs with a right turn at an angle of 2/4 from a distance of 150-200 meters and shot down one FW-190. When leaving the attack with a combat turn to the right, I again attacked the FW-190, which caught fire and went to the ground with a vertical dive.

Due to the unexpectedness of the attack, the first nine lost 4 FW-190s: I shot down 2 and Lieutenant Bookchin, my wingman, and Senior Lieutenant Kozlov, one at a time. The enemy, seeing the burning aircraft, began to leave with a right turn with a course of 230 - 250 °. When making a U-turn, one plane gave me a belly, I opened fire with lightning speed and shot down the 3rd FW-190 ...

At the same time I saw a burning Me-109 shot down by Captain Nikiforov. Soon, scattered aircraft and enemy vapors began to approach the place of air combat again. But the enemy, apparently, had little faith in his strength, since the FW-190 aircraft had 37-mm cannons, which made it impossible for them to fight on verticals, but forced them to take up defensive positions. The actions of the German pilots were uncertain, fire was opened from great distances.
Still having superiority in height and speed, we continued to fight, despite the imminent outcome of fuel and ammunition. Junior Lieutenant Gurov attacked the Me-109 on a head-on collision course; As a result of the attack, the plane banked sharply, started smoking, entered a sheer dive and crashed into the ground not far from our radio station. At that time I was attacked by 2 Me-109s from above - from behind; but thanks to my wingman, who warned me in time, I managed to get out of the blow with a quick movement of the rudders. When leaving in the direction of cloudiness, one FW-190 fell on me from the clouds, substituting its tail, as a result of which I was shot down. Thus, on my account there was another shot down plane - the fourth.
The battle continued to flare up. Senior Lieutenant Kozlov managed to get into the tail of the Me-109 with an energetic turn and, from a distance of 100 - 150 meters, set it on fire in a short burst. Junior Lieutenant Akinshin, wingman of Captain Nikiforov, shot down one Me-109 from a distance of 50 - 70 meters on a bend. In view of the depletion of fuel and ammunition, I asked the corps commander for help. The commander, who was at the radio guidance station, lifted 18 Airacobra aircraft into the air from the nearest airfield. In less than 3-4 minutes, these aircraft entered the battle, which eased the position of our six.
My ammunition was completely used up, but I did not leave the battle, but made false attacks, frightening the German pilots. My wingman succeeded in one such false attack, following me, to shoot down another FW-190. Our six returned to their airfield without losses or significant damage ... In this air battle, 7 FW-190 and 4 Me-109 were shot down. "

When reading the passage, there is a feeling of organic ease with which Gulaev conducts an air battle. Everything proceeds as if by itself: "one plane gave me a stomach", the other "fell out of the clouds, substituting its tail", from - under the blow of a pair of Me-109 it is possible to get out "with a quick movement of the rudders". This external lightness is, probably, a manifestation of the highest skill, art, whether it be air combat, a piece of music or a sports duel.
Small in stature, strong (athleticism affected), with golden eyes, agile "like mercury", quick on a sharp word and always ready for a daring youth, Nikolai Gulaev was a born air fighter. His exceptional talent was all the more fully manifested in a highly organized and strong regiment, which was the 129th Sandomierz Orders of Alexander Nevsky and Bohdan Khmelnitsky Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The regiment's pilots shot down about 500 enemy aircraft in air battles, among them were 13 Heroes of the Soviet Union. The regiment was commanded by famous aces - V.I.Bobrov, and from February 1944 - V.A.Figichev.

Gulaev was constantly looking for new methods of air combat, fought bravely, imposing his will on the enemy. Often he took risks based on a solid knowledge of technology and tactics, accurate calculation. Many times he happened to accompany groups of our bombers flying out on missions deep in the enemy's rear.
... The aviation regiment was at the field airfield of the Right-Bank Ukraine. It was warm spring days. One morning, a German fighter jet appeared over the airfield. As soon as our planes took off, he flew away without accepting a fight. And the next day at the same time appeared again. And again quickly flew away when he saw our planes. This went on for 3 - 4 days. At the same time, the German pilot always appeared with particular accuracy: at exactly 11 o'clock.
The regiment commander summoned Gulaev to his office and demanded that the German pilot end his morning walks. Nikolai decided to knock him down by all means. In the morning I went to my plane and started the engine at 10 hours and 50 minutes. He took off, gained altitude and, moving a little to the side, began to wait.

Exactly at 11:00, an uninvited guest appeared over the airfield. Gulaev rushed at the enemy, directing the car straight ahead. The distance was rapidly closing. The enemy was the first to flinch - he turned sharply to the side, but did not retreat. Turning abruptly, Gulaev tried to take an advantageous position and go to the enemy's tail. Failed. Skillfully performing various maneuvers, he escaped the blow. Chasing each other, the planes soared upward with a candle, then entered in a dive.
Finally, Gulaev managed to build his maneuver in such a way that he found himself in the tail of the enemy. The Ace of Spades appeared in the crosshair, drawn on board the enemy aircraft. Fire! And the enemy plane, sharply pecking its nose, crashed down. But the pilot almost at the very ground managed to throw himself out with a parachute. Nikolai circled over him until he landed. It was 11 hours and 14 minutes.

After some time, the German pilot was taken to the headquarters. It turned out to be the Colonel, with four Iron Crosses on his jacket. He turned out to be quite talkative: "I was in France, Italy. Everywhere I was lucky, but here, on the Russian front, I was shot down. I would like to see the one who did it ..." Gulaev was summoned. The German ace expected to see a giant, a kind of "Russian bear", and in front of him stood a young, not very tall man ...
On May 30, 1944, over Skuleni, ND Gulaev shot down 5 enemy aircraft in one day: Hs-126, 2 Me-109, Ju-88 and Ju-87. At the same time, Ju-87 and Me-109, he shot down in one attack with his "trademark": sharply deploying "Cobra" after a deadly burst of "Junkers" towards the attacking fighter. He himself was seriously wounded in the right arm; Concentrating all his strength and will, he managed to bring the fighter to his airfield, taxied to the parking lot and lost consciousness. He regained consciousness only in the hospital, after the operation. Here I learned about the awarding of him the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Nikolai Gulaev made his last sortie from the Turby airfield in Poland, on August 14, 1944, already being a Guards Major, navigator of the 129th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The day before, 3 days in a row - 10, 11, 12 August, he shot down one aircraft in battles.
https://topwar.ru/28299-gulaev-nikolay-dmitrievich.html
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Many books have been written and many films have been made about Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, aviation marshals.
Nikolai Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, was close to the third "Golden Star", but he never received it and did not become a marshal, remaining a colonel-general. And in general, if in the post-war years Pokryshkin and Kozhedub were always in sight, engaged in the patriotic education of young people, then Gulaev, who was practically in no way inferior to his colleagues, remained in the shadows all the time, not receiving well-deserved honors to the same extent as his colleagues.

Perhaps the fact is that both the military and post-war biography of the Soviet ace was rich in episodes that do not fit into the image of an ideal hero.
But what a Russian man of broad soul he was, this short, imperfect, frantic and unsurpassed hero pilot, Nikolai Gulaev.

"Little-known" pilot Boris Safonov is the first twice hero!

Moscow, April 3 - Our State. The short but glorious story of this heroic man undoubtedly deserves special attention. Boris Safonov, the most talented fighter pilot of naval aviation, died in the first year of the war, but his merits are so great that they would fit many famous aces who fought over Berlin.

Boris Feoktistovich Safonov was born in the Tula province in August 1915 into a peasant family. The origin of this brilliant pilot has left an imprint on the character. One of the British pilots, who happened to see Safonov in action, noted later: "Safonov was a typical Russian, stocky, solid, methodical and unhurried."

Safonov's talent made him atypical. Seven classes, a factory school - everything is like people's. But since 1931, an aeroclub was added. It is also not God knows what an achievement, in the interwar period the country raved about the sky, the boys wanted to become pilots in the same way as their peers from the 1960s later - astronauts. The only thing worth noting: Safonov's instructor in the flying club was not just anyone, but Valentina Grizodubova, the future idol of that very youth of the late 1930s.

In 1933, Safonov was drafted into the army, sent to a flight school in the Crimean Kacha, from where he came to Belarus, where he served until 1940. This year, according to a personal report, Safonov was transferred to the Kola Peninsula as a squadron commander in the 72nd mixed aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet. There he met the war - at the age of 25.

He flew on the I-16, for the first time climbed to intercept immediately on June 22, 1941, attacked a German He 111 bomber. Safonov will win his first victory on June 24. And by August 28, he already had 130 sorties, 32 air battles and 11 officially shot down. Why the amendment "officially" is so important in the case of Safonov - we will explain below.

On September 16, squadron commander Boris Safonov receives the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At that time, his squadron had already demolished 50 enemy aircraft from the sky, of which 16 were the commander personally. In the same September, the allies appeared in the Northern Fleet - the British on their Hurricane fighters. Safonov became the first pilot to master this aircraft. His conclusions on the necessary changes in the composition of onboard weapons were taken into account when organizing the supply of Hurricanes under Lend-Lease.
In October 1941, Major Safonov became the commander of the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment on those same Hurricanes. By the end of January 1942, two Orders of the Red Banner were added to his chest.

In March 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Safonov returned to the 72nd Regiment, which had already become the 2nd Guards, and moved to another Lend-Lease vehicle - the American P-40E Kittyhawk. At the same time, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest honor for British aviators. During the entire war, only four Soviet pilots were awarded this order. “Safonov is the most popular fighter pilot among British pilots in the Northern Fleet. His courage, courage, heroism were an example for the entire flight personnel of the Northern Fleet Air Force, as well as the British. If the question of nominating for the English awards is resolved, Safonov is the most suitable and popular candidate, "the text of the nomination for this award said.

Safonov was a competent fighter aircraft tactician, cautious and thoughtful. The Air Force of the Red Army met the war with a charter formation consisting of three aircraft, and in battle this scheme is inconvenient to control and use. There is evidence that Safonov, even before the war, argued that it was time to move to a more flexible and integral scheme with the formation of a pair of "master-slave". This is how the Luftwaffe fighters fought, and Soviet aviation was retrained for this scheme already during the war.

Boris Safonov's principle was to credit no more than one downed aircraft in one battle. The official account of the ace - 22 shot down enemy vehicles - did not reflect his combat effectiveness and close.

Co-workers recalled that it was normal for Safonov to shoot down 2-3 vehicles in a group battle on his own, leave one for himself, and assign the rest to his subordinates by his own will.

According to some estimates, his real account for an incomplete year of the war could reach up to 40 aircraft.

How Boris Safonov's military career would have developed is hard to guess. On May 30, 1942, the four Kittyhawks of the 2nd Guyap flew to cover the escort of the allied convoy PQ-16. Due to a malfunction, Safonov's slave returned from the road, and the lieutenant colonel took three cars into battle.
The circumstances of Safonov's last fight are scarce. Three "Kittyhooks" of the North Sea attacked six Ju 88 bombers, which were rushing to the convoy warrant. In the dump Safonov hit two cars and disappeared. The radio communications only kept the brief reports of Safonov: “knocked down one”, “knocked down another”, and then “motor”. The sailors from the caravan saw one of the Soviet "Kittyhooks" go into a steep dive and crash into the water.

One of the versions of Safonov's death is the engine failure, which at that time was the sheer scourge of these fighters.

On June 14, 1942, Boris Safonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. It is noteworthy that the submission was signed just three days before his death, on May 27. Safonov became the first in the USSR to receive a gold star twice during the war.

Who knows, Safonov would not have become the number one Soviet ace in the Great Patriotic War if his military fate had not been cut short so early. In the naval aviation he was respected immensely after the war.

For example, the 2nd Guyap, which he commanded, in 1948 became the 174th Guards Pechenga Fighter Aviation Regiment named after BF Safonov. One of the MiG-31 interceptors, which until recently was in service with this regiment, bore its own name "Boris Safonov". Since 2006, the aircraft has been in the Northern Fleet Air Force Museum in the village of Safonovo on the Kola Peninsula.