Russian Aces

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born in the Sumy region of the Ukraine in 1920. He joined the VVS in 1940 and graduated as a pilot from the Chuguyey military flying school a year later. Due to his outstanding skills as a pilot he was prevented from joining a combat squadron and was instead retained as an instructor. He was eventually posted to the 240th Fighter Regiment (240th IAP), part of the Voronezh Front, flying his first combat mission in March 1943.
During July of that year, whilst flying his La-5, 'White 27', in the Prokhorovka area, his squadron ran into a formation of Ju87's. Kozhedub claimed his first ariel victory, destroying one of them. Three days later he claimed his fourth kill and was awarded his first 'Order of the Red Banner'.
Kozhedub became a devotee of the surprise attack, closing right in on an opponent before firing. He now began to pile up victories at a remarkable pace. Flying in the Kharkov area during August he was given command of his squadron and promoted to Captain. During October, when his regiment became involved in the ferocious battles over the Dnepr River, he ran up a string of eleven kills in only ten days. He was wounded during an ariel combat in October, but managed to nurse his damaged aircraft back to its airfield. With 20 kills he received his first award of 'Hero of the Soviet Union' and had already established a reputation for aggressiveness, skill and tenacity. After a short convalescence Kozhedub, he returned to duty in January 1944, taking part in air battles along the Bug River. In March 1944 Kozhedub claimed his 34th victory and was awarded his second 'Gold Star' and honour 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.
In July 1944, he was posted to the 1st Belorussian Front as vice commander to the 176th GIAP Guards Fighter Regiment, flying the new La-7. He achieved his 50th victory in February 1945. He received the award of his third gold star and honour 'Hero of the Soviet Union' in March 1945, having reached 60 confirmed kills and becoming the highest scoring Russian ace of the war.
Following the end of the war he remained in the air force. He commanded a squadron during the Korean conflict, where he displayed exceptional leadership with his unit scoring highly. He was later assigned as an inspector of VVS flight training between 1956 and 1963 and in 1964 became deputy commander of the Moscow PVO forces. In 1967 Kozhedub was appointed president of the Aviation Sports Federation and vice president of the International Federation of Aviation. He later rose to the rank of Marshal and was assigned as an inspector of the Soviet Ministry of Defence.
Air Marshal Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub passed away in August 1991. Flying the La-5 and La-7 fighter aircraft, he carried out 330 sorties, was involved in 120 aerial combats and was credited with 62 confirmed victories. Earning the nickname 'Ivan the Terrible', he was feared by Luftwaffe pilots. Ivan was one of only two Russian fighter pilots to be awarded the title 'Hero of the Soviet Union', three times during the war.

Petr Afanasevich Pokryshev

Petr Afanasevich Pokryshev was born in Golaya Pristan in the Kherson area in 1914. He enlisted the VVS for flight training in 1934 and graduated as a pilot at the Odessa military flying school a year later. He flew during the Winter War against Finland with the 7th Fighter Regiment (7th IAP). Flying an I-153 biplane, he scored his first two kills against the Finns. However he was also shot down twice himself, in November and December 1939.
In June 1941 he was serving with the 158th IAP, stationed near Leningrad. Flying his I-16 he shot down a German Ju88 reconnaissance aircraft over Leningrad on June 25th 1941.
The summer and autumn of 1941 were hard times for the Red Air Force. But nevertheless, Pokryshev managed to score four victories during August 1941.
Following his early successes he was assigned as commander to 154th IAP, which was one of the first Russian units to be equipped with the P-40 Tomahawk fighters. It was behind the controls of this American Lend Lease fighter that Pokryshev´s real success began. During the winter of 1941/42, the 154th IAP were entrusted with fighter cover for the vital ice road to the starving city of Leningrad, across the frozen surface of Lake Ladoga. By June 1942, Pokryshev´s score in his P-40 'White 50', stood at 11 personal and 7 collective victories. During the summer and autumn of 1942, he doubled his score. Partly due to Pokryshev´s feats, the 154th IAP was awarded the title of 'Guards Fighter Regiment' in November 1942.
In February 10 1943, he was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star and received the honour 'Hero of the Soviet Union'.
In June that year, now promoted to Guards Mayor, Pokryshev took command of the 159th IAP, equipped with La-5's. In his final 27 aerial combats, Pokryshev shot down another 18 German aircraft. In August 1943, he received his second honour of 'Hero of the Soviet Union'. Shortly after that he was seriously injured during a training flight in an UTI-4 (a two-seat training version of the Polikarpov I-16). The engine suddenly caught fire at low altitude. Pokryshev tried to fly the crippled back to his airfield, but failed. The ensuing crash put an end to his fighter career.
Aircraft constructor Aleksandr Yakovlev made a specially designed Yak-9 for the crippled Pokryshev. He remained in charge of the 159th IAP until the end of the war earning a reputation for cool, decisive leadership. Under his command, the 159th IAP developed into a very successful fighter unit, counting among its pilots famous aces such as Vladimir Serov and Viktor Zotov. In total, the 159th IAP was credited with 387 aerial victories. Pokryshev was also decorated with the Order of the Red Banner three times, the Order of Aleksandr Nevskij, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class and the Order of the Red Star twice. He ended the war with a total of 38 personal and 8 shared victories claimed on more than 300 sorties, which led to 77 aerial combats. Pokryshev remained in the air force after the war and graduated from the General Staff Academy in 1954. He retired with the rank of General Major in 1961. After his military career he became the Director of Leningrad Airport. Petr Pokryshev passed away in August 1967.

Grigorii Rechkalov

Grigorii Rechkalov was born in February 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo in the Sverdlovsk region. He learnt to fly in the Sverdlovsk aeroclub before joining the VVS in 1938. In 1939 he graduated from the Pern Military Air College, but was initially grounded after a medical commission had diagnosed Daltonism. Eventually he was posted to a fighter unit in 1941, joining the 55th Fighter Regiment (55th IAP). This regiment was based in Moldavia and had a variety of fighters on its establishment, including I-153's and I-16's.
During the opening weeks of the campaign he flew his I-153, 'Blue 13', undertaking 30 sorties in this aircraft and engaging in ten air combats. On 27th June he claimed his first kill, a Bf109 with RS-82 rockets. After this he claimed one more victory in June and one more in July. He was promoted to Lieutenant in late July and at the same time he was allocated an I-16. At the end of July he was shot down, although he survived unhurt.
Flying on the Southern Front, the 55th IAP was designated to the 16th GIAP in March 1942 and the Regiment was re-equipped with Yak-1s. By the end of 1942 he had claimed 4 individual and 2 shared victories in 20 combats. At the end of 1942 the regiment was withdrawn and re-equipped with P-39 Airacobras.
In the spring of 1943 they were transferred to the North Caucasus Front in the Kuban River area. On the Regiment's very first mission with the P-39 in April he claimed a single Bf109 in a dogfight at Krymskaya. During the rest of April 1943 he claimed a further seven Bf109's and one Ju88.
In May 1943 he was decorated with the Gold Star and awarded the honour 'Hero of the Soviet Union. In June he became commander of the 16th GIAP's 1st squadron. He next saw action over the Sea of Azov, where he claimed two Ju52's and a Romanian Savoia Z501 flying boat over the Black Sea during the autumn of 1943.
In spring 1944 the regiment took part in the Jassy-Kishinev campaign, which took him back to the areas where he had fought during the opening days of the war. In May he took command of the 16th GIAP. Following a disasterous action over Jassy, Rechkalov was removed from command for "losing control, indecisiveness and lack of initiative". He was also accused of letting his search for further victories impede his leadership. Despite of the in July 1944 he was decorated with a second Gold Star and honour of 'Hero of the Soviet Union'. In July Rechkalov was restored to command when his successor was shot down. The regiment was then transferred to the 1st Ukrainian Front, taking part in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. It then operated over Poland and over the Weser and Oder Rivers.
Rechkalov resigned command of the 16th GIAP in February 1945 and was appointed Inspector for Flight Training of 9th GIAD. His last arial combat was fought over Berlin in April 1945 flying a Lavochkin La-7.
By the end of the war he had become the highest scoring pilot on the P-39. During the war he was also decorated with the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner four times, the Order of Alexandr Nievskii, the Order of Patriotic War 1st Class and the Order of the Red Star twice. Rechkalov ended the war with a total of 56 and 6 shared victories earned during 450 sorties and 122 air combats.
Rechkalov remained in the Air Force after the war, graduating from the Air Academy in 1951. He retired in 1959 as a General Major. He has written two books about his wartime experiences, Dymnoe Nebo Voiny (The Smoking Skies of War) and V Nebe Moldavii (In Moldavian Skies). Rechkalov lived in Moscow before passing away in December 1990.

Lilya Vladimirovna Litviak

During the campaign on the eastern front, hundreds of Russian women courageously fought for their Motherland, many serving in the VVS. In 1942, three air regiments were formed from female volunteers and one of the most famous female pilots to fight amongst their ranks was Lilya Vladimirovna Litviak. She was born in Moscow in August 1921 and by the age of fifteen she had completed her first solo flight. In 1940 she completed flight training at the Chkalov Aero club in Moscow and continued her training at the Kherson flight academy, qualifying to become a flight instructor.
When the war began, many female pilots across Russia offered their services. Initially they were rebuffed, but in the wake of early military disasters, Marina Raskova, the famous Russian woman aviator, was able to persuade Stalin to allow her to organize three regiments formed with female pilots. Lilya was accepted and in training outshone many of her male trainers and coming top in her training course. During a practice dogfight in her PO-2 trainer, Lilya shot down her instructor and on arriving back at her airfield performed a flamboyant manoeuvre that was later to become her trademark. Swooping low over the hangers, she soared up into a victory roll followed by a tight turn and a perfect landing that would signify to onlookers that she had achieved a kill. Upon completion of her advanced training Lilya, along with the other trainees formed the 586th Fighter Regiment, which was equipped with the Yak-1.
In September 1942 one squadron from this regiment was attached to the front at Stalingrad. Lilya, along with seven other female pilots, was included. On the 13th of September Litvyak scored her first victory, helping to shoot down a Ju-88 bomber. During the sortie, Lilya was wingman to the regimental commander and after spotting three Junkers Ju-88's, they attacked. The bombers dropped their bombs and scattered. Taking advantage of this, her leader shot down one Ju-88, while Lilya destroyed a second. Lilya then spotted her friend, Raya Belyaeva, engaged in a dogfight with a Messerschmitt Bf-109. Her comrade ran out of ammunition, so Lilya engaged the German fighter and shot it down. By the end of that year her tally had increased to six German aircraft. The female fighter pilots had to work hard to prove their abilities in order to earn the respect of men. Lilya was very attractive and her flamboyant personality extended to marking her plane with paintings of large White Lily.
Tragically Lilya Litvyak was shot down at the age of 21. Lilya was on a routine patrol when she and her wingman, Ivan Borisenko, ran into a large group of German bombers. Lilya didn't see the Bf-109's flying cover for the German bombers. A pair of them dived on her and finally seeing them too late she tried to turn to meet them. The trio disappeared into cloud but no one saw her aircraft crash. The morning before her flight she found some wild flowers and pinned a little bunch to the side of the instrument panel. Those who loved her like to think that at the end Lieutenant Litvyak's last glimpse was of the flowers in the corner of her cockpit. Lilya was a seasoned fighter ace and flight commander at the time of her death, with 12 personal kills and three shared kills. Sadly she did not receive the honours due to her until many years after the war, as her body could not be found.