Soviet military commander, Air Marshal, ace pilot, three times Hero of the Soviet Union

short biography

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub(Ukrainian Ivan Mikitovich Kozhedub; June 8, 1920, Obrazhievka, Glukhovsky district, Chernigov province, Ukrainian SSR - August 8, 1991, Moscow, USSR) - Soviet military leader, Air Marshal (1985), ace pilot. Three times Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1944, 1945). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1946-1961). People's Deputy of the USSR (1989-1991)

Ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 victories). The pseudonym during the fighting as part of the Group of Soviet military specialists in Korea was "Krylov".

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

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

He made his first steps in aviation while studying at the Shostka flying club. At the beginning of 1940, he entered the service in 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 as an instructor there.

After the start of the war, together with the aviation school, he was evacuated to Kazakhstan, the city of Chimkent. February 23, 1942 Kozhedub was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In November 1942, Kozhedub was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 302nd Fighter Aviation Division (since 2/7/1944, the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Division), which is being formed in Ivanovo. In March 1943, as part of a division, he flew to the Voronezh Front.

The first air battle ended in failure for Kozhedub and almost became the last - his La-5 was damaged by a Messerschmitt-109 cannon burst, the armored back saved him from an incendiary projectile, and upon returning the plane was fired upon by Soviet anti-aircraft gunners, it was hit by 2 anti-aircraft shells. Despite the fact that Kozhedub managed to land the plane, it was not subject to full restoration, and the pilot had to fly on the "remnants" - free planes available in the squadron. Soon they wanted to take him to the alert post, but the regiment commander stood up for him. At the beginning of the summer of 1943, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of junior lieutenant, then he was appointed to the post of deputy squadron commander. Shortly thereafter, on July 6, 1943, on the Kursk Bulge, during the fortieth sortie, Kozhedub shot down his first German Junkers Yu-87 bomber. The very next day he shot down the second, and on July 9 he shot down 2 Bf-109 fighters at once. The first title of Hero of the Soviet Union Kozhedub (already a senior lieutenant) was awarded on February 4, 1944 for 146 sorties and 20 downed enemy aircraft.

Ivan Kozhedub near La-5FN
(board number 14), 1944

Since May 1944, Ivan Kozhedub fought on the La-5FN (side number 14), built at the expense of the collective farmer-beekeeper of the Stalingrad region V.V. Konev. In August 1944, having received the rank of captain, he was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment and began to fight on the new La-7 fighter. Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal on August 19, 1944 for 256 sorties and 48 downed enemy aircraft.

By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a major in the guard, flew La-7, made 330 sorties, shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, including 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He bombers. -111, 16 Bf-109 and 21 Fw-190 fighters, 3 Hs-129 attack aircraft and 1 Me-262 jet fighter.

The last battle in the Great Patriotic War, in which he shot down 2 FW-190s, Kozhedub fought on April 17, 1945 in the sky over Berlin. Kozhedub received the third Gold Star medal on August 18, 1945 for high military skill, personal courage and courage shown on the fronts of the war. He was an excellent shooter and preferred to open fire at a distance of 200-300 meters, rarely approaching a shorter distance.

In his autobiography, Kozhedub claims that in 1945 he shot down two American P-51 Mustang aircraft of the US Air Force, which attacked him, mistaking him for a German aircraft.

I. N. Kozhedub was never shot down during the Great Patriotic War, and although he was knocked out, he always landed his plane. Kozhedub also has the world's first jet fighter, the German Me-262, which he shot down on February 19, 1945, but he was not the first to do this - on August 28, 1944, one downed Me-262 was recorded on account American pilots M. Croy and J. Myers.

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

In 1956 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. From June 1962 to August 1963 - Commander of the 76th Air Army. In 1964-1971 - Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Since 1971 he served in the central apparatus of the Air Force, and since 1978 - in the Group of General Inspectors of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. In 1970, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Aviation. And in 1985, I. N. Kozhedub was awarded the military rank of Air Marshal.

He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR II-V convocations, a people's deputy of the USSR.

A family

Wife: Veronika Nikolaevna (1928-28.01.2001)

Daughter: Natalya Ivanovna (1947-199?)

• 01/12/1970 - grandson Vasily Vitalievich, physician, works in Moscow

Son: Nikita Ivanovich Kozhedub (11/25/1952 - 11/27/2002), captain of the 3rd rank of the USSR Navy

Daughter-in-law: Olga Fedorovna Kozhedub

• 08/06/1982 - granddaughter Anna.

List of aerial victories

Fighter La-7 I. N. Kozhedub in the Central Museum of Aviation in Monino

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

Total aerial victories: 64+0
sorties - 330
air battles - 120

According to Channel One, at the end of World War II, American pilots shot down Soviet fighters in the zone of Soviet aviation. I. N. Kozhedub flew out and personally shot down two American fighters responsible for this act of aggression. In the book of Nikolai Bodrikhin "Soviet aces" slightly different circumstances of this episode are given: Kozhedub drove away the German planes attacking him from the American bomber, after which he himself was attacked by an American fighter from a very long distance. Kozhedub shot down two American planes; judging by the words of a surviving American pilot, the Americans mistook Kozhedub's plane for a German Focke-Wulf with a red nose.

Assignment of military ranks

• sergeant (February 1941),
• senior sergeant (02/23/1942),
• junior lieutenant (05/15/1943),
• lieutenant (5.08.1943),
• senior lieutenant (11/10/1943),
• captain (04/24/1944),
• major (11/19/1944),
• lieutenant colonel (20.01.1949),
• colonel (3.01.1951),
• major general of aviation (3.08.1953),
• lieutenant general of aviation (04/27/1962),
• Colonel General of Aviation (04/29/1970),
• Air Marshal (05/07/1985).

Awards

USSR:

• Three times Hero of the Soviet Union (02/04/1944, No. 1472; 08/19/1944, No. 36; 08/18/1945, No. 3).
• Cavalier of two orders of Lenin (02/04/1944; 02/21/1978).
• Cavalier of seven Orders of the Red Banner (07/22/1943, No. 52212; 09/30/1943, No. 4567; 03/29/1945, No. 4108; 06/29/1945, No. 756; 06/02/1951, No. 122; 02/22/1968, No. 26; 02/26. 1970, no. 537483).
• Cavalier of the Order of Alexander Nevsky (07/31/1945, No. 37500).
• Cavalier of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class (04/06/1985).
• Cavalier of two Orders of the Red Star (06/04/1955; 10/26/1955).
• Cavalier of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II degree (02/22/1990).
• Cavalier of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (04/30/1975).

Foreign:

• Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia).
• Cavalier of the Order of Merit to the Fatherland (GDR).
• Knight of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland.
• Cavalier of the Order of Freedom and Independence (DPRK).

Ranks:

• Honorary citizen of the cities: Balti, Chuguev, Kaluga, Kupyansk, Sumy, Zvenigorod and others.

Memory

• The bronze bust of Kozhedub was installed at home in the village of Obrazhievka.
• His La-7 (tail number 27) is on display at the Air Force Museum in Monino.
• A park in the city of Sumy (Ukraine) was named after Ivan Kozhedub, a monument to the pilot was erected near the entrance, as well as a street in the southeast of Moscow (Marshal Kozhedub Street). Also, streets in the cities of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Alma-Ata and Shymkent in Kazakhstan, Salavat, Balashikha, Semiluki (Russian Federation), Dnipro (Ukraine) are named after him.
• The name of Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is the Center for Displaying Aviation Equipment, located in Kubinka. A memorial plaque and a bust are installed on the territory of the center.
• The name of the Thrice Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is Kharkiv University of the Air Force (formerly KhVVAUL, KhIL, KhVU), as well as the Shostka Chemical-Technological College.
• On May 8, 2010, the monument to Kozhedub was unveiled in the Park of Eternal Glory in Kyiv.
• On June 8, 2010, in the city of Shostka, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Kozhedub, a bust was erected near the museum of Ivan Kozhedub.
• On November 12, 2010, a monument to Kozhedub was erected in Kharkov, on the territory of the Kharkov University of the Air Force.
• A documentary film “Secrets of the Century. Two wars of Ivan Kozhedub.
• In 2010, Ukraine celebrated at the state level the 90th anniversary of the birth of the hero. At the same time, a commemorative coin dedicated to Ivan Kozhedub was issued.
• In the name of Ivan Kozhedub, a fast train No. 118/117 was named on the Sumy-Moscow route.
• A pioneer camp in the Moscow region (Odintsovsky district, near Kubinka) is named after Ivan Kozhedub.
• The layout of the La-5 aircraft, on which I. N. Kozhedub made the first flight from the Urazovsky airfield during the war, was opened in May 1988 in the Belgorod region.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union I.N. Kozhedub

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village. Obrazheevka, Glukhovsky district, Chernihiv province, Ukrainian SSR (now Shostka district, Sumy region, Ukraine). Father, Nikita Larionovich, was a factory worker, mother, Stefanida Ivanovna, was a housewife. Ivan was the youngest, the fifth child in the family, of small stature, but strong physique and health. From his father, who independently learned to read and write and was very fond of reading, Ivan took over the thirst for acquiring new knowledge and at an early age also learned to read on his own. Therefore, earlier than peers, at the age of six, he was admitted to school. From his mother, an embroiderer, Ivan inherited the ability to draw. During his studies, he designed wall newspapers, painted slogans and posters. Later, Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “Drawing developed my eye, visual memory, observation. And these qualities were useful to me when I became a pilot.

At school, Kozhedub took up gymnastics. At the age of thirteen, imitating a circus strongman who came to the village, he learned to lift and squeeze a two-pound weight with one hand. Later, participating in numerous air battles, Ivan was convinced more than once how important physical endurance is for a pilot. He wrote: “Sharp descents from high to low altitude, minute overloads, from which sometimes it gets dark in the eyes - all this is easily tolerated by a physically hardened person. Sometimes in battle, performing a cascade of figures, you lose consciousness for a moment. You will come to your senses, immediately join the combat situation and again act at any height, at any speed, in any position. This skill has developed in me through sports training. Even in a front-line situation, I tried to find time to do exercises.

From childhood, Ivan Kozhedub had a desire to connect his fate with military service. He listened attentively to the stories of his neighbor Sergei Andrusenko, a participant in the Civil War, and was proud of his brother Yakov, who served on the border. Ivan was especially admired by a cadet of a military school who arrived in the village on a visit. “I was so impressed,” he wrote, “with the squares on his buttonholes, shiny boots, youthful, confident posture, that I began to imitate his manner of speaking and walking.” In 1934, finishing his studies at a seven-year school, Kozhedub tried to enroll as a student in a brass band in a military unit in Shostka, but was not accepted due to childhood. Then, on the advice of his father, who believed that "the craft is not a yoke, it will not stretch its shoulders," Ivan entered the evening school at the factory school. In his memoirs, Kozhedub noted: “In slush, in a snowstorm, in frost, we walked seven kilometers daily to Shostka and seven kilometers back. It was not easy to study, especially I had to study Russian a lot: in our rural school, classes were in Ukrainian.” In combination with his studies, Ivan was appointed to the first position in his career biography - a librarian with a salary of 100 rubles. Worked during the day, studied at night. “Working in the library gave me a lot,” said Kozhedub. - I fell in love with the world of books, newspapers, magazines. They became my real friends, armed me with knowledge.”

In 1936, Ivan entered the Shostka Chemical-Technological College and moved to Shostka in a student hostel. During his studies, Kozhedub became interested in drawing, which was easy for him. He was accustomed to accurate measurement of details, accuracy, acquired skills that later, when he had to study the aircraft, were very useful to him. One day he saw two third-year students dressed in new military tunics and polished boots. This caused surprise and interest in Kozhedub. It turned out that they are studying at the flying club. Ivan followed suit. In his book “Loyalty to the Fatherland”, Kozhedub recalled this time as follows: “It really turned out to be difficult to combine teaching at a technical school and at an flying club. From nine to three there were classes at the technical school, and from five at the flying club. But I did not miss a single lecture at the technical school, not a single lesson at the flying club. As before, he designed a wall newspaper at the technical school. Weekends, late evening, early morning were left for home preparation. In the flying club, Ivan mastered the Po-2 aircraft, made several parachute jumps.

In the winter of 1940, the 4th year student of the technical school Kozhedub had to leave for undergraduate practice. But a call came from the flight school. he passed a strict medical examination and in February was enrolled as a cadet at the Chuguev Military Aviation School. In March 1941, the status of this educational institution was reduced: the school was renamed the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, its graduates were awarded the military rank of "sergeant", and not "lieutenant", as before. Some of the cadets wrote a report for expulsion. Kozhedub decided to study further. Cadets mastered the UT-2, UTI-4 aircraft and I-16 combat fighter aircraft. The leadership characterized him as a strong-willed, energetic, decisive and proactive cadet, demanding of himself and his subordinates, who persistently puts his decisions into practice. In addition, it was noted that he competently, confidently flies and can transfer his knowledge to others. After graduation, Kozhedub was left at the aviation school as an instructor pilot. Therefore, when the war began, the report of Sergeant Kozhedub about being sent to the front was not satisfied. The head of the aviation school said to the instructors eager for battle: “The front needs well-trained pilots. Therefore, your task is to train cadets even faster and better.”

In autumn 1941 the aviation school was evacuated to Kazakhstan. The training squadron, which included Ivan, was located in the village. Mankent near Chimkent. In February 1942, on the Day of the Red Army, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of senior sergeant. In the fall, Kozhedub achieved a referral to the active army. In November, he was summoned to Moscow for a flight crew assembly point and enrolled in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Kozhedub recalled: “We had to study as soon as possible, and then perfectly master new aircraft. We plunged headlong into the lessons. We tried to do everything so that we knew the plane as best as possible - a single-seat fighter "La-5" designed by the Hero of Socialist Labor Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin.

I.N. Kozhedub and S.A. Lavochkin (center) during a visit to an aircraft factory. August 1945

In March 1943, the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment as part of the 4th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 2nd Air Army, Lieutenant General S.A. Krasovsky arrived at the Voronezh Front. Ivan was burning with the desire to fight the enemy. His relatives remained in the occupation, two older brothers - Yakov and Alexander had long been at the front. But in one of the very first sorties, Kozhedub almost died. During takeoff, he lost sight of his leading junior lieutenant Ivan Mikhailovich Gabunia. I saw that enemy bombers were flying to the airfield. Thinking that there is an opportunity to distinguish himself and shoot down the enemy in the very first battle, Kozhedub himself was under attack by a German fighter. And after that, three shells from their anti-aircraft guns that defended the airfield hit his La-5. Miraculously, Ivan saved his plane and himself.

In June 1943, junior lieutenant Kozhedub became a senior pilot, then a flight commander, in August he was promoted to lieutenant and was appointed squadron commander. In the same year, I. Kozhedub was admitted to the party. The first serious test for him was the Battle of Kursk. The enemy threw selected aviation units into the Belgorod-Kursk direction. To cover the ground troops, the pilots made several sorties a day. On July 6, Ivan shot down the first enemy aircraft - a Yu-87 bomber. Two days later, he led the flight of four fighters for the first time. In the air, they were attacked by German aces returning from "free hunting". Ivan Nikitovich recalled: “... While the enemy was turning, I caught the leader in the sight at an altitude of 4000 meters. I wait until the distance is reduced to the distance of opening fire, I do not turn off. I open fire first. I knock down the leader with a long line. He rolled over from a steep dive, hit the ground and exploded. On that day, Kozhedub took to the air twice more and shot down another enemy plane. In July and September 1943, the future Soviet ace was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for military distinctions. Subsequently, he wrote: "In the early days of the fighting on the Kursk Bulge, I realized that air combat is really a test of the morale, combat and physical qualities of a fighter, this is the greatest strain of nerves."

In the combat characteristics of I.N. Kozhedub for 1943, it was indicated that he “successfully completed 173 combat missions, of which: covering his troops on the front line - 64, escorting attack aircraft and bombers - 88, reconnaissance of enemy troops - 13, patrolling - 3, interception of enemy aircraft - 5. Held 52 air battles, in which he personally shot down 25 enemy aircraft (12 Yu-87, 11 Me-109, 1 FV-190, 1 Xe-111). In air battles, he showed himself to be a brave and resolute pilot and commander, skillfully leading the flight crew of the squadron entrusted to him, in battle. In February 1944, I. Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for personally downing enemy aircraft and for his heroism in battle.

Pilots of the 240th IAP at the Urazovo airfield

The squadron of Kozhedub took part in the liberation of Kharkov, in the battles on the Dnieper and in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine. With his six aircraft, Ivan Nikitovich fought in the skies of Moldova, covering the crossings over the Southern Bug and bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dniester. By this time, 32 personal air victories were listed in his flight book. In the second half of April 1944, the Germans wanted to cut off our troops located between the Prut and Seret rivers with a strike north of Jassy. Major air battles ensued, from which the Soviet pilots came out victorious. Among those shot down were German aces on planes painted with skulls, bones and other attributes of psychological impact. This paraphernalia was often a reason for ridicule. Soviet pilots laughed that the enemy had prepared skulls and bones for himself in advance.

Fighting in the Yass region continued into May 1944. At this time, Kozhedub received a new La-5FN aircraft, built with the personal savings of 60-year-old beekeeper Vasily Viktorovich Konev from the Bolshevik collective farm in the Stalingrad region. The car bore the name of a fellow villager and namesake Konev - the commander of the 21st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Konev, who died in an unequal air battle in December 1942. Kozhedub shot down eight enemy aircraft on this plane in seven days of intense air battles in the skies of Romania.

In July 1944, Ivan Nikitovich was summoned to Moscow and appointed to the post of deputy commander of the 176th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which fought as part of the 1st Belorussian Front. Before leaving for the regiment, he underwent retraining for the new La-7 aircraft. Here, at the training airfield near Moscow, on the Day of the USSR Air Fleet (August 18), Captain Kozhedub found the news of the award of the second "Gold Star".

The combat path in the 176th Fighter Aviation Regiment Ivan Nikitovich began on the banks of the Vistula. Here he actively used flights for "free hunting", that is, he actively searched for the enemy far in his rear, tens of kilometers from the front line. Together with other experienced pilots of the regiment, he “hunted” for enemy aircraft, vehicles, echelons, and destroyed enemy manpower and equipment. In early September 1944, the 176th regiment was awarded the rank of guards. This was, albeit small, but the contribution of Kozhedub. When handing over a part of the guards banner, Ivan Nikitovich was entrusted with becoming his first standard bearer.

In the second half of September, a difficult air situation developed on the 3rd Baltic Front. The Germans transferred experienced "hunters" to one of the sectors of the front. Kozhedub was instructed to lead a group of 10 pilots in order to clear the air of enemy aircraft and ensure freedom of action for our aircraft. For several days, the group, using the free “hunt”, destroyed enemy aircraft, while creating an advantage in the air. As a result of air battles, eight enemy planes were shot down, of which Kozhedub personally shot down three. The fascist "hunters" lost the desire to fly into our territory. They began to evade the fight, and it was felt that they were very demoralized.

From mid-January 1945, Kozhedub participated in the Vistula-Oder operation as part of the regiment. At the beginning of the offensive, due to difficult weather conditions, aviation almost did not fly. These days, Ivan Nikitovich admired the actions of the ground troops: “Soviet tanks and infantry are moving in a mighty avalanche, artillery is powerfully hitting ... How often in recent days we flew over this area, and none of us noticed the concentration of such a huge number of troops! Our technique is only now, as they say, revealed itself, appearing as if from under the ground. ... We, the pilots, admire the skill of our tankmen, gunners, infantrymen. What a crushing blow they inflicted in two days of offensive battles, even without air support!

From day to day, the number of sorties of the guards of Major Kozhedub and the enemy planes defeated by him grew. In the combat characteristic dated January 20, it was noted: “During the entire period of hostilities, he made 256 sorties, in air battles he personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft. In air battles, a brave, resolute, courageous commander. As a pilot, he flies excellently, the piloting technique is excellent. It is well prepared for flights along the route and in difficult weather conditions. ... He works a lot on studying the combat experience of the Patriotic War and competently transfers it to his subordinates. Being the deputy commander of the regiment, he proved himself to be a competent commander, able to correctly and timely organize the flight and technical staff of the regiment to fulfill the assigned tasks of the command.

Debriefing. 1945

In February 1945, a hard fight broke out in the skies over the Oder. On February 12, a group of six aircraft under the command of Kozhedub, not far from the front line, entered the battle against 30 Focke-Wulf fighter-bombers. In this battle, our pilots shot down eight enemy aircraft (Kozhedub - three), losing one pilot. On February 24, being on a free hunt, paired with Major D.S. Titorenko, Ivan Nikitovich was one of the first in Soviet aviation to shoot down a German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. The pilots of the regiment knew about these machines since the autumn of 1944, when one of them was recorded by a film camera gun of the commander of the regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union, Guards Colonel P.F. Chupikov.

Kozhedub went down in history as a skilled air fighter who sought to be the first to attack the enemy and seize the initiative. He developed a number of new techniques and methods of air combat. In total, during the war, Kozhedub made 330 sorties, participated in 120 air battles.

When, at one of the post-war meetings, young pilots asked Ivan Nikitovich which of the fascist aircraft shot down in the war is more often remembered, he replied: “The last two are the 61st and 62nd. These two enemy aircraft fell into the streets of burning Berlin on April 17, 1945. Then two Soviet pilots entered into battle with forty enemy aircraft. And they won! The idea that under the wings was the lair of the fascist beast, that the Soviet troops were victoriously advancing very close to it, gave strength and confidence. I put all my knowledge and skills into this fight."

August 18, 1945 for the accomplished feats of I.N. Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. On October 1, he began his studies at the Air Force Academy.

At the Air Force Academy among the students. 1945

Here, in the spring of 1948, Kozhedub for the first time sat at the helm of a jet aircraft. In June 1949, after graduating from the academy, Ivan Nikitovich was appointed deputy commander of the 31st Fighter Aviation Division in the Transcaucasian Military District, but a month later he was transferred to the post of assistant to the former regimental commander P.F. Chupikov, who now commanded the 324th Fighter Aviation Division, located in Kubinka near Moscow. Among the first, lieutenant colonel Kozhedub mastered the MiG-15 jet fighter, having received the qualification of a military pilot of the 1st class. In December 1949, Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander, and in November 1950, commander of this division.

At that time, a war was already going on on the distant Korean Peninsula between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea. The use of "carpet" bombing tactics by the United States, which intervened in the war, caused damage not only to the North Korean army and industry, thousands of civilians died. Since the autumn of 1950, Soviet fighter pilots based in Northeast China began to cover cities and facilities in North Korea. The 64th Fighter Corps was formed. In March 1951, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the Guard Lieutenant Colonel I.N. arrived in China. Kozhedub. It included the 176th Guards and 196th Fighter Aviation Regiments. Since April 3, its pilots began to make sorties. Ivan Nikitovich himself was strictly forbidden to participate in them.

During the Korean War with the pilots of the 324th division. From left to right: B. Abakumov, B. Bokach, I. Kozhedub, F. Shibanov, V. Nazarkin. 1951

On April 12, 1951, one of the largest air battles of the Korean War took place over the Yalu River. On this river there was a large hydroelectric power station and bridges along which reinforcements went to the Chinese people's volunteers who fought on the side of the North Koreans. On this day, 48 American bombers under cover of 42 fighters took part in the raid. An additional 36 fighter-bombers were allocated to suppress air defense. The advanced radar posts of the Soviet 64th Fighter Air Corps were able to detect the enemy in advance. 44 fighters of the 176th Guards and 196th air regiments rose to intercept.

In the history of the war in Korea and American military aviation, this day entered under the name "Black Tuesday". According to Soviet sources, the US Air Force lost up to 12 bombers and six fighters on April 12. The time of unpunished American bombing of Korean cities was coming to an end.

B-29 in the frame of the FKP MiG-15 bis pilot A. Suchkov. April 7, 1951

In total, in the period from April 1951 to February 1952, the pilots of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division shot down 200 aircraft of all types. In combat, the division lost 10 pilots and 29 aircraft. For courage, 143 servicemen of the division were awarded orders and medals. Kozhedub, who carried out the operational leadership of the division, participated in the training of flight personnel and the rearmament of the Air Force of the People's Republic of China and the DPRK, was awarded the Soviet Order of the Red Banner and the PRC medal "Sino-Soviet Friendship".

In February, the division returned to the USSR and was stationed in the Kaluga region. In August 1953, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Major General of Aviation. In 1955, he entered the Higher Military Academy. K.E. Voroshilov. He passed part of the most difficult first year as an external student, as due to official circumstances he was delayed with the start of classes. After graduating from the Academy I.N. Kozhedub held high command positions in the Soviet military aviation. In November 1956, he was appointed deputy head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Air Force, and a year and a half later - first deputy commander of the 76th Air Army in the Leningrad Military District. In January 1964, Lieutenant General of Aviation I.N. Kozhedub became the first deputy aviation commander of the Moscow Military District. In 1971, Colonel-General of Aviation Kozhedub was appointed First Deputy Chief of Combat Training of the Air Force. Since 1978, he has been in the Group of Inspectors General of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Ivan Nikitovich until 1969 regularly flew fighters, mastered dozens of types of aircraft. He made his last flights on the MiG-21. In 1985, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of Air Marshal.

Three times Hero of the Soviet Union I.N. Kozhedub was awarded two Orders of Lenin, seven Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Alexander Nevsky, Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces" of the USSR of the 2nd and 3rd degrees and medals, and as well as foreign orders and medals.

Peru Kozhedub owns a number of works, including the memoirs “Serving the Motherland” and “Loyalty to the Fatherland”, which are in many ways instructive for the modern generation of youth.

Ivan Nikitovich died on August 8, 1991 from a heart attack at his dacha in the village of Monino, Moscow Region. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Streets in Moscow and other cities of Russia and Ukraine are named after Kozhedub. The 237th Guards Aircraft Display Center named after the Russian Air Force bears his name. In the homeland of the Hero in Obrazheevka, his bust was erected, and a museum operated. Another bust is in the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. in Moscow. Memorial plaque to I.N. Kozhedub is installed on a house in Sivtsev Vrazhek in Moscow, where he lived in recent years. His La-7 aircraft is exhibited at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino.

Nazaryan E. A.,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Junior Researcher
Research Institute of the Military
history of the VAGSh of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

08.06.1920 - 08.08.1991
Three times Hero of the Soviet Union

monuments

		tombstone
		Memorial sign in the village of Obrazhievka
		Bronze bust in the village of Obrazhievka
		Monument in Sumy
		Memorial sign in Sumy
		Memorial plaque in Moscow
		Monument in Kyiv
		Memorial plaque in Shostka
		Bust in Shostka
		Memorial plaque in Krolevets
		Information board in Chuguev
		Alley of Heroes in Korsun-Shevchenkovsky
		Alley of Heroes in Chuguev

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich - commander of the air squadron of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment (302nd Fighter Aviation Division, 4th Fighter Aviation Corps, 5th Air Army, Steppe Front), lieutenant;
commander of an air squadron of the 178th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (14th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 5th Air Army, 2nd Ukrainian Front), guard captain;
Deputy Commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (16th Air Army, 1st Belorussian Front), Major.

Born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, Ivotsky volost, Novgorod-Seversky district, Chernigov province (now Shostka district, Sumy region, Ukraine). Ukrainian. In 1934 he graduated from the 7th grade of a school in his native village, in 1936 - the 9th grade of a school in the city of Shostka. While in high school, he worked as a school librarian. In 1936-1940 he studied at the Shostka Chemical-Technological College. In parallel with his studies in 1939 he graduated from the Shostka flying club.

In the army since February 1940. In January 1941 he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, where he successively completed training on the UT-2, UTI-4 and I-16. He was left as an instructor pilot at the Chuguev Aviation School, which in the fall of 1941 was evacuated to the city of Chimkent (now the city of Shymkent, Kazakhstan). In November 1942, I.N. Kozhedub was sent to Moscow to a flight crew collection point, from where he ended up in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which at that time was being reorganized in the 2nd and 14th reserve aviation regiments (at the Seimas station and in the city of Ivanovo).

Member of the Great Patriotic War: in March 1943 - July 1944 - pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, deputy squadron commander and squadron commander of the 240th (from July 1944 - 178th Guards) Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Voronezh (March - July 1943), Steppe (July - October 1943) and 2nd Ukrainian (October 1943 - July 1944) fronts. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod-Kharkov and Sumy-Priluki operations, the battle for the Dnieper, Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko and Uman-Botoshansk operations.

For courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 4, 1944 to the senior lieutenant Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 19, 1944, the captain was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

Since August 1944 - Deputy Commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the 1st Belorussian (August - September 1944 and October 1944 - May 1945) and 3rd Baltic (September - October 1944) fronts. Participated in the Riga, Warsaw-Poznan, East Pomeranian and Berlin operations.

In September 1944, I.N. Kozhedub, at the head of a separate group of "free hunters", was sent to the 3rd Baltic Front, where he took part in the Riga operation. In less than a month of combat work, the group under his command shot down 8 enemy aircraft (three of which were on the account of the commander).

In total, during the war he made 330 sorties on La-5F, La-5FN and La-7 fighters, personally shot down 64 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 18, 1945, the Major was awarded the third Gold Star medal.

After the war, until September 1945, he continued to serve in the Air Force as deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (in the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany; Schönwalde airfield). He flew on the La-7 fighter.

In May 1949 he graduated from the Air Force Academy (Monino). In June 1949, he was appointed deputy commander of the 31st Fighter Aviation Division (in the Transcaucasian Military District; Baku, Azerbaijan), but a month later, on the initiative of the Air Force Commander of the Moscow Military District, V.I. Stalin was transferred to the Moscow region.

From July 1949 - assistant commander for flight training and deputy commander, and in November 1950 - February 1955 - commander of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division (in the Moscow Military District, the village of Kubinka, Moscow Region). Among the first in the fall of 1949 he mastered the MiG-15 jet fighter. In December 1950, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division was among the first to be sent to China.

Until the spring of 1951, the division's pilots trained Chinese and Korean pilots. After the actions of American aviation became more aggressive, the division was redeployed to the Andun border airfield, from where it began combat work on air cover for industrial and military facilities, initially in northeast China, and then in North Korea.

Member of the Korean War: in April 1951 - February 1952 - commander of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. The pilots under his command won 216 official victories, losing 27 of their MiG-15 aircraft and 9 pilots. I.N. Kozhedub was strictly forbidden to personally participate in sorties. He occasionally made only daytime training flights.

In February 1952, after returning from Korea, the 324th Fighter Aviation Division was transferred to the country's air defense system and transferred to the Oreshkovo airfield (the city of Kaluga).

In October 1956 he graduated from the Higher Military Academy (Military Academy of the General Staff). Since November 1956 - Deputy Head of the Combat Training Directorate of the Air Force, in September 1957 - April 1958 - Deputy Head of the Combat Training Directorate of front-line aviation of the Air Force.

In April 1958 - January 1964 - 1st Deputy Commander of the 76th Air Army (in the Leningrad Military District; the city of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg). From July 1962 to August 1963, during a business trip of the commander of the air army to Cuba, I.N. Kozhedub performed his duties.

In January 1964 - February 1971 - 1st Deputy Commander of the Air Force (since December 1965 - Aviation) of the Moscow Military District. He flew until 1969, after the war he mastered several types of aircraft - Yak-3, Yak-11, Yak-17, Yak-28U, MiG-15, MiG-17, Li-2, Il-14, Mi-4 and Mi helicopters -eight. The last flights were made on the MiG-21U. Total flight time 1.937 hours.

In February 1971 - February 1978 - 1st Deputy Chief of Combat Training of the Air Force. From February 1978 - military inspector - adviser to the Group of General Inspectors of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-5th convocations (in 1946-1962), people's deputy of the USSR since 1989.

Chairman of the USSR Aviation Sports Federation in 1967–1987.

Air Marshal (1985), military pilot 1st class (1950). He was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (02/04/1944; 02/21/1978), 7 Orders of the Red Banner (07/22/1943; 09/30/1943; 03/29/1945; 06/29/1945; 06/02/1951; 02/22/1968; 06/26/1970), orders of Alexander Nevsky (07/31/1945), Patriotic War I degree (03/11/1985), 2 Orders of the Red Star (06/04/1955; 10/26/1955), Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II (02/22/1990) and III ( 04/30/1975) degrees, the medal "For Military Merit" (11/15/1950) and other medals; Foreign Orders of Freedom and Independence, 1st class (DPRK, 08/02/1985), "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd class (GDR, 05/08/1975), Red Banner of War (Mongolia, 09/02/1985) and Revival of Poland, 5th class (10/06/1973 ), foreign medals.

Honorary citizen of the cities of Kaluga (1976), Zvenigorod (Moscow region; 1973), Balti (Moldova; 1966), Sumy (Ukraine; 1971), Kupyansk (Kharkov region, Ukraine; 1984) and Chuguev (Kharkov region, Ukraine).

Bronze bust of I.N. Kozhedub was installed in the village of Obrazhievka, Shostka district, Sumy region. Monuments to I.N. Kozhedub was installed in Kyiv, Kharkov and Sumy, the bust - in Shostka. In Moscow, on the house in which he lived, in Shostka, on the building of the College of Chemical Technology, where he studied, in Krolevets, where he visited, and in Obrazievka, at the place where he was born, memorial plaques were erected. Museums I.N. Kozhedub are open in Shostka and Obrazievka.

Streets in the cities of Moscow, Kaluga, Krasnodar, Angarsk (Irkutsk region), Balashikha (Moscow region), Korenovsk (Krasnodar region), Leninsk-Kuznetsky (Kemerovo region), Malgobek (Ingushetia), Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol region), Novoaltaisk are named after him (Altai Territory), Osinniki (Kemerovo region), Salavat (Bashkortostan), Semiluki (Voronezh region), Dnipro (Ukraine), Lutsk (Ukraine), Sumy (Ukraine), Belaya Tserkov (Kyiv region, Ukraine), Vilkovo (Odessa region) , Ukraine), Settlement (Cherkasy region, Ukraine), Kupyansk (Kharkov region, Ukraine), Chuguev (Kharkov region, Ukraine), Shostka (Sumy region, Ukraine), Almaty and Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan), Mogilev (Belarus) and Rogachev (Gomel region, Belarus), the villages of Chernyanka (Belgorod region), Medvenka (Kursk region) and Kacha (Crimea), the village of Obrazhievka, as well as a park in Sumy.

Name I.N. Kozhedub is worn by the 237th Guards Center for the Display of Aviation Equipment (Kubinka village), the An-148-100 aircraft (RA-61717, EMERCOM of Russia), Kharkov Air Force University and Shostka Chemical Technology College. In 1962–2010, the Kozhedub tugboat (port of registry - Kirov) bore his name.

Notes:
1) Awarded for performing 146 sorties and participating in 27 air battles, in which he personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft (as of October 10, 1943);
2) Awarded for completing 256 sorties and personally shooting down 46 enemy aircraft (as of July 1944);
3) For reasons that are not entirely clear, in the post-war certifications I.N. For some reason, Kozhedub indicated a figure of 60 personally shot down aircraft (although in operational and other documents he has 64 personal victories).

Military ranks:
sergeant (01.1941)
senior sergeant (03.1942)
junior lieutenant (05/15/1943)
lieutenant (08/05/1943)
senior lieutenant (11/10/1943)
captain (04/24/1944)
major (11/19/1944)
lieutenant colonel (20.01.1949)
colonel (01/03/1951)
major general of aviation (08/03/1953)
Lieutenant General of Aviation (04/27/1962)
Colonel General of Aviation (04/29/1970)
Air Marshal (05/07/1985)

Compositions:
Three battles. M., 1945;
I serve my country. M.-L., 1949;
I serve my country. 2nd edition. M., 1950;
I serve my country. 3rd edition. Leningrad, 1950;
I serve my country. 4th edition. M.-L., 1950;
I serve my country. 5th edition. Voronezh, 1951;
In air battles. M., 1951;
I serve the Motherland (in Romanian). Bucharest, 1951;
I serve the Motherland (in Hungarian). Budapest, 1952;
I serve the Motherland (in Slovak). Bratislava, 1952;
In air battles (in Romanian). Bucharest, 1953;
I serve the Motherland (in Czech). Prague, 1955;
I serve the Motherland (Fighter in combat) (in Polish). Warsaw, 1960;
Holiday of Victory. M., 1963;
I attack (in German). Berlin, 1964;
Loyalty to the Motherland. M., 1967;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 2nd edition. M., 1969;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 3rd edition. M., 1970;
In air battles. 2nd edition. M., 1971;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 4th edition. M., 1971;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 5th edition. M., 1972;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 6th edition. M., 1975;
In air battles (in Kyrgyz). Frunze, 1983;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 7th edition. M., 2006;
I serve my country. 6th edition. M., 2009;
I serve my country. 7th edition. M., 2010;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 8th edition. M., 2013;
I serve my country. 8th edition. M., 2014;
Loyalty to the Motherland. 9th edition. M., 2017.

Personal life

The Red Banner Air Force Academy was founded in 1940. Many of its graduates became famous commanders during the war. Now, in the autumn of 1945, experienced front-line pilots, representatives of various types of aviation, became its listeners. Among them are two hundred and seventy Heroes and twenty-two twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. Each had a goal: to master new aviation equipment, master commanding skills and return to duty in order to protect the sky of the motherland in peacetime.

The academic campus is located in a picturesque area among forests. Classrooms, the library, the very routine of life - everything was conducive to teaching. But at first, combat pilots who successfully beat the enemy could not sit quietly at books, study theory, complex military science. A new era in aviation has come - the era of jet aircraft. The same ones, with one of which Ivan Kozhedub collided in the sky only six months ago. Then, domestic vehicles of a new type began to enter the Soviet military units.

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

It was winter, just before New Year's Eve. Kozhedub met Veronica in a flight raglan, worn over a tunic. While they were walking through the territory of the unit to the club, the girl was surprised that all the officers, even higher in rank, saluted Ivan. I thought: what kind of a major is this, if even the colonels salute him and stretch out to attention. The fact is that to salute and carry out the command “Attention!” before the Hero of the Soviet Union, even senior officials were obligated by the military rules established by Joseph Stalin (under Khrushchev, these rules were canceled). But Ivan did not confess to her what the secret was until they entered the club. When he took off the raglan, the girl saw three Stars of the Hero, a bunch of planks of orders - and was speechless. After the dances, there was a feast where Kozhedub, according to the tradition that has developed in part, introduced his chosen one to the officers. Then he told Veronica how his comrades approached him and whispered in his ear: “Well, Ivan, I approve of the choice.” New, 1947, young people have already met together. And on the morning of January 1, in the village council of Monino, they were quickly, without witnesses, painted.

Since then, the Kozhedubs have lived in perfect harmony for almost fifty years. True, Veronica did not like the traditional feasts that were often held in the house. According to the son, the mother strictly looked after that Kozhedub, God forbid, did not drink too much, although he himself knew the measure perfectly well. “I never saw him drunk,” recalls Nikita Ivanovich. - And no matter how much he took in the evening with friends, he was always like a cucumber in the morning. The man was strong. But sometimes the next morning after the holiday, my mother grumbled at my father, they say, you broke up yesterday, you had enough leftovers. On such occasions, he had a favorite saying: "Three tankers drank three hundred each - the proud falcon drank nine hundred." This ended the proceedings."

The opportunities for the Kozhedub family in those years were quite large, including financial ones. In the late 1940s, when they lived in Leningrad for some time, there were many thrift stores in the city where one could find very rare and beautiful things. Usually, on the eve of some holiday, Veronica and her friends organized a raid on commissions, and then told her husband that she liked a coat or blouse in such and such a store. For the holiday, Ivan gave his wife exactly this thing.

At home, Ivan Kozhedub relied on his wife in all household chores. She dominated the family and was stricter with the children than her father. In everyday life, Ivan Nikitovich was a very gentle person. Once, when they wanted to expel their son from the Suvorov School for smoking, Kozhedub interceded, talked with the boss, and then calmly said to Nikita: “You, son, must quit this muck!” By the way, Ivan Nikitovich himself quit smoking a huge number of times. Once he and his son were walking on Red Square, when Kozhedub smoked a cigarette in front of the square itself, rubbed his cigarette butt on the paving stones and vowed not to smoke again. For him, Red Square, according to Nikita Ivanovich, was a sacred place. The oath he took right here was supposed to keep him from a bad habit. And the wife and eldest daughter had already tortured Kozhedub Sr. with persuasion to quit smoking. And he stayed for three years. Interestingly, when Ivan Nikitovich once again quit smoking, he finished smoking a cigarette, and put a date on the cigarette butt and signed it. But the same procedure could be repeated tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Veronika recalled that as soon as Ivan came back from flights, he immediately quit smoking. A few days pass - again in flight. How not to smoke before the flight, because it was already something like a ritual. Then Ivan Nikitovich began to collect these signed cigarette butts. Over time, they accumulated a large shoe box, which was stored in the house for a long time. Sometimes Kozhedub sorted through these commemorative cigarette butts, looked at the date, remembered what happened on that day. It used to be that the largest cigarette butts were lit again, and then again put another date and signature on them.

This text is an introductory piece.

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Ivan Kozhedub a brief biography of the military pilot is set out in this article.

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich short biography

Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub was born on June 08, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka (now the Sumy region of Ukraine) in the family of a church warden.

Having received a secondary education, in 1934 he entered the Chemical-Technological College of the city of Shostok, which had an flying club, which the young man joined.

The Great Patriotic War began and Ivan Nikitovich, as a member of the aviation school, was evacuated to Kazakhstan and was soon awarded the rank of senior sergeant.

In November 1942, he was seconded to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, located in the city of Ivanovo. From there, in March 1943, Kozhedub was sent to the Voronezh Front.

The first sortie of Ivan Kozhedub was not very successful, since his La-5 fighter first fired at the German Messerschmitt with a cannon burst, and then (by mistake) the Soviet anti-aircraft gunners (two shells hit). Despite the damage, Kozhedub managed to land the fighter.

Until February 1944, he made 146 sorties and destroyed 20 German aircraft. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In August 1944, the hero was awarded the second Gold Star medal for 48 downed enemy vehicles and 256 sorties. And by the end of the war, he already had 62 enemy destroyed in the air.

His last feat took place over Berlin in April 1945, when another Nazi plane was shot down. During the war, the Germans did not manage to bring him down even once. In the same month, Ivan Nikitovich received another Gold Star medal, becoming a Hero of the Soviet Union three times.

In 1946, the hero continued his studies in the Air Force three times. In 1949 he graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy and mastered the jet MiG-15. Despite peacetime in the USSR, his exploits did not end there - during the Korean War, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub led the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. Under his leadership, the pilots scored 216 victories in the sky with losses - nine people and 27 cars.

From 1964 to 1971 he was deputy commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Since 1978, he was a member of the inspector general of the USSR Ministry of Defense. For services to the country and numerous feats, in 1985 he was awarded the title of Air Marshal.

Ivan Kozhedub interesting facts

What plane did Ivan Kozhedub fly on? During the war, Kozhedub replaced 6 Lavochkins (La-5), and not a single plane let him down. And he did not lose a single car, although it happened to burn, bring holes, land on airfields dotted with funnels ...

Ivan Kozhedub performed during the Great Patriotic War 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles and personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft.

Kozhedub was never shot down himself, although he repeatedly brought a damaged fighter to the airfield.

Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.