Ivan Kozhedub - Soviet pilot, hero Soviet Union who fought during the Great Patriotic War, participated in the conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, located on the territory of present-day Ukraine. His childhood was years civil war He lived in an ordinary peasant family. The boy was no different from the rest of the guys of that period, he spent all his time on the street with his friends. After graduating from a local school, Ivan went to the city of Shostka to enter the Chemical Technology College. During training, he was a member of the flying club, where he was instilled with a love of aviation. After graduating from college, he continued to pursue his hobby. He became a student of the Chuguev Military Aviation School, where he studied until the early 40s. After graduation, Ivan remained to work in it as a teacher.

The turning point for Kozhedub was the entry into the ranks of the Red Army. Then he realized that he wanted to devote himself to military affairs. The Great Patriotic War began. Ivan and the rest of the teaching staff were evacuated to Kazakhstan. There the pilot received the rank of senior sergeant. A few months later he was sent to the front as part of the 240th Fighter Regiment. His first plane was the LA-5 model, the pilot proudly called him “Lopakhin”. Unfortunately, the first flight of Kozhedub failed, he was shot down. Nevertheless, he heroically landed the damaged unit. In 1943 he became a second lieutenant.

The battle brought him glory Kursk Bulge. There he was able to shoot down several enemy fighters. For his bravery, he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1944, Kozhedub was given a captain. He becomes the pilot of the new La-7 aircraft. During offensive operation on the liberation of Eastern Europe, he shot down several dozen enemy bombers. He met the victory in Berlin, where he received the second " golden star". At the end of the war, Kozhedub collided with two American pilots, who accidentally perceived him as an enemy. Ivan, defending himself, shot down planes, which may have played a role in aggravating relations.

After the war, he entered the Red Banner Air Force Academy, where he received higher education. In parallel, the great pilot was engaged in testing new models of aircraft. But military service didn't leave him. Ivan was directly involved in the Korean War. Thanks to his skill, many battles were won with minimal losses. After returning to peaceful life he served as an Air Force commander. For the next 10 years he worked as an inspector at the Ministry of Defense. Only in 1985, having become an Air Marshal, Ivan decided to change the vector of his activity. He became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, where he worked until his death. He died on August 8, 1991, the cause of death was a heart attack. Even after 30 years, everyone continues to revere the exploits of Ivan Kozhedub, which indicates his undoubted contribution to the development of aviation, he was a true patriot of his country.

Biography 2

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub became one of the most famous Soviet aces who participated in the Great Patriotic War. His biography reflected the features of the era.

He was born in a simple Ukrainian village in 1920. The future Air Marshal was not entirely lucky with his social background, which was much more emphasized then than it is now. However, the son of a village church elder, like many of his peers, became seriously interested in aviation. At the chemical-technological college, where he entered after graduation, there was an flying club, where the young man joined.

At the beginning of the war, Kozhedub was sent for evacuation to Kazakhstan, to complete his studies as a military pilot, and in 1942 he was released into a fighter aviation regiment, with the rank of sergeant. The following year, Ivan Nikitovich takes part in the battles on the Voronezh front, piloting the La-5 fighter. The debut was not very successful - the plane was damaged by being fired upon by its own Soviet anti-aircraft gunners. However, not at that time, and further throughout the war, the pilot was not shot down even once, although his fighting machine repeatedly received serious injuries.

At the end of the war, Kozhedub shot down sixty-two enemy aircraft, making three hundred and thirty sorties. He shot down the last one in the sky over the capital of Germany in April 1945, at the same time receiving the Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time.

After the victory, the honored pilot remained in military aviation, studied at the Air Force Academy, simultaneously mastering new types of aircraft.

During the Korean War, where Soviet pilots fought the Americans and their allies, he commanded an aviation division. Having lost only twenty-seven aircraft, his subordinates shot down 216 enemy aircraft.

In 1964-71. Ivan Nikitovich served as deputy commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. Subsequently, he was part of the group of inspectors general of the Ministry of Defense. It was not customary to dismiss senior military leaders, so they formally held a high position, but did not really command.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub is a famous ace pilot of the Second World War, the most successful fighter pilot in Allied aviation (64 personal victories). Three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Participated in hostilities from 1943 to 1945, all his sorties were made on Lavochkin-designed fighters - La-5 and La-7. During the entire war, he was never shot down. At the end of the war, he continued to serve in the Air Force, remaining an active pilot and mastering the MiG-15 jet fighter. Graduated from the Red Banner Air Force Academy, in 1985 the pilot was awarded military rank air marshal.

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born on June 8, 1920 into a peasant family in the small Ukrainian village of Obrazhievka, Shostka district, Sumy region. Later he graduated from the chemical-technological technical school and the Shostka flying club. He joined the Red Army in 1940. In 1941 he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School, where he served as an instructor. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub, together with the aviation school, was evacuated to Central Asia. After submitting numerous reports with a request to send him to the front, his desire was granted. In November 1942, Sergeant Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the disposal of the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) of the emerging 302nd Fighter Aviation Division. In March 1943, parts of the division were sent to the Voronezh Front.

The future ace and Hero of the Soviet Union spent his first sortie on March 26, the flight ended unsuccessfully: his La-5 fighter (side number 75) was damaged in battle, and when returning to the airfield, in addition, he was fired upon by his anti-aircraft artillery. With great difficulty, the pilot was able to bring the car to the airfield and land. After that, he flew old fighters for about a month, until he again received a new La-5.

The ace-pilot opened his battle account for his victories on July 6, 1943 on the Kursk Bulge, shooting down a Ju-87 dive bomber. The very next day, Kozhedub scored a second air victory, shooting down another Ju-87, and in an air battle on July 9 he was able to shoot down 2 German Me-109 fighters at once. Already in August 1943, Ivan Kozhedub became a squadron commander. The squadron commander of the 240th IAP, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kozhedub, received the first title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal on February 4, 1944 for 146 sorties in which he shot down 20 German aircraft.

Since May 1944, Kozhedub fought on a new modification of the Lavochkin fighter - La-5FN (tail number 14), which was built with the money of the collective farmer of the Stalingrad region V.V. Konev. A few days after receiving it, he shoots down a Ju-87 on it. Over the next six days, the ace pilot writes down 7 more enemy aircraft to his account. At the end of June, he hands over his fighter to K.A. Evstigneev (later twice Hero of the Soviet Union), and he himself transferred to the training regiment. But already in August, Ivan Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment of the IAP. At the same time, the regiment is undergoing a rearmament procedure, receiving new La-7 fighters. The ace pilot got a plane with tail number 27. Ivan Kozhedub would fly on it until the very end of the war.

Captain Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the guard on August 19, 1944 for 256 sorties, in which he personally shot down 48 German aircraft. Once, during an air battle on a La-7 fighter, which passed over enemy territory, Kozhedub's plane was shot down. On the car, the engine stalled and Ivan Kozhedub, in order not to surrender to the Germans, chose a target for himself on the ground and began to dive at it. When there was very little left to the ground, the fighter engine suddenly started working again and Kozhedub was able to bring the car out of a dive and safely returned to the airfield.

On February 12, 1945, Ivan Kozhedub, paired with his wingman, Lieutenant V.A. Gromakovsky patrolled the space above the leading edge, being in the "free hunting" mode. Having discovered a group of 13 FW-190 fighters, the Soviet pilots immediately attacked them, shooting down 5 German fighters in the process. Three of them were chalked up by Ivan Kozhedub, two by Gromakovsky. On February 15, 1945, in flight over the Oder, Kozhedub was able to shoot down a German Me-262 jet fighter, which was flown by non-commissioned officer K. Lange from I. / KG (J) 54.

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, Major Ivan Kozhedub completed 330 sorties and conducted 120 air battles, while shooting down 64 enemy aircraft. This number does not include 2 American P-51 Mustang fighters shot down by a Soviet ace in the spring of 1945. At the same time, the Americans were the first to attack the La-7 fighter, which was controlled by Soviet pilot. According to an American pilot who survived this air battle, they confused Kozhedub's La-7 with a German FW-190 fighter and attacked him. Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub received the third "Gold Star" after the war for high military skill, personal courage and courage.

Among the enemy aircraft shot down by Ivan Kozhedub were:

21 FW-190 fighters;
18 Me-109 fighters;
18 Ju-87 bombers;
3 attack aircraft Hs-129;
2 He-111 bombers;
1 PZL P-24 fighter (Romanian);
1 jet aircraft Me-262.

La-5 and La-5FN

La-5 is a single-engine wooden low-wing aircraft. Like the LaGG-3 fighter, the main structural material used in the airframe was pine. For the production of some frames and wing spars, delta wood was used. The wooden parts of the aircraft skin were glued together using a special carbamide KM-1 or resin glue VIAM-B-3.

The aircraft wing, assembled from NACA-23016 and NACA-23010 profiles, was technologically divided into a center section and 2 two-spar consoles, which had plywood working skin. The main landing gear was attached to the metal pipe with the help of an end rib. Between the spars of the center section there were caissons for gas tanks glued out of plywood, and domes for the wheels of the chassis were placed in the bow.
The spars of the aircraft were wooden with special shelves made of delta wood (on fighters of the La-5FN modification, starting from 1944, metal spars were mounted.) Automatic slats, Fraise-type ailerons with a duralumin frame, sheathed with percale and flaps of the "Schrenk" type. The left aileron had a trim tab.

The fuselage of the fighter consisted of a wooden monocoque made as one piece with the keel and a front metal truss. The frame consisted of 15 frames and 4 spars. The fuselage of the fighter was tightly fastened to the center section with 4 steel knots. The cockpit was closed with a plexiglass sliding canopy, which could be locked in the closed and open positions. On the frame behind the back of the pilot's seat was an armor plate 8.5 mm thick.

Stabilizer - two-spar, completely wooden with plywood working skin, plumage - cantilever. The stabilizer of the machine consists of 2 halves, which were attached to the power elements of the tail section of the machine. The elevator with a trimmer had a duralumin frame, which was sheathed with fabric and, like the stabilizer, consisted of two halves. The control of the fighter was mixed: elevators and rudders with the help of cables, ailerons with the help of rigid rods. The release and cleaning of flaps-flaps occurred with the help of a hydraulic drive.

The landing gear of the fighter was retractable, two-bearing with a tail wheel. The main landing gear had oil-pneumatic shock absorbers. The main wheels of the La-5 had dimensions of 650x200 mm and were equipped with air chamber brakes. Tail freely orienting support also retracted into the fuselage and had a wheel size of 300 to 125 mm.

The power plant of the fighter consisted of a star-shaped air-cooled engine M-82, which had a maximum power of 1850 hp. and a three-blade variable-pitch propeller VISH-105V with a diameter of 3.1 meters. The exhaust pipes were combined into 2 jet-type manifolds. To control the temperature of the engine, frontal blinds were used, which were located on the front ring of the hood, as well as 2 flaps on the sides of the hood behind the engine. The aircraft engine was started with compressed air. An oil tank with a capacity of 59 liters was located at the junction of the metal truss and the wooden part of the fuselage. Fuel with a volume of 539 liters was in 5 tanks: 3 center section and 2 console.

The armament of the fighter consisted of 2 synchronous ShVAK cannons of 20 mm caliber with pneumatic and mechanical reloading. The total ammunition was equal to 340 shells. For aiming at the target, a PBP-la collimator sight was used. On aircraft of the La-5FN model, wing bomb racks were additionally installed, which were designed to carry bombs weighing up to 100 kg.

In addition to the standard set of control and flight and navigation instruments, the fighter's equipment included an oxygen device, a short-wave radio station RSI-4 and a landing light. The supply of oxygen was enough for 1.5 hours of flight at an altitude of 8000 m.

The letters FN in the La-5FN marking stood for Forced Direct Fuel Injection and referred to the engine. This aircraft began to enter the troops in March 1943. Its ASh-82FN engine developed a maximum power of 1850 hp. and could withstand the forced mode for 10 minutes of flight. This version of the La-5 fighter was the fastest. Near the ground, the car accelerated to 593 km / h, and at an altitude of 6250 meters it could reach a speed of 648 km / h. In April 1943, in Lyubertsy near Moscow, a series of air battles took place between the La-5FN and the captured Bf.109G-2 fighter. Training battles demonstrated the overwhelming superiority of the La-5 in speed at low and medium altitudes, which were the main ones for air battles. Eastern Front.

La-7 became a further modernization of the La-5 fighter and one of the best serial machines of the end of World War II. This fighter had excellent flight qualities, high maneuverability and good weapons. At low and medium altitudes, he had an advantage over the latest piston fighters in Germany and countries anti-Hitler coalition. La-7, on which Kozhedub ended the war, is currently located in the Central Museum of the Russian Air Force in the village of Monino.

In my own way appearance and the size of the fighter was very slightly different from the La-5. One of the significant differences was the spars, which, like on the latest La-5FN series, were made of metal. At the same time, the skin and ribs of the aircraft remained unchanged. The cross-sectional dimensions of the spars were reduced, which made it possible to free up additional space for fuel tanks. The weight of the fighter spars has decreased by 100 kg. The aerodynamics of the fighter has improved significantly, this was achieved, in particular, by transferring and improving the shape of the radiator. Also, the internal sealing of the aircraft was improved by completely eliminating the gaps between the pipes and holes for them in the fire bulkhead and slots in the hood. All these improvements allowed the La-7 to gain an advantage over the La-5 in flight speed, rate of climb and maximum ceiling. The maximum speed of the La-7 was 680 km/h.

Two 20-mm ShVAK cannons or 3 20-mm B-20 cannons could be installed as weapons on the La-7. The guns had hydromechanical synchronizers that prevented projectiles from entering the propeller blades. Most of the La-7, like the La-5, was armed with two ShVAK guns, which had 200 rounds of ammunition per barrel. The fighter's ammunition included armor-piercing incendiary and fragmentation-incendiary shells weighing 96 grams. Armor-piercing incendiary shells at a distance of 100 meters pierced armor up to 20 mm thick along the normal. bombs weighing up to 100 kg could be suspended on two underwing nodes of the fighter.

Sources used:
www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=403
www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/la5.html
www.airwar.ru/enc/fww2/la7.html
Materials of the free Internet encyclopedia "Wikipedia"

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, Chernihiv 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 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 guards, 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 military academy 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, people's deputy THE USSR.

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 - in the award documents (where it, in fact, was taken from), for unknown reasons, there are no two air victories (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. Nikolay Bodrikhin's book Soviet aces"Slightly different circumstances of this episode are given: Kozhedub drove away the German planes that attacked 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

THE 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. 23; 26.06. 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 Armed Forces USSR "II degree (22.02.1990).
• Cavalier of the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (30.04.1975).

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 are named after him ( Russian Federation), Dnipro (Ukraine).
• 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 Three Times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Nikitich Kozhedub is Kharkiv University Air Force(formerly HVVAUL, HIL, HVU), as well as the Shostka Chemical Technology College.
• On May 8, 2010, the monument to Kozhedub was opened in the park 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, the monument to Kozhedub was erected in Kharkov, on the territory Kharkiv University Air Force.
• Filmed about Kozhedub documentary"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.

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich - the most productive military pilot of the Great Patriotic War. Later - Air Marshal, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded 14 Soviet and 6 foreign orders, Soviet and foreign medals. During the Great Patriotic War, he made 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles, personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. According to official data by I.N. Kozhedub - the most productive Soviet fighter pilot.

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

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

The pilot won his first victory during the 40th sortie, shooting down a German dive bomber. In the future, I.N. Kozhedub showed himself to be a brave and skillful pilot, in which audacity was combined with prudence, initiative with diligence. Kozhedub sometimes treated his combat vehicle as if it were a living being. , for him, the plane was a friend, and the fighter answered him the same: during the war years, the pilot never had to jump with a parachute.

In September 1944, Kozhedub was transferred to the 176th "Marshal" Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where many famous military pilots were assembled. As part of this regiment, he ended the war. On account of Ivan Nikitovich, among the many types of German aircraft, there is also a Me-262 jet fighter, which he shot down on April 19, 1945 over the Oder.

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

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub - one of the best pilots of the Soviet era. He went through the Great Patriotic War, and was never shot down, bringing a fighter to the airfield in any condition. The feat of Kozhedub is dozens of enemy aircraft sold and hundreds of combat flights. He is three times Hero of the Soviet Union.

short biography

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich was born into a large peasant family in Ukraine in the village of Obrazhievka, Chernihiv province. He was the most youngest child, had three older brothers and a sister. The date of birth is officially considered to be June 08, 1920, but, as you know, he added two years to himself, which were needed to enroll in a technical school. The real date of birth of Ivan Kozhedub is July 06, 1922. His father worked in the land and worked in a factory, but found time for books and even wrote poetry himself. He brought up children in strictness, tried to instill in them such qualities as perseverance, diligence and diligence.

When Vanya went to school, he already knew how to write and read. He studied well, but attended school intermittently, because after the end of the first school year his father sent him to a neighboring village to work as a shepherd. Before entering the Chemical Technology College in 1934, Ivan Nikitovich managed to work in the library. 1938 was a turning point in the fate of the young man - then he begins to visit the flying club. In the spring of 1939, his first flight took place, which leaves a great impression. Already in 1940, having decided to become a fighter, he entered the military flight school, after which he was left as an instructor here.

The Great Patriotic War

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub and the entire school were transferred to Kazakhstan, but after numerous reports, in the fall of 1942 he was sent to Moscow. Here he falls into the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Ignatius Soldatenko. Ivan Nikitovich flew out on his first combat mission in March 1943, but when he came under fire, he miraculously managed to land almost unscathed. About a month passed before the future great pilot sat down at his new La-5 aircraft.

Ivan Kozhedub opens his personal combat account in July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk. This was his fortieth sortie. For several days, 4 victories were already on the list. On August 6, 1943, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub received his first award - the Order of the Red Banner of War. At the same time, he himself begins to command the squadron. In the autumn of 1943 he was sent to the rear, hot heavy battles were ahead, it was necessary to recuperate.

Combat missions 1943-1945

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

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

By the end of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Kozhedub was already a major, on his account there were 62 downed aircraft and 330 sorties and 120 air battles. In August 1945, for the third time, he was a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Postwar years

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

It should also be noted in his biography social activities. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, as well as a People's Deputy of the USSR. Ivan Kozhedub died at his dacha on August 08, 1991.