Russian air combat that scared the Luftwaffe: rams
From the very beginning of the war with the Soviet Union, the air forces of the Third Reich (Luftwaffe) had to experience the fury of the Soviet "falcons". Heinrich Goering, Reich Minister of the Imperial Ministry aviation in 1935-1945, he was forced to forget his boastful words that "No one can ever achieve an advantage in the air over German aces!"
On the very first day of the Great Patriotic War, German pilots encountered such a technique as an air ram. This technique was first proposed by Russian aviator N. A. Yatsuk (in the journal Aeronautics Bulletin No. 13-14 for 1911 a year), and was also used for the first time in Russian practice by the Russian pilot Peter Nesterov 8 of September 1914 of the year he shot down an Austrian aircraft scout.
During the Great Patriotic War, the air ram was not provided for by military regulations, any instructions or instructions, and the Soviet pilots resorted to this technique not on the orders of the command. Soviet people moved the love of the Motherland, the hatred of the invaders and the rage of the battle, a sense of duty and personal responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland. As Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Novikov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, who was commander of the Soviet Air Force from May 1944 to 1943, wrote aviation chief marshal of aviation (from 1946): “Air ram is not only lightning-quick calculation, exceptional courage and self-control. A ram in the sky is above all a readiness for self-sacrifice, the last test of allegiance to its people, its ideals. This is one of the highest forms of manifestation of the very moral factor inherent in the Soviet man, whom the enemy did not take into account and could not take into account. ”
During the Great War, Soviet pilots made more than 600 air rams (the exact number is unknown, as research continues and now, new feats of Stalin falcons are becoming known). More than two-thirds of the rams occur in 1941-1942 years - this is the most difficult period of the war. In the fall of the 1941 of the year, a circular was even sent out in part of the Luftwaffe, which prohibited people from approaching Soviet aircraft closer than on 100 meters in order to avoid air ramming.
It should be noted that the pilots of the Soviet Air Force used a ram on all types of aircraft: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. Air ramming took place in single and group battles, day and night, at high and low altitudes, over its territory and over the territory of the enemy, in all weather conditions. There were cases when the pilots rammed a land or water target. Thus, the number of ground-based rams is almost equal to air attacks - more than 500. Perhaps the most famous ground ram is the feat that 26 performed on June 1941 of the year on DB-3 (IL-4, a twin-engine long-range bomber) crew of Captain Nikolai Gastello. The bomber was hit by enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire and made the so-called. "Fire ram", hitting the enemy's mechanized column.
In addition, we can not say that the air ram necessarily led to the death of the pilot. As the statistics show, approximately 37% of pilots died during the air ramming. The rest of the pilots not only survived, but even kept the plane in a more or less combat-capable state, so many cars could continue the air battle and made a successful landing. There are examples when the pilots made two successful rammers in one air battle. Several dozen Soviet pilots made the so-called. "Double" rams, this is when the first time the aircraft of the enemy could not be shot down and then it was necessary to finish it with a second blow. There is even a case when the fighter pilot O. Kilgovatov had to make four ram attacks in order to destroy the enemy. 35 Soviet pilots made two rams each, N.V.Teryokhin and A.S. Khlobyst - three.
Boris Ivanovich Kovzan (1922 - 1985) - this is the only pilot in the world who made four air rambles, and he returned three times to his own airfield on his plane. 13 August 1942 of the year on a single-engine fighter La-5 captain B.I. Kovzan made the fourth ram. The pilot found a group of enemy bombers and fighters and joined them in a fight. In a fierce battle, his plane was shot down. The enemy machine-gun fire went through the cockpit of the fighter, the instrument panel was smashed, and the pilot's head was shattered with splinters. The car was on fire. Boris Kovzan felt a sharp pain in his head and one eye, so he hardly noticed how one of the German planes went at him in a frontal attack. Machines rapidly converging. “If now the German does not stand up and turns it up, then it will have to be rammed,” thought Kovzan. Wounded in the head of the pilot on a burning plane went to the ram.
When the planes collided in the air, Kovzan was thrown out of the cockpit from a sharp blow, since the belts simply burst. 3500 meters he flew, without opening the parachute in a semi-conscious state, and only already above the ground, at the height of all 200 meters, he woke up and pulled the pull ring. The parachute could open, but the impact on the ground was still very strong. The Soviet ace recovered in the Moscow hospital on the seventh day. He had several wounds with splinters, his collarbone and jaw were broken, both arms and legs. Doctors could not save the pilot's right eye. Two months continued treatment Kovzan. Everyone was well aware that only a miracle saved him in this air battle. The commission’s verdict for Boris Kovzan was very hard: “You can't fly anymore.” But it was a real Soviet falcon, who could not imagine life without flying and the sky. Kovzan achieved his dream all his life! At one time, they did not want to take him to the Odessa Military Aviation School, then Kovzan assigned himself a year and asked the doctors of the medical commission, although he did not get 13 kilograms of weight to normal. And he achieved his goal. He was led by firm confidence, if you constantly strive for a goal - it will be achieved.
He was injured, but now he is healthy, his head is in place, his arms and legs have recovered. As a result, the pilot got to the Commander of the Air Force A. Novikov. He promised to help. A new conclusion of the medical board was received: “It is suitable for flights on all types of fighters”. Boris Kovzan writes a report with a request to send him to the warring units, receives several failures. But this time he got his way, the pilot was enrolled in the 144 Division of Air Defense (AD) near Saratov. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet pilot made 360 combat sorties, took part in 127 air battles, shot down 28 German aircraft, and 6 of them were already seriously wounded and one-eyed. In August, 1943 was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Kovzan Boris Ivanovich
Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War used various techniques of air ramming:
Blow the propeller of the aircraft on the tail of the enemy. The attacking aircraft comes at the enemy from behind and strikes the propeller on its tail. This strike led to the destruction of the enemy aircraft or loss of control. It was the most common technique of air ramming during the Great War. When executed correctly, the pilot of the attacking aircraft had pretty good chances to survive. When an enemy collides with an airplane, only a propeller usually suffers, and even if it failed, there were chances to land the car or jump with a parachute.
Beat the wing. It was carried out both with the frontal approach of the aircraft, and when approaching the enemy from behind. The blow was struck by the wing on the tail or fuselage of the enemy aircraft, including the cockpit of the target aircraft. Sometimes this technique completed the frontal attack.
Hit the fuselage. He was considered the most dangerous type of air ram for the pilot. This technique also includes the collision of aircraft in a frontal attack. Interestingly, even with this outcome, some pilots survived.
Blow with the tail of an aircraft (ram I. Sh. Bikmukhametova). The ram that was committed by Ibragim Shagiahmedovich Bikmukhametov 4 August 1942. He went into the forehead of an enemy plane with a slide and a turn struck the tail of his fighter on the wing of the enemy. As a result, the enemy fighter lost control, fell into a corkscrew and died, and Ibrahim Bikmukhametov could even bring his LaGG-3 to the airfield and safely land.Bikmukhametov graduated from the 2 th Borisoglebsk Red Banner Military Aviation School for them. V.P. Chkalov, in the winter of 1939 - 1940, participated in the war with Finland. In the Great Patriotic War, the junior lieutenant participated from its very beginning, until November 1941 served as part of the 238 Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP), then in the 5 Guards IAP. The regiment commander noted that the pilot was "bold and decisive."
4 Augusta 1942 of the year six LaGG-Z single-engine and single-engine fighters of the 5 Guards IAP, led by Major Grigory Onufrienko, flew to cover ground forces in the Rzhev region. The composition of this group included the commander of the link Ibrahim Bikmukhametov. Behind the front line, Soviet fighters met 8 enemy fighters Me-109. The Germans went a parallel course. A short-term air battle began. It ended in victory for our pilots: the 3 of the Luftwaffe was destroyed. One of them was shot down by the squadron commander G. Onufienko, two other Messerschmitt I. Bikmukhametov. The first Me-109 pilot attacked at a combat reversal, hitting him with a cannon and two machine guns, the enemy's plane went to the ground. In the heat of battle I. Bikmukhametov later noticed another enemy aircraft, which came from above into the tail of his car. But the flight commander did not lose his head, he energetically made a slide and with a sharp turn went to the German. The enemy could not stand the attack in the forehead and tried to turn off his plane. The enemy pilot was able to avoid encountering the propeller blades of the machine I. Bikmukhametova. But our pilot contrived and, having sharply turned the car, struck a strong blow with the tail of his "iron" (this fighter plane was nicknamed by the Soviet pilots) on the wing of the "Messer". The enemy fighter fell into a corkscrew and soon fell into a thicket of dense forest.
Bikmukhametov could bring a badly damaged car to the airfield. It was the 11 th enemy plane shot down by Ibragim Bikmukhametov. The pilot during the war was awarded the Order of the Red Banner 2 and the Order of the Red Star. The brave pilot 16 December 1942 of the year in the Voronezh region was killed. During the battle with the superior forces of the enemy, his plane was shot down and during a forced landing, trying to save the fighter, the wounded pilot crashed.
LaGG-3
The first rams of World War II
Researchers are still arguing over who committed the first 22 ram on June 1941 of the year. Some believe that it was the senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Ivanovothers call the first lieutenant Dmitry Vasilyevich Kokorev the author of the first ram of the Great Patriotic War.
I. I. Ivanov (1909 - 22 June 1941) served in the ranks of the Red Army from the autumn of 1931, then was sent on a Komsomol trip to the Perm aviation school. In the spring of 1933, Ivanov was sent to the 8 Odessa Military Aviation School. He initially served in the 11-th light-bomber regiment in the Kiev Military District, in the 1939 year he participated in the Polish campaign to liberate Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, then in the "Winter War" with Finland. At the end of 1940, he completed fighter pilot courses. He was assigned to the 14-th mixed aviation division, deputy commander of the squadron of the 46-IAP.
Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov
At dawn 22 June 1941, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanov went up to the sky on alert at the head of the I-16 link (according to another version, the pilots were on the I-153) to intercept a group of enemy aircraft approaching the Mlynov airfield. In the air, Soviet pilots found 6 twin-engine bomber He-111 from the 7 squadron of the KG 55 Grif squadron. Senior Lieutenant Ivanov led the fighter link to attack the enemy. The link of the Soviet fighters swooped down on the lead bomber. The arrows of the bombers opened fire on Soviet aircraft. Coming out of the dive, the 16 repeated the attack. One of the "Heinkels" was hit. The rest of the enemy bombers dropped bombs before reaching the target and began to go west. After a successful attack, both Ivanov's slaves went to their own airfield, since, moving away from the fire of the enemy’s shooters, they maneuvered and spent almost all the fuel. Ivanov letting them go in for a landing, continued pursuing, but then also decided to sit down, because the fuel ran out and the ammunition ran out. At this time, an enemy bomber appeared over the Soviet airfield. Seeing him, Ivanov went to meet him, but the German, leading machine-gun fire, did not turn off the course. The only way to stop the enemy was a ram. From a strike a bomber (a Soviet plane was screwed off a tail of a German car), which was led by non-commissioned officer H. Volfeil, lost control and crashed into the ground. The German crew died all. But I. Ivanov's plane was badly damaged. Due to the low altitude the pilot could not use the parachute and died. This ram occurred in 4 hours 25 minutes in the morning near the village of Zagoroshcha, Rivne region, Rivne region. 2 August 1941, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov posthumously became the Hero of the Soviet Union.
And-16
Around the same time, a junior lieutenant committed his ram Dmitry Vasilyevich Kokorev (1918 - 12.10.1941). A native of Ryazan, he served in the 9-th mixed aviation division, in the 124-IAP (Western Special Military District). The regiment was stationed at the border airfield Vysoko - Mazowieck, near the town of Zambrov (Western Ukraine). After the war began, the commander of the regiment, Major Polunin, instructed the young pilot to reconnoiter the situation in the area of the state border of the USSR, which has now become the line of military contact between the Soviet and German forces.
In 4 hours of 05 minutes in the morning, when Dmitry Kokorev was returning from reconnaissance, the Luftwaffe made the first powerful blow to the airfield, since the regiment interfered with the flight inland. The fight was fierce. The airfield was badly damaged.
And then Kokarev saw the Dornier-215 reconnaissance bomber (according to other information, the Me-110 multi-purpose aircraft) leaving the Soviet airfield. Apparently, it was Hitler's scout, who carried out the monitoring of the result of the first strike on the fighter regiment. The anger blinded the Soviet pilot, sharply jerking the high-altitude fighter "MiG" in combat turn, Kokorev went on the attack, in the fever he opened fire ahead of time. Missed, but the German shooter hit aptly - a line of gaps flashed the right plane of his car.
The enemy aircraft at maximum speed went to the state border. Dmitry Kokorev went on the second attack. He shortened the distance, paying no attention to the firing of the German shooter, going up to the distance of the shot, Kokorev pressed the trigger, but the ammunition ran out. A long Soviet pilot did not think it was impossible to let the enemy go, he abruptly added speed and threw the fighter at the enemy machine. The MiG propelled a screw around the Dornier tail unit.
This air ram occurred in 4 hours 15 minutes (according to other data - in 4.35) in front of the infantrymen and border guards who defended the city of Zambres. The fuselage of the German aircraft broke in half, and the Dornier crashed to the ground. Our fighter crashed into a tailspin, its engine stalled. Kokorev came to his senses and was able to wrest the car out of a terrible rotation. I chose a clearing for landing and landed successfully. It should be noted that Junior Lieutenant Kokorev was an ordinary Soviet ordinary pilot, of whom there were hundreds in the Air Force of the Red Army. Behind Junior Lieutenant was only flight school.
Unfortunately, the hero did not live up to Victory. He made 100 combat missions, shot down the enemy's 5 aircraft. When his regiment fought near Leningrad, October 12 intelligence reported that a large number of enemy Junkers had been discovered at the airfield in Siverskaya. The weather was not flying, the Germans did not rise into the air in such conditions and did not wait for our planes. It was decided to strike at the airfield. The 6 group of our Pe-2 dive-bombers (they were called “Pawns”) accompanied by 13 MiG-3 fighters, having appeared over the “Siverskaya”, came as a complete surprise to the Nazis.
Incendiary bombs from low altitude hit right on target, machine-gun fire and fighter jet missiles completed the rout. The Germans were able to lift into the air only one fighter. Pe-2 already bombed and left, only one bomber behind. Kokorev rushed to his defense. He shot down the enemy, but at this time the German air defense came around. Dmitry's plane was shot down and fell.
The first ...
Ekaterina Ivanovna Zelenko (1916 - 12 September 1941) was the first woman on the planet to commit an air ram. Zelenko graduated from Voronezh Aero Club (in 1933 year), 3 th Orenburg Military Aviation School. KE Voroshilova (in 1934 year). She served as part of the 19-th Light Bomber Aviation Brigade in Kharkov, was a test pilot. Over the years, 4 has mastered seven types of aircraft. This is the only female pilot who participated in the "Winter War" (as part of the 11-th Light Bomber Regiment). She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner - made 8 sorties.
In the Great Patriotic War, she participated from the first day, fighting in the 16-th mixed aviation division, was the deputy commander of the 5-th squadron of the 135-th bomber aviation regiment. I managed to make 40 combat missions, including night ones. 12 September 1941 of the year she made 2 successful reconnaissance sorties on a Su-2 bomber. But, despite the fact that during her second flight, the Su-2 was damaged, Ekaterina Zelenko flew out for the third time that day. Already returning, in the area of the town of Romny, two Soviet aircraft were attacked by 7 enemy fighters. Ekaterina Zelenko was able to shoot down one Me-109, and when she ran out of ammunition, she rammed the second German fighter. The pilot destroyed the enemy, but she herself died.
Monument to Catherine Zelenko in Kursk.
Victor Vasilievich Talalikhin (1918 - 27 October 1941) made a night ram, which became the most famous in this war, shooting down an X-7 bomber on the X-NNXX near Podolsk (Moscow region) on the night of 1941 in August. For a long time it was believed that this was the first night ram in stories aviation. Only later it became known that on the night of July 29 1941, the fighter pilot 28-IAP Petr Vasilievich Eremeev on the MiG-3 aircraft, an enemy Junkers-88 bomber shot down with a ram attack. He was killed on October 2 1941 of the year in air combat (September 21 1995 of Eremeev for courage and military prowess, was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Russia).
October 27 The 1941 fighter jets under the command of V. Talalikhina flew to cover our forces in the area of the village of Kamenka, on the banks of the Nara (6 km west of the capital). They collided with 85 enemy fighters, in a battle Talalikhin shot down one "messer", but the other was able to knock him down, the pilot was killed by the death of the brave ...
Victor Vasilievich Talalikhin.
The crew of Viktor Petrovich Nosov from the 51st mine and torpedo regiment of the Baltic Air Force fleet made the first ram in the history of the war with the help of a heavy bomber. The lieutenant commanded the torpedo bomber A-20 (American Douglas A-20 Havoc). February 13, 1945 in the southern part of the Baltic Sea during an attack of enemy vehicles of 6 thousand tons, a Soviet aircraft was shot down. The commander directed the burning car directly into the enemy’s vehicles. The plane hit the target, an explosion occurred, the enemy ship sank. The crew: lieutenant Viktor Nosov (commander), junior lieutenant Alexander Igoshin (navigator) and sergeant Fedor Dorofeev (gunner-radio operator), died the death of the brave.
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