Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, ace pilot during the Great Patriotic War, awarded 14 Soviet and 6 foreign orders. Rising into the skies and defending the Russian land, he fought 120 air battles and is rightfully considered the most effective pilot in the Allied aviation.
At the beginning of the path
The future famous pilot of the Great Patriotic War was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazhievka, Sumy region. His father was a church head. After leaving school in 1934, Ivan entered the Institute of Chemical Technology, which was located in the nearby town of Shostka. An aeroclub was formed at the technical school, in which the glorious path of the three times hero of the Soviet Union began. In 1940, Ivan was drafted into the army, in the same year he graduated from the military aviation school of pilots, where he remained - as an instructor.
At war
With the beginning of the war, the life of Ivan Kozhedub, as he himself recalled, was divided into two halves - before and after. The young pilot again and again wrote reports about being sent to the front, but he was an excellent instructor, and they did not want to let him go. Finally, in 1942, Kozhedub was sent to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was armed with the latest La-5 fighters.
Kozhedub shot down his first German plane in the skies over Kursk, in the unforgettable days of the greatest tank battle of all time. It happened on July 6, 1943. The next day, he shot down another bomber, and already on July 9, the pilot destroyed two Bf-109 fighters at once. Soon the pilot received the rank of lieutenant and the first star of the Hero of the Soviet Union - for 146 sorties and 20 downed enemy aircraft.
In August 1944, Ivan Kozhedub was appointed deputy commander of the 176th Guards Regiment, where many famous Soviet aces fought. In the same month, he was awarded the second Golden Star - for 48 shot down enemy vehicles and 256 sorties. By the time the war ended, Ivan Kozhedub had flown 330 sorties and shot down 64 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles.
In 1945, shortly before the end of the war, Kozhedub had to destroy two American Mustang aircraft - the Americans attacked the pilot, mistaking him for a German.
On account of Ivan Nikitovich, the world's first jet fighter Me-262 is also listed.
Throughout the war, the Germans never managed to shoot down a Soviet ace - even when there were direct hits on the plane, the pilot managed to land him on the ground.
On August 18, 1945, Kozhedub received the third Hero Star, with the wording "for high military skill, personal courage and courage shown on the fronts of the war."
After the war
In the postwar years, Ivan Kozhedub was educated at the Air Force Academy, mastered the jet MiG-15 and was soon appointed commander of the 326th Fighter Aviation Division. During the Korean War (April 1951 - January 1952) Kozhedub's aviation division won 216 air victories, losing 9 pilots and 27 aircraft.
Returning to his homeland, Kozhedub graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff, after which he took up the post of deputy commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. In 1970, Kozhedub was awarded the rank of colonel general, and in 1985 - the rank of marshal. Was elected as a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Personal life
During his service at the academy, Ivan Kozhedub saw a girl on the train that he liked very much, but did not find the courage to approach her. However, after some time they met again, quite by chance, and then the military pilot showed determination: "I will not let you go anywhere now." The girl's name was Veronica. Ivan called her his main award, the fourth Star. In 1946, Veronica became his wife, and soon a daughter, Natalya, was born in a young family, and a few years later, a son, Nikita, who in the future would become a captain of the third rank of the USSR Navy.
