Famous Russian pilots. The first Russian pilot

The first Russian pilot, Mikhail Nikanorovich Efimov, having previously completed training in Europe, first climbed into the sky 08.03.1910. A native of the Smolensk Province made his flight over the Odessa Hippodrome, where he was watched by a hundred thousand people!

He flew on his own plane, which he bought for the prize money won at the most prestigious aviator competition in Nice. Possessing a thorough engineering knowledge, possessing European languages and good physical training, he was an advanced sportsman in the field of technical sports.

Where was the first Russian pilot trained?

His way to aviation began outside of Russia. He caught his chance. As soon as in 1909 a school for pilots from different countries was founded near Paris (in Murmelon), the champion of Russia in cycling and motorcycle sport (these were Michael's previous achievements) came to study there. He became the most brilliant student of the recognized pioneer of aircraft construction Henri Farman (aircraft designer, industrialist, pilot - the author of the first aviation records.) He taught him personally. The first independent flight Yefimov made on 25.12.1909. Later, the patron entrusted him with training in the flying arts of the adherents of his school. In fact, the Russian became an instructor pilot.

After the triumphant presentation in Odessa in the autumn of the same year, the first Russian pilot spoke at the All-Russian Ballooning Festival in St. Petersburg. There he met with the teacher of Moscow University, later - the creator of the science of aerodynamics, Professor Zhukovsky Nikolai Egorovich. Practical skills of the pilot were valuable to the scientist. Nikolai Egorovich showed no idle interest in a new acquaintance, because the scientist was the organizer of the Aeronautical Circle at the Moscow Higher Technical School. And this circle brought aircraft designers Arkhangelsky, Stechkin, Tupolev to aviation.

Mikhail Efimov's contribution to Russian flying art

At the same time, the experience and skill of one of the best pilots attracted the close attention of the Russian military department. He was invited to lead the Sevastopol aviation school, in which Russian pilots were trained (in parallel, at the same time, another air school was organized in Gatchina, near St. Petersburg).

The creative attitude of the instructor - instructor Mikhail Efimov - to the flying business was manifested in the personal development of diving, steep turns, planning with the engine turned off, and aimed bombing. With these skills he methodically competently taught the students of the Sevastopol school.

Also, the first Russian pilot owns an invention that allows the pilot to start the engine directly to the pilot without resorting to outside help.

The work of Mikhail Efimov and his associates proved to be very relevant.

In 1914 the First World War began. A terrible act, which later destroyed the economy of Europe and led to the collapse of two of its empire: the Russian and the Austro-Hungarian.

Since 1915 the pilot number 1 of Russia skillfully participated in combat operations, making aerial reconnaissance and sighting bombing.

With the German pilots fought French, British, Russian pilots.

Peter Nesterov. The world's first ram

Russian pilots quickly adopted the French school of air combat, based on the tactics of entanglement of the enemy, sudden maneuvers.

On the eve of the war, a Russian school of aerobatics was born. On August 27, 1913, over the Syretsky field near Kiev, one of the first Russian pilots, Peter Nikolayevich Nesterov, made a "flight along a curve closed in the vertical plane," that is, the so-called dead loop. For the sake of justice, we note that the aerobatics figures were not an absolute impromptu pilot, but a meticulous embodiment of this practitioner by the subtle aerodynamic calculations of Professor Zhukovsky.

At first, the military action revealed an obvious problem: the aircraft were imperfect because of unpreparedness for air combat. At the beginning of the First World Aviation was not ideal. The only way to shoot down an enemy aircraft was a battering ram.

The first ram in the world on 26.08.1914 was made by the inventor of the school of aerobatics, the staff-captain of the Russian army Petr Nikolaevich Nesterov. It was simultaneously the first victory in the world in air combat. But at what price? The heroic death of one of the best pilots in the world, who shot down near the town of Zhovkva (located near Lviv), the German fighter Albatros with his Moran made designers think.

On the one hand, this episode shows: the psychological state of the Russian pilots of the First World War was motivated, aimed at capturing air domination. On the other hand - the ram was by its nature could not be considered a rational type of combat operations. After all, the heroes must return home alive. The plane needed real armament. Soon, first, French engineers developed an aircraft machine gun, and after them - and German.

Birth of Russian Military Aviation

In 1915 as part of the Russian army there were 2 squadrons. And the next spring, another 16 were added to them. Until 1915 Russian pilots fought on planes produced in France. In 1915 in Russia the designer Sikorsky was created the first domestic aircraft - S-16.

The Russian pilots of the First World War were armed with the obsolete boards "Nieuport-11" and "Nyupor-17".

Pilot-professional

15 German planes were shot down by the staff captain of the 11th corps air squad, Evgraf Kruten. He learned the wisdom of aerobatics in the Gatchina Aviation School, having mastered the legendary "dead loop" there. However, this did not stop in his professional development.

Generally speaking, the desire to dominate the battle characterizes the psychological state of the Russian pilots of the First World War. Military career Krutnya, a patriotic officer, was fleeting and ended, unfortunately, his early heroic death.

He perfected the combat tactics of attacking enemy aircraft to perfection. First, thanks to the skillful maneuver, one of the first Russian military pilots, Evgraf Kruten forced his car to dive under the enemy's plane, and then knocked it down with a machine gun.

The best Russian avi pilots

For example, Evgraf Kruten, tragically killed because of a collision with the earth with poor visibility, we can understand the features of the self-awareness of Russian pilots of the First World War. Burnt by fire, seized battle tactics, they realized the growing role of aviation in the war.

In the midst of Russian pilots, real professionals were formed and brought up. However, the enemies were forced to reckon with the Russians: Alexander Kazakov (20 downed planes); Krutnem Evgraf (17 air fights won); Argeev Pavel (15 victories); Sergievsky Boris (14); Seversky Alexander (13); Suk Grigory, Makienkom Donat, Smirnov Ivan - 7; Loiko Ivan, Vakulovsky Constantine - on 6. However, those were few. The main strap of the war, figuratively speaking, pulled the rank and file infantry.

The social composition of the Russian pilots of the First World War did not differ in variety. All of them were nobles, studied in the same gymnasiums, aviation schools. All the officers knew each other personally.

But still the general tone of the war in the sky was set not by Russians, but by the Germans - Manfred Von Richthofen (nicknamed "The Red Baron", 80 downed planes), Werner Foss (48 wins).

They almost did not lag behind the French: Rene Paul Fonck scored 75 victories, his countryman George Ginemar - 54, Carlsa Nenzheser - 43.

Heroism of Russian pilots of the 1st World War

The impressive advantage of the German and French Ases, as we have already mentioned, is explained simply: by the presence of a machine gun synchronized with the aircraft screw. However, the courage shown by the famous Russian pilots of the First World War deserves respect and admiration.

If, according to the criterion of mastery of piloting and courage, Russian officers were not inferior to the colleges from Germany and France, because of outdated technology they died more often.

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The superiority of German aviation

The main content of the Second World War, which destroyed about 50 million people, was the clash of two multimillion armies: German and Soviet. Aviation in combat already acted as an important component of complex combat operations.

It has become much more powerful and significantly improved. In the past, the characteristics demonstrated on the fronts of World War I remained:

- wooden construction of biplanes with stands with wire extensions between the wings;

- Non-retractable landing gear;

- open cabin;

- speed - up to 200 km / h.

Already in 1935 the German Ministry of Aviation took the policy of producing innovative all-metal combat vehicles: Henkel 111, Meserschmitt Bf 109, Junkers Ju 87, Dornier Do 217 and Ju 88. V.

For example, the new Junkers bomber was equipped with two engines of 1200 hp each. He developed a speed of up to 440 km / h. The car carried up to 1.9 tons of bombs.

The Soviet analogue of this technology - the bomber DB-3 - began to be produced 4 years later - from 1939. The main bomber fleet at the beginning of the war consisted of wooden slow-moving KhAI-VV (220 km / h, bomb load - 200 kg).

By the 1940s, the two-seater fighter had lost its relevance. In the Soviet Army at the beginning of the war the main fighter was a wooden I-16 biplane with a 710 hp engine. Its maximum speed was 372 km / h, but the design was combined: the wings are metal, and the fuselage is wooden.

Germany, taking into account the experience of war in Spain, in 1939, began to produce a fighter "Messerschmidt" BF 109 F.

The struggle for supremacy in the air

An extremely complicated air situation developed in the first days of the war. On June 22, by sighting bombardment, 800 unarmed Soviet aircraft were destroyed at the main airfields, and 400 in the air (the enemy already had combat experience.) The Germans actually destroyed all new Soviet flying equipment in the basing areas. So the domination in the air immediately, from 22.06.1941, captured the fascists.

Obviously, under such difficult circumstances, Russian pilots could not fully prove themselves on the battlefield. However, the victory went to German aviation at a high price. From 22.06 to 05.07 1941 she lost 807 of her aircraft. Only for June 22, 1941 Soviet pilots carried out 6,000 sorties.

In the future, the struggle for air superiority was reflected in the evolution of the organizational forms of Soviet aviation. It was withdrawn from the combined arms units and concentrated in new ones - aviation ones. Mixed compounds were replaced by homogeneous: fighter, bomber, assault. Operationally in 1941, reserve air groups were formed from 4-5 air regiments, which in 1942 were gradually replaced by air armies. By the end of the war, 17 air armies had already fought on the Soviet side.

Thus, the possibility of prolonged combat operations was achieved. It was then that the famous Russian pilots became one of the recognized heroes of the Second World War.

The first major victory of Soviet pilots, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, the chief air marshal of PS Kutakhov, fell to the battle near Moscow. Of the many fascist bombers striving to break through to the capital, only 28 were able to do it, which was only 1.4%. At the approaches to the capital, Russian pilots of the Great Patriotic War destroyed 1600 Hering planes.

Already at the end of 1942 the Soviet Army was ready for revenge in air domination. In the reserves of the Supreme Command, five corps of fighter aircraft with modern all-metal aircraft were formed. Since the summer of 1943, Soviet fighters began to dictate their conditions on the battlefield.

Innovation in the organization of combat

In each division, the pilots, on the basis of combat experience and friendship, were divided into combat pairs, the best of them was a group of aces. Each fighter division was assigned a limited front line to hunt for German bombers. To coordinate the battle, radio communication was systematically used.

Let us give an example of one such battle. Against the four (link) of Soviet fighters (leading - Major Naydenov) Germans sent 11 Messerschmidt 109-th model. The leadership of the battle was conducted from the command post of the 240th IAD. Operatively from the aerodrome, the second link of Yak-1 took off for reinforcement. Thus, 8 YAKs entered the battle against 11 Messers. Then everything was decided by skill. The Soviet as - lieutenant Motuz - fought against the 4 "Messers" worthily. Thanks to the maneuver he managed to escape from the line of fire, shoot down one and hit the second enemy aircraft. The remaining two turned to flight.

The Junkers groups attacked by them on average lost from one quarter to one-third of their vehicles in one battle. As a result of the activity of our pilots, massive bombardments by fascist aircraft ceased.

The fighters in the directions of possible offensive and the emergence of large enemy air forces produced "air clearance", for patrolling pushing inland. As fuel and ammunition was exhausted, they were replaced, and the combat forces were built up during the battle.

Russian revenge. Battle of the Kuban

Soviet air power was conquered in the air over the Taman Peninsula. Fascists there concentrated a group of 1000 aircraft.

On the Soviet side there were about 900 combat vehicles. Our fighter aircraft was equipped with new aircraft Yak-1, Yak-7B and LA-5. On the day there were about a dozen dozen air fights. This unprecedented air collision was written by Leonid Brezhnev in Malaya Zemlya, telling how an eyewitness who observes opposition from the earth. According to him, looking at the sky, you could see several fights at the same time.

In the epicenter of the Battle of Kuban was the 229 air division of the 4th Air Army.

Russian pilots of the Second World War, regularly inflicting heavy damage on the enemy, psychologically broke the German aces, who considered themselves the best in the world.

For all that, it should be recognized that the German aces fought heroically. If the Germans were worthy of victory, the Russian heroes seemed to have lost all sense of self-preservation.

In the days of the most active fighting Soviet pilots slept in the cabins, climbing into the sky at the first team, went into battle, even after receiving wounds, fed adrenaline. Many people changed their cars several times: metal could not stand it. Every pilot felt: history is going on here.

It was over the Kuban for the first time that a legendary phrase sounded on the air, after hearing that, the German "diamond" aces unrolled cars and fled: "Achtung! Achtung! Achtung! Pokryshkin in Himmel! Achtung! As Pokryshkin in Himmel! ".

After winning the battle over the Kuban and until the end of the Second World War, the Russian military pilot began to dominate the sky.

We are acquainted: Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich

This story is about the pilot unique. On the brilliant theoretician and the brilliant practice of exterminating combat.

Alexander Ivanovich, in love with the profession of a pilot, in life has always wanted not just to "get to the heart of it," but also "grab more than what is possible." He aspired to perfection, but this could not be called selfishness. Rather, Pokryshkin was the leader, acting on the principle of "Do as I do!". He was a talented workaholic. Before him, even the great Russian pilots had never reached such an absolute level of skill.

Dreaming of becoming an ace, he determined for himself his weak points (firing on the cone, right maneuver), and then, through persistent training, hundreds and hundreds of repetitions, he achieved superiority among his colleagues.

Alexander Ivanovich fought from the first days of the war from the Moldovan border as part of the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment. He was charged with reconnaissance of the deployment of enemy units, and Pokryshkin coped brilliantly with this task.

Pokryshkin always analyzed both positive and negative experiences. For example, after he was shot down by a fighter covering low-speed bombers (Alexander Ivanovich then returned to his own through the front line), he realized the perniciousness of the slowdown and developed a new tactic of escort - a "snake".

Alexander Ivanovich developed the Russian innovative strategy and tactics of air combat, absolutely adequate to the demands of time. His creative personality was always hated by careerists and dogmatists. But, fortunately, the ideas of the brilliant pilot soon found their embodiment in the combat regulations of the fighter aircraft.

Alexander Ivanovich could lose his wings

In June 1942, the regiment, where he served on the plane Yak-1 hero, became Guards.

In the summer of 1942, he was redeployed to Baku for rearmament. The direct uncompromising character of the pilot, his talent, the obvious ability to make a career, was set up by his envious persons. At the time when the division commander underwent treatment, these vile people used a time of respite between fights to settle accounts with the impeccable ace.

He was accused of violating the charters and instructions and even brought to justice. Pokryshkin could well be in the camps ... To the honor of the division commander, he, having learned about what happened, having destroyed the plans of squabbling, saved the hero-pilot.

Flying high

Since March 1943 Pokryshkin flew on the American "aerokobre". In the spring of 1943, the regiment was redeployed to the Kuban, at the epicenter of the air battle. Here the virtuoso of the fighter battle showed its skills to the full.

And the combat aviation order of the entire Soviet Army during the Battle of Kuban was built for the first time by a "shelf" according to the strategy worked out by Alexander Ivanovich. The Aces of the Luftwaffe suffered unheard of losses.

Pokryshkin's name was forever inscribed in gold letters in the history of Russian aviation on pages where the Russian pilots of the First World War were speaking before him. However, the pilot surpassed even them, becoming an ace among the Aesy. After the Second World War he commanded a fighter air division. Alexander Ivanovich committed more than 600 sorties, shooting down 117 enemy aircraft.

Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich

According to official statistics, the result of Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was surpassed only by one person: Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. The son of a gifted peasant who independently learned literacy and "made his way into people", Ivan first saw the sky from the cockpit in 1939. The guy just fell in love with the pilot's profession, he thought that in the world there is nothing more beautiful than this.

Not immediately he became an ace. The guy learned to fly in the Chuguev aviation school. When the Second World War began, he was eager for the front, but he was not allowed to leave, leaving him to serve as an instructor.

Writing tens of five reports, the pilot-instructor in the autumn of 1942 came to serve in the 240th Fighter Regiment. Kozhedub flew on the LA-5 fighter. The regiment, formed hastily and sent to the Stalingrad Front in a hurry, without proper flight training, was soon defeated.

In February 1943, the newly formatted regiment was again sent to the front. But in a month and a half - on March 26, 1943 - Ivan Nikitovich was "shot down". He, then, inexperienced by the delayed and tearing off from the plane cover, immediately attacked six "Messers". Despite the competent tactics of the future ace, because of the lack of cover for him, "on the tail" was an enemy aircraft. Thanks to the phenomenal maneuver Ivan Nikitovich then survived. But the lesson - to be in heaven inextricably paired with a cover plane - learned. Looking ahead, we will inform that in the future Kozhedub shot down 63 enemy aircraft.

He flew always on LA-5, which was replaced by 6. Co-workers remembered that he treated them not as machines, but as living beings. Talked to them, called affectionately ... Something incomprehensible-religious was in the relationship of man and machine. But the most amazing thing was that never, never on the planes of Ivan there was not one malfunction, not one freelance situation, and the pilot himself was repeatedly saved by the armored back of the seat.

Conclusion

Famous Russian pilots of the Great Patriotic War were awarded the highest award of the Soviet Union - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub - three times; 71 pilots (9 of them - posthumously) received this high rank twice.

All the awarded are worthy people. "Hero" was given for 15 downed enemy aircraft.

Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union is the legendary Alexei Petrovich Maresiev, who returned to the ranks after a serious injury and amputation of his legs. Vorozheykin Arseny Vasilievich (46 downed planes), twice Hero of the Soviet Union with a unique battle pattern based on the ideal possession of aerobatics. Twice the hero of the Soviet Union Gulayev Nikolai Dmitrievich, who owns a phenomenal result (in the battle over the river Prut he managed to knock down 5 enemy aircraft in just 4 minutes). This list can be continued for a very long time ...