Ivan Kozhedub | |
|---|---|
 Kozhedub in 1949 | |
| Native name | Іван Микитович Кожедуб |
| Nickname(s) | Батя ("Dad"), Борода ("Beard") |
| Born | 8 June 1920 Obrazhiivka,Chernigov Governorate,Ukrainian SSR[1] |
| Died | 8 August 1991(1991-08-08) (aged 71) Moscow,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1985 |
| Rank | Marshal of Aviation |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union (thrice) |
Marshal of AviationIvan Nikitovich Kozhedub (Russian:Иван Hикитович Кожедуб;Ukrainian:Іван Микитович Кожедуб,romanized: Ivan Mykytovych Kozhedub; 8 June 1920 – 8 August 1991) was a career aviator with theSoviet Air Forces who first came to prominence as aWorld War IIfighter ace. Universally credited with over 60 solo victories, he is considered to be the highest scoring Soviet and Allied fighter pilot of World War II. Kozhedub is one of the few pilots confirmed to have shot down aMesserschmitt Me 262 jet, and the firstSoviet pilot to have done so. He was made aHero of the Soviet Union on three occasions (4 February 1944, 19 August 1944, and 18 August 1945). After World War II, he remained in the military and went on to command the 324th Fighter Aviation Division during Soviet operations in theKorean War.
During the remainder of his military career, Kozhedub accumulated additional titles as a deputy of theSupreme Soviet of the USSR (1946-1962) and as Chairman of the Federation of Aviation Sports (1967-1987). He was promoted toMarshal of Aviation in 1985 and retired later that year, concluding 45 years of service in the Soviet Air Forces. Kozhedub lived in Moscow until he died in 1991, and was buried inNovodevichy cemetery.
Kozhedub was born on 8 June 1920 to aUkrainian family in the village ofObrazhiivka, inChernihiv Governorate, located within what is nowShostka Raion ofUkraine'sSumy Oblast. After graduating from his seventh grade of school in his hometown in 1934 he went on to complete two more years of school inShostka. There he initially worked as a librarian until completing his ninth grade of school in 1936, and from that year to 1940 he attended the Shostka Chemical Technology College. In addition to his studies, he attended training at the local aeroclub, from which he graduated in 1939. He subsequently joined the Red Army in February 1940, and in January 1941 he graduated from training at theChuhuiv Military Aviation School of Pilots, where he initially learned to fly the UT-2, UTI-4, andI-16. Remaining at the school as a flight instructor, he continued to train pilots after the school was forced to evacuate toShymkent in the autumn of 1941 due to theGerman invasion of the Soviet Union. He was sent to Moscow in November 1942, where was posted to the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, but he did not arrive on the warfront until March 1943 when the302nd Fighter Aviation Division was deployed to theVoronezh Front.[2]
Despite having started in the regiment as a regular pilot, he quickly mastered the newLa-5 and was promoted to flight commander. He opened his tally on 6 July 1943 with the shootdown of a Ju 87 dive bomber. Kozhedub became friends withKirill Yevstigneev, an accomplished flying ace; although they did not often fly together, Kozhedub acquired many of his tactics and, in a spirit of competition, they shared their experiences using different techniques.Vasily Mukhin, who often flew as Kozhedub's wingman, also went on to become a flying ace.[3][4]
Over the next few months Kozhedub steadily gained more aerial victories and a promotion to squadron commander, but in the first half of October he rapidly increased his tally with 14 shootdowns. On 10 October 1943 he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union for flying 146 sorties, engaging in 27 aerial battles, and totaling 20 aerial victories; he was awarded the title on 4 February 1944.[5][6]
In July 1944 the 240th Fighter Regiment was honored with the Guards designation and renamed the 178th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and Kozhedub was nominated for a second gold star for 46 aerial victories across 256 sorties. He did not stay with his regiment much longer, though, having been reassigned as the deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, a special "free-hunting" regiment equipped with the newLavochkin La-7 fighter, per the initiative of Chief Marshal of AviationAleksandr Novikov. There, he was rarely assigned such specific missions as escorting other aircraft or providing air support for troops, enabling him and his subordinates to tally more aerial victories. In mid-February 1945, during a free-hunting mission in an area south of Frankfurt with his wingman Dmitry Titarenko, Kozhedub shot down an Me 262 jet, thereby becoming the first Soviet pilot to do so. When Kozhedub and Titarenko encountered the Me 262, Kozhedub quickly accelerated from low to full speed; when the Me 262 banked left and slowed — spooked by tracer rounds fired by Titarenko — Kozhedub shot it down.[7][6][8][a]
By the end of the war, Kozhedub tallied 330 sorties, had engaged in 120 dogfights, and had shot down 64 enemy aircraft.[b] Having gained all his aerial victories on the La-5F, La-5FN, and La-7, he expressed his strong preference for Lavochkin fighters, and met withSemyon Lavochkin to comment on various aspects of the fighters' designs. Having been nominated for a third gold star in May 1945, he became thrice a Hero of the Soviet Union on 18 August 1945, and remained deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment based inSchönwalde until September that year.[13]
Preferring short, intense attacks to stun and bring down enemy aircraft, one favorite technique he developed and used in the war involved darting at a target from below and subsequently opening fire only when extremely close. Kozhedub used this tactic very successfully against the Ju 87 dive bomber, gaining him an unsurpassed 18 shootdowns of the type (equal withArseny Vorozheykin). However, being so risky, the manoeuvre was neither promoted nor taught to young pilots. Though never shot down throughout the war, Kozhedub did experience several close calls. He nevertheless always managed to land his airplane, regardless of damage.[14]
Upon returning to the USSR, Kozhedub attended theAir Force Academy based inMonino, graduating in May 1949. He was originally to be posted as deputy commander of the 31st Fighter Aviation Division based inBaku, but — per orders 'from above' owing to his high status as a top flying ace — he was reassigned to the 324th Fighter Aviation Division. He initially served as assistant commander for flight training, but was soon promoted to command the division in November 1950. Shortly thereafter the unit was sent toChina, where they initially trained Chinese and North Korean pilots. Kozhedub, despite being one of the first pilots to master theMiG-15 fighter jet back in 1949, was strictly forbidden from participating in combat sorties by order of his commanding officers. His division consisted of only two regiments (the 176th Guards and 196th Fighter Aviation Regiments) rather than the usual three. Nevertheless, pilots of his division claimed 216 aerial victories in Korea from April 1951 to February 1952, while sustaining only 27 MiG-15 losses and nine pilots killed.[15]
Upon its return to the Soviet Union in February 1952, the 324th Fighter Division was stationed inKaluga as an air defense unit. The following year he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in February 1955 attended the High Command Academy, graduating in 1956. He then served as deputy head of the air force's combat-training and frontline aviation-training directorates. Having become the 1st deputy commander of the76th Air Army in April 1958, he visitedCuba alongside the unit's commander Viktor Davidkov from 1962 to 1963. From 1964 to February 1971 he served as 1st deputy commander of the air force of theMoscow Military District, although he ceased flying in 1969. During his career as a pilot he totaled 1937 flight hours, piloting theYak-3,Yak-11,Yak-17,Yak-28, MiG-15,MiG-17,MiG-21,Li-2, andIl-14 airplanes and theMi-4 andMi-8 helicopters. From 1971 to 1978 he served as deputy chief of combat training of the air force, and subsequently became a military advisor in theMinistry of Defense; in 1985 he was promoted to the rank ofMarshal of Aviation. Beyond his military duties, he served as a deputy of theSupreme Soviet of the USSR from 1946 to 1962 and chairman of the Federation of Aviation Sports from 1967 to 1987. He resided in Moscow for the rest of his life, where he died of a heart attack on 8 August 1991 and was buried in theNovodevichy cemetery.[16]
According toSoviet aces 1941–1945. The victories of Stalin's Falcons (Russian:Советские асы 1941—1945. Победы сталинских соколов) by Mikhail Bykov.[6]
| ## | Date | A/c type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 July 1943 | Ju 87 | west ofZavidivka |
| 2 | 7 July 1943 | Ju 87 | Gostishchevo station |
| 3 | 9 July 1943 | Bf 109 | Krasna Polyana |
| 4 | 9 July 1943 | Bf 109 | east of Pokrovka |
| 5 | 9 August 1943 | Bf 109 | Prelestny |
| 6 | 14 August 1943 | Bf 109 | Iskrivka |
| 7 | 14 August 1943 | Bf 109 | Kolomna |
| 8 | 16 August 1943 | Ju 87 | Rohan |
| 9 | 22 August 1943 | Fw 190 | Liubotyn |
| 10 | 9 September 1943 | Bf 109 | north of Iskrivka |
| 11 | 30 September 1943 | Ju 87 | south-west of Borodayivka |
| 12 | 1 October 1943 | Ju 87 | west of Borodayivka |
| 13 | 1 October 1943 | Ju 87 | west of Borodayivka |
| 14 | 2 October 1943 | Bf 109 | Ploskoye |
| 15 | 2 October 1943 | Ju 87 | Petrivka |
| 16 | 2 October 1943 | Ju 87 | south-west of Andriivka |
| 17 | 2 October 1943 | Ju 87 | south-west of Andriivka |
| 18 | 4 October 1943 | Bf 109 | north-west of Borodayivka |
| 19 | 5 October 1943 | Bf 109 | south-west of Krasny Kut |
| 20 | 5 October 1943 | Bf 109 | west of Kutsevalivka |
| 21 | 6 October 1943 | Bf 109 | Borodayivka |
| 22 | 10 October 1943 | Bf 109 | Dnsprovo-Kamyanka |
| 23 | 12 October 1943 | Ju 87 | north of Ploske |
| 24 | 12 October 1943 | Bf 109 | south of Petrivka |
| 25 | 12 October 1943 | Ju 87 | south of Domotkan |
| 26 | 29 October 1943 | Ju 87 | Kryvyi Rih |
| 27 | 29 October 1943 | He 111 | west of Budivka |
| 28 | 16 January 1944 | Bf 109 | Novo-Zlynka |
| 29 | 30 January 1944 | Bf 109 | east of Nechayivka |
| 30 | 30 January 1944 | Ju 87 | west of Lipivka |
| 31 | 14 March 1944 | Ju 87 | Osiyivka |
| 32 | 21 March 1944 | Ju 87 | Lebedyn —Shpola |
| 33 | 11 April 1944 | PZL P.24 | Syrka |
| 34 | 19 April 1944 | He 111 | north ofIaşi |
| 35 | 28 April 1944 | Ju 87 | south-east of Vulturu |
| 36 | 29 April 1944 | Hs 129 | Horleşti |
| 37 | 29 April 1944 | Hs 129 | Horleşti |
| 38 | 3 May 1944 | Ju 87 | Târgu Frumos — Dumbrăviţa |
| 39 | 31 May 1944 | Fw 190 | east of Vulturu |
| 40 | 1 June 1944 | Ju 87 | Cuza Vodă |
| 41 | 2 June 1944 | Hs 129 | west of Stânca |
| 42 | 3 June 1944 | Fw 190 | Rediu Ului — Tătăr |
| 43 | 3 June 1944 | Fw 190 | Rediu Ului — Tătăr |
| 44 | 3 June 1944 | Fw 190 | north-west ofIaşi |
| 45 | 7 June 1944 | Bf 109 | Pârliţa |
| 46 | 8 June 1944 | Bf 109 | Cârpiţi |
| 47 | 22 September 1944 | Fw 190 | north-west ofStrenči |
| 48 | 22 September 1944 | Fw 190 | south-west of Rāmnieki — Daksti |
| 49 | 25 September 1944 | Fw 190 | north-west ofValmiera |
| 50 | 16 January 1945 | Fw 190 | south of Studziana |
| 51 | 10 February 1945 | Fw 190 | north-west of Mohrin airfield |
| 52 | 12 February 1945 | Fw 190 | west of Kinitz |
| 53 | 12 February 1945 | Fw 190 | west of Kinitz |
| 54 | 12 February 1945 | Fw 190 | Kietzer See Lake |
| 55 | 17 February 1945 | Me 262 | east of Alt Friedland |
| 56 | 19 February 1945 | Bf 109 | north of Fürstenfelde |
| 57 | 11 March 1945 | Fw 190 | north of Brünchen |
| 58 | 18 March 1945 | Fw 190 | north ofKüstrin |
| 59 | 18 March 1945 | Fw 190 | north-west of Küstrin |
| 60 | 22 March 1945 | Fw 190 | north ofSeelow |
| 61 | 22 March 1945 | Fw 190 | east ofGusow |
| 62 | 23 March 1945 | Fw 190 | Werbig station |
| 63 | 17 April 1945 | Fw 190 | Wriezen |
| 64 | 17 April 1945 | Fw 190 | Kinitz |
In his autobiography, Kozhedub claimed to have downed twoUSAAFP-51 Mustang due to afriendly fire incident on 17 April 1945. By his account, he encountered a group of AmericanB-17 Flying Fortresses under attack by Luftwaffe aircraft. His aircraft was apparently mistaken by American escort fighters for the enemy and attacked. Kozhedub, having no other option, defended himself by shooting down two of the P-51s. The story is highly suspect. Film footage exists that had been touted as Kozhedub's actual gun camera film from the event; however, the footage was shot usingZeiss equipment, which was used primarily by the Luftwaffe.[17]
A military university inKharkiv is named in his honor, theKozhedub University of the Air Force.[19]
On 8 May 2010 a monument to Ivan Kozhedub was opened in Slavy Park inKyiv.
Ivan Kozhedub Street in the cities ofBila Tserkva,Bucha,Vinnytsia,Dnipro,Zaporizhzhia,Kyiv,Lutsk,Cherkasy,Chuhuiv,Shpola.
There is Ivan Kozhedub Lane in the cities ofKremenchuk andKropyvnytskyi.
In December 2022 theKyiv City Council renamed, "with the aim ofdecolonizing the capital's toponymy", theMikhail Kutuzov Street inKyiv'sDesnianskyi District Ivan Kozhedub Street.[20]
A bust of Kozhedub made byNikolai Tomsky was installed in his native village in 1949.[21][22][23]
There is a statue of him inSumy made by Oleg Prokopchuk.[24]A sculpture of him made by Aleksandr Shlapak, Yevgeny Karpov Sr, and Yevgeny Karpov Jr was installed in Kiev in 2013.[25][26]
On 13 February 2024, in the city ofZhmerynka, Vilinskii Lane was renamed Ivan Kozhedub Lane.[27]
 Marshals of the Artillery | |
|---|---|
 Marshals of the Aviation |
|
 Marshals of Tank Troops | |
 Marshals of Engineering Troops | |
 Marshals of Communications Troops | |
 Category:Soviet marshals of the branch[1]Demoted and conferred again[2] Stripped/Demoted | |
