When people talk about aces of World War II, they usually mean pilots, but the role of armored vehicles and tank forces in this conflict should not be underestimated either. There were also aces among the tankers.

Kurt Knispel

Kurt Knipsel is considered the most prolific tank ace of the Second World War. He has almost 170 tanks on his account, but not all of his victories are still confirmed. During the war years, he destroyed 126 tanks as a gunner (20 unconfirmed), as a heavy tank commander - 42 enemy tanks (10 unconfirmed).

Knipsel was nominated for the Knight's Cross four times, but never received this award. Tanker biographers associate this with his difficult character. Historian Franz Kurovsky, in his book on Knipsell, writes about several incidents in which he showed far from the best discipline. In particular, he stood up for the beaten Soviet soldier and fought with a German officer.

Kurt Knipsel died on April 28, 1945, after being wounded in a battle with Soviet troops near the Czech town of Vostitz. In this battle, Knipsel destroyed his 168th officially registered tank.

Michael Wittmann

Michael Wittmann, unlike Kurt Knipsel, was convenient to make the hero of the Reich, even though not everything in his "heroic" biography was pure. So, he claimed that during the winter battles in Ukraine in 1943-1944, he destroyed 70 Soviet tanks. For this, on January 14, 1944, he received an extraordinary title and was awarded the Knight's Cross and oak leaves to him, but after some time it turned out that on this sector of the front the Red Army did not have tanks at all, and Wittmann destroyed two "thirty-fours" captured by the Germans and in the service of the Wehrmacht. The crew of Wittmann in the dark did not see the identification marks on the turrets of the tanks, and mistook them for Soviet ones. Nevertheless, the German command decided not to advertise this story.
Wittmann took part in the battles at the Kursk Bulge, where, according to him, he destroyed 28 Soviet self-propelled guns and about 30 tanks.

According to German sources, as of August 8, 1944, on account of Michael Wittmann, 138 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns and 132 artillery pieces were destroyed.

Zinovy ​​Kolobanov

The feat of tanker Zinovy ​​Kolobanov entered the Guinness Book of Records. On August 20, 1941, 5 tanks of the company of senior lieutenant Kolobanov destroyed 43 German tanks, 22 of them were knocked out within half an hour.
Kolobanov has competently built a defensive position.

Kolobanov's camouflaged tanks met the German tank column with volleys. 3 head tanks were immediately stopped, then the gun commander Usov transferred fire to the tail of the column. The Germans were deprived of the opportunity to maneuver and could not get out of the firing sector.
Kolobanov's tank came under massive shelling. During the battle, he withstood more than 150 direct hits, but the strong armor of the KV-1 survived.

For their feat, the members of Kolobanov's crew were nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but the award again did not find a hero. On September 15, 1941, Zinovy ​​Kalabanov was seriously wounded (his spine and head were damaged) when a German shell exploded near the KV-1 while refueling the tank and loading ammunition. However, in the summer of 1945, Kolobanov returned to duty and served in the Soviet army for another 13 years.

Dmitry Lavrinenko

Dmitry Lavrinenko was the most productive Soviet tank ace of the Second World War. In just 2.5 months, from October to December 1941, he destroyed or disabled 52 two German tanks. Lavrinenko's success can be explained by his decisiveness and combat ingenuity. Fighting in the minority against superior enemy forces, Lavrinenko managed to get out of almost hopeless situations. In total, he had a chance to participate in 28 tank battles, three times he burned in a tank.

On October 19, 1941, Lavrinenko's tank defended Serpukhov from the German invasion. His T-34 single-handedly destroyed the enemy motorized column, which was advancing on the highway from Maloyaroslavets to Serpukhov. In that battle, Lavrinenko, in addition to battle trophies, managed to get hold of important documents.

On December 5, 1941, the Soviet tank ace was promoted to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Even then, 47 tanks were destroyed on his account. But the tankman was awarded only the Order of Lenin. However, by the time the award was to take place, he was no longer alive.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Lavrinenko was awarded only in 1990.

Creighton Abrams

It must be said that the masters of tank combat were not only in the German and Soviet troops. The allies also had their own "aces". Among them, Creighton Abrams can be noted. His name has been preserved in history, the famous American M1 tank is named after him.

Abrams was the one who organized the tank breakthrough from the Norman coast to the Moselle River. The tank units of Creighton Abrams reached the Rhine, with the support of the infantry, they rescued the landing group surrounded by the Germans in the German rear.

On account of the Abrams units there are about 300 pieces of equipment, however, for the most part not tanks, but supply trucks, armored personnel carriers and other auxiliary equipment. The number of destroyed tanks among the "trophies" of the Abrams units is small - about 15, of which 6 are listed personally by the commander.

The main merit of Abrams was that his units managed to cut off enemy communications on a large sector of the front, which significantly complicated the position of the German troops, leaving them without supplies.

The names of the Soviet aces of the Great Patriotic War Ivan Kozhedub and Alexandra Pokryshkina known to everyone who is at least superficially familiar with Russian history.

Kozhedub and Pokryshkin are the most productive Soviet fighter pilots. On the account of the first 64 enemy aircraft, shot down personally, on the account of the second - 59 personal victories, and he shot down 6 more aircraft in the group.

The name of the third most efficient Soviet pilot is known only to aviation enthusiasts. Nikolay Gulaev during the war, he destroyed 57 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in a group.

An interesting detail - Kozhedub took 330 sorties and 120 air battles to achieve his result, Pokryshkin - 650 sorties and 156 air battles. Gulaev, on the other hand, achieved his result, having carried out 290 sorties and carried out 69 air battles.

Moreover, according to the award documents, in his first 42 air battles, he destroyed 42 enemy aircraft, that is, on average, each battle ended for Gulaev with a destroyed enemy vehicle.

Fans of military statistics calculated that the coefficient of efficiency, that is, the ratio of air battles and victories, for Nikolai Gulaev was 0.82. For comparison - for Ivan Kozhedub it was 0.51, and for Hitler's ace Erich Hartmann, who officially shot down the largest number of aircraft during the Second World War - 0.4.

At the same time, people who knew Gulaev and who fought with him claimed that he generously recorded many of his victories on the wingmen, helping them receive orders and money - Soviet pilots were paid for each shot down enemy aircraft. Some believe that the total number of aircraft shot down by Gulaev could have reached 90, which, however, cannot be confirmed or refuted today.

Heroes of the Soviet Union, pilots Alexander Pokryshkin (second from left), Grigory Rechkalov (center) and Nikolai Gulaev (right) on Red Square. Photo: RIA Novosti

Don guy

Many books have been written and many films have been made about Alexander Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub, three times Heroes of the Soviet Union, aviation marshals.

Nikolai Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, was close to the third Golden Star, but he never received it and did not become a marshal, remaining a colonel general. And in general, if in the post-war years Pokryshkin and Kozhedub were always in sight, engaged in the patriotic education of young people, then Gulaev, who was practically in no way inferior to his colleagues, remained in the shadows all the time.

Perhaps the fact is that both the military and post-war biography of the Soviet ace was rich in episodes that do not fit into the image of an ideal hero.

Nikolai Gulaev was born on February 26, 1918 in the village of Aksayskaya, which has now become the city of Aksai in the Rostov region.

Don freemen was in the blood and character of Nicholas from the first days to the end of his life. After graduating from a seven-year school and a vocational school, he worked as a mechanic at one of the Rostov factories.

Like many of the youth of the 1930s, Nikolai became interested in aviation, was engaged in the flying club. This hobby helped in 1938, when Gulaev was drafted into the army. The amateur pilot was sent to the Stalingrad Aviation School, from which he graduated in 1940.

Gulaev was assigned to the air defense aviation, and in the first months of the war he provided cover for one of the industrial centers in the rear.

Reprimand complete with award

At the front, Gulaev appeared in August 1942 and immediately demonstrated both the talent of a combat pilot and the wayward character of a native of the Don steppes.

Gulaev did not have permission for night flights, and when on August 3, 1942, Hitler's planes appeared in the regiment's area of ​​responsibility, where the young pilot served, experienced pilots went into the sky.

But then the mechanic instigated Nikolai:

- What are you waiting for? The plane is ready, fly!

Gulaev, deciding to prove that he is no worse than the "old men", jumped into the cockpit and took off. And in the very first battle, without experience, without the help of searchlights, he destroyed a German bomber.

When Gulaev returned to the airfield, the general who had arrived uttered: "I am reprimanded for taking off unauthorizedly, but I am raising the rank and presenting for a reward for shooting down an enemy plane."

Pilot Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Photo: RIA Novosti

Nugget

His star shone especially brightly during the battles at the Kursk Bulge. On May 14, 1943, repelling a raid on the Grushka airfield, he single-handedly entered into battle with three Yu-87 bombers, covered by four Me-109s. Shooting down two Junkers, Gulaev tried to attack the third, but he ran out of cartridges. Without hesitation for a second, the pilot went to the ram, shooting down another bomber. The uncontrollable Yak of Gulaev went into a tailspin. The pilot managed to level the plane and land it at the forward edge, but on his own territory. Arriving at the regiment, Gulaev took off again on another plane on a combat mission.

In early July 1943, Gulaev, as part of a four of Soviet fighters, using the surprise factor, attacked a German armada of 100 aircraft. Having upset the battle formation, shooting down 4 bombers and 2 fighters, all four returned safely to the airfield. On this day, Gulaev's link made several sorties and destroyed 16 enemy aircraft.

July 1943 was generally extremely productive for Nikolai Gulaev. Here is what is recorded in his flight book: "July 5 - 6 sorties, 4 victories, July 6 -" Focke-Wulf 190 "was shot down, on July 7 - three enemy aircraft were shot down in the group, on July 8 -" Me-109 "was shot down , July 12 - two U-87s were shot down.

Hero of the Soviet Union Fedor Archipenko, who happened to command the squadron where Gulaev served, wrote about him: “This was a nugget pilot who was one of the top ten aces of the country. He never shuddered, quickly assessed the situation, his sudden and effective attack created panic and destroyed the enemy's battle formation, which disrupted the aimed bombing of our troops. He was very courageous and decisive, often came to the rescue, sometimes one could feel the real passion of a hunter in him. "

Flying Stenka Razin

On September 28, 1943, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev, Deputy Squadron Commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment (205th Fighter Aviation Division, 7th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Force, Voronezh Front), was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In early 1944, Gulaev was appointed squadron commander. His not too rapid career growth is due to the fact that the ace's methods of educating subordinates were not entirely ordinary. So, one of the pilots of his squadron, who was afraid to get close to the Nazis at close range, he cured of fear of the enemy, giving a burst of airborne weapons next to the wingman's cockpit. The fear of the subordinate vanished as if by hand ...

The same Fyodor Archipenko, in his memoirs, described another characteristic episode associated with Gulaev: “Flying up to the airfield, I immediately saw from the air that the parking lot of Gulaev's plane was empty ... After landing, I was told that all Gulaev's six had been shot down! Nikolai himself sat down wounded at the airfield to the attack aircraft, and nothing is known about the other pilots. After some time, the front line reported: two jumped out of the planes and landed at the location of our troops, the fate of three more is unknown ... And today, many years later, I see Gulaev's main mistake, made then, in what he took with him in battle. the departure of three young, not at all fired pilots at once, who were shot down in their very first battle. True, Gulaev himself won 4 aerial victories that day at once, shooting down 2 Me-109, Ju-87 and Henschel.

He was not afraid to risk himself, but with the same ease he risked his subordinates, which at times looked completely unjustified. Pilot Gulaev did not look like "air Kutuzov", but rather like dashing Stenka Razin, who had mastered a combat fighter.

But at the same time, he achieved amazing results. In one of the battles over the Prut River, at the head of six P-39 Airacobra fighters, Nikolai Gulaev attacked 27 enemy bombers escorted by 8 fighters. In 4 minutes, 11 enemy vehicles were destroyed, of which 5 were personally by Gulaev.

In March 1944, the pilot received a short-term home leave. From this trip to the Don, he arrived withdrawn, taciturn, bitter. He was torn into battle furiously, with a kind of transcendental fury. During a trip home, Nikolai learned that during the occupation of his father, the Nazis were executed ...

On July 1, 1944, Guard Captain Nikolai Gulaev was awarded the second star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for 125 sorties, 42 air battles, in which he shot down 42 enemy aircraft personally and 3 in a group.

And then another episode takes place, about which Gulaev frankly told his friends after the war, an episode that perfectly shows his violent nature from the Don.

The pilot learned that he had become twice Hero of the Soviet Union after another flight. At the airfield, fellow soldiers have already gathered, who said: the award must be "washed", there is alcohol, but there is a problem with the snack.

Gulaev recalled that when he returned to the airfield, he saw grazing pigs. With the words "there will be a snack," the ace again sits on the plane and a few minutes later puts him near the sheds, to the amazement of the owner of the pigs.

As already mentioned, the pilots were paid for the downed planes, so Nikolai had no problems with cash. The hostess willingly agreed to sell the boar, which was hardly loaded into a fighting vehicle.

By some miracle, the pilot took off from a very small platform along with a boar, distraught with horror. The combat aircraft is not designed for a plump pig to dance inside it. Gulaev barely kept the plane in the air ...

If a catastrophe happened that day, it would probably be the most ridiculous case of the death of a twice Hero of the Soviet Union in history.

Thank God, Gulaev made it to the airfield, and the regiment cheerfully celebrated the hero's award.

Another anecdotal case is related to the appearance of a Soviet ace. Once in battle, he managed to shoot down a reconnaissance aircraft piloted by a Hitlerite colonel, holder of four Iron Crosses. The German pilot wanted to meet with those who managed to interrupt his brilliant career. Apparently, the German expected to see a stately handsome man, a "Russian bear", who was not ashamed to lose ... And instead came a young, short, plump captain Gulaev, who, by the way, had a not heroic nickname "Kolobok" in the regiment. There was no limit to the German's disappointment ...

Fight with political overtones

In the summer of 1944, the Soviet command decides to recall the best Soviet pilots from the front. The war is coming to a victorious end, and the leadership of the USSR begins to think about the future. Those who showed themselves in the Great Patriotic War must graduate from the Air Force Academy in order to then take leading positions in the Air Force and Air Defense.

Among those who were summoned to Moscow was Gulaev. He himself was not eager to enter the academy, asked to remain in the army, but was refused. On August 12, 1944, Nikolai Gulaev shot down his last Focke-Wulf 190.

There are at least three versions of what happened, which combine two words - "brawl" and "foreigners". Let's dwell on the one that occurs most often.

According to her, Nikolai Gulaev, by that time already a major, was summoned to Moscow not only to study at the academy, but also to receive the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Considering the pilot's combat achievements, such a version does not look implausible. Gulaev's company also included other honored aces who were awaiting an award.

The day before the ceremony in the Kremlin, Gulaev went to the restaurant of the Moscow Hotel, where his fellow pilots were resting. However, the restaurant was overcrowded, and the administrator said: "Comrade, there is no room for you!"

Saying something like that to Gulaev with his explosive character was not worth it at all, but here, unfortunately, he also came across the Romanian military, who were also relaxing in the restaurant at that moment. Shortly before this, Romania, which had been an ally of Germany since the beginning of the war, had gone over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The enraged Gulaev said loudly: "Is it that there is no place for a Hero of the Soviet Union, but there are enemies?"

The words of the pilot were heard by the Romanians, and one of them issued an offensive phrase in Russian to Gulaev. A second later, the Soviet ace was near the Romanian and savagely hit him in the face.

In less than a minute, a fight broke out in the restaurant between Romanians and Soviet pilots.

When the fighters were separated, it turned out that the pilots had beaten the members of the official military delegation of Romania. The scandal reached Stalin himself, who decided: to cancel the awarding of the third star of the Hero.

If it were not about the Romanians, but about the British or the Americans, most likely, the case for Gulaev would have ended completely deplorable. But the leader of all nations did not begin to ruin the life of his ace because of yesterday's opponents. Gulaev was simply sent to the unit, away from the front, the Romanians and, in general, any attention. But how true this version is is unknown.

General who was friends with Vysotsky

Despite everything, in 1950 Nikolai Gulaev graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, and five years later - from the General Staff Academy.

He commanded the 133rd Air Fighter Division located in Yaroslavl, the 32nd Air Defense Corps in Rzhev, and the 10th Air Defense Army in Arkhangelsk, which covered the northern borders of the Soviet Union.

Nikolai Dmitrievich had a wonderful family, he adored his granddaughter Irochka, was a passionate fisherman, loved to treat guests personally to salted watermelons ...

He also attended pioneer camps, participated in various veteran events, but still there was a feeling that an order was given above, in modern terms, not to promote his person too much.

Actually, the reasons for this were also at a time when Gulaev was already wearing general's shoulder straps. For example, he could, by his power, invite to a performance at the Officers' House in Arkhangelsk Vladimir Vysotsky ignoring the timid protests of the local party leadership. By the way, there is a version that some of Vysotsky's songs about pilots were born after his meetings with Nikolai Gulaev.

Norwegian complaint

Colonel-General Gulaev resigned in 1979. And there is a version that one of the reasons for this was a new conflict with foreigners, but this time not with Romanians, but with Norwegians.

General Gulaev allegedly set up a hunt for polar bears using helicopters near the border with Norway. The Norwegian border guards appealed to the Soviet authorities with a complaint about the actions of the general. After that, the general was transferred to a headquarters position away from Norway, and then sent to a well-deserved retirement.

It cannot be said with certainty that this hunt took place, although such a plot fits very well into the vivid biography of Nikolai Gulaev.

Be that as it may, the resignation had a bad effect on the health of the old pilot, who could not imagine himself without the service to which his whole life was devoted.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev died on September 27, 1985 in Moscow, at the age of 67. His final resting place was the Kuntsevo cemetery of the capital.

Anatoly Dokuchaev

RATING ASOV
Whose pilots were better in World War II?

Ivan Kozhedub, Alexander Pokryshkin, Nikolai Gulaev, Boris Safonov ... These are famous Soviet aces. How do their results compare to the achievements of the best foreign pilots?

It is difficult to determine the most effective master of aerial combat, but, I think, it is still possible. How? Initially, the author of the essay tried to find an appropriate methodology. For this, on the advice of experts, the following criteria were applied. The first and most important one is which enemy the pilot had to fight against. The second is the nature of the pilot's combat work, because some entered into duels in any conditions, while others fought as "free hunters". The third is the combat capabilities of their fighters and opposing vehicles. The fourth is the number (average result) of downed enemy aircraft in one sortie, in one battle. The fifth is the number of fights lost. The sixth is the number of downed vehicles. Seventh - the method of counting victories. Etc. etc. (analysis of all the factual material available to the author). Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Bong, Johnson, Hartmann and other famous pilots received a certain number of points with plus and minus. The rating of the pilots (calculations were carried out on a computer) turned out, of course, conditional, but it is based on objective indicators.

So, Ivan Kozhedub (USSR Air Force) - 1760 points. Nikolai Gulaev (USSR Air Force) - 1600, Erich Hartmann (Luftwaffe) - 1560, Hans-Joachim Marseille (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Gerd Barkhorn (Luftwaffe) - 1400, Richard Bong (USAF) - 1380, Alexander Pokryshkin (USSR Air Force) - 1340. This is the first seven.

It is clear that many readers will require an explanation of the given rating, and therefore I am doing it. But first - about the strongest representatives of the air schools of the Second World War.

OUR

The highest result among Soviet pilots was achieved by Ivan Kozhedub - 62 air victories.

The legendary pilot was born on June 8, 1920 in the village of Obrazheevka, Sumy region. In 1939 he mastered the U-2 at the flying club. The next year he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation Pilot School. Learns to fly on UT-2 and I-16 aircraft. As one of the best cadets, he is retained as an instructor. In 1941, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, together with the school staff, he was evacuated to Central Asia. There he asked to join the army, but only in November 1942 he received a referral to the front in the 240th Fighter Aviation Regiment, commanded by Major Ignatiy Soldatenko, a participant in the war in Spain.

The first sortie takes place on March 26, 1943 on La-5. He was unfortunate. During an attack on a pair of Messerschmitts Bf-109, his Lavochkin was damaged and then fired upon by its anti-aircraft artillery. Kozhedub was able to bring the car to the airfield, but it was not possible to restore it. He made the next flights on old aircraft and only a month later received a new La-5.

Kursk Bulge. July 6, 1943 It is then that the 23-year-old pilot opens his combat account. In that duel, he, joining the squadron in a battle with 12 enemy aircraft, wins the first victory - he shoots down a Ju87 bomber. The next day he wins a new victory. On July 9, Ivan Kozhedub destroys two Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters. In August 43, the young pilot becomes squadron commander. By October, he had already 146 sorties, 20 shot down planes, he was presented for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on February 4, 1944). In the battles for the Dnieper, the pilots of the regiment, in which Kozhedub is fighting, met with Goering's aces from the Melders squadron and defeated them. Ivan Kozhedub also increased his account.

In May-June 1944 he fights on the received La-5FN for # 14 (a gift from collective farmer Ivan Konev). Shoots down a Ju-87 first. And then, over the next six days, he destroys 7 more enemy vehicles, including five Fw-190s. The pilot is presented for the second time to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded on August 19, 1944) ...

Once the aviation of the 3rd Baltic Front caused a lot of trouble by a group of German pilots led by an ace, who won 130 air victories (of which 30 were removed from his account for destroying three of their fighters in a fever), his colleagues also had dozens of victories. To counter them, Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the front with a squadron of experienced pilots. The outcome of the bout is 12: 2 in favor of the Soviet aces.

At the end of June, Kozhedub transfers his fighter to another ace - Kirill Evstigneev and goes to a training regiment. However, in September 1944, the pilot was sent to Poland, to the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front in the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment (his deputy commander) and was fighting in the "free hunt" method - on the latest Soviet fighter La-7. He will fight in car # 27 until the end of the war, shooting down 17 more enemy vehicles.

February 19, 1945 Kozhedub destroys a Me 262 jet over the Oder. He shot down the sixty-first and sixty-second enemy aircraft (Fw 190) over the capital of Germany on April 17, 1945 in an air battle, which is studied as a classic model in military academies and schools. In August 1945 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the third time. Ivan Kozhedub finished the war with the rank of major. In 1943-1945. he flew 330 combat missions, conducted 120 air battles. The Soviet pilot did not lose a single duel and is the best ace of the Allied aviation.

On the personal account of Alexander Pokryshkin - 59 downed aircraft (plus 6 in the group), Nikolai Gulaev - 57 (plus 3), Grigory Rechkalov - 56 (plus 6 in the group), Kirill Evstigneev - 53 (plus 3 in the group), Arseny Vorozheikin - 52, Dmitry Glinka - 50, Nikolai Skomorokhov - 46 (plus 8 in the group), Alexander Koldunov - 46 (plus 1 in the group), Nikolai Krasnov - 44, Vladimir Bobrov - 43 (plus 24 in the group), Sergey Morgunov - 43, Vladimir Serov - 41 (plus 6 in the group), Vitaly Popkov - 41 (plus 1 in the group), Alexey Alelyukhin - 40 (plus 17 in the group), Pavel Muravyov - 40 (plus 2 in the group).

Another 40 Soviet pilots shot down 30 to 40 aircraft each. Among them are Sergey Lugansky, Pavel Kamozin, Vladimir Lavrinenkov, Vasily Zaitsev, Alexey Smirnov, Ivan Stepanenko, Andrey Borovykh, Alexander Klubov, Alexey Ryazanov, Sultan Amet-Khan.

27 Soviet fighter pilots, awarded the title three times and twice Hero of the Soviet Union for military exploits, won from 22 to 62 victories, in total they shot down 1,044 enemy aircraft (plus 184 in the group). More than 800 pilots have 16 or more victories. Our aces (3% of all pilots) destroyed 30% of enemy aircraft.

ALLIES AND ENEMIES

The best allies of the Soviet pilots were the American pilot Richard Bong and the English one, Johnny Johnson.

During the Second World War, Richard Bong showed himself in the Pacific theater of operations. During 200 sorties from December 1942 to December 1944 he shot down 40 enemy aircraft - all Japanese. The pilot in the United States is considered an ace of "all time", celebrating professionalism and courage. In the summer of 1944, Bong was appointed instructor, but voluntarily returned to his unit as a fighter pilot. Awarded the US Congress Medal of Honor, the country's highest distinction. In addition to Bong, eight more US Air Force pilots have won 25 or more aerial victories.

On the combat account of the Englishman Johnny Johnson - 38 downed enemy aircraft, and all fighters. During the war, he rose from a sergeant, fighter pilot to a colonel, an air wing commander. An active participant in the air "Battle of Britain". 13 more pilots of the British Air Force have won over 25 aerial victories.

The name of the French pilot Lieutenant Pierre Klosterman, who shot down 33 fascist planes, should also be mentioned.

Erich Hartmann was the leader in the German Air Force. The German pilot is known as the most successful fighter pilot in the history of air combat. Almost all of his service took place on the Soviet-German front, here he won 347 aerial victories, on his account there are also 5 shot down American P-51 Mustangs (352 in total).

He began service in the Luftwaffe in 1940, was sent to the Eastern Front in 1942. He fought in a Bf-109 fighter. In the third sortie he was shot down.

Having won the first victory (shot down by an Il-2 attack aircraft) in November 1942, he was wounded. By the middle of 1943, he had 34 aircraft on his account, which was no exception. But on July 7 of the same year he emerged victorious in 7 fights, and two months later he brought the score of his aerial victories to 95. On August 24, 1944 (according to the pilot himself) he shot down 6 aircraft in only one sortie, by the end of the same day he won 5 more victories, bringing the total number of aircraft downed to 301. He won the last air battle on the last day of the war - May 8, 1945. In total, Hartmann flew 1425 sorties, in 800 of them he entered the battle. He was twice parachuted out of burning cars.

There were other pilots in the Luftwaffe who had solid results: Gerd Barkhorn - 301 victories, Gunther Rall - 275, Otto Kittel - 267, Walter Novotny - 258, Wilhelm Baz - 237, Erich Rudorfer - 222, Heinrich Ber - 220, Hermann Graf - 212, Theodor Weissenberger - 208.

106 pilots of the German Air Force destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft each, in total - 15547, and 15 of the best - 3576 aircraft.

COMPONENTS OF VICTORIES

And now an explanation of the given rating. It is more logical to compare the Soviet and German Air Force: their representatives shot down the largest number of aircraft, more than a dozen aces came out of their ranks. Finally, the outcome of World War II was decided on the Eastern Front.

At the beginning of the war, German pilots were better trained than Soviet pilots; they had experience in battles in Spain, Poland, and campaigns in the West. The Luftwaffe has developed a solid school. High-quality fighters came out of it. So the Soviet aces fought against them, so their combat score is therefore more weighty than that of the best German pilots. They shot down professionals, not weaklings.

The Germans had the opportunity to thoroughly prepare the pilots for the first battle at the beginning of the war (450 hours of flight training; however, in the second half of the war - 150 hours), they carefully "tested" them in combat conditions. As a rule, the young did not immediately enter into fights, but only watched them from the sidelines. They mastered, so to speak, the technique. For example, Barkhorn in the first 100 sorties at the front did not conduct a single battle with Soviet pilots. I studied their tactics, habits, and in the decisive moments left the meeting. And only after gaining experience, he rushed into the fray. So on account of the best German and Russian pilots, including Kozhedub and Hartmann, pilots of the downed aircraft of different skill.

Many Soviet pilots in the first period of the Great Patriotic War, when the enemy was rapidly rushing into the depths of the USSR, had to engage in combat, often without good training, sometimes after 10-12 hours of flight training on a new brand of aircraft. Beginners also fell under the cannon, machine-gun fire of German fighters. With experienced pilots, not all German aces could withstand the confrontation.

“At the beginning of the war, the Russian pilots were imprudent in the air, acted constrainedly, and I easily knocked them down with unexpected attacks,” Gerd Barkhorn noted in his book “Horrido”. other European countries with which we had to fight. In the course of the war Russian pilots became more and more skilled air fighters. One day in 1943 I had to fight in a Bf-109G with a Soviet pilot who was piloting a LaGG-3. The cock of his car was painted red color, which meant - a pilot from the guards regiment. This we knew from the intelligence data. Our battle lasted about 40 minutes, and I could not overcome him. We got up in our cars everything we knew and could. Still were forced to disperse. Yes, it was a real master! "

Skill to Soviet pilots at the final stage of the war came not only in battles. A flexible system of training aviation personnel adapted to military conditions was created. Thus, in 1944, compared to the 41st, the number of flights per pilot increased by more than 4 times. With the transfer of the strategic initiative to our troops, regimental training centers began to be created at the fronts to prepare reinforcements for combat operations.

The success of Hartmann and other German pilots was greatly facilitated by the fact that many of them, unlike our pilots, were allowed to conduct a "free hunt" throughout the war. engage in battle in favorable conditions.

It should also be frankly admitted: the achievements of the German pilots are largely related to the quality of the equipment on which they fought, although here, too, everything is not simple.

The "personal" fighters of the aces of the opposing sides were not inferior to each other. Ivan Kozhedub fought on La-5 (at the end of the war on La-7). This machine was in no way inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf-109, on which Hartmann fought. In speed (648 km / h) "Lavochkin" surpassed individual modifications of "Messers", but was inferior to them in maneuverability. Not weaker than the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 were the American P-39 Airacobra and P-38 Lightning fighters. Alexander Pokryshkin fought on the first, Richard Bong - on the second.

But in general, in terms of their performance characteristics, many aircraft of the Soviet Air Force were inferior to those of the Luftwaffe. And it's not just about fighters I-15, I-15 bis. German fighters, let's say the truth, retained the advantage until the end of the war, because German firms constantly continued to improve them. Already under the bombing of the Allied aviation, they managed to produce about 2,000 Messerschmitt Me163 and Me262 jet fighters, the speed of which reached 900 km / h.

And then, the data on downed aircraft cannot be considered in isolation from the number of sorties and battles carried out. For example, Hartmann made a total of 1,425 sorties during the war years, in 800 of them he entered into battles. Kozhedub made 330 sorties during the war, conducted 120 battles. It turns out that the Soviet ace needed 2 air battles for one shot down plane, the German one - 2.5. It should be noted that Hartmann lost 2 fights, he had to jump with a parachute. Once he was even captured, but, taking advantage of his good knowledge of the Russian language, escaped.

One cannot but pay attention to the German method of counting downed cars with the help of film and photo machine guns: if the route is along the plane, it was considered that the pilot won, although often the car remained in service. There are hundreds, thousands of cases when damaged aircraft returned to airfields. When solid German cinema and photo machine guns refused, the score was kept by the pilot himself. Western researchers often use the phrase "according to the pilot" when talking about the performance of Luftwaffe pilots. For example, Hartmann stated that on August 24, 1944, he shot down 6 aircraft in one sortie, but there is no other evidence of this.

On domestic aircraft, photographic equipment that recorded hits on enemy vehicles began to be installed almost at the end of the war, and it served as an additional means of control. The victories were recorded on the personal account of the Soviet pilots, only confirmed by the participants in this battle and by ground observers.

In addition, the Soviet aces never attributed to themselves the aircraft destroyed together with the newcomers, since they began their combat path, asserted themselves. Kozhedub has a lot of such "handouts". So his account is different from the one listed in the encyclopedia. He rarely returned from a sortie without a victory. According to this indicator, it is surpassed, perhaps, only by Nikolai Gulaev. Now, apparently, the reader understands why Ivan Kozhedub's rating is the highest, and Nikolai Gulaev is the second in the list.

This article will not focus on the best fighter pilots, but on the most effective pilots who have achieved the largest number of enemy aircraft shot down. Who are they asses, and where did they come from? Aces-fighters are those who were primarily aimed at destroying aircraft, which did not always coincide with the main task of combat missions, but often was a concomitant goal, or just a way to accomplish the task. In any case, the main task of the Air Force, depending on the situation, was either the destruction of the enemy, or the prevention of the death of its military potential. Fighter aircraft always performed an auxiliary function: either they did not allow enemy bombers to reach the target, or they covered their own. Naturally, the share of fighters in the Air Force, on average in all the belligerent countries, was about 30% of the total number of the military air fleet. Thus, the best pilots should be considered those who did not shoot down a record number of aircraft, but who completed their combat mission. And since there were the overwhelming majority of such at the front, it is very problematic to determine the best among them, even taking into account the awards system.

However, the human essence has always demanded a leader, and the military propaganda of a hero, a role model, hence the qualitative indicator "best", turned into a quantitative indicator "as". Our story will be about such aces-fighters. By the way, according to the unwritten rules of the allies, an ace is considered a pilot who has won at least 5 victories, i.e. destroyed 5 enemy aircraft.

Due to the fact that the quantitative indicators of downed aircraft in the warring countries are very different, at the beginning of the story, we abstract from subjective and objective explanations, and focus only on dry numbers. At the same time, we will bear in mind that "registrations" happened in all armies, and as practice shows, in units, not in tens, which could not significantly affect the order of the figures under consideration. We will begin the presentation in the context of countries, from the best results to the smallest indicators.

Germany

Hartman Erich (Erich Alfred Hartmann) (04/19/1922 - 09/20/1993). 352 wins

Fighter pilot, major. From 1936 he flew gliders at the air club, and from 1938 he began to learn to fly airplanes. After graduating from the aviation school in 1942, he was sent to a fighter squadron operating in the Caucasus. He took part in the Battle of the Kursk Bulge, during which he shot down 7 planes in one day. The maximum result of a pilot is 11 shot down planes in one day. Was shot down 14 times. In 1944 he was captured, but managed to escape. He commanded a squadron. He shot down his last plane on May 8, 1945. The favorite tactics were an ambush and short-range fire. 80% of the pilots he shot down did not have time to understand what happened. I never got involved in a "dog dump", considering the fight with fighters a waste of time. He himself described his tactics in the following words: "I saw - I decided - I attacked - I broke away." He flew 1,425 sorties, participated in 802 air battles and shot down 352 enemy aircraft (347 Soviet aircraft), achieving the best result in the history of aviation. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

The second German pilot to shoot down more than 300 aircraft is Gerhard Barkhorn, who destroyed 301 enemy aircraft in 1,100 sorties. 15 German pilots shot down from 200 to 300 enemy aircraft, 19 pilots shot down from 150 to 200 aircraft, 104 pilots chalked up from 100 to 150 victories.

During the Second World War, according to German data, Luftwaffe pilots scored about 70,000 victories. More than 5,000 German pilots became aces, having won five or more victories. Of the 43,100 (90% of all losses) of Soviet aircraft destroyed by Luftwaffe pilots during the Second World War, 24,000 were accounted for by three hundred aces. More than 8,500 German fighter pilots were killed, 2,700 were missing or captured. 9,100 pilots were injured during combat missions.

Finland

Fighter pilot, warrant officer. In 1933 he received a license to pilot a private aircraft, then graduated from the Finnish aviation school and in 1937, with the rank of sergeant, began military service. Initially, he flew in a reconnaissance aircraft, and since 1938 - as a fighter pilot. Sergeant Juutilainen won his first aerial victory on December 19, 1939, by shooting down a Soviet DB-3 bomber in an FR-106 fighter over the Karelian Isthmus. A few days later, in a battle over the northern shore of Lake Ladoga, he shot down an I-16 fighter. He is the highest scoring pilot to fly the Brewster fighter with 35 victories. He also fought on the Bf 109 G-2 and Bf 109 G-6 fighters. In 1939-1944 he flew 437 sorties, shooting down 94 Soviet aircraft, two of which during the Soviet-Finnish war. He is one of four Finns who were twice awarded the Mannerheim Cross II class (and the only one among them who does not have an officer rank).

The second most productive Finnish pilot is Hans Henrik Wind (Wind Hans Henrik), who made 302 sorties, scoring 75 victories. 9 Finnish pilots, having made 200 to 440 sorties, shot down 31 to 56 enemy aircraft. 39 pilots shot down 10 to 30 aircraft. According to expert estimates, the Red Army Air Force lost 1,855 aircraft in air battles with Finnish fighters, 77% of which fell to the share of the Finnish aces.

Japan

Fighter pilot, Jr. lieutenant posthumously. In 1936 he entered the school of reserve pilots. He started the war on a Mitsubishi A5M fighter, then flew on a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, both Japanese and American pilots, Nishizawa was distinguished by the incredible art of piloting a fighter. He won his first victory on April 11, 1942 - he shot down an American P-39 Airacobra fighter. Over the next 72 hours, he shot down 6 more enemy aircraft. On August 7, 1942, shot down six Grumman F4F fighters on Guadalcanal. In 1943, Nishizawa chalked up 6 more downed aircraft. For their merits, the command of the 11th Air Fleet awarded Nishizawa with a combat sword with the inscription "For military valor." In October 1944, while covering kamikaze planes, he shot down his last 87th plane. Nishizawa died as a passenger on a transport plane while traveling for new planes. The pilot posthumously received the posthumous name Bukai-in Kohan Giko Kyoshi, which translates as "In the ocean of war, one of the revered pilots, a face revered in Buddhism."

The second Japanese driver in scoring is Iwamoto Tetsuzo (岩 本 徹 三), who has 80 wins. 9 Japanese pilots shot down from 50 to 70 enemy aircraft, another 19 - from 30 to 50.

the USSR

Fighter pilot, major on the day of the end of the war. He made his first steps in aviation in 1934 at the flying club, then graduated from the Chuguev Aviation Pilot School, where he served as an instructor. At the end of 1942 he was assigned to a fighter aviation regiment. Since the spring of 1943 - at the Voronezh front. In the first battle he was hit, but managed to return to his airfield. Since the summer of 1943, with the rank of junior. lieutenant was appointed deputy squadron commander. On the Kursk Bulge, during his 40th sortie, he shot down his first plane, the Ju-87. The next day he shot down the second, a few days later - 2 fighters "Bf-109". The first rank of Hero of the Soviet Union Kozhedub (already senior lieutenant) was awarded on February 4, 1944 for 146 sorties and 20 downed enemy aircraft. Since the spring of 1944 he fought on the La-5FN fighter, then on the La-7. Kozhedub was awarded the second Gold Star medal on August 19, 1944 for 256 combat missions and 48 downed enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a major of the Guards, made 330 sorties, shot down 64 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles, among them 17 Ju-87 dive bombers, 2 Ju-88 and He- 111 ", 16 fighters" Bf-109 "and 21" Fw-190 ", 3 attack aircraft" Hs-129 "and 1 jet fighter" Me-262 ". 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. In addition, Kozhedub was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin, 7 Orders of the Red Banner, 2 Orders of the Red Star.

The second most effective Soviet pilot is Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich, who flew 650 sorties, conducted 156 battles and won 59 victories, for which he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. In addition, 5 Soviet fighter pilots shot down over 50 enemy aircraft. 7 pilots shot down from 40 to 50 aircraft, 34 - from 30 to 40 aircraft. 800 pilots have from 16 to 30 victories. More than 5 thousand pilots have destroyed 5 or more aircraft. Separately, it is worth noting the most productive female fighter - Lydia Litvyak, who won 12 victories.

Romania

Fighter pilot, captain. In 1933 he became interested in aviation, created his own aviation school, was engaged in aviation sports, Romanian aerobatics champion in 1939. By the beginning of the war, Cantacuzino had flown over two thousand hours, becoming an experienced pilot. In 1941 he served as a pilot for a transport airline, but soon voluntarily joined the military aviation. As part of the 53rd Squadron of the 7th Fighter Group, equipped with British Hurricane fighters, Cantacuzino took part in the battles on the Eastern Front. In December 1941 he was recalled from the front and demobilized. In April 1943, he was again mobilized into the same 7th Fighter Group, equipped with Bf 109 fighters, and fought on the Eastern Front, where in May he was appointed commander of the 58th Squadron with the rank of captain. He fought in Moldova and South Transylvania. He flew 608 sorties, shot down 54 enemy aircraft, including Soviet, American and German aircraft. Among the awards of Constantin Cantacuzino were both the Romanian Order of Mihai the Brave, and the German Iron Cross of the 1st class.

The second most effective Romanian pilot is Alexandru Şerbănescu, who flew 590 sorties and shot down 44 enemy aircraft. Romanian Ion Milu flew 500 sorties and won 40 wins. 13 pilots shot down 10 to 20 aircraft, and 4 - from 6 to 9. Almost all of them flew in German fighters and shot down Allied aircraft.

United Kingdom

In 1936 he joined a special South African battalion, and then entered the civilian flight school, after which he was sent to the Primary Flight School. In the spring of 1937 he mastered the Gloster Gladiator biplane fighter and a year later was sent to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. In August 1940 he took part in the first air battle, in which he shot down his first plane, but he himself was shot down. A week later he shot down two more enemy aircraft. Taking part in the battles for Greece, where he fought on the Hawker Hurricane Mk I fighter, he shot down several Italian planes every day. Before the German invasion of Greece, Marmaduke had 28 downed aircraft and commanded a squadron. For a month of fighting, the pilot brought the number of downed aircraft to 51 and was shot down in an unequal battle. He was awarded the Distinguished Flight Merit Cross.

The second most scoring British pilot is James Edgar Johnson, who flew 515 sorties and scored 34 victories. 25 British pilots shot down 20 to 32 aircraft, 51 from 10 to 20.

Croatia

Fighter pilot, captain. After graduating from the aviation school with the rank of junior lieutenant, he joined the Air Force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the creation of the Independent State, Croatia joined the Air Force of the newly formed state. In the summer of 1941 he studied in Germany and joined the Croatian Air Legion. The first sortie flew on October 29, 1942 in the Kuban. In February 1944, Dukovac made his 250th sortie, having won 37 victories, for which he was awarded the German Cross in gold. In the same year, during the battles in the Crimea, Dukovac won the 44th victory. On September 29, 1944, his Me.109 aircraft was shot down and the Croatian ace was captured by the Soviet Union. For some time he worked as an aerobatics instructor in the USSR Air Force, after which he was sent to the Yugoslav partisan army as the same instructor. In February 1945, the Yugoslavs learned that Dukovac had previously served in the Ustasha Air Force, and ordered his immediate arrest, but on August 8, 1945, he fled to Italy and surrendered to the Americans, where he was registered as a prisoner of war from the Luftwaffe. In January 1946, he was released and went to Syria, where he participated in the Arab-Israeli war with the Syrian Air Force.

The second most productive Croatian pilot was Franjo Jal, who won 16 aerial victories. 6 Croatian pilots shot down 10 to 14 aircraft.

USA

Fighter pilot, major. In 1941, Bong entered the military flight school, and upon graduation became an instructor pilot. Once at the front, until the end of 1942 he was in a training squadron. In the first battle, he shot down two Japanese aircraft at once. Within two weeks, Bong shot down three more planes. During the battles, he used the method of air attacks, known as "air superiority tactics". The method involved a high-altitude attack, close-range heavy fire, and a quick escape at high speed. Another tactical principle of the time was: "Never engage in close combat with Zero." By early 1944 Bong had shot down 20 aircraft and a Distinguished Service Cross. In December 1944, having 40 victories over 200 sorties, Bong received the Medal of Honor and returned from the front to the post of test pilot. Killed while testing a jet fighter.

The second most effective American pilot is Thomas Buchanan McGuire, who shot down 38 enemy aircraft in a P-38 fighter. 25 American pilots had up to 20 downed aircraft to their account. 205 had 10 to 20 wins. It is noteworthy that all American aces have achieved success in the Pacific theater of operations.

Hungary

Fighter pilot, lieutenant. After leaving school, at the age of 18 he volunteered for the Royal Hungarian Air Force. Initially he served as a mechanic, and later completed pilot training. As a fighter pilot, he took part in World War II operations in Hungary, flying the Italian Fiat CR.32 aircraft. From the summer of 1942 he fought on the Eastern Front. By the end of the war, he flew 220 sorties, never losing his plane, shot down 34 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the 2nd class Iron Cross and many medals of Hungary. Killed in a plane crash.

The second most effective Hungarian pilot is Debrody Gyorgy, who shot down 26 enemy aircraft in 204 sorties. 10 pilots shot down from 10 to 25 aircraft, and 20 pilots from 5 to 10. Most of them flew in German fighters and fought against the Allies.

Fighter pilot, lieutenant colonel. In 1937 he received a private pilot's license. After the surrender of France, in March 1942 he joined the Free French Air Force in Great Britain. After graduating from the RAF Cranwell School of the Air Force with the rank of Aviation Sergeant, he was sent to the 341st RAF Squadron, where he began flying Supermarine Spitfires. Klosterman won his first two victories in July 1943, destroying two Focke-Wulf 190s over France. From July to November 1944 he worked at the headquarters of the French Air Force. In December he returned to the front, began flying in the 274th squadron, was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to the Hawker Tempest aircraft. From April 1, 1945, Klosterman was the commander of the 3rd Squadron, and from April 27, he commanded the entire 122nd Air Wing. During the war, he flew 432 sorties, gaining 33 victories. He was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor, the Order of Liberation and many medals.

The second most effective French pilot Marcel Albert, who fought in the Normandie-Niemen fighter regiment on the Eastern Front, shot down 23 enemy aircraft. During the hostilities, 96 pilots of this regiment made 5240 sorties, conducted about 900 air battles, and won 273 victories.

Slovakia

After leaving school, he studied at the flying club, then served in a fighter regiment. After the collapse of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the regiment passed to the army of the Slovak state. From July 1941 he served on the Eastern Front as a scout on the Avia B-534 biplane. In 1942 Rezhnyak retrained for the Bf.109 fighter and fought in the Maikop area, where he shot down his first plane. From the summer of 1943 he guarded the sky of Bratislava. During the war, he shot down 32 enemy aircraft. He was awarded a number of orders and medals: German, Slovak and Croatian.

The second most productive Slovak pilot was Isidor Kovarik, who won 29 victories on the Bf.109G fighter. Slovak Jan Gerthofer, on the same fighter, shot down 27 enemy aircraft. 5 pilots shot down from 10 to 19 planes, and 9 more - from 5 to 10 planes.

Canada

Fighter pilot, captain. After dropping out of school, Burling got a job transporting air cargo for mining companies, where, as a co-pilot, he gained piloting experience. In 1940 he joined the RAF, where he was trained to fly a Spitfire fighter. Upon completion of his studies, he was sent as a sergeant to the 403rd squadron. His indiscipline and individuality, as well as his desire to fight, caused his colleagues to dislike him. After some time, Burling was transferred to the 41st squadron of the RAF, whose main tasks included the protection of convoys and operations over French territory. Burling won his first victory in May 1942, shooting down an Fw 190. A few days later, George shot down the second plane, for which he left the line and abandoned his leader without cover. Such an act aroused hostility on the part of comrades and displeasure from the authorities. Therefore, at the first opportunity, Burling transferred to the 249th squadron in Malta, to repel attacks on the island from the Air Force of the Third Reich and Italy. It was in Malta that Baz Burling earned the nickname "Madman". On his first sortie over Malta, Burling shot down three enemy aircraft. Six months later, the pilot had 20 victories, a medal and a cross "For outstanding flight services". During the evacuation from Malta, injured, the transport plane crashed and fell into the sea. Out of 19 passengers and crew, only three survived, incl. and the wounded Burling. Until the end of the war, the pilot did not have to fight anymore. On his account there were 31 personal victories. Killed in the tenth accident in his flying career, while flying around a new Israeli plane.

The second most effective Canadian pilot was Vernon C. Woodward, who shot down 22 aircraft. 32 Canadian pilots shot down 10 to 21 aircraft.

Australia

Fighter pilot, colonel. In 1938 he learned to fly at the New South Wales flying club. When World War II broke out, Clive joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). After training, he was sent to the 73rd RAF Squadron, where he flew the Hawker Hurricane fighter, and then retrained to fly the P-40 fighter. During his 30th sortie, Clive scored his first aerial victory. In the skies over Libya, he fought with two of the most eminent German aces in Africa. He was awarded the Distinguished Flight Merit Cross for the victory over one and the damage to the aircraft of the other. On December 5, 1941, over Libya, Clive shot down 5 U-87 dive bombers within a few minutes. And three weeks later he shot down a German ace, who had 69 aerial victories. In the spring of 1942, Caldwell was recalled from North Africa. On his account were 22 victories in 550 flight hours in 300 sorties. In the Pacific theater of operations, Clive Caldwell commanded the 1st Fighter Wing, equipped with the Supermarine Spitfires. While repelling the raids on Darwin, he shot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and a Nakajima B5N bomber. During the war years he shot down 28 enemy aircraft.

The second most scoring Australian driver is Keith Truscott, who has 17 wins. 13 pilots shot down 10 to 17 enemy aircraft.

In 1938 he joined the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, after which he was sent to the 54th RAF Squadron. He won his first aerial victory on May 25, 1940 - shot down by a German Bf 109. He was awarded the Distinguished Flight Merit Cross. At the end of the Battle of Britain, Colin had 14 personal victories. At the beginning of 1943 he was appointed squadron commander, then became the commander of an air wing. In 1944, Colin Gray was appointed commander of the 61st Army of the Oceanic Union (OCU). On account of Colin were 27 victories in more than 500 sorties.

The second most effective New Zealand pilot was Alan Christopher Deere, who shot down 22 enemy aircraft. Three more pilots shot down 21 aircraft each. 16 pilots won 10 to 17 victories, 65 pilots shot down 5 to 9 aircraft.

Italy

In 1937 he received a glider pilot's license, and in 1938 - an airplane pilot's license. After completing a training course for a fighter pilot at an aviation school, he received the rank of sergeant and was sent to the 366 fighter squadron. Teresio Martinoli scored his first aerial victory on 13 June 1940 with Fiat CR.42 fighters, shooting down an English bomber over Tunisia. Until September 8, 1943, when Italy signed the documents of unconditional surrender, the Italian ace had 276 sorties and 22 victories, most of which were achieved on the C.202 Folgore aircraft. Killed during a training flight while being retrained for an American P-39 fighter. He was awarded the Gold Medal "For Military Valor" (posthumously) and twice the Silver Medal "For Military Valor". Also awarded the 2nd Class German Iron Cross.

Three Italian pilots (Adriano Visconti, Leonardo Ferrulli and Franco Lucchini) shot down 21 aircraft each, 25 from 10 to 19, 97 from 5 to 9.

Poland

Fighter pilot, lieutenant colonel at the end of the war. He made his first acquaintance with aviation at the flying club. In 1935 he joined the Polish Army. In 1936-1938. studied at the school of aviation attendants. Since the beginning of World War II he took part in battles in the PZL P.11c fighter. In September 1939 he won four personal victories. In January 1940 he was sent for retraining to Great Britain. From August 1940 he took part in the "Battle of Britain", flew in the "Hawker Hurricane" fighter, was shot down, and promoted to captain. After mastering the fighter "Supermarine Spitfire" was appointed squadron commander. Since 1943 - commander of an air wing. During the war, he flew 321 sorties, shot down 21 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Silver Cross and the Gold Cross of the Military Order "Virtuti Militari", the Knight Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, the Grunwald Cross III degree, the Cross of the Brave (four times), the Aviation Medal (four times), the Order of Distinguished Service (Great Britain), the Cross “For Outstanding flight merit "(Great Britain, three times) and others.

The second most productive Polish driver is Witold Urbanovich, who won 18 victories. 5 Polish pilots scored from 11 to 17 aerial victories. 37 pilots shot down 5 to 10 aircraft.

China

In 1931 he entered the Central Officers' Academy. In 1934 he transferred to the Central Aviation School, graduating in 1936. He became a participant in the Japanese-Chinese War, flew on the Curtiss F11C Goshawk fighter, then on the Soviet I-15 and I-16. He won 11 personal victories.

11 Chinese pilots won from 5 to 8 victories during the war.

Bulgaria

In 1934 he entered the Higher Army School, becoming a cavalry officer. He continued his studies at the Military Aviation Academy in Sofia, from which he graduated in 1938, receiving the rank of second lieutenant. Then Stoyanov was sent to Germany for training, where he completed three courses - a fighter, an instructor and a commander of a fighter unit. He flew on aircraft "Bücker Bü 181", "Arado", "Focke-Wulf", "Heinkel He51", "Bf.109" and others. In 1939 he returned to Bulgaria and became an instructor at a fighter pilot school. In mid-1943, he was promoted to squadron commander and won his first aerial victory by shooting down an American B-24D bomber. In September 1944 Bulgaria sided with the Anti-Hitler coalition and declared war on the Third Reich. Stoyanov was awarded the rank of captain of the Bulgarian army and a little later, for successful actions against German troops in Macedonia and Kosovo, he was promoted to the rank of major. During the war, he flew 35 sorties and won 5 air victories.

After getting acquainted with the performance rating of fighter pilots of the Second World War, the question arises about too large a spread in the numbers of victories. If the low performance of pilots of small countries is quite explainable by the size of their air forces and limited participation in hostilities, then the difference in aircraft downed among the main countries participating in the war (Britain, Germany, USSR, USA, Japan) requires careful analysis. This is what we will do now, paying attention only to the most important factors of influence.

So, Germany, in terms of the ranking, has an incredibly high performance. We will immediately discard the explanation for this by the inaccuracy of the registration of victories, which many researchers are guilty of, since only in Germany there was a harmonious accounting system. At the same time, no system provided absolutely accurate accounting, for the war is not exactly an accounting business. However, the assertions that the "postscripts" reached 5-6 times of the actual results do not correspond to reality, since the data declared by Germany on the enemy's losses approximately correspond to the data shown by this enemy. And the data on the production of aircraft by country does not allow you to fantasize freely. Some researchers cite various reports of military leaders as evidence of the postscripts, but they shyly ignore the fact that the records of victories and losses were kept in completely different documents. And in the reports, the enemy's losses are always greater than the real ones, and theirs are always less.

It should be noted that most (but not all) German pilots achieved the greatest results on the Eastern Front. In the Western theater of military operations, the achievements were much more modest, and there are not many pilots who have achieved record indicators there. Hence there is an opinion that the German aces shot down Soviet "Ivanov" in batches due to their poor training and outdated aircraft. And on the Western Front, the pilots were better and the planes were newer, and therefore they shot down a little. This is only partially true, although it does not explain all the statistics. This pattern looks very simple. In 1941-1942. both the combat experience of the German pilots, and the quality of the aircraft, and most importantly their number, significantly exceeded the Soviet Air Force. Starting in 1943, the picture began to change dramatically. And by the end of the war, the "Ivans" were already knocking down the "Fritzes" in batches. That is, in the Red Army, the number of trained pilots and the number of aircraft clearly exceeded the German Air Force. Although the technique was still inferior to the German one. As a result, 5-7 moderately trained pilots on an average quality fighter easily shot down a German novice on a "cool" plane. By the way, the same Stalinist tactics were used in the tank forces. As for the Western Front, the air war began only in the middle of 1944, when Germany no longer had a sufficient number of aircraft and class pilots. There was no one and nothing to bring down the allies. In addition, the tactics used by the allies of mass raids (500-1000) of aircraft (bombers with fighter cover) did not particularly allow German fighter pilots to "roam" in the sky. At first, the Allies lost 50-70 aircraft in one raid, but as the Luftwaffe "thinned", the losses dropped to 20-30. At the end of the war, the German aces were content with only single aircraft that had been shot down and fought off the "flock". Only a few dared to fly up to the air "armada" at a distance of confident defeat. Hence the low performance of the German aces on the Western Front.

The next factor in the high efficiency of the Germans was the high intensity of sorties. The air forces of no country were even close to the number of sorties carried out by the Germans. That fighters, that attack aircraft and "bombers" carried out 5-6 sorties per day. In the Red Army - 1-2, and 3 - a heroic feat. The allies made one sortie in a few days, in critical situations - 2 a day. Japanese pilots flew a little more intensively - 2-3 sorties per day. Could have been more, but the huge distances from the airfields to the battlefield took up time and energy. The explanation for such an intensity of German flights lies not only in the selection of exceptionally physically healthy pilots, but also in the organization of the flights themselves and air combat. The Germans placed their field airfields as close to the front as possible - at the distance of the range limit of long-range artillery. This means that a minimum of resource was spent on approaching the battle site: fuel, time and physical strength. The Germans, unlike Soviet fighters, did not hang in the air for hours on patrol, but took off at the command of the aircraft detection services. The system of radar guidance of aircraft to the target, and their total radio frequency, allowed German pilots not only to quickly find a target, but also to take an advantageous position for battle. Do not forget that the control of almost any German aircraft was incredibly easier, and incomparable with the Soviet one, where remarkable physical strength was needed, and automation was never even dreamed of. There is nothing to compare with German sights on cannons and machine guns, hence the high accuracy in shooting. It should be remembered that German pilots, under high loads, could freely use amphitamines (pervitin, isophane, benzedrine). As a result, pilots spent significantly less resources and forces on one combat mission, which made it possible to fly more often and with greater efficiency.

An important factor in the effectiveness was the tactics of the use of fighter formations by the German command. High maneuverability in their redeployment to the "hottest" points of the entire Eastern Front allowed the Germans not only to gain situational air superiority in a specific sector of the front, but also the opportunity for pilots to constantly participate in battles. The Soviet command tied fighter units to a specific sector of the front, at best, to the entire length of the front line. And not a step from there. And the Soviet fighter pilot fought only when something was happening on his sector of the front. Hence the number of sorties is 3-5 times less than the German aces.

The Soviet tactics of using attack aircraft in small groups on the front line or in the near rear of the enemy with small fighter cover, almost until the end of the war, was a welcome "food" for German fighters. Receiving data on such groups through warning systems, the Germans piled on such groups with whole squadrons, made one or two attacks, and left unscathed, without getting involved in the "dog dump." Meanwhile, 3-5 Soviet aircraft were shot down.

It is also interesting that the Germans carried out the replenishment of the fighter squadrons directly at the front, i.e. without distracting the remaining pilots from the fighting. Until 1944, Soviet air regiments almost every three months (up to 60% of aircraft were knocked out, and often pilots) were withdrawn from the front for reorganization and replenishment with the entire composition. And the combat pilots sat in the rear for 3-6 months with the newcomers, driving around new cars and courting local young ladies instead of sorties.

And a few words about free "hunters". Free hunting is understood as a combat sortie, as a rule, of a pair of fighters, less often of two pairs, in order to detect and shoot down an enemy aircraft, without "constraining" the pilots with any conditions of combat operations (flight area, target, method of combat, etc.). Naturally, free hunting was allowed for experienced pilots who already had more than a dozen victories to their account. In many cases, the aircraft of such pilots favorably differed from the serial ones: they had reinforced engines and weapons, special additional equipment, high-quality service and fuel. Usually, the prey of free "hunters" were single targets (communications aircraft, stragglers, damaged or lost aircraft, transports, etc.). Hunters and enemy airfields "grazed", where they shot aircraft on takeoff or landing, when they were practically helpless. As a rule, the "hunter" made one surprise attack and quickly left. If the "hunter" was not in danger, there were more attacks, flesh before the execution of the pilot or crew who were fleeing by parachutes. "Hunters" have always attacked the weak, be it by the type of aircraft or technical parameters of the machine, and never got involved in air battles with equals. An example is the memoirs of German pilots who received a warning from ground services about the presence of danger. So, with the message "Pokryshkin in the air", enemy aircraft, especially "hunters", left the dangerous area in advance. Air duels of fighter pilots, for example, shown in the movie "Only Old Men Go to Battle", is no more than a fiction of the scriptwriters. Not a single army pilots went to such extravagance, for suicides were quickly calculated by doctors.

The air forces of all countries had free "hunters", however, their effectiveness depended on the conditions prevailing at the front. Free hunting tactics are effective under three conditions: when the hunter's vehicle is qualitatively superior to the enemy's equipment; when the pilot's skill is above the average level of enemy pilots; when the density of enemy aircraft in a given sector of the front is sufficient for accidental detection of individuals or a radar guidance system for an enemy aircraft is in operation. Of all the armies that fought such conditions, practically until the end of the war, only the Luftwaffe had such conditions. The German "record holders", especially promoted by propaganda, did not hide the fact that they received a significant part of their "booty" on a free "hunt" when nothing threatened their safety.

On the Soviet side, both Kozhedub, and Pokryshkin, and many other fighter pilots took part in the free "hunt". And no one forbade them to do this, as many researchers write, but the results of this hunt were often without trophies. They did not find prey, they did not have the conditions of the Luftwaffe, and the fuel and resource of the machines were burned. Therefore, most of the victories of Soviet pilots were achieved in group battles, and not in the "hunt".

Thus, the totality of a number of conditions provided the German aces with high performance in personal victories. On the opposing side, i.e. Soviet pilots, there were no such conditions.

The pilots of Great Britain and the USA did not have such conditions either. But the Japanese pilots, some factors (not all like the Germans) contributed to the achievement of high results. And the first among them is the high concentration of enemy aircraft in specific sectors of the front, the classy training of Japanese pilots, and the predominance at first of the technical capabilities of Japanese fighters over American ones. The incredible concentration of aircraft during the Soviet-Finnish war also contributed to the Finnish fighter pilots, who “crumbled” a huge number of enemy aircraft in a small sector of the front in a short period of time.

This conclusion is indirectly confirmed by the data on the number of sorties per shot down enemy aircraft. Almost among the aces of all countries, it is approximately the same (4-5), at least it does not differ significantly.

A few words about the importance of the aces at the front. Approximately 80% of the aircraft shot down during the war are on the accounts of the aces pilots, regardless of which theater of operations they fought in. Thousands of pilots flew hundreds of sorties without shooting down a single aircraft. Even more pilots died without their own personal account. And such vitality and effectiveness of the aces was not always proportional to the number of hours spent in the air, although experience was not the last in combat skill. The main role was played by the pilot's personality, his physical and psychological qualities, talent and even such inexplicable concepts as luck, intuition and luck. They all thought and acted outside the box, avoiding templates and generally accepted norms. Often they suffered from discipline, and had problems in relations with the command. In other words, these were special, unusual people, connected by invisible threads with the sky and a combat vehicle. This explains their effectiveness in battles.

And lastly. The first three places in the ranking of aces were taken by the pilots of the countries that were defeated in the war. The winners take more modest places. Paradox? Not at all. Indeed, in the First World War, the German was in the lead in the performance rating among fighters. And Germany lost the war. There are also explanations for this pattern, but they require a detailed, thoughtful analysis, and not a cavalry swoop. Try to solve the riddle yourself.

From all of the above, it follows that simple explanations, such as were attributed, or were engaged only in free "hunting" and so on, etc., in such a complex mechanism as war does not exist. Everything is subject to analysis and sober comprehension, without dividing into our good and your bad.

Based on materials from sites: http://allaces.ru; https://ru.wikipedia.org; http://army-news.ru; https://topwar.ru.

Aces of the Luftwaffe are considered the best aces of the Second World War. Luftwaffe pilots beat all records for downed enemy aircraft.

However, this is another 1001 myth about the Wehrmacht and the power of German weapons ...

Joseph Goebbels, at the end of the war, summing up the results called military aviation - a disgrace of Germany

ACCOUNTING

The Luftwaffe's record of downed enemy aircraft had no analogues anywhere in the world.

Firstly, all enemy aircraft were taken into account downed, even those who flew with damage to their airfields.

Secondly, the number of downed planes was reported by the pilots who allegedly shot down someone and this was considered a victory.

Thirdly, the method of counting those shot down from the Nazis was such that those shot down in a group were also recorded in those shot down. the larger the group - the more "knocked down". And as noted above, those who were shot down were credited according to the "announcement" ...

However, often no one could confirm whether the pilot shot down someone or not ... no docks were required at all

Because of all this, the number of "victories" of the German aces grew by leaps and bounds

Goering

The Luftwaffe was headed by Hermann Göring.

The brave ace of the German Air Force, and after the Nazis came to power, the President of Germany, money-grubber, drug addict, marauder and just a thief

Göring specially made statistics with similar accounting in order to report to Hitler about dizzying victories.

FIRST PERFORMANCE

The Luftwaffe had its first combat experience in Poland.

On the very first day of September 1, the air war ended ... 400 aircraft of the Polish Air Force were defeated "at peacefully sleeping airfields" ...

In France, the Luftwaffe faced a strong enemy - Allied aviation

The Luftwaffe lost 2,380 aircraft, of which 1,200 were irretrievably lost ...

Allied aviation, unlike the ground army, showed itself well, and if not for the surrender, who knows how the air war would have ended

Hitler was worried about the large losses, but Göring convinced him that he would fix everything ...

FIRST BATTLES

You can get some idea of ​​the overestimated number of victories on the accounts of the German aces in the first weeks of the war, you can on the battles on the southern sector of the front, where, according to the reports of the pilots, 10 SB-2 and five DB-3 were shot down, of which 8 SB were immediately assigned to the commander of one of the II / JG 77 detachments, Chief Lieutenant Walter Höckner.

At the same time, the rest of the pilots who shot down these planes were simply ignored.

It is not mentioned that in this battle two German fighters were also shot down by the defensive fire of the gunners, their pilots went missing, that is, they actually died.

According to Soviet documents, 6 bombers were lost in a day.

LIE FROM ASOV LYUFTWAFFE

Fighters JG 77 in the absence of "high-profile" successes, on June 26 announced 47 "shot down" Soviet aircraft, of which only no more than 10 actually shot down and damaged aircraft are confirmed by Soviet documents.

Apparently, unlike other units, where the postscripts at the initial stage of the war were a consequence of the peculiarities of air combat, the command and the pilots of the 77th squadron themselves deliberately overestimated their victories so as not to lag behind their more successful colleagues in other sectors of the front, and not to cause anger high bosses

Some "victories" defy explanation, for example, the most famous ace in the future, non-commissioned officer Kittel, who at that time had two "shot down" aircraft, said that he shot down a pair of Il-2 and attacked Yak-1, which did not take part in the raids at all ...

And if, with some stretch, it can be assumed that Kittel confused the single-engine IL-2 with the two-engine SB-2, then with what type of aircraft did he confuse the Yak-1 and LaGG-3?

Large losses of DB-3 and SB-2 were caused precisely by the lack of fighter cover. By the time of his death on the eastern front in 1945,

Kittel will "shoot down" 267 Soviet planes ... but in fact, he shot down no more than 100 enemy aircraft

THEODOR WEISINBERG

Theodor Weissenberg in March 43 g announced the destruction of 33 Soviet cars, in September already 100 (!)

knocked down (oak leaves), in March 44 g another 150 (!) and by May 25 more !!!

He also had many "serial victories", so 10.03.43 -6 knocked down, 12.03.43 - 5, and so on.

MULTIPLE BY TWO

In the documents on the loss of the parties, the difference is incredible ...

In the middle of the war, in the battles in the Kuban, the Red Army aviation in air battles from enemy ground fire and for other reasons lost 750 aircraft (of which 296 are fighters).

And the German aces at that time filled out questionnaires for the 2280 (!) Soviet planes they shot down in the Kuban.

GREAT HARTMANN

Hartmann was very loved ... and he was counted accordingly ...

I cannot but cite an excerpt from the book by American researchers R. Toliver and T. Constable about Hartmann:

« The rest of the squadron pilots dragged the happy Blond Knight into the dining room. The revel was in full swing when Hartmann's technician burst in. The expression on his face instantly extinguished the glee of the crowd.

– What's up, Bimmel? - Erich asked.

– Gunsmith, Herr Lieutenant.

– Something is wrong?

– No, everything is okay. You just fired only 120 shots against 3 downed planes. I think you need to know this.

A whisper of admiration ran through the pilots, and the schnapps flowed like a river again ».

Worthy grandchildren of Baron Munchausen

You don't need to be a big aviation expert to be suspicious. On average, for each shot down « IL-2», namely, the victory over such aircraft was announced at that time by Hartmann, he took about 40 shells ...

Somewhere in the conditions of a training air battle, when the enemy himself substitutes, it is very doubtful. And here everything happened in combat conditions, at exorbitant speeds, and even taking into account the fact that the same fascists called our"Ilyushin" - a "flying tank".

And there were reasons for this -the mass of the armored hull in the course of fine-tuning and changes reached 990 kg. The elements of the armored hull were checked by shooting. That is, the armor was placed not from a flounder bay, but strictly in vulnerable places ...

And how does the proud statement look after that that in one battle three were shot down at once « Ilyushina» and even 120 bullets

BLOOD LIES FROM HARTMAN

24.08.1944 years (you understand in what state at that time the situation was in the air and who dictated the conditions to whom) - Hartman flew in the morning to hunt and upon his return reported that he no longer had 290, but 296 downed planes.

That his follower apparently confirmed under oath, or rather signed in a special form.

Then he had lunch and flew again. This flight was monitored by radio communications and our "superhero" did not disappoint. He said 5 more victories in the second sortie on the radio. 11 shot down in 2 sorties in 1944 !.

He returned - flowers to him, etc. etc.,

However, there is such a fact - in the JG-52 combat log it is worth that on 08/24/1944, Hartman shot down one P-39. One!

Everything!

13 AIRCRAFT IN ... 17 MINUTES

Something similar with another German ace Erich Rudoferr.

Here is an excerpt from another book - « Encyclopedia of Military Art. Military pilots. Aces of World War II » :

"6November 1943, during a 17-minute battle over Lake Ladoga, Rudorffer announced that he had destroyed 13 Soviet vehicles.

It was, of course, one of the greatest successes in fighter aviation and at the same time one of the most controversial battles ... »

Why exactly 13 planes in 17 minutes? You need to ask Erich himself about this ...

True, there was an unbeliever Thomas, who asked, and who can confirm this fact?

To which Rudoffer, without batting an eye, declared:

« How do I know? All thirteen Russian planes fell to the bottom of Ladoga ».

Do you think this fact confused the compilers of the Guinness Book of Records? No matter how it is! Rudoffer's name is included in this book as an example of the highest combat effectiveness.

IN AFRICA

In August 1942, in North Africa, a flight of Lieutenant Vogel, the commander of the fourth group of the 27th fighter squadron, shot down 65 enemy aircraft in a month.

Departing on a mission, the German pilots entertained themselves in the following way: shooting ammunition in the sand, they returned to the airfield and reported on the "victories" they had won.

When they were finally revealed, they just disbanded the link, leaving all victories intact.

Apparently, this practice was not new, and therefore did not make a serious impression on the Germans.

HOW THE VICTORIES OF THE SOVIET ASES TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

In the Soviet Air Force, shot down planes were counted in two categories: shot down personally and shot down in a group.

An enemy aircraft was considered downed if the pilot's report of the victory was confirmed by the testimony of other participants in the air battle and was supported by information from ground observers.

In the further course of the war, this information was additionally monitored by photographic equipment installed on the aircraft, which recorded the hit of shells on the enemy aircraft.

BEST ALLIES ACE

Best English Ace -Colonel D. Johnson -flew 515 sorties during the war, but shot down only 38 German aircraft.

Best French ace -Lieutenant (Lieutenant Colonel in the British Air Force) P. Klosterman -made 432 sorties during the war and shot down only 33 German aircraft.

CONCLUSION

The German aces were really special in every way ...

First of all, in unprecedented in size lies, cowardice and meanness ...

They lost the battle between Allied aviation and Soviet aviation.

The best that the Luftwaffe aces did - bombardment of peaceful cities and murder of civilians