176th GIAP

The most famous regiment armed with La-7 fighters was the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky. Many aces served in this regiment, but the part gained worldwide fame thanks to one pilot - Ivan Kozhedub. In 1938, at the Gorelovo airfield, located between Leningrad and Krasnoye Selo, the 19th fighter aviation regiment was formed on the basis of the 70th and 58th fighter squadrons and the 33rd separate reconnaissance squadron. The regiment became part of the 54th Light Aviation Brigade. In 1939, on the basis of the regiment, military tests of the I-16 fighter with M-63 engines were carried out. On September 8, the full regiment (60 crews, three I-16 squadrons with M-25s and one I-15 bis squadron) flew to Ukraine. From September 17 to October 6, the 19th IAP took part in the liberation campaign on Western Ukraine... The flight time was 1,091 hours, 1,420 combat sorties were made. There were no losses. After the completion of the liberation campaign, the regiment returned to Leningrad, to Gorelovo.

The peaceful respite did not last long. From October 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940, the pilots took part in the war with Finland. "In that unremarkable war," the combat score of the unit was opened: in 3412 combat missions, 74 steam locomotives were disabled, five railway echelons were burned, two were destroyed on the ground and in aerial battles over

Vyborg three enemy planes. In April, the 19th IAP was awarded the order Of the Red Banner "for the excellent fulfillment of the assignments of the command on the front of the struggle against the Finnish White Guards."

The Great Patriotic War found the regiment in its own "home" - at the Gorelovo airfield. As of June 22, 1941, the 19th IAP included four regular squadrons and the 5th assigned squadron: 50 I-16, 20 I-153 and 15 MiG-3 fighters, 85 pilots.

The first victory in the air battle of the Great Patriotic War pilot Dmitry Titarenko won, he will end the war in the sky of Berlin as a wingman of Ivan Kozhedub. Since July 1941, the 19th IAP was part of the 7th Air Defense Fighter Air Corps, at the same time the regiment was transferred to the wartime staff - three squadrons. The 2nd squadron remained in service with the MiG-3, and the 1st squadron received LaGG-3 fighters. Operating in the air defense system of the city on the Neva, the regiment's pilots made 3145 sorties, conducted 415 air battles, shooting down 63 enemy aircraft. Own combat losses amounted to 57 fighters, the regiment had no non-combat losses.

At the beginning of 1942 the regiment fought on the Volkhov front. The date September 10, 1942 stands alone in the history of the unit. Previously, the 19th IAP was an ordinary regiment of the Red Army Air Force, but from 10/19/1942 the regiment entered the personal order of Vasily Stalin, in a special group of the 269th Fighter Aviation Division. By the end of October, the 19th IAP, transferred to a three-squadron structure, received the latest La-5 fighters (35 aircraft). At this time, the regiment was in Lyubertsy. After a series of organizational perturbations (from the 269th IAD to the 210th, then to the 286th and again to the 269th), the regiment arrived at the Yelets airfield in December 1942. From December 27, 1942 to March 20, 1943, operating as part of the 269th IAD of the 2nd Air Army of the Voronezh Front, the regiment's pilots made 1,055 sorties, shooting down 35 enemy aircraft in 60 air battles (19 bombers, 11 fighters, 5 Our own combat losses amounted to five La-5s, five more fighters were defeated. Five pilots were killed (three in battle, two in accidents.) During the same period, assault operations destroyed 136 vehicles, about 200 carts, two anti-aircraft artillery batteries, 8 fires were created.

In September, the 19th IAP received La-5FN fighters. Autumn 1943 - not summer 1941 Pilots and technicians were given the opportunity to thoroughly prepare for battles, to master new technology. The regiment departed to the front only on January 8, 1944. The pilots began combat operations on January 20, based at the Zhurbintsy airfield. Operationally, the 19th IAP was subordinate to the commander of the 2nd Air Army, which operated in the interests of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The regiment's pilots operated by the free hunting method. Until May 26, 1,055 combat missions were carried out, 37 air battles were carried out, in which 47 enemy aircraft were shot down (25 fighters, 21 bomber, 1 reconnaissance aircraft), own combat losses amounted to nine aircraft (six pilots), non-combat - two aircraft (one pilot ). For the excellent performance of the command assignments for the period from 01/20/1944 to 06/06/1944, 08/09/1944 as part of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In June, the regiment was relocated to the Yudichi airfield (1st Belorussian Front), now the unit was operationally subordinate to the commander of the 16th Air Army, in January 1945, the commander of the 3rd Fighter Air Corps, Lieutenant General E.Ya. Savitsky (the corps was part of the 16th VA) As part of the Savitsky corps, the regiment ended the war. By order of the NKO No. 0270 of 08/19/1944, for the combat work carried out from 06/22/1941 to 06/06/1944 (5574 sorties were carried out, 172 enemy aircraft were shot down in air battles, 48 ​​enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground), the regiment was transformed into 176th Guards.

The regiment's pilots fought their first battle on the new technology on June 24, 1944. In a battle over Baranovichi with ten Fw-190s, the guards shot down two enemy aircraft without losses. The victory was won by Andrey Baklan and Vladimir Petrov. It is quite possible that these were generally the first victories won on the La-7. Another air battle took place on July 7, 1944, also in the Baranovichi area. Two pairs of La-7s intercepted two Bf 109s during the "free hunt" flight, in the ensuing battle pilot Viktor Aleksandryuk shot down one Messerschmitt.

Ivan Kozhedub arrived at the new duty station on the La-7 received in the reserve regiment in the usual camouflage color. On the morning of August 23, Kozhedub arrived at the airfield, where he saw that his "horse" had been repainted overnight in the colors of the regiment of air hunters - red nose, white tail. A few days later, Kozhedub was awarded the military rank of major. The ace was led by the chief of the air rifle service of the regiment, Major Dmitry Titarenko.

Until the fall, calm reigned on this sector of the front. Airborne activity increased dramatically with the onset of offensive operation Red Army. On September 22, Ivan Kozhedub, together with Sharapov, flew to cover the river crossing between the settlements of Rameyki and Daksti. At a distance of 10-15 km from the crossing, Soviet pilots found two groups, four and eight, Fw -190 walking at an altitude of 3000 m. Kozhedub swiftly attacked the leftmost pair of Focke-Wulfs and opened fire from a distance of 150 m. The German plane managed to drop its bombs, after which it went into an indiscriminate fall and collided with the ground 15 kilometers from the village of Strelchi. The rest of the Focke-Wulfs instantly freed themselves from the bomb load and turned back. In one of the subsequent sorties to cover the crossing, Kozhedub discovered a six Fw -190 at an altitude of 1500 m. This time the leader of a group of German fighter-bombers was attacked. A short burst from a distance of 150 m, fired from Lavochkin's cannons, put an end to the combat career of a Luftwaffe pilot. Focke-Wulf fell 8 km from the crossing. On the way back, the aircraft of Kozhedub and his wingman came under anti-aircraft fire, the wingman's La-7 was damaged. The next day, September 23, four La-7s under the command of A. Baklan conducted an air battle in the Valmiera region; Savin, Aleksandruk and Vasko shot down one Focke-Wulf each, Baklan damaged one German plane, which, dragging a plume of smoke, disappeared in the direction of Riga. On September 25, Kozhedub was appointed deputy squadron commander, Ivan Shcherbakov became his permanent wingman. Shcherbakov was known in the regiment as a hothead. Together with Kozhedub, he performed a free hunt flight. Wingman spotted two Fw -190s first. "Cover, attack," Shcherbakov shouted to the commander. The wingman dived at the enemy, and the experienced Kozhedub noticed two more Fokkers, who rushed after the wingman. Kozhedub shot down the leader of this pair, but he himself had another pair of Fw -190 hanging on his tail. Ac dodged, and Shcherbakov, meanwhile, knocked down the leader of the first pair. Having lost two commanders, the Germans withdrew from the battle.

Even great pilots weren't immune to failure. Once, performing a free hunt flight, Kozhedub and Titarenko noticed a single two-keel aircraft. The pilots decided that it was a Pe-2, but when they flew closer they saw black crosses on the wings. The characteristic silhouette left no doubt - Dornier Do -217. Kozhedub attacked the enemy. Air gunner Dornier with return fire damaged Lavochkin ace. The plane lost control. With difficulty, Kozhedub brought the La-7 into level flight and tried again to attack the Do-17, but the fighter fell again. With difficulty holding the plane in horizontal flight, Kozhedub, under the cover of Titarenko, returned to his airfield. Upon examination, it turned out that on the La-7, the control wiring for one aileron was interrupted.

Since the beginning of winter, the number of sorties has decreased due to bad weather. The 1st Belorussian Front went on the offensive on January 14, 1945, and the regiment's pilots sat at the airfield: the sky was covered with low dense clouds, it was snowing heavily. A day later, the most experienced pilots still flew to the free hunt, but to no avail. Luftwaffe pilots also did not fly.

After the capture of Warsaw on January 17, the 176th regiment changed several airfields in a short time, catching up with the advancing units of the Red Army. As the Red Army advanced towards Berlin, the confrontation in the air intensified. Large groups of German bombers, from 50 to 60 aircraft, tried to strike at the Soviet troops. Forward airfields were frequently attacked by Fw-190 fighter-bombers.

The navigator of the regiment, Alexander Kumanichkin, on February 9, 1945, together with his wingman Kramarenko, flew out on a free hunt. In the area of ​​Sukachev, the pilots noticed a congestion of vehicles, and there was no anti-aircraft cover. A pair of Lavochkin stormed ground vehicles twice with impunity. The pilots were carried away by the attacks of ground forces and did not notice a pair of Fw -190s that went into a frontal attack. The projectile fired by the Focke-Wulf pierced the wing of the La-7 navigator, the fighter began to react poorly to handle deflections. At this time, the voice of the wingman was heard in Kumanichkin's headset: "Commander, a couple of Fokkers behind." The situation has become more complicated. Kumanichkin gave the command: "Let's go to the clouds." The fuel was running out, and there were still 100 km to fly to their airfield. Kumanichkin barely controlled the damaged fighter, maintaining a speed of about 300 km / h, Kramarenko covered the commander from possible enemy attacks. Both aircraft made it safely to the base. After landing, the pilots were amazed to see that about a third of one of the propeller blades had been shot, and there was a hole in the other blade with a diameter of 6 cm. The mechanics were able to replace the propeller and engine on the damaged aircraft in just one night. In the morning the La-7 navigator of the regiment was ready to fly.

Soon after the memorable battle, Kumanichkin and Kramarenko conducted an aerial battle with two Bf 109s over Odra. The fight lasted ten minutes before Kumanichkin managed to catch the leading rotte in sight. A burst of two cannons literally tore apart the Messerschmitt, the plane collapsed in the air. The second Bf 109 immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

On February 10 Kozhedub and Titarenko returned from the free hunt "empty". At the very airfield, they found two fighters of strange shapes - the nose from the Bf. 109, tail and wing - from Fw -190. These were long-nosed Fw-190Ds, which had never been seen in the air by the guardsmen. Kozhedub attacked the nearest plane. The first round of the ace set fire to an unusual fokker. One Fw-190D went to the ground, the second disappeared into the clouds. At the very ground, the fokker suddenly soared up, but Kozhedub finished off the enemy with a second round. The figure of the pilot separated from the enemy plane, the canopy of the parachute was swollen. Fw-190D crashed in the corner of the airfield where the 176th GIAP was based.

Ivan Kozhedub took part in the air battle on February 12, 1945. He took off for a free hunt together with Viktor Gromakovsky, Alexander Kumanichkin and Sergey Kramarenko, Orlov and Stetsenko took off with a minimum interval behind them. All three pairs of fighters maintained mutual radio communications. At this time, over the front line fell out of the clouds up to thirty Fw -190. The Focke-Wulfs began to line up in battle formation, preparing to strike at the Soviet troops. Kozhedub decided to attack the enemy. He dropped to the very ground and attacked the leader of the enemy group from below from behind. Cannon bursts fired from a distance of 100 meters pierced the belly of the Fokker. One is! Exit from the attack upward, flip and dive at the next enemy aircraft. Under the reliable protection of Gromakovsky, who insured the "tail" of the commander, Kozhedub shot down another Fw -190. After the loss of two aircraft, the German pilots were not up to the attack of ground forces and they began to rebuild the battle formation. Meanwhile, Kozhedub's pair were also in position for the next attack. At this time, the rest of the hunters of the 176th regiment approached the place of the battle. Kumanichkin immediately knocked down the leading nine Fw -190. The La-7 attack was swift. All Soviet fighters worked closely with each other, the Focke-Wulf pilots could not withstand the onslaught and began to withdraw from the battle. Kozhedub shot down one Fokker leaving the battle. Six Lavochkin in a fleeting battle destroyed eight enemy aircraft: one shot down Kumanichkin, Stetsenko and Orlov, two - Gromakovsky, and three chalked up Kozhedub. Orlov died in the battle.

Kumanichkin, together with the regiment commander Chupikov, met in the air with an unusual plane on February 14. The guards tried to attack the enemy, but the German plane unexpectedly quickly broke away from the pursuers. After developing the film of the photo-machine gun, it became clear that the pilots of the 176th GIAP met the newest Me-262 jet fighter. This was the first meeting of the pilots of the 176th GIAP with the jet technology of the Luftwaffe, the first, but not the last.

One of the most memorable battles Kozhedub fought on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is February 24). On this day, he flew out on a free hunt, paired with Dmitry Titarenko. On the traverse of the Oder, the pilots noticed a plane approaching rapidly from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane flew along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much higher than the La-7 could develop. It was the Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the high-speed qualities of his car and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-to-head course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, before Kozhedub, Titarenko opened fire. Much to Kozhedub's surprise, the premature firing of the wingman was beneficial. The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter could only catch the Messerschmitt in the sight and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. In the cockpit of the Me 262 was non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from 1./KG (J) -54. In total, Soviet pilots shot down six Me-262s, the first official victory over a jet fighter was credited to Kozhedub (actually, there are no records of downed Me-262 in I.N. Kozhedub's personal file until the end of the war).

On March 18, 1945, south of Morin Kozhedub and his wingman conducted an air battle with German fighters attacking an American bomber. Kozhedub shot FW-190 from a distance of 80 m. Focke-Wulf fell to the ground 8-10 km north of Kustrin. The second ace shot down in a frontal attack, the enemy fighter fell 6 km north-west of Kustrin.

On March 22, 1945, Kozhedub and his wingman were performing another free hunt flight. Over the Seelow Heights, they intercepted two groups of Fw -190 marching at altitudes of 3000 and 1000 m, respectively, a total of thirty aircraft in the two groups. The hunters came in from the direction of the sun and dived into the last four of the upper group. The commander and his wingman shot down one Focke-Wulf. But the attack did not end there. Kozhedub continued to dive, his targets were now the planes of the lower group. From a distance of 180 m, the ace opened fire and shot down another Focke-Wulf.

In the Kustrin area, on April 16, 1945, the Kumanichkin - Kramarenko pair was distinguished. The hunters attacked four Fw -190s. Before Kumanichkin opened fire, Kramarenko noticed another four Focke-Wulfs, and these aircraft were in a more vulnerable position. Kramarenko attacked the second four and drove a burst from 80 meters straight into the focke-wolf motor of the leading rotte. The German fighter flipped over the wing, went into a dive and collided with the ground.

In the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titarenko performed the fourth combat sortie of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of Fw-190 with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to climb to attack and reported to the command post about the establishment of contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulfs with suspended bombs.

The German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds and did not expect them to reappear. However, hunters appeared. From behind, from above, Kozhedub in the first attack knocked down the leading four of the Fokkers, closing the group. The hunters tried to give the enemy the impression of the presence of a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the midst of enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from the cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to get rid of the bombs that hindered the air battle. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took the guardsmen into circulation. One Fw-190 managed to get into the tail of Kozhedub's fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot Focke Wulf exploded in the air. By this time, help arrived - a La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to get out of the battle on the last remnants of fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single Fw -190, still trying to drop bombs on Soviet troops... Ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. This was the last, 62nd, German aircraft shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot. Kozhedub's total bill does not include at least two aircraft - American P-51D Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive away German fighters from the American Flying Fortress with cannon fire. The US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the intentions of the La-7 pilot and opened barrage from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under the fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy”. He damaged one "Mustang" (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, after flying a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51D exploded in the air. Only after a successful attack, Kozhedub noticed the white stars of the US Air Force in the wings and fuselages of the aircraft he shot down. After landing, the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, advised Kozhedub to keep quiet about the incident and gave him the developed film of the photo-gun. The existence of a film with footage of the burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot.

At the end of April, Ivan Kozhedub was summoned to Moscow to take part in the celebrations of the Day of International Workers' Solidarity, which workers all over the world at that time had a habit of celebrating annually on May 1. The ace celebrated Victory Day in Moscow. In total, Ivan Kozhedub performed 330 sorties, conducted 120 air battles, in which he personally shot down 62 enemy aircraft. There are versions that the personal score of the Hero is three times more - in the region of one hundred victories. Ivan Kozhedub was awarded the Third Gold Star on August 18, 1945.

In 1951, Colonel Kozhedub commanded the 324th IAD and was on a business trip abroad, in Korea. The division's pilots fought the Americans on MiG-15 fighters and achieved the best result among all the fighter formations of the Soviet Army Air Force that took part in the Korean War. Kozhedub himself was strictly forbidden to take part in battles.

On April 30, 1945, Kumanichkin and Kramarenko took off from the Schoenifeld airfield to intercept the Fw-190 group. Shortly after takeoff, the hunters came out on a group of 16 Focke-Wulfs with suspended bombs. As soon as the Germans spotted a pair of La-7s, eight Fw-190s dropped their bombs, but the rest continued flying on a course towards the advancing Soviet forces. Eight Fw-190, which turned from bombers into fighters, tried to impose air combat on the hunters. Kumanichkin found himself in a difficult position, but a wingman came to his aid and thwarted the attack. The leader, on the other hand, broke through to the eight, which did not drop a bomb, and shot down one plane. Focke-Wulf fell on the western outskirts of Berlin. This was the 36th and last victory of A.S. Kumanichkin.

Vladimir Gromakovsky graduated from flight school in mid-1942, in August he was assigned to the 19th IAP. During the two years of the war, Gromakovsky conducted relatively few air battles. In 25 battles, he shot down ten enemy aircraft. After entering the La-7 regiment, Gromakovsky began to take part in battles much more often, he flew several times in tandem with Kozhedub. So, being led by Kozhedub, Gromakovsky in a battle on February 12, 1945, shot down two Fw -190s, who were trying to settle down to the tail of the commander's plane. On March 22, Gromakovsky, in a campaign with Kozhedub, Kumanichkin and Titarenko, attacked a large group of Fw-190s and shot down one Fokker.

On April 19, Gromakovsky shot down another Fokker over Berlin, his last two victories in aerial battles he won five days later in the sky of Berlin. Vladimir Gromakovsky flew 186 sorties, shot down 16 enemy aircraft in 29 air battles. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on May 15, 1946.

Major Alexander Kumanichkin is another outstanding fighter pilot who fought side by side with Ivan Kozhedub as part of the 176th GIAP. The fate of Kumanichkin is in many ways similar to that of Kozhedub. He graduated from the flight school before the war, until July 1942 he served as an instructor, then was sent to the 40th IAP. The regiment fought in the North Caucasus and was armed with MiG-3 and I-16 fighters. At the end of the year, it was completely re-equipped with La-5 aircraft. By November 1943, Kumanichkin flew 196 sorties, conducted 36 air battles, shot down 18 aircraft personally and one in the group. April 13, 1944 Alexander Kumanichkin was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union... In September 1944, Major Kumanichkin was transferred to the 176th GIAP to the position of navigator of the regiment.

In early January 1945, Kumanichkin, together with the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, flew out on a free hunt, the pilots wanted to test the photo-film machine guns recently installed on airplanes. Ases discovered a pair of Bf. 109 with bombs on the external sling. It seemed easy for the skilled pilots to shoot down such prey, but the Messera suddenly accelerated sharply and easily broke away from the pursuit. The footage showed that on the external sling of the German planes were not bombs, but rocket boosters.

Alexander Kumanichkin flew more than 300 sorties during the war, conducted 70 air battles, shot down 31 aircraft personally and one in a group. In 1951-1952 Kumanichkin, first as a deputy commander and then as a commander of the 303rd IAD, was in Korea. The veteran of the Great Patriotic War also became a jet ace, shooting down six American aircraft on the MiG-15.

From June 1944 to May 9, 1945, the pilots of the 176th GIAP made 2,961 sorties, conducted 185 air battles, in which 212 enemy aircraft were shot down. Own losses during this period amounted to 23 aircraft (four pilots), there were no non-combat losses.

For the excellent performance of the command assignments for the period from 06/06/1944 to 05/09/1945 (2961 combat sorties, 172 enemy aircraft shot down in air battles and 48 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground) On June 1, 1945, the regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 3- th degree.

During the Great Patriotic War, pilots of the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Orders of the Red Banner, Alexander Nevsky and Kutuzov of the fighter aviation regiment flew 8422 sorties, conducted 711 air battles and shot down 398 enemy aircraft, another 56 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground, the assault actions of the regiment's pilots were destroyed 3 tanks, 256 vehicles, 213 carts, 7 tank trucks, 7 anti-aircraft batteries, disabled 36 steam locomotives, burned 1 train. Ten pilots each won more than 15 victories in air battles. Combat losses consisted of 48 pilots and 104 aircraft, non-combat 5 pilots and 15 aircraft.

Preference for armament with La-7 fighters was given to regiments operating as part of the 3rd Belorussian and 2nd Baltic fronts. These fronts met with stubborn resistance from German forces in East Prussia, Lithuania and Northern Poland. It seems logical that the best aircraft received the best air regiments deployed in the sector of the Soviet-German front, where the enemy's resistance was most stubborn. In the air, the Soviet pilots were opposed by one of the best fighter formations of the Luftwaffe - JG-54 "Grün Herz" (Green Heart).

176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment

La-7 navigator of the 176th GIAP A.S. Kumanichkin. On board the fuselage - marks about 29 downed enemy aircraft. Until the end of the war, Kumanichkin won six more victories.

The first La-7 fighters rearmed the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment, renamed the 176th Guards IAP. This regiment was also known as the "Marshal". The unit was formed on the personal instructions of Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov, the most experienced fighter pilots and aces were selected for the regiment. The regiment was intended to reinforce fighter aviation in the most dangerous sectors of the Eastern Front. Colonel P.S. Chupikov, he received the first La-7 in Moscow on June 16, 1944.

The regiment's pilots fought their first battle on the new technology on June 24, 1944. In the battle over Baranovichi with ten Fw-190s, the guards shot down two enemy aircraft without losses. The victory was won by Andrey Yakovlevich Baklan and Vladimir Petrov. It is quite possible that these were generally the first victories won on the La-7. Another air battle took place on July 7, 1944, also in the Baranovichi area. Two pairs of La-7s intercepted two Bf 109s during the "free hunt" flight, in the ensuing battle pilot Viktor Ilyich Aleksandryuk shot down one Messerschmitt. September 22 I.N. Kozhedub, together with Sharapov, flew to cover the river crossing between the settlements of Rameyki and Daksti. At a distance of 10-15 km from the crossing, Soviet pilots found two groups, four and eight, Fw-190, walking at an altitude of 3000 m. Kozhedub swiftly attacked the leftmost pair of Focke-Wulfs and opened fire from a distance of 150 m. The German plane managed to drop its bombs, after which it went into an indiscriminate fall and collided with the ground 15 kilometers from the village of Streltsy. The rest of the Focke-Wulfs instantly freed themselves from the bomb load and turned back. In one of the subsequent sorties to cover the crossing, Kozhedub discovered six Fw-190s at an altitude of 1500 m. This time the leader of a group of German fighter-bombers was attacked. A short burst from a distance of 150 m, fired from Lavochkin's cannons, put an end to the combat career of a Luftwaffe pilot. Focke-Wulf fell 8 km from the crossing. On the way back, the aircraft of Kozhedub and his wingman came under anti-aircraft fire, the wingman's La-7 was damaged. The next day, September 23, four La-7s under the command of A. Baklan conducted an air battle in the Valmiera region; Savin, Aleksandruk and Vasko shot down one Focke-Wulf each, Baklan damaged one German plane, which, dragging a plume of smoke, disappeared in the direction of Riga. In October, all fighters of the 176th regiment were equipped with photo-movie machine guns.

Regiment navigator A.S. Kumanichkin February 9, 1945, paired with his wingman S.M. Kramarenko took off for a free hunt. In the area of ​​Sukachev, the pilots noticed a congestion of vehicles, and there was no anti-aircraft cover. A pair of Lavochkin stormed ground vehicles twice with impunity. The pilots were carried away by the attacks of ground forces and did not notice a pair of Fw-190s that went into a frontal attack. The projectile fired by the Focke-Wulf pierced the wing of the La-7 navigator, the fighter began to react poorly to handle deflections. At this time, the voice of the wingman was heard in Kumanichkin's headset: "Commander, a couple of Fokkers behind." The situation has become more complicated. Kumanichkin gave the command: "Let's go to the clouds." The fuel was running out, and there were still 100 km to fly to their airfield. Kumanichkin barely controlled the damaged fighter, maintaining a speed of about 300 km / h, Kramarenko covered the commander from possible enemy attacks. Both aircraft made it safely to the base. After landing, the pilots were amazed to see that about a third of one of the propeller blades had been shot, and there was a hole in the other blade with a diameter of 6 cm. The mechanics were able to replace the propeller and engine on the damaged aircraft in just one night. In the morning the La-7 navigator of the regiment was ready to fly.

Soon after the memorable battle, Kumanichkin and Kramarenko fought two Bf 109s over Oder. The fight lasted ten minutes before Kumanichkin managed to catch the leading rotte in sight. A burst of two cannons literally tore apart the Messerschmitt, the plane collapsed in the air. The second Bf 109 immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

Ivan Kozhedub took part in the air battle on February 12, 1945. He took off for a free hunt together with Viktor Gromakovsky, Alexander Kumanichkin and Sergey Kramarenko, Orlov and Stetsenko took off with a minimum interval behind them. All three pairs of fighters maintained mutual radio communications. At this time, over the front line fell out of the clouds up to thirty Fw-190. The Focke-Wulfs began to line up in battle formation, preparing to strike at the Soviet troops. Kozhedub decided to attack the enemy. He dropped to the very ground and attacked the leader of the enemy group from below from behind. Cannon bursts fired from a distance of 100 meters pierced the belly of the Fokker. One is! Exit from the attack upward, flip and dive at the next enemy aircraft. Under the reliable protection of Gromakovsky, who insured the "tail" of the commander, Kozhedub shot down another Fw-190. After the loss of two aircraft, the German pilots were not up to the attack of ground forces and they began to rebuild the battle formation. Meanwhile, Kozhedub's pair were also in position for the next attack. At this time, the rest of the hunters of the 176th regiment approached the place of the battle. Kumanichkin immediately knocked down the leading nine Fw-190. The La-7 attack was swift. All Soviet fighters worked closely with each other, the Focke-Wulf pilots could not withstand the onslaught and began to withdraw from the battle. Kozhedub shot down one Fokker leaving the battle. Six Lavochkin in a fleeting battle destroyed eight enemy aircraft: one shot down Kumanichkin, Stetsenko and Orlov, two - Gromakovsky, and three chalked up Kozhedub. Orlov died in the battle.

Kumanichkin, together with the regiment commander Chupikov, met in the air with an unusual plane on February 14. The guards tried to attack the enemy, but the German plane unexpectedly quickly broke away from the pursuers. After developing the film of the photo-machine gun, it became clear that the pilots of the 176th GIAP met the newest Me-262 jet fighter. This was the first meeting of the pilots of the 176th GIAP with the jet technology of the Luftwaffe, the first, but not the last.

One of the most memorable battles Kozhedub fought on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is February 24). On this day, he flew out on a free hunt, paired with Dmitry Titarenko. On the traverse of the Oder, the pilots noticed a plane approaching rapidly from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane flew along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much higher than the La-7 could develop. It was the Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The pilot of the Me-262 hoped for the high-speed qualities of his car and did not control air space in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-to-head course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, before Kozhedub, Titarenko opened fire. Much to Kozhedub's surprise, the premature firing of the wingman was beneficial. The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter could only catch the Messerschmitt in the sight and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. In the cockpit of Me 262 was non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from l./KG(J)-54.

On March 18, 1945, south of Morin Kozhedub and his wingman conducted an air battle with German fighters attacking an American bomber. Kozhedub shot the FW-190 from a distance of 80 m. Focke-Wulf fell to the ground 8-10 km north of Kustrin. The second ace shot down in a frontal attack, the enemy fighter fell 6 km north-west of Kustrin.

On March 22, 1945, Kozhedub and his wingman were performing another free hunt flight. Above the Seelow Heights, they intercepted two groups of Fw-190 marching at altitudes of 3000 and 1000 m, respectively, a total of thirty aircraft in the two groups. The hunters came in from the direction of the sun and dived into the last four of the upper group. The commander and his wingman shot down one Focke-Wulf. But the attack did not end there. Kozhedub continued to dive, his targets were now the planes of the lower group. From a distance of 180 m, the ace opened fire and shot down another Focke-Wulf.

In the Kustrin area, on April 16, 1945, the Kumanichkin - Kramarenko pair was distinguished. Hunters attacked four Fw-190s. Before Kumanichkin opened fire, Kramarenko noticed another four Focke-Wulfs, and these aircraft were in a more vulnerable position. Kramarenko attacked the second four and drove a burst from 80 meters straight into the focke-wolf motor of the leading rotte. The German fighter flipped over the wing, went into a dive and collided with the ground.

On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titorenko performed the fourth combat sortie of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of Fw-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to climb to attack and reported to the command post about the establishment of contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulwof with suspended bombs.

The German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds and did not expect them to reappear. However, hunters appeared. From behind, from the top, Kozhedub in the first attack knocked down the leading four of the Fokkers, closing the group. The hunters tried to give the enemy the impression of the presence of a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the midst of enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from the cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that interfere with an air battle. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took the guardsmen into circulation. One Fw-190 managed to get into the tail of Kozhedub's fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air. By this time, help arrived - a La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to get out of the battle on the last remnants of fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single Fw-190, still trying to drop bombs on the Soviet troops. Ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. This was the last, 62nd, German aircraft shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot.

Kozhedub's total bill does not include at least two aircraft - American P-51D Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive away German fighters from the American Flying Fortress with cannon fire. The US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the intentions of the La-7 pilot and opened barrage from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under the fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the “enemy”. He damaged one "Mustang" (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, after flying a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51D exploded in the air. Only after a successful attack, Kozhedub noticed the white stars of the US Air Force in the wings and fuselages of the aircraft he shot down. After landing, the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, advised Kozhedub to keep quiet about the incident and gave him the developed film of the photo-gun. The existence of a film with footage of the burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot.

On April 30, 1945, Kumanichkin and Kramarenko took off from the Schönifeld airfield to intercept the Fw-190 group. Shortly after takeoff, the hunters came out on a group of 16 Focke-Wulfs with suspended bombs. As soon as the Germans spotted a pair of La-7s, eight Fw-190s dropped their bombs, but the rest continued to fly on a course towards the advancing Soviet forces. Eight Fw-190, which turned from bombers into fighters, tried to impose air combat on the hunters. Kumanichkin found himself in a difficult position, but a wingman came to his aid and thwarted the attack. The leader, on the other hand, broke through to the eight, which did not drop a bomb, and shot down one plane. Focke-Wulf fell on the western outskirts of Berlin. This was the 36th and last victory of A.S. Kumanichkin.

63rd GIAP

Troop tests of La-7 fighters took place in the 63rd GIAP of the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Division of the 1st Guards Fighter Aviation Corps.

The 63rd Guards Vilensky Fighter Aviation Regiment arrived at the airfield near Tula to receive the La-7 on July 26, 1944, and on August 20, the regiment was again at the front. The regiment was based in Lithuania at the Šiauliai and Purakai airfields.

From August 22 to mid-October 1944, the regiment's pilots won 55 confirmed victories, their own losses - four La-7 and three pilots. During this period, the regiment's pilots made 116 group combat sorties: 55 - to escort bombers and cover ground troops; 22 reconnaissance flights; 20 to cover the actions of attack aircraft and 14 flights to air combat. The pilots of the 63rd GIAP conducted 47 air battles, mainly with the Fw-190 (94% of all battles). As a rule, 8-10 aircraft took part in the battles. The regiment chalked up 52 downed Focke-fulfs and only three Bf 109s to its combat account. Former bomber pilots often flew on the Fokkers, it is clear that they could not fight on equal terms with the experienced combat veterans of the Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Below are brief descriptions of air battles conducted by the pilots of the 63rd GIAP from August 22 to mid-October 1944.

Eight La-7, led by Major A.V. Pashkevich, on September 15, she carried out a combat mission to cover the ground forces. A group of 24 Fw-190 loaded with bombs entered the patrol area of ​​the eight. Pashkevich gave the order to attack as soon as he noticed the enemy. Lavochkin struck from a dive. It was not possible to shoot down enemy planes from the first attack, but Pashkevich, Skripnik, Titov and Asia achieved success in the second approach. The fighters of the 63rd regiment had no losses.

Another air battle took place on September 19, in which the pilots of Major Pashkevich distinguished themselves again, shooting down at least 11 enemy aircraft. Pashkevich himself replenished his combat score with four shot down.

On September 25, six aircraft, led by Major Voronkov, engaged 12 Fw-190s. Soviet pilots shot down seven Focke-Wulfs, losing one La-7.

On October 10, the ground guidance station aimed the four of senior lieutenant V.A. Mordivnenko for a group of eight Fw-190s. From the first attack, Mordivnenko shot down a Focke-Wulf from the leading flight, and Lieutenant Sedoshkin - Fw-190 from the second schwarm. The surviving German planes hastened to leave behind the front line. The four Mordivnenko continued patrolling in the area of ​​the just-ended air battle. Lieutenant Skripnik noticed seven Fw-190s attacking ground targets. In a fleeting battle, the guards shot down three more Focke-Wulfs; the victories were won by Skripnik, Svetnoy and Tokarev.

On October 29, the four Mordvinenko covered ground forces in the Vainode-Prikule region, Latvia, and were attacked from a height of 2500 m by the four Fw-190. Mordivnenko dodged the diving German fighter and himself sat on its tail. The Focke-Wulf never left the dive. Four Soviet fighters managed to gain altitude of 2000 m and attacked another Fw-190 flight that approached. In the ensuing battle, senior lieutenant Sedoshkin, led by Mordvinenko, shot down one enemy fighter. At this time, the Germans were attacked by another pair of La-7s, which insured the four of Mordvinenko from above. Using the advantage in speed and altitude, La-7 dived down one Focke-Wulf, but the survivors piled on Mordvinenko. Sedoshkin, covering the commander, shot down another Fokker, but the La-7 of the leader still got the bursts fired by the Fw-190 cannons. The plane lost control and fell in the vicinity of the village of Zadire, Mordvinenko died. The outcome of the battle was five shot down Fw-190s, with a valuable loss of one La-7.

Without a doubt, the choice of the 63rd GIAP for military tests of the La-7 fighter was not accidental. Aces such as A.M. Chislov (21 wins), A.G. Voronko (20 wins), A.V. Pashkevich (20 wins), I.M. Berezutsky (18 wins). The legendary Alexei Maresyev (11 victories), a pilot without legs, also fought in the same regiment.

32nd GIAP

Another regiment of the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Division, rearmed on the La-7, was the 32nd GIAP. The regiment covered itself with glory in the skies of Stalingrad; the most experienced fighter pilots served in it. On August 12, 1944, the 1st squadron of Major Vladimir Orekhov arrived in Tula for retraining on La-7; On September 8, the squadron arrived at the front. The remaining two squadrons of the 32nd GIAP received La-7s and retrained them under the guidance of the pilots of the 1st squadron directly at the field airfields. The retraining process was not particularly difficult, since the regiment had previously flown the La-5FN. The La-7 was slightly different from its predecessor in terms of piloting technique only in take-off and landing modes.

The regiment's pilots fought the first battle on the new fighters on September 15, but the first pancake came out lumpy. In the evening, a couple of Orekhovs were tasked with covering ground forces in the Bauska region, Latvia. In the same area, there were also two La-5FN eights from the 137th GIAP. Immediately after takeoff, Orekhov and his wingman Lieutenant P.I. Pavlov climbed 4000 m. Soon they spotted two Fw-190s and attacked them. Orekhov shot down one Fokker with the first round, the second Focke-Wulf fell victim to Pavlov .. Carried away by the attack, the La-7 pilots did not notice the presence of other Fw-190s and were hit. Orekhov managed to evade the attack, and Pavlov hesitated, falling as a result under fire from a pair of Fw-190s. The plane caught fire, but the pilot managed to safely jump out with a parachute. Pavlov landed in the territory occupied by Soviet troops and soon reached the airfield safe and sound. The first sortie, nevertheless, could still be considered successful: two Fw-190s were shot down, but one La-7 was lost, Pavlov received severe burns to his face and both legs, after which he spent a long time in hospitals. The result, of course, could well have been more expressive.

4th GIAP of Aviation of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet

One of the few naval aviation regiments that received the La-7 was the 4th GIAP of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force, commanded by V.F.Golubev. The regiment received 20 fighters on September 25, 1944 in the presence of S.A. Lavochkin. Until the end of the war, the pilot of the regiment was able to conduct only a few air battles, since they flew mainly to escort transport aircraft and cover sea convoys from the air. At the beginning of 1945, the regiment's pilots operated over East Prussia in the area of ​​Konigsberg and Pillau, and also flew over Liepaja. The fighters covered the bombers that attacked the fortifications of the German defenses. Until the end of the war, the pilots of the 4th GIAP won three victories, there were no losses of their own, but the La-7 often received damage from enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire.

176th Guards "Proskurovsky" Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov III degree and Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st formation).

(HF pp 49772)

(brief historical background)

By order of the NCO # 0271 of August 19, 1944, the 19th "Proskurovsky" Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment was renamed the 176th Guards "Proskurovsky" Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Being in the ranks:

As part of the active army:

As part of the associations:

From August 19, 1944 to June 10, 1945 - as part of the 16th Air Army (1st formation) of the 1st Belarusian Front.
From June 10, 1945 to May 29, 1946 - as part of the 16th Air Army (1st formation) of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany.
From May 29, 1946 to December 1950, he was a member of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District.
From December 25, 1950 to March 31, 1951 - as part of the Operational Group of the USSR Air Force in China.
From March 31, 1951 to January 31, 1952 - as part of the United Air Force.
From February 1952 to August 20, 1954 - in the 52nd Air Fighter Army of the Central Air Defense Region.
From August 20, 1954 to May 31, 1960 - as part of the 52nd Air Fighter Army of the Moscow Air Defense District.

As part of the buildings:

From January 1945 until the end of the war - in the operational subordination of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps.
From December 25, 1950 to February 1, 1952 - as part of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps.
From February 1952 to May 31, 1960 - in the 78th Guards "Lvov" Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree of the Fighter Aviation Corps.

As part of the division:

From April 1945 until the end of the war - in the operational subordination of the 265th Fighter Aviation Division.
From May 29, 1946 to March 1958 - in the 324th "Svirskaya" Red Banner Fighter Aviation Division.
From March 1958 to May 31, 1960 - in the 98th Guards "Bryansk" Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree of the fighter aviation division.

Regiment command:

Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Colonel Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich - from August 19, 1944 to 1947.
Guards Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Konstantinovich Kotelnikov - from 1947 to 1948.
Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Lieutenant Colonel Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich - from 1948 to 1948.
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Nikolaevich Shulzhenko - from 1948 to 1950.
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Semyonovich Koshel - from 1950 to 1951.
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Vishnyakov Sergei Fedorovich - from April 3, 1951 to 1953.
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Buchenkov Vladimir Fedorovich - from 1953 to 1956.

Participation in operations and battles:

Vistula-Oder operation - from January 12, 1945 to February 3, 1945.
Warsaw-Poznan operation - from January 14, 1945 to February 3, 1945.
East Pomeranian operation - from February 10, 1945 to April 4, 1945.
Berlin operation - from April 16, 1945 to May 8, 1945.
Korea - from December 25, 1950 to February 1, 1952.

Awards:

For exemplary performance of combat missions of the command in battles with the German invaders for the capture of the capital of Germany, the city of Berlin, and the valor and courage shown at the same time by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 11, 1945 on the basis of the Order of the Supreme Command No. 359 of May 2, 1945 176th Guards " Proskurovsky "Red Banner Order of Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov III degree.

Acknowledgments announced:

By order of the Supreme Command No. 223 of January 17, 1945 for the capture of the city of Warsaw.
By order of the Supreme Command No. 228 dated January 18, 1945 for the capture of the towns of Sochaczew, Skierniewice and Lowicz.
By order of the Supreme Command No. 233 of January 19, 1945 for the capture of the cities of Lodz, Kutno, Tomaszow (Tomashov), Gostynin and Leczyca.
By order of the Supreme Command No. 288 of March 4, 1945, the capture of the cities of Berwalde, Tempelburg, Falkenburg, Dramburg, Wangerin, Labes, Freienwalde, Schiefelbein, Regenwalde and Kerlin.
By order of the Supreme Command No. 339 of April 23, 1945 for the possession of the cities of Frankfurt an der Oder, Wandlitz, Oranienburg, Birkenwerder, Hennigsdorf, Pankow, Friedrichsfelde, Karlshorst, Köpenick and entry into the German capital city of Berlin.
By order of the Supreme Command No. 359 of May 2, 1945 for the capture of the city of Berlin.

Heroes of the Soviet Union:

February 23, 1945. Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. The deputy squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star No. 4915.
June 29, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. The flight commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 7996.
June 29, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. The senior pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 265th Fighter Aviation Division of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star No. 7980.
August 18, 1945 Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Guard Major. The deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. Gold Star №3 / 3
May 15, 1946. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Guard lieutenant. The pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 8976.
May 15, 1946. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. The flight commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 8979.
May 15, 1946 Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Guard captain. The squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 265th Fighter Aviation Division of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps of the 16th Air Army was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 8984.
October 10, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Guard captain. The squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 10871.
October 10, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Guard captain. The deputy squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 9283.
October 10, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. The pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously).
October 10, 1951. Subbotin Serafim Pavlovich. Guard Major. The navigator of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star # 9289.

Aerial victories:

August 22, 1944. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down a He-111 in the Zyrarduv area.
September 22, 1944. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Strencha.
September 22, 1944. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Ramnieki-Daksta.
September 22, 1944. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down a He-111 east of Skierniewitz.
September 23, 1944. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Valmiera.
September 23, 1944. Baklan Andrey Yakovlevich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Valmiera.
September 23, 1944. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Ruin.
September 24, 1944. Orlov Georgy Prokofievich. Shot down U-87 southwest of Warsaw.
September 25, 1944. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Valmiera.
September 25, 1944. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Valmiera.
September 26, 1944. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-189 over the Sochachev airfield.
September 26, 1944. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 south of Sochachev airfield.
September 29, 1944. Belikov Oleg Stepanovich. Shot down U-87 southwest of Warsaw.
October 18, 1944. Belikov Oleg Stepanovich. Shot down a Me-109 west of Yablonn.
October 25, 1944. Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Shot down a Me-109 southwest of Naselsk.

October 25, 1944. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Newe Miasto.
October 25, 1944. Tarakanov Mikhail Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Krochev.
October 26, 1944. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down Storkh east of the Sochachev airfield.
December 15, 1944. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down a Me-110 near Newe Miasto.
December 22, 1944. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down a Ju-88 in the Grunets area.
January 16, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down a Me-109 northeast of Tomaszów.
January 16, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Studzyan.
January 16, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down a FV-190 over the Sochachev airfield.
January 16, 1945. Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Zhechitsa.
January 18, 1945 Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down a Me-109 southeast of Gombin.
February 9, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Gross-Neuendorf.
February 9, 1945. Belikov Oleg Stepanovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Tsakhi.

February 9, 1945. Orlov Georgy Prokofievich. Shot down FV-190 east of Tsakhov.
February 9, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 south of Zunnersdorf.
February 9, 1945. Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Writzen.
February 9, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-189 southwest of Writzen.
February 10, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 in the Freienfelde area.
February 10, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 in the Lechin area.
February 10, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Morin airfield.

February 12, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 west of Lechin.

February 12, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 west of Kinitz.
February 12, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 near Kitzer See lake.
February 12, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Cellin.
February 12, 1945. Orlov Georgy Prokofievich. Shot down FV-190 west of Kinitz.
February 12, 1945. Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down a FV-190 in the Klein-Neuendorf area.
February 15, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 west of Kyustrin.
February 15, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 east of Bukov.
February 17, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down a Me-262 east of Alt-Fridland.
February 19, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down a Me-109 north of Fürstenwalde.
February 20, 1945. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 north of Sachsendorf.
March 6, 1945. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down U-88 west of the Gollnov.
March 8, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down a Me-109 east of Pelitz.
March 8, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down a Me-109 northeast of Pelitz.
March 8, 1945. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 south of Pomerenzdor.
March 9, 1945. Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down a Me-109 southeast of Alt-Damme.
March 9, 1945. Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 southeast of Frauenhof.
March 11, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Brunchen.
March 11, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down a Me-109 southeast of Altdam.
March 11, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down a Me-109 west of Greifenhagen.
March 11, 1945. Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Altdam.
March 11, 1945. Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down a Me-109 south of Altdam.
March 15, 1945. Azarov Evgeny Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Altdam.
March 15, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 east of Greifenhagen.
March 18, 1945. Azarov Evgeny Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190.
March 18, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Kyustrin.
March 18, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Kyustrin.
March 22, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 north of Obersdorf.
March 22, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Müncheberg.
March 22, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 west of Seelow.
March 22, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Seelow.
March 22, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Guzov.
March 22, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 west of Seelow.
March 22, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Bukov.
March 23, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 west of Seelow.
March 23, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 east of Strausberg.
March 23, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Kyustrin.
March 23, 1945. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 in the Verbig area.
March 23, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 in the Rostok area.
March 23, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 east of Roshtok.
March 23, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 north of Bukov.
March 23, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 east of Fürstenwalde.
March 23, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Geritz.
March 23, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Sachsendorf.
March 23, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Seelow.
March 27, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down a Me-109 west of Alt-Ryudnitz.
March 27, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Bad Freienfelde.
March 27, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 north of the Moons.
March 27, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down a Me-109 south of Kinitz.
April 14, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down a Me-109 west of Ebersfelde.
April 14, 1945. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Sachsendorf.
April 14, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 south of Sachsendorf.
April 14, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Alt-Fridland.
April 14, 1945. Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 southwest of Vritzen.
April 16, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 west of Seelow.
April 16, 1945. Belikov Oleg Stepanovich. Shot down FV-190 west of Guzov.
April 16, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 in the Seelow area.
April 16, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Markdorf.
April 16, 1945. Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Fürstenwalde.
April 16, 1945. Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Heinersdorf.
April 16, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 in the Neubrück area.
April 16, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 in the Vritzen area.
April 16, 1945. Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Seelow.
April 17, 1945 Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 in the Vritzen area.
April 17, 1945 Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich. Shot down FV-190 in the Kinitz area.
April 17, 1945 Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Müncheberg.
April 17, 1945 Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Müncheberg.
April 17, 1945 Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Pretzel.
April 18, 1945 Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 northeast of Müncheberg.
April 18, 1945 Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 east of Strausberg.
April 18, 1945 Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Munichberg.
April 18, 1945 Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down the Me-109 north of Munich.
April 18, 1945 Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Writzen.
April 18, 1945 Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down a Me-109 west of Vritzen.
April 18, 1945 Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down a FV-190 in the Müncheberg area.
April 18, 1945 Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 in the Oderberg area.
April 18, 1945 Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 west of Trebue.
April 18, 1945 Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 northeast of Müncheberg.
April 18, 1945 Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 in the Alt-Fridland area.
April 18, 1945 Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down FV-190 in the Vulkov area.
April 19, 1945. Azarov Evgeny Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 northeast of Strausberg.
April 19, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down a FV-190 near the Adlershof airfield.
April 19, 1945. Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down FV-190 northeast of Strausberg.
April 20, 1945. Rudenko Nikolay Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 south of Ebersfelde.
April 22, 1945 Karaev Alexander Akimovich. Shot down a Me-109 east of Müllenbeck.
April 23, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Falkensee.
April 23, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 east of Sommerfeld.
April 23, 1945. Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down a Me-109 southeast of Birkenwerder.
April 23, 1945. Chupikov Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Berlin.
April 23, 1945. Shcherbakov Ivan Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 in the Friedrichsfelde area.
April 24, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down a Me-109 south of Noi Ruppin.
April 24, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 south-west of Lake Deretz-See.
April 24, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 northeast of Liebenfelde.
April 25, 1945 Savin Nikolay Ivanovich. Shot down FV-190 north of Ketzen.
April 29, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 in the Königsdorf area.
April 29, 1945. Aleksandryuk Viktor Ilyich. Shot down FV-190 west of Welten.
April 29, 1945. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down FV-190 south of Welten.
April 29, 1945. Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich. Shot down FV-190 southwest of Velefants.
April 29, 1945. Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich. Shot down FV-190 west of Berlin.
April 29, 1945. Maslyakov Pavel Ivanovich. Shot down a Me-109 in the Fairbellin area.
April 29, 1945. Plitkin Anatoly Alekseevich. Shot down FV-190 northwest of Neuen.
April 29, 1945. Stetsenko Andrey Emelyanovich. Shot down northwest of Neuen.
April 3, 1951. Yablokov Ivan Alexandrovich. Shot down an F-86 in the Shingisu area.
April 7, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Shot down an F-84 near the Yalu River.
April 8, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down a B-26 southeast of Ansyu.
April 9, 1951. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near the Yalu River.
April 10, 1951. Gogolev Anatoly Pavlovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Ansyu area.
April 12, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down a B-29 in the Andong-Sinuiju region.
April 12, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Andong-Sinuiju region.
April 12, 1951. Lazutin Alexander Vasilievich. Shot down an F-80 in the Andong-Sinuiju region.
April 12, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Shot down a B-29 in the Andong-Sinuiju region.
April 12, 1951. Plitkin Anatoly Alekseevich. Shot down a B-29 in the Andong-Sinuiju region.
April 24, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near the Yalu River.
May 9, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down an F-84 in the Taishu area.
June 1, 1951. Goncharov Nikolai Mikhailovich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Sensen area.
June 2, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Ansu area.
June 17, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Sensen area.
June 18, 1951. Plitkin Anatoly Alekseevich. Shot down an F-86 SABER south of Teishu.
June 20, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down a P-51 near Simbito Island.
June 20, 1951. Golovachev Anatoly Fedorovich. Shot down a P-51 near Simbito Island.
June 20, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down a P-51 near Simbito Island.
June 22, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Sensen area.
June 23, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Teishu area.
June 24, 1951. Goncharov Nikolai Mikhailovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Ansyu area.
July 8, 1951. Verdysh Alexander Prokopyevich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Sensen area.
July 8, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Sensen area.
July 11, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Xianreikan area.
July 11, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near the Yalu River.
July 29, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Teishu area.
September 9, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Junsen area.
September 10, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Hakusen area.
September 10, 1951. Ges Grigory Ivanovich. Shot down a Meteor in the Hakusen area.
September 12, 1951. Gogolev Anatoly Pavlovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Sarenkan area.
September 12, 1951. Kravtsov Nikolay Petrovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Juisen area.
September 12, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-80 in the Junsen area.
September 13, 1951. Verdysh Alexander Prokopyevich. Shot down a P-51 in the Kakusen area.
September 13, 1951. Plitkin Anatoly Alekseevich. Shot down a P-51 in the Kakusen area.
September 22, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Ansu - Hakusen area.
September 25, 1951. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down an F-86 SABER in the Hakusen area.
November 4, 1951. Goncharov Nikolai Mikhailovich. Shot down an F-84 in the Pyongyang area.
November 4, 1951. Zyuz Ivan Akimovich. Shot down by F9F2 in the Pyongyang area.
November 10, 1951. Plitkin Anatoly Alekseevich. Shot down an F-84 in the Pyongyang-Tsynampo area.
November 29, 1951. Goncharov Nikolai Mikhailovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Eiju area.
December 1, 1951. Vasko Alexander Fedorovich. Shot down a Meteor southeast of Juisen.
December 1, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down a Meteor southeast of Juisen.
December 1, 1951. Golovachev Anatoly Fedorovich. Shot down a Meteor southeast of Juisen.
December 1, 1951. Guly Ikar Nikolaevich. Shot down a Meteor southeast of Juisen.

December 1, 1951. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down a Meteor southeast of Juisen.
December 2, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down an F-84 in the Pkhnyang area.
December 2, 1951. Kravtsov Nikolay Petrovich. Shot down an F-84 in the Pkhnyang area.
December 4, 1951. Nikulin Pavel Fedorovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Ansu area.
December 5, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down an F-84 in the Juisen area.
December 8, 1951. Vishnyakov Sergey Fedorovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Juissen - Pyongyang area.
December 8, 1951. Lazutin Alexander Vasilievich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Juissen - Pyongyang area.
December 14, 1951. Lazutin Alexander Vasilievich. Shot down an F-86 SABER.
December 28, 1951. Goncharov Nikolai Mikhailovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" south of Kaisen.
January 12, 1952. Guly Ikar Nikolaevich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near Supkhunskaya HPP.
January 12, 1952. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near Supkhunskaya HPP.
January 12, 1952. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" in the Sensen - Theisen area.
January 12, 1952. Moroz Nikolay Kuzmich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" near Supkhunskaya HPP.
January 16, 1952. Kramarenko Sergey Makarovich. Shot down an F-86 "SABER" east of Taishu.

THE LIST OF VICTORIES IS REFINED.

February 12, 1945. Orlov Georgy Prokofievich. Guard lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (12 personal and 1 group victory). Shot down in aerial combat on a La-7 aircraft.
April 3, 1951. Nikitchenko Pavel Demidovich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Killed in an air battle on a MiG-15 aircraft. He was buried in the fraternal cemetery in the city of Port Arthur.
April 9, 1951. Slabkin Fedor Vasilievich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Killed in an air battle on a MiG-15 aircraft. He was buried in the fraternal cemetery in the city of Port Arthur.
June 23, 1951. Negodyaev Vladimir Fedorovich. Guard lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Killed in an air battle on a MiG-15 aircraft. He was buried in the fraternal cemetery in the city of Port Arthur.
July 11, 1951. Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Killed in an air battle on a MiG-15 aircraft. He was buried in the fraternal cemetery in the city of Port Arthur. Posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
January 17, 1952. Filippov Alexander Vasilievich. Guard Senior Lieutenant. Pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Killed in an air battle on a MiG-15 aircraft. He was buried in the fraternal cemetery in the city of Port Arthur.

LIST OF LOSSES TO BE REFINED.

Armament:

La-7 - from 1944 to 1948.
La-9 - from 1948 to 1949.
La-11 - from 1948 to 1949.
MiG-15 - from 1949 to 1956.
MiG-17 - from 1956 to 1960.

Dislocation:

Ulenge - from 19 August 1944 to?
Werneuchen - April 1945 to May 1945
Schnwalde - from May 1945 to May 1946.
Tyoply Stan - from May 1946 to November 1950.
Dong Fayen - from December 25, 1950 to March 30, 1951.
Andong - from March 30, 1951 to February 1, 1952.
Vorotynsk-Oreshkovo - from February 1952 to May 31, 1960.

May 31, 1960 176th Guards "Proskurovsky" Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov III degree and Alexander Nevsky fighter regiment was disbanded at the Oreshkovo airfield.

Sources of information:

Http://www.allaces.ru
http://www.warheroes.ru
The combat composition of the Soviet Army.
"All Stalin's fighter air regiments." Vladimir Anokhin. Mikhail Bykov. Yauza-press. 2014.
"Commanders". Kuchkovo field. 2006.
"Komkory" (volume 2). Kuchkovo field. 2006.
"Divisional Commanders" (volume 2). Kuchkovo field. 2014.

Please report any errors and inaccuracies noticed to the address [email protected]

Shelf names

In the final operations of the Great Patriotic War

The regiment was used by the command in different operational directions and was formed to destroy enemy aircraft using the "free hunt" method. Was the only regiment of "hunters" in the KA Air Force.

From August 11, 1944 to the end of the war, he led fighting as part of the 16th Air Army of the 1st Belorussian Front. Together with other fighter air formations and units, he participated in battles with enemy aircraft during the liberation of the eastern regions of Poland by Soviet troops, the defeat of enemy groupings in the Warsaw-Poznan, East Pomeranian and Berlin offensive operations.

For distinction in air battles during the capture of the German capital city of Berlin on June 11, 1945, he was awarded the Order of Kutuzov, 3rd degree.

In the army

After the war

• The 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Regiment was disbanded from March 26 to May 31, 1960 together with the 98th Guards Fighter Aviation Division.
• in 1966, at the request of three times Hero of the Soviet Union Kozhedub I.N., all the regalia of the 176th Guards. IAP were transferred to the 234th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Kubinka airfield), which was part of the 9th Fighter Aviation Division of the Moscow Military District, which was formed on December 1, 1950 from the pilots of the 176th Guards. Iap, who did not leave for Korea, and began to be called
• In the post-war period until 1967, the 234th Guards. IAP participated in air parades over Red Square in Moscow. During friendly visits to Sweden (1967 and 1975), France (1971) and Finland (1974), its personnel demonstrated modern Soviet aviation technology and high flying skills.
• For success in combat and political training and in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Komsomol on October 17, 1968, the regiment was named after the Lenin Komsomol.
• In 1989, in connection with the reform of the Air Force, the 234th Guards Fighter Aviation Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Regiment was renamed into the 237th Guards Aviation Equipment Display Center (237 TsPAT).
• in the fall of 2009, the 237th Guards Center for the Display of Aviation Equipment was disbanded at the Kubinka airbase during the reform of the RF Armed Forces.

Regiment commanders

As part of formations and associations

Participation in battles and battles

Honorary titles and titles

Awards

Commendations from the Supreme Command

Distinguished soldiers of the regiment

For the endurance and courage shown in the Great Patriotic War, 470 people were awarded orders and medals, and six were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Over the years, 29 Heroes of the Soviet Union served in the regiment, including three times Hero of the Soviet Union, former deputy regiment commander, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Pavel Romanovich Popovich and Hero of Russia, cosmonaut, Colonel Korzun Valery Grigorievich.

Forever enlisted in the lists of the unit Hero of the Soviet Union, senior lieutenant Obraztsov Boris Alexandrovich. On June 27, 1945, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

• Azarov Evgeny Aleksandrovich, squadron commander of the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 6th Air Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, Major, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 19, 1944.
• Aleksandryuk, Viktor Ilyich, flight commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Gold Star No. 4831.
• Vasko, Alexander Fedorovich, pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Gold Star number 8976.
• Ges Grigory Ivanovich, squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division on October 10, 1951, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star No. 10871.
• Gromakovsky, Vladimir Alexandrovich, flight commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army. Gold Star number 8979.
• Gubanov Aleksey Alekseevich, flight commander of the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 6th Air Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 24, 1943 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union as squadron commander of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 201st Fighter air divisions of the 2nd mixed aviation corps of the 4th air army of the North Caucasian front.
• Karaev Alexander Akimovich, deputy squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (16th Air Army, 1st Belorussian Front) was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 23, 1945.
• Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich, deputy commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times.
• Kramarenko Sergei Makarovich, deputy squadron commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division October 10, 1951 by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star No. 9283.
• Kumanichkin Alexander Sergeevich, navigator of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 13, 1944, for courage and military valor displayed in air battles with German invaders, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union as squadron commander of the 41st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment 8th Guards Fighter Aviation Division of the 2nd Air Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Guard Captain.
• Obraztsov Boris Aleksandrovich, senior lieutenant, pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division on October 10, 1951, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Posthumously.
• Serafim Pavlovich Subbotin, pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 324th Fighter Aviation Division on October 10, 1951, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Gold Star No. 9289.

Mikhail NIKOLSKY

Su 27 of the 237th TsPAT three times Hero of the Soviet Union I.I.Kozhedub

In March 2003, the personnel of the 237th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and the Alexander Nevsky Center for the Display of Aviation Equipment named after I.N. Kozhedub celebrates its 65th anniversary. The history of TsPAT largely reflects the history of the Russian Air Force "as a whole. Many aviation fans still believe that the 176th Kozhedub Regiment is based in Kubinka, which for some reason became the 237th Show Center. There is some truth in this conviction, but - only a fraction. ”The capricious lady of history, not without the help of certain high-ranking officials, wanted the TsPAT to become the heir of two fighter aviation regiments at once - the 176th Guards and 234th.

The end of the 30s was marked by the reforms of the Air Force 1 "KKA. On the basis of individual squadrons, aviation regiments were massively formed. In 1938, at the Gorelovo airfield, located between Leningrad and Krasnoye Selo, on the basis of the 70th and 58th fighter and Separate Reconnaissance Squadron 19 Fighter Aviation Regiment was formed and became part of the 54th Light Aviation Brigade Major Tretyakov was appointed commander of the regiment, battalion commissar Gogolev was commissar, and Major Mizevich was appointed chief of staff.

The regiment included four squadrons armed with I-15bis and I-153 aircraft. In January 1939, the 1st squadron was disbanded, but a new 4th squadron was formed to replace it. which received the I-15bis aircraft. In addition, the 5th Squadron, armed with 11-16 fighters, was assigned to the regiment over and above the staff. but it was also disbanded in March 1939. Three squadrons remained in the regiment, since the 4th in February was transferred to the command of the Commander of the 9th Army of the North-Western Front. The curtain of 1939 was brought to the regular composition of the regiment - in December the 4th squadron was once again formed on I-16 aircraft.

In 1939, on the basis of the regiment, military tests of the I-16 fighter with M-63 engines were carried out. On September 8, the full regiment (60 crews, three I-16 squadrons with M-25s and one I-15 bis squadron) flew to Ukraine. From September 17 to October 6, the 19th IAP took part in the liberation campaign in Western Ukraine. The flight time was 1,091 hours, 1,420 combat sorties were made. There were no losses. After the completion of the liberation campaign, the regiment returned to Leningrad. in Gorelovo.

MiG-3 of the 19th IAP over Leningrad

The peaceful respite did not last long. From October 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940, the pilots took part in the war with Finland. "In that un-famous war," the unit's combat score was opened: in 3412 sorties, 74 steam locomotives were put out of action, five train echelons were burned, two enemy planes were destroyed on the ground, and three enemy aircraft were destroyed in air battles over Vyborg. In April, the 19th IAP was awarded the Order of the Red Banner "for the excellent performance of the command assignments on the front against the Finnish White Guards."

November 1940 brought another reorganization: the 54th Light Aviation Brigade was disbanded, and the 19th Red Banner IAP became part of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Division.

The Great Patriotic War found the regiment in its own "home" - at the Gorelovo airfield. As of June 22, 1941, the 19th IAP consisted of four regular squadrons and the 5th assigned squadron: 50 I-16 fighters. 20 I-153 and 15 MiG-3, 85 pilots.

The first victory in the air battle of the Great Patriotic War was won by the pilot Dmitry Titarenko. he will end the war in the sky of Berlin as the wingman of Ivan Kozhedub. Since July 1941, the 19th IAP was part of the 7th Air Defense Fighter Air Corps, at the same time the regiment was transferred to the wartime staff - three squadrons. The 2nd squadron remained in service with the MiG-3, and the 1st squadron received LaGG-3 fighters. Operating in the air defense system of the city on the Neva, the regiment's pilots made 3145 sorties, conducted 415 air battles, shooting down 63 enemy aircraft. Own combat losses amounted to 57 fighters, the regiment had no non-combat losses.

On September 30, the regiment was withdrawn from the fighting, taken to rest and replenishment in Cherepovets. In November, there was a reorganization: instead of three squadrons, two remained. 22 LaGG-3 fighters entered service. The 19th IAP again arrived at the front in February 1942. The regiment was based at Gremyachevo airfield and operated as part of the 2nd reserve aviation group of the Volkhov front. The regiment took part in the hostilities until April 16. During this period, 219 sorties were made, three enemy aircraft were shot down in air battles, three aircraft were also killed, non-combat losses were two more LaGGs, and three pilots were killed. In early May, the regiment relocated to the Volgino airfield (near Borovichi), where it began to train fighter pilots for the entire aviation of the Volkhov Front. The training center was disbanded in July, and the regiments that were part of it were sent to the rear to be reorganized. So the 19th IAP ended up at the Seim station of the Gorky region. The date September 10, 1942 stands alone in the history of the unit. Previously, the 19th IAP was an ordinary regiment of the Red Army Air Force, but from 10/19/1942 the regiment entered the personal order of Vasily Stalin, in a special group of the 269th Fighter Aviation Division. The son of a leader, as you know, was an extraordinary man. Assessments of his activities range from extremely positive to purely negative. One thing is certain - Vasily Stalin became one of the founders of the formation of elite fighter units. staffed by the best of the best, aces. By the end of October, the 19th IAP, transferred to a three-squadron structure, received the latest La-5 fighters (35 aircraft). At this time, the regiment was in Lyubertsy. After a series of organizational perturbations (from the 269th I AD to the 210th, then to the 286th and again to the 269th), the regiment arrived at the Yelets airfield in December 1942. From December 27, 1942 to March 20, 1943, operating as part of the 269th IAD of the 2nd Air Army of the Voronezh Front, the regiment's pilots made 1,055 sorties, shooting down 35 enemy aircraft in 60 air battles (19 bombers, II fighters, 5 Their own combat losses amounted to five La-5s, five more fighters were defeated. Five pilots were killed (three in battle, two in accidents.) During the same period, assault operations destroyed 136 vehicles, about 200 carts, two anti-aircraft artillery batteries, 8 fires were created.

At the end of March, the regiment was taken to the rear, to Morshansk. This time the rest was very long. In the summer, the personnel (without aircraft) were transported to the Chkalovskaya airfield, the regiment entered the personal order of the Air Force Commander. In September, the 19th IAP received La-5FN fighters.

Autumn 1943 - not summer 1941 Pilots and technicians were given the opportunity to thoroughly prepare for battles, to master new technology. The regiment departed to the front only on January 8, 1944. The pilots began combat operations on January 20, based at the Zhurbintsy airfield. Operationally, the 19th IAP was subordinate to the commander of the 2nd Air Army, which operated in the interests of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The regiment's pilots operated by the free hunting method. Until May 26, 1,055 combat missions were carried out, 37 air battles were conducted, in which 47 enemy aircraft were shot down (25 fighters, 21 bombers, I reconnaissance), own combat losses amounted to nine aircraft (six pilots), non-combat - two aircraft (one pilot ). For the excellent performance of the command assignments for the period from 20: 01.1944 to 06.06.1944, as part of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the regiment was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

In June, the regiment was relocated to the Yudichi airfield (1st Belorussian Front), now the unit was operationally subordinate to the commander of the 16th Air Army, and from January 1945 to the commander of the 3rd Fighter Air Corps, Lieutenant General E.Ya. Savitsky (the corps was part of the 16th VA). As part of the Savitsky corps, the regiment ended the war. By order of the NKO No. 0270 of 08/19/1944 for the combat work carried out from 06/22/1941 to 06/06/1944 (5574 sorties were carried out, 172 enemy aircraft were shot down in air battles. 48 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground) the regiment was transformed into 176th Guards.

The regiment's pilots fought their first battle on the new technology on June 24, 1944. In the battle over Baranovichi with ten Fw-190s, the guards shot down two enemy aircraft without losses. The victory was won by Andrey Baklan and Vladimir Petrov. It is quite possible that these were generally the first victories won on the La-7. Another air battle took place on July 7, 1944, also in the Baranovichi area. Two pairs of La-7s intercepted two Bf 109s during the "free hunt" flight. In the ensuing battle, pilot Viktor Aleksan- drnzh shot down one Messerschmitt. On September 22, Ivan Kozhedub, together with Sharapov, flew to cover the river crossing between the settlements of Rameyki and Daksti. At a distance of 10-15 km from the pereravy, Soviet pilots found two groups, four and eight, walking at an altitude of 3000 m. Fw-190. Kozhedub swiftly attacked the leftmost pair of Focke-Wulfs and opened fire from a distance of 150 m. The German plane managed to drop its bombs, after which it went into an indiscriminate fall and collided with the ground 15 kilometers from the village of Streltsy. The rest of the Focke-Wulfs instantly freed themselves from the bomb load and turned back. In one of the subsequent sorties to cover the crossing, Kozhedub discovered six Fw-190s at an altitude of 1500 m. This time the leader of a group of German fighter-bombers was attacked. A short burst from a distance of 150 m fired from Lavochkin's cannons put an end to the combat career of a Luftwaffe pilot. Focke-Wulf fell 8 km from the crossing. On the way back, the planes of Kozhedub and his wingman came under anti-aircraft fire. Slave's La-7 was damaged. The next day. On September 23, four La-7s under the command of A. Baklan conducted an air battle in the Valmiera area: Savin, Aleksandruk and Vasko shot down one Focke-Wulf each, Baklan damaged one German plane, which, dragging a plume of smoke behind it, disappeared in the direction of Riga.

La-7 from the 176th GIAP at the airfield in Germany

In October, all fighters of the 176th regiment were equipped with photo-machine guns.

The navigator of the regiment, Alexander Kumanichkin, on February 9, 1945, together with his wingman Kramarenko, flew out on a free hunt. In the area of ​​Sukachev, the pilots noticed a congestion of vehicles, and there was no anti-aircraft cover. A pair of Lavochkin stormed ground vehicles twice with impunity. The pilots were carried away by the attacks of ground forces and did not notice a pair of Fw-190s that went into a frontal attack. The projectile fired by the Focke-Wulf pierced the wing of the La-7 navigator, the fighter began to react poorly to handle deflections. At this time, the voice of the wingman was heard in Kumanichkin's headset: "Commander, a couple of Fokkers behind." The situation has become more complicated. Kumanichkin gave the command: "Let's go to the clouds." The fuel was running out, and there were still 100 km to fly to their airfield. Kumanichkip barely controlled the damaged fighter, maintaining a speed of about 300 km / h. Kramarenko covered the commander from possible enemy attacks. Both aircraft made it safely to the base. After landing, the pilots were amazed to see that about a third of one of the propeller blades had been shot, and in the other there was a hole 6 cm in diameter. The mechanics were able to replace the propeller and engine on the damaged aircraft in just one night. In the morning the La-7 navigator of the regiment was ready to fly.

Soon after the memorable battle, Kumanichkip and Kramarenko fought an air battle with two Bf109s over Odra. The fight lasted ten minutes before Kumanichkip managed to catch the lead of the pair. A burst of two cannons literally tore apart the Messerschmitt, the plane collapsed in the air. The second Bf 109 immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

Ivan Kozhedub took part in the air battle on February 12, 1945. He took off for a free hunt together with Viktor Gromakovsky, Alexander Kumanichkip and Sergei Kramarenko took off with a minimum interval behind them. Orlov and Stetsenko. All three pairs of fighters maintained mutual radio communications. At this time, over the front line fell out of the clouds up to thirty Fw-190. The Focke-Wulfs began to line up in battle formation, preparing to strike at the Soviet troops. Kozhedub decided to attack the enemy. He dropped to the very ground and attacked the leader of the enemy group from below from behind. Cannon bursts fired from a distance of 100 meters pierced the belly of the Fokker. One is! Exit from the attack upward, flip and dive at the next enemy aircraft. Under the reliable protection of Gromakovsky, who insured the "tail" of the commander, Kozhedub shot down another Fw-190. After the loss of two aircraft, the German pilots were no longer attacked by ground forces, and they began to rebuild the battle formation. Meanwhile, Kozhedub's pair were also in position for the next attack. At this time, the rest of the hunters of the 176th regiment approached the place of the battle. Kumanichkin immediately knocked down the leading nine Fw-190. The La-7 attack was swift. All Soviet fighters worked closely with each other, the Fockewulf pilots could not withstand the onslaught and began to withdraw from the battle. Kozhedub shot down one Fokker leaving the battle. Six Lavochkin in a fleeting battle destroyed eight enemy aircraft: one shot down Kumanichkin, Stetsenko and Orlov, two - Gromakovsky, and three chalked up Kozhedub. Orlov died in the battle.

Kumanichkin, together with the regiment commander Chupikov, met in the air with an unusual plane on February 14. The guards tried to attack the enemy. but the German plane unexpectedly quickly broke away from its pursuers. After developing the film of the photo-machine gun, it became clear that the pilots of the 176th GIAP had encountered the newest Me-262 jet fighter. This was the first meeting of the pilots of the 176th GIAP with the jet technology of the Luftwaffe, the first, but not the last.

One of the most memorable battles Kozhedub fought on February 19, 1945 (sometimes the date is February 24). On this day, he flew out on a free hunt, paired with Dmitry Titarenko. On the traverse of the Oder, the pilots noticed a plane approaching rapidly from the direction of Frankfurt an der Oder. The plane flew along the riverbed at an altitude of 3500 m at a speed much higher than the La-7 could develop. It was the Me-262. Kozhedub instantly made a decision. The Me-262 pilot relied on the high-speed qualities of his car and did not control the airspace in the rear hemisphere and below. Kozhedub attacked from below on a head-to-head course, hoping to hit the jet in the belly. However, before Kozhedub, Titarenko opened fire. Much to Kozhedub's surprise, the wingman's premature firing was beneficial. The German turned to the left, towards Kozhedub, the latter could only catch the Messerschmitt in the sight and press the trigger. Me-262 turned into a fireball. In the cockpit of Me 262 was non-commissioned officer Kurt-Lange from l./KG(J)-54.

On March 18, 1945, south of Morin Kozhedub and his wingman conducted an air battle with German fighters attacking an American bomber. Kozhedub shot the FW-190 from a distance of 80 m. Focke-Wulf fell to the ground 8-10 km north of Kustrin. The second ace shot down in a frontal attack, the enemy fighter fell 6 km north-west of Kustrin.

On March 22, 1945, Kozhedub and his wingman were performing another free hunt flight. Over the Seelow Heights, they intercepted two groups of Fw-190, marching at altitudes of 3000 and 1000 m, respectively, a total of thirty aircraft in the two groups. The hunters came in from the direction of the sun and dived into the last four of the upper group. The commander and his wingman shot down one Focke-Wulf. But the attack did not end there. Kozhedub continued to dive, his targets were now the planes of the lower group. From a distance of 150 m, the ace opened fire and shot down another Fockewulf.

Photo machine gun footage: Mustang defeat by Kozhedub

La-11 from the 176th GIAP

In the Kustrin area, on April 19, 1945, the Kumanichkin - Kramarenko pair was distinguished. Hunters attacked four Fw-190s. Before Kumanichkin opened fire. Kramarenko noticed another four Focke-Wulfs, and these planes were in a more vulnerable position. Kramarenko attacked the second four and drove a burst from 80 meters straight into the engine of the leading fock ke-wolf. The German fighter flipped over the wing, went into a dive and collided with the ground.

On the evening of April 17, 1945, Kozhedub and Titorenko carried out the fourth combat sortie of the day to the Berlin area. Immediately after crossing the front line north of Berlin, the hunters discovered a large group of Fw-190s with suspended bombs. Kozhedub began to climb to attack and reported to the command post about the establishment of contact with a group of forty Focke-Wulwof with suspended bombs.

The German pilots clearly saw how a pair of Soviet fighters went into the clouds, and did not expect them to appear again. Nevertheless, hunters appeared. From behind, from above, Kozhedub in the first attack knocked down the leading four of the Fokkers, closing the group. The hunters tried to give the enemy the impression that there were a significant number of Soviet fighters in the air. Kozhedub threw his La-7 right into the midst of enemy aircraft, turning Lavochkin left and right, the ace fired in short bursts from the cannons. The Germans succumbed to the trick - the Focke-Wulfs began to free them from bombs that interfere with an air battle. However, the Luftwaffe pilots soon established the presence of only two La-7s in the air and, taking advantage of the numerical advantage, took the guardsmen into circulation. One Fw-190 managed to get into the tail of Kozhedub's fighter, but Titarenko opened fire before the German pilot - the Focke-Wulf exploded in the air. By this time, help arrived - a La-7 group from the 176th regiment, Titarenko and Kozhedub were able to get out of the battle on the last remnants of fuel. On the way back, Kozhedub saw a single Fw-190, still trying to drop bombs on the Soviet troops. Ace dived and shot down an enemy plane. This was the last, 62nd. shot down by the best Allied fighter pilot a German plane.

Kozhedub is not included in the total bill. at least two are American P-51D Mustang fighters. In one of the battles in April, Kozhedub tried to drive away German fighters from the American "Flying Fortress" with cannon fire. The US Air Force escort fighters misunderstood the intentions of the La-7 pilot and opened barrage from a long distance. Kozhedub, apparently, also mistook the Mustangs for Messers, escaped from under the fire in a coup and, in turn, attacked the "enemy". He damaged one "Mustang" (the plane, smoking, left the battle and, after flying a little, fell, the pilot jumped out with a parachute), the second P-51D exploded in the air. Only after a successful attack, Kozhedub noticed the white stars of the US Air Force on the wings and fuselages of the aircraft he shot down. After landing, the regiment commander, Colonel Chupikov, advised Kozhedub to keep quiet about the incident and gave him the developed film of the photo-gun. The existence of the footage of the burning Mustangs became known only after the death of the legendary pilot.

On April 30, 1945, Kumanichkin and Kramarenko took off from the Schönifeld airfield to intercept the Fw-190 group. Shortly after takeoff, the hunters came out on a group of 16 Focke-Wulwofs with suspended bombs. As soon as the Germans spotted a pair of La-7s, eight Fw-190s dropped their bombs, but the rest continued to fly on a course towards the advancing Soviet forces. Eight Fw-190. evolved from bombers to fighters. tried to impose air combat on the hunters. Kumanichkin found himself in a difficult position, but a wingman came to his aid and thwarted the attack. The leader, on the other hand, broke through to the eight, which did not drop a bomb, and shot down one plane. Focke-Wulf fell on the western outskirts of Berlin. This was the 36th and last victory of A.S. Kumanichkin.

From June 1944 to May 9, 1945, the regiment carried out another 2961 sorties, conducted 185 air battles, in which 212 enemy aircraft were shot down. Own losses during this period amounted to 23 aircraft (four pilots), there were no combat losses.

For the excellent performance of the command assignments for the period from 06/06/1944 to 05/09/1945 (2961 combat aircraft sorties. 172 enemy aircraft shot down in air battles and 48 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground) On June 1, 1945, the regiment was awarded the Order of Kutuzov 3- th degree.

The 176th GIAP became one of the few regiments of the KA Air Force, which received truly worldwide fame - the only Soviet regiment of air hunters. The regiment's pilots ended the war in defeated Berlin.

During the Great Patriotic War, pilots of the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Orders of the Red Banner. Alexander Nevsky and Kutuzov's fighter aviation regiment made 8422 barefoot sorties, conducted 71 1 air battles and shot down 398 enemy aircraft, another 56 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground, the assault actions of the regiment's pilots destroyed 3 tanks, 256 vehicles, 213 carts, 7 tank trucks, 7 anti-aircraft batteries, disabled 36 steam locomotives, burned 1 railway echelon. Ten pilots each won more than 15 victories in air battles. Combat losses amounted to 48 pilots and 104 aircraft, non-combat 5 pilots and 15 aircraft.

One of the best fighter aviation regiments in the Air Force did not stay in Germany for long - already in 1946, the 176th GIAP from the German Schönewalde airfield was relocated to the Teply Stan airfield, practically to Moscow. In Teply Stan, on the base of the regiment, the military tests of the La-9 and La-11 fighters took place; one of the first in the Air Force, the regiment received MiG-15 jet fighters. In November 1950, the regiment was sent on a government mission to the Far East, on a mission to the war.

In the sight of Grigory Ges B-26

I. Suchkov is shooting at the B-29A

Wreckage of B-29A in the mountains of Korea

At the end of March 1951, it was decided to change the 151st NAD. for which purpose, the 324th Guard Colonel Kozhedub was transferred to the Andun airfield. On March 30, the 176th GIAG1 arrived in Andong under the command of Guards Lieutenant Colonel Koshel. The regiment was armed with MiG-15 fighters with RD-45A engines, 24 fighters. On March 31, the pilots of the 28th GIAP handed over their MiG-15bis to the pilots of the 176th GIAP., And themselves on the planes of the 176th GIAP departed for Mukden.

The first combat sortie was made by the 324th I AD planes on April 1: a pair of MIGs of the 176th GIAP went on a deep reconnaissance flight (leading navigator of the regiment, Guards Major S.L.Subotin, led by senior lieutenant PS Milaushkin). MiGs at high altitude crossed the whole of North Korea and went beyond the 38th parallel, beyond Seoul. After completing the task, the couple returned to Andong, taxiing after landing, the planes ran out of fuel.

On April 2, 1951, the pilots of the 176th GIAP conducted several air battles with the enemy. Pilots of the 3rd Squadron intercepted a group of Thunderjets flying as cover for the Sabers. "Thunderjets" immediately turned away and went towards the sea, and "Sabers" entered the battle. The fight did not last long, both sides did not suffer losses. On the same day, four MiG-15s from the 2nd squadron. led by Major Kramarenko, flew to intercept the scout, but she had to engage in battle with eight F-86s. accompanying the scout. This fight also ended in vain.

The 176th GIAP suffered its first losses on April 3, 1951. 10 km from Andun, 12 MiG-15s entered into battle with 18 Sabers - the entire 1st squadron, commanded by Major K.Ya. Sheberstov. The Americans unexpectedly pounced on the MiGs from behind the clouds. The battle began on conditions unfavorable for the guardsmen. The fighters of the 2nd squadron of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major A.F. Vasko, but the enemy also strengthened - another 20 Sabers moved up to the place of the battle. Guard Senior Lieutenant P.D. Nikitchenko from the 1st Squadron tried to drag the downed fighter to the airfield, but the Sabers caught up with him. Nikitchenko's plane was shot down by the future ace of the 4th Fighter Air Group of the US Air Force, Captain James Jabarra, Nikitchenko was killed. The Americans damaged two more MiG-15s from the 176th GIAP, both fighters landed with stopped engines at the Andong airfield. Guards Art. Lieutenant A.P. Verdysh IA of the 2nd squadron put his MiG-15 on its belly, and at the plane of the Guards. senior lieutenant B. Reitarovskiy refused to land the hydraulic system, the plane crashed into the caponier. Both MiG-15s had to be written off. Verdysh's plane was knocked out by Lieutenants Roy McLain and William Yanney of the 334th and 336th Squadrons. Reitarovsky's MiG was chalked up by Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Emmert from the 335th AE. The Sabers left only when all the fighters of the 196th IAP were raised into the air by alarm.

The divisional commander assessed the results of the air battle as disastrous. Kozhedub removed from command the 176th GIAP Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Koshel. The regiment commander was replaced by the Guards. Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Fedorovich Vishnyakov, who previously served as deputy regiment commander. Vishnyakov's place was taken by the commander of the 1st squadron, Major Sheberstov. The commander of the 1st squadron was Captain G.I. Gess.

On the morning of April 7, on alert, to intercept the attack aircraft that appeared in the area of ​​Anya, eight MiGs from the 1st squadron were taken into the air. The guardsmen discovered a group of 16 F-84 Tayderjet fighter-bombers at an altitude of 3000 m. MiGs were higher than American aircraft. 1st link of the guards. Captain Ges' attacked one of the eight Thunderjets, the 2nd flight, led by Subbotin, another. The formation of enemy aircraft collapsed. The Thunderjets dropped their bombs and began to flee into their territory in disorder. A pair of guards. Captain Plotkin - Guards. senior lieutenant Obraztsov B.A. point-blank shot two enemy fighter-bombers. Not a single MiG received even a hole. According to the results of photo control, the pilots of the 1st squadron were credited with only one victory - Boris Obraztsov.

In the middle of the day, all the 176th GIAP fighters - 30 planes - were raised to repel the Superfortresses' raid on the railway bridge in the Chipyiju area. The attack on the bridge was carried out by a group of 16 B-29 heavy bombers (the aircraft belonged to the 98th and 307th Bomber Air Groups), which were covered by 48 Thunderjets from the 27th Fighter Air Group. According to the reports of the pilots of the 176th Guards Regiment, seven Super Fortresses were shot down in an air battle. I.A. Suchkov, Konstantin Sheberstov, Grigory Ges, Pyotr Milaushkin, Serafim Subbotin and others. The regiment was credited with only two downed bombers - Major Subbotin and Captain Suchkov. The Americans admitted the loss of only one aircraft, in turn, attributing the downed MiG-15 to the Fortress air gunners - the 176th GIAP actually had no losses, although there were holes in some of the aircraft.

April 8 to intercept an RB-45 reconnaissance aircraft, which was accompanied by 12 Sabers. took off eight MiGs from the 2nd squadron, led by the Hero of the Soviet Union Major A.F. Vasko. The Americans received a warning about the impending attack and turned on the opposite course. The Sabers cut off the MiGs from the scout. Vasko's flight tied up the cover fighters, and Captain Lazutin's flight tried to get the RB-45. Four MiGs unexpectedly

but the four Sabers piled on. Only Lazutin himself was able to attack the scout. however, at the most inopportune moment on his fighter, weapons failed. In an air battle with Sabers, Lazutin's wingman, senior lieutenant F.V. Slabkin, the pilot was killed. Slabkin fell victim to 1st Lieutenant Arthur O "Connor from the 336th Squadron of the 4th Air Group. The MiG-15 of Senior Lieutenant V. Negodaev was damaged, the pilot made an emergency landing in North Korea. Negodaev was not injured, but the MiG had to be written off. One Saber was shot down by Major Vasko.

On April 9, a pair of Ges - Nikulin left to intercept a single RB-26 reconnaissance aircraft. Captain Gess easily shot the American plane from a short distance - the RB-26 fell apart.

On April 12, the American Air Command in Korea planned a massive attack on the bridge over the Yalujiang River between Andong and Sinuiju. The raid involved 39 Superfortresses. The strike force was accompanied by about four dozen Sabers and Thunderjets. The approach of a large group of enemy aircraft was timely noticed by the radar operators. To repel the raid, Kozhedub raised all the combat-ready aircraft of the 324th division - 44 MiG-15 fighters. The first to fly into the sky were the planes of the 196th regiment, which were to pin down the Sabers in battle. The pilots of 22 MiG-15s from the 176th GIAP were tasked with attacking only bombers. Lieutenant Colonel Vishnyakov decided to attack the Fortress formation in pairs from all sides. The Americans failed to drop a single bomb on the target. According to American data, two B-29s (from the 19th and 307th air groups) were shot down in an air battle, three of the destroyed Super Fortresses did not reach Okinawa, landing on South Korean bases, another one crashed while landing in Suwon. Air gunners from the B-29 reported on ten MiGs they shot down (they counted "only" seven victories). Three MiGs were "shot down" by Thunderjet pilots from the 27th group, and four MiG-15s were "destroyed" by the Sabers pilots of the 4th fighter air group. In fact, all 44 MiG-15s returned to Andong, two aircraft were seriously damaged, but were repaired in a short time. The pilots of the division were credited with 10 shot down "Superfortresses", seven of them on the account of the pilots of the 176th GIAP: Major Sheberstov. captains Subbotin, Suchkov, Ges, Milaushkin, senior lieutenants Plitkin and Obraztsov. One more "Thunderjet" was assigned to captains Kramarenko, Lazutin and Subbotin.

On April 24, a major air battle took place, in which the MiG-15 from the 1st and 3rd squadrons of the 176th GIAP on the one hand and the Sabers from the 4th air group on the other took part. One F-86 was shot down by squadron commanders Captains Ges and Murashov. Murashov was shot down himself, but saved his life by ejection from the cockpit of a burning fighter. The commander of the 3rd squadron suffered a spinal injury. Murashov was shot down by Lieutenant Colonel William Hod.

On May 1, the entire 176th GIAP, led by commander Lieutenant Colonel Vishnyakov, was raised into the air. The regiment came under a surprise attack from 16 Sabers from the lower hemisphere. The Americans violated the order of the MiGs. The battle broke up into a series of chaotic fights. Six F-86 piled on the link of the regiment commander Vishnyakov. The commander was supposed to be insured by Vasko's flight, but Vasko lost his place in the ranks. Then the leader of the second pair, captain I.A. Yablokov. Led senior lieutenant A.F. Golovlev could not resist following him. A pair of Sabers attacked a single MiG-15 Golovlev, the pilot was wounded in the head. Nevertheless, Golovlev brought in and landed the damaged fighter at the Antong airfield. In Miga, 32 holes were counted, the fighter was nevertheless repaired. Another pair of Sabers followed Vishnyakov and his wingman, senior lieutenant Pavel Nikulin. Nikulin with a sharp U-turn thwarted the attack, he even knocked out one F-86. who smoked and withdrew from the battle. At this time, the third pair of Sabers went on the attack. Nikulin had no choice but to close the commander's plane with his MiG. The pilot managed to eject seconds before the MiG explosion. In the battle on May 1, the pilots of the 176th GIAP did not shoot down a single enemy aircraft. Own losses were 1 shot down MiG-15 and two wounded pilots. On May 9, while repelling a raid on an airfield of the DPRK Air Force, the pilots of the 176th GIAP shot down two Thunderjets (captains KY Sheberstov and GI Ges).

On June 18, a major battle took place on the MiG Alley - 32 Sabers and more than 40 Soviet fighters took part in it. Captain Subbotin and Senior Lieutenant Plitkin shot down one F-86, then the guards were ordered to go home. On the return course, 24 Sabers piled on the MiGs of the 176th regiment. A new fight ensued. Flight F-86 split a pair of Subbotin. The leader of a pair of Sabers damaged the wing and engine of the MiG-15. Subotin put the plane into a dive, but the American did not lag behind. The Soviet pilot succeeded, by releasing the brake flaps, to reduce the speed - the Saber slipped forward and crashed into the ground. The MiG-15 Subbotin crashed next to the F-86, but the Soviet pilot, unlike his counterpart, Captain William D. Krone, managed to eject.

On June 22, an air battle with a numerically superior group of Sabers was conducted by six from the 3rd Squadron, led by Captain Suchkov. The group fight did not work out - in fact, the couples fought. A pair of Pligkin Obraztsov attacked two F-86s. When performing the maneuver, Boris Obraztsov was in a more advantageous position. The commander took the place of the wingman, while Obraztsov shot down the wingman of a pair of Sabers from a short distance. At this moment, the Sabers attacked Plitkin. The MiG lost control, the pilot ejected. Plitkin was shot down by 1st Lieutenant Charles O. Riester of 336 Squadron.

On June 20, Chinese volunteers attempted to land a landing party on Songmido Island. There was an American radar station tracking the actions of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. The landing was supported by Il-10 attack aircraft of the DPRK Air Force. The Mustangs started an air battle with Ilami. Then the Yak-9 was pulled up to the place of the battle. Logically, the retaliatory move remained with the Americans. However, before the Sabers, a dozen MiG-15s from the 176th GIAG1, led by the regiment commander, appeared in the battle area. By this time, the Mustangs had already begun to storm the landing. MiGs hit the Mustangs. Captain Ges fired at the piston P-51 from an extremely close range. The plane of the wing of the "Mustang" flew off, but the wreckage of the American fighter seriously damaged the MiG, even jammed the elevator. Ges left the battle. At this time, the "Sabers" appeared. A downed MiG is a tasty prey, the slave Gesya, Senior Lieutenant GA, stood in the way of the Sabers. Nikolaev. Nikolaev did not allow the enemy to finish off the commander's plane, but he himself suffered. Large-caliber bullets pierced the cockpit of a Soviet fighter. Nikolayev's face was cut with fragments of glass from the lantern. Both damaged MiGs, under the cover of other fighters of the 176th regiment, safely landed in Andong. In total, the guards destroyed six Mustangs in one battle, but only Vishnyakov, Sheberstov, Gesyu and Golovachev were awarded victories. Nikolaev and Milaushkin received only moral satisfaction - they were not counted downed. The Americans admitted the loss of one P-51, which was shot down by Captain Ges, and declared four MiGs damaged by the Sabers (in reality, two MiG-15s were damaged).

On July 8, 20 fighters from the 176th GIAP and 523rd IAP took off to repel the Mustang raid on the North Korean Kandong airfield. The Mustangs did not wait for the attack - having received a warning about the approach of jet fighters, the Americans stopped attacking. MiGs also entered the battle with "Sabers". Our pilots missed the appearance of the US Air Force jet fighters. Through the use of surprise, the enemy shot down two MiG-15s (the Americans announced three victories). The bitterness of the loss of two aircraft and one pilot somewhat brightened up the success of Senior Lieutenant Verdysh. led by Major Vasko.

Verdysh damaged one Saber.

On July 11, 12 MiG-15s from 176-GIAPs conducted an air battle on Sinuiju with a numerically superior enemy. The quantitative superiority of the Americans is evidenced by the following fact: a pair of Captain Goncharov fought with eight Sabers. Goncharov and Obraztsov attacked four F-86s. Boris Obraztsov shot down one Saber, while another four shot down Obraztsov's plane. The pilot was wounded in the stomach. Boris found the strength to catapult. but died of blood loss at the landing site. In the same battle, the destroyed F-86 was chalked up by Captain Kramarenko (another Saber was shot down by Captain IA Zyuz).

On September 9, the 64th Corps command deployed all five regiments of the 303rd and 324th divisions to repel another major American air raid. On both sides, about 150 aircraft took part in the real air battle. Seven Sabers were shot down, two of them by the pilots of the 176th GIAP. One MiG-15 from the 196th IAP was lost (the Americans reported two downed MiGs).

The opponents continued to measure their strength. Already in the morning of September 10, fighters from all five Soviet regiments took to the air again. The pilots of the 324th division attacked the Shooting Star fighter-bombers, and the pilots of the 303rd division tied up the Sabers in action. Captain Ges shot down one F-80. After lunch, the fighters of both divisions again took part in the air battle. And again the commander of the 1st squadron distinguished himself: Captain Ges knocked down a "rare bird" - "Meteor" from the Australian 7th squadron. On September 10, Soviet aviation had no losses, a rare case - the Americans also did not report a single downed MiG on that day.

On September 12, the commander of the 64th IAK, General Lobov, personally intercepted 150 American aircraft of 80 MiGs. The pilots of the 196th IAP and 176th GIAP attacked enemy fighter-bombers at low altitude. The first "Shooting Star" was shot down by Senior Lieutenant Kravtsov, his work was continued by three more pilots of the 176th GIAP. moreover, captain I.A. Suchkov shot down two Shooting Stars. Two other fighter-bombers shot down captain S.M. Kramarenko and his wingman senior lieutenant A.P. Gogolev. Another four "Shooting Star" were shot down by the pilots of the 196th IAP. The "special" six, led by General Lobov, contributed to the common piggy bank. Americans lost 11 "Shooting Old" - complete rout! One damaged MiG that safely landed in Andong is little consolation.

On September 13, returning from an ineffectual sortie, a pair of Senior Lieutenant A.A. Plitkia literally stumbled upon four Mustangs. Plitkin from the first attack shot down one F-51, the rest rushed scatteringly. Slave, senior lieutenant A.P. Verdysh could not resist and rushed to catch up with them. I caught up, of course. At the airfield, Verdysh was credited with one victory and inserted in the first number for violation of discipline in battle.

On November 4, two raids on Anya were again repelled by the pilots of both divisions of the 64th corps. MiGs of the 303rd division fought with the cover Sabers, while fighters from the 324th NAD attacked the F-80 and F-84 fighter-bombers. The combat score of the 176th GIAP was replenished with two Shooting Stars and two Thunderjets. The guardsmen suffered no losses.

A major raid on Anya took place on 18 November. The entire regiment, led by the commander, went to repel the raid. 1st Squadron engaged the Sabers in action, 2nd and 3rd attacked the shock Thunderjets. One "Thunderjet" was shot down by Captain PS. Milaushkin from 1st Squadron. After "quadrille" with another "Saber" the captain fell out directly onto the eight "Thunderjets". To catch the leader of the group in sight, the captain only needed to turn the MiG a little. In total, the pilots of the 176th GIAP shot down four Thunderjets without losses on their side, although the Americans divided one MiG into two 1st lieutenants - Cooley and Khivita from the 111th squadron of the 136th fighter-bomber air group.

Fierce air battles over Anya unfolded on November 27. The pilots of the 176th GIAP fought with the enemy twice outnumbering them. The Sabers pilots shot down MiG-15 Alexander 1 Irokopyevich Verdysh and senior lieutenant Alexei Esipko. Both pilots survived. The Americans announced four downed MiG-15s. Pilots of the 176th GIAGI. at least they shot down the Saber (captain of the 3rd squadron, Captain Suchkov) and Meteor (captain Pavel Nikulin), but the regiment did not count one victory. The next day, the regiment's combat score was replenished with one "Thunderjet". The Americans did not confirm the loss of the F-84.

On December 1, the regiment's pilots took part in the operation, carefully planned by General Lobov, to defeat the 77th Australian squadron. Three eights under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Vishnyakov advanced into the attack area. 16 "Meteors" appeared at "the right time and in the right place." The commander of the 16th IAK calculated everything exactly. With a classic "falcon strike" two eights of MiGs collapsed on the Australians (eight more MiGs remained at the height in case of the appearance of the "Sabers"). Only four "Meteora" were carried away. The 176th GIAP was credited with nine downed Meteors. Western sources confirm three victories of the guardsmen, and they speak of two Migs shot down by the Australians. According to the corps archives, not a single Mig-15 received even a hole.

On December 2, while the pilots of the other three regiments were fighting the Sabers, the guardsmen from the 176th GIAP "pinched" the fighter-bombers. The formation of the "Thunderjets" was disrupted, the plane dropped bombs anywhere, and then turned on the opposite course. Three F-84s did not return home, one of them was shot down by the regimental commander, Colonel Vishnyakov. The Guards regiment had no losses.

Hit of a 37-mm MiG projectile on the keel of the "Saber"

This time "Tapderjet" was lucky to reach the base

December 5, the personnel of the 176th GIAP. The 18th GIAP and the 523rd IAP reflected the raid of Thunderjet fighter-bombers, which were covered by the Sabers. The pilots of the three regiments jointly shot down three F-84s and one F-86.

On December 13, Captain Pyotr Semyonovich Milaushkin recorded the 500th victory in the skies of Korea on the account of the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps. The F-86 was his victim. Captain Milaushkin shot down two Sabers on December 27 in one day.

In 1951, the pilots of the 176th GIAP shot down 97 enemy aircraft (officially registered victories in air battles), their own losses amounted to 13 aircraft and four pilots.

The first "Saber" in the new 1952 was entered into the regiment's account on January 1. On January 12, in the area of ​​Supkhunskaya SS, the pilots of the 176th GIAP conducted an air battle with a group of 20 Sabers. Two F-86s were shot down by the commander of the 2nd squadron, captain Kramarenko and his wingman, senior lieutenant I.N. Rough.

On January 17, a group of MiGs from the 176th regiment on a patrol flight was suddenly attacked by Sabers. The Americans shot down the plane of the commander of the 2nd squadron of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain Kramarenko.

Hero of the Soviet Union B.L. Samples, forever credited "part lists"

Kramarenko was lucky twice: he successfully ejected - once; the Saber pilot, who opened fire on a helpless pilot hanging on a parachute, missed. Senior Lieutenant Alexander Filippov, a young pilot who had just arrived in the regiment with a reinforcement, was not smiled by fortune. Filippov ejected from a burning MiG, but died. Another newcomer, Senior Lieutenant Valentin Leonov, barely made it to Andong on the damaged fighter. Kramarenko managed to shoot down one Saber in a short battle before the Americans overwhelmed his own MiG. Nobody saw the fall of the F-86, so the ace was not counted as a victory. Interestingly, the commander of the 25th US Air Force Squadron, Colonel Makhurin, reported on the downed Saber - perhaps he was the last victim of Kramarenko.

After the battle on January 17, the 176th regiment transferred its aircraft to the 97th IAD, which arrived in China in December 1951. In total, in Korea, the pilots of the 176th GIAP won 107 victories in air battles, more (109) were only on account of 196- 1st regiment. The regiment lost 12-13 aircraft and five pilots.

Pilots of the 176th GIAP. killed in Korea:

Art. lt. Nikitchenko P.D. 04/03/1951

St. lt. Slabkin F.V. 04/09/1951

Art. lt. Negodyaev V. 06/23/1951

Art. lt. Obraztsov B.A. 07/11/1951

Art. lt. Filinov A.V. 01/17/1952

The dead pilots are buried in Port Arthur.

After returning from a government mission, the regiment was transferred from the Air Force to the air defense system. The location was determined by the airfield Oreshkovo in the Kaluga region. Until 1958, the regiment was part of the 324th Air Defense IAD, then - part of the 98th Guards Air Defense IAD. In 1958, the 324th division was disbanded. and in 1960, the itch of the reformers Nikita Sergeevich reached one of the most famous regiments of Soviet aviation - on the basis of the directive of the Minister of Defense dated March 15, 1960, the 176th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky, the fighter aviation regiment was subject to disbandment. To accuse (absolutely, by the way, rightly) of the thoughtless destruction of the glorified, historical regiments of reformers from the Central Committee of the CPSU is as easy as shelling pears, but this shameful tradition, unfortunately, has deep roots. The remarkable military historian of the Russian emigration, Kersnovsky, in his fundamental work History of the Russian Army, repeatedly wrote with bitterness about the loss of the traditions of the famous hussar, uhlan, dragoon and other regiments of the Imperial army. There is only one reason - disbandment. The 176th regiment was lucky - Ivan Kozhedub served in it, who, with his authority, managed to push through the return of the regalia of his native unit to the 234th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

When the 176th regiment as part of the "Kozhedub" 324th Fighter Aviation Division departed for Korea, the 234th Fighter Aviation Regiment became its successor. A successor in the literal sense of the word. The formation of the 234th IAP at the Tyoply Stan airfield began in accordance with the Directive of the USSR War Minister ORG / 5/396479 of 15.1 1.1950 on the basis of the materiel and remaining in Teply Stan of the flight and technical personnel of the 176th Guards IAP. The continuity of the 234th IAP in relation to the legendary regiment of free hunters is emphasized by the fact that the first commander of the 234th IAP was the guard Colonel Nikolai Nikolaevich Shulzhenko. Earlier, the Guard Colonel Shulzhenko commanded the 176th GIAP.

The battle banner of the 234th IAP was presented in a solemn atmosphere on 04/29/1951. The regiment became part of the 9th Fighter Aviation Division of the Air Force of the Moscow District.

The proximity of the huge city (now Teply Stan is located within the city limits of Moscow) made it difficult to conduct flights, especially flights in adverse weather conditions. Therefore, in 1952 the regiment was transferred to Kubinka near Moscow (Directive of the Minister of War of the USSR No. 47648 of 04/07/1952). As of the end of 1952, the 234th IAP was armed with 41 MiG-15bis fighters, four twin UTI MiG-15s. five piston training aircraft Yak-11, one coherent Yak-12. In 1952, the regiment's pilots flew twice in the MiG-15bis to the maximum radius, took part in the traditional parades on May 1 on the Day of the Air Force. Above Tushino, two flights showed oncoming aerobatics. Group aerobatics was demonstrated in the five and nine.

In 1953 the regiment was rearmed with MiG-17 fighters. The MiG-17 did not last long in the regiment - in 1955 the 234th IAP was the first in the Air Force to receive the newest Mi G-19, in 1962 - the MiG-21F-13.

The change foreign policy the country's leadership directly touched the Kubinka aviation garrison - foreign delegations were frequenting here. Marshal Josip Broz Tito was one of the first to visit the base near Moscow on June 18, 1956. For more than 40 years, delegations from Algeria and Afghanistan have attended the screenings in Kubinka. Burma. Ghana. Hungary, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Yemen. China, Cuba, Laos, Mali, Morocco, Wormwood. Sudan, USA. Uganda, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Yugoslavia. Many delegations were headed by the first persons of the states. In addition to demonstrations in front of government and military delegations, demonstrations were held in front of party delegations, from the delegation of the Odintsovo City Committee of the Komsomol of the Moscow Region to the delegation of foreign guests of the 25th Congress of the CPSU.

Group aerobatics on the MiG-17

Pilots of the 176th GIAP at the MiG-15UTI

Debriefing of the MiG-19

Memorable photo of the MiG-21

Acquaintance of schoolchildren with military equipment

Photo of the pilot - cosmonaut P.R.Popovich with an autograph

The honorary duty of the regiment was the escort of aircraft with the heads of foreign states, among the first - escorting the aircraft with Fidel Castro, among the "extreme" ones - meeting and escorting the aircraft with French President Jacques Chirac on board. A special place in the history of the regiment is occupied by a flight in the same formation with the Il-18 aircraft, on board of which were the cosmonauts P.R. Popovich and A.G. Nikolaev (August 1962). Pavel Popovich served in the 234th IAP before joining the cosmonaut corps. The fighters of the honorary escort were piloted by pilots Galkin, Kisaev, Korobeinikov, Nikolaev, Tkachenko, Unitsky, Tsvetkov.

The definition of "visiting card" for the "Cuban" regiment fits perfectly - the only aviation regiment in the USSR that demonstrated aircraft and aerobatics in the West. The first visit took place in 1967 - a group of 12 MiG-21FL fighters visited Sweden. In September 1971, six MiG-21s of the 234th GIAP landed at the French airbase at Reims. During the one-hour show, the MiG pilots showed solo and group aerobatics. The French were next on the Votours. It is no coincidence that almost immediately after the "solo" of the MiG-21, the pilot on the "Mirage 3C" showed his "solo". Both fighters belong to the same generation, so many "tourists" wanted to visually compare the aerobatics of two by no means virtual opponents. According to observers, the Mirage had a smaller turning radius, while the MiG was superior to the Frenchman in vertical maneuver and acceleration characteristics. This opinion was 100% confirmed in air battles over Egypt. An increased interest among the public, and especially among specialists, was aroused in 1978 by the visit of MiG-23MLA fighters to Finland (July-August) and France (September). For the first time in the West, they could see the MiG-23 up close and appreciate the skill of the pilots. piloted fighters with variable wing sweep. In 1981, a second friendly visit to Sweden took place.

The word "ceremonial" through the efforts of journalists, unfortunately, has largely lost its original meaning. Ceremonial - almost ostentatious. And 176th. and the 234th regiments were ceremonial in the true sense of the word - the visiting card of the Air Force, the best! No one has ever removed (and never does!) Combat training missions from pilots. The ceremonial 176th GIAP was not at all ostentatious in Korea. The regiment's pilots performed the most real combat missions in the skies of the Moscow region: on 05/10/1962, a foreign balloon with reconnaissance equipment was destroyed in the Kaluga region by the squadron commander, Major A.I. Gavrilov. In 1968, the regiment was on high alert for several months in connection with the entry of troops of the Warsaw Pact countries into Czechoslovakia. The regiment took part in major exercises. such as "Zapad-81", according to the results of which several pilots were awarded with military awards. In 1983, the regiment's pilots performed research flights simulating overcoming American Patriot air defense systems.

It is easy to see that the development of new technology has become a tradition, first of the 176th, and then of the 234th regiments: La-7. La-9/11. MiG-19. In 1982, the regiment was the first in the Air Force to receive 4th generation MiG-29 fighters. A year later, the newspaper "Pravda" first published a snapshot of the amazing beauty of the plane (this is how the plane seemed to many freshmen of the Moscow Aviation Institute, including the author of the article). In addition to the photograph of the fighter, the country's first newspaper published a photograph of two lieutenants, one of whom was Nikolai Dyatel. Today Colonel Woodpecker is the commander Aviation group aerobatics "Swifts".

MnG-29 during the famous visit to Finland in 1985

Su-27 "Russian Knights"

Commander ANN G "Russian Knights" Colonel I. Tkacheno

The first appearance of MiG-29 fighters in the West is also associated with Kubinka. Five MiG-29s of the 234th regiment on July 1 landed at the Finnish Kouppio airbase. The visit lasted four days. Western experts were particularly struck by the high thrust-to-weight ratio of the latest Soviet aircraft. The observers paid tribute to both the MiG designers and the pilots, who showed the capabilities of the fighter in the skies of Finland.

In 1966, the 234th regiment's succession of the traditions of the 176th Guards Proskurovsky regiment was officially legalized. In order to improve the military-patriotic and educational work with the personnel of the regiment and preserve the military traditions of the air units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the Motherland, by the directive of the General Staff No. - go GIAP. The regiment is now called "234th Guards Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Fighter Aviation Regiment". The Guards Banner was awarded on 08/18/1966. Justice has triumphed, one cannot fail to note the successful solution to the delicate problem of combining the regalia of the Kozhedub regiment with the number of the 234th IAP, which is not the last in the Air Force. The 234th regiment became the successor of the 176th regiment by right, if we are to revive the traditions of the 176th GIAP, then only on the basis of the 234th regiment.

In 1967, a special status of the regiment was legalized - a demonstration of aviation technology and aerobatics, in connection with which the entire command staff of the regiment was raised by one stage in the regular category. By order of the Minister of Defense No. 0254 of 10/17/1968, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Komsomol, the regiment was named after the Lenin Komsomol. By the directive of the General Staff of the Air Force No. 410480 of March 14, 1969, the 4th squadron was introduced into the regiment's staff, which was given the status of ostentation on June 7, 1974, in fact, it became the first officially legalized aerobatic team in the USSR on jet fighters.

The end of the 70s was marked by the entry into service of the regiment of a wide range of fighters and fighter-bombers. In 1980, the armament consisted of: MiG-21bis - 39 MiG-21UM - 12 MiG-23UB - I MiG-23BN - 1 MiG-23MS - 2 MiG-23MF - 2 MiG-23MLA - 8 Su-22 - 2 SU- 22UK - 2 An-14

The main type was the MiG-21, fighters of this type were in service with three squadrons. The 4th, ostentatious, showed her "zoo" to the distinguished guests of Kubinka. By the end of the 80s, the Su-24 also appeared in the squadron. There was no other such squadron, comparable in terms of the number of aircraft types, in the USSR Air Force (possibly in the world). Unfortunately, the pilots showed their skills only to a select few - foreigners, denounced by the high confidence of the party in the Komsomol-party members. After the 1967 parade in Domodedovo, the joy of the performance of the aerobatics for many years from the usual, not burdened with exclusivity, the population of our country was received only by the neighboring summer residents and local aborigines. Qualitatively new stage in the history of the part came at the end of the 80s. The ferment of the minds of the era of perestroika and glasnost, typical for the entire Union, fully captured Kubinka.

Directive of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 314/1/00160 of 01/25/1989, the regiment was reorganized into the 234th Guards Mixed Aviation Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Regiment (ostentatious). The air unit from Kubinka acquired its modern name in 1992 - by the Directive of the General Staff of the Air Force 123/3/0643 of 13.08.1992, the regiment was renamed the 237th Proskurovsky Red Banner Orders of Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky Center for the Display of Aviation Equipment. In August 1993, the Center was named after Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub. In the Center, instead of four squadrons, three remained. In 1989, 1st Squadron began to receive Su-27 fighters. But most importantly, the pilots of the Center began to demonstrate the art of aerobatics in public.

Commander of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District, Lieutenant General N. Antoshkin, was at the origin of the creation of the now world-famous aerobatic teams. The date of creation of the aerobatics group "Russian Knights" is considered April 5, 1991. The first "diamond" consisting of: lead Anatoly Arestov (squadron commander), Alexander Dyatlov (left wingman), Ivan Kirsanov (right wingman), Vladimir Bukin (rear wing) was dismissed back in 1990, but in the same year Arestov was transferred to a new duty station. The diamond disintegrated. The second four, led by Vladimir Basov, became the basis of the aerobatics team. The aerobatic six included Vladimir Basov (leader). Alexander Dyatlov (left wingman), Sergei Ganichev (right), Vladimir Bukin (tail), Vladimir Bazhenov (left outer), Alexander Lichkun (right outer) .The first public performance of "Knights" on brightly painted Su-27 took place in the fall of 1991 in Great Britain Then there were Czechoslovakia, Malaysia, France, the USA Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and, of course, the MAKS in Zhukovsky near Moscow, which took place in 1994 in Bratislava, the SIAD "94 airshow." World Championship among jet fighter pilots in singles. First place went to Captain Igor Tkachenko, today Colonel Tkachenko is the commander of the Russian Knights Aviation Group. The tragedy in Cam Ranh almost put an end to the history of the group. By tragic absurdity. due to other people's mistakes, on December 12, two Su-27s and one Su-27UB crashed during the landing approach. Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Alekseevich Grechanov, Colonel Boris Mikhailovich Grigoriev, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Viktorovich Kordyukov, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Viktorovich Syrovoy were killed. Every year on December 12, fellow soldiers come to the cemetery where the pilots are buried. Walk not far - half an hour from takeoff.

Aerobatic group "Swifts" in Reims. France, 1991

"Mentic" on the Su-25 aerobatic team "Heavenly Hussars"

Su-24 from the 217th IPAT

N.M. Woodpecker - aerobatics team commander

In 1996, the group "Russian Knights" was actually created anew. In September 1946, the rhombus of the "Russian Knights" became an adornment of the seaplane show in Gelendzhik.

The Swifts aerobatics group made its debut on May 6, 1991. Air Marshal Kozhedub watched the first official demonstration flight. The continuity of generations is evident. This day became the date of birth of the group. Already in May "Swifts" visited Sweden. The visit was "half-closed" - the broad masses of the Swedish people did not get access to the Uppsala airbase. But in the French Reims at the celebrations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the regiment "Normandie-Niemen" aerobatics of Alexander Kutuzov, Alexander Zakharov. Alexey Sherstnev. Vladimir Galunenko, Andrey Makarenko and Alexander Katashinsky made a splash. A completely unusual six of four MiG-29s and a pair of F.I. Mirages flew over Reims. The aerobatics of the Swifts are distinguished by the high dynamics of the execution of figures, while the Russian Knights in the sky give the impression of a truly epic hero, a little clumsy, but mighty.

In the first half of the 90s, the pilots of the Vityaz and Swifts traveled to many countries, the number of shows at various air shows reached several dozen a year.

After the passage of the regiment, or rather the Center. the three-squadron composition of the 3rd squadron was entrusted with the task of showing the capabilities of front-line strike aviation - hence such a discrepancy in types. The Su-25, which became the main type, were added to the attack aircraft already in the unit. The process of retraining from fighters to attack aircraft was not easy, so at first there was no thought of creating an aerobatic team. The ridiculous, according to many experts, the idea of ​​an aerobatic team on attack aircraft was put forward and implemented by the squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Gornov. The commander began with a pair aerobatics (led by Lieutenant Colonel I. Kravtsov), then began to train the rhombus. The unprecedented happens! The aerobatic group on the attack aircraft took place. The group was named "Heavenly Hussars". On April 12, 1992, the Su-25 in bright colors with hussar mentics on its belly showed for the first time what attack aircraft are capable of in experienced hands: an air show was held over Kubinka as part of the "Aircraft Engines 92" exhibition. The shorter flight range of the Rook in comparison with the MiG-29 and Su-27 limited the geography of the Gusar performance to the territory of our country, but one international show took place all the same. In September 1992, the group, together with the French Mirages 2000 and F.1, visited the Ozernaya Giadi airfield. Khabarovsk Territory A regiment is based in Ozernaya Pad, in which the Normandy squadron began its combat path during the Great Patriotic War. In 1995, the Su-25 was removed from the armament of the TsPAT, but the history of the "Gusar" was not interrupted. Our magazine wrote about the present day of the Aviation Group of aerobatics and flight personnel training in N ° 1 for 2003. Very little time has passed since the issue was published, but there have been big changes in the group. In January, the pilots passed the training L-39. instead of "Albatross", the MiG-29 will enter service.

Weekdays of the center in winter and summer

Maintenance of the Su-27 "Russian Knights"

Beautiful demonstration flights at the airshow are the tip of the iceberg. Glory goes to pilots, but what is a pilot without a technician? This is a pilot without an airplane. The work of the engineering and technical staff is more often than not left behind the scenes. Unfortunately, our magazine writes little and rarely about "techies". Meanwhile, the plane is no longer a plane. and the "aviation complex". Aircraft engineering has never been easy. It is a hundred times more difficult today. It's not even just about the complication of engines or onboard systems. Rapid disarmament led to a total shortage of spare parts and consumables. People are leaving because of the more than modest wages. The turnover of personnel in the TEC is higher than among the flight personnel. It is understandable, a competent civil engineer will find a decent job faster than the most experienced sniper pilot. Nevertheless - planes fly, which is a great merit of people who are not shown on television and are not filmed for the front pages of newspapers. Service in the engineering and technical service of the Center has a number of features. Aerobatic teams often perform far from their home base. An airplane, like any other piece of equipment, in principle cannot be 100% reliable, but displays cannot be disrupted due to technical malfunctions. Analysis of failure statistics made it possible to form a kind of first aid kit - an airmobile container with reserve units and units, the probability of failure of which is the greatest. This experience of Kubinka is worthy of dissemination throughout the Air Force.

In addition to the three squadrons, the TsPAT has a parachute systems demonstration group. It was formed in 1996 as structural subdivision Center as part of the search and rescue and paratrooper service.

The parachute systems demonstration group is intended for:

demonstration of rescue, training, sports parachute systems (domestic and foreign production) on the ground and in the air when performing parachute jumps:

organizing and conducting demonstration parachute jumps at aviation holidays, shows and other events with the involvement of paratroopers according to the plan of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force:

performance of demonstration parachute jumps at the request of state and public organizations in order to promote parachuting. military-patriotic education of youth, demonstration of the capabilities of airborne technology and the skill of parachutists:

participation in air shows, air shows. friendship visits and other events. held by the governments and departments of the Russian Federation and foreign states both on the territory of Russia and abroad:

carried out in conjunction with the parachute testing department of the GLITs. Research Institute of Parachute Engineering, factories and firms of the defense industry, the main and central Offices Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation of consultations for foreign specialists:

participation in research aimed at developing methods for increasing the psychophysical capabilities of flight personnel, parachutists, carried out by specialists of the Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine in the implementation of scientific and practical work.

All parachutists of the group are excellent athletes, repeated champions and prize-winners of many Russian and international competitions: ensign Dmitry Shlyakhov (international master of sports, World Cup winner, champion of Russia, the Air Force, more than 6000 parachute jumps), Art. warrant officer Alexander Lepezin (over 9000 jumps), warrant officer Sergei Gusenkov (international master of sports, winner of the Para-S "ki" World Cup, champion The armed forces, more than 7000 parachute jumps), Warrant Officer Vadim S "Aklakov (Master of Sports, Champion of Russia. Armed Forces, made 8000 parachute jumps). Warrant Officer Vyacheslav Dubinsky, Senior Sergeant Evgeny Andreev, Senior Sergeant Konstantin Isaev took part in a record jump 300 best skydivers in the world from a height of 6 km The classic parachutism team is trained by the Honored Master of Sports, two-time world champion, European champion, multiple champion of Russia.

One of the most difficult types of parachuting is canopy parachute acrobatics. TsPAT parachutists have achieved significant success here as well. Considerable merit in this - a person in love with his work. Honored Coach of Russia, Honored Master of Sports, Senior Warrant Officer Yuri Arifulin, who trained such international masters of sports as Sergeant Gennady Goryaev, Corporal Sergei Kulakov, Corporal Alexander Ovchinnikov. For the first time, a Russian team in dome acrobatics took part in the 5th World Championships held in Australia in 1994. With parachutes, a whole generation behind Western models, the team conquered the audience and rivals with their obsession, will to win, skill, in the end - 5 th place. After 2 years, at the 6th World Championship in Indonesia, the team becomes the bronze medalist of the world championship, losing only to the teams of the USA and France, and in 1997 at the World Cup in America our athletes rise to the second step of the podium, losing only to the hosts. In 2000, at the World Championships in Finland, the domes set two World Records. In 2002, corporal Alexander Ovchinnikov became the champion at the last World Cup and Spain.

The face of any regiment is largely determined by its commanders. The 176th GIAP and the 234th IAP were lucky for the commanders. Unfortunately, the scope of the journal article does not allow to pay tribute to all regimental commanders, as well as many other wonderful pilots and technicians. Below is a list of all regimental and CPAT commanders:

Major Tertyakov ... ... ... 1938

Captain Zaitsev

Alexander Andreevich 1938-1939

Captain Tkachenko

Andrey Grigorievich 1940-1942

Major Pustovoy

Grigory Andreevich ... 1943

Colonel Shestakov

Lev Lvovich ………. 1943-1944

Commanders of the 176th GIAP Colonel Chupikov

Pavel Fedorovich. 1944-1947

Lieutenant Colonel Kotelnikov

Konstantin Konstantinovich 1947-1948

Lieutenant Colonel Kumanichkin

Alexander Sergeevich 1948

Lieutenant Colonel Shulzhsnko Nikolay Nikolaevich 1948-1951

Commanders of the 234th OR Lieutenant Colonel Shulzhenko Nikolay Nikolaevich 1951

Lieutenant Colonel Babaev

Alexander Ivanovich 1951-1954

Lieutenant Colonel Kudryavtsev

Ivan Ivanovich ... .. 1954-1959

Colonel Manturov

Paisiy Filippovich 1959-1965

Lieutenant Colonel Medvedev

Victor Ivanovich. 1965-1970

Lieutenant Colonel Gil

Dmitry Vasilievich 1970-1971

Lieutenant Colonel Folomeev

Dmitry Alekseevich 1971-1973

Lieutenant Colonel Bassistov

Georgy Petrovich 1973-1975

Lieutenant Colonel Grateful

Anatoly Ivanovich 1975-1979

Lieutenant Colonel Vasiliev

Anatoly Andreevich 1979-1980

Lieutenant Colonel Zadvinsky

Gennady Stepanovich ... 1980-1983

Colonel Basov

Vladimir Pavlovich 1983-1988

Colonel Mozgovoy

Alexander Ivanovich 1988-1989

Colonel Bychkov

Victor Georgievich 1989-1997

Colonel Kutuzov Alexander Nikolaevich ... 1997-2000

Colonel Omelchenko Anatoly Ivanovich…. 2000 year

A brief outline of the history of the TsPAT is completed, but the history itself is not completed. You are on the pages of our magazine. Dear reader, more than once you will meet Kubinka and the wonderful people who serve here. In the near future - a detailed story about the present day AVPG "Russian Knights" and "Swifts".

References:

1. Archives of the 176th GIAP and 234th IAP.

2. Valuev I.O. "Autographs in the sky. History of the aerobatic teams of the USSR and Russian Air Forces"

3. Seyidov "Red devils over the 38th parallel"