Pastukhov arkady evgrafovich military pilot. Ivan Fedorov: as a Soviet pilot was awarded by Hitler and Stalin at the same time. Vladimir soloviev, host of the TV program "duel"

Hero of the Soviet Union Fedorov Ivan Evgrafivich

Military pilot Ivan Fedorov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. He flew 297 types of aircraft, starting with the Avro biplane and ending with the jet La-176. Participated in many military conflicts. According to the encyclopedia "Aviation and Cosmonautics" (scientific edition of 1994), in aerial battles he shot down 49 enemy vehicles personally and 47 - as part of a group. Some episodes from his stormy biography literally border on fantasy.

A participant in many wars, an outstanding test pilot, a branded pilot of the Lavochkin Design Bureau, he performed his first flight in 1929, and almost 20 years later, in the fall of 1948, he became the first Soviet pilot to reach the speed of sound ...

I. E. Fedorov was born on February 23, 1914 in Kharkov, in a working class family. The real surname of Ivan Evgrafovich is Denisov. His father, a Budennovist of the First Cavalry Army, returning from the Civil War to Lugansk, rewrote his son to the name of his grandfather. This, as they say, is out of harm's way, since 8-year-old Ivan, being a farm laborer for a local rich man, set fire to his estate in revenge for the beating of the owner, causing considerable damage to the exploiter. Ivan was raised by his grandfather, who lived for 123 years, until his death was not sick, in the most severe winter, he walked in the same shirt and drank vodka in buckets. Grandfather would have lived for an unknown amount of time, but stepped on a rusty nail and died of blood poisoning.

Only at the age of 14 did Vanya Fedorov have the opportunity to continue his education, where he showed considerable abilities. Ivan completed the five-year program in 2 years, graduated from training as a locksmith-toolmaker, then - as a steam locomotive driver. And besides, he became interested in aviation at a gliding school and at the age of 15 he took to the skies (the head of the flight circle in Lugansk was the later famous glider pilot Vasily Stepanchonok). Ivan took flying business seriously - he fulfilled the standards of a master in 6 sports: boxing, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, fencing and acrobatic jumping on a motorcycle.

After graduating from FZU, Fedorov worked as a mechanic, an assistant driver and a machinist on shunting locomotives, but he did not leave his dream to fly. In 1929 he graduated from the Osoaviakhim school as a civil pilot. In 1932, he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army and in the same year, after graduating from the Voroshilovgrad military pilot school, he began serving as a junior pilot, and then as a flight commander in the 35th air squadron of the Kiev Special Military District.

The piloting of the young military pilot Fedorov in the zone already attracted attention by the pressure, clarity of lines and precise coordination. The flight commander of Mezhtuzov more than once cited the young pilot as an example. In 1934, in the camps near Zhitomir, Fedorov first met the I-16 fighter, and at the age of 19 he was already a squadron commander, flew I-15 and I-16, took out young pilots, improved in piloting and combat training.

In 1937, after the Air Parade over Red Square, its participants were invited to the Kremlin. There was also senior lieutenant I. Ye. Fedorov, already known among the pilots as "the pilot and the ringleader." 12 of the most desperate pilots agreed to ask to go to Spain. Ivan Fedorov was chosen as the intercessor for this operation. Soon they were already in Spain ...

June 17, 1937 will be remembered by Ivan for the rest of his life: then he shot down his first plane. At the port of Los Arcasarne (near Cartagena), 5 bombers and 2 "Messera" entered. An alarm sounded, Fedorov, without hesitation, jumped into the nearest I-16 fighter, just fueled and equipped with ammunition.

I started the engine and took off, only then noticing that there was no parachute in the seat. Ivan looked around, figured out a maneuver, crashed into a group of enemy aircraft and sharply maneuvering, tied her in battle. Finally, having improved the moment, the Messer went into the tail and struck the enemy with a long line. So for the first time he experienced the joy of victory. However, this battle could well have become his last ... Suddenly jammed machine guns almost killed the pilot ...

The Spanish campaign ended happily for Fedorov. Archive file No. 8803 states that during the year he was on the Spanish front, he “flew 286 sorties, conducted 36 air battles, in which he showed exceptional examples of air combat. He personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 13 in the group ... ", including 2 Me-109, a new German vehicle, considered invulnerable by the Nazis, twice rammed enemy vehicles - July 18 and August 21, 1937 (both rams have no documentary evidence ). Once, intercepting a single Fiat, he exhausted him in a 20-minute battle and forced him to sit down at his airfield. Ivan Evgrafovich himself only kept records for 7 months of battles in Spain, which amounted to 131 sorties, with a total flight time of 160 hours and 40 minutes.

“We sat in a circle of pilots and talked about courage, fearlessness, heroism.

- The maneuvers that year were very difficult, - began his story the 24-year-old pilot of the N-air unit Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov. - All types of weapons took part in them in large masses. I and another comrade were assigned to a squadron of bombers, which was located at a small airfield not far from the sea. At dawn, news suddenly came that a group of "enemy" bombers was heading to bomb our airfield. We took off towards the "enemy" squadron and quickly gained altitude. After a short flight, I noticed a car below. Its headlights glittered dimly. She was moving towards our airfield. But why are the headlights so wide apart on this car? - the thought flashed. No, this is not a car, but an airplane, and the solution came with lightning speed.

The plane of the "enemy" went along the sea. I knew that soon an open space would begin, where it would be possible to “fight”. We flew into this space at the same time. But I was taller than the "enemy" plane, and the advantage was mine. I attacked the “enemy” plane from above and soon forced it to descend. Having dealt with one, I set out to find the rest.

Where to find them? The pilots of the “enemy”, of course, noticed me long ago, and now they will try to shoot down at all costs. I decided to deceive the “enemy” and go to the sea. “They won’t think,” I said to myself, “that a land fighter would risk going to sea.

For several minutes I was spinning and suddenly I saw a shadow on the water. She then stopped, then quickly moved on the water. The "enemy" plane was somewhere close. I decided to attack him, going in his tail. The attack was completely unexpected. The machine guns worked flawlessly ... The mediators recorded 2 planes “shot down” by me that night ... "

(From the newspaper Pravda, 08/19/1938)

For desperate courage and magnificent flying skills, the Chief of Aviation of the Spanish Republic Ignaso Hidalgo de Cisneros solemnly presented Ivan Fedorov with the highest award of the Republicans - the Order of the Lavra of Madrid. Only 5 people received such an award in the USSR, one of them - "Colonel Malino" - the future Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense of the USSR - R. Ya. Malinovsky.

The Soviet government also did not remain in debt - it awarded him with two Orders of the Red Banner. On February 24, 1938, Captain I. Ye. Fedorov, together with other participants who distinguished themselves in battles, was first nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but he was not destined to receive the Golden Star then ...

In memory of those fiery events, Fedorov retained Spanish names - "Deable Rojo" ("Red Devil"), which his Spanish comrades called him for the deadly attacks, and also the name from his passport - Juan. And, of course, Ibarruri's grateful kiss and the Astra gramophone and pistol presented by her.

Soon, upon his return from Spain, Ivan Fedorov was appointed commander of the 7th IAP. In 1939 he graduated from the Lipetsk Higher Advanced Training Courses for the commanders of air regiments and brigades and became the commander of the 42nd IAP. Then 2 more "foreign business trips" followed. The first was through Blagoveshchensk to China, where Major I. Ye. Fedorov was serving as an adviser on fighter aviation.

Soon after the start of World War II, he wrote a report to the commander of the Red Army Air Force with a request to send him to the front, but instead was sent to Gorky at plant number 21 to test LaGG-3 aircraft as a lead pilot. Testing the aircraft, Fedorov was eager to go to the front. In July 1942, having completed the task at the training ground, he took a course from Gorky to Kalinin.

After long adventures, finding the Migalovo airfield, Ivan, to celebrate, spun a welcome aerobatics complex of the "know ours" type and went in for a landing. Soon General M. M. Gromov (commander of the 3rd Air Army) approached the plane, and a conversation began. Just at this time, a German reconnaissance aircraft "Heinkel-111" appeared over the airfield, which was walking over the lower edge of the cloud. Fedorov's eyes literally lit up: "Allow me, Comrade Commander, to show the German his landing place?"

The fight was short. Before the eyes of the entire division, Ivan took off, caught up with the Non-111 and attacked him at an altitude of 1500 meters. The burst from the cannon cut so that the wing fell off. The Germans jumped out at low altitude and the parachutes did not have time to open ... After landing, Gromov shook hands with Fedorov and said: “Congratulations, Major. We will assume that your front-line practice has begun. "

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Gorky plant declared Fedorov a deserter and demanded that he be returned from the front. He sent them a telegram: “I didn’t then run away to come back to you. If you are guilty, give it to the tribunal. "

My heart was anxious, but Gromov reassured me: "If you had run away from the front, then they would have been tried, and you went to the front." Indeed, the case was closed, but his wife, Anna, who remained in Gorky (by the way, also a pilot), had a hard time. Gromov asked permission to fly after her on a two-seater Yak-7 plane. Then they fought with her together ...

Gromov very quickly became convinced that Ivan Fedorov was an excellent air fighter. A few days later, having taken off on a LaGG-3 plane, he shot down a pair of Junkers, and the entire crew, who had descended by parachute, was taken prisoner. Gromov responded with a telegram: "For the first time I saw from the KP how LaGG shot down a German."

And the front-line everyday life started again. In the battles for Rzhev in August-September 1942, he shot down 4 Ju-88, 1 Do-215 and 3 Me-109.

By order of the Commander-in-Chief No. 067 of October 23, 1942, he was appointed commander of the 157th IAP, in April 1943 - the commander of the 273rd IAD, and then the senior inspector-pilot of the Office of the 3rd Air Army near Gromov. In this position, he took part in the battles on the Kalinin and Central Front, participated in the Battle of Kursk. On May 28, 1943, he was awarded the military rank of "Colonel".

His wife, Anna Artemyevna Fedorova, whom he himself once taught to fly, destroyed 3 German aircraft in air battles, but in 1943 she herself was shot down. Wounded in the leg, she landed by parachute, escaped, but then suffered for many years in hospitals.

An interesting fact of the frontline biography of Fedorov is the command of a group of penalties. There is not a word about penalty pilots either in the "History of the Great Patriotic War" or in the works of military historians. Nothing like this has ever been started in any army in the world before. Powers gave Fedorov great: for the slightest attempt of disobedience to shoot on the spot. He did not use this right even once. His penalty box shot down a lot of planes, not counting those burned on the ground, but these victories were not officially recorded on their combat accounts (like their commander).

We managed to find some information about the hostilities of the 157th Aviation Regiment, which included a group of penalty pilots from the 256th Air Division, which was commanded by Fedorov. It followed from them that during the Rzhev-Sychev operation "... good glory was about this regiment, on account of which there were 130 enemy aircraft shot down, and 380 in the division." This is what the documents say.

The problem of air penalties has not been seriously investigated and therefore is pretty confused. Among the front-line soldiers, it was believed that the pilots were not sent to the penal units during the war years and instead were transferred to the assault regiments, where they were forced to fly on the Il-2 as radio gunners. They were placed on the plane backwards, that is, they sat in their unprotected cockpit facing the tail, and often died.

Indeed, during the war years there was a practice of punishing guilty pilots with a certain number of free flights as a shooter. So, fighter pilot L. 3. Maslov recalled the frontline episode when in an air battle on May 19, 1944, the pilot of the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment, Captain N. I. Gorbunov, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, died. The blame for this was laid on his wingman Lieutenant V.D.Meshcheryakov, who did not cover Gorbunov in that battle. For this, Meshcheryakov was convicted by a military tribunal with a deferred execution of the sentence and sent to the Il-2 by the shooter.

The pilot of the 566th Assault Aviation Regiment, Yu.M. Khukhrikov, said that guilty officers, including those who were not pilots, were sent to their regiment, and they performed 10 flights as air gunners. The Hero of the Soviet Union, the pilot of the 820th assault regiment N.I.Purgin, the fighter pilot Major Shatsky was the shooter, the pilot of the 672nd assault regiment G.G. shot a policeman.

In archival documents, sometimes you can find records similar to the following: the pilot of the 11th Fighter Aviation Regiment N.N. Islamov on January 21, 1943 was sentenced by a military tribunal to 8 years, demoted to the rank and file and sent to the penal battalion for 3 months. After 2 months, for the exemplary performance of the command assignments and the displayed courage, the conviction was removed and Islamov was restored to the rank.

It should be noted here that both front-line soldiers and researchers of this topic often confuse different concepts - penalties and convicts with a suspended sentence. The fact is that the latter were sent by the verdict of the court not only to the penal units. Often, including after the publication of the order of the NKO No. 227 of July 28, 1942, they were left to serve in ordinary air units. The postponement was applied both to ordinary soldiers and to commanders, who, as a rule, were stripped of their officer ranks by the tribunal. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the command and military councils were endowed with the right to send the guilty servicemen to penal units out of court.

So, the arrows on the Il-2 were more often sent to those who were convicted by the tribunal with a deferred execution of the sentence and were not a penalty box. For example, engineer-captain A. L. Kadomtsev, who headed the country's air defense aviation after the war, was sentenced by a military tribunal at the front to 10 years in prison for a Yak-1 damaged during landing. The plane was restored within 1.5 days and the execution of the sentence was postponed until the end of hostilities, sending the convicted shooter to the 30th Bomber Aviation Regiment.

As for the penalties, they “washed away the guilt with blood” both in the land and in the “heavenly” penal battalions. For example, the famous Baltic air ace GD Kostylev, like most of the other pilots convicted by the tribunals, fought at first in an ordinary penal battalion, went to reconnaissance ...

Pilot I. I. Konovalov told how he ended up in a penal battalion after graduating from the Orenburg military school:

“I graduated from college, we were not awarded the title, saying that they would do it at the front, and ended up straight ... in a penal company. How did it happen? where she worked, wrote me a fake certificate. I was detained by a patrol, taken to the commandant's office. There this certificate was checked, and ... in December 1943 I was already on the front line in a separate army penal company subordinated to the 69th division of the 65th army General Batov. I don’t like to remember this period ... I later fought on attack aircraft, and so in the infantry it was worse. After the war, I often dreamed: a German pointed a machine gun at me, now he will shoot. alive. "

You can also cite an excerpt from the memoirs of the commander of one of the penal units A.V. Kiryushkin, who wrote:

“A former lieutenant, a pilot, came to our battalion. They demoted him on a treacherous denunciation, and the reason was that he lit a cigarette on the plane at the wrong time: when they announced readiness No. 1. In such cases, it was customary to take away awards. And this one did not give up his 2 Orders of the Red Banner. I honestly earned them, he says, and it's not for you to take them off. Well, don't fight him! I put him in charge of the reconnaissance group. And, as it turned out, I was not mistaken. Very soon he brought in a valuable "language" - a German major, and the hero's conviction was removed. I don’t know where and how he ended the war, but I’m sure he didn’t stay in the backyard — the wrong person. ”

The name of I. E. Fedorov is associated with many of the most incredible stories, which will be enough for more than one action-packed adventure film. What are, for example, his numerous duels, and not only air ones. These stories are based only on the stories of Ivan Evgrafovich himself and should be treated with a certain degree of caution, since the air ace apparently liked to embellish the events that took place in reality. LM Vyatkin was one of the first to attempt to compare his stories with archival documents, but did not find documentary evidence for many of these stories. Meanwhile, I. E. Fedorov's story about air penalties is based on real events. Although his statement that this was the only penal aviation unit, the creation of which was authorized by Stalin himself, is hardly true.

In 1942, penalty squadrons were ordered to be created in all Air Armies on the basis of a special Headquarters directive issued in the development of order No. 227. It is known, for example, that in the execution of this directive in the same combat area where Fedorov's air penalties fought, in the composition of 1- The 1st Air Army formed a penalty bomber squadron. Major General of Aviation L.A. Dubrovin wrote about this in his memoirs, published back in 1986:

“In August 1942, at the direction of the headquarters of the 1st Air Army, the so-called penalty squadron was introduced into the division. The idea was to transfer pilots who were cowardly in battle to the category of penalty boxers in order to fulfill the requirements of the July order of the People's Commissar for Defense, send them to the penalty squadron for further service and educate them there courage and courage. To this end, they should have been sent into the most difficult battles, on the most difficult tasks associated with the risk of their lives. At the cost of their lives, with blood, they, who once displayed cowardice, must now wash away the stain of shame from themselves. Here, in the penalty squadron, it was supposed to send pilots, navigators and gunners-radio operators convicted of selfishness, sabotage, and cheating to correct them.

The flight crew and all other soldiers of the regiments fervently supported measures to resolutely suppress all shameful phenomena in the army, but not without reason the pilots reasoned this way: only reliable people should rise into the air. A coward, a selfish person, if one is found, should be deprived of the right to fly, not allowed close to the plane, not sent to the penalty squadron, but to the dock.

Indeed, whether it is necessary to "contain" a penal unit in the formation - Colonel Ushakov and I also wondered ... In a word, we did not like this “organizational measure” ... existence has not been replenished. "

Penalty squadrons did not last long in other armies. In general, the decision was correct - in case of an acute shortage of flight personnel, to plant those who had fines on a fighter, and not to drive them into the trenches. Those, of course, in whom they were sure that they would not run away. But there was no such confidence. And first of all, among political workers and special officers.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal A. N. Efimov said in his 2006 interview published in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on May 6, 2006:

“The most interesting topic is the aviation penalty squadrons. The directive on their creation signed by I. Stalin and A. Vasilevsky is dated August 4, 1942. When they were organized, the Air Armies were instructed to draw up "Regulations on Penal Squadrons" and create such air units in each air division. For example, the 8th Air Force had 3 fighter divisions, one bomber and one night bomber, and each had a penalty squadron. It was the same in other armies. For various reasons, they did not talk about the pilots - penalty boxers who atoned for their guilt in battles. First of all, this topic is very scrupulous, and it is impossible to take it off at once. Many of the penalty box pilots were subsequently awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and some - twice. Even aviation generals and marshals emerged from this cohort ”.

As for the special penalty air group of I.E. Fedorov, it was indeed formed in the summer of 1942 as part of the 3rd Air Army. Apparently, for the same censorship reasons, there is no mention of her either in the memoirs of the army commander M. Gromov, or in the memoirs of other veterans, for example, P. Anischenkov, an employee of the headquarters of this army. Meanwhile, in IE Fedorov's personal file it is written in black and white: "Commander of a group of penalty pilots."

What is known about this group, which is sometimes referred to as a penalty regiment, consisting of 42 aircraft and 64 pilots?

Arguing on the pages of the Trud newspaper about whether there were penalty pilots in the Soviet Air Force at all, honored test pilots Heroes of the Soviet Union S. A. Mikoyan and A. A. Shcherbakov argued:

“I had to see a copy of the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of August 4, 1942 on the creation of such units. True, not regiments, but squadrons. However, no other documentary evidence of the appearance of penalty pilots on the front has been made public. The veterans known to us have not heard of him either. Most likely, this order was signed in the heat of the moment and was not implemented. Probably, it was simply explained to Stalin that in which case it is simply impossible to prevent the flight to the enemy of the fined and, according to the logic of things, doomed to almost certain death of the pilot.

Does this mean that the pilots did not get into the penalty boxes? Of course they did. But then they were given a rifle in their hands and, together with the infantry, were sent into the attack as part of ordinary penal battalions. I heard about this: according to the verdict of the tribunal, those named by the criminals were transferred to radio gunners on Il-2 attack aircraft. Unlike the cockpit on these machines, the gunner's cockpit, which protected the rear hemisphere with one machine gun, did not have reliable booking. Therefore, the losses among this category were especially great ... Most likely, Ivan Evgrafovich simply takes advantage of the credulity and ignorance of journalists ... "

Well, the opinion of people so authoritative in the aviation world cannot be disregarded. But, opposing them, the author of the publication in the same newspaper V. Volodchenko quotes the award list he found in the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense for I. E. Fedorov, signed in the winter of 1943 by aviation generals Yerlykin and Rudenko, which says:

“Colonel I. Ye. Fedorov has been participating in the Patriotic War continuously since 07/27/1942. During this period of time, he participated in the battles on the Kalinin Front as a senior inspector for piloting techniques of the 3rd Air Army and concurrently commanded a command unit, and then a group of flight personnel penalties. During the period of commanding a group of penalty boxers on the Kalinin Front, personally made 84 sorties ...

In September 1942, Colonel I. Ye. Fedorov was entrusted with the formation of a regiment of "aces" on the Kalinin front at the 3rd Air Army. For the successful completion of this assignment, leadership and command of this regiment in December 1942, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. "

According to the memoirs of I. Ye. Fedorov, there were many daredevils among his penalty boxers. None of the aces of the 3rd Air Army wanted to command the "air hooligans". Fedorov himself was considered a bully, had the nickname Anarchist and volunteered to lead this group. It included fighter pilots Kalugin, Minchenko, Pokrovsky, Reshetov and others. In addition, the air group was reinforced with the best aces of the 3rd Air Army - A. Borovykh, V. Zaitsev, G. Onufrienko and others.

The penalty box air group was stationed near Andreapol, at the Basharovo airfield. In time, it was valid for only 2 months. And, apparently, she fought quite successfully. Although the figures named by I. Ye. Fedorov in the film "Heavenly Penal Battalion" are unlikely to correspond to reality. In this film, which was shown on the ORT channel on May 3, 2005, Fedorov, in particular, said:

“My comrades fought desperately not for orders and medals - the most coveted reward was the opportunity to return to their native part after 'redemption'. 519 Nazi aircraft were destroyed by a group of penalty pilots in the fall of 1942. And after 2 months, the commander of the Kalinin front, Konev called me and said: "Write a report, suggest what to do with the penalty box." Four were then nominated for the title of Hero, the rest received awards and regular military ranks, and all went to their regiments. "

According to I. Ye. Fedorov, in order to return from the air penalty battalion to his home unit, the pilot had to shoot down at least 10 enemy aircraft, and during this time he himself destroyed 15 German aircraft and knocked out 3. These victories of the "penalties" have not been documented in any way and were not recorded on the official accounts of the guilty pilots.

In January 1944, the commander of the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps of the Guard, Colonel N. Zhiltsov, signed the combat description and presentation of I. Ye. Fedorov (for the second time) to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, indicating that he had not yet been awarded for the downed aircraft. But the commander of the 16th Air Army, Lieutenant General of Aviation S.I. A. A. Novikov on the removal of I. E. Fedorov from his post and on his appointment with demotion. General E. Erlykin, who replaced Zhiltsov, found a lot of shortcomings in the 256th Air Division, which was led by Fedorov, dismissed him and expressed "the expediency of sending Fedorov to courses for division commanders for in-depth acquisition of operational and tactical knowledge." And his presentation for the title of Hero was suspended for the second time.

After completing the command staff courses, Colonel I. E. Fedorov was appointed commander of the 273rd Fighter Aviation Division, and in June 1944 was appointed Deputy Commander of the 269th Red Banner Fighter Aviation Division, Colonel V. Dodonov. As part of it, he took part in the liberation of Belarus, the Baltic States and Poland, fought on the 3rd Baltic and 2nd Belorussian fronts, participated in the battles over East Prussia and Germany. He had wounds in the arm, leg and face.

Fedorov again fell into his element - he got the opportunity to fly more. Here he again assembled a special group, consisting of 9 pilots, with whom he continued to engage in "free hunting" behind the front line. After conducting aerial reconnaissance, this group, as a rule, by the evening flew over one of the German airfields and dropped a can with cargo and a note inside, in which German pilots were asked to fight, and strictly according to the number of aircraft that arrived from the Soviet side. The Germans accepted the challenge and air duels began. According to Fedorov, only in these duels he won 21 victories, and he spent his most successful battle in the skies over East Prussia at the end of 1944, immediately shooting down 9 Me-109s. But again, there is no documentary evidence of this ...

According to Fedorov himself, he rammed enemy aircraft several times. A successful ram was on August 17, 1944. We flew in pairs along the railway. The opposite course is the Junkers formation. I counted 31 bombers. They are accompanied and covered by another 18 Messerschmitts. As soon as he began to build a maneuver for the attack, the wingman went down with fright and threw the commander. Fedorov relayed over the radio: "Watch your last job, than a shameful life, I'd rather die honestly!" - and rushed into the thick of the bombers. Shot down 5 Junkers from close range and rammed one. The document confirming the description of this battle was signed by the chief of staff of the 6th Fighter Air Corps, Colonel N.P. Zhiltsov. The pilot barely made it to his airfield in a tortured car that did not obey the steering wheel.

It’s a paradox, but for the entire time of the Great Patriotic War Fedorov was awarded only three orders: two orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees and also Alexander Nevsky for the formation of the regiment of aces. At the very end of the war, Fedorov was presented for training combat pilots in aerial combat to the Order of the Red Banner, but for some reason he did not receive this award.

According to official data, during the war, he flew 120 sorties, conducted 20 air battles, shot down 17 planes personally and 2 as part of a group.

For participation in the Great Patriotic War, he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky (1943), two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (1943 and 1944), the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree and 4 medals: "For Military Merit" (3.11. 1944), "For the victory over Germany" (05/09/1945), "For the liberation of Warsaw" (06/09/1945), "For the capture of Berlin" (06/09/1945).

After the end of World War II, on October 1, 1945, at the personal request of S. Lavochkin, Fedorov was transferred from the Air Force to the Ministry of Aviation Industry. He worked as a test pilot at the plant number 301 in Khimki. One of the first to master the new jet technology, the first to fly over most of the post-war Lavochkin aircraft - 150, 152, 154, 156, 160, 174, 176, was the first to fly an airplane with a swept wing (La-160), setting the All-Union record at the end of 1947 speed, one of the first to catapult in an emergency situation from the La-174 (in the La-15 series) and, finally, the first in the fall of 1948 reached and exceeded the sound barrier on the La-176 in a gentle dive.

Meticulousness, accuracy and honesty in scientific reports at that time were especially appreciated, and when Lavochkin was informed that the sound barrier had been surpassed, he ordered to certify the tube for measuring supersonic speeds, and Oleg Sokolovsky performed the flight with the checked tube. This flight, performed on December 26, 1948, is considered the first official supersonic flight in the USSR.

During the tests of jet aircraft, Fedorov exceeded the readings of about 30 world records for aircraft of this type. During his work as a tester, he got into the most difficult troubles more than once. In the book "I'm Flying for a Dream", Igor Shelest cites one of the following episodes:

“In 1948, while testing one of Lavochkin's experienced jet fighters, Fedorov had a phenomenal case. He was planning to land. Suddenly, those who watched from the start noticed how the plane began to roll quickly. More, more ... "The end!" - the thought burned everyone when the car turned over on its back ... But no. As if caught by a horizontal tornado, the fighter turned its wing even more sharply and returned to its normal position. There was a concrete strip under him, and seconds later he rolled along it as if nothing had happened.

At first, no one could get rid of the thought that Zhenya-Vanya, as his comrades called Ivan Yevgrafovich then, had cut off an unforgivably impudent number - a barrel - during the planning just before landing. But it turned out quite differently. As soon as he pressed the flap release lever - flaps, he immediately felt: the plane rushed sharply into a roll. Fedorov, an excellent master of aerobatics, one might say, an "aerial acrobat", did not interfere with the machine, realizing immediately that it was not in his power, but rather reflexively helped her complete a full revolution without burying her nose to the ground.

While the plane was "turning" to its normal position, Fedorov managed to guess that the flap was to blame for everything, and quickly moved the crane to its original position. The plane immediately stopped rotating. And all this was done with amazing accuracy and turned out to be the only correct decision. Already on the ground, the technician checking the flap - the flap on the left plane, forged it with a screwdriver and it fell out and hung on its hinges. The flap control rod eyelet was broken ... "

Once SA Lavochkin was summoned to Stalin, he took Fedorov with him and at the end of the conversation introduced him: “This, Comrade Stalin, is our chief pilot. He fought well, now he is testing our jet vehicles ... "

- What would you like? Stalin asked.

- For him to become a Hero. Twice already presented and all to no avail!

- Well, don't worry, we'll figure it out ...

On March 5, 1948, I. Ye. Fedorov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union ("Gold Star" No. 8303) with the Order of Lenin for his outstanding flying skills, shown when testing new types of aircraft, and for mastering high flight speeds.

In addition, for testing aviation technology, he was also awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (08/04/1948 and 1949), the Order of the Red Star, and several medals.

In 1949, Fedorov graduated from the MAP test pilot courses and until 1954 was on test work.

On March 2, 1954, Colonel I. E. Fedorov was transferred to the reserve. Being retired, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (1985), medals. In 1955-1956 he worked in the editorial office of the journal "International life", in 1956-1960 - executive assistant of the special department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs Administration. In 1960-1963 he was an employee of the USSR Embassy in Tunisia, until 1974 he worked as an assistant at the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lived in Moscow. He died on February 12, 2011, on the eve of his 97th birthday. He was buried at the Pokrovskoe cemetery in the village of Alabino, Naro-Fominsk district, Moscow region.

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Military pilot Ivan Fedorov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union three times. He flew 297 types of aircraft, from the Avro biplane to the jet La-176. Participated in many military conflicts. According to the encyclopedia "Aviation and Cosmonautics" (scientific edition of 1994), in aerial battles he shot down 49 enemy vehicles personally and 47 - as part of a group. Some episodes from his stormy biography literally border on fantasy.

A participant in many wars, an outstanding test pilot, a branded pilot of the Lavochkin Design Bureau, he performed his first flight in 1929, and almost 20 years later, in the fall of 1948, he became the first Soviet pilot to reach the speed of sound ...

I. E. Fedorov was born on February 23, 1914 in Kharkov, in a working class family. The real name of Ivan Evgrafovich is Denisov. His father, a Budenovo member of the First Cavalry Army, returning from the Civil War to Lugansk, rewrote his son to the name of his grandfather. This, as they say, is out of harm's way, since 8-year-old Ivan, being a farm laborer at a local bagatei, in revenge for the beating of the owner, set fire to his estate, causing considerable damage to the exploiter. Ivan was raised by his grandfather, who lived for 123 years, until his death was not sick, in the most severe winter, he walked in the same shirt and drank vodka in buckets. Grandfather would have lived for an unknown amount of time, but stepped on a rusty nail and died of blood poisoning.

Only at the age of 14 did Vanya Fedorov have the opportunity to continue his education, where he showed considerable abilities. Ivan completed the five-year program in 2 years, graduated from training as a locksmith - toolmaker, then - as a steam locomotive driver. And besides, he became interested in aviation at a gliding school and at the age of 15 he took to the skies (the head of the flight circle in Lugansk was the later famous pilot - glider pilot Vasily Stepanchonok). Ivan took flying seriously - he fulfilled the standards of a master in 6 sports: boxing, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, fencing and acrobatic jumping on a motorcycle.

After graduating from FZU, Fedorov worked as a mechanic, an assistant driver and a machinist on shunting locomotives, but he did not leave his dream to fly. In 1929 he graduated from the Osoaviakhim school as a civil pilot. In 1932, he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army and in the same year, after graduating from the Voroshilovgrad military pilot school, he began serving as a junior pilot, and then as a flight commander in the 35th air squadron of the Kiev Special Military District.

The piloting of the young military pilot Fedorov in the zone already attracted attention by the pressure, clarity of lines and precise coordination. The flight commander of Mezhtuzov more than once cited the young pilot as an example. In 1934, in the camps near Zhitomir, Fedorov first met the I-16 fighter, and at the age of 19 he was already a squadron commander, flew I-15 and I-16, took out young pilots, improved in piloting and combat training.

In 1937, after the Air Parade over Red Square, its participants were invited to the Kremlin. There was also Senior Lieutenant I. Ye. Fedorov, already known among the pilots as "the pilot and the ringleader." 12 of the most desperate pilots agreed to ask to go to Spain. Ivan Fedorov was chosen as the intercessor for this operation. Soon they were already in Spain ...

June 17, 1937 will be remembered by Ivan for the rest of his life: then he shot down his first plane. At the port of Los - Arcazarne (near Cartagena), 5 bombers and 2 "Messera" entered. An alarm sounded, Fedorov, without hesitation, jumped into the nearest I-16 fighter, just fueled and equipped with ammunition.

I started the engine and took off, only then noticing that there was no parachute in the seat. Ivan looked around, figured out a maneuver, crashed into a group of enemy aircraft and sharply maneuvering, tied her in battle. Finally, having improved the moment, "Messer" went into the tail and struck the enemy with a long line. So for the first time he experienced the joy of victory. However, this battle could well have become his last ... Suddenly jammed machine guns almost killed the pilot ...

The Spanish campaign ended happily for Fedorov. Archival file No. 8803 states that during the year of his stay on the Spanish front, he "made 286 combat missions, conducted 36 air battles, in which he showed exceptional examples of air combat. He personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 13 in the group ...", including 2 Me-109, a new German car, considered invulnerable by the Nazis, twice rammed enemy vehicles - on July 18 and August 21, 1937 (both rams have no documentary evidence). Once, intercepting a single "Fiat" exhausted him in a 20-minute battle and forced him to sit down at his airfield. Ivan Evgrafovich himself only kept records for 7 months of battles in Spain, which amounted to 131 sorties, with a total flight time of 160 hours and 40 minutes.

“We sat in a circle of pilots and talked about courage, fearlessness, heroism.

The maneuvers that year were very difficult, '' Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov, 24, a pilot of the N air unit, began his story. - All types of weapons took part in them in large masses. I and another comrade were assigned to a squadron of bombers, which was located at a small airfield not far from the sea. At dawn, news suddenly arrived that a group of "enemy" bombers was on their way to bomb our airfield. We took off towards the "enemy" squadron and quickly gained altitude. After a short flight, I noticed a car below. Its headlights glittered dimly. She was moving towards our airfield. But why are the headlights so wide apart on this car? - the thought flashed. No, this is not a car, but an airplane, and the solution came with lightning speed.

The plane of the "enemy" went along the sea. I knew that soon an open space would begin where it would be possible to give a "battle". We flew into this space at the same time. But I was taller than the "enemy" plane, and the advantage was mine. I attacked the "enemy" plane from above and soon forced it to descend. Having dealt with one, I set out to find the rest.

Where to find them? The pilots of the "enemy", of course, noticed me long ago, and now they will try to shoot down at all costs. I decided to deceive the "enemy" and go to the sea. “They won’t think,” I said to myself, “that a land fighter would risk going to sea.

For several minutes I was spinning and suddenly I saw a shadow on the water. She then stopped, then quickly moved on the water. The "enemy" plane was somewhere close. I decided to attack him, going in his tail. The attack was completely unexpected. The machine guns worked flawlessly ... The mediators recorded 2 planes "shot down" by me that night ... "

(From the newspaper "Pravda", 08/19/1938)

For desperate bravery and magnificent flying skills, the Chief of Aviation of the Spanish Republic Ignaso Hidalgo de Cisneros solemnly presented Ivan Fedorov with the highest award of the Republicans - the Order of the Lavra of Madrid. Only 5 people received such an award in the USSR, one of them - "Colonel Malino" - the future Marshal of the Soviet Union and Minister of Defense of the USSR - R. Ya. Malinovsky.

The Soviet government also did not remain in debt - it awarded him with two Orders of the Red Banner. On February 24, 1938, Captain I. Ye. Fedorov, together with other participants who distinguished themselves in battle, was first nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but he was not destined to receive the Golden Star then ...

In memory of those fiery events, Fedorov retained Spanish names - "Deable Rojo" ("Red Devil"), which his Spanish comrades named for his deadly attacks, and also the name from his passport - Juan. And, of course, Ibarruri's grateful kiss and the Astra gramophone and pistol presented by her.

Soon after returning from Spain, Ivan Fedorov was appointed commander of the 7th IAP. In 1939 he graduated from the Lipetsk Higher Advanced Training Courses for the commanders of air regiments - brigades and became the commander of the 42nd IAP. Then 2 more "foreign business trips" followed. The first was through Blagoveshchensk to China, where Major I. Ye. Fedorov was serving as an adviser on fighter aviation.

Soon after the start of World War II, he wrote a report to the commander of the Red Army Air Force with a request to send him to the front, but instead was sent to Gorky at plant number 21 to test LaGG-3 aircraft as a lead pilot. Testing the aircraft, Fedorov was eager to go to the front. In July 1942, having completed the task at the training ground, he took a course from Gorky to Kalinin.

After long adventures, having found the Migalovo airfield, Ivan, to celebrate, spun a welcome aerobatics complex of the "know ours" type and went in for a landing. Soon General M. M. Gromov (commander of the 3rd Air Army) approached the plane, and a conversation began. Just at this time, a German reconnaissance aircraft "Heinkel-111" appeared over the airfield, which was walking over the lower edge of the cloud. Fedorov's eyes just lit up: "Allow me, Comrade Commander, to show the German his landing place?"

The fight was short. Before the eyes of the entire division, Ivan took off, caught up with the Non-111 and attacked him at an altitude of 1500 meters. The burst from the cannon cut so that the wing fell off. The Germans jumped out at low altitude and the parachutes did not have time to open ... After landing, Gromov shook hands with Fedorov and said: "Congratulations, Major. We will assume that your front-line practice has begun."

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Gorky plant declared Fedorov a deserter and demanded that he be returned from the front. He sent them a telegram: “I didn’t then run away to come back to you.

My heart was anxious, but Gromov reassured me: "If you had run away from the front, then they would have been judged, and you went to the front." Indeed, the case was closed, but his wife, Anna, who remained in Gorky (by the way, also a pilot), had a hard time. Gromov asked permission to fly after her on a two-seater Yak-7 plane. Then they fought with her together ...

Gromov very quickly became convinced that Ivan Fedorov was an excellent air fighter. A few days later, having taken off on a LaGG-3 plane, he shot down a couple of Junkers, and the entire crew, who had descended by parachute, was taken prisoner. Gromov responded with a telegram: "The first time I saw from the KP how" LaGG "shot down a German."

And the front-line everyday life started again. In the battles for Rzhev in August - September 1942, he shot down 4 Ju-88, 1 Do-215 and 3 Me-109.

By order of the Commander-in-Chief No. 067 of October 23, 1942, he was appointed commander of the 157th IAP, in April 1943 - the commander of the 273rd IAD, and then senior inspector - pilot of the Office of the 3rd Air Army near Gromov. In this position, he took part in the battles on the Kalinin and Central Front, participated in the Battle of Kursk. On May 28, 1943, he was awarded the military rank of "Colonel".

His wife, Anna Artemyevna Fedorova, whom he himself once taught to fly, destroyed 3 German aircraft in air battles, but in 1943 she herself was shot down. Wounded in the leg, she landed by parachute, escaped, but then suffered for many years in hospitals.

An interesting fact of the frontline biography of Fedorov is the command of a group of penalties. There is not a word about the pilots - penalty box neither in the "History of the Great Patriotic War", nor in the works of military historians. Nothing like this has ever been started in any army in the world before. Powers gave Fedorov great: for the slightest attempt of disobedience to shoot on the spot. He did not use this right even once. His penalty box shot down a lot of planes, not counting those burned on the ground, but these victories were not officially recorded on their combat accounts (like their commander).

We managed to find some information about the hostilities of the 157th Aviation Regiment, which included a group of pilots - penalty boxers from the 256th Air Division, which was commanded by Fedorov. It followed from them that during the Rzhev-Sychev operation "... good glory was about this regiment, on account of which there were 130 downed enemy aircraft, and 380 in the division."... This is what the documents say.

The problem of air penalties has not been seriously investigated and therefore is pretty confused. Among the front-line soldiers there was an opinion that the pilots were not sent to the penal units during the war years and instead were transferred to the assault regiments, where they were forced to fly on the Il-2 as gunners - radio operators. They were placed on the plane backwards, that is, they sat in their unprotected cockpit facing the tail, and often died.

Indeed, during the war years there was a practice of punishing guilty pilots with a certain number of free flights as a shooter. So, fighter pilot L. 3. Maslov recalled the frontline episode when in an air battle on May 19, 1944, the pilot of the 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment, Captain N. I. Gorbunov, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, died. The blame for this was laid on his wingman Lieutenant V.D.Meshcheryakov, who did not cover Gorbunov in that battle. For this, Meshcheryakov was convicted by a military tribunal with a deferred execution of the sentence and sent to the Il-2 by the shooter.

The pilot of the 566th Assault Aviation Regiment, Yu.M. Khukhrikov, said that guilty officers, including those who were not pilots, were sent to their regiment, and they performed 10 flights as air gunners. The Hero of the Soviet Union, the pilot of the 820th assault regiment N.I.Purgin, the fighter pilot Major Shatsky was the shooter, the pilot of the 672nd assault regiment G.G. shot a policeman.

In archival documents, sometimes you can find records similar to the following: the pilot of the 11th Fighter Aviation Regiment N.N. Islamov on January 21, 1943 was sentenced by a military tribunal to 8 years, demoted to the rank and file and sent to the penal battalion for 3 months. After 2 months, for the exemplary performance of the command assignments and the displayed courage, the conviction was removed and Islamov was restored to the rank.

It should be noted here that both front-line soldiers and researchers of this topic often confuse different concepts - penalties and convicts with a suspended sentence. The fact is that the latter were sent by the verdict of the court not only to the penal units. Often, including after the publication of the order of the NKO No. 227 of July 28, 1942, they were left to serve in ordinary air units. The postponement was applied both to ordinary soldiers and to commanders, who, as a rule, were stripped of their officer ranks by the tribunal. In addition, it should be borne in mind that the command and military councils were endowed with the right to send the guilty servicemen to penal units out of court.

So, the arrows on the Il-2 were more often sent to those who were convicted by the tribunal with a deferred execution of the sentence and were not a penalty box. For example, an engineer - captain A. L. Kadomtsev, who headed the country's air defense aviation after the war, was sentenced by a military tribunal at the front to 10 years in prison for a Yak-1 damaged during landing. The plane was restored within 1.5 days and the execution of the sentence was postponed until the end of hostilities, sending the convicted shooter to the 30th Bomber Aviation Regiment.

As for the penalty box, they “washed away the guilt with blood” both in the land and in the “heavenly” penal battalions. For example, the famous Baltic air ace GD Kostylev, like most of the other pilots convicted by the tribunals, fought at first in an ordinary penal battalion, went to reconnaissance ...

Pilot I. I. Konovalov told how he ended up in a penal battalion after graduating from the Orenburg military school:

“I graduated from college, we were not awarded the title, saying that they would do it at the front, and ended up straight ... in a penal company. How did it happen? where she worked, wrote me a fake certificate. I was detained by a patrol, taken to the commandant's office. There this certificate was checked, and ... in December 1943 I was already on the front line in a separate army penal company subordinated to the 69th division of the 65th army General Batov. I don’t like to remember this period ... I then fought on attack aircraft, and so in the infantry it was worse. After the war, I often dreamed: a German pointed a machine gun at me, now he will shoot. alive. "

You can also cite an excerpt from the memoirs of the commander of one of the penal units A.V. Kiryushkin, who wrote:

“A former lieutenant, a pilot came to our battalion. They demoted him on a treacherous denunciation, and the reason was that he lit a cigarette on the plane at the wrong time: when they announced readiness No. 1. In such cases, it was customary to take away awards. I honestly earned them, he says, and it's not for you to take them off. Well, don't fight him! I put him in charge of the reconnaissance group. And, as it turned out, I was not mistaken. Very soon he brought a valuable "language" - a German major , and the criminal record was removed from the hero. I don’t know where and how he ended the war, but I’m sure he didn’t stay in the backyard - the wrong person. ”

The name of I. E. Fedorov is associated with many of the most incredible stories, which will be enough for more than one action-packed adventure film. What are, for example, his numerous duels, and not only air ones. These stories are based only on the stories of Ivan Evgrafovich himself and should be treated with a certain degree of caution, since the air ace apparently liked to embellish the events that took place in reality. LM Vyatkin was one of the first to attempt to compare his stories with archival documents, but did not find documentary evidence for many of these stories. Meanwhile, I. E. Fedorov's story about air penalties is based on real events. Although his statement that this was the only penal aviation unit, the creation of which was authorized by Stalin himself, is hardly true.

In 1942, penalty squadrons were ordered to be created in all Air Armies on the basis of a special Headquarters directive issued in the development of order No. 227. It is known, for example, that in the execution of this directive in the same combat area where Fedorov's air penalties fought, in the composition of 1- The 1st Air Army formed a penalty bomber squadron. Major General of Aviation L.A. Dubrovin wrote about this in his memoirs, published back in 1986:

"In August 1942, at the direction of the headquarters of the 1st Air Army, the so-called penalty squadron was introduced in the division. The idea was to transfer pilots who had chickened out in battle to the category of penalty boxes in order to fulfill the requirements of the July order of the People's Commissar for Defense. For this purpose, they should have been sent into the most difficult battles, on the most difficult missions associated with the risk of their lives. Here, in the penalty squadron, it was supposed to send pilots, navigators and gunners - radio operators convicted of selfishness, sabotage, and fraud to rectify themselves.

The flight crew and all other soldiers of the regiments fervently supported measures to resolutely suppress all shameful phenomena in the army, but not without reason the pilots reasoned this way: only reliable people should rise into the air. A coward, a selfish person, if one is found, should be deprived of the right to fly, not allowed close to the plane, not sent to the penalty squadron, but to the dock.

Indeed, whether it is necessary to "contain" a penal unit in the compound - Colonel Ushakov and I also wondered ... In a word, we did not like this "organizational measure" ... existence has not been replenished. "

Penalty squadrons did not last long in other armies. In general, the decision was correct - in case of an acute shortage of flight personnel, to plant those who had fines on a fighter, and not to drive them into the trenches. Those, of course, in whom they were sure that they would not run away. But there was no such confidence. And first of all, among political workers and special officers.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal A. N. Efimov said in his 2006 interview published in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on May 6, 2006:

"An interesting topic is aviation penalty squadrons. The directive on their creation, signed by I. Stalin and A. Vasilevsky, dates back to August 4, 1942. When they were organized, the Air Armies were instructed to draw up" Regulations on penalty squadrons "and create such air divisions in each aviation division For example, the 8th Air Army had 3 fighter divisions, one bomber and one night bomber, and a penalty squadron was created in each. The same was the case in other armies. For various reasons. First of all, this topic is very scrupulous, and it is impossible to take it on a swoop. Many pilots - penalty boxers were subsequently awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and some - twice. Even aviation Generals and Marshals came out of this cohort. "

As for the special penalty air group of I.E. Fedorov, it was indeed formed in the summer of 1942 as part of the 3rd Air Army. Apparently, for the same censorship reasons, there is no mention of her either in the memoirs of the army commander M. Gromov, or in the memoirs of other veterans, for example, P. Anischenkov, an employee of the headquarters of this army. Meanwhile, in I. E. Fedorov's personal file, it is written in black and white: "Commander of the group of pilots - penalty box".

What is known about this group, which is sometimes referred to as a penalty regiment, consisting of 42 aircraft and 64 pilots?

Arguing on the pages of the Trud newspaper about whether there were any pilots - penalty boxers, honored test pilots Heroes of the Soviet Union S. A. Mikoyan and A. A. Shcherbakov in the Soviet Air Force at all:

“I had to see a copy of the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters of August 4, 1942 on the creation of such units. True, not regiments, but squadrons. However, no other documentary evidence of the appearance of pilots - penalty boxers at the front was made public. In all, this order was signed in the heat of the moment and was not implemented.Probably, it was simply explained to Stalin that in which case it is simply impossible to prevent the flight to the enemy of the one who had been fined and, according to the logic of things, doomed to almost certain death of the pilot.

Does this mean that the pilots did not get into the penalty boxes? Of course they did. But then they were given a rifle in their hands and, together with the infantry, were sent into the attack as part of ordinary penal battalions. I heard about this: according to the verdict of the tribunal, those named by the criminals were transferred to the arrows - radio operators on Il-2 attack aircraft. Unlike the cockpit on these machines, the gunner's cockpit, which protected the rear hemisphere with one machine gun, did not have reliable booking. Therefore, the losses among this category were especially great ... Most likely, Ivan Evgrafovich simply takes advantage of the credulity and ignorance of journalists ... "

Well, the opinion of people so authoritative in the aviation world cannot be disregarded. But, opposing them, the author of the publication in the same newspaper V. Volodchenko quotes the award list he found in the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense for I. E. Fedorov, signed in the winter of 1943 by aviation generals Yerlykin and Rudenko, which says:

"In the Patriotic War, Colonel I. Ye. Fedorov has been participating continuously since 07/27/1942. During this period of time, he participated in battles on the Kalinin Front as a senior inspector for piloting techniques of the 3rd Air Army and concurrently commanded a command detachment, and then a group During the period of commanding a group of penalties on the Kalinin Front, personally made 84 sorties ...

In September 1942, Colonel I. Ye. Fedorov was entrusted with the formation of the "ass" regiment on the Kalinin front at the 3rd Air Army. For the successful completion of this assignment, leadership and command of this regiment in December 1942, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. "

According to the memoirs of I. Ye. Fedorov, there were many daredevils among his penalty boxers. None of the aces of the 3rd Air Army wanted to command the "air hooligans". Fedorov himself was considered a bully, had the nickname Anarchist and volunteered to lead this group. It included fighter pilots Kalugin, Minchenko, Pokrovsky, Reshetov and others. In addition, the air group was reinforced with the best aces of the 3rd Air Army - A. Borovykh, V. Zaitsev, G. Onufrienko and others.

The penalty box air group was stationed near Andreapol, at the Basharovo airfield. In time, it was valid for only 2 months. And, apparently, she fought quite successfully. Although the figures named by I. Ye. Fedorov in the film "Heavenly Penal Battalion" are unlikely to correspond to reality. In this film, which was shown on the ORT channel on May 3, 2005, Fedorov, in particular, said:

“My comrades were desperately fighting not for orders and medals - the most coveted reward was the opportunity to return to their home unit after the 'redemption'. 519 fascist aircraft were destroyed by a group of pilots - penalty boxers in the fall of 1942. And after 2 months, the commander of the Kalinin Front Konev called me and said : "Write a report, suggest what to do with the penalties." Four were then nominated for the title of Hero, the rest received awards and regular military ranks, and all went to their regiments. "

According to I. Ye. Fedorov, in order to return from the air penalty battalion to his home unit, the pilot had to shoot down at least 10 enemy aircraft, and during this time he himself destroyed 15 German aircraft and knocked out 3. These victories of the “penalties” have not been documented in any way and were not recorded on the official accounts of the guilty pilots.

In January 1944, the commander of the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps of the Guard, Colonel N. Zhiltsov, signed the combat description and presentation of I. Ye. Fedorov (for the second time) to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, indicating that he had not yet been awarded for the downed aircraft. But the commander of the 16th Air Army, Lieutenant General of Aviation S.I. A.A. Novikov on the removal of I.E. Fedorov from his post and on his appointment with demotion. General E. Erlykin, who replaced Zhiltsov, found a lot of shortcomings in the 256th Air Division, which was led by Fedorov, dismissed him and expressed "the expediency of sending Fedorov to courses for division commanders for in-depth acquisition of operational and tactical knowledge." And his presentation for the title of Hero was suspended for the second time.

After completing the command staff courses, Colonel I. E. Fedorov was appointed commander of the 273rd Fighter Aviation Division, and in June 1944 was appointed Deputy Commander of the 269th Red Banner Fighter Aviation Division, Colonel V. Dodonov. As part of it, he took part in the liberation of Belarus, the Baltic States and Poland, fought on the 3rd Baltic and 2nd Belorussian fronts, participated in the battles over East Prussia and Germany. He had wounds in the arm, leg and face.

Fedorov again fell into his element - he got the opportunity to fly more. Here he again assembled a special group of 9 pilots, with whom he continued to engage in "free hunting" behind the front line. After conducting aerial reconnaissance, this group, as a rule, by the evening flew over one of the German airfields and dropped a can with cargo and a note inside, in which German pilots were asked to fight, and strictly according to the number of aircraft that arrived from the Soviet side. The Germans accepted the challenge and air duels began. According to Fedorov, only in these duels he won 21 victories, and he spent his most successful battle in the skies over East Prussia at the end of 1944, immediately shooting down 9 Me-109s. But again, there is no documentary evidence of this ...

According to Fedorov himself, he rammed enemy aircraft several times. A successful ram was on August 17, 1944. We flew in pairs along the railway. The opposite course is the Junkers formation. I counted 31 bombers. They are accompanied and covered by another 18 Messerschmitts. As soon as he began to build a maneuver for the attack, the wingman went down with fright and threw the commander. Fedorov relayed over the radio: "Watch your last job, than live a shameful life, I'd rather die honestly!" - and rushed into the thick of the bombers. Shot down 5 Junkers from close range and rammed one. The document confirming the description of this battle was signed by the chief of staff of the 6th Fighter Air Corps, Colonel N.P. Zhiltsov. The pilot barely - barely made it to his airfield in a tortured car that did not obey the steering wheel.

It’s a paradox, but for the entire time of the Great Patriotic War Fedorov was awarded only three orders: two orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees and also Alexander Nevsky for the formation of the regiment of aces. At the very end of the war, Fedorov was presented for training combat pilots in aerial combat to the Order of the Red Banner, but for some reason he did not receive this award.

According to official data, during the war, he flew 120 sorties, conducted 20 air battles, shot down 17 planes personally and 2 as part of a group. [M. Yu. Bykov in his research points to 11 personal and 1 group victory. ]

For participation in the Great Patriotic War he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky (1943), two Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (1943 and 1944), the Order of the Patriotic War of the 2nd degree and 4 medals: "For Military Merit" (3.11. 1944), "For the victory over Germany" (05/09/1945), "For the liberation of Warsaw" (06/09/1945), "For the capture of Berlin" (06/09/1945).

After the end of World War II, on October 1, 1945, at the personal request of S. Lavochkin, Fedorov was transferred from the Air Force to the Ministry of Aviation Industry. He worked as a test pilot at the plant number 301 in Khimki. One of the first to master the new jet technology, the first to fly over most of the post-war Lavochkin aircraft - 150, 152, 154, 156, 160, 174, 176, was the first to fly an airplane with a swept wing (La-160), setting the All-Union record at the end of 1947 speed, one of the first to catapult in an emergency situation from the La-174 (in the La-15 series) and, finally, the first in the fall of 1948 reached and exceeded the sound barrier on the La-176 in a gentle dive.

Meticulousness, accuracy and honesty in scientific reports at that time were especially appreciated, and when Lavochkin was informed that the sound barrier had been surpassed, he ordered to certify the tube for measuring supersonic speeds, and Oleg Sokolovsky performed the flight with the checked tube. This flight, performed on December 26, 1948, is considered the first official supersonic flight in the USSR.

During the tests of jet aircraft, Fedorov exceeded the readings of about 30 world records for aircraft of this type. During his work as a tester, he got into the most difficult troubles more than once. In the book "I Fly for a Dream", Igor Shelest cites one of the following episodes:

“In 1948, while testing one of Lavochkin’s experienced jet fighters, Fedorov had a phenomenal case. He was planning to land. Suddenly, those who watched from the start noticed how the plane began to roll rapidly. - the thought burned everyone when the car turned over on its back ... But no. what never happened.

At first, no one could get rid of the thought that Zhenya - Vanya, as his comrades called Ivan Yevgrafovich then, had cut off an unforgivably impudent number - a barrel during the planning just before landing. But it turned out quite differently. As soon as he pressed the flap release lever - flaps, he immediately felt: the plane rushed sharply into a roll. Fedorov, an excellent master of aerobatics, one might say, "aerial acrobat", did not interfere with the car, realizing immediately that it was not in his power, but rather reflexively helped her complete a full revolution without burying her nose to the ground.

While the plane was "turning" to its normal position, Fedorov managed to guess that the flap was to blame for everything, and quickly moved the crane to its original position. The plane immediately stopped rotating. And all this was done with amazing accuracy and turned out to be the only correct decision. Already on the ground, a technician checking the flap - flap on the left plane, forged it with a screwdriver and it fell out and hung on its hinges. The flap control rod eyelet was broken ... "

Once SA Lavochkin was summoned to Stalin, he took Fedorov with him and at the end of the conversation introduced him: "This, Comrade Stalin, is our chief pilot. He fought well, now he is testing our jet machines ..."

What would you like? Stalin asked.

For him to become a Hero. Twice already presented and all to no avail!

Well, don't worry, we'll figure it out ...

On March 5, 1948, I. Ye. Fedorov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union ("Gold Star" No. 8303) with the Order of Lenin for outstanding flying skills, shown during testing of new types of aircraft, and for mastering high flight speeds.

In addition, for testing aviation technology, he was also awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (08/04/1948 and 1949), the Order of the Red Star, and several medals.

In 1949, Fedorov graduated from the MAP test pilot courses and until 1954 was on test work.

On March 2, 1954, Colonel I. E. Fedorov was transferred to the reserve. Being retired, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree (1985), medals. In 1955 - 1956 he worked in the editorial office of the journal "International Affairs", in 1956 - 1960 - the executive assistant of the special department of the Administration of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1960 - 1963 he was an employee of the USSR Embassy in Tunisia, until 1974 he worked as an assistant at the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lived in Moscow. He died on February 12, 2011, on the eve of his 97th birthday. He was buried at the Pokrovskoe cemetery in the village of Alabino Naro - Fominsk district of the Moscow region.

List of all known victories of Colonel I. E. Fedorov:
(From the book of M. Yu. Bykov - "Victory of Stalin's falcons". Publishing house "YAUZA - EKSMO", 2008.)

They often send me letters with the question: "Why are you publishing all these" fairy tales "by I. Ye. Fedorov? This is all a lie! .."

I am not at all claiming that everything said by this person is true. I just publish information about him, taken from the open press. At the same time, the information is very different: both with positive reviews about him, and with negative ones. Agree that everyone has the right to their own opinion on any issue, even if it is sometimes wrong ...

According to the encyclopedia "Aviation and Cosmonautics" (scientific edition of 1994), in air battles I. Ye. Fedorov shot down 49 enemy vehicles personally and 47 - as part of a group. I held this edition in my hands. The encyclopedia was created by a large group of authors. Where they got these numbers from, I don't know. But I am sure that it was not from personal conversations with those about whom they wrote (otherwise they would have pointed to 135 victories of I. Ye. Fedorov).

I saw the first article about I. Ye. Fedorov in the magazine "Wings of the Motherland" (No. 4, 1977), that is, more than 30 years ago (photo on the right). At that time, no notes about the "outrageous" number of victories of this pilot were published. But here's what is interesting: even then it indicated 23 victories of I. Fedorov in Spain (he landed another plane at his airfield). And here is what Yuri Smirnov writes in his note ("Wings of the Motherland", No. 7, 2000): "In the archival personal file No. 8803 it appears that during his stay in Spain, he" made 286 sorties, conducted 36 air battles, in which he showed exceptional examples of air combat. Personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 13 in the group " ... Almost the same numbers - 24 wins ...

So, it is quite possible that there is his personal file No. 8803, which contains the results of military activities in Spain. I do not think that all this was invented, that is, the number of the personal file (No. 8803), the number of combat missions, battles and victories indicated.

I live far from Moscow, in a "big village" and I cannot verify all this in the simplest way - contact the editorial office of the magazine, find out the address of Yuri Smirnov and find out in which archive he saw this personal file ... I propose to do this to people living in Moscow and close this sore subject ...

Ivan Evgrafovich himself, in his letter to the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A.Novikov dated June 24, 1945, which is kept in his personal file, wrote that he shot down 17 aircraft (10 bombers and 7 fighters) personally and 2 aircraft during the Great Patriotic War. in the group, and in Spain and China - 18 more planes.

Apparently, these numbers are most consistent with reality. Therefore, I put them in the table of victories of the best Russian aces.

At the beginning of 2006, the writer V. K. Shmorgun published his book "The Red Falcon", dedicated to certain stages in the life of I. Ye. Fedorov.

Despite some mistakes in the narrative, which immediately catch the eye of true aviation lovers (dates of stay in Spain of various pilots, brands of some aircraft, the names of individuals, and so on), this book arouses interest in describing the childhood of the Hero, his pre-war activities, some events of the period Great Patriotic War.

It is doubly pleasant that the text of this book has been published on the pages of the well-known site - "Military Literature". Anyone can freely familiarize themselves with this edition without buying it specially in stores. Moreover, there are practically no illustrations.

February 23 - Defender of the Fatherland Day: How Soviet Penalty Pilots Fought [discussion]

We planned to publish this story in advance by February 23rd. The fact is that our hero was born on the Defender of the Fatherland Day. We wanted to congratulate him and everyone who defends and defended our Motherland. But, alas, before his 97th birthday, Hero of the Soviet Union, the legendary commander of the penalty pilots Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov did not live eleven days, he died on February 12, 2011.

During the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Fedorov was the commander of a unit unique in world military history - a group of penalty pilots. For outstanding front-line services, he was repeatedly nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but received the Gold Star only in March 1948 on the personal instructions of Stalin - "for testing and mastering new military equipment and for showing courage and heroism." ... The secret message (dated May 26, 1941!) Of the Chief of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army, Lieutenant General Golikov, addressed to the People's Commissar of the USSR Aviation Industry Shakhurin, is filled with indignation: “In addition, there is information that there is no shooting range at the plant. They shoot anywhere, even at goats. Comrade Fedorov flew between factory chimneys, low over houses and in the wrong uniform ... "

All my life I was considered a violator and a hooligan, - explained to me the Hero of the Soviet Union I. Ye. Fedorov. - More than once they were demoted in ranks, kicked out, put under arrest, but, thank God, they were not deprived of the wings ...

When Gromov struck

For the first time, another outstanding pilot of ours, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov, told me about Ivan Fedorov. I met him in the mid-eighties of the last century now. Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation Gromov enthusiastically worked on the manuscript of his memoirs. Alas, even Gromov could not tell in the open press about his front-line subordinate Ivan Fedorov and the penal pilots at that time: censorship, considerations of secrecy. And I, having entered the name of the penalty pilot in a journalistic notebook, forgot about this “obscene” record for many years. And the events were amazing ...

From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, test pilot Ivan Fedorov began to bombard all conceivable authorities with demands to be sent to the front line. His persistent reports remained unanswered. However, it could not be otherwise: at the aircraft plant in Gorky, he put new aircraft on the wing, which, after running in, immediately flew to combat positions. "Armor from the front" was impenetrable. And one day he decided to take a desperate step. Raising a brand new fighter into the air, he headed west.

M. Gromov (in 1942 - the commander of the Third Air Army of the Kalinin Front): "At the front-line emergency airfield - an unidentified plane!" And Vanka turns off the engines, a happy smile from ear to ear: “Comrade General! Test pilot Fedorov has arrived at your disposal ... "

Special officers could well have shot me for hijacking an airplane and "desertion" from an aircraft factory, ”Ivan Evgrafovich commented on my long-standing journalistic record. - But Gromov saved.

Then Ivan Fedorov, of course, did not know that, objectively speaking, it was not Gromov who saved him, but Joseph Stalin himself! Rather, the famous and merciless Stalinist order No. 227 of July 28, 1942, which unambiguously demanded: not a step back! The order specified in detail: "To form within the frontline from one to three penal battalions ... Within each army from 5 to 10 penal companies ... so that in more difficult conditions they will atone for their guilt with blood."

Until now, the most weighty argument of the "flying penal battalion" deniers is this: how did they fight "unattended", why did they not fly to the Germans? Because!

Mikhail Gromov took responsibility for the penalty pilots and risked his own head. After two months of desperate battles, the commander of the Kalinin Front, Konev, summoned Ivan and ordered: "Write a report, suggest what to do with the penalties." And Fedorov offered to present four of his pilots to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the rest to other high government awards and regular military ranks. And immediately release everyone to their native regiments.

After the war, test pilot Fedorov worked at the Lavochkin Design Bureau. The era of jet aircraft began. Testing the latest aircraft, Fedorov set several dozen records along the way.

Stalin treated Lavochkin with respect and sympathy, which he took advantage of when he met. “This, Iosif Vissarionovich, is our chief pilot,” he pushed to the leader Ivan. - Front-line soldier. Repeatedly presented himself for the title of Hero ... ”Stalin pondered, boring Fedorov with interest with his heavy gaze, puffed on his pipe. Then he promised: "We'll figure it out!" So in March 1948, Ivan Fedorov received a long-deserved award - the Gold Star of the Hero.

Classified hero

For many years, Ivan Fedorov was an absolute secret carrier. Official mention of him happened only in perestroika times: in 1988 his name first appeared in the open press - in the biographical dictionary “Heroes of the Soviet Union”. The official publication listed, for example, his awards - the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, Alexander Nevsky, World War I and II degrees, the Red Star, etc., while somehow vaguely and vaguely spoke about the number of downed enemy aircraft. Why? Because in the number of enemy aircraft destroyed during the war, I. Fedorov significantly surpassed our most famous air aces. And during a personal meeting with him, I could not help but ask a direct question: how many did he shoot down?

Ivan Evgrafovich replied casually: “134 planes. Six of them rammed. This is for all military conflicts ... "For comparison: on the official victory account of the famous air ace, three times Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Pokryshkin, 59 downed fascist aircraft, three times Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Kozhedub destroyed 62 aircraft.

Both Kozhedub and Pokryshkin are outstanding heroes, - said Ivan Evgrafovich. - But there were many brave guys at the front. I know pilots who shot down a dozen planes in one battle. There are no such indicators in any army in the world ...

The gray word "indicators" in our conversation did not come up by chance. The fact is that the "socialist accounting" of the Soviet pilots was organized extremely rigidly and was accompanied by very difficult conditions. The Germans had enough of the pilot's report so that his victory in the air battle was recognized and noted. The personal testimony of our pilots was not taken into account. Exclusively "confirmation from the ground" had documentary significance.

I had to go to the place of the battle, look for it, prove it, - recalls the "accounting" procedure Fedorov. - The commandant's team gets there, and the infantry says: we shot it down. Anti-aircraft gunners, artillerymen have their own claims. Nobody gives the necessary help. They entered into contact and achieved goodwill in the traditional Russian way - they took out a bottle of alcohol ...

And to be honest, it was a pity for alcohol, - Ivan Evgrafovich admitted laughing.

Today's ill-wishers of Fedorov agree to admit, as if bargaining in the market, "up to seventeen" of his personal combat victories. Let this figure remain on the conscience of the logistic accountants. Indeed, even in English sources (for example, in the encyclopedia "Asy of Stalin"), another account is given: according to the British, during the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Fedorov destroyed 49 enemy aircraft personally and 47 in a group.

Ivan Fedorov was always indifferent to this "accounting", and he called the sensational number of enemy planes downed by him completely in passing: you asked, I answered.

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Aviation Vitaly Popkov (prototype of the Maestro from the cult film "Only" Old Men Go to Battle "), who is in the fourth place in the official hierarchy of the most effective Soviet pilots of the Great Patriotic War - after Kozhedub, Pokryshkin and Evstigneev - the place, I never hid the fact that he considered himself a student of Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov: "I immediately transferred any battle to the" vertical ", which was taught to me by the virtuoso fighter pilot Ivan Fedorov ..."

Shameful story

My first journalistic publications about the commander of a group of penalty pilots took place in the year of the 60th anniversary of the Victory. And they were written from the words of Mikhail Gromov and Ivan Fedorov himself. Nevertheless, a newspaper story about a "live meeting" with the commander of the penalty pilots was noticed at the very top. Journalists of various publications began to seek "exclusive interviews" from the hero. Perhaps all these circumstances served as the beginning of another, shameful story ... In the editorial office of central newspapers, on television suddenly began to come "protest letters", which could be explained by ordinary human envy and not pay attention to them, but painfully loud names were under "rebuttals". I will not recall these names today, I will only say that the fathers of the indignant "signers" were at one time the Kremlin noblemen-celestials and Stalin's entourage. The complaint boiled down to the fact that there were no penalty pilots, because there never were!

And I had to do "archival research" for several years. Our history is the most mysterious in the world, and many of the secrets stamped by Beria's employees continue to be valid ... The easiest thing was to confirm aviation records. I will cite the very last line from IE Fedorov's presentation to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: "At the end of 1947, on a completely new aircraft scheme, I got the highest speeds in the USSR." Signed below: Chief Designer Lavochkin.

In the end, I got to the award list, signed in the winter of 1943 by Major General of Aviation Yerlykin and Lieutenant General of Aviation Rudenko. I quote with some abbreviations: “Fedorov I. Ye. - a participant in the Patriotic War from 27.7.42 on the Kalinin, Leningrad and Central fronts.

During this period of time he took part in battles on the Kalinin Front as a senior inspector for piloting techniques of the 3rd Air Army and concurrently commanded a command detachment, and then a GROUP OF STRAFNIKOV (emphasized by me. - V. V.) of flight personnel. "

And here is a certificate from another award list, signed in October 1944 by Colonel Dodonov and Lieutenant General of Aviation Zhuravlev: “Personally, Colonel Fedorov flies all types of domestic aircraft with great desire. In battle, he dared and, when he met the enemy, imposed a battle on him. For the organization and leadership of the GROUP OF STRAFNIKOV (emphasis mine. - V. V.) and the command of divisions Fedorov I. Ye. Was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st Art. and the Order of Alexander Nevsky ... "

And another quote. From the award presentation to the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, signed by the commander of the 3rd VA Gromov on December 27, 1942: “For the period from June 23, 1942, Comrade FYODOROV has personally 82 sorties, of which 73 sorties to support and cover attack aircraft and bombers, 2 sorties for bombing and 1 sortie for attack aircraft. Comrade FYODOROV conducted 6 air battles, as a result of which: 12.7.42, north-west of the mountains. Bely in the group shot down an enemy plane (ME-109). On 23 September 1942, over the Bosharovo airfield, one fought an unequal battle with 24 enemy aircraft (18 Ju-88 and 6 ME-109), in which he shot down one and knocked out two enemy aircraft (all three Ju-88). In this battle, Comrade. FYODOROV was slightly wounded in the leg and landed at his airfield on a badly damaged plane. 25.9.42 over Rzhev in a battle of five against 8 enemy aircraft comrade. FEDOROV shot down one plane (ME-109). 26.9.42 over Rzhev, fighting with 9 enemy aircraft, Comrade. FEDOROV shot down 1 Ju-88 aircraft and on the same day in another air battle against 10 enemy aircraft knocked out 1 Ju-88 aircraft. 27.9.42 also shot down 1 over Rzhev and knocked out the second enemy aircraft (both ME-109). In this battle, Comrade FYODOROV was shot down himself and was wounded in the face and legs.

In my opinion, no comments are required. But pay attention to the discrepancies in the documents: if Gromov recorded that on 12.7.42 Fedorov had already shot down an enemy plane, then in the first cited submission to the award he was named a participant in the war ... from 27.7.42 In these ugly staff errors Fedorov too to blame ?!

As for the “number of downed planes” (and they were not counted especially for the penalty box), I have to admit: I did not find any supporting documents. And not because he looked badly, but because we knew how well and still know how to secret history. Indeed, even in Spain from May 1937 to February 1938, according to our archival documents, Ivan Fedorov was, it turns out, on a simple "government trip". And bravely there fought and defeated the fascists (according to various sources, which cannot be verified today, the “Spanish count” was 24 downed aircraft) a certain “Captain Jean”, whom the Spaniards called Diablo Rojo - the Red Devil.

And in China, according to official documents in 1940 - 1941, Ivan Fedorov, presumably, also flew peacefully and had fun. It was this flying period of his that was reported in the report of the head of the Intelligence Directorate of the Red Army to the People's Commissar of the aviation industry of the USSR.

Yes, they shot at the mountain goats! - Ivan Evgrafovich immediately agreed with the "blatant fact" and explained the secret correspondence. - Because the pilots had nothing to eat ...

The historian Vyacheslav Rodionov, who has been scrupulously researching the biography of Fedorov for many years, has his own vision of the “victorious problem” of the penalty pilot: “Why do some envious people have doubts about the number of aircraft shot down by Ivan Evgrafovich? It was in the headquarters that the targets destroyed by him were to be recorded. I will not speculate anything, but I will remind you of a minor fact in terms of military history: at the same time Vasily Stalin was flying on the Kalinin front. And the air division, to which the leader's son was assigned, simply amazed with its victorious performance. How can one fail to recall Lomonosov's: "If it has decreased somewhere, then in another place it will definitely be added ..."

How many Stars was "not given" to Ivan?

During the Great Patriotic War, special award "rates" were determined for pilots: On August 19, 1941, Stalin signed order No. 0299 ​​(NKO USSR) "On the procedure for awarding flight personnel of the Red Army Air Force for good combat work and measures to combat hidden desertion. among individual pilots ”. According to this order, the pilot presented himself for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for ten downed enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, when it was relieved, the "award bar" was raised, and the Star began to be given for ten personally shot down bombers (reconnaissance aircraft) or for fifteen personally shot down planes of other types.

We will not divide "into fifteen" 134 aircraft, which, I am firmly convinced of this, were flunked by a desperate penalty pilot, but we will take the lower limit - 17 (which even the pilot's ill-wishers admit) of targets destroyed by him. And it turns out that, by any account, Ivan Evgrafovich was awarded another Golden Star of the Hero - precisely for military merits. And, accordingly, a bust from the state in the homeland of the hero. The bust is in place, but Fedorov does not need it. He erected a monument to himself! At one of the cemeteries near Moscow. At the grave of his wife, a pilot and a participant in the war, with whom he flew in the same front-line sky and next to which he now rested. The monument is very modest nowadays: a vertical slab, which depicts a beautiful couple - a man, all chest in orders, and a woman. And another plane hovering over their heads instead of an angel. The year of the man's death on the tombstone was not indicated for many years, the line was empty ...

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Tomorrow Russia will celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Lyubov SLISKA, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma:

I consider it a military holiday, although there is a tradition to congratulate all men on this day. But in principle I do not congratulate those who were not in the army. I believe that the defender of the Fatherland is one who has completed at least military service.

Vladimir SOLOVIEV, host of the TV program "Duel":

This is a relic date. It remained from the times when there was a great army in Russia and the people respected it. When February 23rd was not a day off, but people felt a holiday. Now it is the day of performances of mummers who have never served in the army.

Lidia SIMAKOVA, warrant officer, Volgograd:

This is my professional holiday: I defend the Fatherland, working as a signalman in a military unit. What is especially pleasing, unlike most women in Russia, on this day I do not dump on a gift for men. On the contrary, they give it to me!

Lev LESHCHENKO, People's Artist of Russia:

If without lies, then this holiday has not aroused any feelings in me for a long time. I'm not at that age to consider myself a defender of the Fatherland.

Marina GOLUB, actress, TV presenter:

My attitude to February 23 is nothing more than formal. The feeling is that they are celebrating more and more every year, and the number of defenders is getting smaller. For my father, who went through the war, this is really a holiday! I sincerely congratulate him.

Alexander PESKOV, parodist:

For me, this topic is sacred. I am the grandson of a hero of the Great Patriotic War, I myself served in the Taman division for two years, so I probably have the right to be called a man.

Elena, listener of radio "KP" (frequency in Moscow - 97.2 FM):

It's the day of socks, deodorants and shaving foams!

Sergey, KP.RU website visitor, Moscow:

This is the day of glory of the once mighty Armed Forces, a holiday of real men who have served and continue to serve. There is still a glimmer of hope that everything will be revived ..

UPD: Reply to retired Lieutenant General Stepan Mikoyan, retired colonel Alexander Shcherbakov, written by Vyacheslav Rodionov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, member of the Writers' Union of Russia

All the nastier and nastier and nastier ...

[b] Instead of an introduction
Recently I came across a book by A. Drabkin "I fought in a fighter" I read it. The collection contains memoirs, interviews with fighter pilots who fought with Luftwaffe pilots in 1941-1942, as well as appendices - selected orders of the NCO related to the Air Force. However, the book was spoiled by the "fly in the ointment", smeared in the introduction written by A. Pekarsh, who, neither to the village nor to the city, suddenly attacked the military merits of the fighter pilot I. Ye. Fedorov and once again denigrated the name of the WWII veteran ... Despite the fact that there is no article about Fedorov in the collection. What's the matter? Why is it in the book? Artem Drabkin, are you unable to write an introduction to your book yourself? Usually a guest commentator writes the Foreword. And with the introduction he is your co-author, so put his name on the title.

It's easy with Bakers. A man, probably in some way dependent on the Mikoyan clan, and he was guided by the experienced hand of Stepan Mikoyan. It was from the introduction that I learned that "our shooter and the Internet ripened." Pekarsh even named a site in which all the dirt is concentrated in relation to the Hero of the Soviet Union I.E. I will not name the site, whoever wants to, he will find it himself. But the "queen of the ball" there are letters from the above-mentioned Heroes of the Soviet Union SA Mikoyan and AA Shcherbakov.

And I decided to see what they did once again? He looked, and experienced nothing but disgust.

And to take up the pen, besides this fact, I was prompted by two reasons: the first - the approaching 95th anniversary of my friend Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov, and the second - the falling irrepressibility of the former Bolshevik "ex-Kremlin people's avengers" who are trying to impose on everyone, allegedly, " the truth ”about him, but with a great deal of outright lies and malice. Moreover, they even dug up a document in the archive about I. Ye. Fedorov's "unworthy" behavior and wave them like a red rag in front of his stubborn opponents, not bothering to consider the document in the context of the events in which it appeared.

However, the letter is just another reason for the incessant discrediting of the now almost 95-year-old and well-deserved person. There are also more significant reasons, rooted in 1942 and the first post-war years. And we'll talk about them later. And also the reason was the independent and direct character of I. Ye. Fedorov, which was not very pleasant to the higher ranks, standing above him in the command hierarchy. The fact that many of these people were often vindictive and vindictive, tyrants and cowards by definition, should never be forgotten, because even the number of soldiers' lives that they have ruined in vain in that terrible war is still unknown. And how in reality many commanders-participants of the Second World War treated soldiers and front-line officers, I advise you to read on the Internet. Dial "Shumilin. Vanka company "and you will understand a lot in the psychology of not a front-line soldier, but a participant in the war - Stepan Mikoyan. Although there is no personal speech about him in this book.

I am a historian, I have worked a lot and often and continue to work in various archives. I will tell you frankly two disappointing conclusions drawn by me from archival practice. The first one is about materials related to the Soviet period. The authorities, as a rule, acted according to the formula: we think one thing, say another, write the third. So, the archives contain documents mainly related to the "writing" preparation of any military operation. The documents were drafted so that future generations were confident in the outstanding intelligence of power and the wisdom of the decisions of the authorities. And the fact that life went on different lines, swaying in its amplitude, the top military leadership did not care deeply. The second conclusion relates to the fact that I have the inalienable, by no one, I dare to emphasize - by no one, which cannot be disputed, the right to say that during the war it was not that they were engaged in postscripting, they could not keep records of the normal. Our family received the last letter from our father at the Stalingrad station on July 9, 1942. He reported that they were being sent to the front in a marching team. For all the past decades, it has not been possible to find out where this team went and where it disappeared without a trace. And the Podolsk archive replied that his father was not included in the lists of losses of the Red Army. How many hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, are also not listed! The father was declared missing, and until 1947 mothers with two youngsters did not pay a dime for their deceased father, and even forced them to pay for school. It was at that time, sir, supposedly comrade, Mikoyan, when you, being a participant in the war, were eating sweetly and having fun at I. Stalin's Near Dacha under the tutelage of Vasily Stalin. Therefore, I do not need to argue, we are people from different planets, I, like Fedorov, from the common people. The authors of the libels from the past of communism for the elite, alien to the people. We will never understand each other, for me this is not even necessary. But to prove that such "exremists" lack historical knowledge, even in terms of the history of aviation, still have to. And only in response to their own insinuations.

We were born to make a fairy tale ... with pain

One of the "exremists" is retired Aviation Lieutenant General Stepan Mikoyan, he has a fixed idea, like a metastasis, Fedorov. The other is retired colonel Alexander Shcherbakov. In this flight pair Mikoyan is the leader, and Shcherbakov is the slave. They insinuate in unison about the pilot, Colonel Ivan Fedorov, a genuine front-line soldier who fought in the active forces from 1942 to 1945. This is not the man, the "exremists" grumble, and he could not do what he was talking about. I couldn't, and that's it. But Mikoyan, for example, could, because, according to him, he is a real combat pilot and a participant in the Second World War. Not like anyone else!

Really not a couple. The representative of the Kremlin children's flock Mikoyan during the war kept his own. The "combat" pilot did not shoot down a single plane during the entire war, but he was shot down, moreover, by his own Russians, like a stranger. So, greetings to him from the name of the Rodionovs, not from me, of course, but from the Hero of the Soviet Union, junior lieutenant Mikhail Alexandrovich Rodionov, who shot down the "combat" Stepan Mikoyan, who had lost his leader and cowardly joined Rodionov in the tail. After that, he spent the war, mainly, surrounded by the same Kremlin children - the son of Stalin - the outrageous Vasily, Vladimir Yaroslavsky, the son of an ardent atheist Yemelyan Yaroslavsky and some others. They all crowded together in the 434th IAP supervised by Vasily Stalin, based at the Lyubertsy airfield near Moscow. It is clear that in July 1942 the Germans no longer bombed Moscow, and, therefore, there was no danger for the participant in the war and the future lieutenant general. Where then was it to shoot down enemy planes? And there really is nowhere. It turns out that Uncle Yosya personally planted such a "pig" on him, ordering him to preserve the precious life of a fragile flyer. Mikoyan did not hesitate to quote in the book "I fought on a fighter", the words spoken by Joseph Stalin and conveyed to him by Vasily Stalin: "Look Timur Frunze died, Volodya Mikoyan died, Khrushchev's son died, do not lose one more", that is, him, Stepan Mikoyan ... And this was said after Mikoyan, during a short business trip to Stalingrad, as if in a shooting range, was brought in for execution a "frame", a German reconnaissance aircraft defenseless against a fighter. And what do you think? Our participant could not bring him down. Others had to fill up the pitiful "frame". That's all Mikoyan's aerial exploits during the Great Patriotic War. The score is like in football - only an own goal! After that, air "fighter" Stepan Mikoyan was forever excommunicated from the front, entrenched in the 12th Guards Air Defense Regiment of Moscow.

We push our gossip scatter

Well this should be written like that! First, Stalin signs the order, it is sent to the frontlines, and then someone desperately brave explains to the unreasonable Stalin that this should not be done. I wonder if it was daddy Mikoyanovsky? Maybe in childhood Stepan could have done something like that, for example, "Uncle Yosya, you're wrong!" - to tell the father of nations. But those who dared certainly found themselves either in disgrace or at the firing line. Probably Mikoyan and his Sancho Panza, these noteworthy defenders of the history of the Patriotic War, are aware of how, due to Stalin's mistakes, the entire command of the Western Front was destroyed, along with Army General, Hero of the Soviet Union Pavlov Dmitry Grigorievich. They were not even allowed to justify themselves, not that they were allowed to say: "Comrade Stalin, you are wrong." And how many other military leaders, and even soldiers ... Remember AI Solzhenitsyn, who in a letter questioned Stalin's correctness. Where did the future world-famous writer end up? Not at the Mikoyans' dacha. So, gentlemen, comrades, writers, start improving history, first of all, with truthful stories about what you know better than others - the customs of the Bolshevik leaders during the war and their impact on the course of history. Fedorov simply did not stand here.

A little about the rams that Mikoyan doubts. “He (Fedorov - VG) did not ram the enemy's planes, especially the six he is talking about. The method of ramming with the released wheels of the chassis can only cause an ironic smile "

I hope that, while still living in Russia, the participants remember the Russian proverb: "The one who laughs last laughs." Here we are now laughing.

Russian pilot Evgeny Nikolaevich Stepanov on the night of October 28, 1937, near Barcelona, ​​made the first night ram in the history of world aviation. Trying as much as possible to preserve the propeller and engine of his I-15, he struck a blow with the left landing gear, which hit the tail of the Italian bomber "Savoy-Marchetti-81". The circumstances of the ramming are known to all pilots who fought in Spain, including I. E. Fedorov, who was in Spain at that time together with E. N. Stepanov. This ram was written about in the literature on Spanish events.

After Spain, where the pilot shot down by anti-aircraft fire was captured and only six months later was exchanged for a captured German pilot, Stepanov fought on Khalkhin Gol, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, he is a participant in the Second World War. Ivan Evgrafovich met with Colonel Stepanov for many years (he died in 1996).

In a television interview, which caused an ironic smile from Mikoyan, Shcherbakov and Pekarsh, I. Ye. Fedorov said "When the ammunition ran out, we rammed the enemy with the wheels of the chassis." And this, giggles, is true!

I.E. Fedorov commanded the penalty boxes and knocked down and rammed, but they did not write it down to him. Lev Vyatkin told about these nuances of relations between the aviation authorities on the Kalinin Front in the article "Secret Glory"

“- There was a successful ram in 1942,” Fyodorov recalled, “at the end of August, not far from the village of Fedotovo. We flew along the railway paired with a penalty box. I saw that the Junkers formation was on the opposite course. I counted 31 bombers. They are accompanied and covered by 18 Messers.

As soon as I began to build a maneuver for the attack, the wingman (I do not remember the last name) went down and threw me. My soul became bad. I transmit over the radio: "Watch your last job, than living a shameful life, I'd rather die honestly!" - and rushed into the thick of the formation of bombers. From close range he shot down five Junkers in a row and rammed one ...

Ivan Evgrafovich did not remember the exact date of this battle, but I managed to find a document dated August 17, 1943, signed by the chief of staff of the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps, Colonel N.P. Zhiltsov, confirming the description of this battle (emphasis mine - V.R.).

He returned alive, - said Ivan Evgrafovich, completing the story about this fight. - True, I hurt my leg, my plane began to fall apart while still in the air. Although I was not a penalty box, but only their commander, some time later I discovered that Chief of Staff Volkov did not write down these victories for me(emphasis mine - V.R.) ".

Well, that Mr.-Comrade Mikoyan, here you have the penalty boxes, shot down planes, and the confirmation of all this by Colonel N. P. Zhiltsov. Are both lying? Or you?

Separately about A. A. Shcherbakov. He doesn't know a lot of things, but he writes and writes ... Sherbakov climbs into history in boots with spikes, tearing it apart like grass on a football field. For example, he accused Rezun (Suvorov), the author of Icebreaker, of ignorance about aviation. Rezun answered, and the truth. “Let me remind the named serious historians and equally serious commanders that the Me-209 was at one time studied in detail by Soviet aviation designers. Our glorious test pilots flew on it, among them S.P.Suprun. They were different people. They knew aviation, they loved it. How could a top secret German aircraft be studied by our designers and pilots? It's very simple. Stalin, I repeat, paid particular attention to the speed of aircraft. Therefore, he took and ordered the purchase of 36 newest aircraft of 12 types from Germany. The great leader of the world proletariat could not pass by the machine that flies the fastest in the world. And the naive Hitler, as you know, infinitely (up to a certain point) trusted Stalin. Hitler took and sold his best planes. Among them is Me-209 ”. It was in 1940, and it was then that test pilots Fedorov, Suprun, Stefanovsky and Viktorov flew to Germany as part of the procurement commission. And perhaps documents about this will be published soon.

Shcherbakov only in 1944-1945. took part in hostilities on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. In September 1943-October 1944, a pilot of the 12th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Moscow Air Defense, S. Mikoyan served there), in October 1944 - May 1945 - a pilot of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st Belorussian Front ); flew 25 sorties, conducted 5 air battles, in which he shot down an enemy aircraft as part of a group. So, he is a greater hero of the Patriotic War than Stepan Mikoyan, who was shot down by his own pilot.

However, by the time of Sherbakov's participation in the Second World War, there were no longer penalty squadrons, and he could not know anything about them, he needed it! He could not know anything about Fedorov who fought in 1942 and 1943. So why, together with Mikoyan, subscribe to something that you do not know, Mr. Comrade Colonel?

And here everything is simple to tears. Just because the test pilot A. A. Shcherbakov worked in the design bureau of Stepan's uncle, the avicontector Artem Mikoyan. Stepan also worked there. How can you not believe what the respected Stepan can weave about I. Ye. Fedorov? Therefore, we will leave Shcherbakov alone with his conscience, and we will only write about the aggressive corrector of Patriotic history Stepan Mikoyan.

There is a quite convincing fact about S. A. Mikoyan's dislike for Fedorov. After the Second World War, Stepan Mikoyan worked for his uncle Artyom, and was also a test pilot for aircraft designers Sukhoi and A.S. Yakovlev.

The only Soviet duel that has survived in the mass consciousness is the air duel of ace Titorenko from the movie "Only Old Men Go to Battle".
As you remember, in the best knightly traditions he wrote a challenge to a duel ("Come out to fight one on one"), stipulated the gentleman's terms of a duel ("I will not beat the summoned glove in the face, Titorenko sent his challenge to the addressee shoved into his boot.

Aces pilots from the Wehrmacht's "Ace of Diamonds" division at the beginning of the war really staged a kind of knightly duels with the most famous enemy pilots, including Soviet aces. However, such fights were practiced only as long as the Germans had a total advantage in the air. When this advantage was lost, all chivalry was forever gone from military affairs. By the middle of World War II, the noble and bloody fun of deadly fights finally sunk into oblivion.

Perhaps the most famous ass-breter is Ivan Evgrafovich Fedorov.

Hero of the Soviet Union, front-line soldier, test pilot Fedorov is spoken of as a man of "winged fate." For a long time, his name did not leave the pages of various publications. A lot of loud metaphors about the legend of Russian aviation can be seen in periodicals - "red devil", "aerobatic circus performer", "commander of heavenly hooligans", "museum man". Many researchers of the Great Patriotic War devote monographs to the officer, and recently V. Zvyagintsev's book "Tribunal for Heroes" was published. In modern publications more and more often it is said that Fedorov is the most effective Soviet pilot ...

Since 1934, Ivan Fedorov took part in all the pre-war air parades over Red Square.

He seemed to fly well, - the pilot begins modestly ... - From the People's Commissar Voroshilov he received a gold watch, a Mauser and even a motorcycle. But my biggest reward then was a trip to Spain, where I had a chance to fight against the Nazis in the Interbrigade for the first time. There I was dubbed "the red devil". First the Spaniards, and then the Germans. I entered into a fight with them literally on the second day after arriving in the country. It was then that I opened an account - the first three destroyed Hitler's planes.
But the devil, according to the pilot, was nicknamed not for this battle, but for the manner of conducting air battles and the ability to go to ram.
- When your plane is taken in the ring by "messers" and it is difficult to get out of the battle alive, - the officer argues, - then you decide to "head to head." The Germans always turned away ...
During the nine months of his stay in the state located on the Iberian Peninsula, Ivan Fedorov made 286 flights.
After returning from Spain, he was awaited by the higher officers' aviation courses, where he honed his skills to filigree. And since 1940, Fedorov tested aircraft at the training ground near Gorky.
Ivan Evgrafovich treated his duties responsibly. If he made an entry in the aircraft's passport: "Suitable for flying in combat units," this meant that the aluminum bird could fly in all modes.
I especially remember the flights on the I-180 fighter, - says the Hero of the Soviet Union, - which I lifted into the air four times. They were difficult and dangerous. The plane was flawed. That is why I gave an unflattering conclusion about him: "The height of the I-180 is gaining slowly, the machine is heavy, to put it simply, a flying motor." This fighter did not go into production.

Communicating with a veteran, you involuntarily pay attention to the German award. How did the “Iron Cross” appear on the chest of a Russian officer?
“Before the war,” the soldier recalls, “I was sent to Germany with a small group of test pilots. Each side had its own interest. The Germans wanted to stun us, to shake us with new aircraft from the firms of Messerschmitt, Junkers, Heinkel and Focke-Wulf. Ours - to reveal the capabilities of these machines and compare them with ours. They were convinced that we, bast shoes, would never catch up with them.
When the Soviet aces arrived at the aircraft plant in Desau, 18 kilometers from Berlin, they met them decorously, and, of course, offered the famous pilots an introductory tour ...
- I want to fly on your new aviation technology, - Ivan Evgrafovich objected with Russian directness.
- Can you take off on our most modern specimen? - clarified the chief designer of "Messerschmitt".
- I can! - The answer came resolutely and without delay.
Fired up, apparently by excitement, the chief designer of the legendary German aircraft gave the command to open the hangar and prepare the winged aircraft for flight.
At this exciting moment, Ivan Evgrafovich was well aware that in his person he represented the Soviet aviation school of piloting. Finally, having seated himself more comfortably in the cockpit of the Messer, Fedorov received the command to take off. Everything that the pilot "got up" in the sky seemed fantastic. He performed 24 aerobatics. As eyewitnesses later recalled, from what he saw, the chief designer of the Messerschmitt even grabbed his head - he was discouraged by the high flying skills of the Russian Ivan ...
“We mastered German planes right away,” the retired colonel continues without false modesty, “and this was appreciated by our future opponents.
When the business trip was over, the "illustrious four" returned to their native plant. The Great Patriotic War soon began.

I became famous for the fact, - exclaims the heavenly warrior, - that in June 1942 I flew to the front on an experimental plane from the Lavochkin Design Bureau. It happened at night, and I periodically fell under heavy fire from our and German anti-aircraft guns. Flew to Monino, fuel - to zero. Under the pistol, which, by the way, had no cartridges, I forced the mechanic to refuel the plane. The distance to the village of Migalovo was considerable, about 500 kilometers. It was there that the 3rd Air Army of the Kalinin Front was located, commanded by Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov.
The commander received Fedorov kindly.
- Vania! All my life I dreamed of such a substitute as you, ”Gromov briefly expressed his emotions in a military manner.
Soon the management of the plant declared Ivan Fedorov a deserter and demanded that he be returned from the front.
- If you had run away from here, then you would have been tried, - Mikhail Mikhailovich reassured the pilot, - and you go to the front ...
Indeed, the case was closed, but the wife, who remained in Gorky, was deprived of her allowance.
- I asked Gromov for a two-seat fighter, - says Ivan Evgrafovich, - flew after her. True, Gromov demanded not to advertise that Anya is my legal wife. I had to introduce her as a so-called "field-field" wife. Because of this, one of the duels happened. One officer poured mud on her, as they say. I summoned him to shoot. He missed, and I deliberately put a bullet on top.
If the duel "on pistols" is doubtful among many researchers, then Ivan Evgrafovich's story about a special penalty air group, which was formed in the summer of 1942 as part of the air army on the Kalinin Front, is an indisputable fact. In the personal file of Fedorov, it is written in black and white - "the commander of a group of penalty pilots." None of the aces of the 3rd Air Army wanted to command the "air hooligans". And Fedorov himself was considered a man of dashing prowess, so he volunteered to become the leader of this group, which included 64 penalties. It included fighter pilots Kalugin, Minchenko, Pokrovsky, Reshetov. In addition, the air group was reinforced with the best aces of the 3rd Air Army - A. Borovykh, V. Zaitsev, G. Onufrienko.

The penalty box air group was stationed near Andreapol (at the Basharovo airfield) and fought quite successfully. And in October of the same year, it was transformed into a regiment of aces (when the penal group of Ivan Evgrafovich was disbanded, the pilots were rehabilitated and presented to orders and medals, four of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union), about which there is also a mark in the officer's personal file.
The formation of a penalty air group coincided with the appearance on that sector of the front of German aces, whose planes were painted with playing cards. The Hitlerite group, which included 28 pilots, was led by Colonel von Berg.
- Goering's “gamblers” were favorites, - says Ivan Evgrafovich. - As a rule, kings and aces flashed on their fuselages. And the commander, von Berg, also had a three-headed dragon on the stabilizer. It was with him that one of the first, and I had a chance to clash in battle. He was an excellent master, no words, but only to show restraint, will at the most crucial moment and could not. When I went to the ram, the fascist flinched, soared up and crumbled under my fire. And after the battle they brought me a reward: a dagger and a smoking pipe of a German who landed from a burning "dragon" right into our trenches.

Fate often threw the seasoned pilot into the thick of it, and he had to fight with the striking force of the German aviation. According to a combat officer, the 52nd German Day Flight Squadron was causing fear in the Skyguards.
“She shook our flyers tightly,” the “red devil” continues. - The task of destroying the Nazi aces had to be carried out by my special group. I want to note that the operation lasted less than three months, but still I lost four pilots.
After becoming deputy commander of the 269th Air Division, the commander of the "heavenly hooligans" again assembled a special group ... It consisted of nine pilots, with whom he continued to engage in "free hunting" behind the front line. After conducting aerial reconnaissance, Fedorov's aces, as a rule, in the evening flew over one of the German airfields and dropped a can with a cargo and a note inside. German pilots were asked to hold a duel, and strictly according to the number of aircraft that arrived from the Soviet side. The Germans accepted the challenge, and air duels began. According to Fedorov, only in these "duels" he won 21 victories, and he fought his most successful battle in the skies over East Prussia at the end of 1944.
It should be admitted that today it is difficult to talk about the number of aircraft shot down by him. The numbers are contradictory. Fedorov himself speaks of 134 "shot" duralumin birds. It should be noted that this is more than Kozhedub and Pokryshkin combined. Officially (that is, documented) he was counted only 17 "Germans" ...

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Ivan Evgrafovich became a senior test pilot of the OKB S.A. Lavochkin. He was among the first to test the strength of domestic jet fighters. Fedorov tested the La-150, La-150M, La-150F, La-156, La-174TK aircraft. In 1947, he flew into the skies the first domestic aircraft with a swept wing, the La-160. In 1948, during the tests of the La-168, the officer was the first in the country to reach a speed of 1000 km / h. On December 26, 1948, on a La-176 aircraft, Ivan Fedorov achieved the speed of sound in descent flight.
The outstanding pilot was nominated for the title of Hero three times - in 1938, 1944 and 1948 ... Only the third attempt was successful. For the courage and heroism shown during the testing of new aviation technology, Colonel Fedorov Ivan Evgrafovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 5, 1948, and was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 8303). red devil ”, there are many other awards: the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, four Orders of the Patriotic War of the I degree, the Order of the Patriotic War of the II degree, the Red Star.