Hero of the Soviet Union who committed a night ram. Fearless "Kid". Short life and immortal feat of Viktor Talalikhin

Last time we sorted it out. Today I would like to remind you of the existence of one more type of assignments - this is the eighth assignment of the Unified State Exam (to supplement information). It is dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War, that is, all questions in this task will be related to the period 1941-1945. Let's see what this task is like in the demo version of the exam.

Exercise 1

A) ____ the Big Three conference was held in 1943.

Missing items:

Yalta (Crimean)

N.F. Gastello

Station Prokhorovka

Tehran

V. V. Talalikhia

Departure Dubosekovo

Answer:

Three sentences, six missing items. The answer is formatted as follows: under the letter you write the appropriate number, and then transfer the resulting combination of numbers into the answer form No. 1.

We read the proposals.

A) _____ conference of the "Big Three" was held in 1943.

We all know that the "Big Three" - the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - have met three times: in Tehran, in Yalta and in Potsdam. What options do we have in the missing items? Yalta (Crimean) and Tehran conferences. 1943 is the Tehran Conference. The Yalta Conference was held in February 1945. But you can, if in doubt, think so: in general, in the Crimea at the end of 1943, was it possible to hold a meeting of heads of state? In order to hold a meeting in Crimea, it is necessary that he be released, so that the German-fascist troops were pushed very far from the territory. How else to ensure safety? That is, Yalta and 1943 do not coincide.

B) One of the first rams in a night air battle was carried out by a Soviet pilot ___, who shot down an enemy bomber on the outskirts of Moscow.

What surnames do we have? N.F. Gastello and V.V. Talalikhin. Remember: Gastello is the commander of the crew who sent the downed burning plane to the convoy of military equipment. These are summer battles on the territory of Belarus. Talalikhin - the pilot who made the first night ram in the battles near Moscow. We choose this surname - 5.

C) During the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle took place at ___.

There are answer options: Prokhorovka station and Dubosekovo junction. We remember. This is, in general, a very famous battle. About 1200 tanks from both sides took part in the battle of Prokhorovka. Well, the Dubosekovo patrol, if you remember, is associated with the Moscow battle, where the Panfilov heroes, one might say, blocked the way for the Nazis with their lives. The famous words of political instructor Klochkov: "Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat: Moscow is behind." That is, we choose point 3.

As a result, we got the following combination of numbers: 453. We transfer this combination of numbers into answer form number one.

Assignment 2

Let's practice on one more assignment.

Fill in the blanks in these sentences using the list of missing items below: For each letter and blank sentence, select the item number you want.

Missing items:

Battle of Kursk

1. Nuremberg

   Operation Bagration

Write down the selected numbers in the table under the corresponding letters.

Let's solve this task.

A) Completed a radical fracture ___.

It is clear that this is some kind of battle. What battles do we have on the list? Battle of Kursk and

Operation Bagration. A radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War is associated with the Battle of Stalingrad and the victory at Stalingrad, when the army of Paulus was surrounded and destroyed, and the Battle of Kursk. The Battle of Kursk ended a radical turning point. We choose her. Operation Bagration for the liberation of Belarus is already an event that took place after a radical change, in the summer of 1944, one of the famous ten “Stalinist strikes”.

B) The international tribunal over fascist criminals sat in the city ___.

We have cities: Berlin, Nuremberg, Potsdam, Prague. But obviously not in Prague. In Potsdam, a conference of the victorious powers was held. The International Tribunal could be held there, but it was held in a different place. It took place not in Berlin, but in the town of Nuremberg, which was considered the place where the fascist movement in Germany was born. The Nuremberg Tribunal can be remembered simply as the name "Nuremberg Tribunal".

But here it is clear that we are not talking about Potsdam. We know this is not Potsdam. Therefore, we have a real choice between Berlin and Prague. But the Berlin garrison capitulated on May 2, but after the signing of the general surrender, one of the groups of German troops continued to resist in Prague. And two Soviet tank armies were transferred to the territory of Czechoslovakia. Prague was liberated.

We get a combination of numbers: 136.

And one more task of the same type.

Assignment 3

Fill in the blanks in these sentences using the list of missing items below: For each letter and blank sentence, select the item number you want.

A) ___ -sergeant of the Red Army, who became famous in the defense of the house during the battles for Stalingrad (later the house was named after his last name).

Missing items:

V. Zaitsev

1. F. D. Roosevelt

   K. Rokossovsky

   J. Pavlov

   G. Truman

Write down the selected numbers in the table under the corresponding letters.

Write down the resulting combination of numbers as an answer without spaces or any punctuation marks.

Let's decide.

A) ___- Sergeant of the Red Army, who became famous in the defense of the house during the battles for Stalingrad (later the house was named after his last name).

Remember: Pavlov's house. It was never rebuilt after the war. This is a kind of a monument to those fierce battles that took place in Stalingrad.

V. Zaitsev is a famous sniper who also became famous during the Battle of Stalingrad. But famous for others - like a sniper.

B) The 1945 Potsdam Agreement was signed by President ___ on behalf of the United States.

There are two American presidents on the list: Roosevelt and Truman. Roosevelt led the country from 1932 and during the war, but he died by the time of the Potsdam conference, and came to it new president USA, former Vice President under Roosevelt - Harry Truman. So we choose his last name.

C) The Victory Parade on Red Square was hosted by Marshal ___.

Rokossovsky commanded the parade, received Zhukov.

As a result, it turned out: 562. We enter this combination of numbers into the answer form.

Good luck on your exam!

The air force of the Third Reich (Luftwaffe) from the very beginning of the war with the Soviet Union had to experience the fury of the Soviet "falcons". Heinrich Goering, Reich Minister of the Reich Ministry of Aviation in 1935-1945, was forced to forget his boastful words that "No one will ever be able to gain air superiority over the German aces!"

On the first day of the Great Patriotic War German pilots faced with such a technique as an air ram. This technique was first proposed by the Russian aviator N.A. scout.

To the Great World War II, an air ram was not provided for by the military regulations, any instructions or instructions, and Soviet pilots resorted to this technique not by order of the command. Soviet people were driven by love for the Motherland, hatred of the invaders and the fury of battle, a sense of duty and personal responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland. As the Chief Marshal of Aviation (since 1944), twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, who was commander of the Soviet Air Force from May 1943 to 1946, wrote: “An air ram is not only lightning-fast calculation, exceptional courage and self-control. A ram in the sky is, first of all, a readiness for self-sacrifice, the last test of loyalty to one's people, to one's ideals. This is one of the highest forms of manifestation of the very moral factor inherent in Soviet people, which the enemy did not and could not take into account. "

During the Great War, Soviet pilots made more than 600 air rams (their exact number is unknown, since research continues at the present time, new feats of Stalin's falcons are gradually becoming known). More than two-thirds of rams fall on 1941-1942 - this is the most difficult period war. In the fall of 1941, a circular was even sent out to the Luftwaffe, which forbade the approach to Soviet aircraft closer than 100 meters in order to avoid air ramming.

It should be noted that the pilots of the Soviet Air Force used ramming on all types of aircraft: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. Air rams were carried out in single and group battles, day and night, at high and low altitudes, over their own territory and over the territory of the enemy, in any weather conditions. There were cases when pilots rammed a land or water target. So, the number of ground rams is almost equal to air attacks - more than 500. Perhaps the most famous ground ram is a feat that was performed on June 26, 1941 on a DB-3f (Il-4, two-engine long-range bomber) by the crew of Captain Nikolai Gastello. The bomber was hit by enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire and committed the so-called. "Fire ram", striking the enemy mechanized column.

In addition, it cannot be said that an air ram would necessarily lead to the death of the pilot. Statistics show that approximately 37% of the pilots were killed in an air ramming attack. The rest of the pilots not only remained alive, but even kept the aircraft in a more or less combat-ready state, so many aircraft could continue air combat and performed good landing... There are examples when pilots made two successful rams in one air battle. Several dozen Soviet pilots performed the so-called. "Double" rams, this is when the first time the enemy's plane could not be shot down and then it was necessary to finish it off with the second blow. There is even a case when the fighter pilot O. Kilgovatov, in order to destroy the enemy, had to make four ramming strikes. 35 Soviet pilots made two rams each, N.V. Terekhin and A.S. Khlobystov - three each.

Boris Ivanovich Kovzan(1922 - 1985) - this is the only pilot in the world who made four air rams, and three times he returned to his home airfield on his plane. On August 13, 1942, Captain B.I.Kovzan made the fourth ram on the La-5 single-engine fighter. The pilot found a group of enemy bombers and fighters and entered into battle with them. In a fierce battle, his plane was shot down. An enemy machine-gun burst fell on the cockpit of the fighter, the instrument panel was smashed, shrapnel cut the pilot's head. The car was on fire. Boris Kovzan felt a sharp pain in his head and one eye, so he hardly noticed how one of the German planes launched a frontal attack on him. The cars were closing fast. “If the German can't stand it now and turns upwards, then it will be necessary to ram,” thought Kovzan. A pilot wounded in the head on a burning plane went to a ram.

When the planes collided in the air, Kovzan was thrown out of the cockpit from a sharp impact, since the belts simply burst. He flew 3500 meters without opening the parachute in a semi-conscious state, and only already above the ground, at an altitude of only 200 meters, he woke up and pulled the exhaust ring. The parachute was able to open, but the impact on the ground was still very strong. The Soviet ace came to his senses in a Moscow hospital on the seventh day. He had several wounds from shrapnel, his collarbone and jaw, both arms and legs were broken. The doctors could not save the pilot's right eye. Kovzan's treatment continued for two months. Everyone well understood that only a miracle saved him in this air battle. The verdict of the commission for Boris Kovzan was very difficult: "You can't fly anymore." But it was a real Soviet falcon, who could not imagine life without flights and the sky. Kovzan has been pursuing his dream all his life! At one time they did not want to take him to the Odessa Military Aviation School, then Kovzan attributed a year to himself and begged the doctors of the medical commission, although he did not get 13 kilograms of weight to the norm. And he achieved his goal. He was driven by a strong confidence, if you constantly strive for a goal, it will be achieved.

He was wounded, but now he is healthy, his head is in place, his arms and legs have been restored. As a result, the pilot got to the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force A. Novikov. He promised to help. A new conclusion of the medical commission was received: "Suitable for flights on all types of fighters." Boris Kovzan writes a report with a request to send him to the belligerent units, receives several refusals. But this time he achieved his goal, the pilot was enrolled in the 144th Air Defense Division (Air Defense) near Saratov. In total, during the years of World War II, the Soviet pilot flew 360 sorties, took part in 127 air battles, shot down 28 German aircraft, 6 of them after being seriously wounded and being one-eyed. In August 1943 he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Boris Kovzan

Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War used various techniques air ram:

A blow with an airplane propeller on the tail unit of the enemy. The attacking aircraft enters the enemy from behind and strikes with a propeller on its tail unit. This blow led to the destruction of the enemy aircraft or loss of control. This was the most common aerial ramming technique during the Great War. If executed correctly, the pilot of the attacking aircraft had a pretty good chance of surviving. In a collision with an enemy aircraft, only the propeller usually suffers, and even if it failed, there were chances to land the car or jump with a parachute.

Wing kick. It was carried out both with a head-on approach of aircraft, and when approaching the enemy from behind. The blow was inflicted by the wing on the tail or fuselage of the enemy aircraft, including the cockpit of the target aircraft. Sometimes this technique was used to complete a frontal attack.

Fuselage impact. It was considered the most dangerous type of air ram for a pilot. This technique also includes a collision of aircraft during a frontal attack. Interestingly, even with this outcome, some of the pilots survived.

Airplane tail blow (I. Sh. Bikmukhametov's ram). The ramming by Ibragim Shagiakhmedovich Bikmukhametov on August 4, 1942. He went out into the forehead of the enemy aircraft with a slide and a turn, struck with the tail of his fighter on the enemy's wing. As a result, the enemy fighter lost control, fell into a tailspin and died, and Ibragim Bikmukhametov was even able to bring his LaGG-Z to the airfield and land safely.

Bikmukhametov graduated from the 2nd Borisoglebsk Red Banner Military Aviation Pilot School. VP Chkalov, in the winter of 1939 - 1940 he took part in the war with Finland. The junior lieutenant participated in the Great Patriotic War from the very beginning, until November 1941 he served in the 238th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP), then in the 5th Guards IAP. The regiment commander noted that the pilot was "brave and decisive."

On August 4, 1942, six single and single-engine LaGG-Z fighters of the 5th Guards IAP, led by Guards Major Grigory Onufrienko, flew out to cover the ground forces in the Rzhev area. The flight commander Ibragim Bikmukhametov was also part of this group. Behind the front line, Soviet fighters met 8 enemy Me-109 fighters. The Germans were on a parallel course. A fleeting air battle began. It ended with the victory of our pilots: 3 Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed. One of them was shot down by squadron commander G. Onufrienko, two other Messerschmitts I. Bikmukhametov. The first Me-109 pilot attacked on a combat turn, hitting him with a cannon and two machine guns, the enemy plane went to the ground. In the heat of battle, I. Bikmukhametov late noticed another enemy aircraft, which entered the tail of his car from above. But the flight commander was not taken aback, he energetically made a hill and with a sharp turn went to the German. The enemy could not stand the attack head-on and tried to turn his plane away. Enemy pilot was able to avoid meeting with the blades propeller I. Bikmukhametov's cars. But our pilot contrived and, sharply turning the car back, struck a strong blow with the tail of his "iron" (as the Soviet pilots called this fighter) on the wing of the "Messer". The enemy fighter fell into a tailspin and soon fell into the thicket of a dense forest.

Bikmukhametov was able to bring the heavily damaged car to the airfield. It was the 11th enemy aircraft shot down by Ibragim Bikmukhametov. During the war, the pilot was awarded 2 Orders of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star. The brave pilot died on December 16, 1942 in the Voronezh region. During a battle with superior enemy forces, his plane was shot down and during a forced landing, trying to save the fighter, the wounded pilot crashed.

LaGG-3

The first rams of the Great Patriotic War

Researchers are still arguing about who committed the first ram on June 22, 1941. Some believe that it was a senior lieutenant. Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, others call the author of the first ram of the Great Patriotic War, junior lieutenant Dmitry Vasilyevich Kokorev.

I. I. Ivanov (1909 - June 22, 1941) served in the ranks of the Red Army in the fall of 1931, then was sent on a Komsomol ticket to the Perm Aviation School. In the spring of 1933 Ivanov was sent to the 8th Odessa Military Aviation School. Initially he served in the 11th Light Bomber Regiment in the Kiev Military District, in 1939 he took part in the Polish campaign to liberate Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, then in the “Winter War” with Finland. At the end of 1940 he graduated from the courses for fighter pilots. He was appointed to the 14th mixed aviation division, deputy squadron commander of the 46th IAP.

Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov

At dawn on June 22, 1941, senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov took to the skies on a combat alert at the head of the I-16 flight (according to another version, the pilots were on the I-153) to intercept a group of enemy aircraft that were approaching the Mlynov airfield. In the air, Soviet pilots found 6 twin-engine He-111 bombers from the 7th squadron of the KG 55 "Grif" squadron. Senior Lieutenant Ivanov led a flight of fighters to attack the enemy. A link of Soviet fighters dived into the lead bomber. Bomber shooters opened fire on Soviet aircraft. Coming out of the dive, the I-16s repeated the attack. One of the Heinkels was hit. The rest of the enemy bombers dropped their bombs before reaching the target and began to go west. After a successful attack, both of Ivanov's slaves went to their airfield, since, avoiding enemy fire, maneuvering, they used up almost all the fuel. Ivanov, letting them go to the landing, continued pursuit, but then, he also decided to land, because the fuel ran out, and the ammunition ran out. At this time, an enemy bomber appeared over the Soviet airfield. Noticing him, Ivanov went to meet him, but the German, firing machine-gun fire, did not turn off the course. The only way to stop the enemy was the ram. From the impact, the bomber (the Soviet plane cut off the tail of the German car with a propeller), which was led by non-commissioned officer H. Volfeil, lost control and crashed into the ground. The entire German crew was killed. But I. Ivanov's plane was also badly damaged. Due to the low altitude, the pilot could not use the parachute and died. This ram took place at 4 hours 25 minutes in the morning near the village of Zagoroshcha, Rivne district, Rivne region. On August 2, 1941, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov posthumously became a Hero of the Soviet Union.

I-16

Around the same time, a junior lieutenant rammed Dmitry Vasilievich Kokorev(1918 - 10/12/1941). A native of the Ryazan region, he served in the 9th mixed aviation division, in the 124th IAP (Western Special Military District). The regiment was stationed at the Vysoko Mazovetsk border airfield, near the city of Zambrov (Western Ukraine). After the war began, the commander of the regiment, Major Polunin, instructed the young pilot to reconnoiter the situation in the area of ​​the state border of the USSR, which has now become the line of contact between Soviet and German troops.

At 4:05 in the morning, when Dmitry Kokorev was returning from reconnaissance, the Luftwaffe made the first powerful blow at the airfield, since the regiment interfered with the flight inland. The fight was fierce. The airfield was badly damaged.

And then Kokarev saw the Dornier-215 reconnaissance bomber (according to other information, the Me-110 multipurpose aircraft), leaving the Soviet airfield. Apparently, it was Hitler's intelligence officer who was monitoring the result of the first strike on the fighter aviation regiment. Anger blinded the Soviet pilot, abruptly jerking the MiG high-altitude fighter into a combat turn, Kokorev went on the attack, in a fever he opened fire ahead of time. He missed, but the German shooter hit right - a line of breaks pierced the right plane of his car.

Enemy aircraft at maximum speed went to the state border. Dmitry Kokorev went on the second attack. He reduced the distance, not paying attention to the frantic shooting of the German shooter, coming up to the distance of the shot, Kokorev pressed the trigger, but the ammunition ran out. For a long time, the Soviet pilot did not think, the enemy should not be released, he sharply increased the speed and threw the fighter at the enemy vehicle. The MiG slashed with its propeller near the Dornier's tail.

This air ramming occurred at 4:15 am (according to other sources - at 4.35 am) in front of the infantrymen and border guards who defended the city of Zambrov. The fuselage of the German plane snapped in half, and the Dornier crashed to the ground. Our fighter went into a tailspin, its engine stalled. Kokorev came to his senses and was able to pull the car out of the terrible rotation. I chose a clearing for landing and landed successfully. It should be noted that Junior Lieutenant Kokorev was an ordinary Soviet private pilot, of whom there were hundreds in Air Force Red Army. Behind the shoulders of the junior lieutenant was only a flight school.

Unfortunately, the hero did not live to see Victory. He made 100 sorties, shot down 5 enemy aircraft. When his regiment fought near Leningrad, on October 12, intelligence reported that a large number of enemy Junkers. The weather was bad, the Germans did not take to the air in such conditions and did not wait for our planes. It was decided to strike at the airfield. A group of 6 of our Pe-2 dive bombers (they were called "Pawns"), accompanied by 13 MiG-3 fighters, appeared over the "Siverskaya" and came as a complete surprise to the Nazis.

Incendiary bombs from low altitude hit right on target, machine-gun fire and fighter rockets completed the rout. The Germans were able to lift only one fighter into the air. The Pe-2s had already been bombed and were leaving, only one bomber lagged behind. Kokorev rushed to his defense. He shot down the enemy, but at this time the air defense of the Germans woke up. Dmitry's plane was shot down and crashed.

The first ...

Ekaterina Ivanovna Zelenko(1916 - September 12, 1941) became the first woman on the planet to carry out an aerial ram. Zelenko graduated from the Voronezh Aero Club (in 1933), the 3rd Orenburg Military Aviation School named after V.I. K. E. Voroshilov (in 1934). She served in the 19th Light Bomber Aviation Brigade in Kharkov, was a test pilot. Within 4 years, she mastered seven types of aircraft. This is the only female pilot who participated in the "Winter War" (as part of the 11th Light Bomber Aviation Regiment). She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner - she flew 8 combat missions.

She participated in the Great Patriotic War from the first day, fighting as part of the 16th mixed aviation division, was deputy commander of the 5th squadron of the 135th bomber aviation regiment. She managed to make 40 sorties, including night ones. On September 12, 1941, she made 2 successful reconnaissance sorties in a Su-2 bomber. But, despite the fact that during the second flight her Su-2 was damaged, Ekaterina Zelenko took off for the third time on the same day. Already returning, in the area of ​​the city of Romny, two Soviet planes were attacked by 7 enemy fighters. Ekaterina Zelenko was able to shoot down one Me-109, and when she ran out of ammunition, she rammed a second German fighter. The pilot destroyed the enemy, but at the same time she died.

Monument to Ekaterina Zelenko in Kursk.

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin(1918 - October 27, 1941) made a night ram, which became the most famous in this war, shooting down an Xe-111 bomber on the night of August 7, 1941 on an I-16 near Podolsk (Moscow region). For a long time it was considered that this is the first night ram in the history of aviation. Only later did it become known that on the night of July 29, 1941, the fighter pilot of the 28th IAP Peter Vasilievich Eremeev on a MiG-3 plane, he shot down an enemy Junkers-88 bomber with a ramming blow. He died on October 2, 1941 in an air battle (September 21, 1995 Eremeev for courage and military valor, posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia).

On October 27, 1941, 6 fighters under the command of V. Talalikhin flew to cover our forces in the area of ​​the village of Kamenka, on the banks of the Nara (85 km west of the capital). They collided with 9 enemy fighters, in the battle Talalikhin shot down one "Messer", but the other was able to knock him out, the pilot died a heroic death ...

Viktor Vasilievich Talalikhin.

The crew of Viktor Petrovich Nosov from the 51st mine and torpedo regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force carried out the first ram of a ship in the history of the war with the help of a heavy bomber. The lieutenant commanded the A-20 torpedo bomber (American Douglas A-20 Havoc). On February 13, 1945, in the southern part of the Baltic Sea, during an attack by an enemy transport of 6 thousand tons, a Soviet plane was shot down. The commander directed the burning car directly into the enemy transport. The plane hit the target, an explosion occurred, the enemy ship sank. The crew of the plane: Lieutenant Viktor Nosov (commander), junior lieutenant Alexander Igoshin (navigator) and Sergeant Fyodor Dorofeev (radio operator), died a heroic death.

Pilot's name Victor Talalikhin are worn by streets in Moscow, Podolsk and 16 cities of Russia and neighboring countries.

So what is this man famous for?

Click to enlarge

Viktor Talalikhin was born on September 18, 1918 in the village of Teplovka, Saratov province. Victor's father and mother were peasants, besides him, the family had two more eldest sons.

Later, the family moved to the city of Volsk, where his father worked at a factory, and Victor graduated from a seven-year school. In 1933, the Talalikhins moved to Moscow, and Victor combined his studies at a factory school with work at a meat processing plant.

Like many boys of the pre-war and first post-war generation, Viktor Talalikhin dreamed of becoming a pilot.

He took the first steps towards fulfilling his dream in the flying club. Two decades later, in the same way - through a vocational school and flying club -.

The instructor in the flying club discovered Victor's real talent as a pilot, but noticed that the guy needed a cool head to improve his skills. Talalikhin will acquire this quality already in his military career.

Both of Victor's older brothers had already served in aviation, which only spurred his desire to go the same way.

Baptism of fire

In 1937, Viktor Talalikhin was drafted into the army and on a Komsomol ticket was sent to the Borisoglebsk Aviation School, which he successfully graduated from in 1938. Junior Lieutenant Talalikhin was sent for further service in the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Both the aviation school and the regiment noted that Victor is fluent in piloting technique, makes logical and sober decisions in difficult situations, combining this with courage and decisiveness.

Viktor Talalikhin received his baptism of fire during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. A young pilot on an I-153 aircraft destroyed an enemy aircraft in the first air battle.

In total, during the Finnish campaign, Talalikhin shot down 4 enemy aircraft. One of them was shot down while the pilot was covering his commander. Mikhail Korolev.

For his exploits in the Soviet-Finnish war, junior lieutenant Talalikhin was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

In the spring of 1941, pilot Talalikhin graduated from the courses for commanders of air links and was appointed flight commander in the 177th Fighter Regiment, commanded by his front-line comrade in the Finnish campaign, Mikhail Korolev.

The terrible summer of 1941

The first months of the Great Patriotic War were truly tragic for our army. Aviation had the hardest time - the enemy was superior both in technique and skill. A massive attack on airfields in the first hours of the war led to huge losses in the Red Army Air Force.

The Luftwaffe dominated the air, but even the German aces recognized the unparalleled courage of the Soviet pilots. When there was no other way to stop the enemy, the pilots fearlessly went to the ram. Only on the first day of the war, 19 air rams were committed, and in total during the Great Patriotic War, Soviet pilots rammed the enemy more than 600 times. The largest number of rams fell on the first, hardest months of the war.

For a pilot, a ram in most cases meant death, and therefore incredible courage was needed to use such a technique.

With the beginning of the war, the 177th Fighter Regiment, in which Viktor Talalikhin served, was transferred to Moscow. The regiment's pilots were tasked with defending the sky of the capital in the southwest direction.

Certificate for the medal "For the Defense of Moscow" of the Hero of the Soviet Union, fighter pilot Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin. Photo source: RIA Novosti

The capital's air defense system proved to be the most effective in World War II. Goering's vaunted aces failed to inflict heavy damage on Moscow. Much credit for this belongs to the fighter pilots.

The enemy was rushing to the capital. The 177th regiment took the first air battle on 25 July. Every day the enemy's onslaught became stronger, there were more and more sorties.

Night fight

The battle that glorified the name of Viktor Talalikhin took place on the night of August 7, 1941. The pilot was ordered to fly to intercept German bombers. At an altitude of 4500 meters I-16 Talalikhina sat on the tail of the German Henkel-111. Hitler's ace maneuvered skillfully, but the Soviet fighter managed to set fire to one of the engines of the enemy plane. Nevertheless, the German escaped the pursuit. Talalikhin launched a new attack, but it was discovered that the ammunition had run out.

Then the pilot decided to ram the Henkel. Talalikhin himself later said that he reasoned at that moment like this: most likely, he would die in a ram, but the crew of a German bomber, consisting of four people, would also die. So the score is in his favor anyway!

While the I-16 was getting close to the Henkel's tail, a German gunner managed to wound Viktor in the arm. Nevertheless, the Soviet pilot overtook the enemy and struck. The damaged I-16 was thrown aside, and Viktor Talalikhin managed to use a parachute.

The pilot landed in the Severka River, from where residents of a nearby village helped him get out.

The German plane crashed to the ground, its entire crew was killed.

The news of Viktor Talalikhin's feat spread in the blink of an eye. The night ram in the sky near Moscow became one of the first in the history of world aviation.

The very first night ram was made on October 28, 1937 in the sky over Barcelona by a Soviet pilot Evgeny Stepanov, which shot down the Italian SM-81 bomber in this way. Stepanov, under the pseudonym Evo Henjo, volunteered on the fronts of the Spanish Civil War, helping the Republicans fight the Francoists, who were supported Hitler and Mussolini.

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It is interesting that, despite the statistics that promised the pilots certain death in a ramming ram, Stepanov, like Talalikhin, remained alive.

A short boy with the makings of an actor

The night ramming of Viktor Talalikhin against the background of heavy fighting at the front was the feat that inspired those who were already discouraged.

The next day, the pilot's story about the ram was published in the Izvestia newspaper and was broadcast on the radio.

On August 8, 1941, Viktor Talalikhin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the exemplary fulfillment of the combat missions of the command on the front of the fight against German fascism and the courage and heroism shown in this.

Only relatives, friends and fellow soldiers knew that this fearless hero in ordinary life was a cheerful and good-natured person. Victor was not deprived of acting skills, while still at school he played in a drama club. At the same time, at home, and at school, and in the flying club, and in the school, and in the regiment, Lieutenant Talalikhin was by no means a formidable nickname "Kid".

It stemmed from the growth of Victor, who was equal to only 155 cm. Because of this growth, at one time they looked at him skeptically in the flying club, and then in the aviation school, doubting that such a short guy would be able to master serious technique. But the proverb "small, but daring" was just about Talalikhin. He proved his abilities by deeds.

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While the wounds received in the night battle with a German bomber were healing, the hero pilot was engaged in agitation - he spoke at rallies, met with young people and workers.

September 2, 1941 in the Kremlin Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Kalinin presented Viktor Talalikhin with a certificate of conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

The last fight of the hero

Two weeks later, Victor celebrated another birthday - he turned 23.

Only 23 years old, and how many already behind him ... But the pilot Talalikhin would not be himself if, crowned with regalia, he would sit behind other people's backs in the midst of heavy battles.

And Lieutenant Talalikhin returns to service already as squadron commander. He rises again and again into the sky near Moscow to close the enemy's path to the capital. By the end of October 1941, he shot down four more German aircraft personally and one as part of a group.

Fighter pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, junior lieutenant Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin (left) talking to his comrade in arms sitting in the cockpit. Photo source: RIA Novosti

On October 27, 1941, the squadron commander Talalikhin, at the head of six fighters, flew from a military airfield near Podolsk to support ground troops who were fighting heavy battles in the area of ​​the village of Kamenka. Here, Soviet aircraft were attacked by six German Me-109 fighters. A fierce battle broke out, during which Talalikhin shot down one enemy plane, then knocked out another. At this moment, the lieutenant's fighter was attacked by three Nazi aircraft at once. One of the lines pierced the cockpit and hit Victor in the head.

The car lost control and fell after a while.

The remains of the Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin were interred at the Novodevichy cemetery in the capital.

On the 43rd kilometer of the Varshavskoe highway, not far from the place where the airfield was located, from which the pilot left for his last battle, on August 18, 1969, a monument to the hero was unveiled. Busts of Viktor Talalikhin were installed in Podolsk and Moscow.

Battering ram as a method of aerial combat has never been and will not be the main one, since a collision with the enemy very often leads to the destruction and fall of both vehicles. A ramming strike is permissible only in a situation where the pilot has no other choice. For the first time such an attack was carried out in 1912 by the famous pilot Pyotr Nesterov, who shot down an Austrian reconnaissance officer. His light Moran was hit from above by a heavy enemy Albatross carrying the pilot and observer. As a result of the attack, both aircraft were damaged and fell, Nesterov and the Austrians were killed. At that time, machine guns were not yet installed on aircraft, so the ram was the only way shoot down an enemy airplane.

After the death of Nesterov, the tactics of ram attacks were carefully worked out, the pilots began to strive to shoot down the enemy plane, keeping their own. The main method of attack was the impact of the propeller blades on the tail unit of the enemy aircraft. The rapidly spinning propeller damaged the tail of the aircraft, resulting in loss of control and crash. At the same time, the pilots of the attacking vehicles often managed to land their planes safely. After replacing the bent propellers, the machines were ready to fly again. Other options were also used - a blow by a wing, keel, fuselage, landing gear.

Night battering rams were especially difficult, since it is very difficult to execute a strike in conditions of poor visibility. For the first time, a night air ram was used on October 28, 1937 in the skies of Spain by Soviet Yevgeny Stepanov. At night over Barcelona on "I-15" he managed to destroy the Italian bomber "Savoy-Marchetti" with a ramming blow. Since the Soviet Union did not officially take part in the civil war in Spain, about the feat of the pilot long time preferred not to speak.

During the Great Patriotic War, the first night air ram was carried out by the fighter pilot of the 28th fighter Pyotr Vasilyevich Eremeev: on July 29, 1941, he destroyed the enemy Junkers-88 bomber with a ram attack on a MiG-3 aircraft. But the night ramming of fighter pilot Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin became more famous: on the night of August 7, 1941, he shot down a German Heinkel-111 bomber on an I-16 aircraft near Moscow Podolsk. The Battle of Moscow was one of the key points war, so the feat of the pilot became widely known. For his courage and heroism, Viktor Talalikhin was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He died on October 27, 1941 in an air battle, destroying two enemy aircraft and being mortally wounded by a fragment of an exploding shell.

During battles with fascist Germany Soviet pilots carried out more than 500 ram attacks, some pilots used this technique several times and remained alive. Ramming strikes were also used later, already on jet machines.

Battering ram as a method of air combat remains the last argument to which pilots resort to desperate situation... Not everyone succeeds in staying alive after it. Nevertheless, some of our pilots used it several times.

The world's first ram

The first air ram in the world was carried out by the author of the "loop" captain Peter Nesterov. He was 27 years old, and, having made 28 sorties at the beginning of the war, he was considered an experienced pilot.
Nesterov had long believed that an enemy airplane could be destroyed by hitting planes with its wheels. This was a necessary measure - at the beginning of the war, the aircraft were not equipped with machine guns, and the aviators flew on missions with pistols and carbines.
On September 8, 1914, in the Lvov region, Pyotr Nesterov rammed a heavy Austrian plane under the control of Franz Malina and Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal, who flew over the Russian positions, making reconnaissance.
Nesterov on a light and fast airplane "Moran" took off, caught up with the "Albatross" and rammed it, striking downward into the tail unit. It happened in front of local residents.
The Austrian plane crashed. At the impact, Nesterov, who was in a hurry to take off and did not fasten his seat belts, flew out of the cockpit and crashed. According to another version, Nesterov jumped out of the crashed plane himself, hoping to survive.

The first ram of the Finnish War

The first and only ram of the Soviet-Finnish war was carried out by Senior Lieutenant Yakov Mikhin, a graduate of the 2nd Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of Pilots named after Chkalov. This happened on February 29, 1940 in the afternoon. 24 Soviet planes I-16 and I-15 attacked the Finnish airfield Ruokolahti.

To repel the attack, 15 fighters took to the air from the airfield.
A fierce battle ensued. Flight Commander Yakov Mikhin in a frontal attack with an airplane wing hit the keel of the Fokker of the famous Finnish ace Lieutenant Tatu Guganantti. The keel broke off from the blow. "Fokker" crashed to the ground, the pilot was killed.
Yakov Mikhin with a broken plane managed to reach the airfield and safely landed his "donkey". I must say that Mikhin went through the entire Great Patriotic War, and then continued to serve in the Air Force.

The first ram of the Great Patriotic War

It is believed that the first ram of the Great Patriotic War was committed by 31-year-old senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov, who on June 22, 1941 at 4:25 am on the I-16 (according to other sources - on the I-153) over the Mlynov airfield near Dubno rammed the Heinkel bomber ", After which both planes fell. Ivanov died. For this feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His superiority is disputed by several pilots: junior lieutenant Dmitry Kokorev, who rammed the Messerschmitt in the Zambro region 20 minutes after Ivanov's feat and survived.
On June 22, at 5:15 am, junior lieutenant Leonid Buterin was killed over Western Ukraine (Stanislav), taking a Junkers-88 on a ram.
After another 45 minutes, an unknown pilot on the U-2 was killed over Profit, having rammed the Messerschmitt.
At 10 am "Messer" rammed over Brest and Lieutenant Pyotr Ryabtsev survived.
Some pilots resorted to ramming several times. Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Kovzan made 4 rams: over Zaraisk, over Torzhok, over Lobnitsa and Staraya Russa.

The first "fire" ram

"Fire" battering ram is called a reception when the pilot directs a downed aircraft to ground targets. Everyone knows the feat of Nikolai Gastello, who sent the plane to a tank column with fuel tanks. But the first "fire" ram was carried out on June 22, 1941 by 27-year-old senior lieutenant Peter Chirkin from the 62nd assault aviation regiment. Chirkin sent a wrecked I-153 to a column of German tanks approaching the city of Stryi (Western Ukraine).
In total, more than 300 people repeated his feat during the war years.

The first female ram

Soviet pilot Yekaterina Zelenko became the only woman in the world to commit a ram. During the war years, she managed to make 40 sorties, participated in 12 air battles. On September 12, 1941, she flew three flights. Returning from a mission in the Romny area, she was attacked by German Me-109s. She managed to shoot down one plane, and when the ammunition ran out, she rammed the enemy plane, destroying it. She died herself. She was 24 years old. For the feat, Ekaterina Zelenko was awarded the Order of Lenin, and in 1990 she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

First jet ramming

A native of Stalingrad, Captain Gennady Eliseev rammed a MiG-21 fighter on November 28, 1973. On this day, the Iranian Phantom-II invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union over the Mugan Valley of Azerbaijan, which was carrying out reconnaissance on the instructions of the United States. Captain Eliseev flew to intercept from the airfield in Vaziani.
The air-to-air missiles did not produce the desired result: Phantom fired heat traps. To carry out the order, Eliseev decided to ram and struck a blow on the tail unit of the Phantom with his wing. The plane crashed, its crew was detained. MiG Eliseev began to decline and crashed into the mountain. Gennady Eliseev was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The crew of the reconnaissance aircraft - an American colonel and an Iranian pilot - were handed over to the Iranian authorities 16 days later.

The first ramming of a transport aircraft

On July 18, 1981, a transport plane of the Argentine airline "Canader CL-44" violated the USSR border over the territory of Armenia. A Swiss crew was on board. Pilot Valentin Kulyapin, the deputy squadron, was given the task of imprisoning the violators. The Swiss did not react to the pilot's demands. Then the order came to shoot down the plane. The distance between the Su-15TM and the "transporter" was small for the launch of R-98M missiles. The intruder went towards the border. Then Kulyapin decided to ram.
On the second attempt, he hit the Canadera's stabilizer with the fuselage, after which he safely ejected from the damaged aircraft, and the Argentinean fell into a tailspin and fell just two kilometers from the border, his crew was killed. Later it turned out that the plane was carrying weapons.
For the feat of the pilot, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star.