4 air rams. Four air rams by Boris Kovzan. The most dangerous fight

Boris Ivanovich Kovzan participated in the war from the first day. He opened his combat account on June 24, 1941, by shooting down a Do-215 bomber. He made his first ram on October 29, 1941.

During the Great War, Soviet pilots made more than 600 aerial rams (their exact number is unknown, since research continues to this day, new exploits of Stalin’s falcons are gradually becoming known)

In the fall of 1941, a circular was even sent out to the Luftwaffe, which prohibited approaching Soviet aircraft closer than 100 meters in order to avoid air ramming.

It should be noted that Soviet Air Force pilots used rams on all types of aircraft: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft.

Perhaps the most famous ground ram is a feat that was accomplished on June 26, 1941 by a DB-3f (Il-4, twin-engine long-range bomber) crew of captain Nikolai Gastello. The bomber was hit by enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire and committed the so-called. “fiery ram”, hitting the enemy’s mechanized column.

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

And our hero is the only pilot in the world who made four air rams, and three times he returned to his home airfield in his plane.

In October 1941, in the deep Volovsky region Tula region The 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, which had previously worked against the enemy from Yelets, flew over.

In those days, the situation near Moscow was such that every pilot was in demand, especially with combat experience: the enemy captured Oryol and was rushing to Tula. And Boris already had a downed plane to his credit. True, I had never flown the MiGs that were in service with this regiment before. He, together with the regimental engineer, had to study the Mig-3.

This machine, conceived as a high-altitude interceptor, at an altitude of 5 thousand meters reached a speed of up to 630 kilometers per hour, which far exceeded the capabilities of any other fighter, and had good maneuverability, but it lacked cannon armament: the “migs” had machine guns - a rather weak weapon against enemy bombers. In addition, the closer to the ground, the more the aircraft lost its qualities, while most air battles took place at altitudes of up to three thousand meters.

A few days later, Zimin was informed that the pilot was ready for an independent flight.

On October 29, 1941, junior lieutenant Kovzan flew out in his Mig-3 to escort attack aircraft to the area of the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region. Having received a hit from ground anti-aircraft guns, he fell slightly behind his comrades and on the way back his plane was overtaken by four Messers. Kovzan managed to shoot down one of them. He managed to break away from the rest, going to a height unattainable for the Germans. When he was already approaching his airfield, he saw the leading aerial reconnaissance Junkers - The Germans had long sought to discover this airfield, and it seemed that this reconnaissance aircraft was close to completing its task.

All the cartridges had already been spent, and Kovzan decided to go for a ram. An aerial carousel ensued, each trying to get behind the other. The enemy began to maneuver, leaving the battle. Kovzan reached after him, waiting for the right moment to hit the stabilizer of the enemy aircraft with his propeller.

“At that moment, it seems as if you swallowed a piece of ice - you get cold inside,” Kovzan said years later. - This, of course, is the same fear that is characteristic of all living things. But we are people, we overcome it within ourselves! I had to go through this “cold” four times. And what’s interesting: then, on the ground, I could usually remember almost the entire battle in order, as if my mind was photographing every moment...

After the impact, the enemy vehicle went down, tumbling randomly, but the Mig still retained controllability. After this ram, Kovzan committed forced landing on a collective farm field, near the village of Titovo. People were already running towards his plane... The pilot, who was not injured, could have reached the airfield on foot, but did not dare to abandon the plane. He managed to repair the propeller at the collective farm forge and flew to his native regiment on his plane.

For the downed plane, the pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Banner

Second ram Kovzan produced on February 22, 1942. On that day, in the area of Vyshny Volochok, on a Yak-1 plane, he rammed a Ju-87 dive bomber, after which he returned to his airfield and successfully landed on the damaged plane.

Third ram for Kovzan it also ended almost painlessly. Having shot down a Me-109 ram on July 8, 1942 near the village of Lobnitsy, Novgorod Region, he successfully returned to his airfield.

The most famous was his fourth ram. On August 13, 1942, on a La-5 fighter, Captain B.I. Kovzan discovered a group of enemy bombers and fighters and engaged them in battle. In a fierce battle, his plane was shot down. An enemy machine-gun burst hit the fighter's cockpit, the instrument panel was smashed, and the pilot's head was cut by shrapnel. The car was on fire. He radioed that he was jumping with a parachute and had already opened the canopy to leave the plane.

The wounded pilot hardly noticed how one of the German planes launched a frontal attack on him. The cars quickly approached. “If now the German can’t stand it and turns up, then we’ll have to ram,” thought Kovzan. The pilot, wounded in the head, was going to ram a burning plane.

The planes collided head-on. But the German’s canopy was closed and he fell with the destroyed plane, and Kovzan was thrown out of the cockpit because the canopy was open. He fell unconscious, but during the fall his parachute somehow partially opened. The pilot landed straight into a swamp, breaking his leg and several ribs. The partisans who arrived in time pulled him out of the swamp and transported him across the front line.

Kovzan spent 10 months in the hospital and lost his right eye. He was wounded, but is now healthy, his head is in place, his arms and legs have recovered. The commission’s verdict for Boris Kovzan was very difficult: "You can't fly anymore". But this was a real Soviet falcon, who could not imagine life without flights and the sky.

As a result, the pilot reached the Air Force Commander-in-Chief A. Novikov. He promised to help. A new conclusion from the medical commission was received: “Fit to fly on all types of fighter aircraft.” Boris Kovzan writes a report with a request to be sent to the warring units, but receives several refusals. But this time he achieved his goal, the pilot was enlisted in the 144th Air Defense Division near Saratov.

In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet pilot made 360 combat missions, took part in 127 air battles, shot down 28 German planes, and 6 of them after being seriously wounded and being one-eyed.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 24, 1943, for the courage and bravery shown in battles with enemies, Captain Boris Ivanovich Kovzan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1103).

After the war he continued his service. In 1954 he graduated from the Air Force Academy.

Since 1958, Lieutenant Colonel Kovzan has been in reserve. Lived in Ryazan, worked as the head of a flying club. Then retired colonel Kovzan lived in Minsk. Boris Ivanovich died in Minsk on August 31, 1985 at the age of 63.

In 2005, in the city of Ryazan, a memorial plaque was installed on the house where he lived. And in Bobruisk there is a street named after. Kovzana.

The following materials were used in preparing this post.

Russian ace Boris Kovzan of the 28 aircraft he shot down

Four were destroyed by rams.

Born on April 7, 1922 in the city of Shakhty, now Rostov region, in the family of an employee. He graduated from 8 classes in the city of Bobruisk and the flying club, Odessa Aviation School in 1940.

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since 1941. Participant in the defense of Gomel. Fighter pilot Senior Lieutenant B.I. Kovzan is one of the few pilots in the world who rammed 4 enemy aircraft: 10.29.1941 over the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region, 22.2.1942 over the city of Torzhok, Kalinin region, 9.7.1942 over the village of Lyubnitsa and in August 1943 near the city Staraya Russa Novgorod region.

In total, he made 360 combat missions, conducted 127 air battles, and shot down 28 enemy aircraft personally and in a group with his comrades.

On August 24, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Boris Ivanovich Kovzan participated in the war from day one. He opened his combat account on June 24, 1941, by shooting down a Do-215 bomber.

He committed his first ram on October 29, 1941. On that day, junior lieutenant Kovzan On a MiG-3 plane, he flew to escort attack aircraft to the area of the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region.

Modification of MiG-3

Wingspan, m 10.20 Length, m 8.25 Height, m 3.50

Wing area, m2 17.44

Weight, kg of empty aircraft 2699 takeoff 3350 fuel 463

Engine type 1 PD AM-35A Power, hp nominal 1 x 1200 takeoff 1 x 1350

Maximum speed, km/h at the ground 505 at an altitude of 640

Practical range, km 1250

Rate of climb, m/min 877

Practical ceiling, m 12000

Armament: one 12.7 mm UBS machine gun,

two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns
6 NURS 57-mm RS-82 or 2x 100 kg

bombs FAB-100 or FAB-50

Having received a hit from ground anti-aircraft guns, he fell slightly behind his comrades and on the way back his plane was overtaken by four Messers. One of them Kovzan managed to shoot down. managed to break away from the rest, going to a height unattainable for the Germans. When he was already approaching his airfield, he spotted a Junkers conducting aerial reconnaissance - the Germans had long been trying to discover this airfield, and it seemed that this reconnaissance aircraft was close to completing its task.

All the cartridges had already been spent, and Kovzan decided to go for the ram. After this ram Kovzan made an emergency landing and was declared missing. But two days later he was found sitting on the belly of the plane. The pilot, who was not injured, could have reached the airfield on foot, but did not dare to abandon the plane.

Second ram Kovzan produced on February 22, 1942. On that day, in the area of Vyshny Volochok, on a Yak-1 plane, he rammed a Ju-87 dive bomber, after which he returned to his airfield and successfully landed on the damaged plane.

Modification
Wingspan, m

Height, m
Wing area, m2
Weight, kg
empty plane
normal takeoff
engine's type	1 PD M-105PA
Power, hp
Maximum speed, km/h

on high
Practical range, km
Rate of climb, m/min
Practical ceiling, m

Weapons:	one 20-mm ShVAK cannon and two 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns

Third ram for Kovzana also ended almost painlessly. Having shot down a Me-109 ram on July 8, 1942 near the village of Lobnitsy, Novgorod Region, he successfully returned to his airfield.

The most famous was his fourth ram. Returning from a mission, Kovzan entered into battle with six German fighters. Having been wounded in the head and left without ammunition Kovzan, reported on the radio that he was leaving the plane and had already opened the canopy to leave it. And at that moment he saw a German ace rushing towards him. The planes collided head-on.

The German pilot died immediately, and Kovzana thrown out of the plane through the canopy. He fell unconscious, but during the fall his parachute somehow partially opened. The pilot landed straight into a swamp, breaking his leg and several ribs. The partisans who arrived in time pulled him out of the swamp and transported him across the front line. In hospital Kovzan spent 10 months, lost his right eye. However, after the hospital he returned to duty and brought his victories to 28 aircraft shot down.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 24, 1943, for courage and bravery shown in battles with enemies, captain Kovzanu Boris Ivanovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 1103).

After the war Kovzan worked as the head of a flying club.

He is the only ace in the world to have completed four aerial rams while remaining alive.

On October 29, 1941, Boris Kovzan flew on a MiG-3 plane to escort attack aircraft to the area of the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region. In an air battle with four Me-109s, it knocked out one of them, but at the same time used up all its ammunition. When returning to his airfield at an altitude of 5000 m, he discovered an enemy Ju-88 air reconnaissance aircraft. To prevent him from leaving, Kovzan decided to ram. He came behind the Junkers from below, gave the gas and suddenly took the handle. The impact shook the entire fighter, but Kovzan managed to control it. The Junkers, somersaulting, went towards the ground.

Four air rams by Boris Kovzan

On February 22, 1942, Senior Lieutenant Kovzan rammed an enemy bomber in the Vyshny Volochok area on a Yak-1 plane. Landed on a damaged plane.
On July 8, 1942, near the village of Lobnitsy, Novgorod Region, an enemy fighter was rammed by the same plane in an air battle. Landed on a damaged plane.
On August 13, 1942, near the city of Staraya Russa, Captain Kovzan, on a La-5 aircraft, discovered a group of 7 Ju-88 and 6 Me-109. The enemy had already noticed our fighter and Kovzan had to engage in an unequal battle. Ignoring the escort fighter, Kovzan rushed towards the Junkers. One Me-109 tried to get in his way, but after a well-aimed burst it started smoking and began to fall. Suddenly an enemy burst hit the cabin. One bullet hit Kovzan in the right eye. He attempted to jump out with a parachute, but did not have enough strength. At this time, a Junkers appeared straight ahead and Kovzan directed his burning plane at it. The impact broke both planes into pieces. Our pilot was thrown out of the cockpit through an open canopy. From a height of 6000 m he fell into a swamp and this saved his life. In the fall, he broke his left leg, arm and several ribs. This was his fourth ramming.

The collective farmers arrived in time and pulled the pilot out of the quagmire and took him to the partisans, who ferried him across the front line. He was in the hospital for 10 months. It took almost a year for my health to recover. Instead of an eye, a glass dummy was inserted. After the hospital, he obtained permission to serve with one eye in fighter aviation. Until the end of the war he shot down 6 more enemy aircraft. In total, during the war years he made 360 combat missions, conducted 127 air battles, and shot down 28 German aircraft.

After the war he continued to serve in aviation. I have already flown as an instructor on jet aircraft. In 1954 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1958, Lieutenant Colonel Kovzan has been in the reserve. Lived in Ryazan, worked as the head of a flying club. Then retired colonel Kovzan lived in Minsk. Awarded 2 Orders of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, Order of the Red Star, and medals. Died August 31, 1985. He was buried at the Northern Cemetery in Minsk.

Hero of the Soviet Union Boris KOVZAN, 1950

On the Alley of Heroes, located on Victory Square in Bobruisk, the names of 18 Heroes of the Soviet Union and one full holder of the Order of Glory are engraved. Among these honored people is Colonel Boris Ivanovich Kovzan, a graduate of the Bobruisk flying club. During the Great Patriotic War, he made 360 combat missions, conducted 127 air battles, and shot down 28 enemy aircraft. B.I. Kovzan is the only pilot in the world who made four ramming attacks on enemy aircraft. April 7, 2017 marks the 95th anniversary of the birth of the famous hero-pilot.

Pilot school

Boris Kovzan was born in the city of Shakhty, Rostov region. Father, Ivan Grigorievich, is from Belarus, mother, Matryona Vasilyevna, is a Don Cossack. Boris was about six years old when his parents moved to the village of Logoisk, Minsk region. Here Borya went to primary school, and in 1932 the Kovzan family settled in the homeland of Ivan Grigorievich - in Bobruisk. It was a time of mass enthusiasm among young people for aviation. The teenager Kovzan was involved in an aircraft modeling club and skillfully made kites, gliders and launched them into the blue heights of the Bobruisk sky, then at the city technical station he made aircraft models of various modifications. In Bobruisk local history museum Now on display is the wing of a model airplane, made in those years by 6th grade student Boris Kovzan.

At the republican competitions, this diligent schoolboy aircraft modeller took 2nd place and, among other winners, was rewarded with a flight on the plane of the Bobruisk Aero Club named after M.T. Slepneva. And from then on I literally fell in love with aviation. From the 7th grade, Boris began regularly attending classes at the local flying club, where he made his first parachute jump, then underwent training and made his first independent flight on a U-2 training aircraft. Later he noted: “The biography of many front-line pilots began with the Osoaviakhim flying clubs. Great school for pilots! We were raised there not just to be pilots, but to be desperate and brave fighters. We grew up ready for heroism, brave, with nerves of steel.”

It was the third day of the war

In 1939, after graduating from high school and the Bobruisk flying club, 17-year-old Boris entered the Odessa Military Aviation Pilot School named after Polina Osipenko. Experienced instructors here short time trained cadets in the technique of piloting in difficult conditions, the basics of air combat, bombing from horizontal flight and diving on airplanes.

In the fall of 1940, having successfully graduated from college, Junior Lieutenant Kovzan, as a fighter pilot, was sent to serve in the Western Special Military District - the 160th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 43rd Fighter Aviation Division, which was stationed in the Rechitsa region. This is where the Great Patriotic War found him.

Pilot Kovzan opened his combat account on June 24, 1941, on the third day of the war, while defending the air borders of Gomel, destroying a German Heinkel-111 bomber on a single-engine I-15bis fighter.

Hero of the Four Air Rams

For the first time, Boris Kovzan went to ram an enemy plane in the battle of Moscow. On October 29, 1941, he, at the head of a flight of Yak-1 fighters, flew to escort Soviet attack aircraft to the area of the city of Zaraysk. The collections of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War contain the pilot’s memories of those unforgettable events: “While firing at an enemy column, I suddenly noticed a Messerschmitt-110 fighter-bomber, which was covering its units. I decided to attack and soon I managed to hit the shooter, but then I ran out of ammunition, and the fuel was running out. He mechanically broadcast: “I am “Tulip”, heading to Moscow, I’m going to ram!” My plane with the ends of the propeller blades cut off the left empennage"Messera", and he, having lost control, spun in the air and went to the ground like a stone... I myself landed safely at my airfield.”

Hero of the Soviet Union B.I. KOVZAN at a meeting with soldiers of the Minsk garrison at the KBVO museum, December, 1980

…On February 22, 1942, pilot of the 744th Fighter Aviation Regiment Boris Kovzan flew on a “hawk” to cover the Moscow-Leningrad highway between Vyshny Volochok and Torzhok. Right in front of me, at an altitude of two thousand meters, I saw three enemy Yu-88 Junkers. Without wasting a second, Boris rushed to the attack. Having fired the ammunition, he used a ramming attack and landed on the damaged plane. The news of the pilot's heroism spread throughout the North-Western Front. For this feat, Lieutenant Boris Kovzan was awarded the Order of Lenin. The award was presented to him by the commander of the front air force, aviation lieutenant general Kutsevalov.

... On July 9, 1942, on the same Yak-1 aircraft, which had already withstood two ram attacks, Kovzan flew as part of a group of fighters to cover Soviet bombers striking the German airfield in Demyansk. Over the railway station Lyubnitsa, Novgorod region, saving fellow pilot V. Malov, Boris distracted two Messerschmitts, launching a frontal attack on one of them. For his courage and heroism, Kovzan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and given the extraordinary rank of senior lieutenant.

...On August 13, 1942, near the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region, during a combat mission, Boris Kovzan suddenly discovered several Messerschmitt Me-109s at a distance of 15 km from the Soviet airfield. The 19-year-old fearless pilot decided to enter into an unequal air battle. Belarusian journalist Larisa Shipulya in the story “Four Rams in the Sky”, published in 1982 for the 60th anniversary of B.I. Kovzana, from the words of the pilot, describes this desperate air confrontation as follows: “Towards the burning Yak-1, growing bigger with every moment, the Messerschmitt was coming.” Operators on the ground accepted Kovzan’s words: “The car is on fire. Wounded in the head. Brains are leaking. I’m going to ram!..” And Boris sent his burning fighter straight into the forehead of the approaching “Messer”.

The pilot was thrown out of the cockpit by a strong blow. If Boris had fallen into a meadow or forest, he would have inevitably crashed to death even with his parachute open, but he fell into an unsteady quagmire. In the fall, he broke his hip, left arm, and several ribs. The collective farmers who watched this air battle pulled Boris out of the quagmire and gave him first aid. medical care and soon they were transported to the partisans in a pile of last year’s hay. And from there, from the forest airfield, the pilot, who never regained consciousness, was taken to Moscow.

The hardest fight

Soviet political poster “The ram is the weapon of heroes! Glory to Stalin’s falcons - the threat of fascist vultures.”
Artist A. Voloshin, 1941.

In a Moscow hospital, where the famous pilot spent ten months and underwent several difficult operations, he had to endure his hardest battle to survive. “I literally clung to life by my teeth,” he would later tell his colleagues. Doctors not only saved his life, but also restored his health, but his right eye could not be saved. Taking into account Kovzan’s ardent desire to go to the front, he was recognized as fit for flying work without restrictions and was allowed to fly on combat aircraft. Soon he was sent to an active aviation unit, where he spent the entire war, shooting down six more enemy aircraft in air battles.

On August 24, 1943, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Kovzan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for heroism and courage in battles with the Nazi invaders. The collections of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War contain a front-line letter from Boris Ivanovich to his parents: “My dears. I am happy to inform you: I did not disappoint at the front, and you will not be ashamed of your son. Now I am a guard captain, I continue to smash German vultures. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and four orders. See you after defeating your hated enemy!”

After the war, Boris Ivanovich continued his service in aviation, successfully graduated from the Air Force Academy, and worked as head of the Ryazan DOSAAF club.

In Belarus, the memory of the hero is honored: in Minsk, on Romanovskaya Sloboda Street, a memorial plaque was installed on the house where Boris Kovzan lived; in Bobruisk, a street is named after him. The name of the hero is embossed in gold letters in the Victory Hall of the WWII Museum. Photos of Kovzan are kept in the museum's collections. different years, front-line letters to parents, certificates of honor and other documents of the fighter pilot.

Nikolay SHEVCHENKO

Self-sacrifice Soviet pilots, who went en masse for air ramming, forced the Luftwaffe command to issue a directive prohibiting its pilots from getting too close to the Russians at a dangerous distance. But this did not always help, and even experienced aces became victims of mustacheless youths who went to deadly rams with the enemy.

Boris Kovzan became a real legend of the Soviet fighter aircraft, who made four such rams, and in three cases even managed to land a crippled aircraft on his airfield.

Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Ivanovich Kovzan

Born to fly and fight

A native of the city of Shakhty, Rostov region, he was born on April 7, 1922. Grew up in Belarusian city Bobruisk, where he moved with his parents. There he graduated from the 8th grade of high school.

In 1939 he entered the Odessa Military Aviation School, which he graduated a year before the war, having mastered the principles of air combat and precision bombing.

He continued his military service in the Western Special Military District in the Gomel Region (Belarus), honing his flying skills and preparing for an early confrontation with the fighters of Nazi Germany. He flew an outdated I-15 bis fighter, which should have become an easy target for German aces who had traveled all over Europe.

Soviet fighter I-15 bis

The beginning of the Great Patriotic War was stunning. The Soviet Union lost great amount their military equipment. The losses of aircraft, many of which the Germans did not even give the opportunity to take off from their airfields, were simply catastrophic, so every fighter was worth its weight in gold.

Boris Kovzan entered into his first direct combat with the enemy on June 24, on the third day of the war. In his I-15 bis, he attacked a German bomber Heinkel-111 (according to other sources, Dornier-215), sending it burning to the ground.

German Dornier 215 bomber

Already in the fall of 1941 he was transferred to serve near Moscow. Boris “saddled” the more modern Yak-1 aircraft, which for several months became his true friend and savior.

Cut off the fascist's tail

The pilot as part of the group repeatedly flies out on combat missions, driving away German bombers trying to break through to the capital. He enters into air battles, but cannot boast of a new star on the fuselage of his fighter.

Various sources report differently about his first ramming, committed on October 29, 1941. Some say that Boris was returning from a combat mission, during which he shot all the ammunition. Others claim that our pilot ran out of ammunition during the battle with Hitler’s Me-110 reconnaissance plane.

Be that as it may, Boris Kovzan, who did not want to miss the enemy, cut off his tail with the propeller of his plane. You need to understand what kind of virtuoso flying technique the pilot had to have for this.

The German reconnaissance aircraft that entered the dive exploded on the ground, and the Soviet pilot returned to the airfield, reporting to the command about the results of the combat mission. At the same time, he did not consider the perfect ram to be a special feat.

The enemy will not pass

On February 21 (according to some sources, 22), the Yakov group flew out to cover the movement of troops along the Moscow-Leningrad highway to the area of the city of Torzhok, Tver Region.

Seeing three German Yu-88 bombers in the air, Boris Kovzan bravely attacked one of them, dodging oncoming fire. In the whirlwind of the air battle, he did not even notice how he had fired all the ammunition, without completing the assigned task.

Then Junior Lieutenant Kovzan decided to repeat his favorite trick. And he succeeded! The Junkers, which had lost its tail, crashed into the ground, and the Soviet pilot returned safely to the airfield.

About how Boris Kovzan shoots down german planes, quickly acquired a variety of details and flew around the entire North-Western Front. It was rumored that Goering himself gave the order never to get close to the “insane Russians”, so as not to give the latter the opportunity to commit an aerial ramming.

But when, on July 7, 1942, junior lieutenant Boris Kovzan, nominated for the Order of Lenin, cut off the tail of the third enemy fighter with a screw, he became a real legend. And the most interesting thing is that again, as if nothing had happened, he returned to the airfield in his Yak-1.

Soviet fighter Yak-1

Ready to give my life for my homeland

But Boris Kovzan was unlucky with the fourth ram. Although it was already a huge luck that he survived.

On August 13, 1942, in the sky over Staraya Russa, Novgorod region, his plane was returning from a combat mission. As always, with the ammunition shot down to the last bullet.

Suddenly, a flight of German Me-109 fighters emerged from the clouds. Quickly realizing that the Soviet pilot had nothing to shoot back with, the Nazis began to play cat and mouse with him, using the Yak-1 as an aerial target.

Methodically shooting at Kovzan's fighter, which was performing unimaginable aerobatics, they managed to break the canopy of his cockpit, seriously wounding the pilot himself (the bullet knocked out his eye). Wanting to give his life more dearly, the pilot turned around and tried to make a frontal ram.

Surprisingly, the fascist did not chicken out either. The head-on collision was so strong that both planes were broken into small pieces. The German died on the spot, and Kovzan was thrown out of the broken cabin.

Frontal ram

Thank you guardian angel

Subsequently, he could not remember exactly whether he was pulling the parachute ring, or whether it was opened by an unknown force. Well, I opened it... Not completely. The pilot rushed to the ground at high speed and fell into a local swamp.

He would probably have drowned if it had not been for the peasants working nearby, who pulled Boris Kovzan out of the swamp and hid him literally a few minutes before the German search team arrived at the scene (the battle took place over the occupied territory).

Policemen and fascists believed the words of former collective farmers, who claimed that the Soviet pilot was swallowed up by the quagmire. Moreover, we ourselves really didn’t want to smear our boots with “Russian mud.”

Within a couple of days, Boris was transported to the partisans, from where he was evacuated to the mainland.

Get yours at any cost

Doctors still managed to save the seriously wounded pilot, although the damaged right eye had to be removed. Boris Kovzan later said that the 10 months spent in the hospital became the most difficult in his life.

He almost completely recovered his health, but the medical commission declared the pilot unfit for fighter aviation service. This was a cruel blow for a guy who was barely 21 years old.

But this was not the character of the hero; he annoyed the members of the medical commissions so much that, in the end, he was allowed to fly without restrictions. And this is with one eye!!!

A small cog in a big Victory

Until the end of the war, Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Kovzan had 28 aerial victories, four of which were by ramming.

True, the brave prowess subsided a little, and he no longer went for rams.

After the war, he flew jets and taught this to young recruits. Colonel Kovzan retired in 1958 as a result of a massive reduction in the Soviet Army.

For some time he lived in Ryazan, where he led the local flying club, after which he moved to the capital of Soviet Belarus. Died August 31, 1985.

Streets in several cities are named after him. former USSR, and in 2014, the Russian Post issued a postage stamp dedicated to the feat of this extraordinary person.

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