4 air ram pilot. “Deranged Russian”: four air rams by Boris Kovzan. A small cog in a big Victory

Imagine the following situation. You are a military pilot who is in the deadly whirlwind of a hot air battle. You're out of ammunition, running out of fuel, and your car is damaged and on fire. And against you are superior enemy forces, from which you can no longer escape. Question: What are your actions? When I was a boy raised on war films like “Only old men go into battle”, then very boldly found a way out of a difficult situation. Answered bravely - “I’m going to ram!”...

Growing up, I realized that this feat is not so easy to decide on. For an air ram, you need to have nerves of steel and noble rage.

Six hundred Soviet pilots, who during the Great Patriotic War stopped the enemy with a deadly collision, had all this - both nerves and rage. Six hundred heroes deliberately went to their deaths in order to interrupt the flight of invaders over our Motherland. Thirty-four pilots accomplished this feat twice! Most of them died.

It is believed that the very first ram of the Great Patriotic War was carried out by senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov June 22, 1941 at 4:25 am over the Mlynov airfield near the city of Dubno. The Red Star fighter rammed the Heinkel bomber, after which both planes fell. For this feat, Ivan Ivanov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Posthumously.

On the morning of the first day of the war, four more Soviet falcons committed a similar desperate act. Of the first five Soviet pilots who opened the account of air rams on June 22, 1941, only two survived the collision: Dmitry Kokorev in the area of ​​​​the city of Zambrov and Pyotr Ryabtsev in the sky over Brest.

Let's ask a rhetorical question: how is it possible to stay alive after a collision at a great height, and even at high speeds? Moreover, what is the probability of safely surviving two air rams?

What if there were three of them!? You understand that after the third plane crash, the chance of landing in health and consciousness tends to zero.

So, in the history of our country there is a man who committed four rams, survived, went through the entire war, crushed enemies until the very end and lived to a ripe old age.

This is a pilot Boris Ivanovich Kovzan.

He made his very first ram on October 29, 1941 in the Battle of Moscow. On that day, junior lieutenant Kovzan flew out on a MiG-3 fighter to escort attack aircraft, and on the way back to his airfield he noticed an enemy Junkers-88 reconnaissance aircraft. The Germans had long sought to discover our airfield near the city of Zaraisk.

It was impossible to allow the winged scout of the Krauts to complete the task assigned to him. But since all the ammunition had already been used up, Boris Kovzan decided to go for the ram.Our pilot came from behind and hit the tail fin of the enemy plane with his propeller. After the attack, the Junkers fell down, tumbling randomly, but the MiG still retained controllability, and Boris landed it in a field near some village.

What else is surprising in this heroic story. The next day Boris returned to his regiment. But he did not arrive on foot, not on a horse-drawn cart, and not in a passing car, as happened with many pilots who had to parachute from burning and damaged cars. No, Boris arrived in his MiG. He managed to repair the propeller damaged during the ramming... in the collective farm forge! Imagine, some folk Russian craftsman straightened and balanced a very complex aircraft part!

Boris Kovzan made the second ram on February 22, 1942. That day he was in the area Vyshny Volochok The Yak-1 fighter rammed a Junkers-87 dive bomber, after which it returned to its airfield and again made a successful landing on the damaged aircraft.


It is necessary to note another brave act of our hero. In the spring of 1942, fierce battles took place in the north-west direction from Moscow. Fighter pilots sometimes had to make 6-7 combat missions in one day. On one of the flights, Kovzan noticed seven Junkers-88 bombers and started a battle with them. At this time, six fascist covering fighters approached. The Soviet pilot entered the fray.

He one fought a duel against thirteen enemy planes. And in that unequal battle, the incredible happened: 20-year-old Lieutenant Kovzan shot down a German aviation lieutenant colonel, an experienced pilot who bombed cities in Spain in 1936 and carried out raids on London in 1941.

The third ram for Kovzan also ended successfully.On July 7, 1942, near the village of Lyubnitsa, Novgorod Region, Boris shot down an enemy Messerschmitt-109 fighter in a head-on ram.

Once again I draw your attention: in a frontal attack!

The impact was wing on wing. The Messer rushed to the ground, spinning, but our MiG turned out to be stronger, and Kovzan managed to land his car, although without releasing the landing gear due to its damage.

The most famous, the most dangerous and the most incredible was the fourth ram of Boris Kovzan. August 13, 1942 in the sky above the city Staraya Russa on a La-5 plane he entered into battle with six German fighters. There was no chance of standing against six people at once. After a few minutes of hot air combat, a piece of glass from the broken cockpit damaged the pilot's eye. All ammunition was shot. The car was on fire. Kovzan radioed that he was leaving the plane and opened the cockpit to jump with a parachute. And at that moment he saw a German ace rushing towards him...

The Soviet pilot, wounded in the head, went on his next ramming attack on a burning plane. Fourth in a row…


The combat vehicles collided head-on and fell to pieces. German pilot died immediately, and Kovzan was thrown out of the plane through the cockpit canopy that had been opened ahead of time. He's so lucky for the first time in that day.

In second Once Providence smiled on the pilot, when, having flown several thousand meters unconscious, he suddenly woke up, at a very low altitude (about 200 meters) above the ground, he pulled the exhaust ring and the parachute was able to open. It opened up, but the speed of the fall was too high and too dangerous.

IN third once Luck was with Kovzan when he landed him in a swamp. But the blow still turned out to be very strong. Boris broke his leg, arms and several ribs.

The swamp was near a village occupied by the Germans...

But, apparently, the Heavenly Forces favored the desperate pilot - the partisans, who had seen the air battle, arrived at the crash site and saved Kovzan. The fourth success in a row after the fourth ram! An obvious and absolutely incredible coincidence of circumstances of that unique day!

After being bandaged in the dugout of the partisan camp, Boris Kovzan was taken at night behind the front line - to his own. The Soviet ace came to his senses only on the seventh day in a Moscow hospital. He had several wounds from shrapnel; his collarbone and jaw were broken, his ribs, both arms and a leg were damaged. Doctors were unable to save the pilot’s right eye. For two months, doctors fought for the pilot’s life. Everyone understood well that in that battle only a Miracle saved him.



07.04.1922 - 30.08.1985
Hero of the Soviet Union

TO Ovzan Boris Ivanovich - pilot of the 744th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 240th Fighter Aviation Division of the 6th Air Army of the North-Western Front, captain; the only Soviet fighter pilot to complete four air rams in combat.

Born on April 7, 1922 in the city of Shakhty now Rostov region in the family of an employee. Russian. Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1945. He graduated from 8 classes in the city of Bobruisk, Mogilev region, Belarusian SSR.

In the Red Army since 1939. He graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1940. Since 1940, he served in the 160th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Belarusian Special Military District.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Pilot of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (Bryansk Front), Komsomol member, junior lieutenant Kovzan B.I. opened his combat account in August 1941, shooting down a Do-215 bomber. Then he fought as part of the 126th, 184th and 744th air regiments.

On October 29, 1941, he 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 4 Me-109s, he knocked out one of them, but at the same time used up all the ammunition. Upon returning to our airfield, an enemy Ju-88 reconnaissance aircraft was detected at an altitude of 5,000 meters. To prevent him from leaving, Kovzan decided to ram. He came behind the Junkers from below and equalized the speed. Then he gave the gas and suddenly took the stick. The impact shook the entire fighter, but Kovzan managed to control it. "Junkers", somersaulting, went to the ground. He landed at his airfield.

On February 21, 1942, junior lieutenant Kovzan rammed an enemy Yu-88 bomber in the Vyshny Volochok area on a Yak-1 plane. Landed on a damaged plane.

On July 9, 1942, in the area of ​​the village of Myatunovo, Lobnitsa district, Novgorod region, in an air battle on the same plane, on a collision course, an enemy Me-109f fighter was rammed with a plane strike. Made a safe landing on a damaged plane. For three rams of enemy aircraft in early July 1942, he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but at the headquarters of the 6th Air Army the award was replaced by the Order of the Red Banner.

Pilot of the 744th Fighter Aviation Regiment (240th Fighter Aviation Division, 6th Air Army, Northwestern Front) Senior Lieutenant Kovzan B.I. by mid-July 1942, he made 142 combat missions, personally shot down 3 and 1 enemy aircraft in the group.

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 fighters, 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 meters 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 transported the pilot, who never regained consciousness, to Moscow.

U By the order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 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.

The fighter pilot spent ten months in hospitals. After discharge, he obtained permission to serve with one eye in fighter aviation, and was appointed pilot instructor in regimental piloting techniques, assistant regiment commander, and deputy commander of the fighter regiment of the country's 144th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division.

After the war he continued to serve in the Soviet Army. Since 1945 - assistant commander of the country's 123rd Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division. In 1954 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1954 - head of the Ryazan DOSAAF flying club. Since 1958, Lieutenant Colonel B.I. Kovzan has been in reserve. He lived in the city of Ryazan and continued to work as the head of a flying club. Since 1969 he lived and worked in the hero city of Minsk. Died on August 30, 1985. He was buried at the Northern Cemetery in Minsk.

Colonel (1975). Awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (05/15/1942, 08/24/1943), Orders of the Red Banner (07/16/1942), Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree (03/11/1985), Red Star, medals.

In Minsk, a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which the Hero lived. In Bobruisk a street is named after him.

Sources
Aviation and cosmonautics of the USSR. - M.: Voenizdat, 1968.
Aviation: Encyclopedia. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1994.
Immortal feats. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1980
Vazhin F.A. Air ram. - 2nd ed., trans. and additional - M.: Voenizdat, 1962.
Vodopyanov M.V. Heaven begins from earth. M., 1976

In 2014, in honor of Boris Ivanovich Kovzan, the only pilot of the Second World War who shot down four (!!!) fascist planes using air rams, a postage stamp was issued as a tribute to the feat of this outstanding fighter pilot.

Sky pilot

The future pilot was born on April 7, 1922 in the city of Shakhty, Rostov region. Already in 1940, he graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation School, where, together with other cadets, he studied flight skills and mastered the principles of bombing and air combat.

After graduating from aviation school, the pilot was sent to serve in the Western Special Military District, stationed in the Gomel region. Guarding the skies over Belarus, honing his flight techniques and improving his skills, the young fighter pilot meets here the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Already on the third day of the war, June 24, 1941, Boris had to demonstrate his training and skill as a fighter pilot. In the sky above Gomel, he entered an air battle with the enemy on a single-engine I-15bis fighter, shooting down an enemy Henkel-111 bomber.

In the fall of 1941, the young pilot was transferred to serve in the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, where he received a more modern Yak-1 fighter, which became his true friend and savior. The regiment was supposed to provide cover from the enemy Moscow direction, preventing fascist bombers from approaching the Soviet capital.

First military victories

In the sky above the Moscow region on October 29, 1941, as part of a group of fighters, the pilot attacked an enemy column and discovered a Messerschmitt-1102 covering his bombers. Without thinking twice, the pilot decided to attack the enemy. As a result of a fierce battle, the Soviet fighter ran out of ammunition, and the enemy tried to escape.

Having sent the message “I’m going to ram” on the air, Kovzan directed the combat vehicle towards the enemy. The Soviet pilot managed to cut off the tail of an enemy bomber with the propeller blades. As a result of this attack, the German fighter crashed to the ground and exploded, and its pilot was never able to jump out with a parachute. Kovzan himself managed to return the plane to the airfield, where he fell into the arms of his comrades.

The pilot made the next ram on February 22, 1942 - during an operation to cover the Moscow-Leningrad highway. He again controlled the same Yak-1, which remained intact after the previous ramming.

The battering ram is the hero's weapon. Poster from the period of the Great Patriotic War.
Artist A. Voloshin

At an altitude of more than two thousand meters, the pilot noticed three German Junkers. Boris attacked the enemy, and when the entire combat reserve ran out, he carried out his signature ramming attack and landed the plane safely.

First military awards

The story of how selflessly and skillfully the junior lieutenant of the Soviet army Kovzan carried out the ramming of an enemy bomber flew around the Northwestern Front in as soon as possible. The second ram in the young fighter pilot's service record was considered a real feat, definitely deserving of the highest award awarded in the USSR - the Order of Lenin. The highest state award was presented to the pilot by the front air force commander, aviation lieutenant general Kutsevalov.

The legendary pilot did not stop there; he continued to demonstrate his incredible skill, coupled with a sense of dedication and deep patriotism. He fought on the same Yak-1, which by some miracle survived two collisions and remained in good condition.

On July 7, near the village of Lyubtsy, Novgorod Region, a desperate pilot launched his third ram. In an unequal battle with two enemy bombers, the pilot had no ammunition left, and he damaged the enemy’s tail unit with the fuselage of his faithful Yak. The fascist plane lost control and crashed, and the crew of the second German fighter chose to retreat, hiding in the clouds from the “insane Russian,” who, although not without problems, landed at his airfield.

For this feat and incredible courage he received the extraordinary rank of senior lieutenant, as well as the Order of the Red Banner.

The most dangerous fight

The fourth aerial ramming of an enemy bomber almost became fatal. But perhaps it is the ineradicable will to win, the desire to protect one’s people and native land helped Boris Ivanovich stay alive.

This happened on August 13, 1942 in the sky over Staraya Russa, Novgorod region. Returning from a combat mission without ammunition, the fighter pilot was attacked by enemy Me-109s, which began to shoot him like an ordinary target.

Even high aerobatic skill did not allow the pilot to escape these attacks. The canopy (transparent folding roof) of the plane's cockpit shattered after several direct hits, and the pilot himself was seriously wounded in the head. Losing what was left of his strength and realizing that his life was over, the hero went to ram.

The German pilot also turned out to be not timid and did not turn away even when there were only a few seconds left before a head-on collision. The impact was so powerful that both the Soviet and German fighters were torn to pieces.

Our pilot was thrown out of the Yak-1 cockpit. After that, Kovzan did not remember anything: neither falling from a great height on a parachute that did not fully open, nor being rescued when he began to choke after falling into a swamp.

But Boris definitely had a caring guardian angel. An unequal battle and a falling pilot was seen local residents. Together, they managed to pull the 20-year-old hero out of the quagmire.

The collective farmers hid the rescued pilot in the hay and did not hand him over to the Germans, who sent an entire team to search for him. The policemen and fascists believed that the Soviet pilot drowned in the swamp and stopped the search. Then there was the road to the partisans, who organized the sending of Boris to the mainland.

Long rehabilitation period

The pilot himself later admitted that treatment in a Moscow military hospital, which lasted ten whole months, was the most difficult test of his life. Several times the officer was on the brink of death, and only thanks to the professionalism of Moscow doctors who tirelessly fought for Boris’s life, he was able to get back on his feet.

During the time spent in the hospital, Kovzan underwent several very difficult operations, which not only saved the pilot’s life, but also almost completely restored his health. Unfortunately, Boris lost his right eye, shattered by a shrapnel, forever; Moscow doctors had no chance of restoring it. Instead of a real eye, the pilot had to wear a glass dummy from then until the very end of his life.

After being discharged from the hospital, the pilot, through incredible efforts, managed to return to military service. The war was not over, and the Soviet boy, who loved and strived to defend his Motherland with all his heart, could not live in peace, knowing that his comrades were dying.

Boris had to appear before several medical commissions until he was declared fit for further service and allowed to fly without restrictions.

Until the end of the Patriotic War, Kovzan won 6 more air victories, and in total during the war years he shot down 28 fascist planes.

Life after the war

On August 24, 1943, the legendary Soviet fighter pilot Boris Ivanovich Kovzan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And when the war ended, it began new life, new trials - of course, incomparable with those that had to be endured at the fronts.

After the war he decided to remain in service in Soviet aviation– Boris flew jet planes already as an instructor. In addition, the young officer continued his studies and graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1954. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, but in 1958, due to cuts in the Air Force, he was forced to retire.

For some time, the legendary pilot lived in Ryazan and ran a flying club. A little later, already with the rank of colonel, he moved to Minsk, where he spent the rest of his life. The Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Red Star and many medals, and devoted the rest of his life to instilling patriotism in the younger generation.

The brave hero's heart stopped beating on August 31, 1985. The cause of such an early death was combat wounds and severe overloads suffered during air battles.

The personality of Boris Kovzan is a vivid example of heroism and the fight for freedom, the embodiment of love for the Fatherland. His heroic air rams should be remembered by all subsequent generations of defenders of our Motherland, ready to sacrifice their own lives for the defense of the Fatherland.

Boris Ivanovich Kovzan participated in the war from the first day.

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.

A few dozens Soviet pilots committed 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 developed 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 spotted an aerial reconnaissance aircraft

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

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.

The third ram for Kovzan also ended almost painlessly. Having shot down an 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 entered into battle with them.

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.

Ramming as a method of air combat remains the last argument that pilots resort to in a hopeless situation. Not everyone manages to survive after it. Nevertheless, some of our pilots resorted to it several times.

The world's first ram

The world's first aerial ramming was carried out by the author " dead loop» Staff Captain Petr Nesterov. He was 27 years old, and having flown 28 combat missions 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 the planes with its wheels. This was a necessary measure - at the beginning of the war, planes were not equipped with machine guns, and aviators flew on missions with pistols and carbines.
On September 8, 1914, in the Lvov region, Pyotr Nesterov rammed a heavy Austrian aircraft under the control of Franz Malina and Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal, which was flying over Russian positions on reconnaissance missions.
Nesterov, in a light and fast Moran airplane, took off into the air, caught up with the Albatross and rammed it, striking it from top to bottom in the tail. This happened in front of the local residents.
The Austrian plane crashed. Upon impact, Nesterov, who was in a hurry to take off and was not wearing 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.

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 I-16 and I-15 aircraft attacked the Finnish Ruokolahti airfield.

To repel the attack, 15 fighters took off from the airfield.
A fierce battle ensued. Flight commander Yakov Mikhin, in a frontal attack with the wing of the aircraft, hit the fin of the Fokker, the famous Finnish ace Lieutenant Tattoo Gugananti. The keel broke off from the impact. The Fokker crashed to the ground and the pilot died.
Yakov Mikhin, with a broken plane, managed to reach the airfield and safely landed his donkey. It must be said 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 carried out by 31-year-old senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov, who on June 22, 1941 at 4:25 am in an I-16 (according to other sources - on an I-153) over the Mlynov airfield near Dubno rammed a Heinkel bomber ", after which both planes fell. Ivanov died. For this feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His primacy is disputed by several pilots: junior lieutenant Dmitry Kokorev, who rammed a Messerschmitt in the Zambro area 20 minutes after Ivanov’s feat and remained alive.
On June 22 at 5:15, junior lieutenant Leonid Buterin died over Western Ukraine(Stanislav), taking the Junkers-88 to ram.
Another 45 minutes later, an unknown pilot on a U-2 died over Vygoda after ramming a Messerschmitt.
At 10 am, a Messer was 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

A “fire” ram is a technique when a pilot directs a downed aircraft at ground targets. Everyone knows the feat of Nikolai Gastello, who flew the plane towards a tank column with fuel tanks. But the first “fiery” ram was carried out on June 22, 1941 by 27-year-old senior lieutenant Pyotr Chirkin from the 62nd assault aviation regiment. Chirkin directed the damaged I-153 at a column of German tanks approaching the city of Stryi (Western Ukraine).
In total, during the war years, more than 300 people repeated his feat.

First female ram

Soviet pilot Ekaterina Zelenko became the only woman in the world to perform a ram. During the war years, she managed to make 40 combat missions and participated in 12 air battles. On September 12, 1941, she made three missions. 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 herself died. She was 24 years old. For her 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 ram by jet

A native of Stalingrad, Captain Gennady Eliseev carried out his ramming attack on a MiG-21 fighter on November 28, 1973. On this day in air space The Soviet Union was invaded over the Mugan Valley of Azerbaijan by the Iranian Phantom-II, which carried out reconnaissance on behalf of the United States. Captain Eliseev took off to intercept from the airfield in Vaziani.
The air-to-air missiles did not produce the desired result: the Phantom released heat traps. To carry out the order, Eliseev decided to ram and struck with his wing tail unit"Phantom". The plane crashed and its crew was detained. Eliseev's MiG began to descend and crashed into a 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. There was a Swiss crew on board the plane. The deputy of the squadron, pilot Valentin Kulyapin, was tasked with imprisoning the violators. The Swiss did not respond to the pilot’s demands. Then the order came to shoot down the plane. The distance between the Su-15TM and the “transport aircraft” was small for the launch of R-98M missiles. The intruder walked towards the border. Then Kulyapin decided to go for the ram.
On the second attempt, he hit the Canadara's stabilizer with his fuselage, after which he safely ejected from the damaged aircraft, and the Argentine fell into a tailspin and fell just two kilometers from the border, his crew was killed. It later turned out that the plane was carrying weapons.
For his feat, the pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

 

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