The year 1938 ended unsuccessfully for the Soviet aviation industry. Due to the crisis and stagnation, with a plan of 7425 combat aircraft of all types, only 4885 were produced. The civil war in Spain, which ended in the spring of 1939, revealed the lag of Soviet aviation from other countries, primarily Nazi Germany.
Aircraft Plant No. 21 named after Ordzhonikidze, the main supplier of fighters for the Red Army Air Force, was no exception, fulfilling the annual plan by only 76%.
The I-16, which seemed promising in the mid-thirties, was rapidly becoming outdated and could no longer compete on equal terms with new machines. Nevertheless, there has not yet been any real replacement for the “donkey”. Therefore, in 1939 the enterprise was given a plan of 1800 fighters. The main modification remained the I-16 type 10 with four 7.6-mm ShKAS machine guns, but from the new year it was produced with a modernized M-25V engine.
Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Institute tested a new version of the licensed Wright Cyclone - M-62, which gave a 4% increase in speed. The next modification of the engine, the M-63, gave an increase of another 9%, as a result of which the I-16 could accelerate to 440 km/h. In the future, it was planned to install an M-64 engine with a power of 900 hp. With.
However, production workers, like the military, during this period were concerned not so much with the modernization of the fighter, but with the problem of the quality of the produced equipment, which was still acute.
A typical incident took place at the airfield of the Ordzhonikidze aircraft plant on July 20. Test pilot Evgeniy Fokin was preparing for another flight on the I-16. Before departure, the propeller spinner with ratchet was removed from the aircraft and the fastening was tightened. After starting the engine, a “beating” occurred, which was never eliminated. Nevertheless, at 14.40 the “donkey” took off. After 20 minutes, at a speed of 400 km/h, the propeller spinner unexpectedly came off along with the ratchet, which knocked off one of the propeller blades. A terrible shaking began. Fokin nevertheless decided to save the car by making an emergency landing. As a result, the fighter crashed to the ground at the edge of the ravine. Upon impact, the motor was simply torn off (!). The pilot survived only by a miracle.
Accidents and constant breakdowns occurred not only during testing, but also in combat units. A typical example is the disaster that occurred on August 16 in one of the units stationed in the Perm region.
Pilot Mikhail Zagulyaev flew an I-16. According to the instructions, the plane reached an altitude of 6000 m, after which it dived. At an altitude of 2000 m, he suddenly lost control and went into erratic flight. At the same time, wings, parts and parts of the fighter’s fuselage began to fall off. All these debris fell to the ground near the village of Kozubaevo in the fields of local collective farmers. The pilot died. The commission that arrived at the scene found that at the epicenter of the disaster lay a motor with a propeller and the corpse of Zagulyaev himself. Within a radius of 30 m, mutilated wreckage of the aircraft and the propeller-motor group lay scattered. The rest was scattered around within a 1.3 km radius. The cause of the accident was recognized as “insufficient structural strength under physiologically acceptable overloads.” And the forensic examination, in turn, determined that Zagulyaev “was alive to the end” and died from hitting the ground...
Around the same time, disasters occurred involving two UTI-4s. In the first case, during a spin, the pilot’s foot got stuck on the rudder control pedal, as a result of which the rudder was locked in the “left” position and the plane crashed to the ground. In the second case, during the flight, all the oil leaked out of the engine of the fighter training aircraft. As a result, the engine jammed and the car fell to the ground.
Reports and reviews of the Red Army Air Force for 1939 indicate massive failures of shock absorbers, broken clamps, fastening brackets, broken welds, burnout of exhaust pipes, cracks in engine mounts, etc. The plant repeatedly received letters from various authorities indicating low quality aircraft. However, not only “twenty-one” “received letters”, but also many other enterprises in the aircraft manufacturing industry. “The factories were repeatedly informed about all the defects, but nothing was done,” stated one of these numerous papers. “Messages about design and manufacturing defects come in a continuous stream, and the predominant number is repeated many times, which indicates that reports of defects and calls for the fight to reduce accidents are ignored.”
As for the I-16 specifically, the most dangerous reasons Numerous accidents included: loss of cockpit canopy glass; breakage of planes, leakage of gas tanks and the entire fuel system.
Breakdowns and accidents reduced the pace and quality of combat training and greatly undermined the combat effectiveness of fighter units. Sometimes out of 20 aircraft, nineteen required major repairs and were idle. “Isha-ki”, produced in 1936-1937, had dozens of operational defects and breakdowns. Thus, according to the defect report for the I-16 type 5 No. 521341 (manufactured in 1936), which flew for 52 hours and made 293 landings, the aircraft had 30 defects in the propeller group, 28 in the center section, 30 in the fuselage and 19 in the chassis. UTI-4 type 15 No. 1521173 (manufactured in 1936), which had flown 209 hours and made 218 landings, had 128 defects. I-16 type 5 No. 521241 (produced in 1937), which had flown only 89 hours, had already undergone five current and one medium repairs and again had 32 operational defects. Moreover, the absolute majority of them were not the result of improper operation, but rather premature wear and tear of parts.
Under these conditions, mobile factory repair teams had to carry out truly titanic work in units to repair failed machines and replace defective or obsolete components and parts.
So, in February, a team of four people carried out the following work in military unit No. 9062:
1- on 14 aircraft, the levers from the brackets for turning skis were replaced;
2- on 18 aircraft the Bowden shell with cables for turning the skis back was replaced;
3- Ski shock absorbers were replaced on eight aircraft.
The teams also provided training on
operation and repair of aircraft in the field, adjustment of planes and tail surfaces, hand and foot controls, landing gear, inspection of fighter aircraft in service was carried out.
From June 12 to July 11, one of the brigades worked in military unit No. 8963. At the same time, weapon defects on 72 aircraft were eliminated. The work report noted:
4- bad job synchronized machine guns: shift of the fastening, pulling of the synchronizer cables, breakage of the mechanical reloading cables, displacement of the cable from the reloading roller;
5- poor operation of machine guns: upon receipt, the weapon was not completely re-opened, the synchronized boxes were not disassembled, the triggers were clogged, the rod springs were not washed;
The 6-machine guns operated without recoil; as a result, firing constantly destroyed the mount.
From June 11 to August 21, the armament brigade worked in one of the units of the Leningrad Military District (LVO). At the same time, the guns were checked and adjusted, machine guns were aimed and zeroed, and training was carried out with flight and technical personnel.
Another brigade worked from June 9 to July 13 in military unit No. 6198 (Smolensk-Mogilev). The following weapon defects were identified on most I-16 and UTI-4 fighters: triggers jammed in synchronized machine guns, incorrect assembly and installation of weapons on aircraft, lack of recoil when firing, tight trigger movement, broken reloading cables, loofing -you are in the front and rear mounts of ShVAK guns, etc. The brigade carried out debugging and shooting of machine guns on 25 fighters, adjustment and adjustment of synchronized machine guns on twenty-nine, as well as training with technical staff.
A large amount of work was also carried out to replace and repair the wings. In correspondence between the plant and military units, the following main defects of the I-16 and UTI-4 planes were noted: poor riveting of the ribs, weak and uneven tension of the tapes. On many aircraft produced in 1936-1937, ribs were bent and spars were dented. In April-May alone, 418 sets of new wings were sent to the unit. But this quantity was not enough. The Air Force requested an additional 750 kits over plan. That is, in fact, the I-16 was an aircraft that, after its release and military acceptance, had to be completed and redesigned many times. However, as they say, there was no other fighter in our homeland...
It is noteworthy that aircraft factories in a hurry often sent sets of spare parts to an unknown person, that is, as they say, “to grandfather in the village.” For example, the acting chief of armament and supply of the Air Defense Forces, Sviridov, sent out the following letter to the directors of enterprises: “The material part supplied to the Red Army Air Force units during operation requires completion - the elimination of identified defects... Industrial plants, producing spare parts - units send them directly to military units, often without knowing the location of these units, which often leads to their loss and downtime of faulty material.” So, on October 2, aircraft factory No. 1 sent 10 sets to one part, 20 sets to another and seventeen to a third. As a result, out of 47 sets of spare parts, only twenty-seven were found, the remaining twenty-twenty were missing. The contents of the containers themselves also left much to be desired. It got to the point that the gun barrel itself could not be found in the gun kit...
Meanwhile, before the fighting on the Iberian Peninsula had rumbled down, thousands of kilometers to the east, in the steppes of Mongolia, a new conflict was already flaring up, in which the main fighting machine of the Red Army was again in demand.
Polikarpov vs. Nakajima
In 1931-1932 Japanese troops captured Manchuria. The puppet state of Manchukuo was created on the occupied territory, which was planned to be used as a springboard for further expansion of the borders of Great Japan.
The conflict with the Soviet Union began with the demands of the Japanese side to recognize the Khalkhin Gol River as the border between Manchukuo and Mongolia, although the border ran 20-25 km to the east. The main reason for this requirement was the desire to ensure the safety of the Halun-Arshan-Ganchzhur railway, which was being built by the Japanese in this area bypassing the Greater Khingan to the USSR border in the area of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. In 1935, clashes began on the Mongol-Manchu border. In the summer of the same year, negotiations began between representatives of Mongolia and Manchukuo on border demarcation, which soon reached a dead end.
Meanwhile, the Stalinist leadership also viewed Mongolia as an important springboard for the further expansion of Soviet influence in Asia. On March 12, 1936, the “Protocol on Mutual Assistance” was signed between the USSR and the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR). Since 1937, in accordance with this protocol, units of the Red Army were deployed on the territory of the country.
In 1938, the first two-week conflict occurred between Soviet and Japanese troops in the area of Lake Khasan. Tensions continued to rise on the border between Mongolia and Manchuria. There were periodic skirmishes and shootouts, with both sides accusing each other of border violations.
The situation became especially tense in the spring of 1939. On the night of May 8, a group of Japanese with a light machine gun tried to secretly occupy an island belonging to the MPR in the middle of the Khalkhin Gol River, but after a short shootout with the border guards, they retreated. Three days later, a detachment of Japanese cavalry made a raid to a depth of 15 km into Mongolian territory and attacked the border outpost at the height of Nomon-Khan-Burd-Obo from the rear. And on May 14, Japanese aviation appeared in the air for the first time. The reconnaissance detachment of the 23rd Infantry Division attacked the 7th border outpost of the MPR and occupied the height of Dungur-Obo. At the same time, five aircraft with the rising sun on their fuselages carried out assault strikes on the object. On May 15, the Japanese transferred reserves to the occupied heights, including 7 armored vehicles and a tank.
Command of the 57th Special Rifle Corps, Divisional Commander N.V. Feklenko, apparently having received directives from the Kremlin, decided to act. On the morning of May 17, a group consisting of three motorized rifle companies, a sapper company and an artillery battery of the Red Army was sent to Khalkhin Gol. At the same time, a division of Mongol armored vehicles also headed there. On May 22, Soviet troops crossed Khalkhin Gol and drove the Japanese back to the border. This is how the real war began...
Actually, the war in the air here began with the fact that on May 21, Japanese Ki-27 fighters intercepted over the border and shot down a P-5Sh communications plane flying to the 6th Mongolian Cavalry Division.
At the beginning of the conflict, the air force of the 57th Special Rifle Corps consisted of the 100th mixed air brigade consisting of the 150th mixed air regiment (29 SB high-speed bombers and 15 R-5 reconnaissance aircraft), as well as the 70th IAP (14 I-15bis and 24 I-16 type 5). It should be noted that, despite the political importance of the task carried out here by Soviet troops, service in Mongolia was considered unprestigious by the pilots. Pilots from other units who were guilty in one way or another were often sent here as a kind of exile. The quality of combat training, discipline and morale, respectively, left much to be desired.
Combat aircraft I-16 "Ishak" Polikarpov
The first combat flight of the I-16 trio, together with a pair of biplanes, took place at 12.20 on May 22. The group had the task of patrolling over the border. At first the flight was peaceful, but over the Khamar-Daba mountain the patrol from the direction of the sun was suddenly attacked by a group of hitherto unseen aircraft. They were blunt-nosed, with a fuselage more elongated than that of Polikarpov fighters and fixed landing gear. Red circles sparkled brightly on their wings. As a result of the fleeting battle, the I-16 of pilot I.T. was shot down. Lysenko, who died along with his “donkey”...
The aircraft that the Soviet pilots saw was the Nakajima, an Army Type 97 fighter, better known by the name Ki-27 mentioned above. It was the newest Japanese fighter at that time. It was a vehicle of the same class as the I-16, but was equipped with generally outdated non-retractable landing gear. The fighter had a length of 7.5 m, a wingspan of 11 m and was equipped with a Kotobuki Na-1 radial air-cooled engine with a power of 650 hp. With. The armament of production vehicles consisted of two synchronized 7.7 mm machine guns mounted above the engine. The maximum speed of the Ki-27 was 400 km/h at the ground and about 440 km/h at altitude. The non-retractable landing gear and the associated deterioration in aerodynamics were more than compensated for by the extremely lightweight wing design and a special profile developed by Nakajima, which provided the aircraft with the highest maneuverability. Thus, the Ki-27, according to its data, was approximately equal to the I-16 type 5, and was inferior to the type 10 only in the number of machine guns.
The experimental Ki-27 was flown into the sky from Ojima airfield on October 15, 1936. Then, competitive and army tests took place for about a year, following which, at the end of 1937, a decision was made to launch the fighter into mass production. It was established at the Maneyu Hikoki Seizo K.K. plant. in Harbin.
The first to receive the new vehicle into service in July next year was the 59th Fighter Sentai (eska-drill). Then, as new Ki-27s arrived, the 4th, 5th, 11th, 13th and 64th squadrons were formed. During serial production, the Ki-27 modification was replaced by the Ki-27b, which featured a new cockpit canopy with all-round visibility and a redesigned oil cooler. Under the center section it was now possible to hang four 25-kg bombs or two 130-liter additional drop tanks.
Meanwhile, the Soviet command, apparently aware of the combat effectiveness of the 70th IAP, as well as the use of the latest fighter by the Japanese, already on May 23 decided to send reinforcements to Khalkhin Gol. Major Glazykin's 22nd IAP, consisting of 35 I-15 bis and 28 I-16 type 5, was transferred from Zabay-Kalya to the Bain-Tumen airfield. The Japanese also strengthened their strength, additionally transferring the 11th squadron (20 Ki-27) to the conflict area.
On May 27, I-16s from the 22nd Regiment took part in air combat for the first time. Six “donkeys” led by senior lieutenant Cherenkov in the area of Lake Buin-Nur at an altitude of 2000 m met with nine Ki-27s. The enemy's numerical superiority was aggravated by the fact that the Soviet pilots, who had no practice of flying in formation, flew in a “free formation,” that is, each on their own. This gave the Japanese the opportunity to attack each I-16 one by one. As a result, without losses on their part, the samurai shot down two fighters, and another crashed during an emergency landing. One pilot was killed and two were injured.
The materiel also let us down. Initially, seven donkeys were supposed to take part in the flight, but one was soon forced to return back. “I must admit, the war at Khalkhin Gol started unsuccessfully for us,” recalled pilot of the 22nd IAP Georgy Priymuk. “We were essentially not ready for it.” The first battle, which took place on May 27, our squadron lost outright - we did not yet know how to conduct an attack, and the material part turned out to be faulty.
As soon as we took off, my engine’s thrust failed - the propeller is spinning idle, the plane, having broken formation, begins to lag behind the squadron; I tried to increase the speed, but the engine stopped dead. I had to make an emergency landing. I jump out of the cockpit and inspect my I-16 - there is no visible damage, only the engine hood and the lower surface of the center section are splashed with oil. It’s good that the airfield is nearby - they brought a launch vehicle from there, took my plane in tow and dragged it back. Soon the rest of the fighters of the squadron returned - so, one might say, our first flight ended as soon as it began. I went to report the malfunction to the commander - he barked at me, although it was not my fault that the engine stopped.”
However, Priymuk’s I-16 was not the only one whose flight was interrupted due to malfunctions. “We didn’t have to wait long - within 20 minutes the first of our fighters returned to the airfield,” he continued his story. — I look, and his engine hood is splattered with oil. Sasha Murmylov gets out of the cockpit and swears with all his might - the same malfunction was discovered on his plane as on mine: the engine does not pull, the propeller rotates at idle. I ask: did you meet samurai? At this point he went completely crazy - it turns out that when he caught up with the Japanese, there were no longer three of them, but more than a dozen, and there were no one of ours around; the Japanese fell on him as a whole group, from above, and pressed him to the ground, so that he miraculously turned around and barely broke away from the pursuit; Then the engine also malfunctioned - if this had happened a minute earlier, when he had not yet left the battle, he would have definitely died, but he managed to make it to the airfield.”
On this day, the command of the 57th Special Corps had an unpleasant conversation over a direct line with the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal Kliment Voroshilov, who expressed “great dissatisfaction” with the high losses of Soviet aviation.
However, “dissatisfaction” alone could not change the situation. Things were even worse for the I-15 biplanes. On May 28, Japanese aviation practically dominated the air, striking Soviet and Mongolian troops. In connection with this, the command ordered at least 20 fighters to be scrambled in the morning. But due to malfunctions, only three I-15bis managed to take off. All of them were shot down by the Japanese, and their pilots Voznesensky, Ivanchenko and Chekmarev were killed...
Two hours after this “battle,” nine biplanes took off from the Tamsak-Bulak airfield to cover the crossing of Khalkhin Gol. Here they were met by 18 Ki-27s. In the fierce air battle that ensued, seven Soviet fighters were shot down, and two more were severely damaged. At the same time, five pilots died, the rest managed to land by parachute.
Thus, during the first two days of air battles, the losses of Soviet aviation amounted to 14 aircraft (10 I-15 and 4 I-16), several more were damaged. In this case, 11 pilots died. The Japanese lost only one aircraft. In general, a complete defeat! On May 28, the commander of the 57th Corps, Komkor Feklenko, in a combat report on the progress of the fighting in the Khalkhin Gol River area, among other things, reported the following to the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army Shaposhnikov: “Enemy aviation dominates the air...”
The people at the top responded quickly! In order not to embarrass himself further, the People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov, with his order, simply prohibited further actions of Soviet aviation in the conflict zone. The 70th IAP was transferred to the Bain-Tumen airfield to be equipped with new equipment and flight personnel. And on May 29, a group of 48 people - the most experienced pilots and technicians, many of whom had previously visited Spain - arrived in Mongolia on three Douglas transport aircraft. They had to organize on-site training for flight and technical personnel. The group was personally led by Deputy Chief of the Red Army Air Force Yakov Smushkevich.
Replenishment and reorganization lasted until
June 1st. All troops on the territory of Mongolia were now united into the 1st Army Group, and the attached aviation group became known as the 1st AG Air Force. Its command was entrusted personally to the aforementioned “Stalin’s envoy,” Comrade Smushkevich. On land, meanwhile, after the first clashes there was also some calm.
By June 20, the 22nd and 70th IAPs had 151 fighters, including 95 I-16s. Most of them were already four-machine gun modification type 10.
At this time, Smushkevich decided that it was time to finally throw this armada into battle and take revenge on the “samurai” for the May shame. The morning of June 22 began with the interception of a single Ki-15 reconnaissance aircraft by Soviet fighters. Then the airfield of the 22nd IAP received a signal about the approach large group Japanese bombers. Pilot A.D. Yakimenko recalled: “...On the approach to the airfield they discovered a large group of Japanese bombers, which was accompanied by dozens of fighters. The cover is so dense that you can only break through it from above, in a dive. We begin to gain altitude, but enemy fighters are already rushing towards us.
A frontal attack is a competition in nerve strength. The first Japanese turned out to be rather weak - he opened fire from a long distance, so that the tracks at the end went under my plane, and then he couldn’t stand it at all, he took the control stick over himself, and I fired a return burst of four barrels right into his defenseless belly. The second Japanese man had stronger nerves - this one did not turn away, and we missed each other literally a few meters away, exchanging bursts; he missed, whether I hit him, I don’t know: there was no time to look back. I continue to gain altitude - another five hundred meters, and I will find myself above the upper echelon of Japanese fighters, which means I will have a chance to break through to the bombers. But then my engine suddenly sneezed and stopped - carried away by the battle, I completely forgot about time and used up all the fuel. I fall out of the general dump - fortunately our airfield is very close - and immediately go to land.”
Meanwhile, several dozen Polikarpov fighters took off into the air, raising huge clouds of dust. As soon as information was received from pilots and ground observers about the appearance large number Japanese, more and more units began to be sent to this area. The result was an unprecedented 2.5-hour air battle. The Soviet side consistently carried out 106 sorties (56 I-16s and 49 I-15s); on the Japanese side, 18 Ki-27s took part in the battle, which also replaced each other in several waves.
At the end, our pilots reported 25 Nakajimas shot down. In reality, the losses of the Land of the Rising Sun aviation amounted to 7 aircraft. As for the “samurai,” they also exaggerated their achievements, declaring a total of 50 victories. In fact, the Red Army Air Force lost 17 fighters (14 I-15 and 1 I-16), of which three were destroyed on the ground as a result of the attack. In this case, 11 pilots died, including the commander of the 22nd IAP, Major Glazykin. Thus, taking into account the great numerical superiority of the Soviet pilots, it can be stated that the battle, which, by the way, became the largest during the conflict, ended in a complete victory for the Japanese.
The next two air battles took place on June 24. This time it was a draw. The Japanese shot down two I-15s, but they themselves lost two Ki-27s, which were shot down by donkeys. One pilot was captured, the second “samurai”, fearing that he would be torn to pieces, shot himself after landing.
Two days later, during the next battles, the Japanese managed to shoot down three I-16s and one I-15. Soviet pilots reported nine victories, but none of them were confirmed by enemy data.
Samurai in Fiats
The Japanese were well aware from aerial photography data where the Soviet fighters were based, and on June 27 they decided to conduct a massive raid on both air bases: Tamsag-Bulak, where the 22nd IAP was located, and Bayin-Burdu-Nur, where the 70th IAP was located. 30 bombers took part in the operation (9 Ki-ZO and Ki-21 and 12 Fiat BR-20 Cicogna).
The latter were a completely modern twin-engine bomber of all-metal construction. It was developed by Fiat designers under the leadership of Celestino Rosatelli. It had a length of 16 m, a wingspan of 21.5 m and was equipped with Fiat A.80 RC41 engines with a power of 1000 hp. With. The speed was also typical for bombers of that time - 430 km/h at an altitude of 4000 m. As was the bomb load - 1600 kg. The aircraft made its first flight on February 10, 1936, and a year later it was adopted by the Italian Air Force (Reggia Aeronautica).
At the end of the autumn of 1937, the Japanese government entered into an agreement with Fiat for the supply of 72 bombers, and then an additional contract for another 10 vehicles. In February 1938, the first BR-20s were delivered disassembled by sea to Manchuria. The assembly was carried out at the Chushuzu airfield in the presence of Italian specialists. Acceptance tests took place there. Crew retraining was carried out by a group of Italian pilots at the Konchulin airfield.
The first aircraft were received by the 12th Kokutai (regiment), which had previously flown obsolete Ki-1 bombers. The BR.20 aircraft received the designation Type I from the Japanese (I is short for Italy). Next, there, in Manchuria, a new 98th squadron was formed. Each of them had 36 aircraft on staff. By the way, this is not the only imported exotic aircraft in imperial aviation that “showed up” at Khalkhin Gol. There, for example, even the German Messerschmitt Bf-108 Typhoon was spotted!
As for the Ki-21, it was a Japanese twin-engine Mitsubishi bomber, approximately equal in combat qualities to the Fiat. But Ki-ZO belonged to the class of light single-engine bombers.
This collection, accompanied by 74 fighters, was sent at dawn on June 27 to bomb Soviet airfields. The raid was unexpected for the Russians; not a single plane even managed to take off. However, the accuracy of the airstrike left much to be desired. Thus, according to Soviet data, about 100 bombs of all calibers were dropped on Tamsag-Bulak, but almost all of them fell wide of the mark and no one was injured.
Soon 34 I-16s and 13 I-15s of the 22nd IAP took to the skies. In the ensuing air battle, Soviet pilots managed to shoot down two Ki-27 fighters and one Ki-21 and Ki-ZO bomber each. The Fiats left without losses. An unpleasant incident occurred with the regiment commander, Major Kravchenko. While pursuing one of the “samurai”, he flew far into Manchurian territory, where his I-16 engine stalled. Having made an emergency landing in the steppe, Kravchenko wandered through deserted places for two days until he finally reached the front line.
The raid on Bayin-Burdu-Nur turned out to be more successful for the Japanese. Two “donkeys” were destroyed at the airfield, another 9 I-16s and 5 I-15s were shot down by fighters during takeoff and climb. The attackers escaped without casualties. The total losses of Soviet aviation that day amounted to 20 aircraft. The headquarters of the Kwantung Army reported that during attacks on the airfields of Outer Mongolia, 99 Soviet aircraft were shot down and another 49 were destroyed on the ground!
By July 1, the 22nd and 70th IAP included 93 I-16 type 5 and type 10, as well as 45 I-15bis. At the beginning of the month, the first I-16 type 17, armed with 20-mm ShVAK cannons, arrived in Mongolia. On July 4, seven of these vehicles took part in the attack on Japanese positions for the first time, losing one donkey.
Air battles still took place with the advantage of the Japanese. For example, on the 10th, Soviet pilots announced the destruction of 11 enemy aircraft with the loss of three I-16s. Their pilots Piskunov, Spivak and Prilepsky went missing. Another 4 aircraft were damaged. The I-16 of the deputy commander of the 22nd IAP, Captain Balashev, was able to return to the airfield, but the pilot himself subsequently died in hospital from his wound. The Japanese greatly exaggerated their achievements, claiming 64 victories, but they themselves lost only one Ki-27.
Soviet fighters won their first real victory over the Japanese only on July 12. On this day, with the loss of one I-16, they managed to shoot down three “samurai”, including the Japanese ace Mamoru Hamada, who had 17 victories to his credit. The last one died. The commander of the 1st Squadron, Toshio Kato, was also shot down, jumped out with a parachute over Mongolian territory, but was taken away from there by another Japanese pilot, Toshio Matsumura, who landed his fighter on enemy territory."
By July 5, the Japanese aviation group consisted of 148 aircraft. At the same time, the Fiats were transferred to the Chinese front.
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Combat strength of Japanese aviation in the Khalkhn-Gol area by mid-July 1939
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Meanwhile, from July 12 to July 21, the war in the air was suspended due to bad weather. The Soviet side used the break to replenish new equipment and combat training. On the 21st, the 56th IAP arrived in Mongolia under the command of Major Danilov, who further increased the numerical superiority. Thus, inferior to the Japanese in the quality of pilot training and equipment, the Soviet command simply decided to gradually crush them in numbers.
On land at that time, although there were fierce battles, the situation did not change much. Based on several strong points, the troops of the Kwantung Army continued to hold the front along the Khalkhin Gol River.
The air battles that resumed in the last ten days of July took place with varying degrees of success. For example, on July 23, three major air battles took place, in each of which dozens of Polikarpov fighters took part. Ours all the time tried to create a large numerical superiority and due to this beat the enemy. However, the Japanese, even finding themselves in a 1:5 minority, skillfully exited the battle various techniques, using good maneuverability and higher speed of their vehicles. The engines of the “donkeys” often, for the reasons described above, simply did not produce rated power, quickly overheated, as a result of which they could not pursue the enemy for a long time.
In one of their battles, the pilots of the 56th IAP made an unsuccessful debut. A huge group of 60 I-16s met with 40 Ki-27s. However, numerous visits and attacks did not produce any results. Many pilots fired all their ammunition without ever hitting the enemy. As a result, according to the pilots' reports, one Japanese was shot down, and their own losses amounted to two donkeys.
In another battle, 50 I-16s from the 70th IAP, providing cover for SB bombers, fought against 26 Ki-27s. This time Stalin's falcons reported two victories with one loss.
In total, according to Soviet data, eight Japanese fighters were shot down on July 23. In reality, the enemy lost only four Ki-27s. The 11th Squadron suffered the most, losing three aircraft.
On the morning of July 25, an I-16 from the 70th IAP, led by Major Kravchenko, attacked and shot down a Japanese artillery fire spotting balloon. Soon, a major air battle broke out over Mount Khamar-Daba between several dozen I-16s from all three “Mongolian” regiments. However, this time the numerical advantage did not help. The pilots reported 16 aircraft shot down, although in reality the Japanese lost only two Ki-27s.
The shot down fighter of Shintaro Kajima from the 11th Sentai made an emergency landing on enemy territory. However, he was taken to his home by Bunji Yoshiyama, who landed nearby. This episode was important, since for the first time the Soviet side managed to capture an almost intact Ki-27. Soon the car was sent to the USSR for study.
The Red Army Air Force's own losses in this battle amounted to four I-16s.
At 7.15 on July 29, 20 I-16s, including about half of the Type 17 cannons, carried out an air strike on the Japanese Alai airfield, where the 24th squadron was based. The raid was unexpected for the Japanese, which allowed the “donkeys” to pass at low level without interference, firing at hundreds of Yankees from cannons and machine guns. As a result, two Ki-27s were destroyed, and nine more received some form of damage.
At 9.40 a second raid was carried out on the same target by two groups of I-16s. They managed to attack the Japanese at a time when several aircraft were landing. This time four Nakajimas were destroyed. And in the evening of the same day, another air battle took place over Khalkhin Gol, in which the Soviet side lost three fighters, the Japanese - four. The commander of the 1st squadron, Fumio Harada, was killed.
In general, July was for the “samurai”. With the loss of 41 of their own aircraft, they shot down seventy-nine, including 39 I-16s.
What is “air supremacy”?
Meanwhile, by the beginning of August, due to the ongoing deliveries of aircraft from aircraft factory No. 21 in Gorky and others, the number of Soviet fighter aircraft had reached astronomical proportions by the standards of the conflict.
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Thus, there were already 256 fighters in total, among which I-16 type 10 significantly predominated. The role of biplanes gradually faded away.
During the first half of August, there was a temporary calm in the air; until the 13th, only a few battles took place, then the weather was bad for a week.
Meanwhile, on August 20, the Soviet-Mongolian troops went on the offensive, delivering the main blow to the flanks of the Japanese group. Soviet SB bombers launched powerful attacks on enemy fortifications, as well as their communications and airfields.
On the same day, Soviet fighters used RS-82 rockets for the first time. This task was assigned special group I-16 under the command of Air Force Research Institute test pilot Captain Zvonar. The missiles were fired at Ki-27 fighters from a distance of 500 m. However, although the “donkey” pilots reported hits, the “samurai” did not suffer any losses that day.
On August 21, several major battles took place over Khalkhin Gol. In the morning, Japanese aircraft attacked the Tatsmag-Bulak airfield. A total of 51 bombers took part (24 Ki-30s, 12 Ki-21s and 15 Ki-36s, accompanied by 88 Ki-27 fighters from the 1st, 11th, 24th and 64th Sentai). There was no surprise; the enemy was detected in advance by VNOS posts, and Soviet fighters met the Japanese in the air. As a result, a large air battle broke out, in which 123 I-16s took part. Stalin's Falcons claimed 13 victories (eleven over fighters and two over single-engine bombers). At the same time, our own losses turned out to be great:
16 I-153 and 3 I-16, and all the pilots of the latter died. As for the raid, the Japanese managed to destroy one SB.
After this, several more contractions took place throughout the day. At 14.45, an armada of 58 I-16s and 11 I-153s from the 22nd IAP, which took off for an attack, met a large group of Japanese aircraft on the way. Without losses on their part, the Soviet pilots reported three downed Ki-ZOs and seven Ki-27s.
A similar fight involving large quantity aircraft from both sides took place in the evening. The real losses of the Japanese in the past amounted to 6 vehicles (1 Ki-ZO, 1 Ki-36 and 4 Ki-27). The Red Army Air Force lost 11 aircraft (4 I-16, I-153 and 4 SB). Thus, imperial aviation won again. Noteworthy is the fact that losses were often disproportionate to the huge number of sorties and vehicles participating in the battle. As a rule, 100-120 fighters fought among themselves, and three or four of them were knocked down. Soviet fighter aviation territorially “dominated the air,” that is, relative to time and space, there were generally more aircraft in the sky than the enemy. Air battles were conducted on the same principle; as many vehicles as possible were simply sent to the square where the enemy was spotted. At the same time, the fulfillment of a combat mission by a specific pilot was disavowed. .
It was then that the Soviet concept of “air supremacy” emerged at Khalkhin Gol, which then existed until May 1945. In our country, this term was most often understood literally, that is, whose planes fly more in the skies over a particular area. Therefore, they sought to gain “dominance” in the Red Army Air Force by simply saturating the air with as many fighters as possible to the detriment of specific combat missions.
However, sooner or later, quantitative and territorial dominance in the air can turn into tactical and strategic. Especially if the enemy’s forces are overextended and he does not receive fresh reinforcements and equipment in sufficient quantities. This is exactly what happened to the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol.
The Kwantung Army was supplied with new aircraft and pilots in limited quantities, and the production of the same Ki-27s was only 30 units per month. The Soviet command, on the contrary, attached paramount importance to the victory at Khalkhin Gol, generously replenishing the units located there new technology. As a result, the Japanese were simply crushed, and at the end of August a turning point finally came in the air war.
On August 25, the Japanese, with the loss of several of their vehicles, for the first time failed to shoot down a single Soviet aircraft. On the 29th, four Ki-27s were shot down with the loss of one I-16. Pilot Ivory Sakai recalled: “I made four to six flights a day and in the evening I was so tired that when I came in to land I could see almost nothing. Enemy planes flew at us like a huge black cloud, and our losses were very, very heavy...” On the land front, the imperial troops were surrounded and completely defeated on August 31.
Soviet aviation losses in August amounted to 77 aircraft, including 39 I-16s. Moreover, sixteen of them were, according to Soviet data, lost for non-combat reasons.
At the beginning of autumn, air battles began to subside. Nevertheless, sporadic air battles continued. Soviet aviators used their favorite tactics, sending several squadrons into battle at once. On September 1, I-16 pilots carried out a total of 145 sorties. At the same time it was stated
about 20 victories, Japanese pilots reported thirty-three. In fact, 5 Ki-27s and 3 I-16s were shot down. Another “donkey” was damaged and made an emergency landing in the steppe near the Tamsag-Bulak airfield.
The next day, Ki-10 fighters from the 9th Squadron, recently transferred to the conflict area, appeared in the sky for the first time. However, outdated biplanes could not compete on equal terms with high-speed fighters. As a result of the battle, the Japanese lost three Ki-27s and one Ki-10, and the Red Army Air Force lost one I-16.
The latest events took place on September 14 and 15, when the war between Nazi Germany and Poland was already in full swing in Europe. Finally, knowing about the imminent truce, the Japanese decided to launch air strikes on Soviet airfields. On the first day, 10 bombers, accompanied by 45 fighters, took part in the attack. 75 I-16s and 15 I-153s tried to intercept them. However, there were no losses on both sides.
And on September 15, 200 fighters and bombers attacked the Tamsag-Bulak airfield. Anticipating the imminent end of the war, the Soviet pilots relaxed and were simply not ready for the attack. Only the timely arrival of a large group of I-16s from another airfield made it possible to rectify the situation. As a result, as a result of this last battle, the Imperial Aviation lost nine fighters, the Red Army Air Force - six (1 I-16 and 5 I-153). However, this episode showed that the Japanese were not defeated at all and were still able to fight.
In total, in September the Soviet group lost 26 aircraft, including 7 I-16s.
The overall score was not in favor of the “donkey”. From May 22 to September 23, 87 aircraft were shot down, and another 22 crashed as a result of accidents and disasters. The Japanese lost 62 Ki-27s, another 34 were severely damaged and were then written off. It should be taken into account that the Nakajimas fought not only with I-16s. In addition to the latter, 76 I-15 and I-153 biplanes were lost in battle. Thus, the losses of Soviet fighters were almost double those of the enemy.
In total, imperial aviation lost 88 aircraft of all types at Khalkhin Gol, another 74 were written off due to damage. A total of 162. The losses of the Red Army Air Force amounted to 249 vehicles, including 42 for non-combat reasons.
During the war, Soviet aviation carried out over 20 thousand sorties, of which 18,509 (90%) were fighter aircraft.
The main Soviet ace of Khalkhin Gol was V.G. Rakhov from the 22nd IAP, who, according to official data, won 8 personal and 6 group victories in the I-16. 6 personal and 1940 group victories were won by the squadron commissar Ar-seniy Vorozheikin from the same regiment, five each were on the account of the assistant squadron commander, Lieutenant Ivan Krasnoyurchenko, V.P. Trubachenko and G.P. Kravchenko. It is worth noting that the recording of downed aircraft specifically in this conflict was carried out very carelessly, on both sides. The Japanese sometimes overestimated their successes by five to seven times or more; Stalin's falcons were not far behind. Since the theater of military operations was very limited in area, and the battles were often fought over the steppes, it was very difficult to confirm or refute the statements of the pilots. And besides, the command didn’t particularly demand this, willingly replenishing the accounts of their heroes.
As for Yakov Smushkevich, who commanded the aviation at Khalkhin Gol, on November 17, 1939 he was awarded the second Gold Star medal. The com-cor's career took off. Just two days later he was appointed chief (commander) of the Red Army Air Force, simultaneously making him a candidate member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. On April 4, 1940, Smushkevich was awarded the rank of commander of the 2nd rank, and on June 17, lieutenant general of aviation. In August 1940, he was transferred to the position of inspector general of the Red Army Air Force, and in December of the same year - assistant chief of the General Staff of the Red Army for aviation. But at this point, as often happened under Stalin, career Smush-kevicha is over.
On June 8, 1941, he was arrested by the NKVD on charges of participating in a “military conspiratorial organization,” on whose instructions Smushkevich allegedly carried out work “aimed at defeating Republican Spain, reducing the combat training of the Red Army Air Force and increasing accident rate in the Air Force." Former hero and the other arrestees naturally admitted the charges, especially since there really was a high accident rate. That is, the “corpus delicti” was obvious, all that remained was to drag specific “culprits” to him by the ears. On October 28, 1941, by order of the People's Commissar of the NKVD Lavrentiy Beria, Smushkevich was shot in the village of Barbysh, Kuibyshev region.
Born on October 15, 1912 in the village of Prokofievo, Nizhny Novgorod province. Served in the Red Army from 1931 to 1933 in the 17th Rifle Division. After being transferred to the reserve, he entered the Higher Communist Agricultural School in Gorky, but completed only the 1st year. In 1937 he graduated from the Kharkov Military Aviation Pilot School. At first, Vorozheikin served in bomber aviation. In 1939, he completed a six-month pilot-commissar course, after which he was appointed squadron commissar in the 53rd BAL. In May of the same year he was transferred to fighter aviation. Commissioner
Born on September 3, 1910 in the village of Nikolaevskoye, Tsaritsyn province, into a peasant family. After graduating from the school of agricultural mechanization, he worked at a grain farm as a mechanic. From October 1932 he studied at the Leningrad Institute of Mechanical Engineers of Socialist Agriculture. In August 1934, on the so-called party ticket, he entered the Kachin pilot school, after graduating from which he served as a pilot and flight commander in Transbaikalia, and from 1936 - in the 22nd IAP in Mongolia.
At Khalkhin Gol, Krasnoyurchenko made 111 combat missions, participated in 31 air battles and 45 assault strikes against ground targets. On November 17, 1939 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After that, he commanded a squadron, was an assistant commander of the 43rd IAP, and an inspector of fighter aviation in the Kyiv Military District.
During the Great Patriotic War, he commanded the 92nd IAP, then the 102nd IAP, which defended Stalingrad and Astrakhan, then the 147th IAP, assigned to the Yaroslavl-Rybinsk air defense corps region. Later he was deputy commander of the 9th Air Defense Corps. In air battles he shot down 3 aircraft.
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FIGHTS AT LAKE KHASAN (08.1937)
- after September 27, 1937, in accordance with the mutual assistance agreement between the USSR and the MPR, in confirmation of Molotov’s words “that we will defend the border of the MPR as our own,” the USSR introduced a “limited contingent” into the territory of the MPR, consisting of 57 special corps: 30 thousand . military personnel, 265 tanks, 280 armored vehicles, 5000 thousand cars and 108 aircraft (Note 4*)
- on 08/05/1937, the Japanese had a 20 thousand group in this area: the 19th Infantry Division, an infantry brigade, 2 artillery regiments, 3 machine gun battalions. Soviet troops, respectively, 32,860 military personnel: 40th and 32nd rifle divisions, 2nd separate mechanized brigade, rifle regiment of the 39th division, 2 artillery regiments. The troops were ready to support 180 bombers and 70 fighters.
- according to Japanese army intelligence, by the end of 1936, the strength of the armed forces of the Trans-Baikal Military District and the Special Far Eastern Army increased by 2-6 rifle divisions, one cavalry division, about 250 aircraft and 300-400 tanks compared to the previous year, amounting to 16- 20 rifle divisions, 4 cavalry divisions, about 1200 aircraft, about 1200 tanks and about 70 submarines. Such strengthening of the defense of the Soviet Far East was carried out in accordance with the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated May 27, 1933 (Note 2*)
- as of June 1937, the number of the Red Army in the Far East reached 83,750 military personnel, 946 guns, 890 tanks (mostly light) and 766 aircraft
- as of June 13, 1937, the USSR could use it against Japan in normal conditions up to 28 divisions, and if necessary from 31 to 58 divisions. Against the Soviet 2000 aircraft, the Japanese could field only 340, against 1900 tanks - only 170. The actual ratio of forces was 5 to 1 in favor of the Soviet Armed Forces (conclusions of the 5th Department of the General Staff of the Japanese Armed Forces based on data from defector Lyushkov, head of the NKVD department for the Far Eastern Territory) (Note. 1*)
- by 1937, the Kwantung Army had 43 airfields and about 100 landing sites. Kwantung Army: 130 thousand - 6 divisions, 400 tanks, 1400 guns and up to 500 aircraft (Note 1*)
- 08/06/1937 180 TB-3 bombers and 70 fighters struck the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya hills - with 1592 aerial bombs weighing 122 tons - in just 10 days of fighting near Khasan Island, Soviet aviation carried out 1003 sorties (of which 387 were carried out by SB and TB-3 - Note 16*), as a result of which 4265 bombs were dropped, weighing almost 209 tons (Notes 8* and 16*)
- after the Japanese were driven out as a result of fierce battles on 08/06/09/1937 for the line indicated on the map attached to the Hunchun Protocol, as the Soviet side understood it, on 07/10/193 the Japanese side, having lost 600 people killed and 2.5 thousand people wounded ( with Soviet losses of 792 people killed and 3279 wounded), agreed to a cessation of hostilities from 08/11/1937 with the mutual abandonment of the USSR and Japanese troops in the positions where they were on the previous day (Note 2*)
- according to other data, which corresponds to Japanese sources, out of 7 thousand Japanese military personnel who took direct part in the battles, 500 were killed and 900 or 20% were wounded (Note 5*)
- Soviet losses: initially 236 dead. Then in Voroshilov’s secret order No. 0040 there are 408 dead and 2807 wounded, which also corresponds to data from Japanese sources (400 killed and 2700 wounded Soviet soldiers). According to declassified data, the losses were: 717 dead (of which 121 officers and 191 sergeants), 75 missing and captured, 3279 wounded. (Note 6*)
FIGHTS AT THE KHAKHIN-GOL RIVER (05/11-09/13/1939)
- conflict area at Khalkhin Gol: length 60-70 km, depth - 20 km (Note 1*)
- by the beginning of the general offensive on Khalkhin Gol, according to Army General A.L. Getman for the newspaper “Red Star” dated August 31, 1979: “we had accumulated 67 ammunition for ground forces and 9-10 for aviation, 5-6 fuel and lubricant refills, food for 13-16 days. All this was done thanks to the help of Mongolian friends" (Note 7*)
- during 104 days of his command at Khalkhin Gol, Zhukov signed 600 death warrants and 84 presentations for awards
- in 1938, compared to 1937, the number of Soviet troops in the Far East increased by 105 thousand people - more than 10 times compared to the original plan, and accordingly, allocations for military construction increased by 2 times (Note 2 * and 1 *)
- 05/28/1938 the following Soviet-Mongolian troops were located directly in the conflict area: 668 bayonets, 260 sabers, 58 machine guns, 20 field guns, 32 armored vehicles
- from the Japanese-Manchurian side: 1676 bayonets, 900 sabers, 32 machine guns, 18 guns, 1 tank, 6 armored vehicles. After this, both sides of the conflict intensively increased their military presence in the conflict area.
- grouping of Soviet troops in the MPR as of May 1938: 30 thousand military personnel of the 57th special corps (36th motorized rifle division, one mechanized and two motorized armored brigades, a separate motorized armored regiment, cavalry and aviation brigades, 6 automobile battalions, numerous military construction and engineering units), thousands of light and heavy machine guns, 265 tanks, 280 armored vehicles, 107 combat aircraft, 5 thousand vehicles of all types
- as of 02/01/1939: only in the 57th special corps there were: 284 tanks, 167 light and 370 medium armored vehicles (FAI, BA-20, BA-3, BA-6 and BA-10) (Note 11* )
- from the MPR, units of the 6th Cavalry Division and a regiment of the 5th Cavalry Division took part in the battles (Note 3*) According to other sources, the 6th and 8th Mongolian Cavalry Divisions took part (Note 7)
- at the beginning of the fighting, the Japanese Air Force grouping: 52 combat aircraft: 25 A5M and Ki-27 fighters (I-96 and I-97 according to the Soviet classification, respectively), 9 bombers and 16 reconnaissance aircraft, which were based at the airfields of the Chinese city of Haipara. They were opposed by the Soviet 70th IAP with 24 I-16 and 14 I-15 fighters and the 150th SAP, which had 29 SB bombers and 15 R-5 reconnaissance aircraft, which were based at field airfields in the Tamtsak-Gulak area (Note 18* )
- 05/22/1939 the 22nd fighter regiment (63 I-15 and I-16 fighters) and a bomber regiment (59 SB bombers) were transferred to the 100th air brigade (Note 1*). According to other sources, the 7th, 19th, 22nd, 41st and 51st IAP, 38th and 56th SBAP, as well as the 21st AE were additionally transferred to the battle area (Note 18 *)
- On May 29, 1939, three Douglas planes from Moscow on a special flight delivered 48 experienced ace pilots, among whom were 22 Heroes of the Soviet Union. At the same time, the strength of the Air Force increased - 150 fighters and 116 bombers against 125 fighters and 140 bombers of the Japanese (Note 1 *)
- in three weeks, a whole network of new landing sites was created, and the size of the air group was increased to 300 aircraft against 239 for the Japanese (Note 4*)
- at the final stage of the fighting, the Soviet air group consisted of 311 fighters (3 regiments), 181 bombers (3 regiments), 23 TB-3 night bombers and 35 R-5 reconnaissance aircraft of the MPR aviation. On 09/16/39 there were already 550 aircraft, of which 350 fighters (225 I-16, 21 cannon I-16, 60 (70 - Note 15*) I-153, 44 I-15), 200 bombers (170 SB and 30 TB-3) (Note 16*)
- by mid-June 1939, Japanese aviation at Khalkhin Gol had 128 aircraft: 78 fighters, 20 reconnaissance aircraft, 6 light and 12 twin-engine bombers. A month later total aircraft reached 147: of which 91 were fighters and 9 twin-engine bombers. At the final stage of the battles, on September 13, 1939, the Japanese air group consisted of 255 aircraft: 158 fighters, 66 light and 13 twin-engine bombers and 16 reconnaissance aircraft (Note 16*)
- from 11.05 to 31.08.39, Soviet aviation performed 20,672 sorties (Note 16*)
- Soviet aviation gained superiority in the sky, destroying 90 Japanese aircraft and losing 38 of their own (Note 1*)
- Japanese aviation losses amounted to 164 (162 - Note 4*) aircraft (96 fighters and 7 twin-engine bombers) and 95 pilots (Note 16*)
- Soviet aviation losses amounted to 207 aircraft and 211 pilots (Note 16*). 22 I-153 were lost in the period from 28.07 to 18.09.39 (Note 15*)
- losses of the parties from May 13 to May 29, 1939 in the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River:
Japanese: 159 killed, 119 wounded, 12 missing, 1 37mm gun, 19 machine guns, 8 trucks, 2 cars, 2 tanks type 94 "TK"
Soviet troops: 138 killed and missing, 198 wounded, 10 armored vehicles, 3 guns, 15 vehicles
Mongolian losses: 33 killed and 3 BA-6 armored vehicles (Note 3*).
- based on the results of the battles, only in the column “Missing, captured”
there are 1143 Soviet military personnel (Note 19*)
- on 07/02/39 at Khalkhin Gol, Zhukov’s tank fist consisted of 550 tanks (mainly BT-5 and T-26) and 450 armored vehicles, which were supported by at least 1000 tankers and 1785 trucks. (Note 12*). According to other sources, by July 20, 1939, 409 tanks (of which 15 T-37), 173 light and 151 medium armored vehicles were concentrated on the Soviet side (Note 11*). By the beginning of the main events at Khalkin Gol on July 24, 1939, the Soviet-Mongolian troops numbered: 57 thousand military personnel, 542 guns and mortars, 498 tanks, 385 armored vehicles and 515 combat aircraft. (Note 1*). It was opposed by a group of 2 infantry divisions, a separate infantry brigade, 7 artillery regiments, 2 tank regiments, a Manchu brigade, 3 Bargud cavalry regiments, two engineering regiments and auxiliary units: 55 thousand military personnel (75 thousand military personnel together with reinforcement units), 500 guns, 182 tanks, 500 aircraft (Note 1*) or, according to other sources, more than 300 guns, 135 tanks and 310 aircraft (Note 2*) According to the "History of the Second World War" vol. 2, p. 215 forces Japanese on Khalkhin-Gol: 38 thousand troops, 310 guns, 135 tanks, 10 armored vehicles and 225 aircraft. The total forces amounted to about 75 thousand. Losses amounted to 61 thousand killed, wounded and prisoners (Note 7*)
- before the main clash at Khalkhin Gol, threefold Soviet superiority in tanks and 1.7 times in aircraft was achieved (Note 1*)
- in the battle on Mount Bayin-Tsagan (“Big Sands”), 600 tanks and armored vehicles, over 400 guns and several hundred aircraft took part on both sides (Note 7*)
- ground forces took part in the Soviet offensive on August 20, 1939: 3 motorized rifle divisions, 2 motorized armored and 2 tank brigades, an infantry regiment, a howitzer regiment, a cavalry division, the 185th artillery regiment, a self-propelled gun division, 2 anti-tank divisions, a Mongolian cavalry division. In reserve were: airborne and motorized armored brigades, a tank battalion. The air strike was carried out by 150 SB bombers and 144 fighters (Note 4*)
- as a result of the battles of August 28-31, 1939, the surrounded Japanese troops were completely defeated. In four months, the enemy lost, according to Soviet data, 18,300 people killed and 464 captured out of 76 thousand people who took part in the conflict (Note 1*)
- according to the Soviet “History of the Second World War” vol. 2, p. 215 “Japanese losses during 4 months of fighting on Khalkhin Gol amounted to: 61 thousand killed and wounded (17-25 thousand only killed), 200 people captured, 660 aircraft. Soviet losses: 18,500 killed and wounded (6,821 killed, of which 1,063 officers), 200 prisoners, 207 aircraft. (Note 1*). According to the calculations of the prominent Japanese military historian S. Hayashi, the total Japanese losses amounted to 73% of those participating in combat, i.e. about 55 thousand people. 608 Japanese planes were shot down. According to preliminary official Soviet information, the Soviet-Mongolian troops lost 2413 people killed, 10,020 wounded and 216 prisoners. But later, by 1993, these the data was clarified: irretrievable losses - 7974, and total sanitary losses 15,925 people
- in the battles on Khalkhin-Gol, the Manchu cavalry took part in 4 regiments (each from 400 to 500 cavalrymen and one 4-gun battery) (Note 3 *)
- Japanese tanks: type 89 "Chi-Ro" - slightly redesigned English "Vickers" (analogue of the Soviet BT-7) - completely outdated and without armor-piercing shells for the 57mm gun, light wedges - type 94 "TK" (weight 3.4 tons , 1 machine gun), type 97 "TK" (weight 4.8t, 37mm cannon or 7.7mm machine gun); type 95 "Ha-Go" (weight 7.4t, 37mm cannon or 2 6.5mm machine guns); type 87 "Chi-Ha" (weight 14t, 57mm cannon and 2 machine guns). All these tanks were inferior in all respects Soviet tanks, starting with the BT-7 and even the 45mm cannon of Soviet armored vehicles made it possible to successfully cope with them. In total, 87 Japanese tanks from 2 tank regiments of the mechanized brigade took part in the battles on Khalkhin-Gol (10 type 94 "TK", 34 type 89 "Chi-Ro", 4 type 97 "TK", 35 type 95 "Ha- Go", 4 type 97 "Chi-Ha" - first combat use) (Note 3 *, 10 *, 17 *) 07/02/1939 22 tanks were destroyed (21 Type 89 "Chi-Ro" and 1 Type 87 "Chi -Ha", 7 tankettes and armored vehicles (Note 10*)
- in May 1939, the Japanese had to requisition 200 trucks from the civilian population to transport their troops and equipment (Note 3*)
- the trophies of the Soviet troops amounted to: 12 tanks, 23 armored vehicles, 25 tractors, 100 cars, 190 guns, 40 mortars, 189 grenade launchers, 9000 rifles, 370 machine guns, great amount ammunition (Note 2*)
- Soviet losses in equipment: 249 aircraft (of which 16% were non-combat losses), 253 tanks and 188 armored vehicles, not counting those recovered during the battles (Note 8*). According to other sources, the losses of the Red Army amounted to 253 burned tanks and 133 armored vehicles against 44 Japanese tanks out of 77 that took part in both existing tank regiments (Note 14 *). And there is evidence that 93 armored vehicles were irretrievably lost, and another 209 vehicles required: 95 capital, 78 medium and 103 current repairs, and most of of which had combat damage (Note 11*). Among them, 8 BA-3 and 44 BA-6 armored vehicles were lost during the battles (Note 9*).
- Japanese bombers (12 Ki-21 bombers (3 were shot down and 2 could not be repaired as a result of damage) and 12 VR-20 dropped 175 tons of bombs on Soviet positions during the conflict (Note 13*)
NOTE:
(Note 1*) - A. Shishov “The defeat of Japan and the samurai threat”
(Note 2*) - K. Cherevko “The hammer and sickle against the samurai sword”
(Note 3*) - M. Kolomiets “Battles near the Khalkhin - Gol River” magazine “Frontline Illustration No. 2\2002”
(Note 4*) - A. Kuleshov " Soviet-Japanese wars 1937-1945"
(Note 5*) - Showa no rekishi. v.5. p.154
(Note 6*) - Central State Archive of the Soviet Army, f.31983, op.3, d.152, l.154
(Note 7*) - V. Prudnikov “Steel Hurricane”
(Note 8*) - V. Beshanov "Stalin's Flying Coffins"
(Note 9*) - M. Baryatinsky "Medium cannon" magazine "Modelist-designer" 9\2005
(Note 10*) - V. Galin "Political economy of war. Conspiracy of Europe"
(Note 11*) - M. Kolomiets "Stalin's Armored Cars"
(Note 12*) - D. Porter "World War II - a steel shaft from the East. Soviet armored forces 1939-45"
(Note 13*) - A. Kharuk "Aim to the North" magazine "Aviapark" 1\2009
(Note 14*) - M. Kolomiets "Tanks at Khalkhin Gol. Stalin's Undeclared War"
(Note 15*) - collection "Aviation Collection: I-153 Chaika fighter"
(Note 16*) - A. Stepanov "Development of Soviet aviation in the pre-war period. (1938 - first period 1941"
(Note 17*) - M. Kolomiets "Tanks at Khalkhin Gol. Stalin's Undeclared War"
(Note 18*) - N. Yakubovich “There in the distance by the river” magazine “Wings of the Motherland” No. 10\98
(Note 19*) - G. Krivoeev “The classification of secrecy has been removed”
Soviet aces of Khalkhin Gol, 1939
Pilots awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union are awarded one star, twice Heroes are awarded two.
Sergei GRITSEVETS - ace of air battles in Spain, the best Soviet ace in the battles at Khalkhin Gol - 12 victories, major. The first twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Sergei Gritsevets was born on July 19, 1909 in the village of Borovtsy, Novogrudok district, Grodno region, into a peasant family. From the age of 5 he lived in the village of Shumikha, Kurgan region, and then in Zlatoust, where his father was a carriage inspector. Finished seven-year school. Since 1927, he worked at the Zlatoust Mechanical Plant as a mechanic's apprentice, and then as a mechanic in the hilt shop. He was the secretary of the shop Komsomol cell and the Komsomol factory committee, a delegate to the 1st Congress of Shock Workers. Since 1931 - in the ranks of the Red Army. With a Komsomol permit, he was sent to study at the 3rd Military School of Pilots and Letnabs in the city of Orenburg, which he graduated from in 1932.
From September 1932 he served in the Kiev Fighter Squadron, and from 1933 - in the 1st Red Banner Fighter Aviation Squadron named after. Lenin of the Transbaikal Military District. He was a flight commander. In 1935, he led a record flight of 6 I-16 fighters along the route Bochkarevo - Spassk-Dalniy with a landing in Khabarovsk, completing it in 3 hours 10 minutes. In 1936 he was sent to study at the Odessa Air Combat School, and upon completion remained there as an instructor pilot.
In 1938, senior lieutenant Gritsevets was transferred to the Kirovabad special purpose school, known as the 20th military school pilots. He trained Spanish Republican pilots for air combat. He repeatedly submitted reports with a request to be sent to Spain.
The next group of 42 Soviet pilots, which arrived in Spain at the beginning of April 1938, lost 25 people incapacitated for various reasons in 23 days - from April 10 to May 3, 1938. Of these, 4 died in battle, one died on a training flight, two went missing, 10 were wounded, two fell ill, and another 6 had to be expelled as unfit for combat work at the front.
A new group of 34 fighter pilots, which included instructor pilots and the most experienced combat pilots, was hastily sent to replace them.
In June 1938 last group Soviet volunteer pilots, which included Gritsevets, arrived in Spain.
From June 10 to October 26, 1938, he participated in the national revolutionary war in Spain under the pseudonym “Sergei Ivanovich Gorev.” Commanded the I-16 squadron. He made 115 combat missions, conducted 57 air battles, and personally shot down 6 enemy aircraft.
On June 21, 1938, in a letter to his wife, he wrote: “Dear Galochka! Arrived today. The climate here is not easy, not everyone can withstand it. But I can bear it." Such confidence is heard in other letters: “I have already started work. The weather is very hot, and so is the work, even my throat gets dry, but that’s okay - that’s what work is for.”
On July 8, 1938, the English newspaper “Daily News” was published under a large headline: “Russian pilot Sergei Gritsevets is a man of amazing courage, for the first time in history military aviation destroyed 7 aircraft in one battle!”
In this sortie in an I-16 type 10, within half an hour, Gritsevets, according to eyewitnesses, shot down 7 aircraft, including 5 Fiat CR-32 fighters. His car was also riddled with bullets, but he was able to land it at his airfield. The battle took place in front of numerous witnesses, one of whom, a correspondent for an English newspaper, later described it in his report. Gritsevets returned from this flight on a plane with virtually no ailerons, with the right wing half cut off. The article in the English newspaper apparently haunted Soviet journalists, which is why both the “Spanish” and the pilot’s final combat score were significantly inflated. Even the article in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, which, according to most experts, is distinguished by its objectivity, says: “Personally shot down over 40 enemy aircraft.”
Note that the reliability coefficient of victories of both Soviet and German pilots in Spain is high, like nowhere else, reaching 0.7–0.8.
But let's return to the Spanish battles. On August 18, 1938, on Soviet Aviation Day, Gritsevets shot down two more Fiats. He especially distinguished himself in the final, heavy battles on the Ebro River, where the rebels made extensive use of their new Me-109 fighters, armed with cannons and significantly superior to the I-16 in speed. In just 20 days of August 1938, Republican pilots shot down 72 enemy aircraft over the Ebro. On October 4, five republican pilots - S. Gritsevets, M. Fedoseev, N. Gerasimov, I. Svergun and M. Onishchenko - before reaching the Ebro, began a battle with 10 Me-109s. The battle lasted 45 minutes, as a result one Me-109 was shot down. There are no losses on our side. The German pilot, shot down in this battle, jumped out with a parachute and was captured. He turned out to be one of the most experienced aces of the Condor Legion, Otto Bertram. On October 15, 1938, Gritsevets pilots took part in battle for the last time. 7 squadrons of the Republican Air Force were launched into the air - about 100 fighters. In this battle, Republican pilots shot down 3 Me-109s and 5 Fiat CR-32s. Our losses amounted to three aircraft, all pilots escaped by parachute.
Compiling a report on work in Spain, military adviser A.P. Andreev wrote:
“There were cases on the Ebro when our squadron of 9 aircraft attacked and dispersed a group of 36 Fiats, when one pilot fought with 5 fighters and dispersed them. There were especially many such cases in the Gritsevets squadron, which covered itself with glory. They knew her, and her Spanish friends spoke with delight about her. Even the Germans and Italians recognized our squadron in the air and tried not to engage in battle with it. The captured fascist pilots also spoke about this.”
However, by the time the 113-day Battle of the Ebro ended, of the 34 pilots who arrived in Spain with Gritsevets in June 1938, only seven remained in service.
In October 1938, the Republican government made a unilateral decision to withdraw from Spain all fighters who did not have Spanish citizenship, after which the majority of the “International Brigade” left the country. Only a group of Soviet fighters was asked to extend the period of their special mission. However, the Soviet leadership did not agree with this formulation of the issue. Seeing that the war in Spain was virtually lost, it refused to sacrifice valuable flying personnel.
In December 1938, Gritsevets was awarded extraordinary military rank"major". And soon, on February 22, 1939, for the exemplary implementation of special government tasks to strengthen the defense power of the Soviet Union and for his heroism, Major S. I. Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Having refused the position offered to him as head of the Borisoglebsk Red Banner Military Aviation School named after. V.P. Chkalov, he went to a combat unit in the Far East.
On June 2, 1939, as part of a group of pilots who had combat experience, he arrived in Mongolia to strengthen the units participating in the Soviet-Japanese conflict near the Khalkhin Gol River. Participated in battles from June 22 to August 30. He commanded a squadron of the 70th IAP, and then a group of I-153 “Chaika” fighters that underwent military tests. He flew 138 combat missions and personally shot down 12 enemy aircraft.
Aviation Major General A.V. Vorozheikin recalled:
“The battle ended with pursuit. My new leader caught up with the enemy and tried to attack on the move. The Japanese, having better maneuverability, escaped. The stranger on I-16 was on the same course as the Japanese and slightly to the side, choosing the moment to attack. The enemy, seeing that no one was attacking him, rushed in a straight line. The subsequent movement of my leader amazed: as if warning the enemy of his further intention, he shook his wings, attracting attention to himself, and laid a deep roll towards the Japanese. The enemy realized that this was a turn to attack: he also turned sharply towards the attacker. But then I noticed that our fighter, having put in a demonstrative roll, was keeping the car in straight flight. It was an imitation of an attack, a subtle trick. And the Japanese took the bait. The next moment he realized the mistake and tried to escape. But it was too late. The fire flashed - and the enemy, as if stumbling, fell into the river. It was Sergei Gritsevets.”
On June 26, 1939, at 15:20, a group of 17 Japanese Ki-27 fighters appeared near Lake Buir-Nur. 27 I-16s and 13 I-15bis from the 70th IAP, led by regiment commander Major V.M. Zabaluev, took off to meet her. The Japanese turned around and, without accepting the battle, left in the direction of Ganchzhur. Our fighters gave chase. But the first group of Japanese was just bait. Over Ganchzhur they were joined by up to 40 more fighters. To help the fighters of the 70th IAP, 20 I-16 and 21 I-15bis from the 22nd IAP, led by Major G.P. Kravchenko, were scrambled. Help arrived on time: our pilots were already running out of ammunition and fuel.
Shot down during the battle, Zabaluev made an emergency landing on Manchurian territory, along the road leading from Ganchzhur to Obo-Sume. Gritsevets saw what was happening, landed in the steppe and took Zabaluev out in his I-16. They were covered from the air by Lieutenant Pyotr Poloz.
Later Gritsevets told how it happened. At the same time, his face, dry and strong, hewn by the wind of great heights and at the same time full of some kind of childish purity, changed expression with extraordinary vividness.
We had an air battle with the Japanese. I won't describe it to you. We beat up the enemy pretty well and drove him far away. Suddenly I notice that Zabaluev is not there. And we fought side by side. I make a circle, look for him first at the top, then at the bottom, and suddenly I see: Zabaluev sitting on the ground. But the land is foreign, Manchurian. 60 kilometers from the border. On the horizon you can already see the city - Ganchzhur. Roofs of houses, telegraph poles, trucks. And I don’t feel anything anymore, I don’t think about anything. I have only one thought: pick up the commander and fly away. I'm starting to descend. All the time, without looking away, I look at Zabaluev. And I see: he jumped out of the plane and was running. He runs and throws off everything as he goes - the parachute, the belt, well, in a word, everything heavy. Running with a pistol in his hand. I wanted to cry, honestly! Well, where do I think you're running? Well, you run a hundred, two hundred meters, and then? After all, the border is 60 kilometers away. And then you still have to cross the front. I think so: he probably would have shot himself. Zabaluev is not the kind of person to surrender alive into the hands of the enemy. I’m telling you this for a long time, but it takes a thousandth of a second to think about it. At this time I see that he is waving his hand at me: they say, fly away, don’t mess with me! He, of course, didn't know it was me. He thought some Soviet pilot was scouting the area and got a little lost. What kind of Zabaluev! He himself was in this position, but he was afraid for the other. And it’s interesting: it seemed like there was no time for this, but suddenly I remembered how the day before he was talking about his little son. The devil knows, I had some kind of desperate tenderness for Zabaluev at that moment. “I’ll die,” I think, “but I’ll help you out!” I’m landing and, you know, it’s so calm, on a hill, as if I’m landing at my own airfield. At the same time, I hope to sit as close as possible to Zabaluev. Every second counts here. I'm landing. I take Zabaluev on target - so that I can taxi directly to him, without wasting time on turns. The plane is already flying along the ground. Jumping. The place is hummocky. Of course, there was a danger of breakdown. But what if there were two left, it would still be easier. And he is already running towards me, to intercept. The plane stopped. The moment is decisive. It was necessary to act without delay, a second decided everything. I take the pistol and climb out to the starboard side. I look around myself: can I see the Japanese? I’m still afraid: the damned ones will come running at the sound of the engine. Zabaluev is already near the plane. He climbs into the cabin. There's no time to talk. I think feverishly: “Where should I put you, dear?” The plane is a single seater. In general, I squeeze it between the left side and the armored back.
Suddenly the engine sneezed. In this cramped space, Zabaluev grabbed the gas and pressed it towards himself. And the propeller began to waver and was about to stop. And none of us can turn around. This is the moment! But then I give the gas “back”, and the plane just took off - and ran, ran! New trouble. Let's not break away. It seems like we’ve already run half the distance to Ganchzhur, but we’re not breaking away. I think: “If only not a single bump falls under the wheel.” We're finally getting up! I remove the landing gear. Now the new thing worries me - I wish I had enough fuel. After all, the load is double. I don’t gain any height, I walk at low level, very low, so that they won’t be noticed. In this manner we glide over the green Manchurian grass.
Once we reached the river, it became easier. Here the front appeared. We rented the car for a set. Soared. Well, damn it, it looks like we made it out. I found an airfield, sat down, and jumped out.
Well,” I shout to everyone, “take out your expensive luggage!”
Let us note that Japanese pilots twice accomplished a similar feat in the steppes of Mongolia, taking out comrades who had been knocked out in battle and had made an emergency landing.
On August 29, 1939, for the exemplary performance of combat missions and the outstanding heroism shown during their implementation, Major S. I. Gritsevets was the first in the USSR to be awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union. By the same Decree, the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to Major G. P. Kravchenko.
Aviation Major General B. A. Smirnov later recalled: “Sergei Gritsevets obtained permission from the command to take part in battles on Chaikas not only over Mongolian territory, but also beyond its borders. The new I-153 aircraft turned out to be a good machine, especially in cooperation with I-16 aircraft.
Gritsevets managed to unite our group of experienced fighters flying on the Chaikas - senior lieutenants, captains and majors flew in it as ordinary pilots. And although each of them could be the leader, no misunderstandings arose. Everyone was united by military friendship. We all really liked Gritsevets. Extremely frank, always with an open soul, he knew how to support and encourage any person in difficult times. When Nikolai Gerasimov picked up the button accordion, Gritsevets loved to sing along with him. Distinctive feature his character was courage, combined with instant resourcefulness. All of us, without exception, were amazed by his unprecedented act when, in one of the air battles, Gritsevets landed on the front line and took Major Zabaluev out of there. Once, during a break between flights, I heard from Sergei a completely unexpected assessment of the events at Khalkhin Gol. He said that this war is going on in very favorable conditions and he is quite happy with it as a fighter. This seemingly strange reasoning about the war puzzled me, but Gritsevets explained: “And remember Spain! Cities collapsed there, villages burned, children and women died, but here in Mongolia? Civilians migrated from the battle zone long ago. Only those who fight on the ground and in the air die. Let it be better this way.” Gritsevets loved people and did everything in his power for them. I don’t remember now who told me this. In Spain, Sergei carried two children out of a burning house after a bombing. And now here, in Mongolia, he snatched a comrade from the embrace of death. By the way, many pilots took part in this same air battle, no less experienced and brave than him, but of all of them, it was Sergei Gritsevets who decided on this feat, without thinking or guessing that he would become the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union in the country.”
His comrades always spoke extremely warmly about Gritsevets. Those around him were captivated by his simplicity, modesty, and responsiveness.
At the beginning of September 1939, even before the end of the fighting at Khalkhin Gol, the concentration of aviation began in the western border districts - the Red Army troops were about to march to Western Ukraine and Belarus.
On September 12, 1939, a group of Heroes of the Soviet Union flew on two transport planes from the area of the Khalkhin Gol River to Moscow. In Ulaanbaatar, the Soviet pilots were greeted by Marshal Choibalsan. A gala dinner was given in their honor.
On September 14, 1939, a gala dinner was also held in the Central House of the Red Army in Moscow in honor of the heroes of Khalkhin Gol. People's Commissar Voroshilov met the arrivals in the hall. He fatherly hugged Gritsevets and Kravchenko and seated them next to him at the table.
Gritsevets began to tell Kravchenko about his meeting with his family in Odessa, where he managed to fly immediately after returning from Mongolia. He appeared at home unexpectedly. The joy of the family knew no bounds. It’s just a pity that I only had to stay at home for a day. During this sincere conversation, both had something to remember: after all, both grew up in the Kurgan region. Gritsevets’ parents were immigrants from Belarus and lived in the village of Shumikha, just 120 kilometers from Zverinogolovskoye. The family was also quite large: 4 sons and a daughter.
After the reception, Gritsevets flew to a new duty station in Minsk.
On September 16, 1939, the Military Council of the Belarusian Special Military District was held in Minsk. Marshal of the Soviet Union Budyonny addressed the audience. He informed about the current situation and set specific tasks for the district command staff. Gritsevets was appointed as an adviser to the fighter aviation brigade. In the evening, the officers of this brigade and advisers flew in their fighters to Balbasovo, near Orsha.
Dusk was already hanging over the airfield where the Orsha air brigade was based, but it was still quite possible to do without night lights. The pilot descended without circling over the airfield and landed. He began to steer into the neutral zone. Not far from runway a lot of people gathered. This caught the eye of Gritsevets. Unfastening his seat belts, without yet turning off the engine, he asked the finisher:
What's happened?
The Hero of the Soviet Union is due to fly in twice, people came out to meet him,” the Red Army soldier answered.
What is this for? - Gritsevets said dissatisfiedly and at that time he noticed a fighter rushing towards him. He grabbed the throttle and the engine roared. But he didn’t have time to taxi. Gritsevets was seriously injured by the rotating propeller and died immediately. The pilot of the oncoming fighter, Captain P.I. Khara, escaped with bruises.
Gritsevets was buried in Balbasovo. Due to the outbreak of a military operation to liberate Western Belarus, the funeral was modest.
Fighter pilot N.I. Petrov recalls: “We intensively trained on I-16 combat aircraft according to the combat training plan and by the beginning of hostilities against Poland, that is, by September 17, 1939, we were already flying as a pair. While on combat readiness at the Balbasovo airfield before relocating to the Lida airfield, in front of the flight tactical personnel, a disaster occurred with the death of the excellent Soviet ace Major Gritsevets, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. This happened under the following circumstances. Returning from reconnaissance of airfields to which the 31st and 21st IAP were supposed to relocate during the fighting to the fighting with the Poles, with expected changes during the offensive - the commanders of the 31st IAP, Major P.I. Putivko, 21st IAP Captain P.I. Khara, Air Force inspector Major G.P. Kravchenko, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and Major S.I. Gritsevets, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, landed one at a time. Captain P.I. Khara and Major S.I. Gritsevets came in for landing with opposite starts, landed on a collision course, collided with their starboard sides during the run, as a result, Major S.I. Gritsevets died, and, moreover, absurdly, such a combat pilot. He was buried with honors at the House of the Red Army in the Balbasovo garrison.”
The Kharkov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots was named after Gritsevets, and streets in Minsk and Kurgan were named. Previously, until 1994, one of the Moscow streets bore the name of Gritsevets. The Central Belarusian Aero Club is named after Gritsevets. Monuments to him were erected in Minsk and Balbasovo.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (02/22/1939, 08/29/1939) S.I. Gritsevets was awarded two Orders of Lenin and two Orders of the Red Banner; Mongolian Order of the Red Banner.
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"I want everything..."
The concept of “ace” appeared during the First World War, and it denoted an experienced pilot who personally shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft in air battles. True, to receive this title, the pilot and his command had to count victories in order to determine exactly when the fighter pilot became an ace. However, neither Japan nor the USSR carried out such a calculation in the 1930s. The Japanese considered this shameful because, in their opinion, the destruction of the enemy for a real samurai is ordinary routine work, and only heroic death in battle can be considered a feat. In the collectivist Soviet Union, only joint actions were valued; showing off one’s personality and individual successes was considered indecent. It is these specific views of the Japanese and Soviet people that have made it very difficult today to rank the aces of the Nomonhan conflict. However, curious historians and researchers of aviation history have nevertheless done such work, turning to the combat reports of Japanese and Soviet pilots who participated in the battle of Khalkhin Gol. Of course, the results of these studies cannot be considered absolutely accurate, especially since the pilots themselves, in their reports, many times overestimated the damage inflicted on the enemy, often wishful thinking. And yet, thanks to these studies, today we can get acquainted with the most outstanding pilots of the Nomonhan conflict and pay tribute to their abilities and fighting qualities.
Japanese aces
As mentioned in the previous post, the best Japanese ace of the “Nomonhan Conflict” is considered to be Hiromichi Shinohara, who claimed 58 victories. He is followed by Kenji Shimada (27 wins), Tomio Hanada (25), Shogo Saito (24), Bunji Yoshiyama (20+ wins), Saburo Togo (22), Jozo Iwahashi (20), Saburo Kimura (19), Ryotaro Yobo (18), Takeo Ishii (18), Soichi Suzuki (17), Mamoru Hanada (17), Muneyoshi Motojima (16), Rinchi Ito (16), Yoshihiko Wajima (16), Ivori Sakai (15), Masatoshi Masuzawa (12 ). The following are biographies of just some of these pilots.
Captain Kenji Shimada
(27 wins)
Polite and polite, fat man Kenji Shimada (1911-1939) did not at all look like a military pilot. However, underneath this unassuming appearance lay one of the top aces of Japanese army aviation. Shimada graduated from military school and entered flight school in July 1933. In March 1938, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the position of commander of the 1st Chutai of the 11th Sentai. On May 24, 1939, Shimada led his squadron to the Sino-Mongolian border. And 3 days later, Shimada received a baptism of fire when he patrolled the airspace over Khalkhin-Gol at the head of six fighters. The Japanese encountered 9 Soviet I-16s. During the battle, Shimada chalked up 3 aircraft, and his comrades claimed another 6 victories.
During the battles over Khalkhin Gol, Shimada showed himself not only to be an outstanding ace, but also a talented commander who knew how to organize a battle in such a way as to successfully use the full power of his air unit. No wonder his 1st Chutai achieved more than 180 aerial victories, taking first place in performance in Japanese army aviation. Among the pilots of his Chutai was the best ace of the Japanese Air Force - Hiromichi Shinohara.
However, despite all his abilities, Kenji Shimada did not live to see the end of the “Nomonhan Incident” for just a few hours. On the last day of the fighting - September 15, 1939 - Captain Shimada took part in a Japanese air raid on Tamsak-Bulak. He was last seen fighting against several I-16s; Shimada did not return to base. In accordance with the military traditions of Japan, Kenji Shimada was posthumously promoted to the rank of major.
Shimada's final score is difficult to determine accurately. Most sources give the figure 27, but some claim that he managed to shoot down more than 40 aircraft. However, these disagreements do not detract from the main thing - under the leadership of Shimada, his Chutai was able to become the first most effective part of the Japanese Air Force.
Major Jozo Iwahashi
(20 wins)
Jozo Iwahashi (1912-1944) graduated from military school and was promoted to second lieutenant in July 1933. By the beginning of the Nomonhan Incident, Iwahashi was already in command of the 4th Chutai of the 11th Sentai, based in Harbin. Therefore, he did not have to participate in the first battles on Khalkhin-Gol: Iwahashi got to the scene of events only in June. But already on June 24 he won his first victories, shooting down 2 enemy fighters.
Thanks to Iwahashi's leadership skills, the 4th Chutai was able to achieve over 100 victories under his leadership. However, many of his exploits remained unnoticed by the public, because Iwahashi deeply despised newspapermen and refused to give them interviews. In total, in the battles over Khalkhin-Gol, Iwahashi declared 20 victories; For these successes and successful command of the unit, he was awarded the Order of Courage, 4th class.
After the fighting in Mongolia ended, Iwahashi returned to Japan; At first he served as an instructor at a flying school in Akeno, and then became a test pilot. During World War II, Iwahashi headed the weapons inspection department, devoting much effort to the introduction of the new powerful Nakajima army fighter, the Ki-84. In March 1944, Iwahashi was appointed commander of the newly formed 22nd Sentai, armed with the new Ki-84s. With this unit, he arrived in Hankou (China) in August and took part in battles there against the American and Chinese air forces. Here, on August 28, in the skies over Yochou, Major Iwahashi destroyed a P-40 fighter. Over the next month, the 22nd Sentai, under his leadership, was engaged in intercepting American “superfortress” B-29s flying from airfields in China to bomb Japan. On September 21, 1944, Iwahashi received orders to strike such an airfield in Xi'an. The major and his wingman were on a low-level flight shooting at targets at the airfield when Iwahashi's plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, fell to the ground and exploded. Some sources report that Iwahashi finally managed to ram the P-47 that was standing on the ground. In total, during his service, Iwahashi won 21 aerial victories (20 at Khalkhin Gol). He was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Sergeant Major Hiromichi Shinohara
(58 wins) 
The most successful pilot of the Japanese army aviation, Hiromichi Shinohara (1913-1939), gained fame during the battles at Khalkhin Gol, where he shot down 58 enemy aircraft in just 3 months. For his successes, Shinohara received the nickname “Richthofen of the East” among his colleagues; subsequently, not a single Japanese army fighter pilot could beat his result.
The son of a peasant, Hiromichi Shinohara joined the ranks of the 27th Cavalry Regiment in 1931. This regiment in Manchuria protected Japanese settlers from Chinese bandits. In June 1933, Shinohara entered flight school, graduating in January 1934, after which he was assigned to the 11th Sentai, stationed in Harbin. As part of this unit, Shinohara took part in the “Nomonhan Incident”. Already on May 27, in his first battle, Shinohara shot down 4 I-16s over Khalkhin - Gol. And less than 24 hours later, the pilot shot down another R-5 reconnaissance aircraft and 5 I-15bis fighters. Hiromichi Shinohara set his record of 11 aerial victories in one day, which no Japanese pilot could beat, on June 27, 1939. On that day, the Japanese counter-offensive began, and more than 100 Japanese aircraft clashed with 150 Soviet fighters. A grandiose air battle ensued, which lasted more than half an hour. Shinohara used a simple but effective tactic: he crashed into a formation of enemy planes, smashed it and shot the planes one by one, using his excellent ability to shoot accurately.
However, the young ace was not always lucky in battle. So, on July 25, Shinohara almost died: due to a hole in the gas tank, the pilot had to make an emergency landing on Mongolian territory. But Shinohara's comrade, Sergeant Iwasaki, landed nearby and picked up the ace.
Luck finally ran out for sergeant major Hiromichi Shinohara on August 27, 1939. That day, Shinohara flew out to accompany the bombers. The Japanese planes were intercepted by Soviet fighters, and in the ensuing battle, Shinohara was shot down. However, Hiromichi's colleagues claim that before his death, Shinohara managed to destroy 3 enemy fighters, thus bringing his combat tally to 58 victories. Posthumously, sergeant major Hiromichi Shinohara, according to the tradition of the Japanese army, was promoted to junior lieutenant.
Major Ivory Sakai
(15 wins) 
Major Ivori Sakai (1909 - ?) was one of the oldest Japanese fighter pilots: by the beginning of the Nomonhan conflict he was already 30 years old. Sakai began his flying career as a pilot. civil aviation; in 1928 he was awarded the rank of non-commissioned officer and enrolled in the military aviation reserve.
My military service Corporal Sakai started in Korea; then the pilot served in Shantung in China. After returning to Japan, Sakai was briefly an instructor at the Akeno Fighter School, and in 1932 he entered military school, graduating the following year with the rank of second lieutenant.
Ivory Sakai received his baptism of fire on March 11, 1938 in China: on that day he took part in a raid on Xian and won his first victory - he shot down a Chinese I-15. A month later, on April 10, he shot down 3 planes at once, and on May 20 - 1 more; in May 1939, Sakai was promoted to captain.
In the Nomonhan Incident, Captain Sakai took part as a pilot of the 2nd Chutai of the 64th Sentai from August 1939; when his commander Captain Anzai died on September 1, 1939, Sakai took the place of leader of the 2nd Chutai. He, like other Japanese aviation pilots, had a very heavy workload: from 4 to 6 combat sorties per day; Sakai once had to fly 7 combat missions in a day! Then, after returning to the airfield, Ivory counted more than 50 holes in his plane...
Before the truce, Captain Sakai managed to win 10 victories; he was soon transferred to Seoul, where he began training young pilots in the art of air combat using the "Sakai method". In July 1941, he returned to the Akeno Fighter School, where many future Japanese aces of World War II studied with him. In March 1942, Sakai was promoted to major and appointed test pilot. He had the opportunity to fly around and commission new fighters Ki-61 Hien and Ki-84 Hayate; At the very end of the war, Sakai flew a prototype of the newest Ki-100 Goshikisen fighter. At the end of World War 2, Major Sakai had 15 air victories (all won in China and over Khalkhin Gol); by this time he had spent more than 5,000 hours in the air, having sat at the controls of 50 types of aircraft.
Sergeant Bunji Yoshiyama
(20 wins) 
Sergeant Bunji Yoshiyama (1916-1939) became one of the best pilots of the Nomonhan armed conflict. Bunji dreamed of becoming a sailor, but when he was rejected from Merchant Marine School, he decided to try his luck in aviation and enrolled in flight school. In November 1934, Yoshiyama was qualified as a fighter pilot and assigned to the 11th Sentai, based in Harbin (Manchuria).
Bunji Yoshiyama won his first victory on May 28, 1939 in a battle with a group of Soviet fighters under Major Zabaluev. Yoshiyama, flying as part of the 1st Chutai, shot down one I-152 in the ensuing battle. And on June 27, when attacking Soviet airfields in Tamsak-Bulak, Yoshiyama chalked up 4 more Soviet fighters (3 I-16 and 1 I-152). On the way back, Yoshiyama landed in the area of Lake Buir-Nur and picked up his downed fellow soldier, Sergeant Eisaku Suzuki.
On July 25, Yoshiyama shot down 3 more enemy fighters and again landed behind the front lines to pick up Shintaro Kajima of the 4th Chutai. As Yoshiyama shot down more aircraft, his reputation within the regiment steadily grew, and he was soon appointed wingman to the commander of the 1st Chutai, Captain Kenji Shimada. On August 20, Yoshiyama managed to seriously damage another Soviet fighter; he made an emergency landing, and Yoshiyama landed nearby and shot the Soviet pilot. Then he took the pistol and wristwatch of the pilot he killed as a souvenir, and returned to his airfield.
Sergeant Bunji Yoshiyama died on September 15, 1939. On that day, the fighters of his unit were accompanied by bombers flying to bomb Soviet airfields in the area of Lake Buir-Nur. The ace did not return from this mission, and the next day a truce was declared... Before his death, Yoshiyama flew 90 combat missions, shot down (according to Japanese data) 20 planes with certainty and another 25 probably.
Second Lieutenant Masatoshi Masuzawa
(12 wins) 
Masatoshi Masuzawa (1915-?) was one of the most prominent figures in Japanese army aviation. This magnificent pilot was distinguished by his insane courage. He constantly took the most desperate risks, but survived each time, which earned him a reputation among his comrades as invulnerable. Masuzawa's only weakness was his uncontrollable passion for alcohol. Masuzawa himself admitted that he often had to conduct air battles while completely drunk...
Masuzawa began his service as a simple infantryman. However, having learned that pilots enjoyed greater fame and better pay than infantrymen, Masuzawa transferred to a flight school, from which he graduated in February 1938. By the beginning of hostilities on Khalkhin-Gol, Masuzawa had already served in the ranks of the 1st Sentai. He won his first victory on June 27 in the Tamsak-Bulak area, and at the time of the truce he had 12 victories to his name. Masuzawa's fighting technique was simple and effective - confidently attack the enemy, scatter him and destroy him one by one. In numerous battles, Masuzawa’s plane was riddled with bullets, but the pilot himself seemed to be under a spell - not a single injury! Truly, God patronizes the brave and the drunkards...
In World War II, Masuzawa, with the rank of sergeant major, fought with the Americans over New Guinea, was seriously wounded, and underwent long treatment. After being discharged from the hospital, Masuzawa was written off as unfit for flying service, but the urgent need for flight instructors gave the former combat pilot a chance to take to the skies again. In March 1944, he was sent to the 39th training squadron, which was equipped with Ki-79 aircraft, a training modification of the Ki-27 fighter. The main task of this unit was to train kamikaze pilots.
On February 16, 1945, Masuzawa had to “shake off the old days.” On that day, American carrier-based aircraft attacked Japanese airfields located in the Tokyo area. This was the first American raid on the Japanese archipelago since the famous Dolittle Raid in 1942. When a message was received that enemy aircraft were approaching, Masuzawa, at the head of 16 instructors and cadets, flew out to intercept. Despite the fact that Masuzawa and his subordinates were sitting in training Ki-79s, armed with only one 7.7-mm machine gun, and the Americans were in powerfully armed and well-protected Hellcat fighters, Masuzawa not only survived, but also managed to shoot down one enemy aircraft. Almost all of his comrades died in that battle, and the “invulnerable” Masuzawa returned to the airfield again without a single scratch!
Masuzawa ended the war with 15 aerial victories to his name, 12 of which were won over Khalkhin Gol.
Second Lieutenant Shogo Saito
(24 wins) 
During the Nomonhan Incident, Shogo Saito (1918-1944) received the nickname "King of Rams". Saito became a fighter pilot in November 1938, after graduating from Tokorazawa flying school. When in May 1939 the Mongolian steppes began fighting, Saito served in the ranks of the 24th Sentai, based in the Manchurian city of Hailar. He won his first victory on May 24 in unusual circumstances. Having taken off later than everyone else, Saito discovered a group of planes in the air and decided that they were his comrades. When he got closer, it turned out that these were Soviet I-152s. It was too late to retreat, and Saito accepted an unequal battle, from which he emerged victorious.
Shogo Saito distinguished himself again on June 22. When more than 100 Soviet fighters crossed Khalkhin-Gol, the Japanese were only able to counter this armada with 18 Ki-27s from the 24th Sentai. In this battle, Sergeant Saito shot down 3 enemy aircraft, and when 3 Soviet fighters made an emergency landing, Saito passed over them at low level and set fire to the vehicles standing on the ground. Once again finding himself in the thick of the battle, Saito discovered that he had used up all his ammunition. And then he was captured by 6 I-16 pincers. Realizing that he had no chance of surviving, Saito rammed the fighter closest to him and cut off part of its tail with his wing. The enemy scattered the formation, and Saito, taking advantage of the confusion, escaped from the pincers and escaped pursuit.
On July 21, Saito shot down 4 enemy fighters and probably 1 more. In addition, he managed to save the life of his commander, who had a Soviet fighter on his tail. Saito tried to ram the enemy and he, escaping the unexpected attack, broke away from his victim. After 2 days, Sergeant Saito shot down 1 bomber, but enemy fighters arrived in time and riddled the Japanese plane, and Saito himself was wounded in the leg. However, the pilot found the strength to leave the battle and return to the airfield, where he was hospitalized.
At the time of the truce, Saito had 24 victories to his name and was the most successful pilot of the 24th Sentai. At the beginning of World War II, part of Saito was transferred to the Philippines, then to New Guinea, where he shot down several American aircraft, including B-24 bombers, but the exact number of his victories is unknown. Saito died on July 2, 1944, fighting the Americans as an infantryman.
Soviet aces of Khalkhin Gol
As already mentioned here, in Soviet aviation of the 30s it was not customary to count personal victories; in a collectivist country, collectivism was promoted at all levels, and therefore among the “Stalinist falcons” group victories were more valued, which, by the way, did not go to the account of an individual pilot, but were recorded in the overall account of the unit. That is why today it is quite difficult to compile a list of Soviet aces of Khalkhin Gol, much less determine places by rating. However, researchers who gained access to the archives at the end of the 20th century tried to compile such a rating based on reports from “Stalin’s falcons” about the battles. Of course, it is impossible to say that this list is “one hundred percent” accurate, but so far historians cannot offer anything more reliable...
The first among the aces of 1939 was probably the veteran of the wars in Spain and China, Sergei Gritsevets, who claimed 12 victories in the skies of Mongolia. Next on the list of the best aces of Khalkhin Gol are N.P. Zherdev (11 wins), M.P. Leg (9), V.G. Rakhov and S.P. Danilov (8 each), A.V. Vorozheikin and A.A. Zaitsev (6 each), G.P. Kravchenko, V.P. Trubachenko, I.I. Krasnoyurchenko and V.M. Naidenko (5 each). The list of Soviet aces of Khalkhin Gol is limited to these pilots, since the remaining pilots won less than 5 victories in the skies of Mongolia (5 victories are considered in the world to be the milestone that turns a fighter pilot into an ace). Nevertheless, Soviet propaganda counted among the aces a number of pilots who did not achieve the required number of victories, but distinguished themselves in battle in some other way. For example, the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the title of ace were awarded to senior lieutenant V.F. Skobarikhin (2 victories) and captain V.P. Kustov (posthumously) for the destruction of enemy aircraft by ramming attacks. Captain A.I. was awarded the same honor. Balashov, who received a fatal head wound in battle, however, managed to return to the airfield and land, thereby saving the combat vehicle (he himself soon died in the hospital).
Gritsevets Sergey Ivanovich
(12 victories at Khalkhin Gol + 30 in China and Spain) 
S.I. Gritsevets (1909-1939) is the most famous Soviet ace of the 30s and one of the first Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union in history (though he never received a single Gold Star). The son of a Belarusian peasant, in 1931 he entered the Orenburg Aviation School on a Komsomol ticket, after which he became a fighter pilot. In 1937, Gritsevets was sent to China, where Soviet pilots trained Chinese pilots in flying, and also, together with their students, participated in air battles. Here Sergei showed his fighting qualities, bringing his personal tally to 24 victories over Japanese aircraft by the end of the trip (however, Gritsevets’ Chinese trip is not mentioned in the official encyclopedic literature, but it is mentioned in many memoirs of Soviet “Chinese” aces who fought with Sergei shoulder to shoulder). In the summer of 1938, Gritsevets, who had just returned from China, voluntarily went to Spain to participate in the civil war. Here Sergei Ivanovich spent only 3.5 months, managing to win 6 victories: in October 1938, all Soviet volunteers were recalled from Spain. Thus, by the end of 1938, the ace’s score was at least 30 victories - an almost incredible figure for that time! Therefore, it is not surprising that in February 1939 S.I. Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the first, “failed” stage of the Khalkhin-Gol events, which cost the Red Army Air Force huge losses, a group of Stalin’s “Spanish” and “Chinese” aces was hastily sent to Mongolia. The task of the group was to transfer combat experience to youth and ensure the seizure of air supremacy by Soviet aviation; Naturally, the best “Stalinist falcon” Sergei Gritsevets was in this group. Having taught the young pilots what he himself could do, he began combat work on June 22, managing to destroy at least 12 enemy aircraft before the end of the conflict. Victories in battles provided the renowned ace with excellent skill in operating a machine and the ability to improvise, confusing the enemy. So, for example, in one of the fights Gritsevets fired a seemingly useless burst from a long distance at an enemy who had broken away from him; however, the road passing nearby forced the Japanese to turn to the side, involuntarily reducing the distance between him and Gritsevets. Having caught up with the enemy, Sergei defiantly began to put a sharp roll into the Japanese’s tail, and when he rushed into a sharp turn to “shake” the enemy off the tail, Gritsevets sharply returned the car to its original position, and as a result, the Japanese himself got into the sights of the “Stalin’s falcon”...
Although Sergei Ivanovich became the most successful Soviet ace of Khalkhin Gol, his greatest fame was brought not by victories, but by saving the life of the commander of the 70th IAP, Major Zabaluev. When the downed Zabaluev found himself on the ground, Japanese infantrymen rushed towards him; and then Gorovets’ “Donkey” landed nearby. Climbing into Sergei's cabin, Zabaluev caught the gas sector with his foot, causing the engine to almost stall. At the last moment, Gritsevets still managed to grab the lever and give full throttle, flying into the sky under a hail of Japanese bullets sent almost point-blank...
For this feat, Sergei Ivanovich was awarded the title of Twice Hero on August 29, 1939. By this time, the famous ace had switched from the “Donkey” to the “Chaika” - the newest biplane fighter I-153. And again, already on the first flight, Gritsevets made an unconventional decision: he and his group flew with the landing gear not retracted. As a result, the Japanese decided that outdated I-15bis were approaching them and boldly launched an attack on them. Having approached the Japanese, Gritsevets’ group removed the landing gear and sharply increased speed, crashing into the formation of the dumbfounded enemy. The result of the battle was 4 downed I-27s...
In September 1939, Sergei Ivanovich was recalled to Moscow - he was appointed adviser to the air brigade of the Belarusian Military District, which was preparing to provide air cover for Red Army units entering the territory of Western Ukraine and Belarus that belonged to Poland. At dusk on September 16, Gritsevets landed at the brigade airfield near Orsha, and the next moment he was hit by the landing plane of Major P. Khara, who did not see an obstacle on the runway in the darkness...
By the time of his death, Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets, who had 42 aerial victories to his name, was the best Soviet ace of the “interwar” period and one of the few Twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. However, the ace never received a single Gold Star - the first presentation of this award took place only in November 1939 - after the death of Gritsevets...
Zherdev Nikolay Prokofievich
(11 victories at Khalkhin Gol, 5 + 6 victories in Spain and WWII) 
Nikolai Zherdev (1911-1942) is the second most successful ace of Khalkhin Gol. In 1932 he graduated from the Lugansk Aviation School, then served as a pilot in a fighter squadron of the Belarusian Military District. From March to September 1938, Nikolai took part in the Spanish Civil War as a volunteer, where in 15 air battles he shot down 3 enemy aircraft, including 1 by ramming. Upon returning to his homeland, Nikolai Zherdev was appointed assistant commander of a fighter regiment, and at the end of May 1939 he was sent to Khalkhin Gol to assist units fighting against the Japanese. Participating in battles from June to September, Nikolai Zherdev conducted 105 combat missions (including 14 to attack enemy positions), and in 46 battles he personally shot down 11 aircraft. For these successes, Captain Zherdev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in November 1939.
After the Nomonhan Incident, Nikolai Zherdev served as a flight technology inspector for the 44th Fighter Division. In May 1940, during a flight over the border, Zherdev lost his bearings and landed at an airfield in German-occupied Poland. Three days later, the Germans returned the pilot and the plane to the USSR, but this mistake caused big troubles for Nikolai and seriously affected the future career of the ace. Therefore, Major Zherdev in the Great Patriotic War participated in the rather modest position of navigator of the 821st IAP (4th VA of the North Caucasus Front). He died in a plane crash on an ordinary flight on November 15, 1942. The ace's total score during his fighting career was 16 personal + 6 group victories.
Rakhov Viktor Georgievich
(8 wins) 
Viktor Rakhov (1914-1939) graduated from the Kachin Aviation School in 1933, and was assigned to serve in the 188th Fighter Squadron. Later he became a flight training inspector for the Red Army Air Force, and since 1936, a test pilot at the Air Force Research Institute. Participated in many air parades in Moscow and Tushino.
Since May 1939, Viktor Rakhov fought in battles on the Khalkhin Gol River as a flight commander of the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. During the conflict, Senior Lieutenant Rakhov flew 68 combat missions. Victor first distinguished himself on June 24, 1939, when he, at the head of a flight, landed a Japanese Ki-27 fighter on his territory. And on August 20, 1939, Victor accomplished a feat that made him famous throughout the Soviet Union. In an air battle, Rakhov saw that Japanese fighters were attacking the plane of pilot Trubachenko; By this time, Victor’s ammunition had already been used up, and then Rakhov, saving his comrade, decided to go for a ram. He caught up with the enemy, positioned himself behind him and cut off the tail unit with a propeller, after which he made a successful landing at his airfield.
In total, in 15 air battles, Viktor Rakhov shot down 8 Japanese aircraft. He won his last victory in battle on August 27, 1939, but he himself was seriously wounded and with great difficulty brought the plane to his airfield. And on August 29, 1939, Victor died from his wounds in the Chita military hospital, never knowing that on that day he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Vorozheikin Arseniy Vasilievich
(6 victories at Khalkhin Gol + 59 in WWII) 
A.V. Vorozheikin (1912 - 2001) graduated from the Kharkov aviation school in 1937 and became a pilot in a fighter regiment. As a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) he was appointed squadron commissar. In the spring of 1939, Arseny was transferred to the Far East, where fighting began in the Khalkhin Gol region; He flew as part of the 22nd IAP on a cannon I-16 type 17 with tail number “22”. Immediately after appearing in the battle zone, the regiment suffered heavy losses, but Vorozheikin did not participate in these battles. Sergei Gritsevets, who had rich combat experience, urgently arrived in the regiment to train young people; Arseny listened carefully to the advice of the famous ace, and this later became very useful to him in battle. True, in the first air battle, when Vorozheikin chased a single reconnaissance officer, in his excitement, from a long distance, he uselessly shot all the ammunition at the enemy, and then got lost in the ensuing twilight and miraculously found his airfield in complete darkness. But then things went better: on June 22, 1939, Arseny won his first aerial victory, destroying a Ki-27 fighter. On July 4, Vorozheikin had to accompany SB bombers on his eighth flight of the day; Japanese fighters took off to intercept, and Arseny literally destroyed the Ki-27 sneaking up on the SB with his salvo; then he attacked the second and hit him with a burst of fire, but did not have time to see what happened to the Japanese: he himself was hit by a third plane. Vorozheikin made an emergency landing straight into the steppe, the Japanese rushed after him, pouring lead on the Donkey, and when the enemy was carried forward by inertia, the wake from the Japanese propeller overturned Arseny's plane and threw him to the ground. Vorozheikin came to his senses only at night. Having got out of the wreckage of the Donkey, he wandered towards his own people, but came face to face with a Japanese pilot from a downed fighter; a hand-to-hand fight began, so fierce that to save his life, Arseny had to bite off the Japanese’s fingers! Having dealt with the enemy, Vorozheikin trudged to the base and was immediately sent to the hospital. Here it turned out that during the accident Arseny suffered a compression fracture of the lumbar vertebrae; It’s simply amazing how, in such a state, the pilot was able to defeat the Japanese in hand-to-hand combat and get to his own people! Doctors said that Vorozheikin could no longer fly, but Arseniy undertook to train his lower back with a special set of exercises, and gained permission to fly (although he was warned that if he attempted to jump with a parachute, he would be doomed). Returning to his unit, Vorozheikin again began combat work. In one of the flights he almost died: when attacking enemy troops, he had to leave the dive towards the mountain and, in order to avoid a collision with it, go into a sharp climb; It was then that the broken lower back made itself felt - Arseny fell into a semi-conscious state from pain and only miraculously did not lose control. The next moment, an anti-aircraft shell exploded nearby and the engine of the Donkey choked. The car fell down, but did not hit the rocks, but slipped into the gorge, and this accidentally appeared “altitude reserve” of just a few tens of meters was enough for the engine to stop working and pull the I-16 out of a disastrous situation.
In total, during the Khalkhin-Gol events, Arseny Vorozheikin fought 30 battles, in which he shot down 6 Japanese aircraft. In the winter of 1939-40. he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War, and then in the Great Patriotic War, which Vorozheikin ended with Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. The total score of the famous ace was 65 victories (6 personal at Khalkhin Gol + 46 personal and 13 group in the Great Patriotic War).
Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich
(5 victories at Khalkhin Gol + 15 victories in China and WWII) 
Grigory Kravchenko (1912-1943), along with Sergei Gritsevets, is the first Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (the title was awarded to both aces on the same day). The son of a poor peasant, he entered the flight school in 1931, and after 11 months he became an instructor at the Kachin aviation school. In 1934, Grigory transferred to fighter aviation, and in 1938, senior lieutenant Kravchenko volunteered for China to participate in combat operations against Japanese aviation. From March 13 to August 24, 1938, in numerous battles, he shot down 9 enemy aircraft, while he himself was shot down twice, but remained in service. Upon returning from China, Major Grigory Kravchenko became a test pilot at the Air Force Research Institute, tested and commissioned a number of combat aircraft. For these successful tests and for victories in China, Grigory was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on February 22, 1939.
At the end of May 1939, Kravchenko, as an experienced pilot and combat ace, was sent by the command to Khalkhin Gol to train young pilots in combat and strengthen the fighting units.
Upon arrival in Mongolia, Grigory Panteleevich was appointed advisor to the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, and after the death of the regiment commander, Major Glazykin, in battle, he was appointed commander of this regiment. According to Soviet data, the pilots of the regiment under his leadership destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. Kravchenko himself conducted 8 air battles from June 22 to July 29, shooting down 3 planes personally and 4 in the group. On August 10, for courage in battles with aggressors, the Presidium of the Small Khural of the MPR awarded Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko the Order of the Red Banner for Military Valor (the order was presented by Marshal of the MPR Choibalsan). And on August 29, 1939, Major Kravchenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time - G.P. Kravchenko and S.I. Gritsevets became the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. In addition to Kravchenko himself, 13 more pilots of his 22nd IAP were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, 285 people were awarded orders and medals, and the regiment itself became Red Banner.
In October 1939, Major G.P. Kravchenko was appointed head of the fighter aviation department of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. On November 4, 1939, the Heroes of the Soviet Union were awarded the Gold Star medals for the first time; and Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko, the first in the country Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR M.I. Kalinin attached two Gold Star medals to his tunic. And on November 7, 1939, Kravchenko was the leader of five fighters and opened the air parade over Red Square. In November 1939, Kravchenko was nominated as a candidate, and then was elected to the Moscow Regional Council of Workers' Deputies.
In the winter of 1939-1940, Grigory Panteleevich participated in the Soviet-Finnish War as the head of a Special Brigade, which consisted of 6 air regiments. During this war, Kravchenko received the rank of division commander and the second Order of the Red Banner. Then - participation in the annexation of Estonia and appointment to the post of commander of the Air Force of the Baltic Special Military District.
He participated in the Great Patriotic War from June 1941 as commander of the 11th mixed aviation division on the Western and Bryansk fronts. From November 22, 1941 to March 1942, he was commander of the Air Force of the 3rd Army of the Bryansk Front. Then, in March-May 1942, he became the commander of the 8th strike aviation group of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (Bryansk Front). From May 1942, he formed the 215th Fighter Aviation Division, and as its commander participated in battles on the Kalinin (November 1942 - January 1943) and Volkhov (from January 1943) fronts. On February 23, 1943, in an air battle, Kravchenko shot down a Focke-Wulf 190, but his La-5 plane was shot down and caught fire. Having flown over the front line, Kravchenko was unable to reach his airfield and was forced to abandon the plane, but the parachute did not open (the pull cable with which the parachute pack was opened was broken by a shrapnel), and Gigory Panteleevich died.
The total number of victories won by G. P. Kravchenko is not given in any of the sources (with the exception of P. M. Stefanovsky’s book “300 Unknowns,” which lists 19 victories won in battles with the Japanese). Perhaps these figures reflect the overall result of his military activities. According to some memoir sources, in his last battle he won 4 victories at once (he shot down 3 planes with cannon fire, and drove another one into the ground with a skillful maneuver). Some Western sources point to 20 victories won in 4 wars, but whether this is actually true is still impossible to say...
Yakimenko Anton Dmitrievich
(3+4 victories at Khalkhin Gol, 15+35 victories in WWII) 
Anton Yakimenko (1913 - 2006), according to the international scale for determining aces in 1939, had not yet achieved this title (3 personal victories instead of 5), although in the USSR he was officially recognized as such, awarding him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his participation in the battles over Khalkhin Gol.
The son of a peasant, Anton graduated from the Lugansk military pilot school in 1935 with the rank of foreman, after which he was sent to the 22nd Fighter Regiment, which was then part of the 64th Light Bomber Brigade, based in Transbaikalia. Here Yakimenko quickly advanced in service, becoming a flight commander, and soon a squadron navigator. But this growth was not accompanied by a promotion in rank, because Anton was not listed as a career soldier, but was a “conscript”. As a result, a paradoxical situation arose when the sergeant major of conscript service commanded career lieutenants and captains! By the beginning of 1939, Yakimenko’s service life came to an end, but the regiment leadership, who needed him, delayed Anton’s expulsion from the unit, and Yakimenko himself, who could no longer imagine himself without flying, did not raise the issue of demobilization. In the end, the regiment commander, Major Kutsevalov, sent a request to the People's Commissariat of Defense to transfer Yakimenko to the ranks and assign him the rank of "lieutenant" without training at school. However, this issue was resolved for quite a long time, and Anton Yakimenko had to take part in the Khalkhin-Gol events with the same rank of foreman.
Sergeant Major Yakimenko fought in the battles at Khalkhin Gol from May 23, 1939, completing about 100 combat missions during the conflict. On June 17, 1939, in the area of Lake Buin-Nur, Anton shot down his first Japanese fighter; this happened when he, a troika, broke through reconnaissance right through the formation of 18 “donkeys” blocking the way to I-27. Yakimenko won his second victory on June 22, 1939, almost losing his life in the process. On July 12, 1939, in a fierce “dog fight” over the Bayan-Tsagan bend of the Khalkhin Gol River, Anton shot down his 7th plane, but he himself was wounded in the leg by the Japanese “hovering” in his tail during the attack. Nevertheless, Yakimenko managed to escape from the enemy’s “pincers” and “at low level” reach his airfield. The wound turned out to be quite serious, so Anton no longer participated in the battles at Khalkhin Gol. In memory of those events, he was left with the Mongolian Order of the Red Banner and the Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, which Anton was awarded on August 29, 1939.
After the battles at Khalkhin Gol, Yakimenko became a lieutenant at the request of his commander G.P. Kravchenko was appointed to the position of... deputy commander of the 67th IAP in the city of Rzhev! History repeated itself: now Lieutenant Yakimenko commanded captains and majors...
As part of the 67th IAP, Anton in 1940 took part in the campaign against Bessarabia, which later became the Moldavian SSR. Here, in Moldova, he met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
In October 1941, Anton Dmitrievich became commander of the 427th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Volkhov Front. In 1942, his regiment fought on the Kalinin Front, and in 1943 - near Kursk. After this battle, by decision of the commander of the air corps, General Podgorny, a special air group was created to carry out suddenly important tasks. This group, if necessary, was rushed by the command to the rescue of air units engaged in battle, or to strengthen them in order to disrupt the attack of enemy aircraft on Soviet ground forces. This group was named “Sword” and was headed by Anton Yakimenko (who at the same time remained commander of the 427th regiment). The group included those pilots whom Anton Dmitrievich personally tested in battle and knew who was capable of what. The identifying mark of this group was the bright red color of the front of the aircraft - from the propeller to the cockpit. Subsequently, the Sword group, which was actually the reserve of the air corps commander, received the latest Yak-3 fighters.
Then Yakimenko’s regiment took part in the battles for Bessarabia, for the liberation of Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Yakimenko celebrated his victory in Czechoslovakia, near the city of Brno. During the war years in the skies of Ukraine, Stalingrad, Kursk, Romania, Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Anton Dmitrievich carried out 1055 combat sorties, shot down 15 personally and in the group - 35 German aircraft. Yakimenko was wounded three times in battle.
Ten of his students became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
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