How many were the heroes of the Soviet Union twice. The first twice hero of the USSR. Gritsevets Sergei Ivanovich

Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko (September 27 (October 10) 1912, the village of Golubovka, Yekaterinoslav province - February 23, 1943, the village of Sinyavino, Leningrad Region) - Lieutenant General of Aviation, pilot-ace. Together with S. Gritsevets, the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1939). Born on September 27 (October 10), 1912 in the village of Golubovka, Novomoskovsk uyezd, Yekaterinoslavskaya province (now Novomoskovskiy district, Dnipropetrovsk region) in the family of a poor peasant. Ukrainian In 1930, he graduated from the school of peasant youth and entered the Perm Land Management College, which was soon transferred to Moscow. After the first year of the Moscow Land Management College in 1931 he was drafted into the Red Army. In the same year he joined the CPSU (b). In aviation When in the winter of 1931 the appeal of the IX Congress of the Komsomol was published with the appeal "Komsomolets - to the plane!" Gregory took the call as personally addressed to him and submitted an application with a request to send him to aviation. According to the special kit of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in May 1931, he was sent to the 1st Military Pilot School. Comrade Myasnikov in Kach. At the aviation school, he mastered the U-1 and R-1 aircraft. The persistent and disciplined cadet completed the curriculum in 11 months. In 1932, after graduating from the A.F. Myasnikov Kachin Military Aviation School, he remained there to work as an instructor pilot. In 1933-1934. served in the 403rd IAB commanded by brigade commander P.I.Pumpur. He quickly mastered the I-3, I-4, I-5 fighters. Since 1934, he served near Moscow in the 116th Special Purpose Fighter Squadron under the command of Colonel Thomas Susi. Was a flight commander. The squadron carried out special assignments from the Air Force Research Institute. Participated in tests of dynamo-reactive aircraft guns of the Kurchevsky APK 4-bis on I-Z aircraft (N 13535). For success in the service he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor on May 25, 1936. In August 1936, he was awarded a diploma of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and the Central Council of the USSR Osoaviakhim for excellent work in the preparation and conduct of the aviation festival, which took place on August 24, 1936. Participation in hostilities in China and on Khalkhin Gol Senior Lieutenant Kravchenko took part in hostilities in China from March 13 to August 24, 1938. He flew an I-16 (76 hours of combat flight time). On April 29, he shot down 2 bombers, but he was shot down himself, with difficulty put the car on a forced one and spent more than a day getting to his airfield in Nanchang. On July 4, covering Anton Gubenko, who had thrown out with a parachute, he pressed the Japanese fighter so that he crashed into the ground. After the group's flight to Canton, Kravchenko took part in a raid on an enemy airfield. On May 31, 1938, he destroyed 2 aircraft while repelling an enemy raid on Hanhou. A few days later he destroyed 3 enemy fighters in one battle at once, but he himself was shot down. In the summer of 1938, he won the last victory over Hanhou - he shot down a bomber. In total, in China, he shot down about 10 enemy aircraft, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. At the end of December 1938, Kravchenko was awarded the extraordinary military rank of major. He continued flight test work at the Air Force Research Institute in the Stefanovsky detachment. Conducted state tests of fighters: I-16 type 10 with M wing (December 1938 - January 1939), I-16 type 17 (February-March 1939). He carried out a number of test works on the I-153 and DI-6 fighters. On February 22, 1939, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin. After the establishment of the badge of special distinction "Gold Star" he was awarded a medal number 120 on May 29 from the Central Aerodrome. Frunze, a group of 48 pilots and engineers who had combat experience, led by the deputy head of the Air Force Directorate Corps Commander Ya.V. Smushkevich flew on 3 Douglas transport aircraft on the route Moscow - Sverdlovsk - Omsk - Krasnoyarsk - Irkutsk - Chita to strengthen units participating in the Soviet-Japanese conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol river. K. Ye. Voroshilov came to see them off and forbade the flight until parachutes were delivered for everyone. On June 2, 1939, Kravchenko arrived in Mongolia and was appointed an advisor to the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (based at Tamsag-Bulak). After the death of the regiment commander Major N.G. Glazykin in battle, and then the assistant commander of Captain A.I. Balashev, he was appointed regiment commander. The regiment's pilots destroyed more than 100 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. Kravchenko himself fought 8 air battles from June 22 to July 29, shot down 3 planes personally and 4 in a group, including the famous ace of Major Marimoto. He took part in 2 assault strikes against enemy airfields, in which 32 enemy aircraft were destroyed under his command, on the ground and in the air. 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 Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan with Soviet pilots, awarded for participation in the battles on Khalkhin Gol, 1939.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Republic Khorlogiin Choibalsan. On August 29, 1939, Major Kravchenko Grigory Panteleevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time (medal No. 1 / II). 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 the 22nd IAP were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, 285 people were awarded orders and medals, and the regiment became the Red Banner. On September 12, 1939, a group of Heroes of the Soviet Union took off from the area of ​​the Khalkhin-Gol River to Moscow on 2 transport planes. Marshal Choibalsan greeted Soviet pilots in Ulan Bator. In their honor, a dinner was given on September 14, 1939, the heroes of Khalkhin-Gol were met in Moscow by representatives of the Air Force General Staff and relatives. A gala dinner was held at the Central House of the Red Army. On September 15, 1939, he left for the Kiev military district to participate in the operation to liberate the western regions of Ukraine as an adviser to an aviation division. On October 2, 1939, Major G.P. Kravchenko was recalled from the Kiev military district and appointed head of the fighter aviation department of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. Kravchenko was allocated an apartment in Moscow on Bolshaya Kaluzhskaya Street (now Leninsky Prospekt). Parents, younger brother and sister moved in with him. On November 4, 1939, for the first time in the country, the Gold Star medals were awarded to the Heroes of the Soviet Union. The first in the country and two Gold Star medals at once, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin attached Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko to his tunic. On November 7, 1939, he was the leader of five fighters and opened an air parade over Red Square. In November 1939, Kravchenko was nominated as a candidate for the Moscow Regional Council of Working People's Deputies (he was elected in December). Soviet-Finnish war Member of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. Initially, the Kravchenko air group (or Special Air Group) consisted of two regiments - SB bombers and I-153 fighters and was deployed on the Ezel (Dago) island in Estonia, but gradually increased to 6 air regiments (71st fighter, 35th, 50th and 73rd high-speed bomber, 53rd long-range bomber and 80th mixed air regiment). Operationally, the brigade was subordinate to the chief of the Red Army Air Force, corps commander Y. Smushkevich. During the hostilities, this brigade often helped the 10th mixed air brigade of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force in organizing joint attacks on Finnish ports and battleships. The distribution of targets between the brigades was as follows: the 10th brigade bombed ports on the western and southwestern coasts of Finland, as well as enemy transports and warships at sea, and the Kravchenko group bombed settlements in central and southern Finland. He was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. On February 19, 1940 he was awarded the rank of brigade commander, in April he was awarded the rank of division commander. In the summer of 1940 he took part in the annexation of Estonia. In May-July 1940 - head of the fighter aviation department of the Flight Technical Inspection of the Red Army Air Force. By the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of June 4, 1940, G.P. Kravchenko was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation. From July 19 to November 1940 - Commander of the Air Force of the Baltic Special Military District. Since November 23, 1940 - a student of advanced training courses for the commanding staff at the Academy of the General Staff. In March 1941, after graduating from the KUVNAS, he was appointed commander of the 64th Iad of the Kiev Special Military District (12th, 149th, 166th, 246th and 247th IAP), which he commanded until the beginning of the Great World War II.

The Great Patriotic War With the beginning of the war with Germany after the death of the leadership of the 11th mixed aviation division of the Western Front on June 22, 1941, he was appointed commander of this air division, in July-August 1941 he participated in the Smolensk battle (the 11th air division was attached to the 13th Army of the Central , then the Bryansk front). From November 22, 1941 to March 1942 - Commander of the Air Force of the 3rd Army of the Bryansk Front. Then, in March-May 1942, he was the commander of the 8th Strike Aviation Group of the Supreme High Command Headquarters (Bryansk Front). From May 1942, he formed the 215th Fighter Aviation Division, and as its commander participated in the battles on the Kalinin (November 1942 - January 1943) and Volkhov (from January 1943) fronts. On February 23, 1943, Kravchenko shot down the Focke-Wulf 190 in an air battle, but his La-5 plane caught fire. Having flown over the front line, Kravchenko could not reach his airfield and was forced to leave the plane, but the parachute did not open, the pull rope, with which the parachute satchel opens, was interrupted by a shrapnel, and he died. The urn with the ashes was buried in the columbarium in the Kremlin wall on February 28, 1943. 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 indicates 19 victories won in battles with the Japanese. Perhaps these figures reflect his total the result of combat activities). According to some memoir sources, in his last battle, he won 4 victories at once (3 planes were shot down with cannon fire, another one was driven into the ground with a skillful maneuver). Some Western sources point to 20 victories won in 4 wars.

Probably the most important factor in the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was mass heroism. About 500 Soviet pilots used a ram in air combat. Dozens of crews, like Captain N. Gastello, sent their burning aircraft to the accumulation of enemy combat forces. Today we will tell you about some of the heroes - pilots of the Great Patriotic War, who forever inscribed their names on this heroic list.

1. Popkov Vitaly Ivanovich (05/01/1922 - 02/06/2010)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, ace pilot, flight commander of the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 207th Fighter Aviation Division. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

By February 1945, he made 325 sorties, in 83 air battles he personally shot down 41 and in group 1 enemy aircraft. Participant of the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 in Moscow.

The facts of the biography of Vitaly Ivanovich formed the basis of the film by Leonid Bykov "Only" old men "go into battle".

2.Gulaev Nikolay Dmitrievich (02/26/1918 - 09/27/1985)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilot, colonel-general of aviation. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, he flew 250 combat missions. In 49 air battles personally shot down 55 enemy aircraft and 5 - in Group.

3. Rechkalov Grigory Andreevich (02/09/1918 (or 1920)- 20.12.1990)

During the war, Rechkalov made 450 sorties and 122 air battles. The data on downed planes varies. According to some sources, 56 planes were shot down personally and 6 - in Group.

4. Golovachev Pavel Yakovlevich (12/15/1917 - 07/02/1972)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, ace pilot, major general of aviation, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, he flew 457 sorties, in 125 air battles he shot down 31 personally and in a group - 1 enemy aircraft. He won his last victory on April 25, 1945 in the skies over Berlin.

5. Borovykh Andrey Yegorovich (10/30/1921 - 11/07/1989)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Colonel General of Aviation, Commander of Aviation of the Air Defense Forces of the USSR (1969-1977), twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, during the war years, he flew more than 470 combat missions, conducted over 130 air battles, personally shot down 32 and in a group - 14 enemy aircraft.

6.Evstigneev Kirill Alekseevich (04 (17) .02.1917 - 29.08.1996)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilot, ace, major general of aviation, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

By the spring of 1945, he flew about 300 sorties, participated in 120 air battles, shot down 53 enemy aircraft personally, 3 in a group; in addition, one bomber was not credited to him.

7. Koldunov Alexander Ivanovich (09/20/1923- 07.06.1992)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet military and statesman, Chief Marshal of the USSR Aviation, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Member of the CPSU Central Committee, deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In total, during the war years, he made 412 sorties, conducted 96 air battles, during which he personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft and 1 as part of a group.

8. Skomorokhov Nikolay Mikhailovich (05/19/1920- 14.10.1994)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilot, air marshal, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In total, during the Great Patriotic War, he flew 605 sorties, conducted more than 130 air battles, personally shot down 46 fascist aircraft and 8 aircraft in the group, and also destroyed 3 enemy bombers on the ground. Skomorokhov himself was never wounded, his plane did not burn, was not shot down. He had the call sign "Skomorokh". The Nazis warned their pilots about finding it in the sky as a serious danger.

9.Efimov Alexander Nikolaevich (02/06/1923- 31.08.2012)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Air Marshal. Deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, member of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, during the war years, he flew 288 sorties on the Il-2 attack aircraft, during which he personally and as part of a group destroyed 85 enemy aircraft at airfields (which is the highest achievement among Soviet pilots of all types of aviation) and 8 aircraft were shot down in air battles, destroyed a large number of enemy personnel and equipment.

10. Clubs Alexander Fedorovich (01/18/1918- 01.11.1944)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilot, Soviet ace, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war years, he flew 457 sorties. Personally shot down 31 enemy aircraft and 19 more in the group. Alexander Klubov died on November 1, 1944 during a training flight on the latest La-7 fighter.

11. Nedbailo Anatoly Konstantinovich (28.01.1923 - 13.05.2008)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, squadron commander of the 75th Guards Aviation Regiment of the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Division of the 1st Air Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Lieutenant General of Aviation, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

Captain Anatoly Nedbailo made 209 sorties, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment.

12. Safonov Boris Feoktistovich (13 (26) .08.1915- 30.05.1942)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, the first twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

In total, during the hostilities, Boris Safonov made 234 sorties, personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft.

On May 30, 1942, Lieutenant Colonel B.F.Safonov, already the commander of the 2nd Guards Mixed Red Banner Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet Air Force, flew out at the head of a fighter squad to cover a convoy of PQ-16 ships going to Murmansk. During a battle with superior enemy forces, Boris Safonov died.

13. Vorozheikin Arseny Vasilievich (15 (28) .10.1912- 23.05.2001)

Participant in the battles on Khalkhin Gol, the Soviet-Finnish and the Great Patriotic War, fighter pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, first deputy commander of the air defense of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR, major general of aviation.

In total, the fighter pilot had about 400 sorties, 52 personally shot down enemy aircraft (6 at Khalkhin Gol) and 14 in the group.

14. Grizodubova Valentina Stepanovna (14 (27) .04.1909- 28.04.1993)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet pilot, colonel. The first woman is a Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor, Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

During the Great Patriotic War, from March 1942 to October 1943, she commanded the 101st Long-Range Aviation Regiment. She personally flew about 200 sorties (including 132 at night) on a Li-2 aircraft to bombard enemy targets, to deliver ammunition and military supplies to the front line, and to maintain contact with partisan detachments.

15. Pavlov Ivan Fomich (06/25/1922- 12.10.1950)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, flight commander of the 6th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Air Army of the Kalinin Front, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major.

During the war, he flew 237 sorties in the Il-2 attack aircraft. Participated in the Rzhev-Sychevskaya, Velikie Luki and Smolensk operations, in the liberation of Belarus and the Baltic states.

16. Glinka Boris Borisovich (14 (27) .09.1914- 11.05.1967)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union, colonel.

During the war, he shot down 30 planes personally and 1 in a group.

17. Odintsov Mikhail Petrovich (11/18/1921- 12.12.2011)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet military pilot of bomber and assault aviation, military leader. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Colonel General of Aviation, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, he shot down 14 enemy aircraft in air battles, which is the highest achievement among attack pilots.

By the end of the war, he flew 215 combat missions, ended the war with the rank of guard major.

18. Pokryshev Pyotr Afanasevich (08.24.1914- 22.08.1967)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, ace pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General of Aviation.

By August 1943, he had flown 282 sorties, participated in 50 air battles and had on his personal account 22 enemy aircraft shot down and 7 in the group.

19. Valley Maria Ivanovna (12/18/1920- 03.03.2010)

Participant of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union.

She flew 72 sorties on a Pe-2 aircraft, dropped 45,000 kilograms of bombs. In six air battles, its crew shot down 3 enemy fighters in a group.

20. Maresyev Alexey Petrovich (07 (20) .05.1916- 18.05.2001)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet military pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, he flew 86 sorties and shot down 10 enemy aircraft. On April 5, 1942, Maresyev's plane was shot down. For 18 days the pilot made his way to his own. As a result, the doctors were forced to amputate both frostbitten legs of the pilot.

While still in the hospital, Alexei Maresyev began to train, preparing to fly with prostheses.

In February 1943 he made the first test flight. I got sent to the front. In June 1943 he arrived at the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

On July 20, 1943, Alexei Maresyev, during an air battle with superior enemy forces, saved the lives of two Soviet pilots and shot down 2 enemy Fw-190 fighters at once, covering the Ju-87 bombers.

21. Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich (06 (19) .03.1913- 13.11.1985)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet military leader, air marshal, ace pilot, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union. Candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee, member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In the Soviet Union, it was officially believed that during the war years, Pokryshkin made 650 sorties, conducted 156 air battles, shot down 59 enemy aircraft personally and 6 in a group.

22. Kozhedub Ivan Nikitovich (06/08/1920- 08.08.1991)

Member of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet military leader, air marshal, ace pilot. Three times Hero of the Soviet Union, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, People's Deputy of the USSR.

By the end of the war, Ivan Kozhedub, by that time a Major of Guards, flew the La-7, made 330 sorties, and shot down 62 enemy aircraft in 120 air battles.

The concept of "twice, three times, four times a Hero" seems somewhat strange today, perhaps it would be more correct to talk about being awarded several Gold Star medals. But this is a fact of our history, and it cannot be ignored.
For the first time twice Heroes for military exploits shown in battles with Japanese interventionists on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939 became three pilots: Major Sergei Ivanovich Gritsevets and Colonel Grigory Panteleevich Kravchenko (Decree of August 29), as well as corps commander Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich (Decree of November 17). The fate of all three was tragic.

Marshal of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army H. Choibalsan congratulates twice Hero of the Soviet Union S.I.Gritsevets with a high government award
Gritsevets shot down 11 enemy planes in the sky of Khalkhin-Gol. He died in a plane crash less than a month after being awarded. Kravchenko, who commanded a fighter regiment on Khalkhin Gol and shot down 7 Japanese aircraft during the conflict, in 1940 became the youngest lieutenant general of the Red Army. During the Great Patriotic War, he successfully commanded an air division, but on February 23, 1943, he died after jumping out of a downed plane and unable to use a parachute (his pull rope was broken by a shrapnel). Smushkevich was arrested in the summer of 1941 and shot in the fall of the same year.
Kravchenko and Gritsevets became the first twice Heroes of the Soviet Union
In 1940, the number of twice Heroes increased by two: the head of the rescue expedition to remove the icebreaker Georgy Sedov from the ice, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin became twice Hero (Decree of February 3), the second Golden Star for battles in Finland pilot division commander Sergei Prokofievich Denisov (Decree of March 21).

I. D. Papanin at the drifting station SP-1
During the Great Patriotic War, 101 people became twice Heroes, seven of them were posthumous. Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant Colonel Stepan Pavlovich Suprun By the decree of July 22, 1941, he was the first during the Great Patriotic War to be awarded the second Gold Star medal. On June 14, 1942, the first twice Hero appeared, both times awarded this title during the war. This was also a pilot, the commander of the fighter regiment of the Northern Fleet of the Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Boris Feoktistovich Safonov.
Among the twice Heroes were three Marshals of the Soviet Union - Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Ivan Stepanovich Konev and Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, one Chief Marshal of Aviation - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, 21 generals and 76 officers. There were no soldiers and sergeants among the twice Heroes.
During the Second World War, 101 people became twice Heroes, 7 of them were posthumous
It should be noted that in 1944, the Decrees were promulgated on awarding the navigator of the fighter aviation regiment Major Nikolai Dmitrievich Gulaev (during the war years he made 250 sorties, personally shot down 55 enemy aircraft in 49 air battles) with the third "Golden Star", as well as a number of pilots of the second "Golden Star", but none of them received awards because of the brawl they arranged in a Moscow restaurant on the eve of receiving. The decrees were canceled.


Nikolay Dmitrievich Gulaev
After the war, the number of Heroes twice continued to increase. In 1948, Lieutenant Colonel, future Chief Marshal of the USSR Aviation, Alexander Ivanovich Koldunov, was awarded the second Gold Star medal. During the war years, Koldunov made 412 sorties, personally shot down 46 enemy aircraft in 96 air battles.
In September 1957, the famous pilot Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki was awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union for testing aviation technology, the first he received back in 1938.
In total, 154 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union twice
Marshals of the Soviet Union Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, Ivan Khristoforovich Baghramyan, Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko and Matvey Vasilyevich Zakharov received the second Golden Star after the war in connection with various anniversaries, and Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Sergei Georgievich Sovetskogo Eremovich Voroshilov and Andrei Antonovich Grechko generally became twice Heroes only in peacetime.

G. T. Beregovoy on the stamp of the USSR Post
In November 1968, pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy was awarded the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, and he received his first award during the Great Patriotic War for 186 sorties on the Il-2 attack aircraft. In 1969, the first cosmonauts appeared - twice Heroes, who received both "Stars" for space flights: Colonel Vladimir Alexandrovich Shatalov and Candidate of Technical Sciences Alexei Stanislavovich Eliseev (Decree of October 22). In 1971, they were both the first in the world to make a space flight for the third time, but the third Golden Stars were not given to them: perhaps because this flight was unsuccessful and was interrupted on the second day. In the future, the cosmonauts who completed the third and even fourth space flight did not receive additional "Stars", but were awarded the Order of Lenin. Only 35 people received the title of twice Hero for space exploration.
The last two-time Hero was the commander of a tank brigade, Major General Azi Agadovich Aslanov, who was posthumously awarded the second rank (Decree of June 21, 1991).
A.I. Pokryshkin - the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union
In total, 154 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union twice. The overwhelming majority of them - 71 people - are pilots, 15 tankers, 3 sailors, 2 partisans. The only woman among the twice Heroes is the pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya, daughter of the twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Air Marshal Evgeny Yakovlevich Savitsky.

Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya
On August 19, 1944, Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin became the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, who during the war years flew 650 sorties, conducted 156 air battles, and personally shot down 59 enemy aircraft. In 1945, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, who was awarded the fourth "Star" (Decree of December 1, 1956) on the occasion of his 60th birthday, and Major Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, became Heroes three times.
After the war, in connection with various anniversaries, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny became Hero three times and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev became Hero four times.

Sergei Gritsevets lived a short, but unusually bright life and left a noticeable mark in the history of Russian aviation. The son of a poor Belarusian peasant, he was born on July 19, 1909 in the village of Borovtsy, now the Baranovichi district of the Brest region. He graduated from 7 classes in 1927. He worked as a laborer in the service of the track on the railway, in "Lnotorg", a locksmith's apprentice in the hilt shop of a mechanical plant in Zlatoust. He graduated from FZU, studied at the evening department of the metallurgical technical school. Since 1931 in the ranks of the Red Army.

In June 1931, on a Komsomol ticket, he arrived at the 3rd Orenburg Military Pilot School, where he was considered one of the most initiative and capable cadets. Fighting sheets of those years called to be equal in study to Sergei. After graduating from aviation school in September 1932, Gritsevets became a fighter pilot. First he served in the Kiev air brigade, and from December 1933 in the 1st Red Banner IAE in Gatchina. As part of this squadron, he then served in the Far East, became the chief of the squadron's air rifle service, and then was appointed flight commander. From August 1, 1936, he studied at the Odessa School of Air Combat and Aerobatics, then was an instructor pilot there.

A military pilot with a small suitcase was waiting for the tram number 13, as it was called "aviation" here, to go from the Odessa-Glavnaya railway station in the direction of Lustdorf, a seaside children's climate station. The sultry day of the end of July 1936 was approaching, but the morning was not yet hot, and Sergei felt cheerful and light, enjoying the fresh and humid sea air. The mood was excellent.

Almost empty at an early hour, the carriage, having accepted the lonely passenger, ran through the deserted streets, lined with trees in the middle strip, interspersed with subtropical ones. In front of Lyustdorf the tram turned onto Ulyanovka and stopped near the checkpoint of the aviation school. Sergei Gritsevets got out, and the car, rattling and ringing, turned into the city.

The core of the aerobatics school was the special-purpose aviation squadron. Talented regular pilots of the Red Army Air Force, under the guidance of experienced instructors - methodologists, honed the skills of conducting aerial combat here, increased the accuracy of aerial fire, in a word, mastered the full course of using the latest aircraft in battle - the I-16 fighter.

By the end of July 1936, most of the first set of fighter pilots had gathered at the Odessa Air Combat School ...

Sergei wrote to his brother Ivan in Moscow:

"Since August 1, I have been in Odessa and study at school. By the way, the theory is presented very well. I fly a new fighter. I have to work a lot: 7 hours a working day and during extracurricular hours we study until 1 - 2 am. This is true , it happens on some days. Our study, it turns out, is designed for a year, but they also say that with an increased pace of study we will finish school in 6 - 8 months. That would be very good. If so, then Galya will live for this time it will be boring for my mother to live apart, but we are no stranger to her. This is the case with us. So far, all the best. Your brother Seryozha ... "

Then it happened in the aviation units. The rank of senior lieutenant was the Acting Flight Commander of the 8th Odessa Pilot School of the Kiev Military District.

In June 1938, as part of a group of 34 pilots, he arrived in Spain to provide assistance to the Republican Air Force. He had the pseudonyms "Sergio" and "Commander Serge".

In battles with enemy aircraft in unequal conditions, when the ratio between republican and Franco aircraft was often 1: 5, he came to the conviction that the only correct tactic of fighting in such conditions could only be a group "falcon strike" - a sudden attack of the enemy by the entire squadron from above, behind.

On August 14, 1938, a group of aircraft, which he commanded, used this new tactical technique for the first time in an air battle. The blow was so unexpected and overwhelming for the enemy that the enemy group lost control. Several enemy vehicles fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. Gritsevets' group in full force returned to the airfield.

In total, in the skies of Spain, Sergei Gritsevets made 88 sorties with a total flight time of 115 hours, in 42 (according to other sources in 24) air battles he shot down 30 enemy aircraft (6 personally and 24 as part of a group).

The pilots of the group under his leadership shot down 85 aircraft. The news of one of his combat missions spread all over the world ...

An air battle with German He-51s and Italian Cr-32s began near the Ebro River over the positions of Lister's corps, to which Spanish and foreign journalists were invited that day. Senior Lieutenant Gritsevets fought in the sky with superior enemy forces. But how! On the "donkey" - as the maneuverable I-16 was nicknamed - Sergey defiantly attacked a group of enemy aircraft. The central newspaper of the Spanish communists "Mundo Obrero" reported about this unequal battle: "Sergio, a brave pilot of the Republic, faithful to his military duty, fighting heroically, in one sortie shot down 7 (seven!) Nazi planes (of which 5 Fiats CR-32), but his car was also badly damaged. "

He-51

Fiat CR-32

Many foreign newspapers also wrote about this feat. Among others - the English "Daily News", whose correspondent observed the air battle and even managed to find out the real name of Camarado Sergio. The newspaper came out with a catchy headline: "Russian pilot Sergei Gritsevets is a man of amazing courage." [According to S. V. Abrosov's data, in reality, during one of the sorties to escort the Security Council, Sergei had to fight off 7 Fiats alone, but, according to official documents, he did not declare victories in this battle. Most likely, this is just a beautiful legend. ]

Sergei Gritsevets especially distinguished himself in the final and most difficult battles for the Ebro, where the Germans used the experienced Messer armed with cannons and significantly superior to the I-16 in speed. In just 20 days in August 1938, Soviet and Spanish pilots shot down 72 enemy aircraft.

battle I-16 with Bf-109

In one of the battles on August 13, 1938, together with the Spanish pilot Sergeant Luis Margalef, he knocked out and forced the German He-111 bomber, whose crew was captured, to land on the republican territory.

August 18, 1938 - on the day of Aviation, Gritsevets shot down 2 Italian Fiats. With his pilots, Gritsevets sometimes climbed without oxygen devices to an altitude of up to 7 km, in order to unleash a blow on the enemy from there.

The last time the pilots of Sergei Gritsevets' group participated in the battle on October 15, 1938, when about 100 republican aircraft were taken into the air at once, consisting of 7 squadrons. Then, over the Ebro River in a tense air battle, by the joint efforts of Soviet and Spanish pilots, 3 Messers and 5 Fiats were shot down. Our losses amounted to 3 aircraft (all pilots escaped by parachute).

However, by the time the 113-day battle for the Ebro ended, of the 34 pilots who arrived with Gritsevets in June 1938, only 7 remained in the ranks.

List of famous victories of Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets:

Otto Bertram

On February 22, 1939, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree stating that for the exemplary fulfillment of special tasks of the government to strengthen the defense power of the Soviet Union and the personal courage and courage shown at the same time, Senior Lieutenant S.I.Gritsevets was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin himself presented Gritsevets with a certificate of conferring this high title. It should also be noted that the rank of captain Sergei Gritsevets never had: from a senior lieutenant, he immediately became a major (December 31, 1938).

In full force, the strengths of the character and flying skills of Sergei Gritsevets manifested themselves in the Khalkhin-Gol sky in the summer of 1939: lightning-quick resourcefulness, keen observation, a sense of comradely help, masterly mastery of piloting technique. In air battles, personally and as part of a group, he shot down 12 Japanese aircraft.

At first, Gritsevets flew the I-16, and when the new I-153 ("Seagulls") were received at the end of June, he was appointed squadron commander of these machines.

In most of the combat missions of the "Seagulls", the squadron of which Gritsevets was always in the lead, ended with the victory of the Soviet pilots.

So it was in the memorable air battle on August 25, when ground troops pounded the encircled units of the 6th Japanese Army. On this day, 7 air battles took place over Khalkhin-Gol. More than 200 Soviet and Japanese aircraft took part in one of them.

The battle was deployed at altitudes up to 6,000 meters. Engines roared over the river valley, machine-gun bursts crackled, planes fell down, leaving plumes of black smoke behind. And in this whirlwind "The Seagull" of the squadron commander stood out.

In the midst of the battle, Gritsevets noticed how a Japanese fighter was attached to the tail of Leonid Orlov's car. Carried away by the attack, Orlov did not notice this, and then Sergei Gritsevets went head-on to the Japanese. The enemy could not withstand the oncoming attack and soared upward with a candle. Gritsevets gave a short aiming burst at the Japanese pilot. He threw his car into a steep dive, pretended to be hit and falls. But such a trick of the enemy was well known to Gritsevets from the battles in Spain. He immediately dived down for the samurai, caught up with him and shot him at close range. The Japanese fighter, without leaving the dive, crashed into a sand dune.

On June 26, 1939, in the area of ​​Lake Buir-Nur, an air battle with the Japanese began, which lasted about two hours and ended with the complete victory of the Soviet pilots. The enemy lost 15 aircraft. On this day, Sergei Gritsevets performed a feat that became famous throughout the country.

I-153 and I-16 in Mongolia

In the battle, the plane of the commander of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major V.M. Zabaluev, was shot down and he parachuted down on the territory occupied by the enemy.

All this was seen by Sergei Gritsevets. Without thinking twice, he landed his car not far from the landing comrade, helped him get into the cockpit and took off under the fire of the Japanese infantry. This was the first such case in Soviet aviation.

Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets and Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Zabaluev

In the sky Khalkhin - Gola S. I. Gritsevets made 138 sorties. In air battles, he shot down 12 enemy aircraft (according to some sources - 10 personally and 2 in a group, according to others - all 12 personally).

List of famous victories of Major S.I.Gritsevets in the skies of Mongolia:

On August 29, 1939, for victories in air battles and rescuing the commander, Sergei Gritsevets was awarded the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner (1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Battle Red Banner, 1st degree (08/18/1939).

He was not only an excellent air fighter, but also a wonderful mentor. Dozens of young pilots learned the art of air combat from Gritsevets. He conducted debriefings with them, tactical classes, taught them to combine maneuver and fire: "Only a second is given to the pilot for an aiming burst," he said, "Only one second!"

He really knew how to be the first to give a turn, for some fraction of a second ahead of the enemy. He always attacked unexpectedly, never allowing a template in tactics. By the beginning of World War II, it was Gritsevets who was the most productive Soviet fighter pilot with 42 air victories!

In early September 1939, Major S. I. Gritsevets, together with a group of pilots led by corps commander Ya. V. Smushkevich, left for Moscow.

He was appointed an advisor to one of the air brigades of the Belarusian Military District. There was a march of the Red Army troops in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

On September 16, Gritsevets with a group of pilots attended a meeting of the District Military Council in Minsk. We returned to our airfield near Orsha at dusk. Gritsevets landed first. Major PI Khara, who was going to land second, did not see the letter "T" laid out, began to land on the opposite side of the airfield and crashed into the parked car of Gritsevets at high speed.

As a result of the collision, both planes were destroyed, Khara was seriously injured, and Gritsevets was cut off by a propeller blow. So, an absurd accident caused the death of an outstanding Soviet pilot.

"Little-known" pilot Boris Safonov is the first twice hero!

Moscow, April 3 - Our State. The short but glorious story of this heroic man undoubtedly deserves special attention. The most talented fighter pilot of naval aviation Boris Safonov died in the first year of the war, but his merits are so great that many famous aces who fought over Berlin would have fit.

Boris Feoktistovich Safonov was born in the Tula province in August 1915, into a peasant family. The origins of this brilliant pilot have left their mark on the character. One of the British pilots, who happened to see Safonov in action, noted later: "Safonov was a typical Russian, stocky, solid, methodical and unhurried."

Safonov's talent made him atypical. Seven classes, a factory school - everything is like people have. But since 1931, an aeroclub was added. It is also not God knows what an achievement, in the interwar period, the country raved about the sky, the boys wanted to become pilots just like their peers from the 1960s - astronauts. The only thing worth noting: Safonov's instructor in the flying club was not just anyone, but Valentina Grizodubova, the future idol of that very youth of the late 1930s.

In 1933, Safonov was drafted into the army, sent to a flight school in the Crimean Kacha, from where he came to Belarus, where he served until 1940. This year, according to a personal report, Safonov was transferred to the Kola Peninsula as a squadron commander in the 72nd mixed aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet. There he met the war - at the age of 25.

He flew on the I-16, for the first time climbed to intercept immediately on June 22, 1941, attacked a German He 111 bomber. Safonov will win his first victory on June 24. And by August 28, he had already had 130 sorties, 32 air battles and 11 officially shot down. Why the amendment "officially" is so important in the case of Safonov - we will explain below.

On September 16, squadron commander Boris Safonov receives the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At that time, his squadron had already demolished 50 enemy aircraft from the sky, of which 16 were the commander personally. In the same September, the allies appeared in the Northern Fleet - the British on their Hurricane fighters. Safonov became the first pilot to master this aircraft. His conclusions on the necessary changes in the composition of onboard weapons were taken into account when organizing the supply of Hurricanes under Lend-Lease.
In October 1941, Major Safonov became the commander of the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment on those same Hurricanes. By the end of January 1942, two Orders of the Red Banner were added to his chest.

In March 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Safonov returned to the 72nd Regiment, which had already become the 2nd Guards, and moved to another Lend-Lease vehicle - the American P-40E Kittyhawk. At the same time he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest honor for British aviators. During the entire war, only four Soviet pilots were awarded this order. “Safonov is the most popular fighter pilot among British pilots in the Northern Fleet. His courage, courage, heroism were an example for the entire flight personnel of the Northern Fleet Air Force, as well as the British. If the issue of nominations for the English awards is resolved, Safonov is the most suitable and popular candidate, "the text of the nomination for this award said.

Safonov was a competent fighter aircraft tactician, cautious and thoughtful. The Air Force of the Red Army met the war with a charter formation of units of three aircraft, and in battle this scheme is inconvenient to control and use. There is evidence that Safonov, even before the war, argued that it was time to move to a more flexible and integral scheme with the formation of a pair of "master-slave". This is how the Luftwaffe fighters fought, and Soviet aviation was retrained for this scheme already during the war.

Boris Safonov's principle was to credit no more than one downed aircraft in one battle. The official account of the ace - 22 shot down enemy vehicles - did not reflect his combat effectiveness and close.

Co-workers recalled that it was normal for Safonov to shoot down 2-3 vehicles in a group battle on his own, keep one for himself, and assign the rest to his subordinates by his own will.

According to some estimates, his real account for less than a year of the war could reach up to 40 aircraft.

How Boris Safonov's military career would have developed is hard to guess. On May 30, 1942, a four of the Kittyhawks of the 2nd Guyap flew to cover the escort of the allied convoy PQ-16. Due to a malfunction, Safonov's slave returned from the road, and the lieutenant colonel took three cars into battle.
The circumstances of Safonov's last fight are scarce. A trio of Kittyhawks from the North Sea attacked six Ju 88 bombers, which were striving for a convoy warrant. In the dump Safonov hit two cars and disappeared. Radio communications kept only the brief reports of Safonov: "knocked down one", "knocked down the second", and then - "motor". The sailors from the caravan saw one of the Soviet Kittyhocks go into a steep dive and crash into the water.

One of the versions of Safonov's death is the engine failure, which at that time was the sheer scourge of these fighters.

On June 14, 1942, Boris Safonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time. It is noteworthy that the submission was signed just three days before his death, on May 27. Safonov became the first in the USSR to receive a gold star twice during the war.

Who knows, Safonov would not have become the number one Soviet ace in the Great Patriotic War if his military fate had not been cut short so early. In the naval aviation he was respected immensely after the war.

For example, the 2nd Guyap, which he commanded, in 1948 became the 174th Guards Pechenga Fighter Aviation Regiment named after BF Safonov. One of the MiG-31 interceptors, which until recently was in service with this regiment, bore its own name "Boris Safonov". Since 2006, the aircraft has been in the Northern Fleet Air Force Museum in the Safonovo village on the Kola Peninsula.