Great Patriotic War
First Period [22 Jun 1941 - 19 Nov 1942]
Lack of readiness of aviation units and air defense (AD) to repel a surprise attack allowed the air force of Nazi Germany (Luftwaffe) and its allies with the beginning of the military invasion of the Soviet Union successfully hold a one-day air campaign. During her massive shock undergone important centers of the country, transport and communication group of troops along the Soviet Union's western borders, including 66 military airfields, which was based on 65% of the air border military districts. As a result, the Air Force were not counted in 1136 combat aircraft, including 800 - destroyed on the ground. For the first two days of the war the Air Force fleet of Northwest and Southwest areas fell by 3,922 aircraft.
Despite significant losses in arms and military equipment, the Soviet air force and air defense forces were able to adequately respond to the enemy. By July 10, 1941 the Luftwaffe at the Soviet-German front has lost its 883 combat vehicles. During this period of time to reflect enemy attacks and support their ground forces, Soviet aircraft produced about 45 thousand. Sorties.
In aerial combat with superior enemy forces, Soviet pilots displayed mass heroism. Only 22 June 1941 of 16 air rams was committed. Among the first awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union became military pilots MP Zhukov, SI Zdorovtsev, PT Kharitonov. On the third day of the war to the south of Chisinau, deputy squadron commander of the 146th Fighter Wing, Senior Lieutenant KP Oborin made the first in the history of the Great Patriotic War, the night ram enemy aircraft with a favorable outcome for the Soviet pilot. This feat found its followers. Among them, senior lieutenant P. Eremeev (07.29.1941 g), Lieutenant VV Talalikhin (07/08/1941) and others, forever inscribed their names in the glorious pages of the Air Force.
In August 1941, covering the sky of the capital, he made the first in the history of world aviation altitude pilot ram 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 6th Air Defense Air Corps Lieutenant AN Katrich attacking German bomber "Dornier» Do217. After the destruction of enemy aircraft brave pilot managed to land the damaged MiG-3 to their base. In addition to air the account was opened "fire" rammed military equipment and manpower.
June 26, 1941 as a padded anti-aircraft fire, the commanders of squadrons 207 th Regiment of the 42nd Bomber Division long-captains AS Maslov and NF Gastello (with crews) sent their burning bombers DB-3F on the enemy positions. For his feat Captain NF Gastello was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, a high rank (posthumously, of 07.26.1941), Captain AS Maslov - only in 1996 (the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, posthumously). The next day, "fire" ram (the first for his performance) committed crew of deputy commander of Squadron 128th Speed Bomber Regiment lieutenant IZ Presayzena. His plane with bombs and fuel crashed into a cluster of enemy tanks, infantry vehicles, tanks of fuel. This feat was not appreciated, and only in 1991, the brave pilot posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree.
The first among the Soviet pilots title twice Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded the Commander of the 401 th Fighter Regiment of special purpose (23 th Composite Air Division, Western Front) Lieutenant Colonel SP Suprun. July 4, 1941 he was killed in an air battle with the superior forces of the enemy.
In a short time the command of the Air Force of the Red Army (AFRA) was able to organize a struggle for strategic air supremacy. At the beginning of the war on the initiative of the commander of the Air Force of the Northern Front Lieutenant General Aviation AA Novikov Air Force of the Northern Front, the Red Banner Baltic and Northern fleets caused massive air strikes against airfields air units of the 1st and 5th of air fleets of Germany and the Finnish Aviation. This has led the German command to revise its plans earlier raids on Leningrad.
Despite the heavy losses in the initial period of the war, tactical aviation has managed to maintain its combat capability and continued to address its tasks. July 8, 1941 at the same time subjected to aerial bombardment 42 enemy airfield in a broad band of the Soviet-German front, involving forces of the Air Force five fronts and Long-Range Aviation Command (DBA CC). Only aircraft of the Western Front in the course of these raids had destroyed 54 enemy aircraft.
The Soviet aircraft within range were also important military installations located in the rear of the enemy. On the night of August 8, 1941 of the Baltic Fleet aircraft flew the first air raid on the capital of Nazi Germany - Berlin and its suburbs. On the night of 10 on August 11 in a raid on the city attended the 81 th Air Division under the guidance of long-Hero of the Soviet Union brigade commander MV Vodopiyanov. Later (September 5, 1941) GK DBA produced an additional 10 raids on Berlin and other cities of the Third Reich: Koenigsberg, Stettin (Szczecin), Danzig (Gdansk) and Swinemünde, dropping them 21.5 tons of bombs. Despite the limited nature of AFRA activities, they had an important military and political importance, to dispel the myth of the Nazi propaganda about the complete destruction of the Soviet Air Force.
At the same time plans were thwarted by the German Command on Application of massive air strikes on major cities and military targets in the Soviet Union. Failure end of the first raid of the Luftwaffe (over 200 aircraft) to Moscow on the night of 21 on July 22, 1941 As a result, the city has managed to break through only a small part of the enemy aircraft. In the first since the beginning of the war the order of the Supreme Commander of the promotion 81 Moscow defender was marked by state awards, including five awarded the Order of Lenin. Among the most distinguished aircraft gunners - battery commander Senior Lieutenant I. Klec, lieutenant AE Turukalo, NF Tereshchenko, SF Osalyuk; the pilots of the 11th Fighter Wing Captain KN Titenkov, SS Lieutenant Goshko and Lieutenant PA Mazepin.
In September 1941, the concerted action of fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery defense of Leningrad and the Baltic Fleet was foiled plan military commanders of Germany Application massive air strike against fortified objects and Soviet Navy ships in the Gulf of Finland through the three-day air campaign of its air force. Trying to destroy the ships of the Baltic Fleet in April 1942 in the German Air Force air operations under the code name "Eis Streik" ("Ice Strike") also did not bring the enemy of success.
In order to coordinate the efforts of the Air Force of the fronts 10 July 1941 were formed under the Air Force General Command of the North-Western, Western and South-West directions. Air Force Commander Air Force commanders of these areas relevant fronts were appointed: Northwestern - Air Force Major General AA Novikov, West - Colonel NF Naumenko, South-West - Air Force Major General FJ Falaleev.
Previously, the order of the Civil Code of Bids by June 29 was established as commander of the Air Force of the Red Army with the rights of the Deputy People's Commissar of Defence of the USSR. In this position he was appointed Lieutenant General of Aviation PF Zhigarev, Military Council (BC) (member of the Amphibious Corps Commissar PS Stepanov) was created with it. The main management and staff of the Air Force transferred directly under the commander of Air Force satellites.
The establishment of the Air Force Commander and the establishment of the Military Council significantly expanded command and operational functions of Command and the Air Staff, which improved the management of the Air Force, especially in the field of operational and strategic applications, increasing the combat readiness of the newly formed air units and formations, their operational and logistics.
Combat experience of the first year of the war demanded a reorganization of the structure of the former front-line aviation. Consider creating a major aviation operational units (air armies) providing massaging front of aviation in the main directions of actions of troops, centralized management and efficiency impacts of aviation forces.
May 5, 1942, in accordance with the Order of People's Commissar of Defence of the USSR, in the Air Force satellites formed 1st Air Army (BA) under the command of Lieutenant General Aviation TF Kutsevalova. Later, during 1942, it was reorganized in the Army Air Force all operating fronts. By November of the same year all the combat aircraft was removed from the jurisdiction of the field armies. At their disposal was one mixed air regiment for tasks of aerial reconnaissance and communications. Since that time, all the air forces were combined into a single fist in the front, being withdrawn from the field armies and attached to the front-line aviation group. During the war 17 air armies were formed in the front and one aircraft (18-I) on the basis of long-range aviation.
At the beginning of May 1942 began the formation of uniform air divisions, and at the end of summer and the Air Corps Reserve Command (RGC). A total of 13 air corps (120-270 aircraft, mainly new constructions) were formed before the end of the year, fighter of them - 4, assault - 3 bomber - 3 and mixed - 3. At the front for a year sent 9 air corps RGC. In May 1943 as part of Air Defense Forces also formed the 1st Air Army Air Defense Fighter.
The new organizational structure of the frontline aviation allows centralized management of the front air force maneuver widely aviation connections, use them wherever the situation demanded. Their number was in direct proportion to the industry supply of aircraft, preparation of flight and technical personnel and the role that was assigned to the Air Force operations. In the first period of the Great Patriotic War Air Army, acting on the main lines, we had a total of 300-400 aircraft, in the second period - 650-1000 and in the third - 1800-2500 airplanes and more.
Significant structural changes have occurred in air defense forces. Promotion of the German troops and their allies into the territory of the USSR has demanded strengthening air defense strategic centers and industrial facilities of the country. At the beginning of July 1941 the State Defense Committee adopted measures to improve the air defense system of Moscow and Leningrad, Donbass, Moscow, Yaroslavl and Gorky industrial areas, as well as air defense organization of bridges over the river. Volga. To this end, it accelerated the formation of parts of fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft machine-gun and searchlight units, air defense going establishment of industrial areas of the Volga and the Volga river path.
November 9, 1941 the decision of the National Defence Commission "On strengthening and consolidation of the air defense of the Union territory" Air Defense Forces of the country (TC air defense troops) were isolated in a separate genus of the Armed Forces. For the first time introduced the post of Deputy People's Commissar of Defence of the USSR on defense - commander of the air defense of the country. In this position he was appointed Lieutenant-General Mikhail Whoppers, led up to this time the Moscow air defense zone. Thus, the anti-aircraft defense was divided into the country air defense and air defense forces. On the basis of existing air defense zones of the European part of the USSR formed corps and divisional areas of defense.
In January 1942, the troops of the CU defense for defense objects organizationally formed fighter aircraft on the rights of an individual kind of air defense forces. In early April of that year, the first operational-strategic (Moscow Air Defense Front) and operational formations (Leningrad and Baku Air Defence Army) were formed. Its tasks are carried out in cooperation with the army air defense and fighter aircraft of the fronts and air defense forces of the fleets.
In the battle for Moscow Guard received its birth the Soviet Air Force. December 6, 1941 for courage and heroism, the successful execution of tasks in six air regiments: the 29 th, 129 th, 155 th and 526 th Fighter, 215th Assault and 31st Bomber, have been transformed into " Guards ". Later, in March 1942, the first part of the Guard and the troops TC air defense, including the 44th and the 120th Fighter Wing.
The summer and autumn of 1942 were a critical step in the development of the Soviet Air Force as the share of new aircraft grew over the months from 28.7 to 77.2 percent, while in the army aviation it went from 44.7 to 81.1 per cent. In this period of war the country had extensive experience in fighting for supremacy in the air.
In 1942, steps were taken to accelerate the commissioning of the aircraft factories, construction of which is in accordance with the plan of the Third Five-Year Plan began even before the war. In a short time managed to increase the power of the Soviet Air Force. For service received new Yak-7b, the Yak-9, La-5, double attack aircraft IL-2, in limited quantities - the Tu-2. In the autumn of 1944 the front began to receive the latest types of aircraft: Yak-3, La-7, Yak-9U, IL-10.
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