Boris Kovzan - air ace, or four rams of one pilot. Four air rams (1 photo) The most dangerous battle

Hero Soviet Union Boris KOVZAN, 1950

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

Pilot school

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

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

It was the third day of the war

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

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

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

Hero of the Four Air Rams

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

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

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

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

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

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

The hardest fight

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

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

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

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

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

Nikolay SHEVCHENKO

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

The world's first ram

The world's first aerial ram was carried out by the author of the “loop”, staff captain Pyotr Nesterov. He was 27 years old, and having flown 28 combat missions at the beginning of the war, he was considered an experienced pilot.
Nesterov had long believed that an enemy airplane could be destroyed by hitting the planes with its wheels. This was a necessary measure - at the beginning of the war, planes were not equipped with machine guns, and aviators flew on missions with pistols and carbines.
On September 8, 1914, in the Lvov region, Pyotr Nesterov rammed a heavy Austrian aircraft under the control of Franz Malina and Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal, which was flying over Russian positions on reconnaissance.
Nesterov, in a light and fast Moran airplane, took off into the air, caught up with the Albatross and rammed it, striking it from top to bottom in the tail. This happened in front of the local residents.
The Austrian plane crashed. Upon impact, Nesterov, who was in a hurry to take off and had not fastened his seat belts, flew out of the cockpit and crashed. According to another version, Nesterov jumped out of the crashed plane himself, hoping to survive.

First ram of the Finnish War

The first and only ram of the Soviet-Finnish War was carried out by senior lieutenant Yakov Mikhin, a graduate of the 2nd Borisoglebsk military aviation school named after Chkalov. This happened on February 29, 1940 in the afternoon. 24 Soviet aircraft I-16 and I-15 attacked the Finnish Ruokolahti airfield.

To repel the attack, 15 fighters took off from the airfield.
A fierce battle ensued. Flight commander Yakov Mikhin, in a frontal attack with the wing of the aircraft, hit the fin of the Fokker, the famous Finnish ace Lieutenant Tatu Gugananti. The keel broke off from the impact. The Fokker crashed to the ground, the pilot died.
Yakov Mikhin, with a broken plane, managed to reach the airfield and safely landed his donkey. It must be said that Mikhin went through the entire Great Patriotic War, and then continued to serve in the Air Force.

The first ram of the Great Patriotic War

It is believed that the first ram of the Great Patriotic War was carried out by 31-year-old senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov, who on June 22, 1941 at 4:25 am in an I-16 (according to other sources - on an I-153) over the Mlynov airfield near Dubno rammed a Heinkel bomber ", after which both planes fell. Ivanov died. For this feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His primacy is disputed by several pilots: junior lieutenant Dmitry Kokorev, who rammed a Messerschmitt in the Zambro area 20 minutes after Ivanov’s feat and remained alive.
On June 22 at 5:15, junior lieutenant Leonid Buterin died over Western Ukraine(Stanislav), taking the Junkers-88 to ram.
Another 45 minutes later, an unknown pilot on a U-2 died over Vygoda after ramming a Messerschmitt.
At 10 am, a Messer was rammed over Brest and Lieutenant Pyotr Ryabtsev survived.
Some pilots resorted to ramming several times. Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Kovzan made 4 rams: over Zaraisk, over Torzhok, over Lobnitsa and Staraya Russa.

The first "fire" ram

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

First female ram

Soviet pilot Ekaterina Zelenko became the only woman in the world to perform a ram. During the war years, she managed to make 40 combat missions and participated in 12 air battles. On September 12, 1941, she made three missions. Returning from a mission in the Romny area, she was attacked by German Me-109s. She managed to shoot down one plane, and when the ammunition ran out, she rammed the enemy plane, destroying it. She herself died. She was 24 years old. For her feat, Ekaterina Zelenko was awarded the Order of Lenin, and in 1990 she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

First ram by jet

A native of Stalingrad, Captain Gennady Eliseev carried out his ramming attack on a MiG-21 fighter on November 28, 1973. On this day, the Iranian Phantom-II, which was carrying out reconnaissance on behalf of the United States, invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union over the Mugan Valley of Azerbaijan. Captain Eliseev took off to intercept from the airfield in Vaziani.
The air-to-air missiles did not produce the desired result: the Phantom released heat traps. To carry out the order, Eliseev decided to ram and struck the tail of the Phantom with his wing. The plane crashed and its crew was detained. Eliseev's MiG began to descend and crashed into a mountain. Gennady Eliseev was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The crew of the reconnaissance aircraft - an American colonel and an Iranian pilot - were handed over to the Iranian authorities 16 days later.

The first ramming of a transport aircraft

On July 18, 1981, a transport plane of the Argentine airline Canader CL-44 violated the USSR border over the territory of Armenia. There was a Swiss crew on board the plane. The deputy of the squadron, pilot Valentin Kulyapin, was tasked with imprisoning the violators. The Swiss did not respond to the pilot’s demands. Then the order came to shoot down the plane. The distance between the Su-15TM and the “transport aircraft” was small for the launch of R-98M missiles. The intruder walked towards the border. Then Kulyapin decided to go for the ram.
On the second attempt, he hit the Canadara's stabilizer with his fuselage, after which he safely ejected from the damaged aircraft, and the Argentine fell into a tailspin and fell just two kilometers from the border, his crew was killed. It later turned out that the plane was carrying weapons.
For his feat, the pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

He is the only ace in the world to have accomplished four air rams, while remaining alive.

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

Four air rams by Boris Kovzan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The following materials were used in preparing this post.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is a pilot Boris Ivanovich Kovzan.

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

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

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

Boris Kovzan made the second ram on February 22, 1942. On that day, in the area of ​​Vyshny Volochok, he rammed a Junkers-87 dive bomber on a Yak-1 fighter, after which he returned to his airfield and again made a successful landing on the damaged aircraft.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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