Ivan Iévgrafovitch Fiédorov

Ivan Iévgrafovitch Fiédorov is a fighter pilot and Soviet As of the Second world war, holder of the Ordre of Héros of the Soviet Union.

Career

Born in 1914 with Kharkov, it very early practiced the Gliding with the aero club of Lugansk , before joining, in 1932, the rows of the Red Army and being made patent pilot with the military college of the Air of Lugansk , the following year.

Test pilot War of Spain and

War of Spain: It went voluntary, like starshii leitenant (= lieutenant) to fight in the rows of republican aviation at the time of the Spanish Civil war and, of May 1937 with January 1938, it took part in 36 aerial combats during 286 missions , obtaining, on hunter I-15 and I-16, 24 victories approved , of which 11 individual and 13 in co-operation . It was one of the five Soviet officers (among the which future marshal Malinovski) to receive highest Spanish republican decoration: the " bay-trees of or".

Test pilot: In 1940, it intended for a career Test pilot and, from this point of view, followed the courses of the best school of formation to the piloting of Soviet Union, the center of instruction of Lipetsk.

Second world war

In June 1941, the invasion German E of the Soviet Union saw it taking again service within VVS (= Soviet Air forces). It was quickly to take the command of the 157.IAP (= Régiment of air hunting), then to become commander-assistant of the 269.IAD (= Division of air hunting). The total of its successes during this conflict is prone to debate; the majority of the historians advance the minimum score of 17 approved victories.

the Post-war period

At the conclusion of the war it remained in the air force as a test pilot, and took its retirement in 1954 with the Grade of polkovnik (= Colonel). On the whole, during its long career, it would have stolen on 297 types of different apparatuses ; an authentic record on the matter.

Prize list and decorations

Table of hunting

According to the Historien S Divided into volumes Polak and Christopher Shores , its prize list would be incomplete and would limit themselves to its successes obtained in Spain, the figure of its victories of 1941 - 1945 which cannot be specified;
For the contemporary Soviet historians it would have obtained 17 victories approved during 120 missions and 20 aerial combats , of 1942 with 1945.
the Encyclopedia Aircraft and Astronautics , Russia, edition of 1994, credits it with the following total, for the two wars:

96 approved victories , of which 49 individual and 47 in co-operation , air successes for which it would be necessary to add 30 additional planes destroyed on the ground . And these are the figures which are, for the moment, selected.

Enfin, it should be noted, that the interested party himself, Ivan Fiédorov , asserted the following total:

135 approved victories and several tens (40 to 50) enemy planes destroyed on the ground .

At all events, it appears possible that it is the largest Soviet Ace in terms of air victories.

Decorations

Hero of the Soviet Union the March 5th 1948;
Order of Lénine;
4 times titular of the Order of the Red Flag;
Order of Alexandre Newski;
4 times titular of the Order of the Patriotic War of 1e class and 1 time of that of 2nd class ;
2 times titular of the Order of Red Star.

Bibliography and sources

Divided into volumes Polak and C. Shores, Stalin' S Falcons , Gubb Street, London

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