Russian ace Boris Kovzan of the 28 aircraft he shot down

Four were destroyed by rams.

Born on April 7, 1922 in the city of Shakhty, now Rostov region, in the family of an employee. He graduated from 8 classes in the city of Bobruisk and the flying club, Odessa Aviation School in 1940.

On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War since 1941. Participant in the defense of Gomel. Fighter pilot Senior Lieutenant B.I. Kovzan is one of the few pilots in the world who rammed 4 enemy aircraft: 10.29.1941 over the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region, 22.2.1942 over the city of Torzhok, Kalinin region, 9.7.1942 over the village of Lyubnitsa and in August 1943 near the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod region.

In total, he made 360 ​​combat missions, conducted 127 air battles, and shot down 28 enemy aircraft personally and in a group with his comrades.

On August 24, 1943, for courage and military valor shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

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

He committed his first ram on October 29, 1941. On that day, junior lieutenant Kovzan On a MiG-3 plane, he flew to escort attack aircraft to the area of ​​​​the city of Zagorsk, Moscow region.

Modification of MiG-3

Wingspan, m 10.20 Length, m 8.25 Height, m ​​3.50

Wing area, m2 17.44

Weight, kg of empty aircraft 2699 takeoff 3350 fuel 463

Engine type 1 PD AM-35A Power, hp nominal 1 x 1200 takeoff 1 x 1350

Maximum speed, km/h at the ground 505 at an altitude of 640

Practical range, km 1250

Rate of climb, m/min 877

Practical ceiling, m 12000

Armament: one 12.7 mm UBS machine gun,

two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns
6 NURS 57-mm RS-82 or 2x 100 kg

bombs FAB-100 or FAB-50

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. One of them Kovzan managed to shoot down. managed to break away from the rest, going to a height unattainable for the Germans. When he was already approaching his airfield, he saw the leading aerial reconnaissance Junkers - The Germans had long sought to discover this airfield, and it seems that this reconnaissance aircraft was close to completing its task.

All the cartridges had already been spent, and Kovzan decided to go for the ram. After this ram Kovzan committed forced landing and was declared missing. But two days later he was found sitting on the belly of the plane. The pilot, who was not injured, could have reached the airfield on foot, but did not dare to abandon the plane.

Second ram Kovzan produced on February 22, 1942. That day he was in the area 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.

Modification
Wingspan, m
Height, m
Wing area, m2
Weight, kg
empty plane
normal takeoff
engine's type	1 PD M-105PA
Power, hp
Maximum speed, km/h
on high
Practical range, km
Rate of climb, m/min
Practical ceiling, m
Weapons:	one 20-mm ShVAK cannon and two 7.62-mm ShKAS machine guns

Third ram for Kovzana 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. Returning from a mission, Kovzan entered into battle with six German fighters. Having been wounded in the head and left without ammunition Kovzan, reported on the radio that he was leaving the plane and had already opened the canopy to leave it. And at that moment he saw a German ace rushing towards him. The planes collided head-on.

The German pilot died immediately, and Kovzana thrown out of the plane through the canopy. 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. In hospital Kovzan spent 10 months, lost his right eye. However, after the hospital he returned to duty and brought his victories to 28 aircraft shot down.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 24, 1943, for courage and bravery shown in battles with enemies, captain Kovzanu Boris Ivanovich 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 Kovzan worked as the head of a flying club.

07.04.1922 - 30.08.1985
Hero of the Soviet Union

TO Ovzan Boris Ivanovich - pilot of the 744th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 240th Fighter Aviation Division of the 6th Air Army of the North-Western Front, captain; the only Soviet fighter pilot who flew four combat missions air rams.

Born on April 7, 1922 in the city of Shakhty, now the Rostov region, in the family of an employee. Russian. Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1945. He graduated from 8 classes in the city of Bobruisk, Mogilev region, Belarusian SSR.

In the Red Army since 1939. He graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1940. Since 1940, he served in the 160th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Belarusian Special Military District.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War since September 1941. Pilot of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (Bryansk Front), Komsomol member, junior lieutenant Kovzan B.I. opened his combat account in August 1941, shooting down a Do-215 bomber. Then he fought as part of the 126th, 184th and 744th air regiments.

On October 29, 1941, he 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 4 Me-109s, he knocked out one of them, but at the same time used up all the ammunition. Upon returning to our airfield, an enemy Ju-88 reconnaissance aircraft was detected at an altitude of 5,000 meters. To prevent him from leaving, Kovzan decided to ram. He came behind the Junkers from below and equalized the speed. Then he gave the gas and suddenly took the stick. The impact shook the entire fighter, but Kovzan managed to control it. "Junkers", somersaulting, went to the ground. He landed at his airfield.

On February 21, 1942, junior lieutenant Kovzan rammed an enemy Yu-88 bomber in the Vyshny Volochok area on a Yak-1 plane. Landed on a damaged plane.

On July 9, 1942, in the area of ​​the village of Myatunovo, Lobnitsa district, Novgorod region, in an air battle on the same plane, on a collision course, an enemy Me-109f fighter was rammed with a plane strike. Made a safe landing on a damaged plane. For three rams of enemy aircraft in early July 1942, he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but at the headquarters of the 6th Air Army the award was replaced by the Order of the Red Banner.

Pilot of the 744th Fighter Aviation Regiment (240th Fighter Aviation Division, 6th Air Army, Northwestern Front) Senior Lieutenant Kovzan B.I. by mid-July 1942, he made 142 combat missions, personally shot down 3 and 1 enemy aircraft in the group.

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 fighters, 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 meters 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 transported the pilot, who never regained consciousness, to Moscow.

U By the order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on 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.

The fighter pilot spent ten months in hospitals. After discharge, he obtained permission to serve with one eye in fighter aviation, and was appointed pilot instructor in regimental piloting techniques, assistant regiment commander, and deputy commander of the fighter regiment of the country's 144th Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division.

After the war he continued to serve in the Soviet Army. Since 1945 - assistant commander of the country's 123rd Air Defense Fighter Aviation Division. In 1954 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1954 - head of the Ryazan DOSAAF flying club. Since 1958, Lieutenant Colonel B.I. Kovzan has been in reserve. He lived in the city of Ryazan, continued to work as the head of the flying club. Since 1969 he lived and worked in the hero city of Minsk. Died on August 30, 1985. He was buried at the Northern Cemetery in Minsk.

Colonel (1975). Awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (05/15/1942, 08/24/1943), Orders of the Red Banner (07/16/1942), Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree (03/11/1985), Red Star, medals.

In Minsk, a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which the Hero lived. In Bobruisk a street is named after him.

Sources

		Aviation and cosmonautics of the USSR. - M.: Voenizdat, 1968.
		Aviation: Encyclopedia. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1994.
		Immortal feats. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1980
		Vazhin F.A. Air ram. - 2nd ed., trans. and additional - M.: Voenizdat, 1962.
		Vodopyanov M.V. Heaven begins from earth. M., 1976

He is the only ace in the world to have completed four aerial 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.

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 was not wearing 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 of pilots 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 in air space The Soviet Union was invaded over the Mugan Valley of Azerbaijan by the Iranian Phantom-II, which carried out reconnaissance on behalf of the United States. 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.

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 with 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. 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 aircraft, 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.