On January 10, 1911, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot Vasily Zaitsev was born.

Having destroyed dozens of Nazi planes during the Great Patriotic War, he was never shot down himself.

At the same time, according to historians, Zaitsev was not only an ace pilot, but also a talented military teacher who shared his unique experience with young pilots.

From workers to pilots

Vasily Zaitsev was born in the village of Semibratskoe, Moscow province, into a peasant family.

After graduating from the factory apprenticeship school, he worked for some time as a molder-foundry worker at the Kolomna steam locomotive plant, and in 1932 he was drafted into the Red Army.

Zaitsev graduated from the Lugansk Military Aviation Pilot School and for about two years served in the 16th Fighter Aviation Squadron in the Belarusian Military District, flying on the R-5 and R-5SSS aircraft.

In 1936, he graduated from the flight commander courses at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation Pilot School and remained to serve in it.

Later Vasily Zaitsev served in parts of the Kalinin and Baltic military districts.

Shortly before the start of World War II, he was sent to the Lipetsk aviation advanced training courses for squadron commanders for retraining for the LaGG-3 fighter.

Zaitsev met the war as a squadron commander on the Western Front.

In July 1941, he won his first officially established aerial victory by shooting down a Nazi Messerschmitt Bf.110 fighter jet near the village of Vorotyshino, Smolensk Oblast.

In August 1941, Zaitsev's squadron was included in the 129th Fighter Aviation Regiment (later transformed into the 5th Guards), and in August (according to other sources - in September) 1942 Zaitsev was appointed regiment commander.

After the Western, he fought on the Kalinin, Southwestern and 3rd Ukrainian fronts.

  • Aviation of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

    Reconnaissance aircraft R-5

  • RIA News

One after another, Zaitsev scored aerial victories, both personal and as part of a group.

On May 5, 1942, he received his first gold star of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

“Vasily Aleksandrovich“ preached ”air combat at short distances - this is the most effective, but also dangerous type of air combat.

The pilot could have been shot down while approaching the enemy, "said Andrey Gorbunov, methodologist of the Victory Museum's scientific department, in an interview with RT.

Air teacher

“Zaitsev trained squadrons of skilled and courageous fighters.

Young people are learning from a young, but experienced fighter of German aircraft, ”wrote the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper in August 1942 about the Soviet ace.

According to Andrey Gorbunov, the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment became one of the most productive in the USSR in terms of the number of enemy aircraft shot down.

  • Vasily Zaitsev

  • © warheroes.ru

“Zaitsev was an outstanding commander and educator, it was under his command that masters of air combat grew up from young, untrained pilots,” the expert emphasized.

As the aviation historian, candidate of technical sciences Nikolai Bodrikhin said in an interview with RT, only the 5th Guards Fighter Regiment destroyed 739 Nazi aircraft, of which 657 were in the air.

The regiment's pilots made about 15 thousand sorties.

“The regiment fully engaged in the war and showed itself brilliantly, was an example for other units,” the expert emphasized.

According to the Honored Military Pilot of Russia, Major General Vladimir Popov, Zaitsev was acutely aware of the responsibility for the team, was sick of his soul for his subordinates and tried to ensure that his regiment never "hit the face in the mud."

  • Pilots of the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

    From left to right: Yu.M.

    Berkal, V.V.

    Efremov, G. D.

    Onufrienko, B. Afanasyev, N.E.

    Romanov, G.A.

    Inyakin, I. Bikmukhamedov, V.P.

    Rulin

  • © Wikimedia Commons

The command valued Zaitsev so highly that his experience began to be broadcast throughout the country.

In September 1942, the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published an article by Zaitsev, in which the pilot shared his combat experience and gave advice to young pilots.

“Before an attack, suspend the situation and, if it is not possible to conveniently approach the enemy, it is better to wait a little.

A few minutes will pass, and the enemy will suddenly make such a U-turn that will substitute his vulnerable spot, or a convenient cloud will turn up, from where it will be easier to unnoticeably approach the enemy.

When attacking, do not forget the most important thing - only aim fire and only from short distances, ”Zaitsev simply and intelligibly explained the basics of air combat to his young colleagues on the pages of Krasnaya Zvezda, further supplementing the theory with examples from his specific battles.

According to historians, Zaitsev personally took part in many major air battles.

On August 24, 1943, he became the Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time.

In the fall of the same year, while flying to UT-2, Zaitsev was attacked by two Nazi fighters.

The Soviet ace was able to evade hits, but upon landing, the plane turned over, the pilot was seriously injured and was hospitalized for several months.

Vasily Zaitsev participated in the liberation of the Ukrainian SSR and the countries of Eastern Europe from the Nazis.

In 1944 he was appointed deputy commander of the 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, and in 1945 - the 2nd Guards Assault Aviation Corps.

  • Fighter aircraft LaGG-3 (1940) by Soviet aircraft designers Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin (1900-1960), Vladimir Petrovich Gorbunov and Mikhail Ivanovich Gudkov

  • RIA News

“Recently, some researchers have reduced the number of Zaitsev's victories, but, according to my data, he had 427 sorties and 163 air battles.

He personally shot down 34 and as part of a group of 19 enemy aircraft, "Nikolai Bodrikhin told RT.

At the same time, according to the expert, during the war years Zaitsev flew on several types of aircraft, the longest on the La-5.

Singing Squadron

As noted by military historian Yuri Knutov, Vasily Zaitsev's regiment distinguished itself not only in air battles, but also in the field of amateur performances.

There is a version that it was the story of one of the squadrons of the 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment that pushed Leonid Bykov to the idea of ​​making the famous film "Only Old Men Go to Battle".

“In one of the squadrons of the regiment, there was such an amateur activity that helped relieve stress, establish bonds of military comradeship.

Such things help to solve many psychological problems, teach to understand each other perfectly, ”the expert emphasized.

According to Andrei Gorbunov, amateur performances existed in many parts of the Red Army, but it so happened that Zaitsev's subordinates became famous more than others.

“Music has become a detente for the pilots of the 5th Guards.

After bloody heavy battles, exhausting overloads, they took instruments in their hands and played musical works.

Thus, at least for a while, they forgot the horrors of war and the bitterness of loss, returning to the normal course of life, ”said the employee of the Victory Museum.

As Nikolai Bodrikhin said, although during the entire war Zaitsev was never shot down by an enemy in the sky, for some reason he was pursued by accidents on earth.

Once during the war, he was injured by falling from a horse, and then, in the fall of 1945, in the Czechoslovak city of Brno, the famous pilot got into a car accident.

The injuries were very serious and difficult to treat.

Zaitsev was decommissioned from the flight service, and in 1946 he was retired with the rank of guard colonel.

After completing his service, Vasily Zaitsev headed the Kolomna flying club, and also for some time was the director of the Kolomna tire repair plant.

Vasily Zaitsev died at the age of 50 - on May 19, 1961.

  • Monument to Vasily Zaitsev

  • © Sergey Merzhanov / warheroes.ru

“Zaitsev was highly appreciated by his fellow soldiers.

The list of his victories was huge.

He taught his subordinates to take care of their comrades and know the enemy well.

He proved himself both as a great pilot and as an excellent organizer.

His combat work was incomparable, he always knew how to surprise both the enemy and his colleagues with an unusual move, "Nikolai Bodrikhin summed up.