Andrey Kulagin Biography

It is widely known that among Russians the most effective fighter pilot was Pokryshkin, among Ukrainians-Kozhedub, the Belarusians have his own record holder-Kulagin! Lieutenant Andrey Kulagin. He committed it! This is the best indicator among Belarusian pilots. Next to him, in the three leaders, only twice Hero of the Soviet Union Pavel Golovachev and Hero of the Soviet Union Fedor Arkhipenko, who have 30 Luftwaffe aircraft dropped from the sky.

Kulagin was not only the best ace in his regiment and division, there was no equal to him among all the graduates of his native Armavir Military Aviation School of pilots. He drove most of the Nazis into the ground on, to put it mildly, who did not use a good reputation in the pilots with a wooden fighter Lagg 22 personally knocked down and 6 more in group battles! This is an absolute record among all pilots who fought on such an airplane.

And the laggov was released during the war years a lot:! Due to the innate modesty, Andrei Mikhailovich never protruded his merits: books were not written about him, very sparingly and sometimes not accurately told in encyclopedias. It's time to get to know our legendary compatriot. Kulagin masterfully knocked down the Germans not only during the day, but also at night, and even over the sea!

By the way, the standard of 30 shot down aircraft established by the relevant order, which gave him the right to be awarded the second golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Peresa exceeded Kulagin. The author of this material personally spent a lot of time studying archival documents and it turned out that there is data on all 32 kulagin aircraft. The path to the sky was born the future most productive Belarusian speakers in the village of the Old Smoke of the Vetkovsky District of the Gomel region.

Like many of his peers, at the call of the Komsomol signed up for the aero club. It seemed that for a successful training in the guy, a direct road to aviation was ensured. But she, alas, turned out to be long and difficult. In December, a military school of pilots was formed in Armavir. In the newborn school, among the cadets of which Andrei turned out to be and there were not enough airfields, aircraft, gasoline.

And then there is war! The flight training course was designed for six months, but Sergeant Kulagin got into the combat regiment only in July. Before the built cadets, Sokolov honestly and openly said that the regiment carries heavy losses. LAGG-3rd series with launch plants for RS missiles and suspended fuel tanks. Among the volunteers who failed, there was a kulagin. The major talked with everyone, looked at their personal affairs and chose the best.

In a pike, thin, more like a schoolboy, an experienced pilot managed to make out the future ace. The start of the battle career, the service of Sergeant Kulagin in the battle regiment began on July 14 on the Southern Front. Before he could really look around, to delve into the situation, as on July 25 the Germans went on the offensive under the plan of the strategic operation "Edelweiss".

A bloody battle for the Caucasus began. The Nazis broke through the front and rapidly advanced on the Salsky, Stavropol and Krasnodar directions. Our troops suffered heavy losses on Earth and in the air. For Kulagin, the beginning of a combat career was depressing. In just a few days, the regiment “melted”, having lost most aircraft. The qualitative and quantitative advantage of German aviation was overwhelming.

Three days after the start of the German offensive, the Southern Front was disbanded. Andrei Kulagin also ended up in it. Fedor Nikiforovich was the first real mentor for him to teach the basics of air battle. The main task is to stop the Nazis at all costs eager for Mozdoku and Malgobek, the oil regions of Grozny and Baku. Most of the sorties were to storm the German motorized infantry and intelligence.

It was extremely difficult to fight over the mountainous terrain. In addition, air battles were particularly fierce. The German plane crashed uphill in front of Andrei. And he “brought” only holes from bullets and fragments to his airfield. Once, after the attack of the five “Messers” in his plane, they are counted for more than forty! But it is true that they give two non -battles for one broken.

His victories were still ahead. By the way, here, in the North Caucasus, at the same time, the most productive German aus Erich Hartmann began to fight. And at first he did not succeed. In the first battles, he was confused, shot down and almost died. For three months he participated in battles, but to no avail. It is likely that he could meet in the sky and Kulagin. In the same part, under the command of the legendary pilot, a participant in the hostilities in China and Finland, Hero of the Soviet Union Peter Kozachenko, he will grow in a real ace.

In the sky, the Fighter Lagg, the Nazis, fearing the environment, as near Stalingrad, began to hastily withdraw their troops from Mozdok and Nalchik to Stavropol.

The Germans retreated very quickly. The rest of the fascist pilots fled shamefully. The task was completed. Despite the fierce fire of the enemy’s air shooter, he quickly became close to the plane and cut it off the first stage.To attack point blank, with a minimum distance - this will become a branded technique of the future ace of Kulagin. Deadly dangerous?

And there are no light victories. Ahead of them were awaiting the heavy battles in the Kuban. Andrei lit up one plane with a rapid attack. And he, together with the crew and on board, collapsed to the shore of the Temryuk Gulf near the village of Akhtanizovskaya. He was easier and more maneuverable, which was especially important in battles with German fighters. And who then could have assumed that he would make most of his victories over the Nazi aces precisely on an airplane of this type.

As it was called: a log, a log, and a plywood box ... Lagg abbreviation lovers of black humor deciphered only "flying aircraft guaranteed coffin." The resulting plywood was stronger than the usual tree and had incredible fire resistance. Stalin rejoiced: scarce aluminum is not needed, and there were no problems with the tree in the country. Glue, plywood, canvas, minimum metal - and get a ready -made fighter!

And there was no other. Engines are the eternal trouble of our aviation. But the enemy wins, as you know, not a plane, but a pilot. In the hands of such pilots as a kulagin, and a log became a swallow. Namely, they had to fight Kulagin. The downed German fighter-the famous “king of the sky”, Me their Kulagin on Lagg-3 shot down 13! The more significant were the victories of Andrei Kulagin: 13!

On them, as the command decided, the pilots from the leading composition of the regiment and the most promising from among the youth flew in turn. Surprisingly, there was no kulagin among them! The rest fled shamefully. In the sky above it, one of the most grandiose air battles of the Great Patriotic War unfolded. On both sides in furious fights, dozens, hundreds of aircraft clashed!

Real Air Prokhorovka! Hitler demanded at all costs to hold the Taman peninsula. Fights were extremely stubborn. It was not possible to break through the German defense for a long time. On June 25, the air battle was almost the last for him. The leader of the group, Lieutenant Kornev and his led Kulagin, managed to destroy one “Messer” in a fleeting battle. But they themselves were shot down.

Kornev died, and the wounded Kulagin only at the last moment managed to throw himself out of a burning aircraft on a parachute. Andrei was lucky, our infantrymen picked him up and delivered to the hospital. And the bright order on the chest on July 14, Junior Lieutenant Kulagin was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree. On board his aircraft, there were already 11 red stars, denoting the downed aircraft of the enemy.

And soon intelligence will become their main work. Air battles were not encouraged at the time of intelligence - they could be punished for them. The Germans from the Taman Peninsula were completely thrown out only by October 9th. At the end of this month, Kulagin’s regiment is relocated to the airfield at the Tontalovskaya village in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory.