Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Andreevich. Biography

The future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the best Soviet aces, Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov was born on February 9, 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, in the most ordinary peasant family. At the end of 1937, on a Komsomol ticket, young Rechkalov went to a military pilot school in Perm, which he successfully graduated in 1939. After distribution, Grigory, with the rank of junior lieutenant, is sent to serve in the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which gave the country many famous pilots.

At the time when Rechkalov got into the 55th IAP, he was equipped with I-153, I-16 and UTI-4 aircraft and was part of the 1st KOVO high-speed bomber brigade. In 1940, the regiment was transferred to the 20th mixed aviation division, which was part of the Air Force of the Odessa Military District. The regiment was located on the outskirts of the small town of Balti near the border with Romania.

On June 22, 1941, Grigory Rechkalov arrived at the disposal of his regiment from Odessa, where he passed a medical flight commission, which wrote him off from flying work, the pilot had color blindness, he could not distinguish colors well. By that time, the first losses had already been noted in the regiment, and combat work was in full swing. Having reported his arrival to the unit and the cancellation from flights, Rechkalov immediately receives his first combat mission - to take the documents to the neighboring unit on the I-153 fighter. The chief of staff of the regiment, Major Matveev, did not even pay attention to the conclusion of the doctors, there was no time for that. So, unexpectedly for a fighter pilot, a very difficult task was solved, which tormented him all the way to the regiment. In his very first sortie, Grigory Rechkalov met the enemy in battle, survived and was able to rescue his comrade.

In the future, chance will intervene more than once in the fate of the ace pilot, which will provide him with the opportunity to return to the sky. It would take too long to tell about them. It is only worth mentioning that after a month of the war, having 3 downed German aircraft on his combat account, Rechkalov is seriously wounded in the leg and wounded brings his I-16 to the airfield, from where he is immediately transported to the hospital. In the hospital, he undergoes a very complicated operation on his right leg. This injury put him out of action for almost a year. In April 1942, having escaped from the reserve aviation regiment, where the pilot was retrained on the Yak-1, he returned to his native, now the 16th GvIAP.

From this moment begins a new stage of his flying career with the call sign "RGA". Ahead of him is retraining for the American P-39 Aerocobra fighter, the formidable sky of the Kuban, the first Golden Star of the Hero, fierce battles in the sky over Iasi, the second Golden Star and, at the end, the sky of Berlin. He included this segment and some confrontation with the famous Soviet ace Pokryshkin, which received an unexpected development after the end of the war and which they preferred not to talk about out loud before.

Grigory Rechkalov went down in history as the most productive ace who won the most victories in the P-39 Airacobra fighter. By the end of the war, his Cobra had 56 stars, which symbolized 53 personal and 3 group victories of the pilot. Rechkalov was the second most successful Allied pilot. On his account there were 61 personal victories and 4 group victories.

Among the German aircraft shot down by Grigory Rechkalov were:

30 Me-109 fighters;
5 FW-190 fighter
2 Me-110 fighters;
11 Ju-87 bombers
5 Ju 88 bombers
3 Ju 52 transports
2 He-111 bombers
2 light reconnaissance aircraft Fi 156
1 Hs 126 spotter fighter

Conflict with Pokryshkin

For those who were interested in the history of the 55th IAP, which later became the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, and subsequently the 9th GvIAD, which Pokryshkin commanded from July 1944, the strained relationship between the commander and one of the best Soviet aces twice Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Andreyevich Rechkalov. At one time, the aviation community even led serious disputes in the vastness of the worldwide network, trying to understand the nature of the relationship between two famous Soviet aces. Many believed that the reasons lay in their air rivalry, while taking into account the most diverse aspects of their combat interaction.

Pilot-aces of the 9th Guards Aviation Division near the Bell P-39 "Aerocobra" fighter G.A. Rechkalov. From left to right: Alexander Fedorovich Klubov, Grigory Andreyevich Rechkalov, Andrey Ivanovich Trud and commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment Boris Borisovich Glinka.

Since 06/22/1941, Rechkalov’s personal combat account has been opened by the following enemy aircraft shot down: on June 26 in the Ungen region he shot down a Me-109 fighter, on June 27 an Hs 126 spotter fighter and on July 11 a Ju 88 bomber. However, a month after the start of the war, Grigory Rechkalov gets seriously injured in the leg. During a sortie on 07/26/1941 to escort seven I-153s that took off for an attack, Rechkalov was part of a flight of I-16 escort fighters. In the Dubossary area, when approaching the target, a group of aircraft comes under intense German anti-aircraft fire. During the shelling, Rechkalov was wounded, the hit on the plane was so strong and accurate that the fighter's control pedal was broken in half, and the pilot's foot was seriously injured.

During the absence of the pilot, many documents of the 55th IAP were destroyed during the retreat from Odessa. It is possible that Rechkalovo's account was reset to zero also because during his almost year-long absence, the regiment was transferred to another unit, while information about the pilot's victories remained in the documents of the 20th mixed air division. A report on the combat work of the new 16th Guards Aviation Regiment was already compiled in the reserve regiment, so there was nowhere to take data for 1941 from. This would be a fairly convincing version, if not for the fact that many pilots of the 55th IAP, even despite the burning of headquarters documents, shot down aircraft were again recorded and only the "returner" Grigory Rechkalov had to start his combat path from scratch. One way or another, Rechkalov was convinced until the end of his life that 3 victories of 1941 were withdrawn from his combat account, which, by some coincidence, fell into Pokryshkin's account.

Bell P-39 Airacobra

Already many years after the end of the war, Grigory Rechkalov was asked what he most valued in his P-39Q Airacobra fighter, on which he won so many victories: the power of a fire salvo, speed, engine reliability, visibility from the cockpit? To this question, Rechkalov noted that all of the above, of course, played a role and these advantages are important, but the most important thing in his opinion in the American fighter was ... radio. According to him, the Cobra had excellent, rare radio communications at that time. Thanks to her, the pilots in the group could communicate with each other, as if by telephone. Anyone who saw something in the air immediately reported, so there were no surprises during the combat sorties.

It is worth noting that the Aircobras have come a long way, constantly being modernized and improved, including taking into account the requirements of the Soviet side. To assemble and fly around the fighters that were in the USSR, a special group of the Air Force Research Institute was created, which engaged in a thorough study of the flight performance of the Aerocobra, as well as the elimination of various identified defects. The first versions of the P-39D were characterized by overestimated performance. For example, the speed near the ground was only 493 km / h, and at an altitude of 7000 m - 552 km / h, the maximum speed that the aircraft managed to develop at an altitude of 4200 m was 585 km / h. The higher the plane climbed, the lower its rate of climb became. At an altitude of 5000 meters, it was 9.6 m/s, but near the ground it was already 14.4 m/s. The takeoff and landing characteristics of the fighter were also quite high. The mileage of the aircraft was 350 meters, and the takeoff was 300 meters.

The aircraft had a good flight range, which was equal to 1000 km. and could stay in the sky for 3.5 hours. Enough good performance fighters at low altitudes allowed him to effectively act as an escort vehicle for Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft and protect them from German fighters, as well as successfully fight German dive bombers and quite confidently work on ground targets. Over time, the characteristics of the fighter only grew and were brought to a very high level.

It is worth noting that American engineers, designers and workers were sympathetic to the proposals coming from the Soviet Air Force, which concerned improving the design of the fighter. When coming to the USSR, Bell specialists visited military units, tried to study the circumstances and causes of accidents on the spot. In turn, Soviet engineers and pilots were also sent to the United States, where they helped the Bell company to improve the R-39 Airacobra fighter. Was connected to the work on the aircraft and the largest center of Soviet aviation science - the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. Zhukovsky, known by the acronym TsAGI.

Work on improving the aircraft was largely based on improving the performance of the engine and reducing the takeoff weight of the fighter. Already from the P-39D-2 version, a new Allison V-1710-63 engine was installed on the aircraft, the power of which, without turning on the afterburner mode, was equal to 1325 hp. To reduce the takeoff weight of a fighter, the ammunition load of wing machine guns was reduced from 1000 to 500 rounds per barrel, and for fuselage machine guns from 270 to 200 rounds per barrel. Also, the hydraulic system for reloading the gun was completely removed from the aircraft; it could only be reloaded at the airfield. In addition, units were mounted in the air, fuel and oil systems that were on the P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft, which also entered the USSR under Lend-Lease.

In 1942, the most massive and best modification of the P-39Q fighter went into production, Rechkalov flew the P-39Q-15 fighter. Unlike other models, instead of 4 rifle-caliber wing-mounted machine guns, 2 large-caliber 12.7-mm machine guns were installed on the fighter with the letter Q. Among the fighters of this series there were also special lightweight models, for example, the P-39Q-10 version was distinguished by the fact that the wing machine guns were completely absent on it.

impromptu anti-aircraft crew: Alexander Pokryshkin and Grigory Rechkalov.

probably, "Cobra" Rechkalov was the most "painted". photographers, as you can see, loved her very much)

The future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the best Soviet aces, Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov was born on February 9, 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, in the most ordinary peasant family. At the end of 1937, on a Komsomol ticket, young Rechkalov went to a military pilot school in Perm, which he successfully graduated in 1939. After distribution, Grigory, with the rank of junior lieutenant, is sent to serve in the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which gave the country many famous pilots.

At the time when Rechkalov got into the 55th IAP, he was equipped with I-153, I-16 and UTI-4 aircraft and was part of the 1st KOVO high-speed bomber brigade. In 1940, the regiment was transferred to the 20th mixed aviation division, which was part of the Air Force of the Odessa Military District. The regiment was located on the outskirts of the small town of Balti near the border with Romania.

On June 22, 1941, Grigory Rechkalov arrived at the disposal of his regiment from Odessa, where he passed the medical flight commission, which wrote him off from flying work, the pilot had color blindness, he could not distinguish colors well. By that time, the first losses had already been noted in the regiment, and combat work was in full swing. Having reported his arrival to the unit and the cancellation from flights, Rechkalov immediately receives his first combat mission - to take the documents to the neighboring unit on the I-153 fighter. The chief of staff of the regiment, Major Matveev, did not even pay attention to the conclusion of the doctors, there was no time for that. So, unexpectedly for a fighter pilot, a very difficult task was solved, which tormented him all the way to the regiment. In his very first sortie, Grigory Rechkalov met the enemy in battle, survived and was able to rescue his comrade.

In the future, chance will intervene more than once in the fate of the ace pilot, which will provide him with the opportunity to return to the sky. It would take too long to tell about them. It is only worth mentioning that after a month of the war, having 3 downed German aircraft on his combat account, Rechkalov is seriously wounded in the leg and wounded brings his I-16 to the airfield, from where he is immediately transported to the hospital. In the hospital, he undergoes a very complicated operation on his right leg. This injury put him out of action for almost a year. In April 1942, having escaped from the reserve aviation regiment, where the pilot was retrained on the Yak-1, he returned to his native, now the 16th GvIAP.

From this moment begins a new stage of his flying career with the call sign "RGA". Ahead of him is retraining for the American P-39 Aerocobra fighter, the formidable sky of the Kuban, the first Golden Star of the Hero, fierce battles in the sky over Jassy, ​​the second Golden Star and, at the end, the sky of Berlin. He included this segment and some confrontation with the famous Soviet ace Pokryshkin, which received an unexpected development after the end of the war and which they preferred not to talk about out loud before.

Grigory Rechkalov entered as the most productive ace, who won the most victories on the P-39 Airacobra fighter. By the end of the war, his Cobra had 56 stars, which symbolized 53 personal and 3 group victories of the pilot. Rechkalov was the second most successful Allied pilot. On his account there were 61 personal victories and 4 group victories.

Among the German aircraft shot down by Grigory Rechkalov were:

30 Me-109 fighters;
5 FW-190 fighter
2 Me-110 fighters;
11 Ju-87 bombers
5 Ju 88 bombers
3 Ju 52 transports
2 He-111 bombers
2 light reconnaissance aircraft Fi 156
1 Hs 126 spotter fighter

Conflict with Pokryshkin

For those who were interested in the history of the 55th IAP, which later became the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, and subsequently the 9th GvIAD, which Pokryshkin commanded from July 1944, the strained relationship between the commander and one of the best Soviet aces twice Hero of the Soviet Union Grigory Andreyevich Rechkalov. At one time, the aviation community even led serious disputes in the vastness of the worldwide network, trying to understand the nature of the relationship between two famous Soviet aces. Many believed that the reasons lay in their air rivalry, while taking into account the most diverse aspects of their combat interaction.

Pilot-aces of the 9th Guards Aviation Division near the Bell P-39 "Aerocobra" fighter G.A. Rechkalov. From left to right: Alexander Fedorovich Klubov, Grigory Andreyevich Rechkalov, Andrey Ivanovich Trud and commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment Boris Borisovich Glinka.

Like it or not, but over time it began to seem that the strained relationship between the two pilots, which led to a serious conflict, was connected with their personal accounts of downed aircraft. These assumptions were also confirmed by Rechkalov's relatives, in particular, his wife Anfisa and daughter Lyubov spoke about this. According to the daughter of the famous ace, already at the end of World War II, Grigory Rechkalov, working with TsAMO documents, found 3 of his planes shot down in 1941 on the account of Alexander Pokryshkin. Having learned about this, he most likely called his immediate military commander and expressed everything that he thinks about him. The reaction of Alexander Pokryshkin was not long in coming, after this conversation they forgot about Rechkalov, and access to the TsAMO archives was closed to him. Even another Soviet ace, Georgy Golubev, who was Pokryshkin’s follower and was friends with Rechkalov during the war, in his book Paired with the Hundredth, writes practically nothing about his friend during the war, building the whole story around Pokryshkin’s personality. According to the relatives of Grigory Rechkalov, he adhered to his opinion that the 3 planes he shot down were attributed to Pokryshkin until his death in 1990.

Since 06/22/1941, Rechkalov’s personal combat account has been opened by the following enemy aircraft shot down: on June 26 in the Ungen region he shot down a Me-109 fighter, on June 27 an Hs 126 spotter fighter and on July 11 a Ju 88 bomber. However, a month after the start of the war, Grigory Rechkalov gets seriously injured in the leg. During a sortie on 07/26/1941 to escort seven I-153s that took off for an attack, Rechkalov was part of a flight of I-16 escort fighters. In the Dubossary area, when approaching the target, a group of aircraft comes under intense German anti-aircraft fire. During the shelling, Rechkalov was wounded, the hit on the plane was so strong and accurate that the fighter's control pedal was broken in half, and the pilot's foot was seriously injured.

During the absence of the pilot, many documents of the 55th IAP were destroyed during the retreat from Odessa. It is possible that Rechkalovo's account was reset to zero also because during his almost year-long absence, the regiment was transferred to another unit, while information about the pilot's victories remained in the documents of the 20th mixed air division. A report on the combat work of the new 16th Guards Aviation Regiment was already compiled in the reserve regiment, so there was nowhere to take data for 1941 from. This would be a fairly convincing version, if not for the fact that many pilots of the 55th IAP, even despite the burning of headquarters documents, shot down aircraft were again recorded and only the "returner" Grigory Rechkalov had to start his combat path from scratch. One way or another, Rechkalov was convinced until the end of his life that 3 victories of 1941 were withdrawn from his combat account, which, by some coincidence, fell into Pokryshkin's account.

Already many years after the end of the war, Grigory Rechkalov was asked what he most valued in his P-39Q Airacobra fighter, on which he won so many victories: the power of a fire salvo, speed, engine reliability, visibility from the cockpit? To this question, Rechkalov noted that all of the above, of course, played a role and these advantages are important, but the most important thing in his opinion in the American fighter was ... radio. According to him, the Cobra had excellent, rare radio communications at that time. Thanks to her, the pilots in the group could communicate with each other, as if by telephone. Anyone who saw something in the air immediately reported, so there were no surprises during the combat sorties.

It is worth noting that the Aircobras have come a long way, constantly being modernized and improved, including taking into account the requirements of the Soviet side. To assemble and fly around the fighters that were in the USSR, a special group of the Air Force Research Institute was created, which engaged in a thorough study of the flight performance of the Aerocobra, as well as the elimination of various identified defects. The first versions of the P-39D were characterized by overestimated performance. For example, the speed near the ground was only 493 km / h, and at an altitude of 7000 m - 552 km / h, the maximum speed that the aircraft managed to develop at an altitude of 4200 m was 585 km / h. The higher the plane climbed, the lower its rate of climb became. At an altitude of 5000 meters, it was 9.6 m/s, but near the ground it was already 14.4 m/s. The takeoff and landing characteristics of the fighter were also quite high. The mileage of the aircraft was 350 meters, and the takeoff was 300 meters.

It is worth noting that American engineers, designers and workers were sympathetic to the proposals coming from the Soviet Air Force, which concerned improving the design of the fighter. When coming to the USSR, Bell specialists visited military units, tried to study the circumstances and causes of accidents on the spot. In turn, Soviet engineers and pilots were also sent to the United States, where they helped the Bell company to improve the R-39 Airacobra fighter. Was connected to the work on the aircraft and the largest center of Soviet aviation science - the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. Zhukovsky, known by the acronym TsAGI.

In 1942, the most massive and best modification of the P-39Q fighter went into production, Rechkalov flew the P-39Q-15 fighter. Unlike other models, instead of 4 rifle-caliber wing-mounted machine guns, 2 large-caliber 12.7-mm machine guns were installed on the fighter with the letter Q. Among the fighters of this series there were also special lightweight models, for example, the P-39Q-10 version was distinguished by the fact that the wing machine guns were completely absent on it.

Sources used:
www.airwiki.org/history/aces/ace2ww/pilots/rechkalov.html
www.airwar.ru/history/aces/ace2ww/pilots/rechkalov.html
www.airaces.narod.ru/all1/rechkal1.htm
www.vspomniv.ru/P_39

Born on February 9, 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo, now the village of Zaikovo, Sverdlovsk Region, in a peasant family. Graduated from 6 classes incomplete high school and the flying club. Since 1938 in the Red Army, a year later he graduated from the Perm Military Aviation Pilot School.

He participated in the battles of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. He fought on the Southern, North Caucasian, 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian fronts.

By May 1943, the flight commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (216th mixed aviation division, 4th air army, North Caucasian Front) Guards Senior Lieutenant G. A. Rechkalov made 194 sorties, in 54 air battles he personally shot down 12 enemy aircraft and 2 as part of a group. On May 24, 1943, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By June 1944, the deputy commander of the same regiment (9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 7th Fighter Aviation Corps, 5th Air Army, 2nd Ukrainian Front) Guard Captain G. A. Rechkalov made 415 sorties, participated in 112 air battles, personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft and 6 in a group with comrades. On July 1, 1944 he was awarded the second Gold Star medal.

In total, he completed about 450 successful sorties, in 122 air battles he shot down 56 aircraft personally and 6 - as part of a group.

After the war he continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1951 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1959, Major General of Aviation G. A. Rechkalov has been in reserve. Lived in Moscow. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (four times), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War of the 1st degree, the Red Star (twice), and medals. In the homeland of the twice Hero installed bronze bust. Wrote books about military everyday life - "Visiting youth", "Smoky sky of war", "In the sky of Moldova". Died December 22, 1990.

This brilliant air fighter was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing a model of courage, determination and discipline in one sortie, in the next he could be distracted from the main task and just as resolutely start pursuing a random enemy. His combat fate intertwined with the fate of A. I. Pokryshkin; he flew with him in a group, replaced him as a commander, then as a regiment commander. Alexander Ivanovich himself best qualities Rechkalova considered directness and frankness.

Best of the day

Grigory Rechkalov was born on February 9, 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, Perm province. He learned to fly at a local flying club. After being drafted into the Red Army, in 1938 he was admitted to the Perm Military Aviation School. The one that 5 years before Rechkalov's arrival there, his future commander, A. I. Pokryshkin, graduated. True, then the school produced only aviation technicians. Becoming a military pilot in 1939, Rechkalov served in the Air Force of the Red Army of the Odessa Military District.

Despite the fact that the medical board determined he had color blindness, he won the right to continue his service and in 1941 was sent to the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment with the rank of sergeant. The regiment was stationed in Moldavia and re-equipped with new types of fighters during the summer. However, Rechkalov's squadron was still armed with obsolete I-153s.

The beginning of the war saved Rechkalov from being written off from flight work: the regiment commander ignored another, disastrous for the pilot, conclusion of doctors. Rechkalov made his first sorties, to attack the enemy troops, on the I-153 - a biplane with a blue tail number "13". During the 1st week of the war, he completed about 30 sorties for ground attack and conducted 10 air battles.

On the same machine, he won his first victory - on June 27, 1941, with a volley of rockets, shooting down one of the Me-109s that attacked him. Like Pokryshkin, he later said that his number 13 was "unlucky for the enemy." On it, however, he, however, had an accident due to a motor failure: the connecting rod broke, and, having scapotted, Rechkalov almost died.

After the accident, he began to fly on the I-16, soon shot down on it first a Polish PZL P-24 fighter (Romanian pilots flew them), and then a German Ju-88 bomber. In one of the sorties, he was wounded in the head and leg, brought the car to his airfield and landed in the hospital for a week, underwent 3 operations there - the wound in the leg turned out to be severe.

After a relative recovery, the pilot was sent to the reserve regiment, but, having learned that he was equipped only with U-2 aircraft, he decisively turned and went back to the district air force headquarters. There he achieved a meeting with the commander and managed to demand a direction for retraining in a fighter regiment. Only in the summer of 1942, having mastered the Yak-1 and once again visiting the hospital - it was difficult for a fragment to come out, Rechkalov, by hook or by crook, returned to his regiment - the 55th IAP, which by that time had received the Guards name (16th GvIAP). Here, on the Southern Front, he makes about a hundred sorties, participating in 20 battles, bringing the number of his victories to 6, shooting down 4 aircraft personally and 2 as part of a group.

In December 1942, the regiment was recalled from the front for re-equipment with American P-39 Airacobra fighters. By the spring of 1943, having received new vehicles in the North Caucasus, the regiment went to the Kuban. On the very first sortie, Rechkalov and Pokryshkin shot down one Me-109F each in an air battle over the village of Krymskaya. On April 15, Rechkalov shot down a Ju-88 in combat with a large group of bombers. The next day - Me-109 near the village of Kholmskaya and two more Me-109s until the 21st.

8 days later, 6 "Aerocobras" of Captain A. Pokryshkin started a battle with a group of Ju-87s escorted by 4 Me-109 fighters over the front line. Pokryshkin attacked the bombers, and Rechkalov took up the fighters. As a result, both shot down 2 enemy aircraft and thwarted their attack.

Only in the first 2 weeks of the battle in the Kuban, the deputy commander of the 1st squadron of the 16th GvIAP of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant Rechkalov, personally shot down 8 enemy aircraft in air battles (7 Me-109 and Ju-88) and was presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Recalling those days, Grigory Andreevich later wrote:

“There was not a single sortie so that we would not fight. At first, the enemy acted impudently. A group would jump out, pile up, look, then one or another of our planes, on fire, rushes to the ground. But we quickly figured out the tactics of the German pilots and began to use new techniques: to walk in pairs, not in units, it is better to use for communication and radio guidance, to echelon groups of aircraft with the so-called "whatnot". It was on these days that the "falcon strike" developed by Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was born in our regiment.

In the Kuban, Rechkalov fought on P-39D-1, P-39D-2 Aircobras, tail number "40", won 19 victories, destroying 2 aircraft three times in one battle and once - 3. Usually he flew leading a pair in the Pokryshkin group. May 24, 1943 became a Hero of the Soviet Union. Rechkalov made his last double already near Iasi, shooting down 2 Ju-87 dive-bombers in a short and decisive attack.

Infinitely brave personally, daring, full of contempt for enemies, Rechkalov fought on a decorated "Aircobra", in addition to the standard coloring and elements of quick recognition, carrying a star for the number of downed enemies and the formidable letters R.G.A. (pilot's initials) on the rear fuselage.

In the summer of 1943, at the head of the eight fighters, he attacked a large group of Ju-87 dive bombers and personally shot down 3 of them. His group then shot down 5 Junkers and one Messer. In the autumn of 1943, during the famous "hunt over the sea", opened by Pokryshkin, Rechkalov managed to shoot down 3 aircraft - 2 three-engine Ju-52 - fuel trucks in one sortie and the Italian flying boat "Savoye".

He flew "hunting" with pleasure, liked to climb to a great height, about 6000 meters, and, using his exceptionally sharp eyesight, quickly attack the chosen victim. The ace flew on missions with different pilots. Among them were A. Trud, G. Golubev, V. Zherdev. He fought over the Sea of ​​Azov, when in the spring of 1944 the regiment operated as part of the 4th Ukrainian Front over the Crimea, participated in the Chisinau campaign, which sent him back to the places where he made his first sorties in this war.

He became Kapitan, a deputy regimental commander with a wealth of combat experience. In July 1944, Boris Glinka was seriously wounded and Rechkalov temporarily took over his duties. On July 1, 1944, he was awarded the second Gold Star medal, for 48 personal and 6 group victories won by him in 415 sorties and 112 air battles (as of June 1944).

A distinctive feature of Rechkalov was that he quickly caught the idea of ​​​​each battle and, no matter how the situation in the air developed, almost always brought the fight to the end, achieving victory. His ability to interact with other groups made it possible to confidently fight against numerically superior enemy forces.

The air battle conducted by our aces on July 16, 1944 can be called truly classic. In all its brilliance, the fighting qualities of Soviet commanders and ordinary pilots appeared in it. 12 aircraft of the 16th Guards Regiment under the command of G. A. Rechkalov in the Sushno area covered the ground troops from air raids, which were in the initial position for the attack. The fighters of the strike group loitered at an altitude of 2000 meters. Above them, with an excess of 400 - 500 meters, a cover group headed by the leader - Guard Lieutenant Colonel A. I. Pokryshkin, walked. And the uppermost tier was occupied by a support group under the command of the Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Senior Lieutenant A. Trud.

Soon it was noticed that a large group of enemy vehicles was moving towards the east. It had more than 30 Ju-87s and Hs-129s and 8 FW-190s. Seeing our planes, the enemy reorganized into a column one at a time, closing the circle for defense, and began randomly throwing bombs.

The fighters of Rechkalov and Pokryshkip rushed to attack the bombers, and Trud tied the fighters in battle. The giant carousel spins. With his four, Pokryshkin struck with inside circle and shot down Hs-129 from the first attack. With the fourth attack, he managed to set fire to the Ju-87. From below and behind Rechkalov rushed to the attack with his wingmen. He was the first to bring down an enemy bomber. The same fate from well-aimed bursts of Vakhnenko, Klubov and Ivanov befell 3 more Junkers. At the exit from the fourth attack, Klubov doubled his score. Thus, 9 downed enemy aircraft fell to the ground.

However, Rechkalov's desire to increase his personal score (up to attempts to attribute other people's victories to himself) did not always have a positive effect on the leadership of his subordinates. He could get out of the battle with fighters, although the pilots of his group still continued to fight, and rush at the bombers, or even completely withdraw the group without the permission of the higher command. Acting "in the old fashioned way", he sent small groups of fighters on patrol, which often had to fight in the minority.

The combat score of the pilot grew very quickly, Rechkalov rose just as quickly in command positions. After Pokryshkin was appointed deputy regiment commander, Rechkalov became commander of the 1st squadron, and when Pokryshkin became division commander, he was appointed commander of the 16th GvIAP. However, this position was fatally unlucky. After the death of pilot Ivan Olefirenko (due to the negligence of a mechanic), Rechkalov was removed from the post of regimental commander and Boris Glinka was appointed there. However, a few days later he was seriously wounded in an air battle and Rechkalov again began to temporarily fulfill his duties. But soon he was replaced in this position by another Soviet ace - Ivan Ilyich Babak ...

Soon the regiment moved to the 1st Ukrainian Front and took part in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation. Then he acted over Poland, over the Vistula and the Oder. Rechkalov fought his last battles over Berlin in April 1945. By the end of the war, he became the highest scoring Air Cobra pilot (44 victories), most of which he won in the P-39N-0 (number 42-747) and P-39Q-15 (number 42-547).

"Aerocobra" P-39Q-15, widely known from newsreels as a fighter A. I. Pokryshkin. But it's not. It's just that the cameramen filmed Alexander Ivanovich against the background of this particular aircraft (apparently they wanted to show a lot of stars - marks of victories). On this machine, Rechkalov ended the war.

Asterisks, denoting air victories, were applied to the left of the nose of the aircraft, and were located in exactly the same way as on the previous machine. Underwing heavy machine guns were removed. The red tops of the vertical plumage and spinner are the distinguishing mark of the 16th GvIAP.

Many years after the end of the war, Grigory Rechkalov was once asked what he valued most in the Airacobra, on which he won so many victories: speed, the power of a salvo of fire, visibility from the cockpit, reliability of the engine? Rechkalov replied that, of course, all the listed advantages of the car are very important. But the main thing all the same ... was the radio. This car had an excellent, rare radio connection for those times. Thanks to her, the pilots in the group talked to each other, as if on the phone. Who saw what - immediately everyone knows. Therefore, they did not have any surprises in sorties.

In February 1945, by order of the commander of the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, Grigory Rechkalov was removed from command of the 16th Guards Aviation Regiment and appointed inspector for piloting technique of the 9th GvIAD, that is, to a position not related to the leadership of personnel. A. I. Pokryshkin himself wrote about this as follows:

"... The airfield was suddenly attacked by eight FW-190s. The group jumped out into a break in the clouds and dropped cluster fragmentation bombs. A couple of fighters were immediately aimed at the enemy on the radio. She was just making a training flight. The pilots managed to catch up with the outgoing enemy group and knocked out one Fokker.

Our planes were not damaged by the dropped bombs. But the squadron commander Veniamin Tsvetkov got under the explosions. During the bombing, he rushed to the plane to take off and repel the Fokkers. A large fragment pierced his back, causing a mortal wound. Doctors did not have time to take him alive to the infirmary. [Note: Veniamin Pavlovich Tsvetkov had 15 personally shot down enemy aircraft and 2 as part of a group].

When I was informed about this attack on the airfield, the first thing I asked was: "Where were the fighters on duty? .."

It turned out that the command of the 16th Guards Regiment did not comply with the established duty schedule over the airfield. Considering this a waste of energy, they did not raise in advance, according to the schedule, the link for loitering. It was a gross violation. If the link was in the air, the raid could have been repelled even at the approach of enemy aircraft to the airfield. For non-performance and other violations, the commander of the 16th air regiment was soon transferred to the position of inspector in a corps not related to the leadership of personnel.

That's how it happens. The pilot gained combat experience, mastered the technique, learned to conduct an air battle - he fights confidently, on account of more than a dozen downed enemy vehicles. He has received high honors for this. And commanding qualities are low, as a leader - weak. Apparently, in order to forge, to cultivate these qualities in oneself, it is not enough to be only a brave and skillful air fighter. It is necessary to develop responsibility to subordinates, to ask strict questions and be demanding, first of all, to oneself.

Despite all this, Grigory Rechkalov continued to carry out sorties until the end of the war. He finished it with 56 personal and 6 group victories won in 450 successful sorties and 122 air battles (according to the latest research by Mikhail Bykov, 3 more personal victories won in the summer of 1941 were not recorded on his combat account).

Probably, no other Soviet ace has such a variety of types of officially downed enemy aircraft on his personal account as G. A. Rechkalov. Here are He-111 and Ju-88 bombers, and Ju-87 and Hs-129 attack aircraft, and Hs-126 and FW-189 reconnaissance aircraft, and Me-110, Me-109, FW-190 fighters, and Ju transports. -52, and even relatively rare trophies - the Italian "Savoy" and the Polish PZL-24.

After the war, Grigory Andreevich remained in the Air Force for a long time, he graduated from the Air Force Academy. In 1959, the 39-year-old Major General of Aviation G. A. Rechkalov was transferred to the reserve. Lived and worked in Moscow.

Ural pilot Hero Rechkalov Grigory Andreevich This brilliant air fighter was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing a model of courage, determination and discipline in one flight, in the next he could be distracted from the main task ... This brilliant air fighter was distinguished by a very contradictory and uneven character. Showing a model of courage, determination and discipline in one sortie, in the next he could be distracted from the main task and just as resolutely start pursuing a random enemy. His combat fate intertwined with the fate of A. I. Pokryshkin; he flew with him in a group, replaced him as a commander, then as a regiment commander. Alexander Ivanovich himself considered directness and frankness to be the best qualities of Rechkalov. Grigory Rechkalov was born on February 9, 1920 in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, Perm province. He learned to fly at a local flying club. After being drafted into the Red Army, in 1938 he was admitted to the Perm Military Aviation School. The one that 5 years before Rechkalov's arrival there, his future commander, A. I. Pokryshkin, graduated. True, then the school produced only aviation technicians. Becoming a military pilot in 1939, Rechkalov served in the Air Force of the Red Army of the Odessa Military District.

Despite the fact that the medical board determined he had color blindness, he won the right to continue his service and in 1941 was sent to the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment with the rank of sergeant. The regiment was stationed in Moldavia and re-equipped with new types of fighters during the summer. However, Rechkalov's squadron was still armed with obsolete I-153s. The beginning of the war saved Rechkalov from being written off from flight work: the regiment commander ignored another, disastrous for the pilot, conclusion of doctors. Rechkalov made his first sorties, to attack the enemy troops, on the I-153 - a biplane with a blue tail number "13". During the 1st week of the war, he completed about 30 sorties for ground attack and conducted 10 air battles. On the same machine, he won his first victory - on June 27, 1941, with a volley of rockets, he shot down one of the Me-109s that attacked him. Like Pokryshkin, he later said that his number 13 was "unlucky for the enemy." On it, however, he, however, had an accident due to a motor failure: the connecting rod broke, and, having scapotted, Rechkalov almost died. After the accident, he began to fly already on the I-16. Soon, Rechkalov shot down first a Polish PZL P-24 fighter (Romanian pilots flew them), and then a German Ju-88 bomber. On July 26, in the Dubossary area, while attacking an enemy column, he was wounded in the head and leg by fire from the ground, brought the car to his airfield and landed in the hospital, underwent 3 operations there - the wound in the leg turned out to be quite severe. After a relative recovery, the pilot was sent to the reserve regiment, but, having learned that he was equipped only with U-2 aircraft, he decisively turned and went back to the district air force headquarters. There he achieved a meeting with the commander and managed to demand a direction for retraining in a fighter regiment. Only on March 30, 1942, having mastered the Yak-1 and having once again been in the hospital - it was difficult for a fragment to come out, Rechkalov, by hook or by crook, returned to his regiment - the 55th IAP, which by that time had received the Guards name (16th Guards IAP). Here, on the Southern Front, he makes about a hundred sorties, participating in 20 battles, bringing the number of his victories to 6, shooting down 4 aircraft personally and 2 as part of a group. In December 1942, the regiment was recalled from the front for re-equipment with American P-39 Air Cobra fighters. By the spring of 1943, having received new vehicles in the North Caucasus, the regiment went to the Kuban. On the very first sortie, Rechkalov and Pokryshkin shot down one Me-109F each in an air battle over the village of Krymskaya. On April 15, Rechkalov shot down a Ju-88 in a battle with a large group of bombers. The next day - Me-109 near the village of Kholmskaya and 2 more Me-109s until the 21st.

A. Klubov, G. Rechkalov, A. Trud and B. Glinka (left to right). 8 days later, 6 Aerocobras of Captain A. Pokryshkin started a battle with a group of Ju-87s escorted by 4 Me-109 fighters over the front line. Pokryshkin attacked the bombers, and Rechkalov took up the fighters. As a result, both shot down 2 enemy aircraft and thwarted their attack. Only in the first 2 weeks of the battle in the Kuban, the deputy commander of the 1st squadron of the 16th GvIAP of the Guard, Senior Lieutenant G.R. Rechkalov personally shot down 8 enemy aircraft in air battles (7 Me-109 and 1 Ju-88) and was promoted to the rank Hero of the Soviet Union. Recalling those days, Grigory Andreevich later wrote: “There was not a single sortie so that we would not fight. At first, the enemy acted impudently. A group will jump out, pile up, you look, then one or another of our planes, catching fire, rushes to the ground. But we quickly figured out the tactics of the German pilots and began to apply new tricks: to walk in pairs, not in flights, it is better to use it for communication and radio guidance, to echelon groups of aircraft in the so-called "whatnot". It was during these days that the “falcon strike” developed by Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin was born in our regiment.

Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov(February 9 or - December 20) - twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1943, 1944). Pilot-ace of the Great Patriotic War, Major General of Aviation.

Biography

Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov was born in the village of Khudyakovo, Irbitsky district, Perm province (now the village of Zaikovo, Irbitsky district, Sverdlovsk region) into a peasant family. When Grigory Rechkalov was at school, his family moved to the village of Bobrovka near Sverdlovsk, and he finished 6 classes there at the school in the village of Bolshoi Istok. At the age of 14, he began working as an electrician at a local mill. Later he moved to Sverdlovsk and entered the factory apprenticeship school at Verkh-Isetsky Zavod. At the same time, Rechkalov began to study in a circle of glider pilots.

The day before the start of the war, Rechkalov passed a medical flight commission and was rejected due to discovered color blindness. However, on June 22, when he returned to the unit, the regimental chief of staff gave him an urgent task to deliver documents and did not even look at the medical report. At the beginning of the war, he flew the I-153 Chaika fighter. He scored his first aerial victory on June 27, shooting down a Me-109 with a rocket projectile. Already in the first month of the war, Grigory Rechkalov shot down 3 enemy aircraft, was wounded himself, but brought the aircraft to the airfield. He was sent to the hospital, and then to the reserve aviation regiment, to master the Yak-1 aircraft, but in April 1942 he fled to his regiment, which by that time had received the rank of Guards and became known as the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (16 GvIAP) .

In the regiment, he mastered the American fighter Airacobra. From the spring of 1943, the regiment entered into battles with the enemy in the Kuban. In the first two weeks of fighting, Grigory Rechkalov shot down 19 enemy aircraft, and in three sorties he shot down 2 aircraft each, and in one - 3.

By June 1944, the deputy regiment commander Rechkalov made 415 sorties, participated in 112 air battles and personally shot down 48 enemy aircraft and 6 in the group.

In total, during the war, Rechkalov made 450 sorties, 122 air battles. Data on downed aircraft vary. According to one source, 56 aircraft were shot down and 6 aircraft in a group. According to M. Bykov, Rechkalov shot down 61 + 4 enemy aircraft.

After the war, Grigory Rechkalov continued to serve in the Air Force, in 1951 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. In 1959 he was transferred to the reserve. Lived in Moscow, since 1980 - in the city of Zhukovsky, Moscow Region. He died on December 20, 1990 in Moscow. He was buried next to his mother in the cemetery of the village of Bobrovsky, Sysert urban district, Sverdlovsk region.

List of aerial victories

Rechkalov's 3 air victories, won by him in 1941, are missing from the award lists (due to the loss of documents of the 55th Fighter Aviation Regiment for that period). Nevertheless, these victories are reflected in the documents of the 20th mixed air division, which gives every reason to include them in the pilot's combat account.

Total aerial victories: 61+4
sorties - more than 420
air battles - 122

** - group victories

Awards

• Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (05/24/1943, 07/01/1944);
• four orders of the Red Banner;
• Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree;
• medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ;
• Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ;
• Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ;
• Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ;
• other medals of the USSR;
• honorary citizen of Balti and other cities.

Memory

Compositions

• Grigory Rechkalov.. - Chisinau: Kartya moldovenyaske, 1967, 1979. - 247 p. - 15,000 copies.
• Visiting youth. M., 1968.
• The smoky sky of war. Sverdlovsk, 1968.
• Grigory Rechkalov. Burning sky 1941. - Yauza, Eksmo, 2008. - 496 p. - (In air battles). - 5100 copies. - ISBN 978-5-699-25675-4.
• Grigory Rechkalov. 1941. Burning skies of war. - Yauza, Eksmo, 2009. - 496 p. - (Greatest Soviet aces). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-699-35350-7.

see also

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Notes

Literature

• Bykov M. Yu. Aces of the Great Patriotic War. - M.: Yauza; Eksmo, 2007. - ISBN 978-5-699-20526-4.

Links

. Site "Heroes of the Country".

• .

An excerpt characterizing Rechkalov, Grigory Andreevich

Returning to Moscow from the army, Nikolai Rostov was adopted by his family as the best son, hero and beloved Nikolushka; relatives - as a sweet, pleasant and respectful young man; acquaintances - as a handsome hussar lieutenant, a clever dancer and one of the best grooms in Moscow.
The Rostovs knew all of Moscow; the old count had enough money this year, because all the estates were remortgaged, and therefore Nikolushka, having got his own trotter and the most fashionable trousers, special ones that no one else in Moscow had, and boots, the most fashionable, with the most pointed socks and little silver spurs, had a lot of fun. Rostov, returning home, experienced a pleasant feeling after a certain period of time trying on himself for the old conditions of life. It seemed to him that he had matured and grown very much. Despair for an examination that was not consistent with the law of God, borrowing money from Gavrila for a cab, secret kisses with Sonya, he recalled all this as about childishness, from which he was immeasurably far away now. Now he is a hussar lieutenant in a silver cape, with soldier George, preparing his trotter for a run, along with well-known hunters, elderly, respectable. He has a familiar lady on the boulevard, to whom he goes in the evening. He conducted a mazurka at a ball at the Arkharovs, talked about the war with Field Marshal Kamensky, visited an English club, and was on you with one forty-year-old colonel, whom Denisov introduced him to.
His passion for the sovereign somewhat weakened in Moscow, since during this time he did not see him. But he often talked about the sovereign, about his love for him, making it feel that he still did not tell everything, that there was something else in his feeling for the sovereign that could not be understood by everyone; and wholeheartedly shared the feeling of adoration common at that time in Moscow for Emperor Alexander Pavlovich, who at that time in Moscow was given the name of an angel in the flesh.
During this short stay of Rostov in Moscow, before leaving for the army, he did not get close, but, on the contrary, parted ways with Sonya. She was very pretty, sweet, and obviously passionately in love with him; but he was in that time of his youth, when it seems there is so much to do that there is no time to do it, and the young man is afraid to get involved - he values ​​\u200b\u200bhis freedom, which he needs for many other things. When he thought of Sonya during this new sojourn in Moscow, he said to himself: Eh! there are still many, many of these will be and are there, somewhere, still unknown to me. I still have time, when I want, to make love, but now there is no time. In addition, it seemed to him that something humiliating for his courage in women's society. He went to balls and sororities, pretending to do so against his will. Running, an English club, a revelry with Denisov, a trip there - that was another matter: it was decent for a young hussar.
At the beginning of March, the old Count Ilya Andreevich Rostov was preoccupied with arranging a dinner in an English club for the reception of Prince Bagration.
The count in a dressing gown walked around the hall, giving orders to the club housekeeper and the famous Feoktist, the head cook of the English club, about asparagus, fresh cucumbers, strawberries, calf and fish for Prince Bagration's dinner. The count, from the day the club was founded, was its member and foreman. He was entrusted from the club with organizing a celebration for Bagration, because rarely anyone knew how to broad hand, it is hospitable to arrange a feast, especially because rarely anyone knew how and wanted to invest their money if they were needed to arrange a feast. The cook and housekeeper of the club, with merry faces, listened to the count's orders, because they knew that under no one, as under him, it was better to profit from a dinner that cost several thousand.
- So look, scallops, put scallops in the cake, you know! “So there were three cold ones? ...” the cook asked. The Count considered. “It can’t be less, three…mayonnaise times,” he said, bending his finger…
- So you will order the big sterlets to take? the housekeeper asked. - What to do, take it, if they do not yield. Yes, you are my father, I had and forgot. After all, we need another entree on the table. Ah, my fathers! He grabbed his head. Who will bring me flowers?
- Mitinka! And Mitinka! Ride on, Mitinka, to the Moscow region, ”he turned to the manager who had come in at his call,“ jump to the Moscow region and tell the gardener to dress up Maximka’s corvée. Tell them to drag all the greenhouses here, wrap them in felt. Yes, so that I have two hundred pots here by Friday.
Having given more and more different orders, he went out to rest with the countess, but remembered something else he needed, returned himself, returned the cook and housekeeper, and again began to give orders. At the door was heard a light, masculine gait, the rattling of spurs, and a handsome, ruddy, with a blackening mustache, apparently rested and well-groomed by a quiet life in Moscow, entered the young count.
- Ah, my brother! My head is spinning,” said the old man, as if ashamed, smiling in front of his son. - If only you could help! We need more songwriters. I have music, but can I call the gypsies? Your military brethren love it.
“Really, papa, I think Prince Bagration, when he was preparing for the battle of Shengraben, was less busy than you are now,” said the son, smiling.
The old count pretended to be angry. - Yes, you talk, you try!
And the count turned to the cook, who, with an intelligent and respectable face, looked observantly and affectionately at father and son.
- What kind of youth is it, Feoktist? - he said, - laughs at our brother old people.
- Well, Your Excellency, they only want to eat well, but how to collect everything and serve it is none of their business.
- So, so, - the count shouted, and merrily grabbing his son by both hands, he shouted: - So that's it, I got you! Now take a twin sleigh and go to Bezukhov, and say that the count, they say, Ilya Andreevich was sent to ask you for fresh strawberries and pineapples. You won't get anyone else. It’s not there yourself, so you go in, tell the princesses, and from there, that’s what, you go to Razgulay - Ipatka the coachman knows - you find Ilyushka the gypsy there, that’s what Count Orlov then danced, remember, in a white Cossack, and you bring him here to me.
“And bring him here with the gypsies?” Nicholas asked laughing. - Oh well!…
At that moment, with inaudible steps, with a businesslike, preoccupied, and at the same time Christian meek air that never left her, Anna Mikhailovna entered the room. Despite the fact that every day Anna Mikhailovna found the count in a dressing gown, every time he was embarrassed in front of her and asked for an apology for his costume.
“Nothing, Count, my dear,” she said, meekly closing her eyes. “And I’ll go to the Earless,” she said. - Pierre has arrived, and now we will get everything, count, from his greenhouses. I needed to see him. He sent me a letter from Boris. Thank God, Borya is now at headquarters.
The count was delighted that Anna Mikhailovna was taking part of his orders, and ordered her to pawn a small carriage.
- You tell Bezukhov to come. I'll write it down. What is he with his wife? - he asked.
Anna Mikhailovna rolled her eyes, and deep sorrow expressed on her face ...
“Ah, my friend, he is very unhappy,” she said. “If it’s true what we heard, it’s terrible. And did we think when we rejoiced so much at his happiness! And such a high, heavenly soul, this young Bezukhov! Yes, I feel sorry for him from the bottom of my heart and will try to give him the consolation that will depend on me.
- Yes, what is it? both Rostovs, the elder and the younger, asked.
Anna Mikhailovna sighed deeply: “Dolokhov, Marya Ivanovna’s son,” she said in a mysterious whisper, “they say he completely compromised her. He took him out, invited him to his house in St. Petersburg, and now ... She came here, and this rip off her head, ”said Anna Mikhailovna, wanting to express her sympathy for Pierre, but in involuntary intonations and with a half-smile showing sympathy rip off her head, as she named Dolokhova. - They say that Pierre himself is completely killed by his grief.
- Well, all the same, tell him to come to the club - everything will dissipate. The feast will be a mountain.
The next day, March 3, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, 250 members of the English Club and 50 guests were waiting for dinner for the dear guest and hero of the Austrian campaign, Prince Bagration. At first, upon receiving the news of the battle of Austerlitz, Moscow was perplexed. At that time, the Russians were so accustomed to victories that, having received the news of the defeat, some simply did not believe, others were looking for explanations for such a strange event in some unusual reasons. In the English Club, where everything that was noble, having the right information and weight, gathered, in the month of December, when the news began to arrive, nothing was said about the war and about the last battle, as if everyone had agreed to keep silent about it. People who gave direction to conversations, such as: Count Rostopchin, Prince Yuri Vladimirovich Dolgoruky, Valuev, gr. Markov, Prince. Vyazemsky, did not show up at the club, but gathered at home, in their intimate circles, and the Muscovites, who spoke from other people's voices (to which Ilya Andreevich Rostov belonged), remained for a short time without a definite judgment on the cause of the war and without leaders. Muscovites felt that something was not good and that it was difficult to discuss these bad news, and therefore it was better to remain silent. But after a while, as the jurors were leaving the deliberation room, the aces appeared, giving opinions in the club, and everything spoke clearly and definitely. The reasons for this incredible, unheard of and impossible event that the Russians were beaten, and everything became clear, and the same thing was said in all corners of Moscow. These reasons were: the betrayal of the Austrians, the bad food of the troops, the betrayal of the Pole Pshebyshevsky and the Frenchman Lanzheron, the incapacity of Kutuzov, and (they spoke slowly) the youth and inexperience of the sovereign, who entrusted himself to bad and insignificant people. But the troops, Russian troops, everyone said, were extraordinary and performed miracles of courage. Soldiers, officers, generals were heroes. But the hero of the heroes was Prince Bagration, who became famous for his Shengraben affair and retreat from Austerlitz, where he alone led his column undisturbed and fought off twice as strong an enemy all day. The fact that Bagration was chosen as a hero in Moscow was also facilitated by the fact that he had no connections in Moscow and was a stranger. In his face, due honor was given to the fighting, simple, without connections and intrigues, Russian soldier, still associated with the memories of the Italian campaign with the name of Suvorov. In addition, in giving him such honors, the dislike and disapproval of Kutuzov was best shown.