Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Dmitrievich Gorelov
Born on June 23, 1920 in the village of Monastyrshchina, now the Kimovsky district of the Tula region, in a peasant family. Graduated from the Moscow Chemical College. Worked at a factory. Since 1938 - in the Red Army. In 1940 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School for Pilots.
Since July 1941, junior lieutenant S. D. Gorelov in the army. Until February 1942 he served in the 165th IAP; from November 1942 to May 1945 - in the 13th IAP (111th Guards IAP).
By July 1944, the deputy squadron commander of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (10th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 2nd Air Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) of the Guard Captain S. D. Gorelov made 214 sorties, in 47 air battles personally shot down 24 and in group 1 enemy aircraft.
On October 26, 1944, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In total, he completed 312 sorties, in 60 air battles he shot down 27 aircraft personally and 6 in a group with comrades.
After the war he continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from the Air Force Academy, in 1959 - from the Military Academy of the General Staff. In 1977-1980, he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for Universities - Head of the Air Force Universities. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Colonel-General of Aviation.
Awarded with orders: Lenin (twice), Red Banner (seven!), Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree (twice), Red Star; medals "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Defense of Kiev", "For the Liberation of Prague" and other foreign orders and medals.
Sergey Gorelov was born on June 22, 1922 in the village of Monastyrshchino, Kimovsky district, Tula region, into a poor peasant family. Father - Gorelov Dmitry Dmitrievich (1869 - 1942), mother - Gorelova Natalya Moiseevna (1886 - 1961). After completing his studies at a technical school, he worked as a foreman at one of the Moscow factories. In the late 1930s, he graduated from the glider training course and the Dzerzhinsky flying club, located in Khimki (Moscow). In 1938 he entered the Borisoglebsk military aviation school, which he successfully completed on the eve of the war, and in early July 1941 he received a baptism of fire near Lvov, flying as part of the 165th Fighter Aviation Regiment on I-16 and I-153 aircraft.
In the summer of 1941, near Gorky, he mastered the LaGG-3 aircraft, on which he fought near Smolensk. He won his first victory in August 1941 near Yelnya, shooting down an Hs-126 spotter. Later he chalked up more than 20 enemy aircraft.
In the autumn of 1941 he participated in the battle for Moscow. Sergei Dmitrievich twice had to jump from a downed plane into the occupied territory. For 3 months in 1941, he was shot down four times, but each time he was even more eager to fight. Then, as part of a consolidated unit, near Noginsk, he prepared for the parade on November 7, 1941 on Red Square.
Since 1942, he fought already as part of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment (on August 25, 1943 it was transformed into the 111th Guards), which went through all the main air battles of the Great Patriotic War: Stalingrad, Kuban, Kursk, Dnieper, Ternopil.
Near Stalingrad, fighting on LaGG-3, Sergey Gorelov won several victories, and received his first award - the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. By this time he held the position of squadron commander. From November 1942 he fought on the La-5, later on the La-5FN. On Lavochkin's planes, the pilots of his squadron staged a second "air Stalingrad" for the Germans in the Kuban. They also participated in the battles near Kursk, in Western Ukraine, in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
On December 12, 1942, the enemy launched an offensive from the Kotelnikov area along the railway line to Stalingrad, trying to break through to the encircled grouping from the south. On the morning of December 19, the Nazis threw about 300 tanks against our 3rd mechanized corps. To ensure the combat operations of the 2nd Guards Army, which arrived in time, a group of La-5 fighters led by Sergei Gorelov was raised. She fearlessly entered into an unequal battle with several groups of enemy bombers rushing towards our ground forces, and in a fierce air battle shot down 10 enemy aircraft. The ground forces held the line.
In April 1943, the pilots of the 13th Air Regiment fought over Malaya Zemlya. On April 20, on the outskirts of Myskhako, a fierce air battle broke out between 16 Soviet pilots and a large group of German aircraft (18 He-111 bombers and 22 Me-109 fighters). In this battle, 2 enemy vehicles were shot down, 2 more were shot down. One of the Heinkels was shot down by Sergei Gorelov. Puffing, he went towards German territory, his fate is unknown.
The very next day, April 21, 1943, flying on a mission with 6 Lavochkins, in a stubborn air battle with a large group of enemy aircraft (18 bombers and 25 fighters), Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov shot down one Heinkel-111. This unparalleled battle ended in victory for our pilots. The enemy bombers did not break through to the advanced positions of the Soviet troops. 6 enemy planes were destroyed and 3 were shot down. Our losses amounted to 1 car, the pilot of which died ...
On August 3, 1943, the troops of the Voronezh Front launched a counteroffensive in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction. In those days, the pilots of the 10th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 2nd Air Army covered the areas of concentration and the introduction of the 1st and 5th Guards Tank Armies into the breakthrough. At the same time, the regiments of the 201st Fighter Aviation Division were especially active.
Early in the morning of August 3, 10 La-5FN under the command of Senior Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov flew out to escort 12 Il-2 attack aircraft. In the Belgorod area, they were attacked by 35 enemy fighters. An air battle ensued, in which our pilots shot down 8 enemy aircraft. At the same time, the squadron commander S. D. Gorelov recorded 2 victories at once on his combat score.
In the autumn of 1943, Soviet troops firmly established themselves on the Bukrinsky bridgehead. It was there, on October 6, 1943, that Sergei Gorelov was shot down, already for the 7th time, by a Focke-Wulf that unexpectedly attacked him at top speed. This miss was the last. Later, rising into the air, Gorelov always felt his superiority over the enemy, he was sure that he would find the right move in any situation.
In those days, the German command tried to restore the line of defense along the Dnieper with strong counterattacks. Enemy planes constantly made raids on bridges and crossings, on the battle formations of our troops. On some days, enemy aircraft made up to 2,200 sorties.
On October 14, along the Kozinsky bridge, cars and tanks went to the bridgehead all night. It pleased. At the same time, our command was worried about the idea that the enemy might launch a massive raid on this important object. That is exactly what happened.
Enemy planes appeared from the west. There were several groups. But the enemy did not manage to bombard the bridge with precision, as they were boldly attacked by the eight Lavochkins. The lead nine of the Junkers crumbled, and the second one also scattered. Here one German bomber went down sharply, then the second smoked, then the third ...
As it turned out later, the eight of our fighters, who shot down 10 enemy bombers in front of many thousands of Soviet soldiers, were led by Senior Lieutenant S. D. Gorelov.
A few days later, Gorelov's group again entered into battle with large forces of German bombers. This time, the Soviet pilots won an even more convincing victory, destroying 15 out of 90 enemy aircraft. An enemy air raid on the crossings was again thwarted.
In 1944, S. D. Gorelov was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The air squadron under his command destroyed 25 enemy planes in a month of fighting, without losing a single one of their own.
Major S. D. Gorelov, commander of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, made the last sorties after the end of the war, on May 12, 1945, in Czechoslovakia.
In total, he made 312 sorties, participated in 60 air battles, personally shot down 27 and in a group with comrades 6 enemy aircraft. Among the vehicles shot down by him, almost all the main types of German combat aircraft: Me-109 and Me-110, Ju-52, Ju-87 and Ju-88, FW-189 and FW-190, Hs-126 and Hs-129, He- 111.
On June 24, 1945, as part of the combined regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Major SD Gorelov took part in the historic Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
After the war, despite several injuries, Sergei Dmitrievich was recognized as fully fit for flight service. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in Monino (Moscow region), later - the Academy of the General Staff. He commanded a regiment, division, air army. He flew until 1977, the last flights were carried out on the MiG-25. He mastered most types of combat aircraft, among them - the MiG-9, Yak-15, MiG-15, MiG-19, Yak-25, Yak-28, Su-17, MiG-21 ... For 5 years he was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. He worked in the rocket and space company named after S. P. Korolev, including the chief specialist in the air force. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. In 1989, Colonel-General of Aviation S. D. Gorelov retired. Lived and worked in Moscow. Died December 22, 2009.
Graduate of 1940
The hero of the USSR(26.10.1944)
Colonel General of Aviation (04.11.1973)
Honored Military Pilot of the USSR
Sergey Gorelov was born on June 22, 1922 in the village of Monastyrshchino, Kimovsky district, Tula region, into a poor peasant family. Father - Gorelov Dmitry Dmitrievich (1869-1942), mother - Gorelova Natalia Moiseevna (1886-1961).
After completing his studies at a technical school, he worked as a foreman at one of the Moscow factories.
In 1938 he entered the Borisoglebsk military aviation school, which he successfully graduated on the eve of the war (1940), and in early July 1941 he received a baptism of fire near Lvov, flying as part of the 165th Fighter Aviation Regiment on I-16 and I-153 aircraft.
In the summer of 1941, near Gorky, he mastered the LaGG-3 aircraft, on which he fought near Smolensk.
Fighter LaGG-3.Sergey Gorelov also fought on such a machine.
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He won his first victory in August 1941 near Yelnya, shooting down an Hs-126 spotter. Later he chalked up more than 20 enemy aircraft.
In the autumn of 1941 he participated in the battle for Moscow. Sergei Dmitrievich twice had to jump from a downed plane into the occupied territory. For 3 months in 1941, he was shot down four times, but each time he was even more eager to fight.
Then, as part of a consolidated unit, near Noginsk, he prepared for the parade on November 7, 1941 on Red Square.
By July 1944, the deputy squadron commander of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (10th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 2nd Air Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) Guards Captain S.D. Gorelov made 214 sorties, in 47 air battles he personally shot down 24 and as part of a group 1 enemy aircraft. On October 26, 1944, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
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After the war he continued to serve in the Air Force.
In 1952 he graduated from the Air Force Academy, in 1959 - from the Military Academy of the General Staff.
In 1977-1981 he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for Universities - Head of the Air Force Universities.
Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Colonel-General of Aviation.
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He was awarded the Orders of Lenin (twice), the Red Banner (seven), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War I degree (twice), the Red Star, medals "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Defense of Kiev "," For the liberation of Prague "and others, incl. foreign orders and medals.
Near Stalingrad, fighting on LaGG-3, Sergey Gorelov won several victories, and received his first award - the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree.
By this time he held the position of squadron commander.
In April 1943, the pilots of the 13th Air Regiment fought over Malaya Zemlya. On April 20, on the outskirts of Myskhako, a fierce air battle broke out between 16 Soviet pilots and a large group of German aircraft (18 He-111 bombers and 22 Me-109 fighters). In this battle, 2 enemy vehicles were shot down, 2 more were shot down. One of the Heinkels was shot down by Sergei Gorelov. Puffing, he went towards German territory, his fate is unknown.
The very next day, April 21, 1943, flying on a mission as part of six Lavochkins, in a stubborn air battle with a large group of enemy aircraft (18 bombers and 25 fighters), Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov shot down one Heinkel-111. This unparalleled battle ended in victory for our pilots. The enemy bombers did not break through to the advanced positions of the Soviet troops. 6 enemy planes were destroyed and 3 were shot down. Our losses amounted to 1 car, the pilot of which died ...
On August 3, 1943, the troops of the Voronezh Front launched a counteroffensive in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction. In those days, the pilots of the 10th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 2nd Air Army covered the areas of concentration and the introduction of the 1st and 5th Guards Tank Armies into the breakthrough. At the same time, the regiments of the 201st Fighter Aviation Division were especially active.
Early in the morning of August 3, a dozen La-5FNs under the command of Senior Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov flew out to escort 12 Il-2 attack aircraft. In the Belgorod area, they were attacked by 35 enemy fighters. An air battle ensued, in which our pilots shot down 8 enemy aircraft. At the same time, the squadron commander S. D. Gorelov recorded two victories at once on his combat account.
In the autumn of 1943, Soviet troops firmly established themselves on the Bukrinsky bridgehead. It was there, on October 6, 1943, that Sergei Gorelov was shot down, already for the 7th time, by a Focke-Wulf suddenly attacking him at top speed. This miss was the last. Later, rising into the air, Gorelov always felt his superiority over the enemy, he was sure that he would find the right move in any situation.
In those days, the German command tried to restore the line of defense along the Dnieper with strong counterattacks. Enemy planes constantly made raids on bridges and crossings, on the battle formations of our troops. On some days, enemy aircraft made up to 2,200 sorties. On October 14, along the Kozinsky bridge, cars and tanks went to the bridgehead all night. It pleased. At the same time, our command was worried about the idea that the enemy might launch a massive raid on this important object. That is exactly what happened.
Enemy planes appeared from the west. There were several groups. But the enemy did not succeed in bombarding the bridge with precision, as they were boldly attacked by eight Lavochkins. The lead nine "Junkers" scattered, and the second scattered. Here one German bomber went down sharply, then the second smoked, then the third ... As it turned out later, eight of our fighters, who shot down 10 enemy bombers in front of many thousands of Soviet soldiers, were led by Senior Lieutenant S.D. Gorelov.
In 1944 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The air squadron under his command destroyed 25 enemy planes in a month of fighting, without losing a single one of their own. 
The last sorties of the commander of the 111th Guards IAP of the Guard, Major S.D. Gorelov committed after the end of the war, on May 12, 1945, in Czechoslovakia. In total, he made 260 sorties, participated in 120 air battles, personally shot down 27 and in a group with comrades 6 enemy aircraft. Among the vehicles shot down by him are all the main types of German combat aircraft: Me-109 and Me-110, Ju-52, Ju-87 and Ju-88, FW-189 and FW-190, Hs-126 and Hs-129, He-111 .
111 Gviap, 1945.From left to right:A. V. Kalmykov, A. I. Yumkin, I. A. Zub, G. P. Koval, P. A. Gnido, S. D. Gorelov, V. N. Chulkov.
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On June 24, 1945, as part of the combined regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Major SD Gorelov took part in the historic Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
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After the war, despite several injuries, Sergei Dmitrievich was recognized as fully fit for flight service.
He graduated from the Air Force Academy in Monino (Moscow region), later - the Academy of the General Staff.
He commanded a regiment, division, air army.
He flew until 1977, the last flights were carried out on the MiG-25.
He mastered most types of combat aircraft, including MiG-9, Yak-15, MiG-15, MiG-19, Yak-25, Yak-28, Su-17, MiG-21...
For 5 years he was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force.
In 1989, Colonel-General of Aviation S.D. Gorelov retired. He worked in the rocket and space company named after S.P. Korolev, including the chief specialist in the air force.
Lived in the hero city of Moscow.
Died December 22, 2009. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.
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Colonel-General of Aviation (1973), Honored Military Pilot of the USSR (1968).
He was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (10/26/1944, 10/11/1974), 7 Orders of the Red Banner (02/27/1943, 09/28/1943, 09/11/1944, 05/22/1945, 05/16/1947, 12/6/1955, 09/28/1956), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (06/29/1945, No. 31465), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (04/27/1943, 03/11/1985), the Order of the Red Star (11/5/1954), medals, as well as orders and medals of foreign countries.
Sources:
Public electronic bank of documents "Feat of the people"
Award lists of Gorelov S.D.:
Gorelov Sergey Dmitrievich
Memories
I was born in the village of Monastyrshchina, in the bend of the Don, on June 22, 1920. Soon the parents moved to Moscow. In fact, I have lived all my life in Moscow, only on holidays I went to fish in Nepryadva. In Moscow, he graduated from a technical school; on a Komsomol ticket, he entered the Dzerzhinsky flying club, which he graduated in 1938. After that, I was sent to study at the Borisoglebsk School, which I graduated in the early summer of 1940. The Finnish War was going on, and instead of two years, we only trained for a year and a half. Naturally, after the school, I didn’t know how to do anything except take off and land, but it was believed that we had mastered the U-2, I-5, I-15.
In most schools, the I-5s had torn wings, so that they could only learn to steer. We "I-5" were flying. Well, of course they taxied ... Taxiing is a horror, you are covered in oil flying from the engine, in dust and dirt raised from the ground by a propeller.
After several flights on the I-5, I switched to the I-15. We had 5 squadrons at the school. Three of them were trained on the I-16 aircraft, and two on the I-15. I graduated from I-15 with the rank of junior lieutenant. Moreover, only those who did not have a single triple were released as junior lieutenants. There were only two of us.
I was sent to Uman, where I began to fly the I-153. The landing gear was already removed from this aircraft in flight, but it practically did not differ from the I-15. At that time, such a technique was considered quite decent.
We were soon transferred from Uman to Lvov, where the 165th IAP was based. At first, we also flew on the I-153, and then retrained on the I-16.
It must be said that the I-16 is a completely different aircraft - both in aerobatics and in speed; harder, of course. There you need to be able to remove the chassis - "turn the barrel organ" and much more. Therefore, by the beginning of the war, I, like many of my peers-colleagues, practically did not master this machine. And what do you want, if we just completed several dozen flights in a circle and piloted a little in the zone ?! No shooting, no fighting. We were terribly fornicating, we did not even know how to fly along the route. We were all 19-20 years old - boys!
At the airfield of the city of Lvov, three regiments were concentrated - about two hundred aircraft. And just on my birthday, at three in the morning, they started bombing us. We all jumped up, ran to the airfield, and there ... Almost all the planes were destroyed or damaged. My "I-16" was no exception. When I approached him, it seemed to me that he, lopsided, with a broken left wing, seemed to be looking at me and asking: “Where are you going? What the hell are you sleeping for?"
On the same day, we were assigned to cars and taken in the direction of Kiev. While we were driving through the Lviv region, seven people were killed in our car. The locals were shooting from the bell towers, from the attics… Before that, they hated the Soviets… And since the war started, they stopped being afraid of us.
We got to Kiev, where we were put on a train and sent near the city of Gorky to the airfield of the Seimas. In one month we retrained for LaGG-3. We passed the theory and flew about 12 hours. After that, as part of the same 165th IAP in July, we were sent to Yelnya. True, the regiment was no longer a five-squadron, as in Lvov, but a three-squadron. Smolensk had already been taken by the enemy by that time. And we began to retreat to Moscow.
"LaGG-3" is a heavy machine, with poor maneuverability, although with powerful weapons - a 20 mm cannon and two 12.7 mm machine guns. Of course, it has more speed than the I-16, but it is maneuverable, you can fight on it, and the LaGG was well suited only for attacking ground targets. He is plywood, does not burn; with a very strong cab. It happened that the whole plane fell apart during landing, and the cockpit was intact, which saves the pilot.
It was pointless to conduct an air battle on our machines. We were attached to the Il-2 attack aircraft. We had to cover them. How? Own planes, nothing else. They flew around their attack aircraft, did everything so that they would not be shot down. Because if they shoot you down, you will be to blame, there will be big troubles, and they can be put on trial.
In 1941, we had neither the theory nor the practice of covering attack aircraft - nothing. The main thing was, accompanying the attack aircraft, if not to shoot down the enemy, he would at least scare him, not to let him aim at the Il-2. Moreover, the cover was far from always sufficient. Sometimes a couple of Ilovs were given cover in 1941, while the Germans could attack with a group of up to twenty aircraft. But more often the cover was built like this: a pair on the right, a pair on the left. Of course, we tried to maneuver (we walked with "scissors" and sometimes did a "swing": over a group of attack aircraft we went into a dive, and then into a climb, turned around and again performed this maneuver), not jumping forward attack aircraft - they already have a low speed and, jumping forward, it was possible to lose sight of them. Nevertheless, in serious battles, we still lost attack aircraft. And they are also camouflaged - you can’t see them against the background of the earth, damn it! I had to fly and count. Slightly stumble, and start spinning. Did he get knocked down or not? You are responsible for it! That's horrible! I still dream of dogfights when escorted.
For a fighter, you can’t imagine a worse punishment than escorting attack aircraft, I think so. The attack aircraft goes near the ground at 320-350 kilometers per hour, and then, if it “gets hot”. It is easier to accompany the "bombers". They have more speed, and they go higher: they have 2000-3000 meters, and you have 3000-4000. Quite another matter! You echeloned the group in height, placed some on the right, others on the left, and you look in all directions: you see the enemy on the right, you yell with all your might: “They are attacking from the right!” ... True, we only had normal radio communication at the end of 1943. Before that, it was impossible to set up the receiver normally - there was such a crack that the radio stations had to be turned off. And already from the Kursk Bulge, communication became normal both with the ground and between the crews. There were girls-gunners who helped us out a lot, informing us about the enemy, helping to navigate. Sometimes after the fight I had to ask for forgiveness, because they cursed terribly in battle, but they usually answered: “Yes, everything is fine.”
In addition to covering attack aircraft, sometimes we ourselves attacked ground targets. And we didn’t fly much for “free hunting” - we didn’t have the strength. Although, of course, this has happened. At the same time, it happened that almost twenty-five enemy aircraft turned out to be against five of our aircraft. And besides, it was not the boys who fought against us, but experienced fighters on aircraft that were outstanding for their time, surpassing ours in all respects. But, you know, they went on the attack anyway, only when they saw that it made sense. If a fascist sees that he is not succeeding, he quickly leaves the battle. They often made one attack, and if it failed, they left.
I am often asked: “Was it scary?”. And we had no time to be afraid. We were in the mood for a fight. You will arrive, refuel as soon as possible, without getting out of the cab, and - again into battle! We were prepared for what could be brought down. We even said goodbye before departure. We thought that if we return, then - thank God, then in the evening we will drink 100 grams and dance; no, it's not destiny. And the losses were not treated as a tragedy. Compared to today, we had the same readiness to die as suicide bombers now, and, characteristically, morale did not fall even during the retreat! Defeats could not break us - we treated them as a temporary phenomenon. So integral was the upbringing and so great was the love for the motherland. The cry “For Stalin! For the Motherland! sounded like a prayer to us! Throughout the war, I never even saw a sign of cowardice anywhere! Maybe somewhere it was. But in my environment, I did not meet this phenomenon.
After three days of fighting near Yelnya, where we flew on LaGG-3 aircraft, the regiment was defeated. Only two weeks had passed since we, the survivors, returned to the Seimas airfield. The girls with whom we were friends laugh and ask: “What, is the war over?” And she was just getting started. We were replenished and - again there, near Yelnya. And so - 4 or 5 times from July to October. I was shot down twice in these battles, and then I did not manage to shoot down a single enemy aircraft. I was more engaged in attack and escort. Only in the winter of 1941, I caught a communications plane somewhere. It was my first win.
In early November, our regiment was ordered to prepare for the parade. We were in Noginsk at the airfield, received brand new LaGG-3s, with guides for RSs. We rehearsed flying in the group, making 3-4 sorties. The last training session was scheduled for the seventh. Weapons and missiles were sealed so that they could not even be touched. The day before the parade, the weather was clear and cloudless, and in the morning we get up - snowfall and fog. As a result, we did not participate in the parade. At 3 o'clock on the same day they received a command to storm the crossing near Klin. We made two sorties, stormed well, saw corpses, burning cars ... So we finished retreating and began a counteroffensive near Moscow. Of course, we were all delighted that the Germans were driven.
By November-December we had gained air superiority. The Germans practically did not fly, and we did not meet them in the air. They were mainly engaged in assault. On the fallen snow, the Nazis were all the same at a glance - everything is visible. When we attacked them, only chips flew. For two months we were so carried away by this business, we thought we would soon defeat everyone! But of course that didn't happen...
Soon the regiment was sent to the Southwestern Front. There we participated in the summer battles. The spring and summer of 1942 were the worst days of the war. The heat was on; I didn’t have the strength to get out of the cockpit while the plane was being refueled for a new flight. The girls will bring a glass of compote - they don’t want anything else ... She will kiss, stroke. Tell her, "Don't be late for the dance." No matter what the fights were, dancing in the evening was a must.
This, one of the most difficult periods of the war, I managed to get through because, of course, I was lucky, but the task was to survive. After all, if you are hit or wounded, the main thing is not to give up, to continue to fight for life. After all, whoever you ask, they were all shot down, and not just once, but they found the strength to either leave the plane or land it.
Commissars helped a lot to gain self-confidence. It was at the end of the war that they became zampolitists, essentially scammers on every occasion; and at the beginning of the war they flew with us and in many ways were like fathers to us. They spent all the time with us and showed by personal example what to do and how to do it. That's why we loved them.
In the early spring of 1942, a small group of pilots, which included me, was sent to air combat courses in Stavropol. There, on the LaGG-3, we practiced shooting at a cone, flying along a route, attacking ground targets. Upon completion of these courses, I was sent to the 13th IAP.
- Did you start fighting as a simple pilot?
- I started fighting as a wingman of the squadron commander, Major Erokhin. Then the squadron commanders changed. Although some were already with the Orders of the Red Banner received for Spain, they also died. By the fall of the 41st, almost no one was left in the regiment of those who started the war. Of those who participated in the battles near Stalingrad, 20-25 percent reached the end of the war. They were the backbone of the regiment.
First air battle? I don't know, today you can call my first dogfight a fight. I covered the attack aircraft and by any means led the enemy away, so that the attack aircraft would not be destroyed. In principle, this is also considered an air battle. But I didn't even know how to shoot. Ladies turn - maybe, I think it will hit. I also did not know how to build a maneuver. But to fight a real battle, you need to be able to maneuver. Operate aviation equipment on the blade. Fly so that your eyes close when overloaded, and the plane almost breaks. Only then can you either get away from the attack of the enemy, or bring him down yourself. We learned to do this only after Stalingrad, in air battles in the Kuban, where we met with the best pilots in the world.
A lot of people died before my eyes. After all, at the beginning of the war, as it was: 3-4 days and - there is no squadron. And these were the best pilots. But, as I said, then we perceived death as something natural, always present. The mood changed only to the Kuban and Kursk-Belgorod battles. There we no longer thought that we would be shot down. They themselves began to shoot down the Nazis. I remember one girl told me then: “Serge, now you can get married.” - "Why?" "You won't be beaten now."
- Did you have any clues?
There were also signs: you can’t shave in the morning, only in the evening. A woman should not be allowed near the cockpit of an aircraft. My mother sewed a cross into my tunic, and then I transferred it to new tunics.
And if you have a bad dream, then don't expect anything good. I once had a bad dream during a terrible battle. The regiment commander said: "Take fishing rods so that today and tomorrow you will not be here." It was possible to refuse a flight if you feel unwell, and this was not considered cowardice.
Near Stalingrad and near Moscow, at the beginning of the operation in the Kursk-Belgorod direction, it used to be necessary to make up to 8 sorties a day. The rest of the time within 4-5 flights. Eight sorties is incredibly hard. After the last flight, it was difficult to get out of the cockpit without assistance. Tired not so much from the physical, but from the nervous tension. Although physical fatigue, of course, accumulated in the evening. Moreover, after heavy and continuous battles, almost all the pilots had an upset stomach.
It cannot be said that fatigue was chronic, we were still given rest. After heavy fighting, we rested for 5-6 days in rest houses, which were arranged not far from the front line. There we slept, went to dances with the girls, recuperated and all the disorders went away by themselves.
- When did you receive the first Order of the Red Banner?
I received the first Order of the Red Banner in 1942 near Stalingrad. We all treated orders and awards with extreme trepidation. After all, at the beginning of the war they were rewarded sparingly. Even pilots with a medal "For Military Merit" or "For Courage" were already considered a hero. He is the first person, everything is possible for him, and the girls paid attention to this.
During the war I received five Orders of the Red Banner and two after the war. By the way, we flew into battle with orders and a party card. The girls of the order were sewn on so that they would not come off (this is when the blocks were already gone). And at first there were orders on the screw, and we liked it more.
In total, during the war, I made about two hundred and fifty sorties. He shot down 27 aircraft personally and 6 in the group. There could be more. But then, when I was seriously wounded for the last time, I had to miss a whole six months. At that time, although I was dangling along the front, I did not fight. After Kiev, I entered the next battle only in Chernivtsi. In general, the pilots were usually given a month of treatment each time they were shot down. And if the injury is serious, then more.
- How were the downed planes counted?
Downed planes were counted as follows: I, having arrived from a mission, reported that in such and such an area I had shot down such and such a type of aircraft; a representative was going there, who was supposed to bring confirmation from the ground troops that, indeed, this type of aircraft had crashed there. And only after that you were credited with the downed plane. And if the plane crashed on enemy territory, everything was more complicated. Most of the time they didn't count. In some cases, when the territory was liberated, it was still possible to bring confirmation. They didn't count without confirmation. Even at the end of the war, when we had camera guns, we still needed confirmation from the ground forces. In general, I rarely saw the planes I shot down fall - only if I caught fire or lost control. Now people often ask if there were additions to personal accounts. Hard to say. There could be erroneous postscripts. Intentionally, I don't think so. Of course, flying in pairs, it was theoretically possible to agree to attribute the downing, but if they knew about it, there would be no life for such pilots. Honor is easy to lose, but almost impossible to regain.
- Did they pay money for those shot down?
They paid for those shot down: a thousand for a fighter, and two thousand for a bomber, 900 rubles for a steam locomotive, 600 rubles for a car. They also paid for stormtroopers. In 1941, they paid for the development of radio communications. But, you know, we didn't count money during the war. We were told that we were owed so much money. We never received them, never signed them, but the money went. Also, there were fools, it was necessary to issue transfers to parents, and I found out about this only when my father had already died. In 1944, I was awarded a Hero and called to Moscow to receive a Star. The pilots, and even the technicians, knowing that we were flying, and we would need to “wash” it, gave us their books, according to which we received money.
Relations in the regiment were not exactly good: the regiment commanders were like fathers to us. During the war years we had several of them: Maslov, Kholodov, Naumov. The last two years - Kholodov is a hero! Very strong!.. The regimental commanders, like everyone else, constantly flew. (Division commanders also flew, but less frequently.) Usually it was: I, the squadron commander, lead one group, the next - the regiment commander.
Of course, of all the commanders, we especially loved Kholodov. He has always been with us. In the evening we will sit down, pour 100 grams. He easily communicated with us, he knew where it was necessary strictly, and where humanly.
Today, some say that during the war they gave the pilots a drink for courage. This is bullshit. The one who allowed himself to drink, as a rule, was knocked down. A drunk person doesn't have the same reaction. What is a fight? You don't get knocked down - you get knocked down. Is it possible to defeat the enemy in such a state when two planes are flying in front of your eyes instead of one? I have never flown drunk. We only drank in the evening. Then it was necessary to relax, to fall asleep. I slept well and didn't want to get up. But when he fell asleep, sometimes the battles revolved before his eyes. Especially in the summer, when we fought near Stalingrad.
In long heavy battles, the commander could say: "Tomorrow you go on vacation and rest for three days." Commanders took care of strong pilots. Losing half a regiment is not as scary as losing one experienced one. I often found myself in this situation.
And with the technical staff, the relationship was like with their own parents. When released into battle, they are baptized. When we arrive after the fight, they hug and kiss. The real relatives. If they find booze, they will definitely leave it for the pilot. They especially loved it when you arrive with a victory. Here they are on hand. And if we shot down the enemy before their eyes, then they acted out the battle, showed interesting moments that the pilot himself, perhaps, did not remember in such detail. Fighters were based close to the front line, so air battles often took place over the front line. In good weather, the battles are visible. When we start debriefing, they keep their mouths open and don't move away, they listen. Sometimes they understood these things better. When correspondents came, and we had no time, so the journalists had to ask the technician. And the technician sometimes told better than the pilot.
As for the mechanics, I just don't know when they slept. During the day we fly, and at night they check the equipment. When they rested, it is difficult to say. I once asked, they answered: “When it rains!”
My mechanic was Kovalev. He was then 35 years old. A wonderful person. After the war, I was already the commander of the army in Lvov, he came to me. During the war, he addressed me as "comrade commander", and continued to address me like that.
The squadron engineer was Edelstein, a Jew. They told me: “It is clear why all the planes in your squadron are in order - you have a Jewish engineer, he is cunning.”
We generally considered the commanders to be gods, our life depended on them. We treated them with great love. And to Zhukov and others. The slogan: "For the Motherland, for Stalin!" - was not an empty phrase either for us or for other branches of the military.
Relations between the pilots were such that you look at everyone, but you see yourself. And you worry, as for yourself. Especially if this is a young pilot whom you have trained and you know that he is not yet particularly ready to fly. Naturally, in these cases, during the battle, you do everything so as not to set up the newcomers, you cover them as soon as you can. I won’t talk about how the young were introduced in the first years of the war, I myself was like that. I can only say that “Only Old Men Go to Battle” is an honest film, a lot is shown there. When I became a squadron commander in 1943, newcomers by that time were no longer allowed into battle right away. At first they flew around the area with us; then, for starters, we introduced them where the intensity of hostilities was lower. Here a lot depends on the commander. If you can show by personal example how to fight, then your youth will be fighting.
Mutual assistance helped to win, especially in 1941 and 1942. Let's say, if I go on the attack and see that my wingman is being attacked, then I drop everything and try my favorite ways to get the wingman out of the fire or repel the attack on him. It was mutual assistance that played the main role when my squadron shot down 25 aircraft without loss. Without this, the pilot is dead.
Our relations with pilots from neighboring squadrons were the same as within our own squadron. The brotherhood united all pilots. For example, in the Kuban air battle we were pinned down and Pokryshkin and his group saved us by diving from a height. In such cases, the command of the regiment sent telegrams of thanks to the regiment, whose pilots helped ours. Yes, and pity, if someone was shot down, was exactly the same. There was no difference between the attitude towards the pilots of one's own regiment or towards the pilots of another regiment. We always helped each other during the battle, this was the main task, success depended on it. In battle, everyone had the desire to shoot down as much as possible, but as such, there was no competition.
And of course, they analyzed all their fights. The most correct thing is to do the analysis as soon as you get out of the cab. The pilot then is like a young child who does not understand what a lie is and honestly tells everything that he saw, what he did. It is only then that he begins to weed out, hushing up his mistakes. And if you ask right away, you can see where - so, where - not so, where "he gave a blunder." "Mahu" was often given - there were no ideal fights.
With infantrymen, tankers, we, pilots, also considered ourselves a single entity. We cared more for them than for our own. It was too hard for them, they were the first to receive mortal blows. We tried by any means to help them during the fighting. Especially near Moscow and Stalingrad. There we stormed the nearby enemy troops by any means. After all, they all fought for one Motherland.
- What did you feel when you were shot down?
- Twice I was shot down near Moscow. Twice near Stalingrad. Twice near the Belgorod-Kursk Bulge and once near Kiev. Only seven times.
How did I get hit the first time? We escorted the Pe-2 bombers and took off in fours. I was the squadron commander's wingman. Somewhere before reaching Smolensk, the bombers dropped leaflets and bombs. When they returned, enemy fighters appeared. The fight has begun. The Germans shot down our squadron commander, and then me. The plane had to land on the front line. I got out, I look - shooting. Here are the Germans, here are ours. The infantrymen shout: "Come on, hurry up - they will kill you!" I run to mine. I knew that the main thing is to run, and you will live. Saved. The second time I was shot down over enemy territory in August 1941 near Skopin, my engine stopped. I sat down in a clearing and ran into the forest. Met with a boy. I asked him to take me to the partisans. He started to refuse. I pointed a gun at him: "Then I'll shoot you." He led. I say: “Are you right? If only the Germans meet me, I will kill you.” He brought me. I give him money, he says: “Why do I need them?” Then he ran away so I wouldn't shoot him. The partisans took me across the front line to their own.
I thought that when they shoot down, it's normal. I knew that sooner or later they would shoot down anyway. The main thing was not to fall into the hands of the enemy. Of course, we can not say that it was not scary at all. But more fear and anxiety appeared when we began to advance, when the real war began. Was it scary when they shot down near Kiev, because I didn’t know how to land - on the fuselage or jump out? And during the Kursk-Belgorod operation, I had such a case. There was a very hard fight; apparently contacted a very experienced opponent. We fought and fought, no one was shot down, but they set me on fire. It was 50-100 kilometers from the front line. At an altitude of 4000-5000 meters. We parted, and I see flames from under the engine moving towards the cabin. I began to pull towards the front line; somehow reached it, but there was no height left to jump. I decided to sit down and released the chassis out of habit. As soon as it touched the ground, the plane veered off. I can't get out, the flame comes closer and closer. Signalers, who happened to be nearby, ran up, pulling the line. They say: "Wow, how you burn!" I unfastened my seat belts, my parachute. They slightly broke off the side skin, so I could only stick my head in and got stuck. They yell at me to push off, but there is nothing to push against. They began to rock the plane, and I slowly got out. They ran into a ravine and the plane caught fire. They saved me at the last second. The regiment commander and the division commander sent a petition to their unit and they were all awarded the Order of the Red Star.
There was such a case with my friend Petro Gnido. He was shot down near Stalingrad, everyone saw how he fell to the front line. And they even saw how a group of Germans immediately grabbed him. The regimental commander gathered us, made a speech and ends it standing: "Eternal memory of Petro Gnido." The door opens, Peter comes in. He still escaped with a parachute. Somewhere he stopped the car, and they brought him. Here he gave the heat! Desperate! We were commanders of neighboring squadrons, but in heavy battles we always flew together. No matter what mess we got into, even when the enemy was ten times larger, we still got out of the battle alive and healthy. He was very desperate both in the air and on the ground. His girls loved him the most. Petro Gnido was a god among women.
Could I have avoided being knocked down seven times? How to say ... After all, we did not know how much, but we still had to fly. Yes, and in battle it’s like this: despite the fact that you have shot all the ammunition, you cannot leave the battle. If you leave, it's a betrayal. You are in combat, and the enemy does not know if you have run out of ammo or not. This is a hard principle. But we followed it strictly.
Very often the pilot did not know who shot him down and how. This was especially the case in 1941, when there were a lot of enemies from all sides, and there weren’t enough eyes to look in all directions at once, so you don’t know where and how you were shot down. Perhaps I can’t say in detail how I was knocked down all seven times
You could always shoot down. The last time I was shot down near Kiev. Here is how it was. I took off in figure eight to cover the crossings south of Kiev in the area of the Bukrinsky bridgehead. The battles over the crossings were heavy, but there were many of our aircraft. The weather that day was good, the mood too. I was told from the ground that three groups of bombers were coming from the direction of the White Church, each group of 30-40 bombers; ordered to leave the crossing and meet them on the way. The group performed a maneuver and soon, 60-70 kilometers from the front line, we saw a black cloud. The Nazis, you can see the gas when they flew. Flying closer, I saw that the bombers were coming with strong fighter cover. I don't know how many there were, but there were a lot. In general, I decided to pounce with the whole eight on the first group of 30 bombers. From the first attack, we shot down seven planes, repeated the attack - another 5. I look, fighters from other regiments are pulling up. In general, they did not reach the crossings.
In the evening after this fight, I was also in the air as a figure eight. I was given the command to pass over the Bukrinskaya bridgehead at a minimum height in order to inspire the troops, who were in a difficult situation. We formed a wedge, we go with a decrease. As they later told me (I didn’t see it myself), a German Focke-Wulf appeared from somewhere, broke through the formation and shot me point-blank. My plane rolled over several times (if the shells hit at close range, then you will definitely do somersaults). The engine is still running, but the rudders and elevators are broken - the plane is uncontrollable. You need to jump. He opened the lantern to jump, but immediately closed it back. The parachute was broken, and it began to pull out, and this is death with a guarantee, because it will catch on the plane, and you will fall with it. What to do? I am already over my territory, the Dnieper has passed, but I don’t know what to do - neither turn the plane, nor descend. And then I remembered the trimmer, turned the wheel towards me - the plane went up, I went down from myself. Well, I think that's it - I'll live. The left bank of the Dnieper is flat, I settled down on arable land there, reduced the speed. Twisted, twisted the trimmer and how fucked! The plane, all crumbled - both the engine and the tail, only one cabin remained. I get up, I feel wounded (the shell pierced the seat, the parachute and entered the upper thigh), but I am glad that I am alive.
When shooting down, it was supposed to jump only if you feel that the plane is uncontrollable or on fire. That is, in a critical situation, between life and death. Jumping out is also a risk. It may turn out that they will shoot you in the air. We did not shoot the Germans in the air. There was no such fashion, but they shot. Therefore, when you are at a high altitude, you need to go through a protracted one, and open it above the ground. And it's not that easy.
When you jump out, it is also dangerous that you can hit the stabilizer. But there are many ways to avoid this. You can loosen the straps, open the "lantern" and roll over. Or put the plane sideways. The main thing is to create a negative overload, otherwise you will not get out. More often than not, you don't even know how you jumped out?
In 1941, the fighting took place mainly at medium altitudes up to 2000 meters. Over time, the height of the air battle increased, but not by much, still up to 8000.
- Let's return to the chronology of the war. How were the battles near Stalingrad?
- We arrived near Stalingrad at the end of August, after another reorganization, as a result of which we received La-5. Here, life has already gone differently ... Firstly, he has a speed of almost 700, if with a "clamp". Secondly, surprisingly tenacious machine! In one of the air battles near Stalingrad, my plane received a burst in the engine. The cockpit began to splatter with oil, but the plane still flies! I managed to reach the airfield and land. The engine stopped during the run and I was pulled into the parking lot. The conclusion of the technicians was this: it cannot be repaired. It turns out that two engine cylinders were beaten off! You imagine?! There were only connecting rods! The same "Yak" - if a fragment gets into the engine, hooks on some tube and that's it. It was possible to earn extra money on the free hunt for the La-5, but we continued to accompany the attack aircraft. That's why I hit a few.
- In the cockpit of the Lavochkin, did the engine control, propeller pitch, distract from piloting?
- Kill me, I don't remember. You do everything automatically. You keep the maximum speed and reduce it only when you approach the airfield. In combat, you lighten the screw, but not completely. There were other subtleties, but all this was worked out to automatism, and I did not wonder what to do in this or that situation. The build quality of the Lavochkin was good, there were never any complaints, however, we always had them new. We still lost and lost.
Visibility back”, if you turn your head, is normal. They didn't rub my neck, I just had to loosen my throatphones a little. There were oxygen masks, but they were hardly used. They are needed from 5000, and we rarely jumped there.
Until the end of the war, I flew the Lavochkin. After the war, he mastered the first jet MiG-9. Moreover, before flying on a jet, we trained on the Cobras - the cabin is comfortable, you sit like in a car. We used to say this about her: “America gave Russia a plane. The shaft passes through the ass, and the crutch is vice versa. The same Lavochkin has a worse cabin. And in the "Yak" it is very cramped, and the plane itself is narrower. But, like an airplane, the Cobra is heavy, although at a height it is nothing. "Lavochkin" more maneuverable and faster speed. In total, I flew 50 different types of aircraft.
- I didn’t fight on the Yak, but I flew a lot on it. "Yak-3" - very light, maneuverable, like a feather. In terms of speed, it is slightly inferior to Lavochkin-7, but in terms of maneuverability it is stronger.
Our regiment (I already fought in the 13th IAP, which later became the 111th GvIAP, went through the whole war with this regiment), was based in the Srednyaya Akhtuba region, 25 kilometers from Stalingrad.
Our task was to cover the Stalingrad group. The enemy was 8-10 times more than us. The Germans in our place would not even approach the enemy, but we went into battle. We tried to catch detached single planes or small groups, immediately shoot them down and retreat. This went on for about a month.
Naturally, it was necessary to accompany the attack aircraft. At the same airfield, an assault regiment on the Il-2 was seconded to our division. As soon as they were ready, we accompanied them. Since everything happened close to Stalingrad, the attack aircraft struck at the front line and immediately left. The enemy did not have time to react, and the losses of attack aircraft were small.
However, the Battle of Stalingrad is not something that is shown in the movies. And it's not about some secrets. It's just impossible to capture her the way she was. Here, for example, we take off from the airfield in four or six; we see - over the city of aircraft, that flies over the garbage pit. The Volga is not visible, it is not there ... Although it is huge, wide - a whole kilometer, but all on fire, even water is not visible. All of Stalingrad was on fire, like a fire-breathing volcano. Here I became a different person. I began to understand how to conduct air combat with the Germans. During one of the most difficult battles, we shot down two enemy planes. I hit one of them. We immediately, on the oncoming ones, made an attack. They thought we would go into the tail, and we into the front. Do you know what it's like to see when an enemy plane flies and falls nearby?!
When the German grouping was surrounded, our task was to destroy the transport aircraft that tried to supply it by any means. The weather was good at that time. It began to deteriorate only closer to December - fogs and rains began, the clouds were low. In almost 2 weeks, we completely destroyed them. Sometimes in one battle we shot down not one, but two planes. The enemy at that moment specifically singled out a group in order to tie up the fighters in battle. But by that time there were fewer enemy aircraft.
True, we not only fought, but when it was possible, together with the attack aircraft, we also made a couple or three visits and hit ground targets. For this, the RSs were hung up for us.
Perhaps the battles in the Kuban were the first real air battles. I would not say that we defeated their aircraft there, but we caught up with them in number and shot down many German aces and simply experienced pilots. For me personally, these fights were a turning point. I learned to fly so as to shoot down. If in 1941 I shot down one plane, in 1942 - five ("Messer", 2 transport aircraft, "Rama" and "Ju-88", for which I received the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree), then from spring to autumn 1943 I shot down 20 planes.
Here I learned how to maneuver perfectly and shoot accurately, stable radio communications and ground guidance appeared. The command has learned to control the situation in the air. Indeed, at the beginning of the war, aviation was subordinate to the infantry armies. And how can an infantry commander control aircraft? No way!
When the operation on the Kursk Bulge had just begun, we had approximately equal forces.
There was such a case. Once, we just flew in from the battle - we sit right on the airfield near the planes, we have breakfast. Suddenly, a trio of Germans arrive and begin to storm the airfield. We quickly board planes and take off. One of the Germans at that moment made an attack on the airfield, and comes out of the dive right under my nose. I haven’t removed the landing gear yet - I reached out to him, and he fell right there on the airfield. The rest flew away. We sat down and taxied. I look, they are leading this German. He is already wearing gray woolen socks (the anti-aircraft gunners covering the airfield took off his boots). This German had about 100 aircraft shot down. Such a strong guy.
What was the personal weapon?
I had a personal weapon, a TT pistol. The cartridges were unlimited, no one counted, so they knew how to shoot. Although, on the enemy, I never used it, there was no need.
When our troops went on the offensive, we won air supremacy, and so we held it until the end of the war, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Here they were not afraid of us, we ourselves were looking for a fight, how! Starting with the Kursk-Belgorod operation, we were not afraid. We were already sure of victory, the mood of the pilots was very good. Every flight is a sure success. In air battles, we no longer knew defeat. And the Germans were not the same as they were near Moscow or even near Stalingrad. When they met, they immediately left, they never got involved in a fight. Only when they suddenly appeared, could they attack us or grab someone lagging behind somewhere; attack someone who shows that he is a beginner. We never saw direct air combat again. After Kiev, especially closer to Lvov, we were generally masters in the air. Chased and looked for someone to shoot down. And not just, just to bring down, but beautiful. Frankly, when the war in Czechoslovakia ended for us, I was a little sorry. You can only say "it's done" ...
- Which German aircraft was the most difficult to shoot down?
- Fighters, of course. They are maneuvering. Catching them in the crosshairs is very difficult. You need to have skills and knowledge. "Rama" is also hard to shoot down, and bombers and transport aircraft are easy prey. They can be knocked down from the first attack.
The Focke-Wulf is less maneuverable than the Messerschmitt, but it has more firepower and speed. They are equally difficult to shoot down. Although, you know, sometimes you don’t understand who you are shooting down: Messer or Foku. Rarely, but it happened, they shot down their own. This never happened in our regiment from the beginning to the end of the war.
We did not feel sorry for the Germans. An enemy is an enemy, especially a fascist. We thought they were all animals. They remembered how cruelly their pilots acted in 1941-1942. And therefore, there could be no question of any pity or indulgence. There was hatred. And after the war, after 10-15 years, hatred of the enemy remained. Even talking with German pilots now, 3-4 years ago, when so much time has passed, there is still something between us, we could not make friends. True, we were friends with the GDR pilots in the Soviet years, but also somehow ... some kind of attitude ... In short, a German is a German.
I shot down the most German aircraft in 1943, and then in 1944 and 1945 I practically did not shoot down - by the middle of the war, air supremacy was already ours. Near Lviv, a large number of German aircraft was a rare case. So, 3-5 aircraft is the maximum. As soon as they felt that you were starting to build a maneuver, you were going on the attack, they left. They only suddenly attacked, they tried not to get involved in the battle.
- Were there cases when a group of fighters recorded all those shot down on one so that he would receive a Hero?
I heard that there were cases when a group started working for one person so that he would get a hero ... Pokryshkin, somewhere else ... This happened, but not massively. I don't think it was right
- Attack pilots say that the peak of nervous tension falls on the assignment. What about a fighter?
- Of course, when setting a task, you get a little nervous, but mostly when you worry? See you with the enemy. And when the fight started, then there is no longer any experience. But when you fly home with a victory - something extraordinary! You will definitely go to the dances in the evening! ..
- Did you know who you are fighting against?
- Why the hell do you need it? Of course, we had some information, but very scarce. We analyzed their tactics... We took something into service... Sometimes, hearing the voice of the enemy on the radio, you guess - yeah, we have already met with this.
- In what conditions did you have to live during the war?
- We lived away from the cities, so as not to fall under the German bombardment; happened in dugouts, close to settlements. Sometimes we negotiated with the locals, they let us in like family. Before the Stalingrad operation and during it, most often they lived in dugouts. What are these conditions? You get up in the morning, the earth falls through the logs, and tears flow. Logs in three rolls or four rolls. The beds are made of wood, where to sleep. Mattress, blankets, everything. The engineering staff had sleeping bags. They managed to stay warm all winter. They stoked, there were potbelly stoves, there was light. Gasoline was poured into the shells and illuminated; There was no electricity or radio. Near Moscow, they also lived in dugouts, along with techies. For them there were separate dugouts. For each squadron - separate dugouts so that the Germans could not destroy everyone at once. Then, when the offensive began, after the Kursk-Belgorod operation, they lived all the time in settlements. Since 1943, we had special groups that were looking for housing in the nearest settlements. There was no problem with this. To whom they did not apply - there was no case that they refused. When they had already crossed the border, the Poles treated like that. The Czechs considered them family - they gave away entire houses, the best places. They said, if necessary, they would feed us.
Although the food was great. And near Moscow, and wherever we were, the food of the pilots was excellent. When we got to the rear, we rather rushed to the front, because the food in the rear was very bad. And they all ate there. When they liberated their territory, they even gave us fruits and vegetables. Oranges, tangerines… This is from 1944 somewhere. I did not suffer from lack of appetite. But, when there are hot battles and a lot of sorties, the appetite drops sharply, you only drink water. In the morning, as a rule, eat almost nothing, only tea or coffee. Compote for lunch. And by the evening already there was an appetite. You eat normally. And the attendants knew that the pilots needed to eat properly in the evening.
What was the attitude of the people? Love! Here is the case. It was in 1942, when we received Lag-5 in Arzamas. Arzamas near the Seimas airfield. It was Easter. We were not "Heroes" yet, but there were already many orders. We are six people. We walk through the center of Arzamas. Nearby is a church. We talk, we joke. The weather is excellent, the sun ... Suddenly, a religious procession, with icons, about five hundred people meet us. We make way for them. They stop 10 paces away, kneel down and start praying for us. What an attitude! After the war, there was no such relationship. When we were shot down, the infantry, as they see it, is a pilot! and they will hold a meal, and anything.
- In your free time, on days when there were no flights, what did you usually do?
- There were no flights only in non-flying weather. Only the intensity of sorties could decrease: let's say, before an operation, preparations are underway for it. Usually there were continuous sorties. It was a little easier in autumn and winter.
At this time, we arranged baths, steam rooms. Conducted classes. We discussed all the battles with the flight crew, developed tactics, began to sort out all the nuances. More often this was done in a squadron, but it happened on a regimental scale. The latter, however, is very rare. Assembling a regiment on the front line is very dangerous. The enemy will detect and destroy. They usually don't take that risk.
After class there was lunch. We had dances. And, say, we didn’t play cards, dominoes or billiards. In each regiment there was a good harmonist, button accordion player. In each regiment - amateur performance. There were such concerts!.. When did they have time to prepare? By the middle of the war, artists from the Center began to appear. The regiment was assembled, but very carefully. In the event of a raid, everyone had to immediately disperse in order to save the artists. Otherwise, if they were killed in our regiment, it would be a shame.
- In your squadron, for sure, there was a group of strong pilots and a group of weaker pilots. How did you determine who to take on a particular task?
- The division started only after the capture of Kiev. And near Stalingrad, near Moscow, they took everyone in a row who was able to take off and fly. Even for myself, the squadron commander, I did not select a wingman. The pilot says to me: "Comrade commander, I will be the wingman" - "Come on." So until 1943 I had no permanent wingman. Then only we began to choose our followers and select the leader. The couples are the best, especially those who have already been shot down, because they knew how to behave in difficult circumstances.
In general, having a permanent follower is necessary. It's not easy to keep up with me. I had a lot of followers during the whole war - the losses were heavy. They began to change less frequently already at the end of 1943, especially in 1944, 1945. More or less constantly I flew with Chabrov.
-I know that they were allowed to send parcels with trophies home. Did you send packages?
I didn't send any packages. I didn't have anything. I had a watch, and then I got bad ones, and a small receiver. Nothing more. And so that from junk ... This issue was not dealt with. And then, where do I put the junk? Will I take you in a fighter jet? Well, the technician will still put the receiver in the fuselage, but what is larger - no longer. The rear units were engaged in pettiness.
I ended the war as a squadron commander, major. And after the war, instead of drinking like some heroes, my friend Petro Gnido and I decided to study. We had 7 classes of education. In Mukachayevo, we accidentally met an emigrant, a doctor of mathematical sciences. And so, this man agreed to prepare us for two years in all subjects that were included in the examination program of the academy. Two years later, we passed the final exams in the high school program. I remember the director of the school where we took the test, said: "Just don't come in military uniform." We came in civilian clothes, but they still helped us a little. As a result, we only had triples in German, and 4-5 in all subjects. The next year, in 1948, we entered the Air Force Academy.
It was quite difficult to get used to peaceful life after the war. First of all, domestic problems. No one took care of our maintenance. You fly for a day, then you look for a place to live. True, as pilots, we ate for free. And they gave rations for his wife, they were provided with food. But where to live? They'll give you a soldier's bunk, that's all. But the wife somehow endured. Sixty years have passed since our wedding, and we have been together all this time. I met her when I flew at the flying club in Khimki. Nearby was the village of Vashutino, we went there in the evening after the flights with an accordion, we sang songs. And for seven years my future wife and I were friends. As soon as I got to Moscow, immediately to her. And so, during the war, I had already received the title of Hero, but she did not know about it. I arrived. Her mother says: "Seryozha, she is flying in the field." I went there. I come up, I say: "Anna!". She got up, saw a star on my chest, and sat down again. Then I realized that I would marry her.
Interview: Artyom Drabkin
Gorelov Sergey Dmitrievich - deputy commander of the air squadron of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (10th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 10th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Army, 1st Ukrainian Front), guard captain.
Born on June 23, 1920 in the village of Monastyrshchino, Kulikovo volost, Epifansky district, Tula province (now Kimovsky district, Tula region). Russian. He spent his childhood and youth in Moscow. In 1935 he graduated from the 8th grade of the school, in 1937 - the Moscow Chemical College. In 1937-1938 he worked as a master chemist at the chemical plant No. 7 in Moscow. In 1938 he graduated from the Dzerzhinsky flying club in Moscow.
In the army since December 1938. In 1940 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk military aviation school for pilots. He served in the Air Force as a pilot of a reserve aviation regiment (in the Kharkov military district) and as a flight commander of a fighter aviation regiment (in the Kiev special military district).
Member of the Great Patriotic War: in August 1941 - February 1942 - commander of the 165th Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Reserve (August-October 1941), Western (November 1941), South-Western (November-December 1941) and Bryansk (December 1941 - February 1942) fronts. He participated in the battle of Smolensk, the Yelets operation and the battles in the Oryol direction. In September 1941 he was wounded by shrapnel in his right leg, in February 1942 - by a shrapnel in his right eyebrow.
In September 1942 he graduated from the Poltava advanced training courses for navigators, who were evacuated in the city of Voroshilovsk (now Stavropol).
In November 1942 - May 1945 - deputy commander and commander of an air squadron of the 13th (from August 1943 - 111th Guards) Fighter Aviation Regiment. Fought at Stalingrad (November 1942 - January 1943), Southern (January-April 1943), North Caucasian (April-May 1943), Voronezh (July-October 1943), 1st (October 1943 - August 1944) and 4th m (August 1944 - May 1945) Ukrainian fronts.
He participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Rostov operation, the air battle in the Kuban, the Battle of Kursk and the battle for the Dnieper, the Proskurov-Chernivtsi, Lvov-Sandomierz, West Carpathian, Moravian-Ostrava and Prague operations. In October 1943 he was wounded in the left leg.
In total, during the war he made 322 sorties on LaGG-3, La-5 and La-7 fighters, in 60 air battles he shot down 27 personally and as part of a group of 2 enemy aircraft.
For courage and heroism shown in battles with the Nazi invaders, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 26, 1944 to the guard captain Gorelov Sergey Dmitrievich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
After the war, until August 1948, he continued to command an air squadron of a fighter regiment (in the Carpathian military district).
In 1952 he graduated from the Air Force Academy (Monino). He commanded a fighter aviation regiment (in the Central Group of Forces, Austria; from September 1955 - in the Belarusian Military District, Brest Region). In November 1955 - December 1957 - commander of the 66th Fighter Aviation Division (in Romania).
In 1959 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. In October 1959 - July 1961 - commander of the 275th Fighter Aviation Division (in the Southern Group of Forces, Hungary). Since 1961 - Deputy Commander of the 48th Air Army for combat training (in the Odessa Military District), in 1962-1967 - 1st Deputy Commander of the 57th Air Army (Carpathian Military District; headquarters - in the city of Lvov, Ukraine).
In November 1967 - June 1969 he was on a business trip abroad in Egypt as a senior military adviser to the commander of the Air Force.
In June 1969 - January 1977 - Commander of the 14th Air Army (in the Carpathian Military District; headquarters - in the city of Lvov, Ukraine). In 1971 he graduated from the Higher Academic Courses at the Military Academy of the General Staff. In January 1977 - November 1980 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for military educational institutions. In January 1981 - September 1987 - consultant at the Air Force Academy named after Yu.A. Gagarin (Monino). Since September 1987, Colonel-General of Aviation S.D. Gorelov has been retired.
He worked as the chief specialist for the Air Force at the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation named after S.P. Korolev.
Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR of the 9th convocation (in 1975-1980).
Colonel-General of Aviation (1973), Honored Military Pilot of the USSR (08/16/1968). He was awarded 2 Orders of Lenin (10/26/1944; 10/11/1974), 7 Orders of the Red Banner (02/27/1943; 09/28/1943; 09/11/1944; 05/22/1945; 05/16/1947; 12/6/1955; 09/28/1956), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (06/29/1945), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (04/27/1943; 03/11/1985), the Order of the Red Star (11/5/1954), the medal "For Military Merit" (06/24/1948), other medals, foreign awards - the Order of the Rebirth of Poland of the 5th degree (6.10.1973), the Czechoslovak Military Cross (1.05.1946), and other foreign awards.
In Moscow, a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which he lived.
Notes:
1) According to the research of M.Yu.Bykov, there are documentary evidence for 27 personal and 1 group victories;
2) Awarded for performing 214 sorties and participating in 47 air battles, in which he shot down 24 personally and as part of a group of 1 enemy aircraft (as of July 1944).Military ranks:
Junior Lieutenant (07/25/1940)
Lieutenant (02/19/1943)
Senior Lieutenant (1943)
Captain (1944)
Major (4.02.1945)
Lieutenant colonel (04/30/1949)
Colonel (2.09.1953)
Major General of Aviation (08/27/1957)
Aviation Lieutenant General (05/07/1966)
Colonel General of Aviation (4.11.1973)
Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation, participant in the Victory Parade of 1945, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR
Born on June 22, 1920 in the village of Monastyrshchina, Epifansky (now Kimovsky District), Tula Region, into a poor peasant family. Father - Gorelov Dmitry Dmitrievich (1869-1942). Mother - Gorelova Natalia Moiseevna (1886-1961). Wife - Gorelova Anna Sergeevna (born in 1921). Son - Evgeny Sergeevich Gorelov. Daughter - Lyudmila Sergeevna.
Born in the bend of the Don, Sergei did not live there for long, the family soon moved to Moscow. In 1938 he graduated from the Chemical College, worked for some time as a foreman at the Moscow Chemical Plant. On a Komsomol ticket, he entered the Dzerzhinsky flying club in Khimki. During his studies, Sergei met his future wife, Anna Sergeevna. They lived together for over 60 years.
After the flying club, Gorelov was sent to study at the Borisoglebsk Aviation Pilot School, from which he graduated in the summer of 1940. At that time, the Finnish War was going on, and instead of two years, the young men studied for a year and a half. There Sergey mastered the U-2, I-5, I-15 aircraft.
In early July 1941, Gorelov received a baptism of fire. That same summer, near the city of Gorky, Sergey mastered the LaGG-3 aircraft, on which he fought near Smolensk. In the autumn of the same year, he participated in the battle for Moscow. Sergei Dmitrievich twice had to jump from a downed plane into the occupied territory. For 3 months in 1941, he was shot down four times, but each time he was even more eager to fight.
S. Gorelov shot down the first fascist in August 1941 near Yelnya. Later he chalked up more than 20 enemy aircraft. In 1942 he graduated from the Poltava advanced training courses for navigators.
Participated in the defense of Stalingrad, where he received his first award - the Order of the Patriotic War, I degree. By this time, he held the position of squadron commander. On La-5 aircraft, the pilots of his squadron staged a second "air Stalingrad" for the Germans in the Kuban. Sergey Gorelov also participated in the battles near Kursk, in Western Ukraine, in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
In 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The air squadron under his command destroyed 25 fascist planes in a month without losing a single one of their own.
During the war years, S.D. Gorelov made 260 sorties, conducted 120 air battles, personally shot down 27 Nazi aircraft and 6 in a group. He ended the war in Czechoslovakia on May 12, 1945 as part of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
In June 1945, as part of the combined regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Major S.D. Gorelov took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
After the war, despite several injuries, he was recognized as fully fit for flight service. Until 1948, he continued to command an air squadron of a fighter regiment in the Carpathian military district.
In 1952 he graduated from the Air Force Academy in the city of Monino, Moscow Region, later from the Academy of the General Staff. S.D. Gorelov commanded a regiment, division, air army. For five years he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. He worked in the rocket and space company named after S.P. Korolev, including the chief specialist in the air force.
Sergei Dmitrievich mastered most types of combat aircraft. He flew until 1977, he made his last flights on the MiG-25. He was awarded the title of Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. He retired in 1987 with the rank of Air Force Colonel General.
Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Dmitrievich Gorelov was awarded two Orders of Lenin, seven Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, two Orders of the Patriotic War, 1st class, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Rebirth of Poland, 5th class, the Czechoslovak Military Cross, Victory over Germany”, “For the Defense of Moscow”, “For the Defense of Stalingrad”, “For the Defense of the Caucasus”, “For the Defense of Kiev”, “For the Liberation of Prague”, other medals and insignia.
Memorial plaque to the Hero of the Soviet Union S.D. Gorelov was installed on the building of the Monastyrschinskaya basic general education school (Tula region).
Born on June 23, 1920 in the village of Monastyrshchina, now the Kimovsky district of the Tula region, in a peasant family. Graduated from the Moscow Chemical College. Worked at a factory. Since 1938 in the Red Army. In 1940 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School for Pilots.
From July 1941, Junior Lieutenant S. D. Gorelov in the army. Until February 1942 he served in the 165th IAP; from November 1942 to May 1945 - in the 13th IAP (111th Guards IAP).
By July 1944, the deputy squadron commander of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (10th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 2nd Air Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) of the Guard Captain S. D. Gorelov made 214 sorties, in 47 air battles personally shot down 24 and in group 1 enemy aircraft.
On October 26, 1944, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In total, he completed 312 sorties, in 60 air battles he shot down 27 aircraft personally and 6 in a group with comrades.
After the war he continued to serve in the Air Force. In 1952 he graduated from the Air Force Academy, in 1959 - from the Military Academy of the General Staff. In 1977 - 1981 he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for Universities - Head of the Air Force Universities. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, Colonel General of Aviation.
Awarded with orders: Lenin (twice), Red Banner (seven!), Alexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree (twice), Red Star; medals "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the Defense of Stalingrad", "For the Defense of the Caucasus", "For the Defense of Kiev", "For the Liberation of Prague" and other foreign orders and medals.
* * *Sergey Gorelov was born on June 22, 1922 in the village of Monastyrshchino, Kimovsky district, Tula region, into a poor peasant family. Father - Gorelov Dmitry Dmitrievich (1869 - 1942), mother - Gorelova Natalia Moiseevna (1886 - 1961). After completing his studies at a technical school, he worked as a foreman at one of the Moscow factories. In the late 1930s, he graduated from the glider training course and the Dzerzhinsky flying club, located in Khimki (Moscow). In 1938 he entered the Borisoglebsk military aviation school, which he successfully completed on the eve of the war, and in early July 1941 he received a baptism of fire near Lvov, flying as part of the 165th Fighter Aviation Regiment on I-16 and I-153 aircraft.
In the summer of 1941, near Gorky, he mastered the LaGG-3 aircraft, on which he fought near Smolensk. He won his first victory in August 1941 near Yelnya, shooting down an Hs-126 spotter. Later he chalked up more than 20 enemy aircraft.
In the autumn of 1941 he participated in the battle for Moscow. Sergei Dmitrievich twice had to jump from a downed plane into the occupied territory. For 3 months in 1941, he was shot down four times, but each time he was even more eager to fight. Then, as part of the consolidated unit, near Noginsk, he prepared for the parade on November 7, 1941 on Red Square.
Since 1942, he fought as part of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment (on August 25, 1943, it was transformed into the 111th Guards), which went through all the main air battles of the Great Patriotic War: Stalingrad, Kuban, Kursk, Dnieper, Ternopil.
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Near Stalingrad, fighting on LaGG-3, Sergey Gorelov won several victories, and received his first award - the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. By this time he held the position of squadron commander. From November 1942 he fought on the La-5, later - on the La-5FN. On Lavochkin's planes, the pilots of his squadron staged a second "air Stalingrad" for the Germans in the Kuban. They also participated in the battles near Kursk, in Western Ukraine, in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
On December 12, 1942, the enemy launched an offensive from the Kotelnikov area along the railway line to Stalingrad, trying to break through to the encircled group from the south. On the morning of December 19, the Nazis threw about 300 tanks against our 3rd mechanized corps. To ensure the combat operations of the 2nd Guards Army, which arrived in time, a group of La-5 fighters led by Sergei Gorelov was raised. She fearlessly entered into an unequal battle with several groups of enemy bombers rushing towards our ground forces, and in a fierce air battle shot down 10 enemy aircraft. The ground forces held the line.
In April 1943, the pilots of the 13th Air Regiment fought over Malaya Zemlya. On April 20, on the outskirts of Myskhako, a fierce air battle broke out between 16 Soviet pilots and a large group of German aircraft (18 He-111 bombers and 22 Me-109 fighters). In this battle, 2 enemy vehicles were shot down, 2 more were shot down. One of the Heinkels was shot down by Sergei Gorelov. Puffing, he went towards German territory, his fate is unknown.
The very next day, April 21, 1943, flying on a mission with 6 Lavochkins, in a stubborn air battle with a large group of enemy aircraft (18 bombers and 25 fighters), Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov shot down one Heinkel-111. This unparalleled battle ended in victory for our pilots. The enemy bombers did not break through to the advanced positions of the Soviet troops. 6 enemy planes were destroyed and 3 were shot down. Our losses amounted to 1 car, the pilot of which died ...
On August 3, 1943, the troops of the Voronezh Front launched a counteroffensive in the Belgorod-Kharkov direction. In those days, the pilots of the 10th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 2nd Air Army covered the areas of concentration and the introduction of the 1st and 5th Guards Tank Armies into the breakthrough. At the same time, the regiments of the 201st Fighter Aviation Division were especially active.
Early in the morning of August 3, 10 La-5FN under the command of Senior Lieutenant Sergei Gorelov flew out to escort 12 Il-2 attack aircraft. In the Belgorod area, they were attacked by 35 enemy fighters. An air battle ensued, in which our pilots shot down 8 enemy aircraft. At the same time, the squadron commander S. D. Gorelov recorded 2 victories at once on his combat score.
In the autumn of 1943, Soviet troops firmly established themselves on the Bukrinsky bridgehead. It was there, on October 6, 1943, that Sergei Gorelov was shot down, already for the 7th time, by a Focke-Wulf suddenly attacking him at top speed. This miss was the last. Later, rising into the air, Gorelov always felt his superiority over the enemy, he was sure that he would find the right move in any situation.
In those days, the German command tried to restore the line of defense along the Dnieper with strong counterattacks. Enemy planes constantly made raids on bridges and crossings, on the battle formations of our troops. On some days, enemy aircraft made up to 2,200 sorties.
On October 14, along the Kozinsky bridge, cars and tanks went to the bridgehead all night. It pleased. At the same time, our command was worried about the idea that the enemy might launch a massive raid on this important object. That is exactly what happened.
Enemy planes appeared from the west. There were several groups. But the enemy did not succeed in bombarding the bridge with precision, as they were boldly attacked by eight Lavochkins. The lead nine "Junkers" scattered, and the second scattered. Here one German bomber went down sharply, then the second smoked, then the third ...
As it turned out later, the eight of our fighters, who shot down 10 enemy bombers in front of many thousands of Soviet soldiers, were led by Senior Lieutenant S. D. Gorelov.
A few days later, Gorelov's group again entered into battle with large forces of German bombers. This time, the Soviet pilots won an even more convincing victory, destroying 15 out of 90 enemy aircraft. An enemy air raid on the crossings was again thwarted.
In 1944, S. D. Gorelov was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The air squadron under his command destroyed 25 enemy planes in a month of fighting, without losing a single one of their own.
Major S. D. Gorelov, commander of the 111th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Guard, made the last sorties after the end of the war, on May 12, 1945, in Czechoslovakia.
In total, he made 312 sorties, participated in 60 air battles, personally shot down 27 and in a group with comrades 6 enemy aircraft. (M. Yu. Bykov in his research indicates 27 personal and 1 group victories.) Among the vehicles shot down by him, almost all the main types of German combat aircraft: Me-109 and Me-110, Ju-52, Ju-87 and Ju-88, FW-189 and FW-190, Hs-126 and Hs-129, He- 111.
On June 24, 1945, as part of the combined regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Major SD Gorelov took part in the historic Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
After the war, despite several injuries, Sergei Dmitrievich was recognized as fully fit for flight service. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in Monino (Moscow region), later - the Academy of the General Staff. He commanded a regiment, division, air army. He flew until 1977, the last flights were carried out on the MiG-25. He mastered most types of combat aircraft, among them the MiG-9, Yak-15, MiG-15, MiG-19, Yak-25, Yak-28, Su-17, MiG-21 ... For 5 years he was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. He worked in the rocket and space company named after S.P. Korolev, including the chief specialist in the air force. Honored Military Pilot of the USSR. In 1989, Colonel General of Aviation S. D. Gorelov retired. Lives and works in Moscow.
* * *List of famous victories of the Guard Major S. D. Gorelov:
(From the book by M. Yu. Bykov - "Victory of Stalin's falcons". Publishing house "YAUZA - EKSMO", 2008.)
| № n / n | Date | Downed aircraft | Place of air combat (winning) | Their aircraft |
| 1 | 02/05/1942 | 1 Hs-126 | Western Front | I-16, I-153, LaGG-3, La-5, La-7. |
| 2 | February 20, 1943 | 1 Me-110 | Greco - Timofeevo | |
| 3 | February 22, 1943 | 1 FW-189 (in group - 1/4) | Marfinskaya | |
| 4 | 1 Non-111 | Column No. 3 | ||
| 5 | 03/22/1943 | 1 FW-189 | Novopavlovo | |
| 6 | 04/20/1943 | 1 Me-109 | southeast. Novorossiysk | |
| 7 | 04/21/1943 | 1 Non-111 | Myskhako | |
| 8 | 04/23/1943 | 1 FW-190 | Tsemesskaya bay | |
| 9 | 08/03/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Belgorod | |
| 10 | 08/04/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Tomarovka | |
| 11 | 1 FW-190 | Pokrovka | ||
| 12 | 08/05/1943 | 1 Ju-88 | Tolokonovo | |
| 13 | 1 Ju-88 | Zhuravlyovka | ||
| 14 | 08/06/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Stanovoe | |
| 15 | 08/12/1943 | 1 Non-111 | Dergachi - Sennoye | |
| 16 | 1 FW-190 | Dergachi - Sennoye | ||
| 17 | 08/16/1943 | 1 Me-109 | Bogodukhov | |
| 18 | 10/05/1943 | 1 FW-190 | Zarubentsi | |
| 19 | 10/09/1943 | 1 FW-190 | Shandra | |
| 20 | 10/10/1943 | 1 FW-190 | Shchuchino | |
| 21 | 1 Me-109 | White church | ||
| 22 | 10/14/1943 | 1 Ju-87 | Shandra | |
| 23 | October 21, 1943 | 1 Non-111 | Zarubentsi | |
| 24 | October 22, 1943 | 2 Ju-87 | district Zarubentsy - Grigorovka | |
| 25 | 04/15/1945 | 1 Me-109 | east Troppau | |
| 26 | 04/16/1945 | 1 Me-109 | Darnowice | |
| 27 | 04/22/1945 | 1 Me-109 | Velna - Polosh | |
Total downed aircraft - 27 + 1; sorties - 312; air battles - 60. |
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