Known fact, the first aviators did not fight in the sky, but greeted each other.
In 1911, both the French and Russians simultaneously equipped aircraft with machine guns and the era of air combat began. In the absence of ammunition, the pilots used a ram.
Ramming is an air combat technique designed to disable an enemy aircraft, a ground target, or an unwary pedestrian.
It was first used by Pyotr Nesterov on September 8, 1914 against an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft.
There are several types of rams: a landing gear strike on the wing, a propeller strike on the tail, a wing strike, a fuselage strike, a tail strike (I. Sh. Bikmukhametov’s ram)
The ram committed by I. Sh. Bikmukhametov during the Great Patriotic War: Having entered the enemy’s forehead with a slide and a turn, Bikmukhametov struck the enemy’s wing with the tail of his plane. As a result, the enemy lost control, went into a tailspin and crashed, and Bikmukhametov was even able to bring his plane to the airfield and land safely.
Ram by V. A. Kulyapin, ram by S. P. Subbotin, ram on jet fighter, used in air combat in Korea. Subbotin found himself in a situation where his enemy was catching up with him while descending. Having released the brake flaps, Subbotin slowed down, essentially exposing his plane to attack. As a result of the collision, the enemy was destroyed, Subbotin managed to eject and remained alive.
1
First air ram used by Pyotr Nesterov on September 8, 1914 against an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft.
2
During the war, he shot down 28 enemy aircraft, one of them in a group, and shot down 4 aircraft with a ram. IN three cases Kovzan was returning to the airfield on his MiG-3 plane. On August 13, 1942, on a La-5 aircraft, Captain Kovzan discovered a group of enemy bombers and fighters. In a battle with them, he was shot down and injured in his eye, and then Kovzan directed his plane at an enemy bomber. The impact threw Kovzan out of the cabin and from a height of 6,000 meters, with his parachute not fully opening, he fell into a swamp, breaking his leg and several ribs.
3
He directed the damaged plane to a higher target. According to the reports of Vorobyov and Rybas, Gastello’s burning plane rammed a mechanized column of enemy equipment. At night, peasants from the nearby village of Dekshnyany removed the corpses of the pilots from the plane and, wrapping the bodies in parachutes, buried them near the crash site of the bomber. Gastello's feat was to some extent canonized. The first ram in the history of the Great Patriotic War was carried out by the Soviet pilot D.V. Kokorev on June 22, 1941 at approximately 4 hours 15 minutes (for a long time I.I. Ivanov was considered the author of the first ram in the history of the Great Patriotic War, but in fact he carried out his ram 10 minutes later than Kokorev)
4
Shot down one on a Su-2 light bomber german fighter Me-109, the second one rammed. When the wing hit the fuselage, the Messerschmitt broke in half, and the Su-2 exploded, and the pilot was thrown out of the cockpit.
The first one was used on August 7, 1941 night ram, shooting down a He-111 bomber near Moscow. At the same time, he himself remained alive.
6
On December 20, 1943, in his first air battle, he destroyed two American B-24 Liberator bombers - the first with a machine gun, and the second with an air ram.
7
February 13, 1945 in the southern part Baltic Sea during an attack on a terminal transport with a displacement of 6,000 tons, V.P. Nosov’s plane was hit by a shell, the plane began to fall, but the pilot directed his burning plane directly into the transport and destroyed it. The crew of the plane died.
8
On May 20, 1942, he flew on an I-153 plane to intercept an enemy Ju-88 reconnaissance aircraft photographing military targets in the city of Yelets Lipetsk region. He shot down an enemy plane, but it remained in the air and continued to fly. Barkovsky aimed his plane at the ram and destroyed the Ju-88. The pilot died in the collision.
9
On November 28, 1973, on a MiG-21SM jet fighter, Captain G. Eliseev rammed an F-4 “Phantom” of the Iranian Air Force (when the latter violated the State Border of the USSR in the area of the Mugan Valley of the AzSSR).
10 Kulyapin Valentin (Taran Kulyapin)
He rammed a CL-44 transport aircraft (number LV-JTN, Transportes Aereo Rioplatense airline, Argentina), which was making a secret transport flight on the Tel Aviv - Tehran route and unintentionally invaded Armenian airspace.
For the first time in the world, a night air ram was carried out by a Soviet fighter pilot, Senior Lieutenant Evgeniy Stepanov, on October 28, 1938, in the skies of Spain.
For a long time it was believed that the first night ram was attributed to the Soviet pilot Viktor Talalikhin, who rammed a fascist He-111 bomber near Moscow on August 7, 1941. Without in any way detracting from his primacy in this matter within the framework of the Great Patriotic War, we will also pay tribute to our great ace pilot Evgeniy Nikolaevich Stepanov.
So, the first night ram in the history of aviation was carried out on October 28, 1938. That night, the commander of the 1st Chatos squadron, senior lieutenant Evgeniy Stepanov, who took off in his I-15, saw an enemy bomber illuminated by the moon and went on the attack. During the battle, the top turret gunner was killed. Meanwhile, the Savoy turned towards Barcelona, the lights of which were already clearly visible. Stepanov decided to go for the ram. Trying to preserve the propeller and engine as much as possible, he struck with the wheels, which hit the tail of the Savoy. Having lost its stabilizer, the bomber immediately crashed down just a few kilometers from the city.
Although the I-15 was damaged, Stepanov, after checking the control and operation of the engine, decided to continue patrolling and soon discovered another Savoy. Having fired at the bomber several times, he forced its crew to turn to the side open sea, over the waves of which the bomber finally finished off. Only after this did our pilot return to the Sabadell airfield, where he safely landed his damaged fighter.
In total, Stepanov conducted 16 air battles in Spain and shot down 8 enemy aircraft.
Yevgeny Stepanov fought his last battle in Spanish skies on January 17, 1938. On that day, he led a squadron to the Universales Mountains to intercept the Junkers flying on a bombing mission. Republican troops accompanied by a large group of Fiats. A battle broke out over the city of Ojos Negros. The enemy outnumbered Stepanov's group by almost 3 times. Eugene successfully attacked and shot down the Fiat and thereby saved the Austrian volunteer pilot Tom Dobiash from apparent death. After that, Stepanov chased after the second enemy fighter, got behind him, caught him in his sights and pressed the triggers. But the machine guns were silent. The cartridges are out. I decided: “Ram!” At that second, several anti-aircraft shells exploded in front of the I-15’s nose. The Nazis cut off fire. The second series of explosions covered Stepanov’s car. The control cables were broken by shrapnel and the engine was damaged. Not obeying the will of the pilot, the plane went steeply towards the ground. Stepanov jumped out of the cockpit and opened his parachute. He landed close to the forward positions and was captured by the Moroccans. This probably would not have happened if Stepanov had not hit a rock upon landing and lost consciousness.
Enemy soldiers tore off the Soviet pilot's uniform, stripped him down to his underwear, and tied his hands with wire. Interrogations, beatings, torture and abuse followed. He was kept in prison for a month solitary confinement, they were not given food for several days. But the officer did not tell the enemies even his real name. Stepanov went through prisons in Zaragoza, Salamanca and San Sebastian.
Six months later, the government of the Spanish Republic exchanged him for a captured fascist pilot.
After returning from Spain, Stepanov received the rank of captain and was appointed inspector of piloting technology of the 19th IAP of the Leningrad Military District.
From the biography: Evgeny Stepanov was born on May 22, 1911 in Moscow, into the family of a marble worker. At the age of 6 he was left without a father. In 1928 he graduated from 7 classes, and in 1930 he graduated from the FZU railway school. He worked as a blacksmith. He studied at the factory radio club. In 1932, he completed his studies at the Moscow Osoaviakhim Pilot School with 80 hours of flight time. In the same year, on a Komsomol voucher, he was sent to the Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School. After graduation, in March 1933, he was assigned to serve on a bomber, but after numerous applications he managed to secure an assignment to a fighter. He served in the 12th Fighter Aviation Squadron, part of the 111th Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Leningrad Military District. He was a senior pilot and flight commander.
From August 20, 1937 to July 27, 1938, he took part in the national revolutionary war Spanish people. He was a pilot, squadron commander, and then commander of a group of I-15 fighters. He had pseudonyms: “Eugenio” and “Slepnev”. Had 100 hours of combat flight time. After spending 16 air battles, shot down 8 enemy aircraft personally, including 1 by ram, and 4 in a group. On November 10, 1937 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
From May 29 to September 16, 1939, he took part in battles with the Japanese in the Khalkhin-Gol River area. Flew on I-16 and I-153. His task was to transfer combat experience to pilots who had not yet met the enemy in the air. In total, in the skies of Mongolia, the piloting equipment inspector of the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st Army Group), Captain E. N. Stepanov, made more than 100 sorties, conducted 5 air battles, and shot down 4 enemy aircraft. August 29, 1939 for courage and military valor demonstrated in battles with enemies, awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union. On August 10, 1939 he was awarded the Mongolian Order “For Military Valor”.
As part of the 19th Fighter Wing, he participated in Soviet-Finnish war of 1939 - 1940. Then he was an inspector for piloting technology at the Air Force Directorate of the Moscow Military District.
During the Great Patriotic War he worked in the Air Force Directorate of the Moscow Military District. In 1942 - 1943 he was head of the military department educational institutions Air Force of this district. After the war, he retired to the reserve, worked as an inspector, instructor and head of a department in the DOSAAF Central Committee, then was deputy head of the Central Aero Club named after V.P. Chkalov. Died September 4, 1996. He was buried at Troekurovskoye Cemetery.
Ramming as a method of air combat has never been and will not be the main one, since a collision with an enemy very often leads to the destruction and fall of both vehicles. A ramming attack is only permissible in a situation where the pilot has no other choice. The first such attack was carried out in 1912 by the famous pilot Pyotr Nesterov, who shot down an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft. His light Moran hit the heavy enemy Albatross, on which the pilot and observer were located, from above. As a result of the attack, both planes were damaged and fell, Nesterov and the Austrians were killed. At that time, machine guns had not yet been installed on airplanes, so the ram was the only way shoot down an enemy airplane.
After the death of Nesterov, the tactics of ramming strikes were carefully worked out; the pilots began to strive to shoot down an enemy aircraft while preserving their own. The main method of attack was hitting the tail of the enemy aircraft with the propeller blades. The rapidly spinning propeller damaged the plane's tail, causing it to lose control and crash. At the same time, the pilots of the attacking aircraft often managed to land their planes safely. After replacing the bent propellers, the aircraft were ready to fly again. Other options were also used - impact with the wing, keel, fuselage, landing gear.
Night rams were especially difficult, since it is very difficult to carry out a strike in conditions of poor visibility. For the first time, a night air ram was used on October 28, 1937 in the skies of Spain by the Soviet Yevgeny Stepanov. At night over Barcelona on an I-15 he managed to destroy an Italian Savoia-Marchetti bomber with a ramming attack. Since the Soviet Union did not officially take part in the civil war in Spain, the pilot’s feat for a long time they preferred not to talk.
During the Great Patriotic War, the first night air ram was carried out by fighter pilot of the 28th Fighter Air Force, Pyotr Vasilyevich Eremeev: on July 29, 1941, on a MiG-3 aircraft, he destroyed an enemy Junkers-88 bomber with a ramming attack. But the night ram of fighter pilot Viktor Vasilyevich Talalikhin became more famous: on the night of August 7, 1941, on an I-16 plane in the area of Podolsk near Moscow, he shot down a German Heinkel-111 bomber. The Battle of Moscow was one of key points war, so the pilot’s feat became widely known. For his courage and heroism, Viktor Talalikhin was awarded the Order of Lenin and Golden Star Hero of the Soviet Union. He died on October 27, 1941 in an air battle, having destroyed two enemy aircraft and was mortally wounded by a fragment of an exploding shell.
During the battles with Nazi Germany Soviet pilots carried out more than 500 ramming attacks; some pilots used this technique several times and remained alive. Ramming attacks were also used later, already on jet vehicles.
City Ufa
Head: Dyagilev Alexander Vasilievich (history teacher at the Ufa Cadet Corps)
Research work “Air ram - is it exclusively a Russian weapon?”
Plan:
I. IntroductionA Classification of air rams
B. First air ram
A. Reasons for using rams
IV. Conclusion
V. Bibliography
I. Introduction
We very often talk about heroes, but rarely about how they achieved victories that immortalized their names. I was interested in the proposed topic, because the ram is one of the most dangerous types air combat, leaving the pilot minimal chances of survival. The topic of my research is not only interesting, but important and relevant: after all, the topic of the exploits of heroes who protected our grandparents at the cost of their own lives will never become obsolete. I would also like to compare our pilots with pilots from other countries.
II. What is an air ram
The ram is divided into 2 types
1) a targeted collision of an aircraft with a target in the air, causing enormous damage to it directly by the attacker’s aircraft itself
2) ramming a ground object or ship, otherwise known as a “fire ram”.
A. Classification of air rams
For clarity, I compiled a table in which I showed the type of ram depending on the type aircraft, on which and against which this air combat technique was performed. I also want to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of each technique and method of air ramming
B. First air ram
The world's first ram was carried out on September 8, 1914 by Pyotr Nikolaevich Nesterov
. Baron F. Rosenthal boldly flew on a heavy Albatross at a height beyond the reach of shots from the ground. Nesterov boldly went to cross him in the light, high-speed Moran. His maneuver was quick and decisive. The Austrian tried to escape, but Nesterov overtook him and crashed his plane into the tail of the Albatross. A witness to the ramming wrote:
“Nesterov came from behind, caught up with the enemy and, like a falcon hitting a clumsy heron, so he hit the enemy.”
The bulky "Albatross" continued to fly for some time, then fell on its left side and fell rapidly. At the same time, Pyotr Nesterov also died.
.
A. Reasons forcing the pilot to ram:
What were the reasons that forced the pilot to destroy an enemy aircraft, despite mortal danger, go for a ram?
The heroism and patriotism of the Soviet people, clearly manifested during the Great Patriotic War, are interconnected. These two concepts are sides of the same coin. The country would not have withstood such a terrible and severe test if it had not lived with one thought: “Everything for the front, everything for victory!” Not only during the war, but also to this day, the reasons that prompted pilots to ram were not properly analyzed.Even in the works of A.D. Zaitsev in 1985, where 636 aerial rams are described, there is not a single mention of the pilot’s lack of training in air combat. battle. The entire emphasis was placed only on the promotion of heroism, proceeding from the fact that every ram was necessary. Yes, heroism is indisputable. A ram is the highest form of manifestation of heroism. Honor and praise to every pilot who decided to commit this deadly dangerous technique air combat.
The impossibility of a second attack, and therefore the need to destroy the enemy aircraft immediately. For example, when a bomber has already broken through to the target and can start bombing; an enemy reconnaissance officer returning to his airfield after completing a mission is about to disappear into the clouds; real danger hanging over a comrade who is being attacked by an enemy fighter, etc.
- Expending all ammunition in an air battle, when circumstances forced the pilot to fire from a long range and from large angles or when conducting a long air battle, a battle with several enemy aircraft.
- Exhaustion of ammunition due to the inability to carry out an attack, the inability to conduct aimed fire and, first of all, shooting from an unreasonably long distance.
- Failure of weapons due to design and manufacturing defects of weapons, installations or ammunition,
- Failure of weapons due to unsatisfactory training by technical staff.
- Weapon failure due to the pilot’s fault.
- Low efficiency weapons.
- The desire to use the last opportunity to hit the air enemy. For example, the pilot’s plane is shot down, most often it is on fire, although the engine is still running, but it cannot reach the airfield, and the enemy is nearby.
Why did our pilots more often use rams to destroy the enemy? Trying to figure this out, I compiled a table and added a couple of diagrams to compare the aviation of the USSR and Germany during the Second World War
In 1941 
In 1943 
Thus, I came to the conclusion that many of our pilots tried to compensate for their lack of preparedness for combat operations and lack of training in terms of acquiring flying skills with their heroic confidence that the enemy should not bring harm to their native country. Therefore, the enemy must be destroyed at any cost, even at the cost of one’s own life.
B. Aerial rams during the Great Patriotic War
The air ram became widespread during the Great Patriotic War
The aerial ram was repeated many times by Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War, turning into a means of decisively destroying enemy aircraft.
The rams terrified enemy pilots!
Already on the 17th day of the war, by Decree of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR on July 8, 1941, three pilots were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. They were the valiant defenders of the city of Lenin, pilots junior lieutenants P.T. Kharitonov, S.I. Zdorovtsev and M.P. Zhukov, who carried out air rams in the first days of the war. (3 heroes of the USSR)
Much later we learned that on the first day of the war, Soviet pilots rammed planes with fascist swastikas 16 times. The first to ram on June 22, 1941 at 4:25 a.m. was the flight commander of the 46th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Southwestern Front, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov.
It is significant that this feat was accomplished in the area of the city of Zhovkva, Lviv region, that is, where for the first time in the history of aviation Pyotr Nesterov carried out a ram. Almost simultaneously with him, the enemy plane D.V. Kokarev hit.
Let's look at the most noticeable rams of the war years.
On the night of August 7, 1941, having consumed all his ammunition and was wounded in the arm, fighter pilot Viktor Talalikhin rammed a German bomber. Victor was lucky: his I-16, which cut off the tail of the Non-111 (enemy plane) with its propeller, began to fall, but the pilot was able to jump out of the falling plane and land by parachute. Let us pay attention to the reason for this ram: due to injury and lack of ammunition, Talalikhin had no other opportunity to continue the battle. Undoubtedly, by his actions, Viktor Talakhin demonstrated courage and patriotism. But it is also clear that before the ramming, he was losing the air battle. The ram became Talalikhin’s last, albeit very risky, means of seizing victory. (First night ram)
On September 12, 1941, the first aerial ramming attack by a woman took place. Ekaterina Zelenko and her crew on a damaged Su-2 were returning from reconnaissance. They were attacked by 7 enemy Me-109 fighters. Our plane was alone against seven enemies. The Germans surrounded the Su-2. A fight ensued. The Su-2 was shot down, both crew members were injured, and the ammunition ran out. Then Zelenko ordered the crew members to leave the plane, and she continued to fight. Soon she also ran out of ammunition. Then she took the course of the fascist attacking her and led the bomber to approach. When the wing hit the fuselage, the Messerschmitt broke in half, and the Su-2 exploded, and the pilot was thrown out of the cockpit. Thus, Zelenko destroyed the enemy vehicle, but at the same time died herself. This is the only case of aerial ramming committed by a woman!
On June 26, 1941, the crew under the command of Captain N. F. Gastello, consisting of Lieutenant A. A. Burdenyuk, Lieutenant G. N. Skorobogaty and Senior Sergeant A. A. Kalinin, flew on a DB-3F aircraft to bomb a German mechanized column on the Molodechno-Radoshkovichi road as part of a flight of two bombers. By fire anti-aircraft artillery Gastello's plane was shot down. An enemy shell damaged the fuel tank, and Gastello made a fiery ram - he directed the burning vehicle at the enemy's mechanized column. All crew members died.
Boris Kovzan rammed enemy planes three times in 1942. In the first two cases, he returned safely to the airfield on his MiG-3 plane. In August 1942, on a La-5 plane, Boris Kovzan discovered a group of enemy bombers and fighters. In a battle with them, he was shot down and injured in his eye, and then Kovzan directed his plane at an enemy bomber. The impact threw Kovzan out of the cabin and from a height of 6,000 meters, with his parachute not fully opening, he fell into a swamp, breaking his leg and several ribs. The partisans who arrived in time pulled him out of the swamp. The heroic pilot was in the hospital for 10 months. He lost his right eye but returned to flying duty.
How many air rams were carried out by Soviet pilots during the Great Patriotic War?
In 1970, there were more than 200, and in 1990, 636 air rams, and there were absolutely 350 fire rams
34 pilots used an air ram twice, Hero of the Soviet Union A. Khlobystov, Zdorovtsev - three times, B. Kovzan - four times
B. Rams of pilots from other countries
IN Soviet time only domestic and Japanese air rams were always mentioned; Moreover, if the ramming of Soviet pilots was represented by communist propaganda as a heroic, conscious self-sacrifice, then for some reason the same actions of the Japanese were called “fanaticism” and “doom.” Thus, all Soviet pilots who committed a suicide attack were surrounded by a halo of heroes, and Japanese kamikaze pilots were surrounded by a halo of “anti-heroes”.
Even though a ram was used greatest number once in Russia, but one cannot say that it is exclusively a Russian weapon, because pilots from other countries also resorted to the ram, albeit as an extremely rare method of combat.
For example, the most amazing air ram in World War I was carried out by the Belgian Willie Coppens, who rammed the German Draken balloon on May 8, 1918. Coppens hit the Draken's hull with the wheels of his Anrio fighter; the propeller blades also slashed across the tightly inflated canvas, and the Draken burst. At the same time, the HD-1 engine choked due to gas gushing into the hole in the ruptured cylinder, and Coppens literally miraculously did not die. He was saved by the oncoming air flow, which forcefully spun the propeller and started the Anrio engine as it rolled off the falling Draken. This was the first and only ram in the history of Belgian aviation.
And about a year later (in July 1937) on the other side globe- in China - for the first time in the world, a sea ram was carried out, and a massive ram at that: at the very beginning of Japan’s aggression against China, 15 Chinese pilots sacrificed themselves by attacking enemy aircraft from the air landing ships and sinking 7 of them!
June 22, 1939 over Khalkhin Gol the first ram in Japanese aviation carried out by pilot Shogo Saito. Caught in pincers and having shot through all the ammunition, Saito made a breakthrough, cutting off part of the tail of the fighter closest to him with his wing, and broke out of the encirclement.
In Africa, on November 4, 1940, the pilot of the Battle bomber, Lieutenant Hutchinson, was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while bombing Italian positions in Nyalli (Kenya). And then Hutchinson sent his Battle into the midst of the Italian infantry, destroying about 20 enemy soldiers at the cost of his own death.
British fighter pilot Ray Holmes distinguished himself during the Battle of Britain. During the German raid on London on September 15, 1940, one German Dornier 17 bomber broke through the British fighter screen to Buckingham Palace- residence of the King of Great Britain. Spikirova on his Hurricane on top of the enemy, Holmes, on a collision course, cut off the tail of the Dornier with his wing, but he himself was so seriously injured that he was forced to escape by parachute.
The first American pilot to actually carry out a ram was Captain Fleming, commander of the Vindicator bomber squadron. Marine Corps USA. During the Battle of Midway on June 5, 1942, he led his squadron's attack on Japanese cruisers. On approaching the target, his plane was hit by an anti-aircraft shell and caught fire, but the captain continued the attack and bombed. Seeing that the bombs of his subordinates did not hit the target, Fleming turned around and again dived at the enemy, crashing the burning bomber into the cruiser Mikuma. The damaged ship lost its combat capability, and was soon finished off by other American bombers
A few examples of German pilots who carried out aerial ramming missions:
If at the beginning of the war the ramming operations of German pilots, who were victorious on all fronts, were a rare exception, then in the second half of the war, when the situation was not in Germany’s favor, the Germans began to use ramming strikes more and more often. For example, on March 29, 1944, in the skies of Germany, the famous Luftwaffe ace Hermann Graf rammed an American Mustang fighter, receiving serious injuries that put him in a hospital bed for two months.
The next day, March 30, 1944, on the Eastern Front, the German assault ace, holder of the Knight's Cross Alvin Boerst repeated the “feat of Gastello”. In the Iasi area, he attacked a Soviet tank column in an anti-tank Ju-87 variant, was shot down by anti-aircraft guns and, dying, rammed the tank in front of him.
In the West, on May 25, 1944, a young pilot, Oberfenrich Hubert Heckmann, in a Bf.109G rammed Captain Joe Bennett's Mustang, beheading an American fighter squadron, after which he escaped by parachute. And on July 13, 1944, another famous ace, Walter Dahl, shot down a heavy American B-17 bomber with a ramming attack.
D. Subsequent aerial rams in the USSR
After the Victory over Nazi Germany, rams continued to be used by Soviet pilots, but this happened much less frequently:
1951 - 1 ram, 1952 - 1 ram, 1973 - 1 ram, 1981 - 1 ram
The reason is due to the absence of wars on the territory of the Soviet Union and the fact that powerful machines equipped with firearms and maneuverable and light interceptor aircraft.
Here are some examples:
During the battle, Subbotin won one aerial victory, but then his plane was shot down by enemy fire. According to the official version, after this Subbotin deliberately rammed the Saber pursuing him, releasing the brake flaps, which led to a collision of the planes. After that he ejected. A number of sources refer to this episode as the first air ram on jet plane in the history of aviation
2) On November 28, 1973, air defense systems recorded another violation of the state border. Noticing the target, Eliseev began to approach. Going the distance aimed shooting, the pilot fired two R-3S missiles at the intruder, but the Phantom released heat traps, and the missiles, having captured them, flew 30 meters from the plane and self-destructed. Then Eliseev hit the enemy plane not with the wing, but with the entire body. The MiG-21 exploded in the air. Eliseev failed to eject, and both enemy pilots, sadly enough, survived.
3) Another successful ram was carried out later. It was performed by Guard Captain Valentin Kulyapin on July 18, 1981 on a Su-15. He struck the fuselage on the right stabilizer of the Canadair CL-44 transport aircraft. CL-44 went into a tailspin and fell two kilometers from the border. The crew of the intruder died, reserve colonel Valentin Aleksandrovich Kulyapin is still alive.
VI. Conclusion
Here is what the twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, wrote about the ram:
“As for my opinion about the role and significance of the ram in battle, it has been and remains unchanged...
It is known that any air combat technique that ends with a decisive attack by the enemy requires courage and skill from the pilot. But a ram places immeasurably higher demands on a person. An aerial ram is not only mastery of a machine, exceptional courage and self-control, it is one of higher forms manifestations of heroism, that very moral factor inherent in the Soviet man, which the enemy did not take into account, and could not take into account, since he had a very vague idea about our people.”
Thus The goal of my work was to demonstrate the air and fire ram as a weapon used not only by Russians, but also by pilots of other countries at moments when the fate of the battle is being decided. At the same time, I want to emphasize that if in other countries pilots resorted to ramming as an extremely rare method of combat, then Soviet pilots used ramming when they could not otherwise destroy the enemy, therefore only in the Red Army did the ram become a permanent combat weapon.
VII. Bibliography
1. L. Zhukova “Choosing a battering ram” (Essays) “Young Guard” 1985. http://u.to/Y0uo
2. http://baryshnikovphotography.com/bertewor/Taran_(air)
3. Zablotsky A., Larintsev R. Air ram is a nightmare German aces. //topwar.ru;
4. Stepanov A., Vlasov P. Air ram is not only a weapon Soviet heroes. //www.liveinternet.ru;
5. D/f “I’m going to ram.” (2012 Russia)
6. Immortal feats. M., 1980;
Vazhin F.A. Air ram. M., 1962;
7. Zablotsky A., Larintsev R. Air ram - a nightmare for German aces. //topwar.ru;
Zalutsky G.V. Outstanding Russian pilots. M., 1953;
8. Zhukova L.N. I choose a ram. M., 1985;
9. Shingarev S.I. I'm going to ram. Tula, 1966;
Shumikhin V.S., Pinchuk M., Bruz M. Air power of the Motherland: essays. M., 1988;
10. Vazhin F.A. Air ram. M., 1962;
Ramming as a method of air combat remains the last argument that pilots resort to in a hopeless situation. Not everyone manages to survive after it. Nevertheless, some of our pilots resorted to it several times.
The world's first ram
The world's first aerial ram was carried out by the author of the “loop”, staff captain Pyotr Nesterov. He was 27 years old, and having flown 28 combat missions at the beginning of the war, he was considered an experienced pilot.
Nesterov had long believed that an enemy airplane could be destroyed by hitting the planes with its wheels. This was a necessary measure - at the beginning of the war, planes were not equipped with machine guns, and aviators flew on missions with pistols and carbines.
On September 8, 1914, in the Lvov region, Pyotr Nesterov rammed a heavy Austrian aircraft under the control of Franz Malina and Baron Friedrich von Rosenthal, which was flying over Russian positions on reconnaissance missions.
Nesterov, in a light and fast Moran airplane, took off into the air, caught up with the Albatross and rammed it, striking it from top to bottom in the tail. This happened in front of the local residents.
The Austrian plane crashed. Upon impact, Nesterov, who was in a hurry to take off and was not wearing his seat belts, flew out of the cockpit and crashed. According to another version, Nesterov jumped out of the crashed plane himself, hoping to survive.
First ram of the Finnish War
The first and only ram of the Soviet-Finnish War was carried out by senior lieutenant Yakov Mikhin, a graduate of the 2nd Borisoglebsk military aviation school of pilots named after Chkalov. This happened on February 29, 1940 in the afternoon. 24 Soviet aircraft I-16 and I-15 attacked the Finnish Ruokolahti airfield.
To repel the attack, 15 fighters took off from the airfield.
A fierce battle ensued. Flight commander Yakov Mikhin, in a frontal attack with the wing of the aircraft, hit the fin of the Fokker, the famous Finnish ace Lieutenant Tatu Gugananti. The keel broke off from the impact. The Fokker crashed to the ground and the pilot died.
Yakov Mikhin, with a broken plane, managed to reach the airfield and safely landed his donkey. It must be said that Mikhin went through the entire Great Patriotic War, and then continued to serve in the Air Force.
The first ram of the Great Patriotic War
It is believed that the first ram of the Great Patriotic War was carried out by 31-year-old senior lieutenant Ivan Ivanov, who on June 22, 1941 at 4:25 am in an I-16 (according to other sources - on an I-153) over the Mlynov airfield near Dubno rammed a Heinkel bomber ", after which both planes fell. Ivanov died. For this feat he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
His primacy is disputed by several pilots: junior lieutenant Dmitry Kokorev, who rammed a Messerschmitt in the Zambro area 20 minutes after Ivanov’s feat and remained alive.
On June 22 at 5:15, junior lieutenant Leonid Buterin died over Western Ukraine(Stanislav), taking the Junkers-88 to ram.
Another 45 minutes later, an unknown pilot on a U-2 died over Vygoda after ramming a Messerschmitt.
At 10 am, a Messer was rammed over Brest and Lieutenant Pyotr Ryabtsev survived.
Some pilots resorted to ramming several times. Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Kovzan made 4 rams: over Zaraisk, over Torzhok, over Lobnitsa and Staraya Russa.
The first "fire" ram
A “fire” ram is a technique when a pilot directs a downed aircraft at ground targets. Everyone knows the feat of Nikolai Gastello, who flew the plane towards a tank column with fuel tanks. But the first “fiery” ram was carried out on June 22, 1941 by 27-year-old senior lieutenant Pyotr Chirkin from the 62nd assault aviation regiment. Chirkin directed the damaged I-153 at the convoy German tanks approaching the city of Stryi (Western Ukraine).
In total, during the war years, more than 300 people repeated his feat.
First female ram
Soviet pilot Ekaterina Zelenko became the only woman in the world to perform a ram. During the war years, she managed to make 40 combat missions and participated in 12 air battles. On September 12, 1941, she made three missions. Returning from a mission in the Romny area, she was attacked by German Me-109s. She managed to shoot down one plane, and when the ammunition ran out, she rammed the enemy plane, destroying it. She herself died. She was 24 years old. For her feat, Ekaterina Zelenko was awarded the Order of Lenin, and in 1990 she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
First ram by jet
A native of Stalingrad, Captain Gennady Eliseev carried out his ramming attack on a MiG-21 fighter on November 28, 1973. On this day, the Iranian Phantom-II, which was carrying out reconnaissance on behalf of the United States, invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union over the Mugan Valley of Azerbaijan. Captain Eliseev took off to intercept from the airfield in Vaziani.
The air-to-air missiles did not produce the desired result: the Phantom released heat traps. To carry out the order, Eliseev decided to ram and struck the tail of the Phantom with his wing. The plane crashed and its crew was detained. Eliseev's MiG began to descend and crashed into a mountain. Gennady Eliseev was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The crew of the reconnaissance aircraft - an American colonel and an Iranian pilot - were handed over to the Iranian authorities 16 days later.
The first ramming of a transport aircraft
On July 18, 1981, a transport plane of the Argentine airline Canader CL-44 violated the USSR border over the territory of Armenia. There was a Swiss crew on board the plane. The deputy of the squadron, pilot Valentin Kulyapin, was tasked with imprisoning the violators. The Swiss did not respond to the pilot’s demands. Then the order came to shoot down the plane. The distance between the Su-15TM and the “transport aircraft” was small for the launch of R-98M missiles. The intruder walked towards the border. Then Kulyapin decided to go for the ram.
On the second attempt, he hit the Canadara's stabilizer with his fuselage, after which he safely ejected from the damaged aircraft, and the Argentine fell into a tailspin and fell just two kilometers from the border, his crew was killed. It later turned out that the plane was carrying weapons.
For his feat, the pilot was awarded the Order of the Red Star.
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