Ivan N. Kozhedub, 62 victories?

[Nokose]

There was some debate about Kozhedub's claim to have shot down a Me-262 on the www.forum.sukhoi.ru . It seems the claim started out as two Bf-109's and was changed later.

[Owl-99]

Not 2 but 1 Bf-109. Note: remarque 'with jet engine' was made in combat report.

[kolya1]

I think you might refer to two separate incidents :


Early January 1945 : A pair of 176 GvIAP La-7s (Mayor Kumanichkin and Polkovnik Chupikov) equipped with guncams encounter 2 Me-109 carrying something under fuselage and Chupikov attacks them, but the Germans manage to outrun the La-7s and, after examination of guncam films, ingeneer Zaritskiy consider the centerline carriages (first thought to have been bombs) to be something like a Jet booster.

19/02/1945 : Kojedub claims Me-262 (sometimes said to be that of Uffz Kurt Lange from 1./KG(J)54)


As for Kojedub's score, AFAIK, he officially had 62 vicotries as followed :

06/07/1943 :1 Ju-87
07/07 1 Ju-87
08/07 1 Ju-88
09/07 2 Bf-109G
09/08 1 Bf-109G
14/08 2 Bf-109G
16/08 1 Ju-87
22/08 1 FW-190
09/09 1 Bf-109G
30/09 1 Ju-87
01/10 2 Ju-87
02/10 3 Ju-87
05/10 2 Bf-109G
06/10 1 Bf-109G
10/10 1 Bf-109G
12/10 2 Ju-87 + 1 Bf-109G
29/10 1 He-111 + 1 Ju-87
16/01/1944 1 Bf-109G
30/01 1 Ju-87 + 1 Bf-109G
14/03 1 Ju-87
21/03 1 Ju-87
11/04 1 Bf-109G
19/04 1 He-111
28/04 1 Ju-87
29/04 2 Hs-129
03/05 1 Ju-87
01/06 1 FW-190
02/06 1 Hs-129
03/06 3 FW-190
07/06 1 Bf-109G
22/09 2 FW-190
25/09 1 FW-190
16/01/1945 1 FW-190
10/02 1 FW-190
12/02 3 FW-190
19/02 1 Me-262
11/03 1 FW-190
18/03 2 FW-190
22/03 2 FW-190
23/03 1 FW-190
17/04 2 FW-190

[Owl-99]

Nope, on 19.02.1945, according to 176 GIAP Combat Report, Kozhedub claimed 1 'Me-109 with jet engine'. 'Me-262' appeared more later, after the war end, instead of that.

Kozhedub's total is 63: on 11.04.1944 in Roumania he claimed the 'PZL-24', that was confirmed (and pilot recieved money for the victory), but later for unknown reasons that kill was 'lost' in documents...

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Owl-99

Kozhedub's total is 63: on 11.04.1944 in Roumania he claimed the 'PZL-24', that was confirmed (and pilot recieved money for the victory), but later for unknown reasons that kill was 'lost' in documents...

That was perhaps because no 'kill' was actually scored.
That day, not only no obsolete P.Z.L. fighter was lost, but any Rumanian warplane wasn't written off either.

[marsyao]

and how about his two "kills" for 2 P-51s of USAAF

[Juha]

If Kozhedub shot down a Me 262 on 19/02/45, it is unlikely that the victim was Uffz Kurt Lange from 1./KG(J)54 because it seems that Lange crashed more than couple hundred kilometres SW of the area of Kozhedub's claim. Maybe a Me 262 from another unit.
Personally I doubt that Kozhedub shot down 62 enemy a/c, as I doubt that Hartmann got 352, Bong 40 or Pattle 40 or 50 or what ever or Juutilainen 92 or 93. Overclaiming happened and IMHO it is even possible that in reality the abovementioned pilots were not the top scorers of their nations. But IMHO they all were skillful fighters.

[Nokose]

Where was the location that Kozhedub shot down the 2 FW-190's on 22Mar45? His wingman, D.S. Titornko shot down 1 FW-190. Also A.S. Kumanichkin and his wingman, V.A. Gromakovskii of 176 GIAP shot down one FW-190 each in the area.

[Nokose]

In Mikhail Bykov's revised book of Soviet Aces there is a correction for the date of the 19Feb45 to the 17Feb45 with the location of east of Alto-Fridlyand( Friedland?). In the comments it has "In the operational documents it is recorded as "Me-109" with a reactive motor, it is subsequently substitued to "Me-262" with the date of the battle is erroneously indicated as the 19 February 1945."

I read the review for his auto-bio on a Russian website which it mentions that he did shoot down two P-51's over Berlin that attacked him but no date was mentioned. Also nothing listed in Bykov's book.

[Pilot]

This fight with P-51 is very interesting, if this real happen. If I can remember good, few decades ago I have read his story about downing of Me 262 and it look like that this was done by trick. Take this with reserve as well I read this in some Yugoslav publication, long time ago.