Petr Kozachenko Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 14.06.1914 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Petr Kozachenko

Born on June 14, 1914, in the village of Iskoros (now Korosten), Zhytomyr region, Ukraine, Petr Kozachenko came from a working-class family. He completed 7 grades of incomplete secondary school and 3 courses at the evening industrial school. Kozachenko worked as a machinist. At the age of 20, he joined the Red Army and graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1936.

From July 1937 to May 1938, Kozachenko fought against Japanese invaders in the skies of China, where he shot down 11 enemy aircraft while flying an I-16 fighter. During the winter of 1939-1940, he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War and destroyed 4 Finnish planes.

At the start of the Great Patriotic War, Kozachenko served as the commander of a fighter aviation regiment. He conducted 155 combat missions, engaged in 26 aerial battles, and personally shot down 12 enemy aircraft, along with 2 more as part of a group. For his courage and bravery in combat, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on May 1, 1943.

On March 18, 1945, Petr Kozachenko died while carrying out a combat mission. He was posthumously awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (three times), Alexander Nevsky, and the First Class of the Patriotic War, as well as various medals. He was buried near Gdansk, Poland.

Kozachenko's military career began in 1934 when he was conscripted into the Red Army and sent to the Odessa Flying School. After completing his training, he consistently participated in active combat. In July 1937, he volunteered to join a group sent to China to assist in the fight against the Japanese. In battles over the province of Wuhan, Kozachenko shot down 11 enemy planes while flying an I-16. He remained in China until May 1938 and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his combat achievements. From December 1939 to March 1940, he fought in the Soviet-Finnish War, where he destroyed an additional 4 enemy aircraft, establishing himself as one of the top Soviet pilots in the conflict.

By the start of the Great Patriotic War, Major P.K. Kozachenko served in the 249th Fighter Aviation Regiment and was one of the most experienced Soviet aces, having gained combat experience in China and the Soviet-Finnish front. His 11 victories in China, according to available data, were an absolute record achieved by Soviet volunteer pilots and pilots in general who fought on the side of China during the anti-Japanese war from 1937 to 1945. His 4 victories in battles with the Finns, although not a record, were one of the best results achieved in that "notorious" war. From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, he was back on the front lines. On June 22, 1941, Kozachenko and other pilots in I-153 planes attacked advancing German troops near Zhytomyr. The next day, his group intercepted 12 Romanian He-112B fighters attempting to attack the Volgard airfield. Kozachenko shot down one He-112, and his group returned to base without losses. On July 10, Kozachenko led a group of 14 I-153s to attack German forces on the road to Lyuberi, near the village of Krasnopol in the Zhytomyr region.

On July 14, his group of 5 I-153 fighters destroyed a German headquarters near the village of Shurupovka in the Vinnytsia region. The next day, a group of 7 I-153s, under his command, intercepted 12 Me-109Fs (possibly from JG 3). In the ensuing battle, Kozachenko shot down one Me-109 near Kazatin, and his group returned to the airfield. From June to October 1941, the pilots of the 249th Aviation Regiment, under the command of Captain A.I. Khalutin, destroyed 25 enemy aircraft while losing 10 planes and 6 pilots. After this period, the regiment was withdrawn from combat for rearmament with new LaGG-3 aircraft.

In early 1942, Petr Kozachenko fought on the North Caucasus Front. On November 1, 1942, he and a group of 6 LaGG-3 fighters encountered a group of 15 Me-110s. Despite being outnumbered, the Soviet pilots shot down 5 enemy aircraft. A few days later, near the Mineralnye Vody airfield, Kozachenko shot down a Me-109. Subsequently, Kozachenko and 6 other pilots from the regiment shot down 7 enemy fighters and 8 transport Ju-52s in a single battle. In December 1942, Kozachenko destroyed 2 Ju-52s and 1 Me-109 in one sortie.

By the spring of 1943, the regiment had relocated to the Southern Front and participated in battles over the Kerch Strait. As the enemy retreated, the fight against their transport aviation became one of the most important tasks. In February, the Soviet aviation launched 14 attacks on the Timoshovskaya and Slavyanskaya airfields, destroying up to 60 enemy aircraft and forcing the enemy to abandon these airfields. Over the course of the month, 62 aerial battles were fought, resulting in the shooting down of over 90 enemy transport aircraft. Major Petr Kozachenko's 249th Fighter Aviation Regiment played a particularly important role in this task.

On February 27, taking advantage of cloudy weather, the Germans sent heavily loaded transport Ju-52s into the air. In the area of Stanitsa Slavyanskaya-Chernorenovskaya, 11 fighters from Kozachenko's regiment attacked 15 Ju-52s. The enemy immediately climbed to gain altitude in order to hide in the clouds. But before they could do so, the Soviet pilots shot down 8 enemy transports. The next day, a group of fighters under Kozachenko's command intercepted and destroyed 5 Ju-52 transports along the coast of the Sea of Azov. In this battle, the squadron commander personally shot down 2 enemy aircraft but was severely wounded in the left hand and abdomen. Despite his injuries, Petr Kozachenko continued to lead the battle and safely brought the group back to base. After landing, he lost consciousness and was sent to the hospital, where he spent several weeks.

From July 1942 to March 1943, the pilots of the 249th Fighter Aviation Regiment carried out over 860 combat missions, inflicting significant losses on the enemy in personnel and military equipment. In just 63 group aerial battles, they shot down over 60 enemy aircraft. Major Petr Kozachenko, through his personal example of skill, courage, and heroism, inspired his subordinates, teaching them to ruthlessly destroy the enemy on the ground and in the air. On May 1, 1943, he was awarded the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin. By that time, he had already achieved 8 personal victories.

In the summer of 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His 163rd Guards Aviation Regiment (formerly the 249th Fighter Aviation Regiment) now operated over Crimea as part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The 163rd Guards Aviation Regiment also fought on skis against the surrounded German troops near Minsk. The regiment operated as part of the 4th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front. Often, the regiment was used to cover special versions of Pe-2 bombers on their most important reconnaissance flights. The crews of these Pe-2s trusted Kozachenko like no one else and called him "Father."

In March 1945, the 2nd Belorussian Front was engaged in battles near Gdansk and Gdynia. On March 18, Petr Kozachenko was killed while escorting a Pe-2 reconnaissance plane over Danzig (now Gdansk). His aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and caught fire. Seeing that he could not escape, Lieutenant Colonel Kozachenko directed his plane towards an enemy artillery battery. His last words, transmitted over the radio, were, "I am hit, going for a ram!"

On the same day that Kozachenko died, German Ace Hauptmann Joachim Brendel from III./JG 51 achieved 3 victories over East Prussia. Here is his account: "Once, a group of fighters, led by Kozachenko, was escorting a Pe-2 reconnaissance plane. The German anti-aircraft artillery was firing intensively but suddenly stopped - German fighters were approaching. They tried to destroy the reconnaissance plane, but the Soviet pilots skillfully protected it. The Pe-2 made its second pass, then the third, but on the fourth, one FW-190 managed to break through the fighter cover and attacked it. For the Pe-2 crew, this was a complete surprise - the radio operator was killed instantly, and there was a large hole near the pilot's cabin. Kozachenko rushed to the aid of the recon pilot. He approached so close to the FW-190 that he could clearly see the numerous victory marks on the enemy's fuselage and the squadron emblem. He was so close that he could see the German ace's smile. However, that smile was short-lived. Kozachenko opened fire, the FW-190 went down and exploded on the ground. The Pe-2 was severely damaged but managed to reach its airfield. The reconnaissance team received personal thanks from Marshal K. Rokossovsky, the commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, for the information they provided."

After the war, a German pilot captured as a prisoner, Captain Gabel from III./JG 51 "Mylders," reported on the death of Oberfeldwebel Franz-Josef Beerenbrock, who had 117 victories. However, there is one inaccuracy surrounding the presumed victory of Kozachenko over Beerenbrock - the latter never flew FW-190s, only Me-109s. Therefore, it is either a printing error (which occurs quite often) or Kozachenko shot down another ace from JG 51, not Beerenbrock.

Having started the war as the commander of a squadron, Petr Kozachenko finished it as the commander of the 163rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on I-16, I-153, Yak-1, LaGG-3, and La-5 aircraft. Among the enemy planes he personally shot down are Ju-88, He-111, Me-110, FW-189, and FW-190. He was involved in several exceptionally intense and triumphant battles. During the Great Patriotic War, P.K. Kozachenko completed 155 combat missions, engaged in 26 aerial battles, personally shot down 12 enemy aircraft, and 2 (according to other sources - 8) as part of a group. (M.Yu. Bykov in his research found documentary evidence of 11 personal victories.) In total, by the time of his death, he had completed 227 combat missions, shot down 27 aircraft personally, and 2 (8) as part of a group (including 4 victories in Finland and 11 in China). Thomas Polak and Christopher Shores, in their book "Stalin's Aces, 1918-1953," mention 35 victories achieved by P.K. Kozachenko in three wars.