Kozhedub became an expert at ‘deflection shooting’, which involved shooting enemy aircraft down from oblique angles. He frequently adjusted his tactics and never stopped learning, as each battle trained him for his next mission. In May 1944, Kozhedub destroyed eight enemy aircraft in seven days. Five of those aircraft were highly capable Focke-Wulf FW-190 fighters. Kozhedub was then transferred to a Lavochkin La-7 unit in the 1st Belorussian Front. That is where Ivan shot down one of the first Me-262 jet fighters. His account was as follows: “On February 19 1945, I was on a lone-wolf operation, together with Dmitry Titorenko, to the north of Frankfurt. I noticed a plane at an altitude of 350 meters. It was flying along the Oder at a speed which was marginal for my plane. I made a quick about-face and started pursuing it at full throttle, coming down so as to approach it from under the belly. My wingman opened fire and the Me-262, which was a jet, as I had already realised, began turning left over to my side, losing speed in the process. That was the end of it. I would never have overtaken it if it had flown in a straight line. The main thing was to attack enemy planes during turns, ascents or descents, and not to lose precious seconds.”
One of the more controversial stories involves Kozhedub aiding a formation of Allied B-17 bombers, which were being attacked by German fighters. According to legend, two American P-51 Mustang pilots thought Kozhedub’s radial engined Lavochkin was an FW-190. They attacked the Soviet pilot, who, in self-defence, shot them both down.
By the end of World War II, Kozhedub had flown almost 330 sorties. According to official records, he destroyed 62 enemy aircraft, making Ivan Kozhedub the top scoring Allied ace of World War II. Many of his kills were not confirmed or were attributed to his wingmen, so it is possible that Kozhedub may have shot down as many as 100 aircraft.
Aircraft used
Kozhedub’s first aircraft was a Lavochkin La-5, which eventually became one of the most important Soviet fighter types of the war. According to Kozhedub, his aircraft was different to those of his fellow pilots. He commented, “Other fliers had aircraft with three fuel tanks, which were lighter and more manoeuvrable, whereas my five-tank aircraft was heavier. For a start its potential was quite enough for me, a budding flier. Later on, I had many occasions to admire the strength and staying power of this plane. It had excellent structural mounting points and an ingenious fire-fighting system, which diverted the exhaust gases into the fuel tanks, and once saved me from what seemed certain death.”
Later, Ivan flew a La-5FN, which was powered by a more powerful 1 850 hp radial engine. Other than the engine, it was to a large extent a simplified version of the La-5. The aircraft was tough, highly manoeuvrable and outperformed contemporary German fighters at low and medium altitudes.
However, Kozhedub is mostly associated with his final aircraft, a La-7. It was a further development of the La-5. Although pilot workload in a La-7 was much higher than in its German fighter counterparts, its performance was much better. In fact, some historians reason that the La-7 could have been, arguably, the most capable fighter of the Second World War. Of course, that is a highly debatable and controversial statement, but one thing we can be sure of, it was the best fighter produced by the Soviet Union. In the hands of a competent ace, such as Kozhedub, a La-7 would seem quite invincible.