Lakeev Ivan Alekseevich Ivan Lakeyev - biography, photographs Major General Hero of the Soviet Union of Lakeys

Born February 23, 1908 in the village of Sloboda, now the Dzerzhinsky district of the Kaluga region, in a working class family. Graduated from 7 classes. He worked at the Electrosila plant in Leningrad. Studied at the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute. Since 1931 in the ranks of the Red Army. In the same year he graduated from the Leningrad military-theoretical school, in 1933 - the Engels military school of pilots. With the rank of lieutenant, he served as a junior pilot of the 107th Fighter Aviation Squadron of the 83rd Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Belarusian Military District.

From November 1936 to August 13, 1937 he participated in the national revolutionary war of the Spanish people. He was a pilot and commander of the 1st Fighter Squadron. Participated in the defense of Madrid, in the battles on Jarama, near Guadalajara and Brunete. In air battles, he shot down 12 rebel aircraft and was wounded.

On November 3, 1937, for courage and military prowess shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

From the spring of 1938 to January 1939 he commanded the newly formed 16th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

He participated in the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939 and in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940.

Member of the Great Patriotic War from the first day. Fought near Volkhov and Tikhvin, fought near Rostov-on-Don. From April 1943 until the end of the war he was the commander of the 235th IAD (in August 1944 it was renamed the 15th Guards IAD). Participated in Battle of Stalingrad, in the battles for the Caucasus, in the Battle of Kursk, in the liberation of Kyiv and Lvov, in the battles over Poland, Hungary, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Personally participated in combat missions. In one of the battles near Kursk in May 1943, he shot down a German reconnaissance aircraft.

In 1952 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. Was in positions of responsibility. Since 1955 - in stock. Lived in Moscow.

Awarded with orders: Lenin, Red Banner (four times), Suvorov 2nd degree, Kutuzov 2nd degree, Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star; medals, foreign orders.

Ivan Lakeev was born on February 23, 1908 in the village of Sloboda, Medynsky (now Dzerzhinsky) district, Kaluga region, in a working class family. Graduated from 7 classes. Until 1926 he lived in his village, and then moved to Leningrad. From August 1926 to May 1928 he worked as a loader in the Leningrad commercial port. At the plant "Elektrosila" he worked as an apprentice scriber, scriber, foreman. He graduated from the workers' faculty of the Technological Institute in 1929. Studied at the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute.

In 1931, the 23-year-old Lakeev, who was in the 2nd year of the evening department, was sent to study at the Leningrad Military Theoretical School on the recommendation of the party organization, and from January of the following year to July 1933 he was a student of the military school of pilots in Engels.

The theory was given to Ivan easily, he mastered flights no less successfully: Lakeev turned out to have a natural talent for aviation. Then the workers of the plant will write to him: “We have always read with pride in the newspapers about your exploits ... You justified the trust of the people, the party organization Electrosila, which handed you a party card.”

After graduating from the Engels Military Pilot School (now the Tambov Higher Military Aviation Red Banner Pilot School named after M. M. Raskova), Lakeev was assigned to the Bryansk Aviation Brigade, which was staffed mainly by young pilots. None of them had combat experience. Together with his colleagues, Lieutenant I. A. Lakeev stubbornly mastered the art of higher, or, as they said then, Chkalovsky, aerobatics. Gradually, he developed his own style of piloting a winged car. Good training and knowledge of flying very soon helped him in fulfilling his international duty.

1936 Military fascist rebellion in Spain. A wave of rallies swept through the Soviet Union under the slogans: "Let's extend a helping hand to the Spanish people!", "The cause of the Spanish people is our vital cause!"

One evening, at the formation (this was in October), the military commissar of the 107th fighter air squadron of the Bryansk brigade, battalion commissar K. Ryabov announced:

— Perhaps someone will have to go on a business trip abroad. We need volunteers. It is an honor. There you will have to do the business that we studied.

Lieutenant I. Lakeev could not fall asleep for a long time. I thought about my wife, about my daughter, who was six months old. But most of all he was worried about the question: will they take it or not?

When they read out the lists of those who were entrusted with weapons in their hands to defend the sacred ideas of internationalism, the name Lakeeva was also on the list.

Gathered quickly. At the appointed hour, the squadron commander, Captain S. Tarkhov, reported that he was ready for dispatch. Detachments of 10 I-16 fighters each were led by senior lieutenants V. Bocharov, S. Denisov and K. Kolesnikov, and the engineering and technical group was led by engineer 3rd rank P. Nevinny. Lieutenant I. Lakeev was elected party organizer of the unit.

At the beginning of November 1936, internationalist aviators were taken on the steamer Kursk across the Mediterranean Sea to the coast of Spain. They expected to arrive in Cartagena, but fascist aircraft mercilessly bombed the main naval base of the Republican fleet, and the captain of the ship received permission to head for Alicante. Crimson lightning on the horizon testified that the war was near.

As the military vehicles were assembled, the detachments flew to the Madrid area. By that time, the Nazis had already captured his suburb of Carabanchel. Intense fighting took place on the outskirts of the university campus, in the Casa de Campo park, in the areas of the stadium and bridges over Manzanares.

Since November 4, 13 pilots from the Kyiv military district have already fought here under the command of a senior lieutenant. They flew fighters, which the Spaniards managed to christen "Chatos" (snub-nosed). Groups of SB bombers attacked fascist airfields and troops.

The squadron of S. Tarkhov performed the first sorties to attack manpower and military equipment in the conditions of enemy air supremacy. On November 9, her pilots received a real baptism of fire in a fight with 15 He-51s, shooting down 4 of them.

Subsequently, Lakeev got acquainted with the statement about this battle of one fascist pilot: “We suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. Our Non-51s were too slow compared to these new aircraft. It seemed unbelievable, but they rose above us and could play with us as they pleased.

The Soviet pilots - the defenders of Madrid - fell on a heavy physical and psychological burden. Each daily had to carry out 5-7 sorties. Our air fighters fought without sparing themselves. The Nazis could not take the capital of Spain and began its barbaric bombardment. In November, the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks became a part of life in Madrid.

I-16 fighters surpassed enemy aircraft in speed, but they did not have armored backs and radios. In flight, the commander controlled the group of aircraft evolutions. Nevertheless, even the first fights showed that even in the event of an equality of forces, the enemy stopped the combat mission, and our pilots entered the battle under any circumstances.

On November 13, over Madrid, 18 I-16 fighters engaged 12 Ju-52 bombers and 26 He-51 fighters. Our pilots shot down 6 cars, but Captain S. Tarkhov's plane was shot down, the pilot jumped out of the cockpit with a parachute. Landed on Madrid boulevard with 6 bullets in the chest.

Senior Lieutenant V. Bocharov did not return either. And after 2 days, a single Junkers dropped a box tied to a parachute onto the Barajos airfield. It was opened by Lieutenant I. Lakeev. Inside the bloody bundle were pieces of the human body. The face was disfigured, but a large birthmark determined that it was Volodya Bocharov...

The Nazi executioners hoped to intimidate the volunteers, but they achieved the opposite result. The anger of our pilots was great, in 2 subsequent battles, the squadron, led by senior lieutenant S. Denisov, who replaced Tarkhov, shot down 10 enemy aircraft - 2 Junkers, 4 Heinkel and 4 Fiat, and without loss from their own sides. Lakeev was a participant in these fights and personally shot down one Fiat.

Once A. Morozov's unit, which included Lakeev, attacked a group of He-51 fighters from above from the direction of the sun. The enemy noticed him only at the moment of opening fire. As a result of a daring attack, the Nazis lost 2 aircraft.

Ivan Alekseevich especially remembered the reflection of a raid by 43 enemy aircraft, when I-16s shot down 1 Junkers and 2 Heinkels. The battle with 48 enemy aircraft is also memorable, when 1 Junkers and 4 Heinkels were shot down, and again without losses on their part.

In the first 2 months of fighting alone, our pilots shot down 63 German and Italian aircraft in the Madrid area, including 12 bombers. During the same time, our SB and R-Z attack aircraft disabled another 64 aircraft at airfields, and their air gunners destroyed 7 enemy fighters when repelling attacks.

By a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of December 31, 1936, 11 of our pilots, including Captain S. Tarkhov, Senior Lieutenant V. Bocharov and Lieutenant S. Chernykh, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and on January 2, 1937, all pilots of the 107 squadron were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, engineers and technicians - the Order of the Red Star.

Fighting in the skies of Spain continued. Once, Lieutenant I. Lakeev single-handedly broke into the ranks of 10 Fiats. He managed to shoot down one CR-32, but the rest thoroughly beat him up. Twice severely burned the side and leg. It would have been really bad if Pavel Putivko had not rushed to help. On a tormented car, Lakeev landed safely at the Alcala airfield. He was sent to the hospital, but on the 3rd day he escaped from there. Went for dressings and continued to fly.

On February 6, 1937, the Nazi offensive began on the Jarama River south of Madrid. Fierce fighting broke out again in the air. Lakeev increasingly flew leading. The enemy suffered serious losses.

February 18 was marked by two air battles over Madrid, in one of which "government fighters suffered such heavy losses for the first time."

At 11:00, 39 Republican fighters began combat with 6 Junkers and 50 fighters. As a result, the republican side lost 4 aircraft shot down: 1 I-16 and 3 I-15. Philip Zamashansky was seriously wounded and, trying to land outside the airfield, crashed on the I-16. The plane of Peter Ugrovatov, having received damage, caught fire. The pilot, despite the wound and burns, was able to safely escape by parachute. In the same battle, the American pilot Ben Leider died. The details of his death are unknown, but, according to the memoirs of I. I. Kravchenko, on this day the American Arnold was shot down, who jumped out with a parachute and went missing. Most likely, this was Ben Leider, who, since he jumped over the territory of the enemy, according to the sad tradition, was recorded as dead. The last downed Republican plane was also piloted by a US citizen who was wounded. Who it was is difficult to say, foreign sources give different names.

The enemy in this battle, as indicated in the documents, used a "new" tactic: 30 fighters entered the battle, and the rest, being higher, immediately "dive, shot down or caused a lot of holes" whenever any Republican aircraft broke away from total weight fighting.

In this battle, according to domestic data, it was "Shot down 6 rebel planes" and a lot hit. Among the I-16 pilots, K. Dubkov, A. Tarasov, N. Nikitin, I. Lakeev, P. Kuznetsov and P. Khara and A. Minaev claim victory.

On February 20, 30 Republican fighters met with 3 Junkers and 22 fighters. The bombers left without dropping bombs. In a battle with fighters, Ivan Lakeev won the only victory, shooting down a Heinkel-51. On the Republican side, the Spaniard Luis Bercial Rubero died, his I-15 was damaged and crashed during an emergency landing. I-16 pilot Aleksey Minaev was wounded in the hand, but managed to return safely to his airfield.

After a 3-week battle, both sides went on the defensive, but the respite was short-lived. Already on March 8, north of Madrid in the direction of Siguenza - Guadalajara, an offensive was launched by the 4 cadre divisions of the rebels. There was low cloud cover, it was constantly raining with snow. But our fighters did not stop flying. In addition, the chief adviser to the commander of the republican aviation brigade commander and the commander of the fighter group brigade commander flew out for reconnaissance. Their leader was Lieutenant I. Lakeev, who had already visited the area. On one of the highways, air scouts discovered a huge convoy and boldly attacked it.

Within a few days, carrying out a bold operation, the aviators inflicted significant losses on the Nazis. On March 12 alone, they made 178 sorties for ground attack. For distinction in the battles near Guadalajara, 15 pilots of the squadron, including I. Lakeev, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the second time, and their commander, Captain K. Kolesnikov, was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He died in early May during a demonstration flight: a plane fell off on his worn-out plane at low altitude. The command of the squadron was taken over by Senior Lieutenant I. Lakeev.

On March 25, 1937, at 17:30, 5 I-16s rose from Alcala to intercept the enemy - 2 Ju-86s approached the airfield from the direction of the sun. They did not have time to interfere, and after the bombing, two I-16s needed factory repairs, the pilot and technician were injured. The bomb exploded near Pavel Putivko, who was taking off to intercept an I-16. The blast wave overturned the plane, and the pilot was wounded by shrapnel in the head. The wound turned out to be severe, and in Spain, Paul no longer had to fly. He ended up in the hospital, leaving which in May, he was sent home ahead of schedule.

However, 5 fighters that took off (V. Ukhov, P. Polyakov, I. Lakeev, F. Prutskov and I. Kravchenko) believe that they managed to shoot down 1 Junkers. 5 I-15s that took off to help did not catch up with the enemy.

After this fight, Ivan Lakeev had 2 personal victories, 1 in a pair and 1 in a group.

By that time, up to 30 of the latest Heinkel He-111В-1 bombers, about 50 Dornier Do-17 and Junkers Ju-86, 80 new Heinkel He-51С-1 fighters and 40 of the latest Messerschmitt Me-109В, which developed the maximum speed 470 km/h.

In early July 1937, south of Madrid, in the area of ​​​​the town of Brunete, the first offensive operation of the Republican army began, in which 62 I-16 and I-15 fighters, 56 R-Z attack aircraft and 15 SB bombers participated. Lakeev repeatedly had to lead a group of I-16s into battle. In these battles, 101 enemy aircraft were destroyed, of which 66 were shot down in air battles. In addition, the Nazis lost 15 brand new Me-109s and hurried to remove them from the front.

On July 12, a major air battle took place in the El Escorial - San Martin - Navalcarnero - Aravaca area. The squadrons of I. Lakeev, N. Vinogradov, P. Shevtsov (29 I-16) and the squadron of I. Eremenko (8 I-15) unexpectedly attacked the enemy air group, which consisted of approximately 40 fighters. As a result of the battle, Lakeev's squadron accounted for 2 Fiats, Vinogradov's squadron - 1 Fiat, and Shevtsov's and Eremenko's squadrons - 2 Fiats and 1 Heinkel each. The Italians claimed the same number of victories: 5 I-15s and 4 I-16s. Another downed I-15 was announced by internationalist pilots. On the Republican side, 1 I-15 was lost, the American pilot Harold Dahl jumped out with a parachute and was captured. It is known about the losses of the enemy that on this day the Spaniard Captain Narciso Bermudez de Castro (Narciso Bermudez de Castro) from the group 2-G-3, who had 4 victories, died.

New groups of Soviet aviators - volunteers - arrived in Spain. They were commissioned by I. Lakeev and P. Shevtsov, who were the last of the first squadron to remain in the country. They stayed in Spain the longest. Perfectly piloting a car and excellent shooting, in 10 months of combat activity he made 312 sorties, in 50 air battles he personally shot down 12 and in a group of 16 fascist aircraft. He himself was wounded twice, but was never shot down.

After returning, in Moscow, along with the orders, Major I. Lakeev was awarded a Diploma on conferring on him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (“Gold Star” No. 63) with the award of the Order of Lenin (11/3/1937). He was also awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (01/02/1937 and 07/04/1937).

In December 1937 he was appointed squadron commander. On February 22, 1938 he was awarded the medal "XX Years of the Red Army".

From May 1938 to January 1939, with the rank of colonel, he commanded the 16th IAP in the Moscow Military District. Later he served as an inspector of the Red Army Air Force.

Something disturbing was happening in the country. The "conspiracy of the military in the Red Army" was exposed. J. Alksnis, N. Vasilchenko, F. Ingaunis, A. Kozhevnikov, V. Lopatin, A. Lapin, P. Monarcho and many others, declared enemies of the people, and many others who held prominent positions in Soviet aviation, were arrested and disappeared.

The communist Lakeev boundlessly believed in the General Secretary I. V. Stalin and had absolutely no idea how the authority of the leader was created. The young commander sent Stalin a letter of gratitude for the high appreciation of his military deeds.

At that time, I. A. Lakeev was already in command of an aviation regiment. This unit participated in air festivals three times a year. Lakeev headed the "red five" of I-16 fighters, which included Heroes of the Soviet Union and order bearers. They opened air parades on Red Square, and in Tushino they demonstrated aerobatics in a group flight.

Soon Lakeev was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. He often had to attend ceremonial receptions in the Kremlin, personally meet with Stalin.

In May 1939, in the skies of Mongolia, our pilots suffered significant losses in battles with the Japanese. In Moscow, they decided to send commanders with combat experience there to transfer it to pilots - Transbaikalians. Lakeev turned out to be a tireless teacher. During daylight hours, he conducted up to 15 training air battles daily with their subsequent analysis. And on June 22, 1939, an air battle of unprecedented magnitude unfolded over Khalkhin Gol. The Japanese brought 120 aircraft into battle. From the Soviet side, 95 fighters took off. The fight was fierce. During it, the Japanese lost about 15 aircraft. Our losses are 14 combat vehicles. At the same time, Lakeev shot down 2 enemy fighters. This was the first major victory for our pilots in the skies of Mongolia.

Lakeev proved to be not only a good air fighter, but also a bold and innovative commander. At his suggestion, the first guidance point in the history of our combat aviation was organized on Mount Khamardaba.

Aviation Major General B. A. Smirnov recalls:

“... In the evening, Colonel Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev arrived at our camp from the command observation post. He got a difficult mission in Mongolia. As soon as major air battles began, the aviation representative had to go to Khamar-Daba, where the command post of the ground forces was located.

It is unlikely that any of us would have expressed a desire to be at the side of such a strict commander as Zhukov. What was it worth to withstand the questions of many ground commanders with a rank below Zhukov: “Where are our planes, why are they not in the air?”

Meanwhile, dozens of aircraft were fighting in the sky, but you had to be able to see them. True, Lakeev’s plane was standing right there, close to the command post, and he often managed to take off at difficult moments and take part in an air battle. However, his main concern was the coordination of air groups in the air. In the absence of guidance radio stations, it was extremely difficult to perform this task ... "

In Mongolia, Major I. A. Lakeev first commanded an air regiment of the 1st Army Group, then became deputy commander of fighter aviation of the 1st Army Group directly on the battlefield. He personally participated in air battles and shot down several Japanese aircraft.

For distinction in these battles, he was awarded the third Order of the Red Banner (08/29/1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Red Banner of the 1st degree (08/18/1939).

Soon, Lakeev had a chance to participate in the campaign of the Red Army troops in Western Ukraine, where on September 19, 1939, he took measures to expel the German troops that had landed at the Lvov airfield. The Soviet-Finnish war did not pass him by either. At that time, a young talented aviator was appreciated.

From April 1940, Colonel I. A. Lakeev was deputy head of the flight technical inspection of the 1st Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. On June 4, 1940, he was promoted to the rank of Major General of Aviation. From July 1940 - Deputy Chief Inspector of the Red Army Air Force for Fighter Aviation. In April 1941, he was removed from his post "for shortcomings in work" and appointed with a demotion as deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division in Lutsk.

I. A. Lakeev could rarely be found in his office. He was constantly in the units, checking their combat readiness, disseminating combat experience and developing recommendations on the ground. Lakeev was in a hurry, he was firmly convinced that the war with Nazi Germany will start very soon.

The experience of the war in Spain showed that fighters must fight as part of a pair of leader and follower, sword and shield. Lakeev emphasized that the flight altitude for a fighter is the key to victory, that each attack must be sudden for the enemy, and surprise is achieved by a bold maneuver and an unexpected technique in battle. But this precious experience was not widely used and remained the property of a limited circle of military pilots. Lakeev was also worried about the armament of the fighters. Due to the excessive rate of fire of the ShKAS, the cartridges were consumed too quickly. This weapon often failed due to thickening of the grease at high altitude. And in general, as Lakeev believed, in modern air combat, machine guns are not powerful enough weapons. So in Spain, in the battles near Brunete, the Nazis first used cannon Me-109s, and our Ishachki and I-15s had a hard time.

There were many other problems as well. Fighter units began to receive new types of aircraft -, and. The regiments gleefully accepted the new technique. But it was too early to rejoice. Inspecting the units, Lakeev was convinced of the big miscalculations in the retraining of personnel. At a minimum, each pilot on the new technology was given 8 hours of export flights. But this requirement was not met. For the most part, the pilots did not know the new materiel well and did not know how to shoot accurately. On these issues, Lakeev constantly clashed with the head of combat training of the Air Force, Lieutenant General of Aviation Zhigarev.

The accelerated production of new aircraft led to the fact that in combat units for 1000 new aircraft 115 arrived with various defects and factory imperfections. The accident rate has sharply increased, often associated with the death of pilots. The new fighters had a higher landing speed, and this required lengthening of the runways at the airfields. Their construction was under the jurisdiction of the NKVD and, by order of Beria, everywhere began at the same time. All combat aircraft in the western military districts were concentrated at 66 border airfields. Such crowding of aviation equipment near the border was clearly unacceptable.

Lakeev often had to be in the regiments of the 9th mixed aviation division, commanded by his friend in Spain, Hero of the Soviet Union, 29-year-old Major General of Aviation S. A. Chernykh. The airfields of his division in Tarnovo, Dolbunovo and Vysokie-Mazowiecke were only within 10-40 kilometers from state border. At the same time, the division had more than 400 combat aircraft.

But such a seemingly unjustified proximity of airfields near the border corresponded to the installation of the high command: "If we are attacked, we will meet the enemy with a blow of such force that we will immediately go over to enemy territory." Lakeev saw with alarm how the mood of an easy victory was widely propagated in the books “First Strike”, “In the East”, in the film “If War Tomorrow” ...

German planes stepped up aerial reconnaissance. From January 1941 until the start of the attack on the Soviet Union, they violated our border 324 times. Blindly believing in the power of the treaty with Germany and relying in everything on the opinion of Beria and the General Staff, Stalin, through the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal Timoshenko, instructed the Red Army troops to stop shelling violating aircraft and not to use Soviet fighters to detain them. Feeling complete impunity, German pilots flew 100-150 kilometers deep into our territory.

Lakeev stubbornly argued to the higher military leadership about the inadmissibility of the current situation, protested, argued ...

He spoke especially sharply in the presence of Stalin at a government meeting in mid-April 1941. And a few days later, Ivan Alekseevich was introduced to a humiliating order that read: “For the purpose of better official use, Major General of Aviation I. A. Lakeev was appointed deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division with a base in the city of Lutsk with a salary ... »

I was struck not by the fact that the salary became 4 times less, but by the fact that they did not even entrust the division. In addition, he was appointed deputy to a boss well known to him and disrespected by many.

“In the first days of the war,” Ivan Alekseevich later recalled, “we were defeated. Fascist aviation, as was to be expected, seized absolute dominance of the air. Stalin, in order to remain in the eyes of the military and everything Soviet people infallible, urgently needed to shift their guilt onto the heads of others. This is how aviation generals Yakov Smushkevich, Pavel Rychagov, Fyodor Arzhenukhin, Evgeny Ptukhin, Ivan Proskurov, Sergey Chernykh and many other true patriots died.

What were the miscalculations of the top leadership, hypnotized by the instructions of the "great" leader, worth? In just one day on June 22, we lost about 1200 combat aircraft! In the direction of the main fascist attack on the airfields of the Western Special Military District, after the first raid, more than half of all aircraft stationed here were lost. So, in the division of General S. Chernykh, after the first raid of fascist aviation, out of 409 aircraft, only 62 remained. Such was the price of general carelessness.

In the most difficult trials, General I. Lakeev retained his human dignity, faith in our victory and the triumph of justice. Whatever happened, he knew that he would fight for his Soviet Motherland in any conditions, even if it was just an ordinary shooter with a rifle in his hands.

General I. A. Lakeev was destined for a long military life. Joining the fight early morning On June 22, 1941, near the city of Kovel, he went through the entire war until the very Victory. But his life was far from easy.

In the first days of the war, his division came under attack from German aircraft and suffered heavy losses, but having shown personal courage and composure, Lakeev managed to organize a rebuff to the enemy with the surviving aircraft. However, for heavy losses he was once again demoted and from the autumn of 1941 to March 1943, in the rank of General, he commanded the 524th Fighter Aviation Regiment. As a regimental commander, he fought on the Volkhov Front, then the regiment was transferred to the Southern Front.

From April 1943 he commanded the 235th Fighter Aviation Division of the 2nd Air Army. Participated in counterattacks near Volkhov and Tikhvin. Then he fought near Rostov-on-Don.

In August 1944, for the courage and valor of the personnel, for high combat results, the division received the Guards banner and became known as the 15th Guards IAD. Then the division was transferred to the 8th Air Army.

Commanding this division, Lakeev fought on the Kursk Bulge, participated in the liberation of Kyiv, Stanislav and Lvov, fought in the skies of Hungary, Poland, and Germany. He finished the war already in Czechoslovakia, having 1 more personal and 2 group victories.

With all this, only after the Battle of Kursk, he received his first military award in the entire war - the medal "For Military Merit". But this is not about that, not about the difficult biography of the honored military leader. For many years in the heart of Ivan Alekseevich there remained an unceasing heaviness, as if he could have done more, but did not ...

Remaining an excellent air fighter, Lakeev proved himself to be an excellent commander. Subsequently, he was rightfully awarded the orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky.

Having passed through the fire of air battles in the Kuban, the Kursk Bulge, the battles for the liberation of Ukraine during the Great Patriotic War, he honorably carried the high title of a liberator.

The name of General I. A. Lakeev was named 14 times among the most distinguished commanders in battle. By the end of the war, the pilots of his division had destroyed 910 enemy aircraft.

Ivan Alekseevich himself, according to some sources, made more than 500 successful sorties. Data on the number of enemy aircraft shot down by him in various sources vary significantly. Most often, the following are given: 16 personally and more than 20 in a group (taking into account the battles in the skies of Spain and Khalkhin Gol).

For participation in the Great Patriotic War he was awarded the orders: Suvorov 2nd class, Kutuzov 2nd class (05/29/1944), Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st class 01/10/1944), Patriotic class 1st class, 4 medals, 2 foreign orders.

After the end of the war, Ivan Alekseevich remained in the Air Force for a long time. He commanded a fighter aviation division in Central Asia. In 1952 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff, served as deputy commander of the 22nd Air Army.

For impeccable service, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Red Star, the medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (02/22/1948). In 1955 he retired with the rank of major general.

Even after leaving the reserve, Lakeev often had to visit military units, where he was known and loved. Finishing his story, he often turned to officers and soldiers with the words:

Always remember that history itself is destined for you to continue the work of the older generation of defenders of the Fatherland. It owes a lot.

The last years he lived in Moscow. He died on August 15, 1990, and was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery.

* * *

Ivan Lakeev was born on February 23, 1908 in the village of Sloboda, Medynsky (now Dzerzhinsky) district, Kaluga region, in a working class family. Graduated from 7 classes. Until 1926 he lived in his village, and then moved to Leningrad. From August 1926 to May 1928 he worked as a loader in the Leningrad commercial port. At the plant "Elektrosila" he worked as an apprentice scriber, scriber, foreman. He graduated from the workers' faculty of the Technological Institute in 1929. Studied at the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute.

In 1931, the 23-year-old Lakeev, who was in the 2nd year of the evening department, was sent to study at the Leningrad Military Theoretical School on the recommendation of the party organization, and from January of the following year to July 1933 he was a student of the military school of pilots in Engels.

The theory was given to Ivan easily, he mastered flights no less successfully: Lakeev turned out to have a natural talent for aviation. Then the workers of the plant will write to him: "We have always read with pride in the newspapers about your exploits ... You justified the trust of the people, the party organization Electrosila, which handed you a party card."

After graduating from the Engels Military Pilot School (now the Tambov Higher Military Aviation Red Banner Pilot School named after M. M. Raskova), Lakeev was assigned to the Bryansk Aviation Brigade, which was staffed mainly by young pilots. None of them had combat experience. Together with his colleagues, Lieutenant I. A. Lakeev stubbornly mastered the art of higher, or, as they said then, Chkalovsky, aerobatics. Gradually, he developed his own style of piloting a winged car. Good training and knowledge of flying very soon helped him in fulfilling his international duty.

1936 Military - fascist rebellion in Spain. A wave of rallies swept through the Soviet Union under the slogans: "Let's extend a helping hand to the Spanish people!", "The cause of the Spanish people is our vital cause!"

One evening, at the formation (this was in October), the military commissar of the 107th fighter air squadron of the Bryansk brigade, battalion commissar K. Ryabov announced:

Perhaps someone will have to go on a business trip abroad. We need volunteers. It is an honor. There you will have to do the business that we studied.

Lieutenant I. Lakeev could not fall asleep for a long time. I thought about my wife, about my daughter, who was six months old. But most of all he was worried about the question: will they take it or not?

When they read out the lists of those who were entrusted with weapons in their hands to defend the sacred ideas of internationalism, the name Lakeeva was also on the list.

Gathered quickly. At the appointed hour, the squadron commander, Captain S. Tarkhov, reported that he was ready for dispatch. Detachments of 10 I-16 fighters each were led by senior lieutenants V. Bocharov, S. Denisov and K. Kolesnikov, and the engineering and technical group was led by engineer 3rd rank P. Nevinny. Lieutenant I. Lakeev was elected party organizer of the unit.

At the beginning of November 1936, the internationalist aviators were taken on the steamer Kursk across the Mediterranean Sea to the coast of Spain. They expected to arrive in Cartagena, but fascist aviation mercilessly bombed the main naval base of the Republican fleet, and the captain of the ship received permission to head for Alicante. Crimson lightning on the horizon testified that the war was near.

As the military vehicles were assembled, the detachments flew to the Madrid area. By that time, the Nazis had already captured his suburb of Carabanchel. Intense fighting took place on the outskirts of the university campus, in the Casa de Campo park, in the areas of the stadium and bridges over Manzanares.

Since November 4, 13 pilots from the Kyiv Military District have already fought here under the command of Senior Lieutenant P. Rychagov. They flew I-15 fighters, which the Spaniards managed to christen "Chatos" (snub-nosed). Groups of SB bombers attacked fascist airfields and troops.

The squadron of S. Tarkhov performed the first sorties to attack manpower and military equipment in the conditions of enemy air supremacy. On November 9, her pilots received a real baptism of fire in a fight with 15 He-51s, shooting down 4 of them.

Subsequently, Lakeev got acquainted with the statement about this battle of one fascist pilot: “We suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. Our Non-51s were too slow compared to these new aircraft. It seemed incredible, but they rose above us and could play with us, like they want."

The Soviet pilots - the defenders of Madrid - laid down a heavy physical and psychological burden. Each daily had to carry out 5 - 7 sorties. Our air fighters fought without sparing themselves. The Nazis could not take the capital of Spain and began its barbaric bombardment. In November, the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks became a part of life in Madrid.

I-16 fighters surpassed enemy aircraft in speed, but they did not have armored backs and radios. In flight, the commander controlled the group of aircraft evolutions. Nevertheless, even the first fights showed that even in the event of an equality of forces, the enemy stopped the combat mission, and our pilots entered the battle under any circumstances.

On November 13, over Madrid, 18 I-16 fighters engaged 12 Ju-52 bombers and 26 He-51 fighters. Our pilots shot down 6 cars, but Captain S. Tarkhov's plane was shot down, the pilot jumped out of the cockpit with a parachute. Landed on Madrid boulevard with 6 bullets in the chest.

Senior Lieutenant V. Bocharov did not return either. And after 2 days, a single Junkers dropped a box tied to a parachute onto the Barajos airfield. It was opened by Lieutenant I. Lakeev. Inside the bloody bundle were pieces of the human body. The face was disfigured, but a large birthmark determined that it was Volodya Bocharov...

The Nazi executioners hoped to intimidate the volunteers, but they achieved the opposite result. The anger of our pilots was great, in 2 subsequent battles the squadron led by Senior Lieutenant S. Denisov, who replaced Tarkhov, shot down 10 enemy aircraft - 2 Junkers, 4 Heinkel and 4 Fiats, and without loss from their own sides. Lakeev was a participant in these fights and personally shot down one Fiat.

Once A. Morozov's unit, which included Lakeev, attacked a group of He-51 fighters from above from the direction of the sun. The enemy noticed him only at the moment of opening fire. As a result of a daring attack, the Nazis lost 2 aircraft.

Ivan Alekseevich especially remembered the repulsion of a raid by 43 enemy aircraft, when I-16s shot down 1 Junkers and 2 Heinkels. The battle with 48 enemy aircraft is also memorable, when 1 Junkers and 4 Heinkels were shot down, and again without losses on our part.

In the first 2 months of fighting alone, our pilots shot down 63 German and Italian aircraft in the Madrid area, including 12 bombers. During the same time, our SB and R-Z attack aircraft disabled another 64 aircraft at airfields, and their air gunners destroyed 7 enemy fighters when repelling attacks.

By a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of December 31, 1936, 11 of our pilots, including Captain S. Tarkhov, Senior Lieutenant V. Bocharov and Lieutenant S. Chernykh, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and on January 2, 1937, all pilots of the 107 squadron were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, engineers and technicians - the Order of the Red Star.

Fighting in the skies of Spain continued. Once, Lieutenant I. Lakeev single-handedly broke into the ranks of 10 Fiats. He managed to shoot down one CR-32, but the rest thoroughly beat him up. Twice severely burned the side and leg. It would have been really bad if Pavel Putivko had not rushed to help. On a tormented car, Lakeev landed safely at the Alcala airfield. He was sent to the hospital, but on the 3rd day he escaped from there. Went for dressings and continued to fly.

On February 6, 1937, the Nazi offensive began on the Jarama River south of Madrid. Fierce fighting broke out again in the air. Lakeev increasingly flew leading. The enemy suffered serious losses.

February 18 was marked by two air battles over Madrid, in one of which "government fighters for the first time suffered such heavy losses."

At 11:00, 39 Republican fighters began combat with 6 Junkers and 50 fighters. As a result, the republican side lost 4 aircraft shot down: 1 I-16 and 3 I-15. Philip Zamashansky was seriously wounded and, trying to land outside the airfield, crashed on the I-16. The plane of Peter Ugrovatov, having received damage, caught fire. The pilot, despite the wound and burns, was able to safely escape by parachute. In the same battle, the American pilot Ben Leider died. The details of his death are unknown, but, according to the memoirs of I. I. Kravchenko, on this day the American Arnold was shot down, who jumped out with a parachute and went missing. Most likely it was Ben Leider, who, since he jumped over the territory of the enemy, according to the sad tradition, was recorded as dead. The last downed Republican plane was also piloted by a US citizen who was wounded. It is difficult to say who it was, foreign sources give different names.

The enemy in this battle, as indicated in the documents, used a "new" tactic: 30 fighters entered the battle, and the rest, being higher, immediately "dive, shot down or inflicted a lot of holes" whenever any Republican aircraft broke away from the general fighting masses.

In this battle, according to domestic data, it was "6 rebel planes shot down" and a lot hit. Among the I-16 pilots, K. Dubkov, A. Tarasov, N. Nikitin, I. Lakeev, P. Kuznetsov and P. Khara and A. Minaev claim to win.

On February 20, 30 Republican fighters met with 3 Junkers and 22 fighters. The bombers left without dropping bombs. In a battle with fighters, Ivan Lakeev won the only victory, shooting down a Heinkel-51. On the Republican side, the Spaniard Luis Bercial Rubero died, his I-15 was damaged and crashed during an emergency landing. I-16 pilot Aleksey Minaev was wounded in the hand, but managed to return safely to his airfield.

After a 3-week battle, both sides went on the defensive, but the respite was short-lived. Already on March 8, north of Madrid in the direction of Siguenza - Guadalajara, an offensive of 4 cadre divisions of the rebels was launched. There was low cloud cover, it was constantly raining with snow. But our fighters did not stop flying. For reconnaissance, the chief adviser to the commander of the republican aviation brigade commander Ya. Smushkevich and the commander of the fighter group brigade commander P. Pumpur flew out for reconnaissance. Their leader was Lieutenant I. Lakeev, who had already visited the area. On one of the highways, air scouts discovered a huge convoy and boldly attacked it.

Within a few days, carrying out a bold operation, the aviators inflicted significant losses on the Nazis. On March 12 alone, they made 178 sorties for ground attack. For distinction in the battles near Guadalajara, 15 pilots of the squadron, including I. Lakeev, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the second time, and their commander, Captain K. Kolesnikov, was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He died in early May during a training demonstration flight: a plane fell off on his worn-out plane at low altitude. The command of the squadron was taken over by Senior Lieutenant I. Lakeev.

On March 25, 1937, at 17:30, 5 I-16s rose from Alcala to intercept the enemy - 2 Ju-86s were approaching the airfield from the direction of the sun. They did not have time to interfere, and after the bombing, two I-16s needed factory repairs, the pilot and technician were injured. The bomb exploded near Pavel Putivko, who was taking off to intercept an I-16. The blast wave overturned the plane, and the pilot was wounded by shrapnel in the head. The wound turned out to be severe, and in Spain, Paul no longer had to fly. He ended up in the hospital, leaving which in May, he was sent home ahead of schedule.

However, 5 fighters that took off (V. Ukhov, P. Polyakov, I. Lakeev, F. Prutskov and I. Kravchenko) believe that they managed to shoot down 1 Junkers. 5 I-15s that took off to help did not catch up with the enemy.

After this fight, Ivan Lakeev had 2 personal victories, 1 in a pair and 1 in a group.

By that time, up to 30 of the latest Heinkel He-111В-1 bombers, about 50 Dornier Do-17 and Junkers Ju-86, 80 new Heinkel He-51С-1 fighters and 40 of the latest Messerschmitt Me-109В, which developed the maximum speed 470 km/h.

In early July 1937, south of Madrid, in the area of ​​​​the town of Brunete, the first offensive operation of the Republican army began, in which 62 I-16 and I-15 fighters, 56 R-Z attack aircraft and 15 SB bombers participated. Lakeev repeatedly had to lead a group of I-16s into battle. In these battles, 101 enemy aircraft were destroyed, of which 66 were shot down in air battles. In addition, the Nazis lost 15 brand new Me-109s and hurried to remove them from the front.

On July 12, a major air battle took place in the El Escorial - San Martin - Navalcarnero - Aravaca area. The squadrons of I. Lakeev, N. Vinogradov, P. Shevtsov (29 I-16) and the squadron of I. Eremenko (8 I-15) unexpectedly attacked the enemy air group, which consisted of approximately 40 fighters. As a result of the battle, Lakeev's squadron accounted for 2 Fiats, Vinogradov's squadron - 1 Fiat, and Shevtsov's and Eremenko's squadrons - 2 Fiats and 1 Heinkel each. The Italians claimed the same number of victories: 5 I-15s and 4 I-16s. Another downed I-15 was announced by nationalist pilots. On the Republican side, 1 I-15 was lost, the pilot - American Harold Dahl jumped out with a parachute and was captured. It is known about the losses of the enemy that on this day the Spaniard Captain Narciso Bermudez de Castro (Narciso Bermudez de Castro) from the group 2-G-3, who had 4 victories, died.

New groups of Soviet aviators - volunteers - arrived in Spain. They were commissioned by I. Lakeev and P. Shevtsov, who were the last of the first squadron to remain in the country. They stayed in Spain the longest. Perfectly piloting a car and excellent shooting, in 10 months of combat activity he made 312 sorties, in 50 air battles he personally shot down 12 and in a group of 16 fascist aircraft. He himself was wounded twice, but was never shot down.

After returning, in Moscow, along with the orders, Major I. Lakeev was awarded a Diploma on conferring on him the title of Hero of the Soviet Union ("Gold Star" No. 63) with the award of the Order of Lenin (11/3/1937). He was also awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (01/02/1937 and 07/04/1937).

In December 1937 he was appointed squadron commander. On February 22, 1938 he was awarded the medal "XX Years of the Red Army".

From May 1938 to January 1939, with the rank of colonel, he commanded the 16th IAP in the Moscow Military District. Later he served as an inspector of the Red Army Air Force.

Something disturbing was happening in the country. The "conspiracy of the military in the Red Army" was exposed. J. Alksnis, N. Vasilchenko, F. Ingaunis, A. Kozhevnikov, V. Lopatin, A. Lapin, P. Monarcho and many others, declared enemies of the people, and many others who held prominent positions in Soviet aviation, were arrested and disappeared.

The communist Lakeev boundlessly believed in the General Secretary I. V. Stalin and had absolutely no idea how the authority of the leader was created. The young commander sent Stalin a letter of gratitude for the high appreciation of his military deeds.

At that time, I. A. Lakeev was already in command of an aviation regiment. This unit participated in air festivals three times a year. Lakeev led the "red five" I-16 fighters, which included Heroes of the Soviet Union and order bearers. They opened air parades on Red Square, and in Tushino they demonstrated aerobatics in a group flight.

Soon Lakeev was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. He often had to attend ceremonial receptions in the Kremlin, personally meet with Stalin.

In May 1939, in the skies of Mongolia, our pilots suffered significant losses in battles with the Japanese. In Moscow, they decided to send commanders with combat experience there to transfer it to pilots - Transbaikalians. Lakeev turned out to be a tireless teacher. During daylight hours, he conducted up to 15 training air battles daily with their subsequent analysis. And on June 22, 1939, an air battle of unprecedented scope unfolded over Khalkhin-Gol. The Japanese brought 120 aircraft into battle. From the Soviet side, 95 fighters took off. The fight was fierce. During it, the Japanese lost about 15 aircraft. Our losses are 14 combat vehicles. At the same time, Lakeev shot down 2 enemy fighters. This was the first major victory for our pilots in the skies of Mongolia.

Lakeev proved to be not only a good air fighter, but also a bold commander - an innovator. At his suggestion, the first guidance point in the history of our combat aviation was organized on Mount Hamar-daba.

Recalls Major General of Aviation B. A. Smirnov:

"... In the evening, Colonel Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev arrived at our camp from the command observation post. He got a difficult mission in Mongolia. As soon as major air battles began, the aviation representative had to go to Khamar-Daba, where the command post of the ground troops was located.

It is unlikely that any of us would have expressed a desire to be at the side of such a strict commander as Zhukov. What was it worth to withstand the questions of many ground commanders with a rank below Zhukov: "Where are our planes, why are they not in the air?"

Meanwhile, dozens of aircraft were fighting in the sky, but you had to be able to see them. True, Lakeev’s plane was standing right there, close to the command post, and he often managed to take off at difficult moments and take part in an air battle. However, his main concern was the coordination of air groups in the air. In the absence of guidance radio stations, it was extremely difficult to perform this task ... "

In Mongolia, Major I. A. Lakeev first commanded an air regiment of the 1st Army Group, then became deputy commander of fighter aviation of the 1st Army Group directly on the battlefield. He personally participated in air battles and shot down several Japanese aircraft.

For distinction in these battles, he was awarded the third Order of the Red Banner (08/29/1939) and the Mongolian Order of the Red Banner of the 1st degree (08/18/1939).

Soon, Lakeev had a chance to participate in the campaign of the Red Army troops in Western Ukraine, where on September 19, 1939, he took measures to expel the German troops that had landed at the Lvov airfield. The Soviet-Finnish war did not pass him by either. At that time, a young talented aviator was appreciated.

From April 1940, Colonel I. A. Lakeev was deputy head of the flight and technical inspection of the 1st Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. June 4, 1940 he was awarded the rank of Major General of Aviation. From July 1940 - Deputy Chief Inspector of the Red Army Air Force for Fighter Aviation. In April 1941, he was removed from his post "for shortcomings in work" and appointed with a demotion as deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division in Lutsk.

I. A. Lakeev could rarely be found in his office. He was constantly in the units, checking their combat readiness, disseminating combat experience and developing recommendations on the ground. Lakeev was in a hurry, he was firmly convinced that the war with Nazi Germany would begin very soon.

The experience of the war in Spain showed that fighters must fight as part of a pair of leader and follower, sword and shield. Lakeev emphasized that the flight altitude for a fighter is the key to victory, that each attack must be sudden for the enemy, and surprise is achieved by a bold maneuver and an unexpected technique in battle. But this precious experience was not widely used and remained the property of a limited circle of military pilots. Lakeev was also worried about the armament of the fighters. Due to the excessive rate of fire of the ShKAS, the cartridges were consumed too quickly. This weapon often failed due to thickening of the grease at high altitude. And in general, as Lakeev believed, in modern air combat, machine guns are not powerful enough weapons. So in Spain, in the battles near Brunete, the Nazis first used cannon Me-109s, and our Ishachki and I-15s had a hard time.

There were many other problems as well. Fighter units began to receive new types of aircraft - MiG-3, LaGG-3 and Yak-1. The regiments gleefully accepted the new technique. But it was too early to rejoice. Inspecting the units, Lakeev was convinced of the big miscalculations in the retraining of personnel. At a minimum, each pilot on the new technology was given 8 hours of export flights. But this requirement was not met. For the most part, the pilots did not know the new materiel well and did not know how to shoot accurately. On these issues, Lakeev constantly clashed with the head of combat training of the Air Force, Lieutenant General of Aviation Zhigarev.

The accelerated production of new aircraft led to the fact that in combat units for 1000 new aircraft 115 arrived with various defects and factory imperfections. The accident rate has sharply increased, often associated with the death of pilots. The new fighters had a higher landing speed, and this required lengthening of the runways at the airfields. Their construction was under the jurisdiction of the NKVD and, by order of Beria, everywhere began at the same time. All combat aircraft in the western military districts were concentrated at 66 border airfields. Such crowding of aviation equipment near the border was clearly unacceptable.

Lakeev often had to be in the regiments of the 9th mixed aviation division, commanded by his friend in Spain, Hero of the Soviet Union, 29-year-old Major General of Aviation S. A. Chernykh. The airfields of his division in Tarnovo, Dolbunovo and Vysoka - Mazowiecke were only within 10 - 40 kilometers from the state border. At the same time, the division had more than 400 combat aircraft.

But such a seemingly unjustified proximity of airfields near the border corresponded to the installation of the high command: "If we are attacked, we will meet the enemy with a blow of such force that we will immediately go over to enemy territory." Lakeev saw with alarm how the mood of an easy victory was widely propagated in the books "First Strike", "In the East", in the film "If Tomorrow is War" ...

German planes stepped up aerial reconnaissance. From January 1941 until the start of the attack on the Soviet Union, they violated our border 324 times. Blindly believing in the power of the treaty with Germany and relying in everything on the opinion of Beria and the General Staff, Stalin, through the People's Commissar of Defense, Marshal Timoshenko, instructed the Red Army troops to stop shelling violating aircraft and not to use Soviet fighters to detain them. Feeling complete impunity, German pilots flew 100-150 kilometers deep into our territory.

Lakeev stubbornly argued to the higher military leadership about the inadmissibility of the current situation, protested, argued ...

He spoke especially sharply in the presence of Stalin at a government meeting in mid-April 1941. And a few days later, Ivan Alekseevich was introduced to a humiliating order that read: "For the purpose of better official use, Major General of Aviation I. A. Lakeev was appointed deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division with a base in the city of Lutsk with a salary ... "

I was struck not by the fact that the salary became 4 times less, but by the fact that they did not even entrust the division. In addition, he was appointed deputy to a boss well known to him and disrespected by many.

In the first days of the war, - Ivan Alekseevich later recalled, - we were defeated. Fascist aviation, as was to be expected, seized absolute dominance of the air. Stalin, in order to remain infallible in the eyes of the military and the entire Soviet people, urgently needed to shift his guilt onto the heads of others. This is how aviation generals Yakov Smushkevich, Pavel Rychagov, Fyodor Arzhenukhin, Evgeny Ptukhin, Ivan Proskurov, Sergey Chernykh and many other true patriots died.

What were the miscalculations of the top leadership, hypnotized by the instructions of the "great" leader, worth? In just one day on June 22, we lost about 1200 combat aircraft! In the direction of the main fascist attack on the airfields of the Western Special Military District, after the first raid, more than half of all aircraft stationed here were lost. So, in the division of General S. Chernykh, after the first raid of fascist aviation, out of 409 aircraft, only 62 remained. Such was the price of general carelessness.

In the most difficult trials, General I. Lakeev retained his human dignity, faith in our victory and the triumph of justice. Whatever happened, he knew that he would fight for his Soviet Motherland in any conditions, even if it was just an ordinary shooter with a rifle in his hands.

General I. A. Lakeev was destined for a long military life. Entering the battle in the early morning of June 22, 1941, near the city of Kovel, he went through the entire war until the very Victory. But his life was far from easy.

In the first days of the war, his division came under attack from German aircraft and suffered heavy losses, but having shown personal courage and composure, Lakeev managed to organize a rebuff to the enemy with the surviving aircraft. However, for heavy losses he was once again demoted and from the autumn of 1941 to March 1943, in the rank of General, he commanded the 524th Fighter Aviation Regiment. As a regimental commander, he fought on the Volkhov Front, then the regiment was transferred to the Southern Front.

From April 1943 he commanded the 235th Fighter Aviation Division of the 2nd Air Army. Participated in counterattacks near Volkhov and Tikhvin. Then he fought near Rostov-on-Don.

In August 1944, for the courage and valor of the personnel, for high combat results, the division received the Guards banner and became known as the 15th Guards IAD. Then the division was transferred to the 8th Air Army.

Commanding this division, Lakeev fought on the Kursk Bulge, participated in the liberation of Kyiv, Stanislav and Lvov, fought in the skies of Hungary, Poland, and Germany. He finished the war already in Czechoslovakia, having 1 more personal and 2 group victories.

With all this, only after the Battle of Kursk did he receive his first combat award in the entire war - the medal "For Military Merit". But this is not about that, not about the difficult biography of the honored military leader. For many years in the heart of Ivan Alekseevich there remained an unceasing heaviness, as if he could have done more, but did not ...

Remaining an excellent air fighter, Lakeev proved himself to be an excellent commander. Subsequently, he was rightfully awarded the orders of Suvorov, Kutuzov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky.

Having passed through the fire of air battles in the Kuban, the Kursk Bulge, the battles for the liberation of Ukraine during the Great Patriotic War, he honorably carried the high title of a warrior-liberator.

The name of General I. A. Lakeev was named 14 times among the most distinguished commanders in battle. By the end of the war, the pilots of his division had destroyed 910 enemy aircraft.

Ivan Alekseevich himself, according to some sources, made more than 500 successful sorties. Data on the number of enemy aircraft shot down by him in various sources vary significantly. Most often, the following are given: 16 personally and more than 20 in a group (taking into account the battles in the skies of Spain and Khalkhin-Gola).

For participation in the Great Patriotic War he was awarded the orders: Suvorov 2nd degree, Kutuzov 2nd degree (05/29/1944), Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st degree (01/10/1944), Order of the Patriotic degree 1st degree, 4 medals, 2 foreign orders.

After the end of the war, Ivan Alekseevich remained in the Air Force for a long time. He commanded a fighter aviation division in Central Asia. In 1952 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff, served as deputy commander of the 22nd Air Army.

For impeccable service he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Red Star, the medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (02/22/1948). In 1955 he retired with the rank of major general.

Even after leaving the reserve, Lakeev often had to visit military units, where he was known and loved. Finishing his story, he often turned to officers and soldiers with the words:

Always remember that history itself is destined for you to continue the work of the older generation of defenders of the Fatherland. It owes a lot.

Ivan Lakeev was born in the village of Sloboda, Kaluga province, on February 23, 1908. After moving to Leningrad, he studies at the evening department of the Electromechanical Institute, works as a port loader.

After being drafted into the army, he graduated from the military theoretical school of pilots and the 14th Engels military school of pilots here, and was sent to serve in the 107th squadron in the 83rd air brigade of the BelVO.

Participates in the war in Spain from November 1936 to mid-August 1937 on the I-16 fighter, first as a flight commander, then as a squadron. Has two wounds. For 312 sorties, he won 12 victories in 50 air battles personally, shot down another 16 enemy aircraft as part of a group.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (Gold Star medal number 63) was awarded to Lakeev on November 13, 1937.

Together with other pilots who had combat experience in Spain, he was sent to reinforce aviation units during the Soviet-Japanese military conflict at Khalkhin Gol. He took a direct part in the battles, although he held the high position of deputy commander of fighter aircraft in the 1st Army Group. During the largest military history at that time of the battle in the air on June 22, 1939, he personally shot down two Japanese aircraft. Awarded with the Order of the Government of Mongolia "For Military Valor".

In the same year, he took part in the liberation of Western Ukraine, as well as Western Belarus, in the "winter war" with the White Finns. Already in the rank of Major General of Aviation, he was the leader of the aerobatics team at the air parade in Tushino. He had very great authority in the Air Force of the country and was seriously concerned about how things were going in domestic aviation. Despite frequent meetings at Kremlin receptions with Stalin, he miraculously did not suffer before the Great Patriotic War and at the very beginning of it from mass repressions that affected almost the entire military leadership. He took part in the counteroffensive near Tikhvin and Volkhov, near Rostov-on-Don. From April 1943 year headed the 235th Stalingrad fighter aviation division, commanded it until the end of the war. Lakeev's division was involved in the liberation of Kyiv, repelling enemy counterattacks in the Carpathian region, in the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive operation. Under the leadership of Ivan Alekseevich, the unit became guards, participated in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the last combat operation was the Moravian-Ostrava operation. In total, during Lakeev’s command, the pilots of his division destroyed 910 enemy aircraft in the sky and on the ground, and the Hero himself was 14 times awarded the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in order! Personally, Lakeyev shot down 16 aircraft for the Great Patriotic War, and won 16 more victories in the group.

Before studying at the Military Academy of the General Staff, he headed a fighter aviation division in a military district in Central Asia. He retired with the rank of Major General of Aviation in the reserve in 1955.

Ivan Lakeev Career: Hero
Birth: Russia, 23.2.1908
Hero of the Soviet Union (3.11.37). Awarded with the Order of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of Suvorov 2nd Class, Kutuzov 2nd Class, Bogdan Khmelnitsky 2nd Class, Patriotic War 1st Class, Red Star, medals, foreign orders.

Born into a working class family. Russian. He graduated from the seven-year school and the worker's faculty. Lived in Leningrad. He worked as a loader in the port, and after that as a scriber at the Electrosila plant. He studied at the evening department of the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute. Member of the CPSU(b) since 1930

In the Red Army since 1931. In 1931 he graduated from the Leningrad military-theoretical school of pilots, and in 1933 - the 14th military school of pilots in the city of Engels. He served in the 107th squadron of the 83rd Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Belarusian Military District.

Participated in the national revolutionary war in Spain from 11/3/36 to 08/13/37. He flew on the I-16. He commanded a flight, and after that a squadron. He was twice wounded in air battles. He made 312 sorties, conducted 50 air battles, shot down 12 aircraft personally and 16 in a group. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner (2.01.37, 4.07.37).

On November 9, 1937, Lieutenant Lakeev made a fundamental sortie in the sky of Madrid.

On 11/13/37, he participated in a group air battle, in which Captain Tarkhov and Senior Lieutenant Bocharov were shot down. Tarkhov died in the Madrid hospital, and Bocharov landed on the territory captured by the rebels

Two days later, a fascist airliner dropped a box on the Barajos airport, where Soviet volunteer pilots were based. Vutail his lieutenant Lakeev. Inside the bloody bundle were pieces of the human body. The face was disfigured, but a large birthmark determined that these were the remains of Vladimir Bocharov.

In the next two battles, the Moscas squadron shot down ten enemy aircraft without loss. Lakeev personally knocked down the only Fiat.

2.01.37, all pilots of the 107th squadron, incl. and Lieutenant Lakeev, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, engineers and technicians - the Order of the Red Star.

Soon, in a battle with ten Fiats, he shot down the only rebel fighter, but he himself was twice wounded. He was sent to the infirmary, but on the third day he returned to the share. Went for dressings and continued to fly.

On February 18, 37, an enemy fighter shot down.

At 1100, 39 Republican fighters intercepted 6 Junkers covered by 50 fighters. The Republicans shot down 6 enemy fighters, but they themselves lost 4 aircraft.

02/20/37, the only Heinkel fighter shot down.

On that very day, 30 Republican fighters met with 3 Junkers and 22 fighters.

In March 1937, he participated in the defeat of the mechanized columns of the Italian invaders near Guadalajara.

On March 25, 1937, a Ju.86 bomber in the group was shot down.

In May 1937, after this death of Captain Kolesnikov, he was appointed commander of an I-16 fighter squadron. He was engaged in introducing Soviet pilots who had recently arrived in Spain into Makhach.

Recalls Lieutenant General of Aviation Yevseviev: At the end of May, we moved to the Al Cala de Henares air terminal, 30 kilometers from Madrid, and joined the ranks of the air defenders of the Spanish capital. The command of the still formed I-16 squadron was taken over by Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev. This small, fit and active leader made us feel the most favorable feeling. In addition, Ivan Alekseevich, who fought in Spain for more than a month, had a combat skill and a few downed fascist aircraft on his account. Such a commander had a lot to learn from us, newcomers, and Lakeev generously shared everything that he had learned in the skies of Spain.

In July 1937 he took part in the battles near Brunete.

On July 8, 1937, at 16:00, Republican fighters stormed a group of enemy aircraft consisting of 5 Junkers and 12 Fiats. Squadron I-16 Ivan Lakeev attacked fiats and shot down 2 of them. The rest of the fighters stormed the bombers and shot down a single one of them. The Republicans had no casualties in the battle.

On July 12, 1937, a large air strike occurred in the El Escorial San Martin Navalcarnero Aravaca area. The squadrons of Lakeev, Vinogradov, Shevtsov (29 I-16s) and Eremenko's squadron (8 I-15s) unexpectedly stormed the enemy air group, which consisted of approximately 40 Fiats and Heinkels. As a result of the battle, Lakeev's squadron accounted for 2 fiats, Vinogradov's squadron 1 fiat, and Shevtsov's and Eremenko's squadrons each 2 fiats and 1 Heinkel. The Italians claimed the same number of victories: 5 I-15s and 4 I-16s. Another downed I-15 was announced by nationalist pilots. On the Republican side, the only I-15 was lost.

In early August, Lakeev's business trip abroad ended, and he returned to his homeland.

On November 3, 1937, Lieutenant Lakeev Ivan Alekseevich was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the establishment of the Gold Star medal, as a special distinction for the Heroes of the Soviet Union, he was awarded medal 63.

Soon he was awarded the extraordinary military rank of major.

On June 2, 1939, as part of a group of pilots who had combat skills, Colonel Lakeev arrived in the MPR to strengthen units participating in the Soviet-Japanese conflict near the Khalkhin-Gol River.

Participated in the battles near the Khalkhin-Gol River. He was deputy commander of fighter aviation of the 1st Army Group. He was awarded the third Order of the Red Banner (08/29/39) and the Mongolian Order For Military Valor (08/10/39).

In June 1939, Colonel Lakeev led the preparation of the air force of the 1st Army Group for the upcoming battles. During daylight hours, every day he conducted up to 15 training air battles with their subsequent analysis.

06/22/39, during the largest air battle in the history of wars at that time, he personally shot down 2 Japanese aircraft.

Aviation Major General Vorozheykin recalls: Short, stately, quiet. There was no visible devil of courage in his figure and voice. And only in the eyes of perseverance and perseverance were seen. In communication, he was a sincere person, a demanding commander, a sociable comrade. He had a great life behind him, he became not only a teacher for us, young, unexperienced pilots, but also an organizer of the control of fighter aircraft from the ground. There were no radios on fighter jets back then. Lakeev made a huge linen arrow, which was laid out at the ground command post, and with its help the pilots were informed in what direction and at what height the Japanese planes were. This arrow replaced our radio.

Participated in the liberation campaign in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus in September 1939.

On September 19, 1939, he took measures to expel the German landing force that had landed at the Lvov airfield.

Participated in the Soviet-Finnish war.

On June 4, 1940, Lakeev was awarded the military rank of Major General of Aviation.

On August 18, 1940, he led the aerobatics team during the aviation festival in Tushino.

At the end of April 1941, following a joint meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the leadership of the People's Commissariat of Defense, devoted to the strengthening of discipline in aviation, among others, an order was signed: For the better official use of Major General Aviation I.A. . Lakeev to be appointed deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division with a location in the city of Lutsk.

It was a serious demotion, and yet, given the tragic fate of other Spanish generals, it is not forbidden to say that he was still lucky ...

The 14th mixed air division, commanded by Colonel Zykanov, included three fighter regiments: the 17th, 46th and 89th IAP (180 I-16 and I-153 fighters, including 28 faulty ones) . Of the 169 pilots of the division, 112 could fly at night in simple and 72 during the day in difficult weather conditions.

Colonel Arkhipenko recalls: In May, the 17th Fighter Aviation Regiment from the Lyubitov airfield, located east of Kovel (winter quarters), moved to the Velitsk air terminal in the area of ​​Goloby station for the summer camp period to continue training flight personnel, improve combat training and restore those who had become dull after those of the winter break piloting skills.

Our regiment was of four squadrons, armed with I-153 fighters by Chaikas ...

For a short period of time spent in the camps, the flight crew revived combat readiness: they flew successfully and without incident day and night. The regiment was so well prepared that it took off, moreover, at night in formation as part of a squadron. I myself later flew at night, but I never saw anything like it in my life when a squadron took off in formation at night as during the day.

The 14th mixed aviation division, which included the regiment, was in Lutsk ... Two other air regiments of the division, which were armed with I-16s, the only one in Lutsk, and the other at the airfield near Dubno.

Before the war, we flew quite a lot, doing all kinds of combat training. Literally on the eve of the war, the pilots of the air regiment began to master bombing at the training ground, for which several tons of bombs of various calibers were brought to us ...

The situation at the airfield before the war was difficult, there was enough confusion and stupidity.

1. There were more than enough civilians from nearby villages, employed in the construction of the runway and spies wormed their way in the middle of it, who watched the airfield.

2. 70 I-15 aircraft of an outdated design with non-retractable landing gear were idle nearby, to be transferred to aviation schools.

3. A week before the start of the war, 9 MiG-1 aircraft from the 15th IAD landed at our airfield, flying in from Lvov to retrain the flight personnel of our regiment.

4. The command post was equipped on the outskirts of the airfield, in the cemetery.

5. The flight crew lived in a village a few kilometers from the airfield, and only a small number lived on a landowner's estate, located 200 meters from the airfield.

6. The families of the flight crew lived in Kovel and on Saturdays the commanders went to their families.

Aviation Major General Lakeev participated in the Great Patriotic War from the first to the last day.

Colonel Arkhipenko recalls: on June 22, at 4:25, everything shuddered everywhere from explosions, and a group of German bombers up to 60 aircraft dealt a crushing blow to the airfield, the only airliner flew so low that I saw the gunner ... We didn’t have time to recover from the first strike, as a second raid was made on the airport. We could not resist the bomber attacks: the flight crew was in Kovel with their relatives, and there was no anti-aircraft artillery near the airfield - this was one of the worst oversights of the higher leadership. Gradually, the flight and technical staff began to arrive at the airport terminal, separate sorties of our pilots began. Until noon, our airport was subjected to massive bombardment four times. At 11 o'clock in the afternoon, an air regiment flew to us from Zhytomyr on I-153 aircraft.

In fact, in this difficult situation, there was no leadership at the airfield. I, the lesser lieutenant Fyodor Arkhipenko, the operational duty officer at the airfield, clumsily tried to organize rare sorties and evacuate broken vehicles. The connection was broken, there were no instructions and orders, only the internal telephone lines laid to the parking lots of the air squadron survived by some miracle.

At about 1 pm, a participant in air battles in Spain, deputy commander of the 13th Kindergarten, Major General of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev, flew to the airport terminal. Arriving at the checkpoint, the general took the leadership into his own hands, although there was no communication and, worst of all, the airport was isolated.

My aircraft master Semyonov kept reporting to me that my airliner was safe and undamaged, and I asked General Lakeev to release me from the command post. He, however, did not let me go, since at that time I was his only assistant. At the command post, in addition to the general, me and two servicemen, there were no signalmen.

I remember that during the third raid at that beginning of the day, when the bombers once again shocked the airfield, General Lakeev stood quietly at the command post and gave the command to take off the fighter flight through the microphone. Looking at this man, at his chest, where the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the order sparkled, at how calmly he watched the flight take off, my jitters passed, my legs stopped pounding, and I calmed down. The calmness of the well-known general helped me overcome my fear, gave me courage at the most necessary moment, when the bombs fell near the command post, burst with a roar, and the soil walked under my feet. The example of a brave general helped me more than once in difficult moments of my military life to be a brave and honest defender of our Motherland

In the early morning of June 23, we were at the airfield. There were 25 - 30 serviceable aircraft, more than a hundred were damaged by shrapnel, the rest burned down. On that very day, old pilots flew to bomb and attack enemy columns that were moving towards Lutsk.

On 06/22/41, the regiments of the division, based near Lutsk, lost 46 aircraft on the ground.

At the end of 1941, Lakeev participated in counterattacks near Volkhov and Tikhvin, and fought near Rostov-on-Don.

On April 29, 1943, he was appointed commander of the 235th Stalingrad Fighter Aviation Division, which he commanded until the end of the war.

Grechko recalls: In May and June, fighter-interceptors of the 5th Air Army destroyed nine single fascist scouts at an altitude of 5-6 thousand meters ...

Of the nine destroyed reconnaissance aircraft, the only one that was shot down was the head of the 235th Air Division, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev, a famous pilot, a participant in air battles in Spain. Returning from the flight, he came to us in Repnoye to report on his success to the commander. I was present at his presentation. It was unusually brief and peculiar.

Remember, friend commander, I promised to catch up and knock down a scout? - Turning to General Goryunov, said Ivan Alekseevich. - So he kept his promise. Shot down

Goryunov heartily congratulated the divisional commander on another victory. In response, Lakeyev smiled mischievously and said with undisguised satisfaction:

The party and the leadership know who to assign the Hero to, I will not let them down!

In September-December 1943, as part of the 2nd VA of the Voronezh Front, the 235th IAD participated in the Kyiv offensive operation.

Newsboy Brontman recalls: November 22, 1943, was at the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Lakeev. He commands a fighter division (La-5). Once he was the leader of the famous five at all Tushino aviation days. He was a participant in the Spanish, Finnish, Khalkhingol wars. The entire chest is marked. Small, active.

How many divisions knocked down?

There were 613. Yes, these days there are four.

How much is the best flyer?

And you have?

For this war 1, yes 2 in the group.

What about all wars?

16. Is it really an occupation in the downed? Our job is not to let our people in, to protect them. And to shoot down is just to spit.

He complained that he had been forgotten.

At the same time, it should be noted that the Party and the government actually did not forget about Lakeev. For courage shown in air battles over the Kursk Bulge and in the Kyiv offensive operation, he was awarded the Medal for Military Merit. It was the first combat award General Lakeev during the Great Patriotic War.

Since the end of 1943, as part of the 10th Stalingrad Fighter Air Corps of the 2nd VA of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the 235th IAD participated in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine.

I spent two days at the Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Lakeev ... I spoke with pilots and commanders.

The major engineer reported to the general about the repair of aircraft in my presence. Things were moving slowly. Lakeev grimaced.

It's still a long way to stomp to Berlin. Come quickly!

In the evening he sat on me:

Get me a textbook German language. The most common, school. And a dictionary. I'll sit down to teach, I'll need it. I, general, cannot walk around Germany without knowing the language.

On April 25, 1944, the 235th Fighter Stalingrad Air Division was relocated to the Carpathian region to repel a counterattack by German troops.

From 07/12/44, the division participated in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation.

By order of the NPO of the USSR 0270 dated 19.08.44, the 235th IAD was transformed into the 15th Guards Fighter Aviation Division.

From mid-January 1945, the division operated in the Kosice direction. The division headquarters was located in the town of Berehove. The regiments of the division were dispersed at the Yanoshevo and Mukachevo field airfields.

From 03/10/45, as part of the 8th VA of the 4th Ukrainian Front, the 15th hyad participated in the Moravian-Ostrava operation.

By the end of the war, the division's pilots had destroyed 910 enemy aircraft.

During this time, the head of the 15th Guards Fighter Aviation Stalingrad Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division, Major General of Aviation Lakeev, was awarded 14 times the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in the order!

In total, in four wars, he shot down 16 aircraft personally and 16 in a group.

After the war, he commanded a fighter air division in the Central Asian Military District. In 1952 he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. Since 1955 - in reserve.

Lived in Moscow.

He was buried in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery.

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