Air Chief Marshal A.A. Novikov Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich - Air Marshal, military leader, professor, member of the Communist Party Air Marshal Novikov in the war with Japan
A very interesting historical figure is Alexander Novikov, Marshal of the USSR Aviation. He was born in the village of Kryukovo (Kostroma region) in 1919, joined the Red Army and took part in the civil war. Since 1920 he has been a member of the RCP (b). In the same year he graduated from the infantry courses, and in 1922 - the courses "Shot". He commanded units from platoon to battalion. In 1930 Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich graduated Military academy... After that, he was sent to staff work in the rifle corps.
During Soviet-Finnish conflict the future Marshal Novikov was on the North-Western Front, where he headed the Air Force headquarters. In 1940, Alexander Alexandrovich was appointed to the post of Commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District, and in 1941 he was promoted to Major General of Aviation. During the Second World War, Novikov first headed the Northern Air Force, and then the aviation of the Leningrad fronts. In April 1942, he was appointed commander of the Air Force. In 1942-1943, in parallel, he held the post of Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. Novikov was the first in the USSR to be awarded the title of Air Marshal.
As a representative of the headquarters, Alexander Alexandrovich repeatedly coordinated the combat actions of the Air Force of several fronts - during the offensive at Stalingrad, during Battle of Kursk, at offensive operations in the North Caucasus, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic States, Germany, and during the battles since 1944, he became Chief Marshal of Aviation. This was the first time such a title appeared in the USSR.
Marshal Novikov supervised the air blockade of the encircled Paulus army and the defeat of German aviation in air battles in the Kuban. He participated in the transfer of the USSR Air Force to the same type of formations (fighter, assault, bomber) and in the creation of a new organizational structure (air corps, air armies). After the end of the war, Marshal Novikov worked in various command positions in the Air Force. In 1946, he became a member of the Supreme Soviet.
On there was a meeting of I. Stalin with his son Vasily, who was a military pilot. He told the leader that American aircraft are much better than domestic ones. Stalin ordered an investigation. The head of the MGB, Abakumov, decided to "bend" and started a campaign against the aviators. In March 1946, Marshal Novikov was arrested along with the People's Commissar of the Aviation Industry Shakhurin and a number of other officials.
Investigators demanded that Alexander Aleksandrovich confess to criminal acts, otherwise they promised to shoot the whole family. After whole week interrogations at night, Marshal Novikov signed a typewritten document addressed to Stalin, with compromising material on Zhukov and Malenkov. However, here the investigators made a mistake. In the "frank confession" signed by Marshal Novikov, there was a list of persons knowingly unknown to him. Abakumov, as if nothing had happened, made a remark to the investigator Likhachev: "Here, it seems, they overdid it ...". According to Novikov's recollections, he was given some kind of cigarette, after which the marshal finally lost his sense of the reality of what was happening. Under her action, he signed the revised document page by page.
It is believed that the MGB needed the knocked out "confessions" of the marshal and the rest of the arrested aviators in order to use them against G.K. Zhukov. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich was sentenced to a considerable term, which he served in one of the institutions of the Gulag. He was rehabilitated after in 1953 and appointed to the post of commander of the ADD actions). In 1956, Marshal Novikov retired. He lived in Moscow and published his memoirs. Alexander Alexandrovich died in 1976.
Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich - Commander of the Air Force of the Red Army, Chief Marshal of Aviation. During the Great Patriotic War, he skillfully and creatively used the main provisions of Soviet military science and military art for the construction and development of the Air Force, their operational-strategic and strategic use.
A.A. Novikov was born on November 6 (19), 1900 in the village of Kryukovo in the Blaznovskaya volost of the Nerekhtsky district of the Kostroma province (now the Nerekhtsky district of the Kostroma region) into a poor peasant family.
His father, Alexander Ivanovich Novikov, is a non-commissioned officer, Knight of St. George, participated in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars. Mother, Ekaterina Ivanovna, besides Alexander, raised three more children. The father wanted to see his eldest son a learned man. Alexander graduated from primary and second-class schools and in 1915 passed the competitive exams at the Kineshemsko-Khrenovsky Teachers' Seminary. After completing his studies at the seminary in May 1918, he became the head of the out-of-school center of the Nerekhta district, which included six volosts. The work was difficult. There was no transport, we had to walk. Alexander created rural libraries, organized amateur art circles, sorted the literature withdrawn from the landlord's libraries. However, he did not give up hope of getting higher education and applied to Ivanovsky Polytechnical Institute at the agronomic faculty. But his studies did not last long: the time was hungry, and Alexander had to return to his native village.
In July 1918, the father of the future Air Marshal was drafted into the Red Army, and Alexander remained the only breadwinner in the family. He again became a teacher, and then the head of the Peshevsky school, located one and a half versts from his native village. While teaching, he helped his mother with the housework and in the upbringing of her younger sisters and brother. Life was difficult for them. A. Novikov's entire monthly salary was a pound of rye flour, but it was an important source of livelihood for the whole family.
In the fall of 1919, Alexander himself was called up to serve in the Red Army, sending him to the 27th Volga Reserve Infantry Regiment, which was stationed in Nizhny Novgorod. The regiment was located in the Tobolsk barracks. There was not enough firewood, I had to sleep without undressing. Food was also poor. But the young soldiers did not lose heart, stubbornly mastered the basics of military affairs, lived in anticipation of joyful messages from the front. At the beginning of December 1919, Novikov, as a competent and well-developed Red Army soldier from the reserve regiment, was sent to the infantry command courses, which were located here, in Nizhny Novgorod. While studying on the courses, Alexander organized collective readings of newspapers, made reports on events at the front, helped his comrades with low level education. In May 1920 he joined the ranks of the RCP (b).
After graduating from the Nizhny Novgorod infantry command personnel courses in June 1920, A.A. Novikov was appointed platoon commander and then assistant company commander of the 22nd Infantry Reserve Regiment. In July of the same year, he was transferred to the 33rd Infantry Regiment (Petrozavodsk) as an assistant company commander, in which he participates in battles with the White Finns. In August 1920, Novikov became the head (chief) of reconnaissance of the 384th Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Infantry Division. In February 1921, Alexander Alexandrovich was appointed adjutant in the food transport of the 127th brigade, and already in March he was transferred to Petrograd to the chief of staff of the 128th rifle brigade, in which he participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising, exercising control over military reconnaissance in the strip offensive from the side of Fox Nose. After the end of the fighting, Novikov was left at the headquarters of the 128th brigade as an assistant chief of intelligence. But thoughts about studying, about mastering new knowledge never left the young commander.
Higher tactical shooting school command staff Red Army named after the III Comintern. Second from the right in the first row A.A. Novikov. 1922 g.
In October 1921, Alexander Novikov became a student of the III Comintern Higher Tactical-Shooting School of the Command Staff of the Red Army (later - the Shot course). After graduating with honors, in November 1922 he was sent as an assistant company commander to the 14th Batumi Infantry Command Courses, and a month later to the 4th Armavir Infantry Command Courses for the same position. In January 1923, at the request of the Chief of Staff of the Separate Caucasian Army B.I. Kuznetsov, who knew Novikov from Nizhny Novgorod courses, he was transferred as a course commander to the Red Army University of this army in Tbilisi, and in March of the same year he became the company commander of military-political courses of the Caucasian Red Banner Army.
Until October 1927, A.A. Novikov rose through the ranks from the temporarily acting head of the combat unit to the battalion commander. During his service he took part in battles against K. Cholokaev's bands and in the suppression of the Menshevik uprising in Georgia. At the same time A.A. Novikov devoted a lot of time to the study of artillery, armored and air forces and other new military equipment. He was especially interested in aviation.
In the fall of 1927 A.A. Novikov entered the Military Academy. M.V. Frunze. At the academy, his interest in aviation did not fade away. Alexander Alexandrovich carefully studied the work of A.V. Sergeeva "Strategy and tactics of the Red Air Fleet", met and talked with Professor A.N. Lapchinsky - the author of the work "Aviation tactics". This made it possible, in parallel with the main course of the academy, to deeply and comprehensively study aviation also.
Academy of A.A. Novikov graduated with the first grade and in May 1930 was assigned to the Belorussian Military District (BVO) in Smolensk, where he became chief of intelligence, and from February 1931 - chief of the operations department of the headquarters of the 11th Rifle Corps, which he commanded E.I. Kovtyukh. In Smolensk in the spring of 1931, Alexander Alexandrovich met the new commander of the district, I.P. Uborevich, who together with E.I. Kovtyukhom played a huge role in further destiny Novikov. It was Uborevich who introduced the training of infantry staff commanders as pilot-observers into practice, where A.A. was one of the first in the district. Novikov. This was his first step on the way to aviation.
A.A. Novikov - Chief of Staff of the 450th Aviation Brigade, Smolensk.
1933 In September 1932, after a successful exercise, Novikov was assigned to the district air force headquarters. And in March 1933 he was appointed chief of staff of the 450th Aviation Brigade in Smolensk. Deep military knowledge, natural intelligence, the ability to quickly navigate in the current situation helped him in a short time to understand the features of service in aviation, study the personnel of subordinate units, and gain credibility with his colleagues.
Five months after the transition to aviation, A.A. Novikov was instructed to lead an aviation group in a large experimental exercise that took place in the Minsk region. The squadrons had to attack from a low level flight a column of tanks on the march, bombard the infantry battle formations in the second echelon of the regiment's defense, and conduct an air battle.
According to the results of the exercises, the commander of the district I.P. Uborevich as a whole positively assessed the actions of aviation and its leadership. Once in aviation, Novikov decides to learn to fly. In a short time, he masters the plane and already from the fortieth flight independently controls the car. After that, Alexander Alexandrovich seeks to go to flight work.
In the fall of 1935 A.A. Novikov was appointed commander of the 42nd light bomber squadron of the BVO. Without missing a single flight shift, he becomes the best, most prepared pilot in the unit. The crews of the entire squadron followed the example of their commander, which, according to the results of the year, became one of the leading in the district. For success in service on March 28, 1936, Alexander Alexandrovich was awarded the military rank of colonel. All summer, the squadron under his leadership was preparing for maneuvers, which were planned to be carried out in the fall of 1936. The maneuvers were supervised by the 1st rank army commander I.P. Uborevich. They were attended by the People's Commissar of Defense K.E. Voroshilov, his first deputy M.N. Tukhachevsky, Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army A.E. Egorov, members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the government of Belarus. The 42nd Light Bomber Squadron rose into the sky six times, and all six times its actions were highly appreciated by the leadership of the Red Army.
In the summer of 1937, after the arrest of I.P. Uborevich, A.A. Novikov was dismissed on false charges and fired from the Red Army. He was given a severe reprimand with a warning and entry into the registration card. However, Colonel Novikov stayed in reserve for only five days. At the request of a member of the Military Council of the BVO, Army Commissar of the 2nd rank A.I. Mezis, who had just been appointed to this position, to whom Alexander Alexandrovich turned with a complaint about injustice, he was reinstated in military rank and position. Greater A.I. Mezis did not have time to do it, since he himself was arrested. A little later, the party penalty was also removed from Novikov, since in February 1938 his squadron took first place in the 116th Aviation Brigade in all indicators in combat training.
In April 1938, Alexander Alexandrovich met with the former commander of the 450th air brigade E.S. Ptukhin, who now headed the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District (LVO). After this meeting, Novikov was appointed chief of staff of the air force of the district. From the first days a heavy burden fell on his shoulders. The airfields of the district were located on a huge territory. The technical reconstruction of units and formations was in full swing. The air force of the district received aircraft that were new at that time. It was necessary to control the course of combat training, to prepare the troops for war. Based combat experience received at Lake Khasan, it was necessary to make adjustments to the operational and combat training of troops and headquarters, to clarify instructions for the use of aviation and the organization of interaction with ground forces.
The winter of 1939 came. On November 30, stubborn and bloody battles began on the Karelian Isthmus, in which the aviation of the LVO, transformed into the North-Western Front, also took part. Chief of Staff of the Front Air Force, brigade commander A.A. Novikov developed plans for bombing and assault strikes on the front edge, resistance nodes and enemy communications, personally participated in combat missions, and made a number of valuable tactical proposals for the combat use of aviation. For participation in the hostilities on the Karelian Isthmus A.A. Novikov was awarded the Order of Lenin and on May 4, 1940 he was awarded the military rank of Divisional Commander (from June 4, 1940 - Major General of Aviation).
A.A. Novikov -
air force commander
Leningrad military
districts. 1941 g.
In the summer of 1940, Novikov for some time commanded the Air Force of the 8th Combined Arms Army (Pskov), but then was again returned to the post of Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District. In August of the same year, he became the commander of the air force of the district.
Novikov's entry into a new position coincided with an experimental exercise with an airborne assault landing. During the exercise, guns, mortars, vehicles, tanks and other equipment were delivered by aircraft. In the airborne brigade, single and group jumps of paratroopers with full equipment and weapons were performed from heights of 400, 300 and 200 m.
The chief of the air force of the district delved into all the details of the exercise, got acquainted with the combat technique of landing, clarified the options for loading transport aircraft of various types. All this was necessary to organize closer interaction between aviators and paratroopers. Novikov clearly saw the prospect of using the airborne troops and in every possible way contributed to the growth of their development rates.
In the position of commander of the Air Force of the LVO and found A.A. Novikov Great Patriotic War. From the first days of work, he focused on increasing the level of operational and tactical training of command personnel and aviation headquarters, their combat readiness and improving the flight training of crews. The development of events on the eve and in the first days of the war required him to take urgent and energetic measures. With the outbreak of hostilities on the initiative of A.A. Novikov, the dispersal of the aviation basing areas and the camouflage of airfields was carried out, which made it possible to reduce the loss of aircraft to a minimum and give a proper rebuff to the enemy. Having met with an experienced and well-organized enemy (in the north of Leningrad, the Finnish aviation and the 5th German air fleet, numbering 900 aircraft operated), taking into account the lessons of the first days of the war, when in the western districts at the airfields, a sudden raid was put out of action most of the aviation , Aleksandr Aleksandrovich immediately decided to switch to active hostilities: "We must not wait for the enemy, but strike first at his forces and, above all, at enemy airfields."
Competently assessing the situation and receiving the consent of the Headquarters, Novikov began to prepare his aircraft for massive attacks on enemy airfields in Finland. For this purpose, 540 aircraft were allocated, which are subordinate to the air forces of the Northern Front, Baltic and Northern fleets... For the first time in the Soviet Air Force, such a quantity of military equipment was involved in simultaneous actions, and on the entire front - from Vyborg to Murmansk. In six days, from June 25 to June 30, 1941, 39 of the most important enemy airfields, many railway junctions, rear bases, and concentration areas of Finnish and German fascist troops preparing for an offensive were subjected to massive attacks. The enemy's losses amounted to 130 aircraft (more than 20% of the combat aviation deployed in this operational direction), which forced the fascist command to withdraw its aviation to distant rear bases and temporarily stop raids on Leningrad.
During the preparation and conduct of air operations, A.A. Novikov acted as a true innovator, constantly looking for new forms and methods of command and control: he introduced into the troops the experience of radio control of flight crews, as well as the forces and means of the Air Force in the interests of two (North-Western and Northern) fronts and Baltic Fleet.
Per fighting on the Leningrad front During the most difficult months for the city, General Novikov in October 1941 was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and received the rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation.
In February 1942 A.A. Novikov was appointed First Deputy Commander of the Air Force and a member of the Military Council of the Red Army Air Force. After taking office and visiting the Western Front with G.K. Zhukov, having familiarized himself with the state and actions of front-line aviation, he came to the conclusion that the aviation was disunited, it could not be assembled for a massive strike. Each combined arms army tenaciously held on to its air units. Based on the experience of fighting on the Leningrad front, he recommended the creation of a single strike air fist, at least a mixed air corps, consisting of fighters, attack aircraft and bombers. After visiting Northwestern Front he suggested that aviation should also fly on wheels in winter, without skis, which would reduce the maneuverability of machines.
April 11, 1942 A.A. Novikov became commander of the Red Army Air Force, and two weeks later, on April 26, he became Deputy People's Commissar of Defense for Aviation. In these positions he was until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The appointment of Alexander Alexandrovich took place in the midst of organizational changes in the Air Force. The formation of strike aviation groups was in full swing. Units and formations of long-range bomber aviation were reorganized into long-range aviation, headed by Major General of Aviation A.E. Golovanov.
At the same time, the restructuring of the organizational structure of the central office of the Air Force began. Almost all departments of the headquarters were deployed to directorates, which were headed by the most trained generals and commanders who showed themselves in the difficult initial period of the war. The creation of new directorates and services made it possible to expand the functions of the headquarters in matters of the operational use of aviation and the leadership of the headquarters of the air force of the fronts.
A.A. Novikov constantly analyzed the state of affairs at the fronts and became more and more convinced that the dispersal of aviation among combined-arms armies did not meet the basic principles of centralized control and massive use of aviation on a front-scale basis, and did not ensure the achievement of high efficiency in its combat operations. At the suggestion of Alexander Alexandrovich, in May 1942, air armies began to be created on the basis of the air forces of the fronts and combined-arms armies, and a little later the aviation corps and aviation divisions of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. This radical restructuring of the aviation structure of the Air Force had great importance: it made it possible to centrally control all aviation forces, to solve not only operational-tactical, but also strategic tasks. The new organizational structure of the Air Force became one of the most important factors in the conquest of complete air supremacy by the Soviet Air Force, and then victory in the air war.
Air Marshal A.A. Novikov at the command post. 1943 g.
Air Chief Marshal
A.A. Novikov. 1944 g.
During the Great Patriotic War, Aviation Colonel-General A.A. Novikov (01/18/1943, from 03/17/1943 - Air Marshal, from 02/21/1944 - Air Chief Marshal) was a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
In this position, he proved himself not only as an outstanding military leader, commander, but also as a bold innovator, theorist in the field of the combat use of aviation, its close interaction with ground forces. A.A. Novikov was the organizer of the air blockade of the encircled enemy forces at Stalingrad (December 1942 - February 1943).
Coordinated the combat actions of aviation of several fronts to destroy enemy aircraft in air battles in the Kuban (spring 1943), on Kursk Bulge(July 5 - August 23, 1943), participated in the operations to liberate Smolensk and Smolensk region (September 1943), Right-Bank Ukraine (spring 1944), the Karelian Isthmus and Vyborg (summer 1944), Belarus (July - September 1944), the elimination of the enemy grouping in East Prussia and the storming of Konigsberg and Berlin (spring 1945), and then in the war with Japan
Air Chief Marshal
A.A. Novikov. 1960s
... During hostilities Far East in August 1945 A.A. Novikov coordinated the interaction of the air armies, where, along with the massive use of fighters, attack aircraft and bombers, military transport aviation was also widely used: not only to provide troops with fuel, ammunition and food, but also for the landing of air assault forces.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 17, 1945, Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich "for exemplary fulfillment of combat missions of the Supreme High Command on the front of the fight against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time" was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and medals "Gold Star". He received the second Gold Star medal on September 8, 1945 "for the exemplary performance of the combat missions of the command on the front against the Japanese militarists."
After the Great Patriotic War, the fate of A.A. Novikova was tragic. Despite the fact that he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd convocation (in 1946-1950), on April 22, 1946, he was dismissed from the post of commander of the Air Force and was arrested on a fabricated "aviation case". Alexander Alexandrovich was accused of deliberately releasing low-quality aircraft, which resulted in the death of pilots and equipment. He pleaded guilty to the beatings. On May 11, 1946, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced him to five years in prison under Article 193-17, paragraph "a" of the RSFSR Criminal Code. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 20, 1946 A.A. Novikov was deprived of military rank Chief Marshal of Aviation, the honorary title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, orders and medals.
February 12, 1952 A.A. Novikov was released from prison. On May 29, 1953, by the decision of the Military Collegium, his case was reviewed, and his conviction was removed for lack of corpus delicti. On June 12 of the same year, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU made a decision on the rehabilitation of A.A. Novikov. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 13, 1953, he returned his military rank, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and all state awards... On June 29, he was appointed commander of Long-Range Aviation. He served as commander of Long-Range Aviation until March 1955, at the same time as 1954 as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. After a long break, A.A. Novikov undertakes to revise the concept of development and use of long-range aviation. He is taking vigorous measures to equip it with aircraft with a large range and increased payload. However, his proposals did not find proper understanding on the part of the military-political leadership of the country, headed by N.S. Khrushchev. Nevertheless, a firm, scientifically grounded conviction of the righteousness allowed him to defend his point of view on equipping the formations and units of Long-Range Aviation, which began to receive the most modern strategic turboprop and jet bombers capable of carrying nuclear.
In January 1956, for health reasons, A.A. Novikov was dismissed from the army to the reserve with the right to wear military uniform clothes and left for Leningrad. He decided to devote himself to the education and training of the pilots of the Civil Air Force. His request was granted, and in August 1956 he was appointed head of the Higher Aviation School of the Civil Air Fleet in Leningrad. At the same time A.A. Novikov headed the Department of Flight Operations and took up teaching activities... In 1958 he was awarded academic title professors.
At the school A.A. Novikov worked for ten years. Under his leadership, a whole galaxy of civil aviation leaders was brought up, the foundation of the material and technical base was laid educational institution, research work has been launched. In September 1961, Alexander Alexandrovich was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for his merits in the training of specialists and his contribution to the development of science.
A.A. Novikov made reports on the history of aviation and the operational-tactical art of the Air Force during the Great Patriotic War. He penned the memoirs “In the sky of Leningrad. Notes of the Commander of Aviation "," Normandy "," In the Sky of Russia "," Jet Equipment in Transport Aviation ", tutorials and works on the history of Soviet aviation (articles "Soviet aviation in the battles for Koenigsberg", "Soviet pilots in battles for the Motherland", "On the far southwestern approaches to Leningrad", "On the Karelian Isthmus", "In the battle for Berlin" and other).
In 1966, Alexander Alexandrovich suffered a severe stroke and completely retired. A.A. died. Novikov December 3, 1976, buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
Bronze bust of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, chief
Air Marshal A.A. Novikov in Kostroma.
In accordance with the Regulations on the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, in 1958 on Komsomolskaya Square in Kostroma, a bronze bust of the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikova (sculptor E.V. Vuchetich). In December 1972 A.A. Novikov was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of the City of Kostroma." Streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kostroma and Kaliningrad, as well as the State secondary specialized educational institution "Aviation and Transport College Civil Aviation" (Saint Petersburg). The name of the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov was worn by the Balashov Higher Aviation School of Pilots (05/14/1977-1.09.2002).
Awarded: 3 Orders of Lenin, 3 Orders of the Red Banner, 3 Orders of Suvorov 1st Class, Orders of Kutuzov 1st Class. and the Red Banner of Labor, 2 Orders of the Red Star, many medals, as well as foreign orders: French - the Legion of Honor 2nd class, American - "Legion of Honor" 1st class, Mongolian - the Battle Red Banner.
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65 years ago, in April 1946, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force of the USSR, Chief Marshal of Aviation, Alexander Novikov, was arrested. A month later, he and a group of aviators were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment. For a long time there was a popular version among historians that Vasily Stalin planted a "pig" on Novikov, allegedly taking revenge for the fact that the Air Chief Marshal opposed the signing of the idea of conferring the rank of general on the son of the leader. Is it really? Correspondent "SP" got acquainted with some judicial and investigative documents in the "case of aviators". Here's what cleared up.
The myth of the evil boy Vasya
To begin with, I will tell you more about the mythical version about the generalissimo's son wandering through the pages of the press. Allegedly, shortly before the new 1946, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Aviation Chief Marshal Novikov, was brought for signature a submission to the rank of general in the guard of Colonel Vasily Stalin. The Marshal did not sign the paper. And under New Year the Boss himself phoned him (that is how Stalin was called in the circles of the Soviet elite) and bluntly asked how he looked in order to confer the rank of general on Vasily Stalin. Alexander Alexandrovich began to explain that, they say, Vasily Iosifovich is too young, he lacks education, he ought to learn a little more, graduate Air Force Academy... Stalin listened to his arguments in silence and ended the conversation categorically: “There is no need to write a presentation for the rank. Serve as a general list ... "
Allegedly, the conversation with the Supreme Commander was preceded by a call from the chief of Stalin's security, General Vlasik, to the chief of staff of the Air Force, Air Marshal Fyodor Falaleev: “Immediately introduce Vasily Stalin to the stripes. He made up with his father. " - “For the rank of general, merits are needed,” objected Falaleev.
After an explanation with Stalin, Novikov allegedly called Zhukov in Germany: "What to do, Georgy Konstantinovich?" The commander swore in his hearts, but immediately explained to Novikov in intelligible terms that the Master's orders were not disputed. And already on March 1, 1946, by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, Vasily Stalin was awarded the rank of Major General of Aviation, although he had not yet turned 25 years old. And literally three days later, Air Force Commander Novikov was removed from his post. The reason was allegedly that Vasily Stalin "instilled" on Novikov's father: they say, he accepted unprepared equipment from industry during the war years.
In this version, I am personally very confused by the fact that the leader allegedly asked for his son. Is this similar to Stalin, who did not bother to save the life of another son - Yakov, who was taken prisoner, saying: "I am not changing a soldier for a marshal"?
Most likely, the version of Vasily Stalin's revenge is a myth.
Vasily Stalin himself wrote about this later: “I do not know what charges were brought against Novikov when he was removed from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, since I was at that time in Germany. But if the removal and arrest of A. Novikov was influenced by my report to my father about our equipment (Yak-9 with an M-107 engine) and about German equipment, then Novikov himself is to blame. He knew everything before me. After all, it was his duty as the commander-in-chief of the Air Force to report this.
What actually happened?
"The Aviator Case"
In February 1946, the head of the main counterintelligence department SMERSH, Colonel-General Abakumov, asked Stalin for an arrest warrant for Air Force Commander Novikov, People's Commissar of the Aviation Industry Shakhurin, Air Force Chief Engineer Repin, member of the Air Force Military Council Shimanov, Head of the Air Force Main Order Department Seleznev and heads of personnel departments Central Committee of the CPSU (b) Budnikov and Grigoryan. This was motivated by the fact that during the war the leaders of the aviation industry produced "raw" products and, in collusion with the command of the Air Force, with the tacit consent of the workers of the Central Committee of the Party who oversaw the supply of equipment to the Air Force, smuggled defective aircraft into the armament of the Red Army. As a result, from November 1942 to February 1946, there were more than 45 thousand non-departures of aircraft on a combat mission, 756 accidents and 305 accidents due to malfunctions of materiel.
Stalin was skeptical about Abakumov's report. He understood that the war demanded massive supplies of equipment to the front, and if the leaders of the aviation industry and the Air Force dared to "pull the bagpipes", conducting all tests and acceptance of machines exclusively according to the letter of the instructions, they would have been shot back in 1942. And since our aviation broke the back of the Luftwaffe, it means that most of the aircraft that entered the Red Army were of a fairly high quality. Therefore, Stalin demanded that Abakumov double-check the data: are there any exaggerations, are some SMERSH employees willing to curry favor in a high-profile case?
Soon, Abakumov provided more accurate materials. For example, on the Yak-9u fighter. After factory tests of the prototype, Shakhurin misled the government, reporting that the plane had been worked out. But when it was launched into series, it turned out that the fighter was not picking up the speed required for combat use. Its wings had such low strength that it happened to fall off during flight overloads.
In 1944 Shimanov and Seleznev went to the plant, where a representative of the military acceptance rejected about a hundred Yak-9u aircraft. With the knowledge of Novikov, they ordered to continue the production of the "raw" car. As a result, the unit received about 4,000 of these aircraft, and more than half of them - with structural defects. Budnikov and Grigoryan knew about the situation with the Yak-9u, but did not inform the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) about it.
Abakumov's people revealed a similar "covering up of shortcomings" in relation to the Yak-3 fighter. 40 percent of these aircraft entering the Air Force experienced accidents due to scuffing of the upper wing skin at high speeds. On the Il-2 aircraft, which entered the Air Force in 1942-1943, the fragility of the wing skin was also discovered. In addition, due to the violation of the production technology, the butt joints "gave slack". There were cases when the IL-2's wings fell off in the air and accidents occurred, accompanied by the death of the pilots.
After reviewing these and other materials, Stalin authorized the arrest of all seven "malefactors" and the transfer of the case to the military collegium of the USSR Supreme Court.
Lenient sentence
Soon, the "confessions" of the aviators fell on Stalin's desk. Apparently, he did not believe in them. In addition, since 1942, Novikov was considered his favorite - it was not for nothing that he became the youngest marshal in the Red Army. Stalin demanded that Ulrich, the chairman of the military collegium of the Supreme Court, determine the minimum punishment for the defendants, "taking into account their merits in the war."
On May 10 and 11, 1946, the military collegium, in a closed court session, considered the case against Shakhurin, Repin, Seleznev, Novikov, Shimanov, Budnikov, Grigoryan. The defendants, as usual, admitted their guilt in full or with some reservations. Here are excerpts from court appearances.
Shakhurin:“I committed the crimes attributed to me in pursuit of plan and schedule, in pursuit of quantitative data. Having signals from the fronts of the Patriotic War about the defectiveness of our aircraft, I did not inform the chairman of the State Defense Committee, and this is my gravest crime. "
Repin:"The front demanded aircraft, and defects were eliminated on the spot."
Shimanov:“Instead of reporting to the People's Commissar that the planes are falling apart in the air, we sat at meetings and wrote schedules for eliminating defects on the planes. Novikov and Repin pursued persons who signaled that useless aircraft were entering the army. For example, Colonel Katz suffered. "
Seleznev:“The mass of the motors was breaking down. I take the blame for the fact that the military representatives handed over to the units formally “good”, but in fact defective planes. ”
Grigorian:“As the head of the aviation engine building department of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, I knew that the former People's Commissar of the aviation industry Shakhurin, in pursuit of quantitative indicators, carried out plans for the production of aviation equipment, not ensuring its proper quality: I am guilty that knowing that Shakhurin produced and supplied the Air Force with defective aircraft and engines, did not take measures to suppress this activity. "
Novikov: “He commanded the Air Force from April 1942 to March 1946. The flawed aircraft acceptance system existed before me. There was a shortage of aircraft at the fronts, and this circumstance forced me not to react to various kinds of defects. Besides, I am not an engineer, which is why I simply underestimated a number of technical issues. "
By the way, earlier in a letter to I. Stalin, Novikov wrote: “In addition to the fact that I am the direct culprit of the acceptance into service of aviation units of low-quality aircraft and engines produced by the aviation industry, I, as the commander of the air force, had to report all this to you, but I did not do this, hiding from you the anti-state looseness of a number of senior officials of the Air Force, that many were engaged in their personal well-being more than in state affairs, that some senior officials were irresponsible in their work. All this happened because I myself fell into a swamp of crimes associated with the adoption of defective aircraft equipment by the Air Force. "
The military collegium of the USSR Supreme Court sentenced Shakhurin to seven years, Repin to six, Novikov to five, Shimanov to four, Seleznev to six, Budnikov and Grigoryan to two years in prison.
The property belonging to the convicts was seized. The civil suit against them was determined in the amount of more than 500 thousand rubles. At the request of the military collegium, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 20, 1946, deprived Shakhurin, Repin, Novikov and Seleznev of their military ranks. The convicts were deprived of government awards.
In connection with the "case of aviators" Malenkov was dismissed from the post of the second secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and, while remaining formally deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, Stalin sent him on a long business trip to the periphery. Zhdanov became the second secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b).
Rehabilitation
After Stalin's death and the arrest of Abakumov, the military collegium of the USSR Supreme Court reviewed the "case of the aviators" and overturned the sentence "for lack of corpus delicti." From the materials of the criminal case, the lawyers have now drawn the opposite conclusion - the defendants performed their official duties in good faith, and production defects in an atmosphere of haste, excitement, lack of necessary technological conditions were inevitable and could not be blamed on the heads of the aviation industry and the Air Force.
All seven convicts were released from the Gulag in 1953. Awards and military ranks were returned to them. The positions turned out to be more complicated - they were, of course, already occupied by others. Therefore, many were appointed with a demotion: Marshal Novikov, for example, commander of long-range aviation, and Shakhurin - deputy people's commissar of the USSR aviation industry.
N
Ovikov Alexander Alexandrovich
November 19, 1900 - December 3, 1976
Born in the village of Kryukovo, Nerekhtsky district, Kostroma province (now Nerekhtsky district, Kostroma region). In 1918 he graduated from the Kineshemsko-Khrenovskaya teacher's seminary. He worked as a teacher in the village of Peshevo, near his native village.
In the Red Army since 1919. After being drafted, he was sent to serve in the 27th reserve Volga regiment, stationed in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. In February 1920, Novikov was sent to study at the command courses, after graduation, which in June of the same year was appointed platoon commander of the 22nd reserve infantry regiment. In the same 1920, Novikov became a member of the CPSU (b).
In July 1920, the young commander was transferred to the 7th Army, which fought with the interventionists and White Guards as part of the troops of the Northern Front. Here he headed the reconnaissance of the 384th rifle regiment, acted as adjutant of the 127th rifle brigade and assistant chief of reconnaissance of the 128th rifle brigade and the 43rd rifle division. In March 1921 he took part in the suppression of the counter-revolutionary insurrection in Kronstadt.
In November 1921, Novikov entered the Shot infantry course, which he successfully completed in August 1922. After completing the courses, he is sent for further service in the Transcaucasus, where he consistently fulfills the positions of assistant company commander of the 14th infantry command courses in Batumi, company commander of the Red Army University and battalion commander of the Military-Political School of the Separate Caucasian Army in Tbilisi. During this period, he takes part in battles with bandits in the Transcaucasian region.
From 1926 to 1930 Novikov studied at the MV Frunze Military Academy, after graduating from which he was appointed to the post of intelligence chief of the 11th rifle corps, which was stationed in the city of Smolensk. In September of the same year, a new appointment as chief of the 1st (operational) department of the headquarters of the same corps. In 1932, by order of the commander of the district, Novikov undergoes an internship in one of the aviation units as an observer pilot. This was done in order to expand the horizons of the combined-arms commanders, who had to organize interaction with aviation.
In March 1933, a radical turn in the service of our fellow countryman took place. The fact is that at this time the Air Force of the Red Army was rapidly developing. The production of aviation equipment was increasing, new military units and formations of the Air Force were created, and there were not enough competent chiefs who could organize the competent operation and combat use of aviation. In this regard, it was decided to replenish the command staff of the Air Force with representatives of other combat arms.
In March 1933, Novikov was appointed chief of staff of the 450th Aviation Brigade of the Belarusian Military District, which was stationed here in Smolensk. But he did not confine himself to only fulfilling the duties of chief of staff. He began to master aviation technology. First, he made an independent flight on the training U-2, and then on the R-5 combat reconnaissance aircraft. After two years of service in aviation, Novikov still lacked knowledge and experience. Then he turned to the commander of the district with a request to appoint him as the squadron commander. The request was granted and he was appointed commander of the 42nd Light Bomber Squadron.
(From the funds of the Nerekhta Museum of Local Lore)
In 1938, Novikov was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District. The volume and complexity of the tasks before him have increased significantly. But the experience gained during his service in Smolensk allowed him to successfully solve the problems that arose not only in peacetime, but also during the war with Finland. The successes of Alexander Alexandrovich in the new post were highly appreciated. In 1940 he was awarded the Order of Lenin and appointed to the post of Commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District.
In this position, he met the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The Air Force of the Leningrad Front were able to give a proper rebuff to the enemy. The results of two months of unusually fierce air battles on the near approaches to Leningrad testify to the very high combat effectiveness of Leningrad aviation and its correct use. In total, during this time, in air battles, at airfields and from anti-aircraft artillery fire, the enemy lost 780 aircraft, we -534. Novikov's contribution to the defense of the Leningrad sky was appreciated and in 1941 he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Details about his activities as commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District and the front A.A. Novikov told in the book "In the sky of Leningrad" published by the publishing house Nauka in 1970.
In February 1942 by decision State Committee Defense Novikov was appointed First Deputy Commander of the Red Army Air Force, and in April of the same year, Commander of the Air Force - Deputy (until May 1943) of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense for Aviation. Alexander Alexandrovich made a great contribution to the development of the Air Force. Under his leadership, in May 1942, aviation operational associations - air armies - began to be created in front-line aviation. In the fall of 1942, the formation of separate aviation corps and reserve divisions of the Supreme High Command began, which made it possible to quickly concentrate large aviation forces in the most important areas.
As a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Novikov coordinated the hostilities of a number of air armies in Stalingrad battle and the Kuban air battle at the Kursk Bulge. The contribution of our fellow countryman to the defeat of the German fascist troops was appreciated at its true worth. For the skillful leadership of the Air Force in the defeat of the Nazi troops at Stalingrad on March 17, 1943, he was the first among aviators to be awarded the title of Marshal of Aviation, For the battles at the Kursk Bulge, he was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 1st degree.
Air Marshal A.A. Novikov 1943 g.
A huge contribution to the defeat of the enemy was made by the Air Force, while Novikov, as a representative of the headquarters, coordinated the actions of units and formations of the Air Force during the liberation of Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. In February 1944, Novikov was the first to be awarded only the newly introduced military rank Chief Marshal of Aviation, in addition, this year he was awarded two Orders of Suvorov 1st degree, the Order of Kutuzov 1st degree and the Order of the Red Banner.
The victorious year 1945 has come and again Novikov is coordinating the actions of aviation, now with the liberation of East Prussia, Romania, Hungary, Poland. In February 1945, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, and on April 17, 1945, by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, in May-June 1945, he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor of the Commander-in-Chief (USA), Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France) and the Order of the Military Cross (France).
A. A. Novikov and Smirnov D.I. at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
(From the funds of the Kostroma Museum-Reserve)
After the victory over Nazi Germany, Novikov did not have to rest for a long time, he left for the Far East to coordinate the actions of Air Force units and formations in the upcoming war with Japan. With the start of the offensive Soviet troops Army and naval aviation inflicted powerful strikes on fortified areas in the border zone, as well as on the administrative and political centers of Changchunyi Harbin, the ports of Yuki, Racine and the Seisin naval base. Subsequently, the aviation ensured the advancement of mechanized and cavalry formations deep into the territory of Manchuria, and also landed troops in Mukden, Port Arthur and a number of other cities.
For the skillful leadership of aviation combat operations in the Far East, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 8, 1945, A.A. Novikov. was awarded v second medal "Gold Star". In addition, he was awarded the Order of the Mongolian People's Republic Battle Red Banner "For Military Valor" and "For Military Merit".
After the war, in April 1946, after the son of I.V. Stalin, Vasily complained to his father that American planes are better than Soviet ones, together with the Minister of Aviation Industry of the USSR A.I. Shakhurin was arrested. In May 1946, at the trial, together with Shakhurin, a member of the Military Council of the Air Force, N.S. Shimanov, deputy commander of the Air Force A.K. Repin, head of the Air Force Main Directorate of Orders N.P. Seleznev, heads of the personnel management departments of the Central Committee A.V. Budnikov and G.M. Grigoryan was sentenced to imprisonment. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 20, 1946, he was deprived of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and all state awards. After Stalin's death, in May 1953 he was amnestied and reinstated in service in Armed Forces ah the USSR.
The title of Hero of the Soviet Union and state awards were returned by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 13, 1953.
In 1953-1955 Novikov commander of Long-Range Aviation and at the same time in 1954-1955 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Force. From 1956 - in reserve, and from the same year - head of the Higher Aviation School of the Civil Fleet. He penned the memoirs "In the Sky of Leningrad" (1970), textbooks and works on the history of Soviet aviation. In 1958 A.A. Novikov was awarded the title of professor. He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd convocation. For his contribution to ensuring the combat readiness of the Air Force in peacetime Novikov A.A. was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and two Orders of the Red Star.
He died on December 3, 1976, and was buried in the hero-city of Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.
A bronze bust of the Hero was installed in Kostroma, memorial plaques - in Moscow, Kostroma. Streets of Marshal Novikov in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Kostroma, the Novikov square in the town of Nerekhta, Kostroma region. His name was also assigned to the State Secondary Special educational institution"Aviation and Transport College of Civil Aviation" (St. Petersburg), was previously assigned to the Balashov Higher Military Aviation School, a vessel of the Ministry of Fisheries, one of the strategic bombers Tu-160 of the Air Force of the Russian Federation.
Airplane Tu-160 "Alexander Novikov"
at the airport of Caracas Venezuela October 2013
In the days of celebrating the 70th anniversary Great Victory the name of A.A. Novikov recorded on memorial plaques placed on the Monument of Glory on Peace Square in Kostroma.
Sources:
Heroes of the Soviet Union. A Brief Biographical Dictionary. Volume 2.M .: Voeniz., 1988
E.P. Golubev Battle stars. - Yaroslavl: Verkh.-Volzh.kn.izd., 1972
E.P. Golubev Battle stars. Kostroma 2009 pp. 438 - 446
Air army commanders. M .: Patriot, 2006.
People of immortal deeds. Book 2.M., 1975
Druzhnev V. Triumphs and tragedies of Marshal Novikov. Newspaper Kostromskie vedomosti April 4, 2001.
Zaitsev E. Portrait of a father depicted by his daughter. Severnaya Pravda newspaper on July 10, 2001.
Novikova S.A. The case of the aviators. Newspaper Kostromskie vedomosti No. 90, November 16-22, 2010.
Novikova T.P. Remembers the widow of the hero - a fellow countryman. Newspaper Nerekhtskaya Pravda July 16, 2000.
Materials from the funds of the Kostroma Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve.
Materials from the funds of the Nerekhta Museum of Local Lore of the Kostroma Region.
Heroes of the Country website
Head of the Military History Department
Kostroma State Historical and Architectural
and art museum-reserve
Belous Mikhail Alexandrovich
N Ovikov Alexander Alexandrovich - Commander of the Air Force of the Red Army, Chief Marshal of Aviation.
Born on November 6 (19), 1900 in the village of Kryukovo, now in the Nerekhta District of the Kostroma Region, into a peasant family. Russian. In 1915 he graduated from the parish school in the village of Sedelnitsy (Komsomolsky District Ivanovo region), in 1918 - Kineshemsko-Khrenovskaya teachers' seminary. He worked as a teacher in the village of Peshevo, near his native village.
In the Red Army since 1919. Participant Civil war... He served in the 27th Volga Infantry Regiment. In June 1920, he fought in the 384th Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Infantry Division of the 7th Army against the Finnish troops. In 1920 he graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod infantry courses. Member of the CPSU (b) / KPSS since 1920. In 1921 he took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt mutiny as part of the 128th brigade.
From August 1922 to 1924 he served in the Separate Caucasian Army in the Transcaucasus. In 1922 he graduated from the Higher Tactical and Shooting School of the Command Staff of the Red Army named after the 3rd Comintern (later - courses "Shot"). Since 1922 - commander of a rifle platoon and assistant commander of a company of 14 command courses (Batumi). From February 1923 - company commander and battalion commander at the military-political courses of the Separate Caucasian Army (Tbilisi). Participated in the suppression of the Menshevik uprisings in Georgia in 1922 and 1924.
In 1930 he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy of the Red Army. Since 1930 - at the headquarters of the 11th Rifle Corps of the Belarusian Military District: head of the operational department.
In the Air Force since March 1933. He independently learned to fly, mastered the profession of an observer pilot. In 1933-1935 - Chief of Staff of the 450th Air Brigade (Smolensk), since October 1935 - Commander of the 42nd Light Bomber Air Squadron (Smolensk). In 1937 he was dismissed from the Red Army on a false pretext, but was soon reinstated in his former position. From April 1938 to 1939 - Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District.
Member of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940: Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the North-Western Front. From 1940 to June 1941 - Commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Military District.
Member of the Great Patriotic War since June 1941. In June-August 1941 - Commander of the Air Force of the Northern Front, from 23 August 1941 to 2 February 1942 - Commander of the Air Force of the Leningrad Front. Participated in the battles for Leningrad.
First Deputy Commander of the Red Army Air Force (02/02/1942 - 04/11/1942). From April 11, 1942 to April 22, 1946 - Commander of the Air Force of the Red Army, at the same time from April 26, 1942 to May 20, 1943 - Deputy People's Commissar for Defense of the USSR for aviation.
During the war, he proved himself to be a thoughtful and proactive aviation commander. Under his leadership, the air forces of the fronts were transformed into air armies, the central apparatus of the air force was reorganized, and aviation corps and aviation divisions of the Supreme High Command Reserve were created. He was a representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. The organizer of the air blockade, the encirclement of the enemy forces at Stalingrad, coordinated the combat actions of the aviation of several fronts in the battles of Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, the organizer of the destruction of enemy aircraft in the air battle in the Kuban (spring 1943), a participant in the operations to liberate the North Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus , The Baltic states, Poland, the storming of Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), the Berlin operation. Member of the war with Japan. He initiated the transition of Soviet aviation to more advanced types of aircraft, the creation of the same type of aviation divisions (bomber, assault, fighter), the formation of air armies and aviation corps.
"Z and exemplary fulfillment of combat missions of the Supreme Command on the front against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time "by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 17, 1945 to the Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
"Z and exemplary fulfillment of combat missions of the command on the front of the struggle against the Japanese militarists, who give the right to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union " Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich awarded the second Gold Star medal.
After the war, he was repressed in a fabricated "aviation case". On April 22, 1946, he was removed from his post as commander of the Air Force and arrested. He was accused of deliberately releasing low-quality aircraft, which caused the death of pilots and equipment, and pleaded guilty under beatings. On May 11, 1946, the military collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR was sentenced to 5 years in prison under article 193-17, paragraph "a" of the RSFSR Criminal Code. Together with him were convicted in prison People's Commissar aviation industry of the USSR, Colonel-General A.I. Shakhurin, Aviation Colonels N.S. Shimanov and A.K. Repin, Lieutenant General of the Aviation Engineering Service N.P. Seleznev, heads of departments of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) A.V. Budnikov and G.M. Grigorian. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 20, 1946, A.A. Novikov was deprived of his military rank, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and state awards.
Released from prison on February 12, 1952. On May 29, 1953, by the decision of the Military Collegium, the case was dismissed for lack of corpus delicti and the conviction was cleared. On June 12, 1953, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU made a decision on rehabilitation. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 13, 1953, A.A. Novikov returned the military rank, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and all state awards.
In 1953 - March 1955 - commander of the Long-Range Aviation and at the same time in 1954-1955 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. Since January 1956 - in reserve with the right to wear a military uniform. From August 6, 1956 - head of the Higher Aviation School of the Civil Fleet. Professor (1958).
He penned the memoirs “In the sky of Leningrad. Notes of the Commander of Aviation "(1970), textbooks and works on the history of Soviet aviation (articles" Soviet aviation in the battles for Konigsberg "," Soviet pilots in the battles for the Motherland "," On the far southwestern approaches to Leningrad " isthmus "," "In the battle for Berlin" and others).
Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd convocation (in 1946-1950).
Colonel (03/28/1936);
Major General of Aviation (06/04/1940);
Lieutenant General of Aviation (10/29/1941);
Colonel General of Aviation (01/18/1943);
Air Marshal (03/17/1943, the first in the USSR);
Chief Marshal of Aviation (02/21/1944, the first in the USSR).He was awarded 3 Orders of Lenin (1940, 02.1945, 17.04.1945), 3 Orders of the Red Banner (22.10.1941, 1944, 1953), 3 Orders of Suvorov 1st degree (28.01.1943, 1.06.1944, 19.08.1944), orders Kutuzov 1st degree (07/29/1944), Red Banner of Labor (1961), 2 Orders of the Red Star (1967, 1968), Honorary weapons (02.22.1968), USSR medals (“In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V. Lenin ”,“ For the Defense of Leningrad ”,“ For the Defense of Stalingrad ”,“ For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 ”,“ Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 ”,“ Thirty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 "," For the victory over Japan "," For the capture of Koenigsberg "," For the capture of Berlin "," Veteran of the Soviet army and the Fleet "," 40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR "," 50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR "," In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad "); foreign awards - the Order of the Legion of Honor of the Grand Officer degree (France), the Order of the Legion of Honor of the Commander-in-Chief (USA), the Order of the Red Banner of the Battle (Mongolia).
Honorary Citizen of the city of Kostroma.
A bronze bust of the Hero was installed in Kostroma, memorial plaques - in Moscow, Kostroma. His name was given to the State Secondary Special Educational Institution "Aviation and Transport College of Civil Aviation" (St. Petersburg). Streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kostroma and Kaliningrad bear the name. The name of the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov was worn by the Balashov Higher Aviation School of Pilots (05/14/1977-1.09.2002).
Sh ate the third day of the war. Restraining the onslaught of the Nazis, the Red Army waged fierce battles. Fascist aviation has already inflicted a number of bombing strikes on Soviet cities Riga, Kaunas, Minsk, Smolensk, Kiev. Leningrad pilots fought air battles on the distant approaches to the city on the Neva. And at the headquarters of the Air Force of the Northern Front under the leadership of General A.A. Novikov, the development of an operation approved by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was coming to an end: more than 500 aircraft were preparing to strike at enemy airfields on the entire front - from Vyborg to Murmansk.
The history of our Air Force has not yet known this. It was necessary in a matter of hours to coordinate the actions of land and sea pilots, who were subordinate to the commanders of three combined-arms armies, two fleets and the front command. On June 25, 1941, an air armada of 263 Soviet bombers and 224 fighters and attack aircraft struck a surprise attack on 19 enemy airfields. For several hours in air battles and on the ground, the enemy lost 41 aircraft. The operation lasted for six days. The number of airfields, which were attacked, was increased to 39. The losses of the fascists also increased. The enemy was forced to pull his aircraft out of the range of the Soviet fighters. So from the first days of battles, massive strikes against enemy airfields became one of the main means of fighting for air supremacy.
The situation near Leningrad was becoming more complicated. At the beginning of July, a threat loomed over Pskov. The commander of the air forces of the Northern Front, General A.A. Novikov proposed to K.E. Voroshilov, who was in charge of the North-Western direction in those days, to concentrate the main aviation forces to support the ground forces of the neighboring North-Western Front and temporarily abandon independent actions of aviation units in Karelia. K.E. Voroshilov and A.A. Zhdanov approved the initiative of A.A. Novikov. But the massive use of aviation, as well as the organization of strikes against airfields, was greatly hampered by the departmental division of aviation formations. It took too much precious time to agree on big and small issues.
To facilitate the leadership of the military operations of troops and aviation, on 23 August, the Northern Front was divided into two fronts: Leningrad and Karelian. At the suggestion of K.E. Voroshilov, A.A. Zhdanov and A.A. Novikov, all aviation that was part of the Leningrad Front was subordinated to a single command.
The first, most difficult months of the war. What tasks did General Novikov not have to solve at that difficult time! Organization of the struggle for air supremacy, interaction with ground forces and the Navy, aerial reconnaissance, equipment repair, provision of ammunition ... Consulting with his deputies and staff officers, the aviation commander of the Leningrad Front always found original solutions, steadily implemented them ... An example of this is the brilliantly carried out operation of bombing and attacking airfields, with which we began our story.
To emphasize the importance of this or that task, the commander often went to front-line airfields, talked with pilots, engineering personnel, and servicemen of service units. Distinctive feature his style of working with people is companionable treatment of subordinates. And the pilots believed their flagship, loved him, were proud that he personally sets a combat mission. And this was very important on days when I had to climb into the sky 6 - 8 times, fight alone against five or more opponents.
In mid-July, the ratio of forces in the air in the Leningrad region was approximately 2: 1 in favor of the Nazis. Our pilots were more and more convinced that it was difficult and tactically unprofitable to fight in close formation and battle formations of groups. It was urgently required to abandon a flight of three aircraft and switch to a pair consisting of a leader and a follower. The same was demanded by the use of new technology that entered service with aviation. General Novikov, studying combat experience, was perhaps one of the first to appreciate and support this innovation.
Looking ahead, we will say that a pair of aircraft as the basis of the battle formation of fighters did not immediately take root. But even in those days, the paths of the development of tactics were guessed behind it. The pilots of other fronts also understood this. They, too, were persistent in their search. Gradually, battle groups of four, six or more aircraft began to be created from pairs. If necessary, pairs and groups were echeloned in height. Air combat has become swift, dynamic and effective. However, the innovation was introduced into the combat practice of all the Air Force much later. Only at the end of the second year of the war, the pair was accepted as the basis of the battle formation not only in fighter, but also in assault aviation.
WITH A.A. Novikov opened up at the post of commander of the Air Force of the Red Army, for which General A.A. Novikov was appointed in the spring of 1942. A number of new products, which were once tested in the skies of Leningrad and justified themselves in the practice of hostilities, gradually began to be introduced on other fronts.
First of all, obviously, the contribution of A.A. Novikov into a radical restructuring of the organizational structure of the Air Force. The creation of air armies, which, as a rule, became part of the front as an independent unit, made it possible to correct the mistake of peacetime and significantly expanded the possibilities of massive use of aviation.
The creation of homogeneous - fighter, assault and bomber - air divisions and reserve air corps also contributed to the increase in the combat effectiveness of the Air Force. As a result of these transformations, the Red Army had a mobile impact force unprecedented power, which could maneuver from the White to the Black Sea and have a significant impact on the strategic situation of the whole area.
On trips to the front as a representative of the Headquarters, A.A. Novikov, the outstanding abilities of a military leader who deeply and comprehensively analyze the situation, who know how to foresee the course of events, most rationally, with the prospect of using the available forces and means, manifested themselves. Solving strategic and operational tasks, the Air Force commander did not forget for a minute about improving tactics.
Take flights in winter, for example. Until 1942, fighter aircraft used ski chassis, which ensured the safety of takeoff and landing in snow cover without significant costs for preparing the airfield. But skis in the air are a hindrance. They reduced the flight speed, worsened the maneuverability of the combat vehicle. "What if you fly on wheels in winter too?" thought Novikov. Has consulted with experts. They agreed that it would be better to spend efforts on clearing snow drifts and rolling snow, rather than go on deteriorating the tactical and technical data of fighters. With the permission of the Headquarters, an experiment was carried out in combat conditions. He justified the wildest hopes. Since the spring of the forty-second, the fighters flew only with wheeled landing gear and retained their maneuverable advantages throughout the year.
The Air Force commander constantly and with great care studied the combat experience accumulated in the troops, paying special attention to the effectiveness of the use of weapons and equipment, the combat capabilities of groups of aircraft of various composition, and tactical innovations. Therefore, his instructions to officers and generals were distinguished by concreteness, clarity of thought, comprehensive knowledge combat capabilities of each aviation unit.
Continuous growth of aviation personnel training, enrichment of them with combat experience is one of the important conditions for achieving victory over the enemy. The Air Force Commander taught aviation commanders and staff officers to deeply understand the nature and methods of warfare and skillfully apply their knowledge in a specific situation.
Remarkable in this respect is the case that occurred on the 1st Ukrainian Front near Ternopil. The encircled enemy grouping blocked the only highway along which the supply of our troops, which advanced to the west, went.
Such a splinter in our rear, you can't pull it out! the front commander said angrily at the meeting.
A.A. Novikov, who in those days coordinated the combat operations of several air armies in the battles for the Right-Bank Ukraine, made a very risky, but perhaps the only correct decision in the current situation: to strike the surrounded enemy grouping during the day with the forces of two divisions of U-2 light night bombers. The fact is that it was necessary to bomb very precisely - our troops were nearby! But if several pairs of enemy fighters had broken through to the battlefield, the defenseless and fragile U-2 would have been unsuitable. Everything was decided by a powerful fighter cover. Crews of light-winged nightlights worked perfectly during the day. As soon as the last of them was bombed, the Nazis threw out the white flag.
P In preparation for each new operation, General, and from March 17, 1943, Air Marshal A.A. Novikov and his closest assistants, members of the Military Council of the Air Force N.S. Shimanov, G.A. Vorozheikin, S.A. Khudyakov, F. Ya. Falaleev, A.N. Nikitin and others strove to bring something new, based on experience, into the combat use of aviation. One cannot but recall the escort of tanks and infantry by attack aircraft. The shoots of this tactical technique were born on the Karelian Isthmus. Then they got stronger on the Leningrad Front in 1941. And finally, now as a form of combat use of ground attack aircraft, they were established in August 1942 on the Western Front.
And therefore, A.A.'s proposal was completely natural. Novikov's main stake in the Battle of Stalingrad should be made not on bombers, but on attack aircraft, while fighters remained the main means of fighting for air supremacy. This was beneficial for the aviation industry: attack aircraft were cheaper in production than bombers, and at that time every combat vehicle was worth its weight in gold. The practice of combat has confirmed the foresight of the Air Force commander. Despite the bad weather, "silts" took off almost every day. Accompanying tanks and infantry, they smashed enemy defenses on the front line and in the tactical zone, if necessary, they fought air battles with enemy fighters and bombers, carried out the tasks of air reconnaissance.
Another innovation proposed by the Air Force command proved itself in the battle on the Volga: control of air battles from the ground by radio. By the way, very soon communication by radio in the Air Force was introduced everywhere, and by the end of the forty-fourth year, according to the order of the commander, not a single aircraft crew had the right to go up into the sky without stable radio communication.
The power of Soviet aviation grew day by day. By the spring of 1943, when the famous air battle flared up in the skies of the Kuban, our aviation was no longer inferior to Hitler's in terms of the quality of equipment and the number of combat units, and in some ways even surpassed it. The combat skill of the pilots and the art of aviation commanders and staffs have grown noticeably. During air battles in the Kuban, the Air Force commander personally got acquainted with the combat operations of the pilots of the 4th and 5th air armies. However, on the very first day it was noted that our pilots took off more often than fascist ones, and Soviet aviation, in essence, did not have air supremacy. Corresponding adjustments were immediately made to the organization of combat operations of aviation and its tactics: bombers began to operate massively, in large groups, making several approaches to the target; stormtroopers increased the time they spent over the territory occupied by the enemy; the fighters moved the bulk of their operations beyond the front line. In the Kuban, Soviet pilots won one of the largest air battles.
Meanwhile, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was intensively preparing for the battle on the Kursk Bulge. By that time, the aviation for direct escort of ground forces had noticeably increased. Suffice it to say that at the height of the summer battles, more than a thousand "silts" were sent to the front every month. The art of interaction between aviation and ground forces has also grown. At least the following fact speaks volumes about this. The air supremacy won by the fighters in the first days of the operation allowed the Soviet attack aircraft, together with the tankers on July 7, to defeat a strong enemy tank grouping in the vicinity of the Ponyri railway station in a matter of hours.
Alexander Alexandrovich fell silent, smiled at something.
And yet, Stalin's order was carried out, - he continued, - on February 15, attack aircraft armed with cumulative bombs - on board each but two hundred and fifty one and a half kilogram bombs - inflicted several massive strikes on the advancing Nazi tanks and stopped them. The aviators did their job well. Many were awarded, and on February 21 I was awarded the title of Chief Marshal of Aviation ...
V there is about the assignment of the highest military rank in aviation found A.A. Novikov on the 1st Ukrainian Front. Here he coordinated the actions of several air armies almost until mid-May, and at the beginning of June he went to Leningrad as a representative of the General Headquarters to check the readiness of the aviation of the front and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet for the upcoming battles on the Karelian Isthmus. Air Chief Marshal A.A. Novikov coordinated the combat actions of the aviators virtually until the end of the operation.
An interesting detail. The Air Force commander did not fly from Moscow to Leningrad on board a passenger plane, but in the cockpit of a Yak-7 training fighter. The chief marshal wanted to personally verify the validity of the pilots' complaints about the rough finish of the laryngaphones and headphones of the headsets that entered service. So Alexander Alexandrovich always acted when it came to the interests of subordinates, to supply pilots with good equipment.
The beginning of the Belarusian operation "Bagration" was approaching. By this time, the radical restructuring of the Air Force was completed, and their operational skill had grown and improved. The aviation industry provided the Air Force enough combat aircraft - 16 thousand were produced in six months. Now, on all fronts, Soviet pilots were masters in the sky, they dictated their will to the Nazis and imposed their tactics on them. The struggle for air supremacy was still one of the main tasks of Soviet aviation, one of the main conditions for the success of operations. ground forces in offensive operations.
About 6 thousand aircraft - five air armies - were involved in the Belarusian operation. Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov suggested using all long-range aviation during the battle. The leadership and coordination of the actions of the air armies was carried out by the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, together with prominent aviation commanders S.A. Khudyakov, A.E. Golovanov, K.A. Vershinin, S.I. Rudenko and others.
The Belarusian operation covered a huge territory - more than 1000 kilometers along the front and up to 600 kilometers in depth. And in all directions, the role of aviation was very important. When advancing in a wooded and swampy area, where there are very few roads, the artillery inevitably lagged behind the advanced units. And then, for the development of success, only aviation could make up for the lack of artillery fire. The pilots, despite the bad weather, coped with this task brilliantly. The enemy was dropped from well-fortified positions, and then surrounded and destroyed in a matter of days. During the operation, our ground forces, in close cooperation with aviation, formed three large "cauldrons" - in the region of Vitebsk, Bobruisk and Minsk - and in a short time defeated the encircled enemy groupings.
And again, Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov is on his way, in the thick of frontline events, in the direction of the main attack. In a short essay, it is impossible to describe the course of all the operations in which he took part. But it is obviously expedient to recall the assault on Konigsberg. In her, the leadership qualities of the Air Force commander were especially vividly manifested.
P Before talking about the storming of the capital of East Prussia, I would like to tell you about one experiment, which began on the initiative of A. A. Novikov at the Kursk Bulge. It is on the use of IL-4 long-range bombers to destroy defensive structures when breaking through enemy defenses in daytime conditions. One IL-4 division under reliable fighter cover served as front-line bombers. The experiment was successful. It was repeated in June 1944 on the Karelian Isthmus. Success again. In the course of the Konigsberg operation, it was decided to use not one formation of heavy night bombers during the day, but the entire 18th Air Army "which was created on the basis of long-range aviation.
"April 7, 1945, - writes in his book" In the skies of Leningrad "Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. on enemy targets and troops in Konigsberg. As a result of this blow, the command of the garrison lost control of the troops, the enemy's resistance sharply weakened and our assault detachments began to move forward rapidly. "
However, the enemy was not yet broken. Again, long-range bombers delivered powerful strikes against German fascist troops in the citadel in the afternoon. In just one day, on April 8, our aviation made more than 6 thousand sorties in the skies of Konigsberg. The strongest fortress, which contained a large garrison and everything necessary for long-term resistance, was defeated in a matter of days.
To what has been said, we add that by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 17, 1945, Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. This happened at the height of the Berlin operation, which was distinguished by a gigantic scale of aviation operations.
This battle was exceptional not only in terms of the number of forces and means used in it. It was seen as a decisive operation, the goal of which is the final crushing and unconditional surrender of Hitlerite Germany. Four air armies under the leadership of prominent air commanders S.I. Rudenko, S.A. Krasovsky, A.E. Golovanov, K.A. Vershinin was supported by the advancing ground forces, fought to maintain air supremacy, and organized an air offensive. The general leadership of aviation was carried out by the Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov.
What was most characteristic of the use of the Air Force on the final stage wars? Taken together, this is an air offensive, that is, a concentrated, massive and continuous impact on the enemy from the air during the entire period of the battle and throughout its entire depth. The close interaction of attack aircraft with tankers, with reliable fighter cover, made it possible to carry out an unprecedented depth of escort of the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front. A complex, brilliantly carried out in some 30 minutes, a maneuver by several corps and divisions of the 4th Air Army in the offensive zone of the army of P.I. Batova? He earned high praise from the command, as he contributed to the development of success in the main direction.
Berlin fell. Hitlerite Germany capitulated. Grateful humanity will forever remember that it was on the Soviet-German front that the main forces of the fascist Reich and its accomplices - 607 divisions, three quarters of all aviation, most of the artillery and tanks - were defeated. Together with the soldiers of the army and navy, Soviet pilots led by A.A. Novikov.
WITH emptying three months after the victory over Nazi Germany Soviet Union, entered the war with Japan. The Far Eastern theater of military operations in its geographical and climatic conditions significantly different from the European one. Mountain ranges, deserts, wide rivers, wild taiga, and most importantly, long distances significantly complicated the actions of both ground troops and aviation. Even during the preparation of the deployment, Chief Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, who learned the task of the Headquarters to coordinate the interaction of air armies, envisaged, along with the massive use of fighters, attack aircraft and bombers, the widespread use of military transport aviation. This novelty paid off immediately. So, to support the forward detachments and the 6th Panzer Army, deeply wedged into the southern and central part of Manchuria, transport aviation pilots flew 1,755 sorties and transported about 200 thousand tons of fuel, ammunition and food.
This was far from easy to accomplish. The fact is that only one 12th Air Army had two transport air divisions. In the rest, it was necessary to mobilize transport aircraft that were part of the communications squadrons and served the headquarters of the formations. After consulting with the commanders, A.A. Novikov decided to use U-2 aircraft with overhead containers to supply the advancing troops.
The spool is small, but expensive, - said the Chief Marshal of Aviation in those days, paying tribute to the unique machine, which was both a light bomber, and a liaison aircraft, and a vehicle.
Our pilots won air supremacy on all fronts of the Far Eastern theater of military operations on the very first day of the war with Japan.
For the destruction of permanent structures and firing points of fortified areas, it was decided to use IL-4 aircraft during the day. Thus, on August 15, 108 night bombers attacked the Dongling fortified area with large-caliber bombs. The result of the blow turned out to be quite high: four bunkers, two bunkers, an ammunition depot, an observation post and many enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed by direct hits.
The offensive continued.
The chief marshal closely followed the course of the hostilities. Together with the headquarters, he carried out the regrouping of aviation regiments and divisions, helping the front commanders to make the most efficient use of aviation.
At the final stage of the operation, airborne assault forces were widely used. From 15 to 27 August they were landed in Manchuria, North Korea, on Sakhalin and Iturup Island in order to seize strategic points and military installations deep in the enemy's rear as quickly as possible in order to ensure the disarmament of the Japanese garrisons and prevent the destruction of material assets. The peculiarity of many landings was that their landing was carried out without preliminary combat support. But the group for escorting military transport aircraft, covering them on the route and suppressing air defense fire weapons in the landing area included combat aircraft... Capturing important administrative-political and industrial centers Manchuria completely disorganized the command and control of the enemy's troops and reserves. On August 19, the Japanese began to lay down their arms everywhere and surrender. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese government signed the act of unconditional surrender.
Soviet aviation made a great contribution to the defeat of the Kwantung Army. It was a powerful and most maneuverable means of armed struggle, which had a significant impact on the outcome of the war. For the skillful leadership of aviation combat operations in the Far East, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated September 8, 1945 A. Novikov was awarded the second Gold Star medal.
A curious document is kept in the archive of Alexander Alexandrovich - a letter from President Franklin Roosevelt, which was received together with the highest commander's order of the United States. “Marshal Novikov,” the letter says, “has shown outstanding ability, diligence and insight in leading the successful air operations of the Red Army. contribution to the cause of the allies ".
AND The name of the Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov is rightfully ranked among the names of outstanding military leaders. Under his leadership, Soviet pilots crushed the military machine of the Third Reich with air strikes, together with all the soldiers of the army and navy, they selflessly fought in air battles for the honor, freedom and independence of our Motherland.