Yevgeny Pepelyaev
Yevgeny Georgievich Pepelyaev | |
---|---|
Native name | Евгений Георгиевич Пепеляев |
Born | Bodaybo, Irkutsk, Soviet Union | 18 March 1918
Died | 4 January 2013 Moscow, Russia | (aged 94)
Allegiance | Soviet Union |
Service/ | Soviet Air Force |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit | 300th Fighter Aviation Regiment 330th Fighter Aviation Regiment 196th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment |
Commands held | 196th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Yevgeny Georgievich Pepelyaev (Russian: Евгений Георгиевич Пепеляев; 18 March 1918 – 4 January 2013) a Soviet fighter pilot in the Korean war; most Russian sources credit him as the second-highest scoring pilot in the war with 19 shootdowns, placing him only below Nikolai Sutyagin.[1] However, some Western sources indicate him to be the top ace of the war, and he claimed to have 23 victories in his memoir, which would put him above Sutyagin's 22 shootdowns.[2]
Early career and World War II
Pepelyaev was born on 18 March 1918 in
With the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, he was retained in the Far East despite several requests for a combat posting in the west, especially after his brother Konstantin was killed in action. In late 1943 he was still an instructor with the 162nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. He flew at least 10 sorties on the Eastern Front, (some source indicate 12 sorties)[4] flying the Yak-7B, but did not shoot down any German aircraft. In 1945 he was made deputy commander of the 300th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and participated in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, during which he flew four (by other accounts 30)[5] ground-attack missions on the Yak-9T.[6]
The 300th Fighter Aviation Regiment was then assigned surveillance duties covering the deployment of the US troops in Korea until March 1946, when the unit was sent back to the Soviet Union. In December 1947 he became the executive officer of the 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment. In 1949 the unit began receiving the MiG-15 jet fighter.[7]
Korean War
The Korean War began in June 1950 when the Soviet and Chinese Communist backed North Korea invaded United States-backed South Korea. By October 1950 Pepelyaev commanded the 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Secretly the USSR sent several air regiments equipped with the MiG-15 to the Chinese base Antung in Manchuria to support Chinese ground forces. In December 1950 the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps with two fighter divisions was created; Pepelyaev's unit, 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was soon put in the 324th Fighter Aviation Division (commanded by Ivan Kozhedub).[8][9]
The 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment arrived in Manchuria in January 1951, and re-deployed to Antung. On 20 May 1951 a force of 36 MiGs clashed with 28
On July 11 26 MiG-15s of the 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment led by Pepelyaev again engaged Sabres, and one F-86A involved, 49-1297 (
On 6 October 1951 Pepelyaev clashed with Sabres of 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing at 8 km (26,000 ft; 5.0 mi), downing 2 F-86s. The F-86A 49-1319 of Captain Bill Garrett (334th Fighter Squadron), ditched in Sokhoson Bay,[13] while another F-86A, 49-1267 (334th Fighter Squadron) is attributed in some western sources as being lost due to an accident.[14] On 16 October he and his wingman Aleksandr Ryzhkov caught a pair of Sabres of the 336th Fighter Squadron; Pepelyaev shot down one of them, 49-1147, though some sources say the plane was lost due to running out of fuel. The pilot, David B. Freeland ejected and survived.[14][15]
On 8 November 1951 two more American aircraft were claimed; over Pkhenvon he spotted four F-86s, and opened fire at 150–200 m (490–660 ft), downing F-86A 49-1338 flown by Charles W. Pratt (334th Fighter Squadron), who perished.
On 1 December 1951 Pepelyaev forced Lieutenant Thomas T. Mounts to eject from F-80C 49-855,[19] while on 7 January 1952 Pepelyaev led 18 MiG-15s to engage a group of Sabres of the 51st FIW, and Pepelyaev downed F-86E 50-651. Charles E. Stahl ejected and was captured.[20] He claimed another F-86 the next day, but his victim (F-86E 50-679) was repaired and returned to combat.[21] On 11 January 1952 he scored his last shootdown, F-86 50-612 of the 25th Fighter Squadron.[6]
Post war
When he returned to the Soviet Union, Pepelyayev was promoted to deputy commander of the 15th Fighter Aviation Division in November 1952, and was stationed in Oryol. In early 1953, he took charge of the training of pilots that would be sent to fly combat missions in Korea. From 1954, he worked as test pilot.[22]
In 1958, Pepelyaev graduated from the
After demobilization, Pepelyaev lived in Moscow where he worked as a main engineer at the Scientist Research Automatic Instruments Institute until retirement in 1986. In July 1993, he returned to North Korea together with Soviet flying aces Sergey Kramarenko and Dmitry Oskin, during the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the end of Korean War.[22]
In 1995, he was invited to visit
Pepelayev died on 4 January 2013, at the age of 94. He was buried at the Nikolo-Arkhangelskoye Cemetery in Moscow. In February 2022, a commemorative plaque honoring him was unveiled at his former residence in Novogireyevo District in Moscow.[23][24]
Final tally
Breakdowns of Pepelyaev's victories vary; most Russian historians credit him with 19 victories, including Igor Seidov and Mikhail Bykov who credit him with one F-80, two F-94, two F-84, and 14 F-86[6] over the course of 109 sorties that included 38 dogfights.[25]
Awards
- USSR and Russia
- Hero of the Soviet Union (22 April 1952)
- Order of Lenin, twice (10 October 1951, 22 April 1952)
- Order of the Red Banner, thrice (25 July 1949, 2 June 1951, 30 December 1956)
- Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class (11 March 1985)
- Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class (29 September 1945)
- Order of the Red Star, twice (1951,?)
- Medal "For Battle Merit" (1946)
- Medal of Zhukov
- Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (1945)
- Medal "For the Victory over Japan" (1945)
- jubilee medals
- Foreign
References
- ^ Seidov 2016, p. 486-487.
- ISBN 9781853673740.
- ^ Bodrikhin 2018, p. 186.
- ^ Bodrikhin 2018, p. 146.
- ^ Bodrikhin 2018, p. 147.
- ^ a b c d e f Seidov 2016, p. 124.
- ^ Seidov 2016, p. 123.
- ^ Seidov 2016, p. 125.
- ISBN 9781780963204.
- ^ Seidov & Britton 2014, p. 142.
- ^ Werrell 2013, p. 36.
- ^ https://www.koreanwar.org/html/2017_unit_search.html Archived 2018-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Korea War Casualty database VMF-311
- ^ Seidov & Britton 2014, p. 206.
- ^ a b Curtis 2000, p. 31.
- ^ a b Seidov & Britton 2014, p. 245.
- ^ Seidov & Britton 2014, p. 258.
- ^ Werrell 2013, p. 210.
- ^ Wagner, Ray (1963). The North American Sabre. Macdonald. p. 151.
- ^ Seidov & Britton 2014, p. 276.
- ISBN 9780160542893.
- ^ Vasconcelos, Miguel; Administration, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation (2013). Civil Airworthiness Certification: Former Military High-Performance Aircraft. Stickshaker Pubs. pp. 4–82.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "Yevgeny Pepelyayev - top ace of the Korean War". Acepilots.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Пепеляев, Евгений Георгиевич". tass.ru. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "На Зеленом проспекте установили мемориальную доску в честь летчика Евгения Пепеляева". newsvostok.ru. February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ Bykov 2014, p. 920.
Bibliography
- Bodrikhin, Nikolai (2018). Великие летчики мира. 100 историй о покорителях неба (in Russian). Litres. ISBN 9785457070271.
- Bykov, Mikhail (2014). Все асы Сталина. 1936—1953. Moscow: Yauza. OCLC 879321002.
- Curtis, Duncan (2000). North American F-86 Sabre. Crowood. ISBN 9781861263582.
- Tepsurkaev, Yuri; Krylov, Leonid (2008). "Сталинские соколы" против "Летающих крепостей". Хроника воздушной войны в Корее 1950—1953. Moscow: Yauza. OCLC 236113792.
- Pepelyaev, Yevgeny (2005). "Миги" против "Сейбров". Moscow: Yauza. OCLC 70222747.
- Seidov, Igor (2016). Советские асы корейской войны. Moscow: Фонд содействия авиации «Русские витязи». OCLC 970400945.
- Seidov, Igor; Britton, Stuart (2014). Red Devils over the Yalu: A Chronicle of Soviet Aerial Operations in the Korean War 1950-53. Helion and Company. ISBN 9781909384415.
- Werrell, Kenneth P. (2013). Sabres Over MiG Alley: The F-86 and the Battle for Air Superiority in Korea. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612513447.