Pavel Rychagov
| Pavel Vasilievich Rychagov | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
2 January 1911 Nizhnie Likhobory, Moscow |
| Died | 28 August 1941 (aged 30) |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union
|
| Service/branch | Soviet Air Forces |
| Rank | Commander of the Soviet Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War, Winter War |
| Awards |
Order of Lenin (twice) |
Order of Lenin (twice)
Pavel Vasilievich Rychagov (2 January 1911 – 28 October 1941) was the Commander of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS) for a brief time from 28 August 1940 to 14 April 1941. He was removed from that position shortly before Operation Barbarossa and the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, and was executed in a purge of the Red Army several months later.
Rychagov was born on 2 January 1911 in the village of Nizhnie Likhobory, which forms part of present-day Moscow. In 1928, he joined the Red Army, trained at the Leningrad Military College of the Air Forces, from which he graduated in 1930. In 1931, he enrolled for further training at the 2nd Military College for Pilots.
For five years, Rychagov was an ordinary fighter pilot, building up skills before becoming commander of an aviation squadron in Kiev Military District. In 1936, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for exemplary service; he was also amongst the first Soviet volunteers to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
The most intense part of Rychagov's career as a fighter pilot came in the Spanish Civil War. On October 28, 1936, Rychagov, leading a group of 15 Soviet pilots flying 25 Polikarpov I-15 aircraft, landed in Cartagena, Spain. A few days later, a further group of 10 pilots and 15 aircraft arrived in Bilbao. Rychagov's fighter group saw their first action on November 4. On that day, they shot down two Junkers Ju 52s and two Fiat CR.32s over Madrid, while no losses were reported among the Soviet pilots. During the next two days, Rychagov's pilots claimed 12 more victories, at the cost of two aircraft lost.
However, on 16 November, Rychagov was shot down over Madrid by Fiat CR.32s, and four days later the number of combat-ready Soviet aircraft in the area had dropped to 15. Seven had been lost in combat, two had been forced to land, and one was undergoing repair. Rychagov, however, stayed on to fight into the spring of 1937. In December 1936 and January 1937 two more shipments of 30 Polikarpovs I-15s arrived in Spain, allowing the formation of a complete combat unit of four I-15 squadrons. By the end of the war, Rychagov's fighter group claimed 40 victories overall.
...
Wikipedia