An extensive lot of documents and photographs to Second World War Soviet fighter ace Ivan Kozhedub, featuring:
A pair of wartime documents, including a 1944 Leningrad Aviation Technical School for the Advanced Training of the Air Force of the Red Army 25th anniversary celebration program, constructed of paper stock with black ink, measuring 150 mm (w) x 208 mm (h), minor soiling evident, in overall near extremely fine condition, and; a Red Army General Staff map of the Magnuszew region, published in 1941, the reverse with a stamped date of 15 April 1946, measuring 402 mm (w) x 460 mm (h), in extremely fine condition.
A 1961 Red Army State Examination Commission workbook, constructed of a card stock binding with a faux red leather exterior, the exterior of the cover with a gilded embossed inscription, the interior with white paper pages with Kozhedub’s handwritten notes, measuring 210 mm (w) x 308 mm (h), most of the interior pages have separated from the spine, with minor material fatigue also evident, in overall better than very fine condition; also accompanied by four black-and-white group photographs, depicting Kozhedub with Soviet Air Force personnel, with some tearing and material fatigue evident, in overall near extremely fine condition.
A Moscow City Council Honour Certificate for the 25th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, constructed of a white card stock binding, the exterior cover with a gilded inscription, the interior with a red and white card stock insert bearing full-colour ink depictions of Kozhedub’s decorations with a typewritten dedications, dated 9 May 1970, measuring 250 mm (w) x 320 mm (h), minor soiling evident, in overall near extremely fine condition.
A group of seven typewritten letters extending 50th birthday greetings to Kozhedub, all constructed of off-white paper with black ink, each forwarded by a Soviet Air Force General with signatures, all measuring 210 mm (w) x 298 mm (h), in extremely fine condition.
A group of 15 greeting cards addressed to Kozhedub, including cards marking Christmas, May Day, and Victory Day, all constructed of card stock with multi-coloured ink, of various sizes, in overall extremely fine condition.
A group of assorted aviation-related correspondence and documents dated between 1980 and 1986, in overall near extremely fine condition.
Also including an extensive lot of original postwar photographs of Kozhedub, consisting primarily of group photographs with Red Army personnel at military congresses, as well as veterans’ meetings and events at military facilities, also including a number of family photographs as well as studio portraits, the latter including a photo negative of Kozhedub in uniform, minor material fatigue and tearing evident, in overall near extremely fine condition.
Footnote: Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was born in Obrazhiyevka, Ukrainian SSR on 8 June 1920. He initially attended vocational schools and graduated from Shostka Chemical Technical School in 1940. He had simultaneously qualified as a pilot with the Shostkinsk Aeroclub, and entered military service the same year. Aiming for service with the Soviet Air Force, Kozhedub graduated from Chuguev Military Air School in 1941.
Despite his desire to see combat upon the German invasion in June 1941, Kozhedub was retained by the school as a flight instructor, training many of the pilots who were sent to the front in the early stages of the war. After submitting a request for frontline service, he was finally transferred to combat in March 1943, flying his first mission on the 26th of that month. Kozhedub’s first kill was a Luftwaffe Ju-87 Stuka, shot down during the Battle of Kursk.
Regarded as the top Soviet fighter ace of the war, he subsequently downed a further 61 German aircraft, including a Me-262 jet fighter, in 330 combat missions. He was named a Hero of the Soviet Union three times, and also received seven Orders of the Red Banner, two Orders of Alexander Nevsky, two Orders of the Red Star, an Order of the Patriotic War, I Class, and numerous other awards and decorations.
He remained in military service after the war, being promoted to Colonel in 1951 and commanding the 324th Fighter Air Division as part of the Soviet intervention in the Korean War. He graduated from the High Command Academy, in 1956, becoming a full General, and continued as an inspector of the Soviet Air Force until his death in 1991.
An unsubstantiated story of Kozhedub’s service claims that, during a case of mistaken identity after entering crossfire between American and German forces, he was forced to defend himself against friendly fire from the former, downing two P-51 fighters.