Hero of the Soviet Union Gavrish Ivan Fomich
Commander of a flight in the 74th Guards Stalingrad Assault Aviation Regiment (1st Guards Stalingrad Assault Aviation Division, 1st Air Army, 3rd Belorussian Front), Guards Senior Lieutenant.
Born on April 7, 1920, in the village of Sadovoe, now part of the Moscow District of Chui Region in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, in a peasant family. Ukrainian. Graduated from incomplete secondary school. Lived in the city of Frunze (Bishkek). Worked as a helper at an airfield.
In the Red Army since 1938. In March 1940, he graduated from the Volzhsk Military Aviation Technical School (now Volzhsk Higher Military Logistics School, Military Institute). Served as an aviation technician in the 136th Bomber Aviation Regiment in the cities of Lebedin, Sumy Region, and Berdichev, Zhytomyr Region.
Participant in the Great Patriotic War since June 22, 1941. He started the war as an aviation technician. In 1943, he retrained on the Il-2 aircraft. He was a senior pilot and flight commander. Fought on the Southwestern, Southern, Stalingrad, again Southern, 4th Ukrainian, and 3rd Belorussian fronts. Member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1944. Wounded once in battle.
Participated in: border defensive battles in the area of the cities of Dubno, Rivne, Berdichev, the defense of Kyiv, battles near Kharkiv – in 1941; the Barvenkovo-Lozovaya operation, the Battle of Stalingrad – in 1942; battles on the Mius River, in the Donbas and Melitopol operations, battles in Northern Tavria, including in the area of the Sivasch bridgehead and Perekop – in 1943; battles on the Nikopol bridgehead and in Crimea, in the Belorussian operation, including the liberation of the cities of Orsha, Borisov, Minsk, the territory of Lithuania, in the Goldap-Gumbinnen operation – in 1944; battles in East Prussia, including in the Insterburg-Koenigsberg and Zemland operations – in 1945.
As a flight commander of the 74th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment, Guards Senior Lieutenant Gavrish by March 1945 made 100 combat sorties, shot down 13 tanks, destroyed about 60 vehicles, several ammunition depots, and a lot of other enemy equipment and personnel.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 19, 1945, for exemplary performance of combat missions from the command at the front in the fight against the German-fascist invaders and for displayed courage and heroism, Guards Senior Lieutenant Gavrish Ivan Fomich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Medal of "Gold Star" (No. 6236).
In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, he made 129 combat sorties.
After the war, he continued to serve as a squadron commander and assistant for air-gun service to the commander of the assault aviation regiment in the North Caucasian Military District (NCMD). In 1953, he graduated from the Higher Officer Flight Technical Courses.
Since 1959, Major I.F. Gavrish was in reserve. He lived in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Died on October 30, 1994. Buried at the Northern Cemetery in Rostov-on-Don.
A memorial plaque has been installed on the territory of the Volzhsk Higher Military Logistics School (Military Institute).
He was awarded the Order of Lenin (04.19.45), 2 Orders of the Red Banner (07.03.44; 01.29.45), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (02.07.45), 2 Orders of the Patriotic War 1st class (10.07.44; 03.11.85), the Order of the Red Star (12.30.56), medals "For the Capture of Koenigsberg," "For Victory over Germany," "30 Years of the SA and Navy."
FROM THE TRIBE OF WINGED
A smart, strong-willed face, black eyebrows spread apart. A dark tuft is combed up, revealing a high forehead. On his broad shoulders are captain's epaulettes, and on his chest, among numerous orders and medals, the "Gold Star" of the Hero catches the eye.
The officer's gaze, his entire appearance speaks of the calm confidence of a man who has fulfilled his duty well and honestly.
This is how the military photographer captured the Guards Captain of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Gavrish in 1945 — one of the victorious army in the fiercest war humanity has ever faced.
In that victorious year, Ivan Fomich sent this photograph to his native village of Sadovoe, founded in the Chui Valley at the end of the last century by settlers from Ukrainian and southern Russian provinces. His mother Praskovya Ananievna, sisters, and brothers who returned from the war were there. He had left his parental home just seven years ago...
Did the poor peasant's son Ivan Gavrish ever think, ever wonder that he would glorify his Sadovoe, that he would have to defend his native village and thousands of villages and cities of his homeland from a fierce, cruel enemy, that he would soar above his great country as a heroic falcon, seeing from above its greatness and heroic strength, and its sorrow and wounds inflicted by war?
Probably, he never thought about all this, never wondered. But the readiness not to let his native land be insulted, where a new happy life was entering its rights so young, joyfully, and powerfully — this readiness to defend the Motherland was formed in the village boy by the very Soviet reality, by his class instinct as the son of a poor peasant.
Ivan's father, Foma Petrovich, and his older brothers — Anton, Vasily, Alexey were active participants in establishing Soviet power and the collective farm system in Sadovoe. Anton Gavrish, for example, served in the militia in the 1920s, dispossessing the wealthy, participating in the destruction of kulak gangs. Together with his brother Vasily, he was one of the first to join the collective farm in 1929. The Gavrish brothers were the most steadfast communists, holding on to the collective farm with all their might, so to speak, with their teeth.
The youngest of the Gavrishes — Vanyatka was also accustomed to hard peasant labor from childhood. But the older brothers, who had completed two to four grades of rural school, decided at a family council: let at least one of our family be literate, we will teach Vanya.
— Only thanks to the help of my brothers, — recalls Ivan Fomich, — I had the opportunity to finish seven grades of Sadovoe incomplete secondary school.
And it was a winged time, the time of the legendary flights of Chkalov, polar aviation pilots, the time of aeroclubs, Osoaviakhim, and Voro-shilov sharpshooters. The Komsomol called out in those years: "Youth of the Soviet Country — to the airplane!" What boy did not dream of the sky, of the cockpit of a winged machine back then!
Komsomol member Ivan Gavrish also firmly decided: I will be a pilot. And the young man traveled from distant Kyrgyzstan to Russia, near Saratov, to the Volzhsk Military Aviation Technical School, which he successfully graduated from in 1940. And here, 20-year-old 2nd rank military technician Ivan Gavrish receives an assignment to an aviation regiment stationed in the city of Lebedin, Sumy Region. And on the fields of Europe, war was already raging, unleashed by a mad Fuhrer with the treacherous connivance of the governments of Western countries. And although many wanted to believe that the fiery whirlwind would bypass our country — after all, a non-aggression pact had been signed with Germany — everyone understood that complacency had no place, that one must be ready in full arms to meet any enemy, no matter where he came from — from the West or the East.
And then it struck — war.
The first days of the war were particularly memorable for military aviation technician Ivan Gavrish.
— Our 136th close bomber aviation regiment, — Ivan Fomich recalls, — in the summer of 1941 was located in the city of Berdichev, Zhytomyr Region. The planes were in hangars, and the pilots and technicians lived in tents. The weather was excellent and warm. We, young aviators, discussed how to spend the upcoming Sunday on June 22. But at four in the morning, we were raised by combat alarm. A beautiful summer day was beginning. It was fresh and clear. We listened to the first call of the waking birds. We expected the alarm to be lifted soon, but the command was delayed. It was only by one o'clock in the afternoon that we were informed that war with Germany had begun that morning. It was frustrating that in the first days our pilots could not participate in battles — our wooden "BB-22" (close bombers) lacked flight range, and their armament was too weak — only two machine guns.
Somewhere around June 28-29 — the first attack by several fascist "Junkers." The airfield was put out of action. Several technical staff members were killed. It was only then, when we saw the death of our combat friends, the destroyed equipment, the first ruins, and the first human grief, that we felt what war was like.
Immediately after this, we began to dig "foxholes" for shelter. Then our pilots started to fly on combat missions.
Showing courage and bravery, they, fighting in outdated types of aircraft, inflicted significant damage on the enemy's aviation, but each time only two or three returned from the group that had flown on the mission, or even just one...
And how bitter it was for those on the ground who met their planes and often did not wait for them! They rushed into battle, eager to replace their fallen comrades, to avenge them!
But to successfully strike the enemy, one had to master aviation technology well, to fully grasp the art of piloting, all the subtleties of aerial combat, tactics, and techniques for fighting a cruel and strong enemy. Already in September 1941, Ivan Gavrish, as part of a group of technicians familiar with the aircraft's design, was sent for training to the Voronezh School of Initial Pilot Training, and then to the Balashov Military Aviation School of Pilots. In the aviation school, which soon evacuated to Altai, in Slavgorod, cadets trained as assault pilots.
Cadet Gavrish, like many of his comrades, repeatedly approached the leadership with a persistent request to send him to the front, so much so that one day the head of the school could not stand it and forbade the cadets to approach him with such requests in the future.
— The front needs literate, skilled pilots, not targets for fascist aces, — he said, — master flying skills, combat tactics, so that you can truly strike the enemy. And we will not keep you for a single extra day.
And so, in November 1943, receiving new "IL-2" aircraft at the factory, 13 former aviation technicians arrived in the active army. This was the Southwestern Front, the 74th Guards Assault Aviation Stalingrad Red Banner Regiment of the 1st Assault Division.
From this day begins the combat chronicle of pilot-assault aviator Ivan Gavrish.
— By the summer of 1943, — Ivan Fomich recounts, — Soviet aviation had gained air superiority. Our pilots gained combat experience, skill, and mastered the science of victory. By this time, the country had provided them with excellent combat machines, which were not inferior to the best combat aircraft of the enemy, and sometimes even surpassed them in their flight and tactical qualities. Such was our legendary attack aircraft "IL-2," which the Germans rightly called "black death."
The regiment and division, where we arrived with our comrades on the new "ILs," had already a long and heroic combat path, the regiment had successfully participated in battles near Stalingrad, and there were Heroes of the Soviet Union here. We, the newcomers, were very eager not to let our battle-hardened comrades down.
The first combat sortie. For every pilot, it is unforgettable. And I remember it forever in all its details.
We were to attack the enemy's manpower and tanks located on the left bank of the Dnieper near the city of Nikopol. This was the only enemy bridgehead still remaining on the left bank of the Dnieper.
The first instructions from the commander: "Shoot and bomb where the commander does. Do not lose sight of the leading aircraft." We took off. Approaching the front line — continuous anti-aircraft fire. The commander began to maneuver, dodging anti-aircraft shell explosions. Here he went into the attack, and we rushed after him. I kept close to the leading aircraft. It dove, and I followed suit. First, we dropped rocket shells, on the second pass — bombs, on subsequent passes we fired from cannons and machine guns. In the air, there were continuous explosions of shells.
And above us, a battle was taking place between our escorting fighters and enemy aircraft. I received the command to make another pass, as I was running out of shells. On this pass, an anti-aircraft shell hit the engine of my "IL." A thick black smoke poured out. I immediately remembered that in such a situation, I needed to head back to my territory.
I turned around, flew. The plane continued to smoke, being pulled towards the ground. I flew past some village, and ahead was a field. Without lowering the landing gear, I landed "belly up."
Where I landed, I do not know, perhaps on enemy territory. The gunner and I exited the cockpit. There was no cover, just open fields around. I ordered the gunner to prepare for battle, to take position behind the machine gun. If fascists appear, we will fight to the last bullet. Soon, in the distance, a group of soldiers appeared; it was hard to determine who they were. As they approached, the tension eased: it turned out to be our own. From them, we learned that we had landed in an area occupied by Red Army units. We determined our location on the map. We handed over the aircraft to the ground unit and walked back to our unit. We walked about 40 kilometers.
They gave me another aircraft, and again into battle, to the same place. We attacked again and returned home. When we landed, I looked: the aircraft was riddled with bullets and shell fragments.
The next day, we made a third sortie again to attack tanks, artillery, and enemy manpower. In flight, I felt that I had already gotten the hang of it. I could distinguish enemy tanks and artillery on the ground. I dropped bombs and shot accurately. We made five passes. The commander gave the command to exit the battle. At that moment, I was hit again directly in the aircraft. The engine was smoking, but it was still pulling. I tried to reach the airfield. I fell short by about 10-12 kilometers. I landed in a field with the landing gear down (this is prohibited when landing outside the airfield). I landed.
I got out of the cockpit and saw that around the plane were continuous trenches. At that moment, it seemed that the hair on my head under the helmet stood up. This would have been the end of my war if I had landed in a trench.
It was in the evening. At night, we walked back to our unit with the gunner. On the way, I thought about everything... I had made three combat sorties and had been shot down twice. This means I was a poor soldier, I felt ashamed in front of my comrades, even though I was not alone in this situation. We arrived at the regiment late at night...
And again — combat sorties. After the liberation of the lower reaches of the Dnieper, the aviation division in which Gavrish served was transferred to the 3rd Belorussian Front as part of the 1st Air Army, liberating Belarus and Lithuania from the enemy.
In these battles, according to the testimony of the regiment commander, Hero of the Soviet Union Guards Major Smilsky, I. Gavrish displayed exemplary courage and bravery, high skill. Only during the liberation of the cities of Orsha, Borisov, and Minsk did he make 33 combat sorties, for which he was awarded the Orders of the Red Star and the Patriotic War 1st class.
During fierce battles to break through the enemy defense line on the border of East Prussia and during the days of destroying the surrounded enemy grouping in the area of Koenigsberg, through his daring, skillful actions in difficult weather conditions and under heavy anti-aircraft fire, Guards Captain I. Gavrish inflicted devastating blows on the enemy. Only over East Prussia did his formidable "IL-2" appear 70 times.
Tactical military cunning, bravery, resourcefulness, and high command will always helped him accomplish combat missions in the most difficult weather conditions.
Here is a brief chronicle of the combat sorties of pilot-assault aviator Ivan Gavrish.
... On July 1, 1944, as part of six "ILs," he took off with the task of locating and destroying retreating enemy troops in the area of a forest massif two kilometers northwest of Shepelievichi. The attack aircraft quickly discovered well-camouflaged enemy equipment and, under heavy anti-aircraft fire, destroyed: three tanks, 40 vehicles, blew up two ammunition depots, suppressed the fire of two anti-aircraft artillery batteries, and killed up to 50 enemy soldiers and officers in eight passes. In this sortie, Gavrish directly hit an ammunition depot with a rocket shell, ignited 8 vehicles, and killed 10 Germans.
... On October 16, 1944, Gavrish carried out a combat mission to destroy a concentration of tanks and vehicles in East Prussia near the city of Eydtkunepe. In this sortie, despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, he descended to low altitude and fired at the Germans at close range.
... On January 14, 1945, he flew in pairs with the task of reconnoitering and photographing enemy equipment and manpower in the area of Pentkutkamenen. Our reconnaissance was met by the enemy with heavy anti-aircraft fire. Gavrish discovered a concentration of tanks on the southern outskirts of the settlement, risking his life, descended to low altitude, and photographed the target. The pilots provided the command with valuable reconnaissance data.
And here is the last combat sortie. The pilot recounts it himself:
— On February 22, 1945, fierce battles were underway. Our units could not break the enemy's resistance in the area of the city of Cintin near Koenigsberg. It was ordered to urgently send a group of attack aircraft to this area. This task was assigned to the leader of our group, my combat friend Sukhovolsky, of whom I was the deputy.
We took off. Approaching the target, we saw enemy tanks and artillery. We made 10 passes, all pilots attacked accurately.
While we were in the air, we received thanks from the ground for the success achieved. Sukhovolsky commanded the group to return. But I still had shells left, and I decided to make one last pass.
I returned, released the remaining shells, and began to catch up with my comrades, flying over the treetops. At that moment, I was hit directly in the engine. I barely pulled it over the front line, but since there was a forest all around, the aircraft was severely damaged upon landing.
I was seriously wounded. Soldiers from the ground unit saved me. Pilots from the escorting fighters who accompanied us on the mission reported to the unit that I was killed...
In the silence of the hospital wards, I often thought of my combat friends, imagining how they awaited their return from missions, how they returned from low altitude, almost touching the treetops, their beloved attack aircraft. But often someone fell behind the flock, folding their wings on the fiery path. And yet another mother would look for many years with tearful eyes at the road.
I involuntarily felt sad about home, thinking that somewhere there, in sunny Kyrgyzstan, my relatives and loved ones remembered me and waited for me, while the war continued, and the path was still long and complicated. And for this bloodshed to end sooner, I had to go into battle as quickly as possible...
Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Gavrish would not have to go into battle again. Two months later, the red banner of the Great Victory flew over the defeated Berlin, to which he, the peasant's son from the distant Kyrgyz village of Sadovoe, contributed his part.
... The name Gavrish has not been crossed off the lists of Soviet Air Force pilots. In place of Ivan Fomich, his sons Vladimir and Viktor took the controls of combat aircraft.
After all, the Gavrishes are from the tribe of the winged.
A. BARSHAY, V. SURIN