Ivan Lakeev was born in the village of Sloboda, Kaluga province on February 23, 1908. After moving to Leningrad, he studied at the evening department of the Electromechanical Institute and worked as a port loader.

After being drafted into the army, he graduated from the military theoretical school of pilots and the 14th Engels Military Pilot School here, and was sent to serve in the 107th squadron in the 83rd air brigade of the BelVO.

He participated in the war in Spain from November 1936 to mid-August 1937 on an I-16 fighter, first as a flight commander, then as a squadron commander. Has two wounds. Over 312 sorties, he won 12 victories personally in 50 air battles, and shot down another 16 enemy aircraft as part of a group.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (Gold Star medal number 63) was awarded to Lakeev on November 13, 1937.

Together with other pilots who had experience fighting in Spain, he was sent to strengthen aviation units during the Soviet-Japanese military conflict at Khalkhin Gol. He took a direct part in the battles, although he held the high position of deputy commander of fighter aviation in the 1st Army Group. During the largest air battle in military history at that time, on June 22, 1939, he personally shot down two Japanese planes. Awarded the Order of the Mongolian government "For Military Valor".

In the same year, he took part in the liberation of Western Ukraine, as well as Western Belarus, in the “winter war” with the White Finns. Already at the rank of major general of aviation, he was the leader of the aerobatic team at the air parade in Tushino. He had very great authority in the country's Air Force and was seriously concerned about how things were going in domestic aviation. Despite frequent meetings with Stalin at Kremlin receptions, he miraculously did not suffer before the Great Patriotic War and at the very beginning of it from mass repressions that affected almost the entire military leadership. He took part in the counter-offensive near Tikhvin and Volkhov, near Rostov-on-Don. From April 1943 years he headed the 235th Stalingrad Fighter Aviation Division, commanding it until the end of the war. Lakeev's division was involved in the liberation of Kyiv, repelling enemy counterattacks in the Carpathian region, and in the Lviv-Sandomierz offensive operation. Under the leadership of Ivan Alekseevich, the unit became a guards unit, participated in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the last combat operation was the Moravian-Ostravian operation. In total, during Lakeev’s command, the pilots of his division destroyed 910 enemy aircraft in the sky and on the ground, and the Hero himself was awarded the gratitude of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief 14 times order! Lakeev personally shot down 16 planes during the Great Patriotic War and won another 16 victories in the group.

Before studying at the Military Academy of the General Staff, he headed a fighter aviation division in a military district in Central Asia. He retired to the reserve with the rank of major general of aviation in 1955.

Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev was born in 1908 in the village of Sloboda (now Dzerzhinsky district of the Kaluga region) into a working-class family. Russian.

He graduated from the 7th grade of school and workers' school. Lived in Leningrad, worked as a loader and worker at the Elektrosila plant. He studied at the evening department of the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute. Member of the CPSU(b) since 1930.

In the Red Army since 1931. In the same year he graduated from the Leningrad Military Theoretical School, then, in 1933, from the Engels School of Military Pilots.

Since March 1936 - junior pilot of the 107th fighter squadron of the 83rd fighter brigade of the Belarusian Military District.

In 1936, after the outbreak of the Civil War in Spain, the country's leadership decided to send Soviet military volunteer specialists there. At the beginning of November, a group of 31 fighter pilots from the 83rd Brigade arrived there, among whom was Lieutenant Lakeev. During the hostilities he commanded an I-16 squadron. According to some reports, during his business trip he personally shot down 12 enemy aircraft and 16 in the group, which makes him one of the most successful fighter pilots of the 1930s. Returned to his homeland in August 1937.

From July 1938 - commander of the 16th Fighter Aviation Regiment, from March 1939 he served as head of the fighter department of the Red Army Air Force Directorate. In this position, he was sent to combat areas and participated in the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939 and in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940.

In April 1940, he was appointed deputy head of the flight technical inspection of the 1st Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force; in July he became deputy. Inspector General of the Red Army Air Force. In the same year he was awarded the rank of major general of aviation.

He was the commander of the 5th Army Air Force. In April 1941, with demotion, he was appointed deputy commander of the 14th mixed air division.

During World War II, he commanded the 235th Fighter Aviation Division.

In 1952 he graduated from the Higher Military Academy. K. E. Voroshilova. He held various responsible positions and was deputy commander of the 22nd Air Army.

Retired since 1955, lived in Moscow.

Awards

• Order of the Red Banner (2 January 1937)
• Hero of the Soviet Union (November 3, 1937, medal No. 63)
• Order "For Military Valor" (Mongolian People's Republic) (August 10, 1939)
• Order of the Red Banner (29 August 1939)

Born on February 23, 1908 in the village of Sloboda, Medynsky (now Dzerzhinsky) district, Kaluga region (Russia) in a working-class family. Russian. Graduated from 7th grade. Until 1926 he lived in his village, and then moved to Leningrad. From August 1926 to May 1928 he worked as a loader in the Leningrad commercial port. At the Elektrosila plant he worked as a marking apprentice, a marking operator, and a foreman. He graduated from the workers' department of the Technological Institute in 1929. He studied at the Leningrad Electromechanical Institute, but was drafted into the Red Army.
In the Red Army since June 1931.
From June to December 1931 he studied at the Leningrad Military Theoretical School, and from January of the following year to July 1933 he attended the military pilot school in Engels.
At the rank of lieutenant, he served as a senior pilot in the 107th Fighter Aviation Squadron of the 83rd Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Belarusian Military District.
He took part in the national liberation war in Spain from November 1936 to August 13, 1937, and was a pilot and commander of the 1st squadron of I-16 fighters.
In one of the battles he was wounded in the leg below the knee, but managed to bring the plane to his airfield and land. Two weeks later he began to fly again.
In total, he made 312 combat missions in Spain, participated in 50 air battles, and shot down 32 aircraft (12 personally and 20 in a group). According to other sources, he shot down 4 planes (2 personally and 2 as part of a group).
In December 1937, with the rank of major, he was appointed squadron commander.
From May 1938 to January 1939, with the rank of colonel, he commanded the 16th Fighter Aviation Regiment in the Moscow Military District. Later he held the position of inspector of the Red Army Air Force.
In the summer of 1939, during the fighting in the Khalkhin Gol River area, he fought as part of the 70th Fighter Aviation Regiment and was deputy commander of fighter aircraft of the 1st Army Group.

“...In the evening, Colonel Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev arrived at our camp from the command observation post. He had a difficult mission in Mongolia. As soon as major air battles began, the aviation representative had to go to Hamar-Daba, where the ground forces command post was located. It is unlikely that any of us would express a desire to be at the side of such a strict commander as Zhukov. What was it worth to withstand the questions of many ground commanders below Zhukov’s rank: “Where are our planes, why are they not in the air?”
Meanwhile, dozens of planes were fighting in the sky, but you had to be able to see them. True, Lakeev’s plane was parked right there, not far from the command post, and he often managed to take off in difficult moments and take part in an air battle. However, his main concern was coordinating the actions of air groups in the air. In the absence of radio guidance stations, it was extremely difficult to carry out this task...”
(From the book “The Sky of My Youth” by B. A. Smirnov)

Participated in the liberation of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus in September 1939.
Participated in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.
On June 4, 1940, he was awarded the military rank of “Major General of Aviation.”
For some time he was the chief inspector of fighter aviation, but in April 1941 he was unreasonably demoted and appointed deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division.
Participant of the Great Patriotic War since June 22, 1941.
As deputy commander of the 14th mixed aviation division, he fought near Volkhov and Tikhvin, and fought near Rostov-on-Don.
From January 1942 to March 1943, he commanded the 524th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flying I-16 and LaGG-3.
From April 1943 until the end of the war, he was commander of the 235th Fighter Aviation Division (in August 1944 it was renamed the 15th Guards Fighter Aviation Division). Participated in the Battle of Stalingrad and in the battles for the Caucasus.
He fought on the Voronezh Front and took part in the Battle of Kursk.
He fought on the 1st Ukrainian Front and took part in the liberation of Kyiv.
By the end of December 1943, the La-5 fighter carried out 12 combat missions.
By the end of May 1944, he made 51 combat missions and shot down 1 aircraft.
He liberated Lvov and took part in battles over Poland, Hungary, Germany and Czechoslovakia.
From May 1944 to the end of January 1945, he made 11 more combat missions on La-5 and La-7.
The pilots of his division destroyed 910 German aircraft.
After the end of the war he continued to serve in the Air Force.
From October 1947, he underwent training at the KUNS at the Air Force Academy, after which in 1948 he was appointed commander of the 13th Guards Fighter Aviation Division.
Graduated from the Higher Military Academy named after. K. E. Voroshilov in 1952.
He held various responsible positions and was deputy commander of the 22nd Air Army.
In 1955, he retired to the reserves with the rank of major general.
Lived in Moscow (Russia).
He died on August 15, 1990 and was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.

List of famous aerial victories of I. A. Lakeev:
11/17/1936 1/2 Xe-51 Madrid paired with another pilot
02/18/1937 1 Fiat-32 Spain in person
02/20/1937 1 Xe-51 Albacete in person
03/25/1937 1/5 Yu-86 Alcala as part of five
06/00/1943 1 FV-189 Kuban personally

For courage and heroism, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated November 3, 1937, Ivan Alekseevich Lakeev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (“Golden Star” No. 63).
Awarded the Order of Lenin (11/03/1937), four Orders of the Red Banner (01/02/1937, * 07/04/1937, ** 08/29/1939, *** 1951), the Order of Suvorov 2nd degree (01/10/1944), Kutuzov 2- 1st degree (05/29/1944), Bogdan Khmelnitsky 1st degree (05/23/1945), Patriotic degree 1st degree (11/06/1985), Red Star (1946), medals “XX years of the Red Army” (1938), “For military merit" (11/03/1944), "For victory over Germany", "30 years of the Soviet Army and Navy" and others, as well as the Mongolian Order of the Red Banner of Battle, 1st degree (08/18/1939), the Polish Order "For Military Valor ", Czechoslovak War Cross 1939.

Notes:
* The order had serial number 1028.
** The order had serial number 40/"2".
*** The order had serial number 8/"3".

Lakeev, Ivan Alekseevich

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