Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Sultan. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Amet Khan Sultan. In the Great Patriotic War

There are no bad peoples in the world, and there are heroes and scoundrels among the Russians, and among the British, and among the Ukrainians, and among the Germans, and among Crimean Tatars…

Speaking about the history of the participation of the Crimean Tatars in the Great Patriotic War, it must be admitted that this people has experienced a real tragedy. While one part of it fought with the Nazis, the other took the path of collaborationism and betrayal, aiding the Nazis in committing the most terrible crimes. And after that, in 1944, punishment in the form of deportation fell on the heads of not only those who were really guilty, but often even innocent ones ...

But today we will not talk about scoundrels, but about a hero. About a man who is not only the pride of the Crimean Tatars and Dagestan Laks, but also, in the full sense of the word,.

Amet Khan Sultan was born on October 25, 1920 in the Crimea, in the city of Alupka, in the family of a native of the Dagestan village of Tsovkra, a Lak by nationality, and a Crimean Tatar.

His childhood biography did not contain anything heroic - 7 classes of the school, a railway school, a working specialty ... But the passion for the sky, common among the Soviet youth of the 1930s, also touched him. The young worker was engaged in the flying club, mastering the profession of a pilot.

And when in February 1939 Amet-Khan ended up in the army, the “civilian” passion for the sky decided his future fate. He was sent to the famous Kachinsky military aviation school, from which in 1940 Amet-Khan left already with the rank of second lieutenant.

Ram over Yaroslavl

The fighter regiment of Amet-Khan, equipped with I-15 and I-153 aircraft, met the war in Moldova. The young pilot entered the battles with the Nazis from the first day of the war. In the autumn of 1941, his regiment fought the Germans near Rostov-on-Don. After heavy losses, the regiment was transferred to reorganization and retraining. Now Amet Khan had to fight on the British "Hurricane".

In March 1942, the regiment of Amet-Khan Sultan became part of the air defense of Yaroslavl. The Nazi troops did not reach the city, but enemy aircraft bombed it.

On May 31, 1942, the city was attacked by the Junkers. Soviet fighters entered the fray. Amet-Khan Sultan, having used up all the ammunition, overtook the enemy and rammed him. The Hurricane got stuck in the Junkers, but the Soviet pilot got out of the cockpit and landed with the help of a parachute. For the feat in the sky of Yaroslavl, Amet-Khan Sultan was awarded the Order of Lenin.

In 1942, the pilot, who switched to Yak fighters, distinguished himself in the battles near Voronezh and Stalingrad, having established himself as a real ace in air battles.

Stalin's Air Special Forces

In this moment Soviet command decided to create a kind of "air special forces" from the best Soviet pilots to fight the Luftwaffe elite. This "special forces" was the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. To understand what kind of pilots were assembled in this regiment, it is enough to say that 28 Heroes of the Soviet Union fought in it, 25 of which received this title while fighting in the “air special forces”.

Amet-Khan Sultan also entered the structure of this unit. He shot down the Germans, fighting on the Yaks, then on the American Airacobra, and ended the war on the La-7 fighter. It seemed that technology beyond the control of this pilot simply did not exist.

In August 1943, Captain Amet-Khan Sultan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In January 1944, Amet Khan and his comrade, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Borisov, managed to capture an enemy aircraft, forcing the Nazi pilot to land on a Soviet airfield. It is interesting that Amet-Khan mastered the captured German communications aircraft almost immediately, having made an independent flight on it.

In total, during the war, Amet-Khan Sultan personally shot down 30 enemy aircraft and 19 more as part of a group. On June 29, 1945, Major Amet-Khan Sultan of the Guard became twice a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Aircraft model "Aerocobra" Amet-Khan Sultan. Photo: wikipedia.org / SmiertSpionem

Heroes and traitors

After the war, they did not begin to scatter the aviation elite, and by personal order Stalin all the best aces were sent to study at military academies. Amet-Khan Sultan also entered there, despite the fact that in his questionnaires he stubbornly deduced “nationality - Crimean Tatar”. After the deportation of 1944, courage was needed for such an act, especially since the pilot could easily indicate the nationality of his father.

However, at Soviet power there were no complaints against Amet-Khan Sultan himself. Just as the ace himself never had any complaints about her, who considered himself precisely a Soviet person, an internationalist and treated the Crimea, Dagestan and Moscow, which became his new home, with equal warmth.

At the same time, the tragedy that happened to the Crimean Tatars during the war directly affected the family of Amet-Khan. The pilot's parents remained in the occupation, and in 1943 the command ordered the partisans to take them to mainland. However, the parents refused, and the partisans themselves were surrounded by policemen. The group had to break through with a fight.

Nevertheless, the hero’s parents were not touched after the war, but brother of Amet Khan, Imran, was arrested by the NKVD as a person who collaborated with the invaders. Imran Sultan served in the so-called Auxiliary Police...

tester

But back to Amet Khan himself. After several months of study at the academy, Lieutenant Colonel Amet-Khan Sultan filed a report on expulsion and dismissal from service.

It was not about politics and not about the "fifth point" - the combat pilot bitterly admitted that he simply lacked education to study at the academy.

After leaving the service, he was in limbo for several months. He did not see himself as anyone other than a pilot, but he did not want to become a pilot on civilian routes - it was too easy a job.

The fighting friends helped, who put in a good word for him in high instances - the proud Amet-Khan did not know how to ask for himself. And in February 1947 he became a test pilot at the Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky.

It was a job most suitable for a pilot who had successfully mastered a number of domestic and foreign aircraft during the war years.

Over the years of work at the FRI, Amet-Khan Sultan has become the "godfather" of dozens of samples of domestic aerial equipment, with honor getting out of the most difficult situations.

For each other

In the early 1950s, the USSR was testing a manned analogue of the Comet projectile. The projectile aircraft started the engine, then separated from the carrier aircraft and made an autonomous flight. During one of the tests, the drop of the projectile aircraft occurred ahead of schedule, and the engine was not started. The new machine was in free fall, and the command ordered Amet-Khan Sultan to immediately jump. However, the pilot fought to the end, started the engine near the ground and managed to land the car.

In the late 1950s, Amet-Khan Sultan made dozens, if not hundreds, of test flights as part of a program to develop ejection seats for pilots and astronauts. His constant companion was tester Valery Golovin who performed the ejection.

On November 12, 1958, on the MiG-15UTI aircraft, in which Sultan and Golovin were located, an unauthorized operation of the catapult powder cartridge occurred. As a result, the tank was pierced at the plane, and Golovin was squeezed by the ejection seat. The depressurized cabin was flooded with aviation kerosene, whipping so that the dashboard was not visible. A fire could break out at any second, and the flight director gave the command to Amet-Khan to leave the plane.

However, the pilot could not leave his comrade. In absolutely unthinkable conditions, with the threat of fire and explosion every second, Amet-Khan Sultan landed the plane, managing to save both Valery Golovin and the car.

Prediction

Testers are people with an iron character. After some time, Amet-Khan Sultan and Valery Golovin again took to the skies together, continuing the tests. For whom Golovin experienced a heavy and clumsy spacesuit during ejection, Amet-Khan understood after the flight Yuri Gagarin.

Amet-Khan Sultan also helped the astronauts in mastering weightlessness. He was one of the pilots of the "air laboratory", which, when performing the so-called "slide", created a feeling of short-term weightlessness. All domestic cosmonauts passed through such flights.

In the autumn of 1970, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Amet-Khan Sultan took place at the Gromov Research Institute. His comrades-in-arms, test pilots, designers, guests from Dagestan and the Crimea, where he often visited and where he was very loved, gathered for the celebration. Embarrassed by such honors, the pilot thanked everyone for the kind words. And when one of his friends noticed that, they say, it’s time to pass on the experience to the young, Amet-Khan answered with a mountain parable: “When an old eagle anticipates the approach of death, he last strength rushes up, rises as high as possible. And then he folds his wings and flies like a stone to the ground. Therefore, mountain eagles die in the sky - they fall to the ground already dead ... "

None of the friends paid much attention to these words that joyful evening. And Amet-Khan Sultan himself could hardly have imagined that this parable would turn out to be a prophecy.

On February 1, 1971, an accident occurred during a test of a new engine on a Tu-16 flying laboratory. The crew led by twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Amet-Khan Sultan died.

Memory

Streets in different cities of the USSR are named after him, in his native Alupka, in Zhukovsky near Moscow, where he lived while working at the Gromov Research Institute, the airport in Makhachkala ...

The hero lives as long as he is remembered. We very often remember not those who deserve it, forgetting about those whose memory we should cherish.

In 2010, with the support of local entrepreneurs and businessmen of Dagestan, a monument to Amet-Khan Sultan was erected in the city of Yaroslavl. The monument was erected not far from the place over which in 1942 a courageous pilot rammed the fascist Junkers, saving the city from the enemy.

On February 1, 1971, during a test flight of the Tu-16 LL flying laboratory, a test pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel Amet-Khan Sultan, died.

In the life of any person there are enough secrets, oddities and coincidences, both happy and unfortunate. But if for a “simple” person all these “strange things” remain with him, far from always turning even into stories to friends and relatives, then for “famous” people, whose life becomes the property of the “general public”, such facts turn into whole legends, often used for "political" and sometimes completely speculative purposes. Enough of such facts and "oddities" in the life of the hero of this article. It is even more strange when, with a huge number of papers accompanying a person throughout his life, from its first minute to the last, various legends appear, which then begin to lead their “life”, wandering from one literary source to another. It is sometimes very difficult to get to the true documents. This is how various interpretations of events and their “options” appear, which are also lacking in the biography of Amet-Khan. I cannot claim that all the facts given in the article are true. But the main thing is the person himself and what he really did in life ...

Amet-Khan Sultan (Sultan Amet-khan) (20 (25) 10.1920 - 02.01.1971).

The famous fighter pilot of the Great Patriotic War, at the age of 25 twice Hero of the Soviet Union (08/24/1943, 07/29/1945). He completed 603 sorties, participated in 150 air battles, shot down 30 aircraft personally and 19 as part of a group.

Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, laureate of the Stalin Prize for testing a manned model of a cruise missile (1953).

He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, five Red Banners.

Awarded with ordersAlexander Nevsky, Patriotic War 1st degree, Red Star and "Badge of Honor", many medals. During the flight test work, he mastered about 100 types of aircraft (according to some reports - over 170), and the total flight time on them amounted to 4237 hours. Honorary citizen of the city of Yaroslavl, lieutenant colonel. Honorary Crimean, honorary pilot of France, honorary citizen of Melitopol.

Born in the Crimea (Alupka), his father is a Lak by nationality, his mother is a Crimean Tatar. The house where he spent his childhood was located on the slope of Mount Ai-Petri.

And immediately, the first oddity. A number of sources mention the date of birth - October 20. In others, with the same certainty, - October 25th.

He received his primary education at a seven-year school. After graduating from the Simferopol Railway School, he worked at the depot. It was difficult, but at the same time he was engaged in the city flying club (founded in 1931). He entered the Kachin Red Banner Aviation School named after A.F. Myasnikov (Sevastopol), and having successfully completed the training course (1939-1940), he was sent to serve in Moldova, where he flew the I-15 and I-153 fighters.

Kacha. 1939 Somewhere here is a cadet Amet-Khan Sultan.

The fighter regiment of Amet-Khan, equipped with I-15 and I-153 aircraft, met the war in Moldova. The young pilot entered the battles with the Nazis from the first day of the war. In the autumn of 1941, his regiment fought the Germans near Rostov-on-Don. After heavy losses, the regiment was transferred to reorganization and retraining. Now Amet Khan had to fight on the British "Hurricane".

In March 1942, the regiment of Amet-Khan Sultan became part of the air defense of Yaroslavl. The Nazi troops did not reach the city, but enemy aircraft bombed it.

The pilot fought actively. He participated in battles, bombed enemy troops, vehicles and tanks, military bases located on the ground. But the guy felt awkward in front of his comrades, and they, at every convenient occasion teased him. Since the beginning of the war, he took to the air 170 times on a combat mission, but never shot down a single enemy aircraft. But experience comes with time. Success came too.

On May 31, 1942, a pair of fighters, controlled by Amet-Khan and his wingman Strukov, was raised to intercept a Yu-88 bomber, apparently on a reconnaissance flight. Immediately after takeoff, Strukov had an engine malfunction and Amet-Khan went into battle alone. At an altitude of 7300 m, the Junkers was attacked by him, but in the heat of battle, the fighter fired all the ammunition past. Not wanting to miss the enemy, Amet-Khan rammed the enemy Junkers-88 bomber, hitting him with the left plane from below.From an uncontrolled plane, Amet-Khan jumped out by parachute. In the distance, he noticed two people who managed to jump out of a German plane.

Often there is also a description that the Hurricane got stuck with the wing plane in a bomber.

The wreckage of an enemy aircraft was placed on the central square of the city of Yaroslavl. Amet-Khan, for the courage shown in the sky over Yaroslavl was awarded the order Lenin and was elected an honorary citizen of the city. On the engraved watch presented to the pilot by the city defense committee, the following words appeared: “To Lieutenant of the Red Army Comrade Ametkhan Sultan, who heroically shot down a Nazi plane, on behalf of the Defense Committee of the city of Yaroslavl. 1942, May 31.

From that moment on, the pilot's account began to grow.

The military publicist N. Kostin wrote the following about Amet-Khan (the spelling of the surname is given by the source): strategic importance. On the second day of the guard, Captain Amethan Sultan flies into place with a group of aircraft. The weather was clear and visibility was excellent. They reach a height of four thousand five hundred meters. At eleven o'clock three groups of enemy planes were seen flying from the Sea of ​​Azov towards the crossing. Twenty Heinkel-111s were ahead, followed by twenty Yu-88s and twenty more Heinkel-111s. As soon as the fascist bombers began to approach the crossing, the Amethan team launched an attack. Four "Heinkel" were destroyed immediately. When the enemy began to evade the attack, the commander of the third pair, pilot Safonov, reported a malfunction of his aircraft. "Return to the airfield!" Amethan commanded. At that moment, another group of enemy planes appeared. Amethan and Pavel Golovachev, attacking either from above or from below, shot down two more Junkers. Another "Junker" was fired upon by Senior Lieutenant Borisov. Thus, Ametkhan and his five glorious falcons - Borisov, Golovachev, Malkov, Safonov, Light destroyed part of the enemy aircraft, ten times superior in number to ours. None of the sixty German bombers hit the target - the crossing, and the surviving German planes were forced to hide. In this battle, only one Soviet fighter was injured, but he returned to the airfield.

In the evening the commander air force General Khryukin in the Guards Regiment personally thanked Ametkhan:

You are worthy of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. I'm sure the government will honor you with this high honor. Thanks hero!

A month later, on August 24, 1943, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a Decree on awarding Ametkhan Sultan the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

On April 23, 1943, the commander of the 8th Air Army, Lieutenant General of Aviation T. T. Khryukin, introduced him to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The view says:

"Comrade Amet-Khan Sultan made 359 sorties, conducted 79 air battles, personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 19 aircraft in group battles.

Has one ram of enemy aircraft. In total, he made 110 sorties on the Stalingrad front, personally shot down 6 enemy aircraft and 7 enemy aircraft in a group.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, courage, bravery and heroism shown in the fight against fascist german invaders, By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 24, 1943, Amet-Khan Sultan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

In August 1943, based in Kotelnikovo recaptured from the enemy, the regiment received new R-39 Airacobra fighters. But during the very first flights, the insidiousness of the overseas gift was discovered: the plane easily fell into a tailspin, from which Lieutenant Klimov and Senior Lieutenant Ershov could not get out ... ace Anatoly Morozov was appointed to his place, to him, an old comrade in military work in the summer of 1941, and Amet-Khan approached him with a request: "Let me try the Airacobra on a corkscrew, I will conquer - I will teach others" ...

The entire regiment, frozen, followed the dangerous rotation of the aircraft, falling from a height of 7000 meters. Only hundreds of meters from the ground, the car went into a steep dive and soon rolled down the runway. And then the happy Amet-Khan explained to everyone how to get the capricious car out of a deadly rotation.

In January 1944, Amet Khan and his comrade, Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Borisov , managed to capture an enemy aircraft Fi-156 "Storch" with a pilot and a security officer with documents, forcing the Nazi pilot to land on a Soviet airfield. It is interesting that Amet-Khan mastered the captured German communications aircraft almost immediately, having made an independent flight on it. Here, too, there are discrepancies in the memoirs, according to another version, Amet-Khan commanded a squadron that “worked” from the jump airfield and did not fly to intercept it himself, but sent two fighters. But he had already brought the “trophy” personally to the main airfield, accompanied by two fighters. With the control of an unfamiliar aircraft, he figured out in an hour.

One of the sources describes another "non-trivial" event in the life of a pilot.

In March 1944, over their airfield flew german fighter Me-109 and dropped a pennant with a note. The enemy pilot challenged our best ace to a duel, promising not to engage in battle until the Soviet pilot gained an altitude of 3000 meters. Such impudence in the 9th Guards IAP was not expected from the enemy. By this time, the pilots of the regiment had already proved to the Germans that they were not born with a bast. They reported to the commander of the 8th Air Army, Timofey Khryukin. He, without hesitation, ordered Amet-Khan's Aerocobra to be prepared for departure.

We must pay tribute to the German - he fulfilled the conditions of the duel. Everyone who was at the airfield remembered this battle forever, although it lasted no more than 15 minutes. "Messerschmitt" and "Aerocobra" staged a frantic carousel in the sky. Performing unthinkable pirouettes, the planes chased each other without firing a shot. And then there was a short burst. "Messer" began to smoke and collapsed in a dive. Later it became known that Amet-Khan brought down a German ace who shot down 50 of our planes.

Legend or reality? In the list of victories of Amet-Khan, 03/10/44 there is a "Messer". The place of victory is indicated "northeast of Ochakov" ...

Amet-Khan Sultan ended the war flying on a La-7 fighter. "The American Aerocobras are good, but still our Lavochkin horse is better!" - summed up Amet-Khan, having mastered the new aircraft. On this machine, he fought in the skies of Latvia and East Prussia, where he shot down 6 more enemy aircraft.

La-7 Amet-Khan, spring 1945

From the end of April, the pilots of the 9th Guards IAP, looking for the enemy, were already flying over Berlin. German planes, having seen our La-7s from afar, turned back, and one of their groups behaved quite strangely: they gave signals, it seems, that they want to surrender. Lavrinenkov and Amet-Khan were surprised, but also pleased, and led the group to the airfield. The German pilots made a good landing. Apparently, they had to be based here. After getting off the runway, they turned off the engines and raised their hands. They explained: they do not want to continue the senseless war...

He won his last victory on April 25, 1945 over the Tempelhof airfield. Amet-Khan led six La-7s to intercept enemy aircraft. Expecting the appearance of the enemy, Amet-Khan patrolled for a long time over the section of the city indicated to him. His time in flight was already running out, fuel was at the limit, when the Fokkers jumped out from behind the clouds. Amet-Khan set fire to the leader of the group with the first burst of cannon. The pilot (group leader, holder of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves) jumped out with a parachute, and the wingmen left the battlefield.

Regiment Commander twice Hero of the Soviet Union Guard Major V.D. Lavrinenkov in April 1945, presenting Amet-Khan to the highest award - the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, wrote the following report: “Comrade Ametkhan Sultan showed an example of courage and heroism at the fronts. This high-class fighter pilot, who fully mastered the art of air combat, earned the title of one of the best aces of the regiment by his deeds. Amethan Sultan, who masterfully controls the aircraft, uses its tactical superiority, knows well weak sides Nazi pilots and all the advantages of enemy technology, won 30 air battles. Comrade Ametkhan Sultan, who showed courage and heroism in the fight against the German invaders, successfully conducted 603 sorties and won them, personally shot down 30 enemy planes and 19 in group air battles, deserves to be awarded the title twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

So, taking into account all these merits, on June 29, 1945, Amet-Khan Sultan was awarded the title twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

The statistics of the victories of Amet-Khan, who flew on different types aircraft.

1. Hurricane, victories won between 05/31/42 and 07/23/42. Bombers - 2 (Yu-88 by ramming, the first victory, Yu-87 in the group), fighters (Me-109) - 1 personally and 10 in the group, Xe-113 - 1 (in the group).
2. Yak-7, victories were won from 08/23/42 to 09/15/42. Bombers - 3 (Yu-88, in a group), reconnaissance - 1 (FV-189, in pairs), fighters (Me-109) - 5 in person and 3 in a group.
3. Yak-1, victories were won from 12/13/42 to 07/24/43. Bombers - 4 (3 Xe-111, 1 Yu-87), fighters - 2 Me-109.

4. Aerocobra, victories were won from 08/20/43 to 04/24/44. Bombers - 7 (3 Yu-87, 3 Yu-88, 1 Xe-111), transport - 1 Yu-52, fighters - 3 (2 Me-109, 1 FV-190).

5. La-7, victories were won from 01/14/45 to 04/29/45. Fighters - 6 (1 Me-109, 5 FV-190).

Many copies have been broken and many opposing opinions have been expressed in connection with the nationality of Amet-Khan. The problem of the Crimean Tatars itself is not the subject of this material, but this issue cannot be ignored either.

The family of Amet-Khan was directly affected by the tragedy that happened to the Crimean Tatars during the war. The pilot's parents remained in the occupation, and in 1943 the command ordered the partisans to take them to the mainland. However, the parents refused, and the partisans themselves were surrounded by policemen. The group had to break through with a fight. I think it’s not worth reminding that it was not Ethiopians who “went” in the policemen in the Crimea ...

According to one version, set out in the memoirs of one of the participants in the partisan movement in the Crimea, Amet-Khan's mother categorically refused to be evacuated, calling her son a "guitar" when she was shown a photo of her son in uniform. At the same time, there are memoirs of Amet-Khan's fellow-soldier pilot Anatoly Plotnikov, who describes the meeting of Amet-Khan and his friends with his parents in 1944 and mentions their cordiality and hospitality. The truth is somewhere near?

Nevertheless, the hero's parents were not touched after the war, but Amet-Khan's brother, Imran, was arrested by the NKVD as a person who collaborated with the invaders. Imran Sultan served in the so-called Auxiliary Police...

“I had a famous friend, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Ahmed Khan Sultan. His father is a Dagestani, and his mother is a Tatar... The Dagestanis consider him their hero, and the Tatars consider him theirs.

— Whose are you? I asked him once.

“I am not a Tatar or Lak hero,” Akhmet Khan answered. — I am a Hero of the Soviet Union. Whose son? Father with mother. Is it possible to separate them from each other?” recalled the Avar poet and public figure Rasul Gamzatov.

In 1956, together with a number of former party and Soviet workers of the Crimean ASSR, Amet-Khan Sultan signed a letter with a request for the rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars, sent to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

It is often mentioned that the nationality of Amet Khan seriously complicated his life after the war. And there are grounds for such assertions.

After the end of the war, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, all aces pilots were sent to study at the academy. Since August 1945, Amet-Khan has been a student at the Air Force Academy in Monino. The study was very difficult, the lack of education made itself felt. And at the beginning of 1946, the pilot submits a report in which he writes: “Soberly weighing the level of my knowledge, I do not see the possibility of further study. Therefore, I ask you to expel me, because I am not sure that I can withstand five years of study at the academy. His report was satisfied, and in April 1946, Lieutenant Colonel Amet-Khan Sultan was transferred to the reserve.

After several months of study at the academy, Lieutenant Colonel Amet-Khan Sultan filed a report on expulsion and dismissal from service.

It was not about politics and not about the "fifth point" - the combat pilot bitterly admitted that he simply lacked education to study at the academy.

In a large number of sources, his expulsion from the academy, his dismissal from the army and for a long time “without heaven” are explained precisely by his nationality. It is more logical to assume that the dismissal is connected with expulsion from the academy. Well, do not appoint a Hero twice, a lieutenant colonel as an ordinary pilot, or even a commander? But the position of the regiment commander after the war already began to require an academic education. If you can't grow, go "retire". According to some reports, Amet-Khan did not want to work as a "linear pilot" in the Civil Air Fleet. Get a leadership job "on the ground"? There is no experience, and the “fifth point” could actually play here. A quite “usual” reaction of the personnel officer of that time when reading the personal file and getting acquainted with the nationality of the “defendant” is the slowly sweating seat of the chair. The author does not insist on this point of view, but he PERSONALLY saw similar phenomena in more “prosperous” years ...

But it is not for nothing that they say that a friend is known in trouble. Thanks to the help of combat comrades-in-arms - twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Dmitrievich Lavrinenkov, Alexei Alelyukhin, former commander Timofey Timofeevich Khryukin, Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin, aircraft mechanic of the regiment where Amethan served, Inna Pasportnikova, with great difficulty, Amethan Sultan gets a job as a test pilot at the aircraft testing institute. A new life begins.

Apart from the probationary period, on May 17, 1948, Amethan was officially accepted for a new job.

Four months of going to high authorities with a request to be allowed to work as a tester ended positively.

In a short time, he moved into the ranks of the best testers. In 1949, he was assigned the third class of a test pilot, in January 1950 - the second class, and already in September 1952, Amet-Khan Sultan became a test pilot of the 1st class. He successfully performs a variety of tests.

At first he works on gliders, then he tests new ejection systems on jet and fighter aircraft Yak-15, Yak-25, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21 and SM-1, La-15, soon moves to heavy aircraft Tu-4, Tu-16, Il-28, Yak-28, An-10a. These and dozens of other planes Amethan is the first to take to the sky, test and give a start in life.

The most modern aircraft of the third and fourth generation MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-31. Su-24, Su-27, Su-29 were also tested by Amethan Sultan. They entered mass production after the tragic death of Amethan. Even aces pilots were amazed at how skillfully he tested rockets.

Another "story" with an uncertain degree of certainty is connected with the work of Amet-Khan as a tester.The command of the Air Force decided that the test pilots receive too high salaries compared to other testers. And so that the pilots would not grumble, they “asked” them to write about their agreement on a significant reduction in rates. Amet-Khan wrote, like his comrades, about his consent, but made a postscript: “But the wife is categorically against it.”

I.V. Stalin showed constant interest in how the creation was going newest species fighters. When he saw the receipt of the famous test pilot, he imposed his resolution: "Totally agree with Amet Khan's wife."

... The salaries for test pilots were left the same.

In June 1949, together with I. Shelest, on a Tu-2 aircraft, he conducted the country's first fully automatic refueling in the air.

In the early 1950s, he was entrusted with testing ... an air-to-ship cruise missile. The product (LL-1, LL-2, flying laboratories of the Design Bureau of P.V. Tsybin) was hung under a Tu-4 bomber and dropped from a height of about 3000 meters. In mode free fall the automation started the engine, and the pilot, taking control, landed the rocket. “... The planning angle is like that of a brick; landing speed, like a meteorite; the fuel supply on landing is for one refueling of a pocket lighter, ”one of the test pilots described the flight on a similar cruise missile. These people were even called "suicide bombers" by professionals.

During one of the tests, the drop of the projectile aircraft occurred ahead of schedule, and the engine was not started. The new machine was in free fall, and the command ordered Amet-Khan Sultan to immediately jump. However, the pilot fought to the end, started the engine near the ground and managed to land the car.

In the late 1950s, Amet-Khan Sultan made dozens, if not hundreds, of test flights as part of a program to develop ejection seats for pilots and astronauts. His constant partner was the tester Valery Golovin, who performed the ejection.

On November 12, 1958, on the MiG-15UTI aircraft, in which Sultan and Golovin were located, an unauthorized operation of the catapult powder cartridge occurred. As a result, the tank was pierced at the plane, and Golovin was squeezed by the ejection seat. The depressurized cabin was flooded with aviation kerosene, whipping so that the dashboard was not visible. A fire could break out at any second, and the flight director gave the command to Amet-Khan to leave the plane.

However, the pilot could not leave his comrade. In absolutely unthinkable conditions, with the threat of fire and explosion every second, Amet-Khan Sultan landed the plane, managing to save both Valery Golovin and the car.

September 23, 1961 Amet-Khan Sultan was awarded the title of "Honored Test Pilot of the USSR" (sign number - 38).

When the idea of ​​flying into space was finally concretized, about twenty pilots were selected. Since then, their composition has changed constantly. Finally, 5-6 people were approved, and intensive preparations began. Along with training on the most complex simulators, centrifuges, pressure chambers, special attention was paid to flights close to weightlessness conditions. It was at this time that Amet-Khan began to conduct training in preparation for the flight of astronauts. He raised the plane to a great height and created conditions of weightlessness for the astronauts. Thus, Amet-Khan conducted classes with Yuri Gagarin, Andrian Nikolaev, Pavel Popovich, German Titov, Anatoly Kartashov, paving the way into space.

IN last years Amet-Khan often heard from friends: “Ametka! You will soon be fifty, isn’t it difficult to fly, maybe you can rest? Such thoughts sometimes visited Amet-Khan himself. But for a man whose entire conscious life was spent in the sky, it was painfully difficult to give up flying.

October 23. 1970 solemnly celebrated the 50th anniversary of Amet Khan. Prominent aircraft designers of the country took part in the anniversary celebrations. Congratulatory speeches in honor of the legendary ace were made by: on behalf of the team of the Tupolev Design Bureau - Honored test pilot USSR Ivan Moiseevich Sukhomlin and test pilot first class Eduard Vaganovich Yelyan, from the Ilyushin design bureau team - Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Yakov Ilyich Bernikov, on behalf of the Yakovlev design bureau team - Yakovlev's deputy chief designer Kerim Bekirovich Bekirbaev, from the Mikoyan design bureau team - Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Major General of Aviation Grigory Alexandrovich Sedov, from the Sukhoi Design Bureau - Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Sergeevich Ilyushin, from the firm of Academician S. P. Korolev - Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Nikolaevich Anokhin , comrades-in-arms of Amet-Khan Alexei Ryazanov, Pavel Golovachev, comrades in joint test flights V. Vasin, A. Bogorodsky, V. Podkhalyuzin and others.

The solemn anniversary became one of the most exciting days in the life of Amet-Khan Sultan.Embarrassed by such honors, the pilot thanked everyone for the kind words. And when one of his friends noticed that, they say, it’s time to pass on the experience to the young, Amet-Khan answered with a mountain parable: “When an old eagle anticipates the approach of death, he rushes up with his last strength, rises as high as possible. And then he folds his wings and flies like a stone to the ground. Therefore, mountain eagles die in the sky - they fall to the ground already dead ... "

None of the friends paid much attention to these words that joyful evening. And Amet-Khan Sultan himself could hardly have imagined that this parable would turn out to be a prophecy.

After the holidays, workdays come again. 1 February 1971 Amet-Khan starts another test flight.

The bus delivered the crew to the plane with a nacelle sagging under its “belly”, in which an experimental engine was hidden. To test it at the limit modes, special care was required.

Yevgeny Beschetnov, who several years ago wrote a wonderful story about Amet-Khan Sultan and directly studied the causes of the tragedy, described that terrible picture on the basis of documents:

“According to the recollections of the son of Sergei Anokhin, Sergei, who worked there, they met with Ametkhan in the parking lot and, while the preparation of the car for departure was being completed, they stood aside and talked.

“I've never been in such a lousy mood,” Amethan complained. Why, I don't understand.

“And you cancel the flight,” Anokhin Jr. advised him. - It's within your rights. Or trade with someone.

- I don't want to make a fuss. I'm flying, then I'll go home, I'll lie down. This helps me.

Having accepted the plane, Ametkhan Sultan, Evgeny Venediktov, navigator, flight radio operator and lead engineer took their jobs and took off. Everything was as usual...

The tragic death of Amethan horrified everyone. Nobody wanted to believe it, because Amethan was a pilot who could use the slightest opportunity to save the plane and land it safely on the ground. So there was no chance. The flying laboratory was blown into small pieces - they lay out on the snow in a wide strip several hundred meters long. Only the tail unit and the rear cockpit, although heavily mangled, retained their outlines.

Leading engineer Radiy Lensky, who was in the rear cockpit, was dead. He was found soon. But the front cockpit with the rest of the crew, in general, the nose compartment of the aircraft could not be found anywhere.

In the evening, as soon as dusk approached, thick snow fell, and the search had to be stopped.

On the fourth day the snow stopped. Nikolai Ilyich Filizon, one of the oldest employees of the institute, the engineer of the detachment, Nikolai Ilyich Filizon, who headed the group of technical staff, decided to look into a young spruce forest two or three hundred meters away from the Tu-16 crash site. Filison overcame another ten meters and noticed in the distance, behind the trunks of Christmas trees, the white frosted metal of the sheathing and dark glazing. Pilot cabin! Almost half buried in the snow! The engineer got out into the open, called the rest of the search engines. And now people cleared the snow near the cab, got inside.

They presented a grim picture. Amethan remained in the commander's chair, apparently without making a single movement to save himself. From the blow, his headset was torn off his head and moved forward, the “horns” of the steering wheel lifted the pilot under his stomach, the brand new jacket that he put on on that fateful day burst on his back in several places, as if someone had cut it with a razor blade. Benediktov, who was in the right seat, was slightly crushed by a pine trunk. Mikhailovsky was cut in half in the lower part of the spine. And Lyokha Sparrow, inopportunely asking for this flight, was intact, only burned ... "

On February 8, 1971, Amet-Khan Sultan was buried with honors at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. A bust is carved in granite above the grave, next to the stele is the inscription: “Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, laureate of the State Prize, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Ametkhan Sultan.”

Together with Akhmet Khan, the following died: Lensky Radiy Georgievich - Lead Engineer for Testing Aircraft Engines; Mikhailovsky William Alexandrovich - test navigator; Venediktov Evgeny Nikolaevich - test pilot; Vorobyov Alexey Vasilievich - flight radio operator-test. The crew was supposed to also have an assistant to the chief engineer Vyacheslav Mokrousov, but he was delayed, and the commander decided to fly without him.

The mystery of the death of the aircraft remained unsolved. According to one version, an experimental engine exploded, according to another, the aircraft flaps turned out to be faulty and uncontrolled divergent oscillations began, which led to the destruction of the aircraft in the air.

Streets in Alupka, Volgograd, Zhukovsky, Makhachkala, a square and an flying club in Simferopol, a mountain peak in Dagestan are named after Amet-Khan Sultan.

Bust in Alupka on Amet-Khan Boulevard

Monument on the Alley of Heroes in Kyiv

Also in the city of Zhukovsky, on the street named after him, a monument was erected - a pilot standing on a wing.

A bronze bust of the famous pilot was installed in his hometown of Alupka, as well as in Makhachkala.

Museum in Alupka

Makhachkala Airport named after Amet Khan Sultan

The Amet-Khan Sultan platform is located on the 34th kilometer of the Ostryakovo-Evpatoria line

Lyceum-School No. 8 of the city of Kaspiysk, Republic of Dagestan, bears his name.

In 2010, with the support of local entrepreneurs and businessmen of Dagestan, a monument to Amet-Khan Sultan was erected in the city of Yaroslavl. The monument was erected not far from the place over which in 1942 a courageous pilot rammed the fascist Junkers, saving the city from the enemy.

Monument in Yaroslavl

AMET-KHAN SULTAN IN THE MEMORIES OF CONTEMPORARIES

A.E. GOLOVANOV— Air Marshal:

— Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Ametkhan Sultan tested the engine suspended under the Tu-116. The engine exploded in flight. The legendary fighter pilot of the war, a Crimean Tatar, died. At home, in Alupka, him during his lifetime there was a monument.

The first Hero was given to him with difficulty, the second too... For the trials that he carried out, for each one separately, such as Gallay received a Hero.

But they didn’t give him ... I think that there was no second such pilot in our country. Of course, neither Pokryshkin, with all due respect to him, nor anyone else can compare with him.

FRANCOIS DE JOFFRE — French pilot of the Normandie Volunteer Air Regiment— Neman":

— I met my old friend Amethan— twice Hero of the Soviet Union, the famous "King of the Ram". Do you know what a ram is? This highest form Russian self-sacrifice pilot, which, having completely used up ammunition, rushes at an enemy aircraft and hits it with its machine. In ninety cases out of a hundred, this is inevitable death. Amethan was lucky and survived...

E.V. ELYAN— Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, commander of the first Tu-144 supersonic passenger aircraft:

— Amethan The Sultan was a pilot who succeeded in everything, no matter what he undertook. Neither I nor anyone else knows a second such tester.

S.N. ANOKHIN— Heroes of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR:

— In all my flying life, I have never met a person so generously endowed with talent. Amethan was not afraid of any new cars. The work carried out by the Sultan was of exceptionally great scientific value.

A.V. VOROZHEIKIN— twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General of Aviation:

— When the Germans heard the warning: “Achtung! Achtung! Amethan Sultan is in the sky!”— were lost and, if possible, tried to avoid meeting with him.

Much has been written about Amethan Sultan and much more will be written about him, because his bright life, boundless heroism made his name a legend.

V.D. LAVRINENKOV — twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation, commander of the 9th Guards Aviation Regiment, where Ametkhan Sultan served:

— Ametkhan was never shy in front of the enemy, even if he outnumbered the detachment of his aircraft by several times. He defeated the enemy with ingenuity, cunning, fearlessness...

Amethan knew how to make every flight with the maximum benefit for the cause. And it is no coincidence that the pilots liked to go on missions with him, they knew that he would definitely find an enemy.

P. GOLOVACHEV— twice Hero of the Soviet Union, major general of aviation, comrade Ametkhan:

— Amethan was fearless in battle, infinitely brave and courageous. At the same time, this prudent fighter had a sober mind and could instantly find the most correct solution for the successful completion of the battle.

Yu.A. GARNAEV—

— Amethan was assigned to be one of the first in the country to test an ejection seat to save a pilot in an emergency in the air. At a certain height, a strong explosion suddenly sounded, the body of the aircraft shuddered. The next moment, jets of kerosene poured into the cockpit from a punctured tank.— the powder cartridge of the firing mechanism of the ejection device prematurely exploded. The slightest spark was enough to set the car on fire. But Amethan managed to safely land the plane on the ground and save his comrade from death.

V.P. VASIN— Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR:

— Amethan— pilot by the grace of God. His biography is unique. They say everything is relative. He is not suitable for comparison with anyone. Everything was his own in it: both the style of work and the flight acumen.

G.M. SHIYANOV— Hero of the Soviet Union, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR:

— This is a pilot of the rarest, great talent. I have been with him for 23 years. What Amethan did would be enough for several people. He told me that after fifty he would retire. Didn't leave, couldn't. Love for work— the only thing that was stronger than his own will.

True honor is the decision to do under all circumstances what is beneficial to the majority of people.

Benjamin Franklin

Once I found on the Internet a photograph of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Ahmed Khan Sultan with a ... swastika painted on his face. And I said to myself that I must definitely write about this person.

Ahmet Khan Sultan (Sultan Amet Khan) (20 (25) 10.1920 - 02.01.1971).

The famous fighter pilot of the Great Patriotic War, at the age of 25 twice Hero of the Soviet Union (08/24/1943, 07/29/1945). He completed 603 sorties, participated in 150 air battles, shot down 30 aircraft personally and 19 as part of a group.

Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, laureate of the Stalin Prize for testing a manned cruise missile (1953).

He was awarded three Orders of Lenin, five Red Banners.

And what did Ahmet Khan Sultan himself consider, meaning his origin?

“I had a famous friend, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Ahmed Khan Sultan. His father is a Dagestani, and his mother is a Tatar... The Dagestanis consider him their hero, and the Tatars consider him theirs.

— Whose are you? I asked him once.

“I am not a Tatar or Lak hero,” Akhmet Khan answered. — I am a Hero of the Soviet Union. Whose son? Father with mother. Is it possible to separate them from each other? ”Recalled the Avar poet and public figure Rasul Gamzatov."

Combat friends came to the rescue again. They searched for Ahmet Khan Sultan and helped him meet with T.T. Khryukin. After the war, he served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force for combat training. In February 1947, Ahmet Khan Sultan became a test pilot at the Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky near Moscow.

It was like he had a second wind. In a short time, Amet Khan Sultan turned out to be among the best testers of aircraft of various types in the country, and this was recognized by high-class professionals.

Since 1949, he dealt with issues of refueling aircraft in the air (the system was used for a long time in long-range aviation). In the early 50s of the XX century, he was entrusted with testing ... an air-to-air-ship cruise missile. The product (LL-1, LL-2, flying laboratories of the Design Bureau of P.V. Tsybin) was hung under a Tu-4 bomber and dropped from a height of about 3000 meters. In free fall mode, the automation started the engine, and the pilot, taking control, landed the rocket. “... The planning angle is like that of a brick; landing speed, like a meteorite; the fuel supply on landing is for one refueling of a pocket lighter, ”one of the test pilots described the flight on a similar cruise missile. These people were even called "suicide bombers" by professionals.

The cruise missile was adopted. And again, Ahmed Khan Sultan was reminded of his place in the "nationality" column. He was presented to the third star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, but ... was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree.

He died with the crew on 02/01/1971, performing a test flight on the Tu-1bLL flying laboratory.

This is how the circumstances of the disaster are displayed in the documents.

“01.02.y1 - Tu-1bLL - Akhmet Khan Sultan - Zhukovsky. A test flight was carried out on the Tu-16 flying laboratory, designed to test a new jet engine. The accident occurred while landing at high speed due to flap failure. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Ahmed Khan Sultan is buried in Moscow, on Novodevichy.

Update from Valery Novikov (junitreid(dog)mail.ru): After takeoff, the flaps were not retracted. Tu-16 in terms of dynamics with the flaps extended and with the flaps retracted is a very different aircraft. There were divergent vibrations due to acceleration with flaps - the worm gear was found in the released position. On a piece of the oscillogram, overload fluctuations were clearly visible ... The cockpit with the pilots practically broke off. The plane itself went deep into the swamp, and the cabin was found by a forester from the cordon four kilometers from the plane.

The conducted simulation completely coincided with the data of objective control. Together with Akhmet Khan, the following died: Lensky Radiy Georgievich - Lead Engineer for Testing Aircraft Engines; Mikhailovsky William Alexandrovich - test navigator; Venediktov Evgeny Nikolaevich - test pilot; Vorobyov Alexey Vasilyevich - flight radio operator-test. The crew was supposed to also have an assistant to the chief engineer Vyacheslav Mokrousov, but he was delayed, and the commander decided to fly without him.

I remember involuntarily...

And if the word "need" breaks, friends will fulfill overwork: those Stars on velvet pillows will carry them frozen through the streets.

But not wreaths of tear-stained greenery, but I see how, having jumped off the ship, they go, pushing the earth away - that's why the Earth is spinning! ( "Four people drank...". Felix Chuev, 1962)

Forever enrolled in the lists of one of military units. Makhachkala Airport (Dagestan) is named after the brave pilot, his bust was erected (2007). The “... opening ceremony was attended by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, General of the Army Pyotr Deinekin, cosmonauts, Heroes of the Soviet Union Alexei Leonov and Musa Manarov, and other eminent aviators of the country. In honor of the opening, the aerobatic team "Russian Knights ..." performed in the sky over Makhachkala. It is symbolic, but this is the first nominal airport in Russia.

Streets in Zhukovsky, Volgograd, Makhachkala, schools in the capital of Dagestan (No. 27) and in Kaspiysk (No. 8) and even a mountain peak not far from his father's village (Tsovkra village) are named after Akhmet Khan Sultan. A number of expositions have been opened, chess tournaments named after him are held. A monument was opened in Yaroslavl. A bust was erected in Alupka, a museum of Ahmed Khan Sultan was opened. International competitions in parachute acrobatics for the Cup of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Akhmet Khan Sultan are held every year in Dagestan. Aeroclub of Simferopol (Zavodskoye) bears the name of a brave pilot. In the center of the capital of Crimea, a square (the district of the Central Market) is named after him. It is planned to install a monument to Akhmet Khan Sultan on it (designed by architects Ibragim and Zarema Nagaev and Aider Bekirov).

"It is customary to simply divide time into the past, present and future. But thanks to memory, the past enters the present, and the future is, as it were, foreseen by the present, combined with the past. Memory is the overcoming of time, the overcoming of death. This is the greatest moral significance memory. “Forgetful” is, first of all, an ungrateful person, and, consequently, not capable of good, disinterested deeds. Likhachev Dmitry Sergeevich, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, philologist, art critic).

Kachinskaya Red Banner Aviation School named after A.F. Myasnikov, 1939. Somewhere here stands Ahmet Khan Sultan

Zhukovsky: city magazine, No. 5, 2009. City alphabet: st. Ahmed Khan Sultana.

An article from the almanac Maritime archive", №1 (5), 2013
Chairman of the Editorial Board Markov A.G.
Editor-in-chief Maslov N.K.

The biography of Amet-Khan Sultan is well known to all historians who study the heroes of the war against the fascist invaders. It was an outstanding domestic ace. Through the years of confrontation fascist invaders twice he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Childhood and youth

There are many bright pages in the biography of Amet-Khan Sultan. He was born in 1920 in the small town of Alupka in the Crimea. At that time it was the territory of the Taurida province.

The family of Amet-Khan Sultan belonged to different nationalities. His father was a native of Dagestan. He belonged to one of the indigenous peoples North Caucasus- Laks. Amet Khan's mother was a Crimean Tatar. Today the pilot is considered a national hero both in Dagestan and in the Crimea.

At the same time, the nationality "Tatar" was indicated in his passport. The child was named after his grandfather. In 1937, the hero of our article received elementary education, having finished seven classes, after that he went to the railway school located in Simferopol, at the same time he began to attend classes at the flying club, he graduated from it in 1938.

First an important event in the biography of Amet-Khan Sultan - admission to flight school. An oddity arose during the paperwork, it was written down according to the custom of the Crimean Tatars, that is, at first it given name, and only then the name of the father. Because of this, confusion arose: initially, it was the father who was considered by many to be the Hero of the Soviet Union. Then the unfortunate oversight was corrected.

Military service

In 1939, the Sultan entered the service in the units of the Red Army. The following year, he graduated from the Myasnikov aviation school, having received the rank of junior lieutenant, he was assigned to an aviation regiment located in the Odessa military district. The regiment itself was stationed directly near Chisinau.

At the very beginning of his flying biography, Amet-Khan Sultan mastered the I-15 and I-153 aircraft. When the war began, he was on the territory of modern Moldova.

On the fronts of the war

The hero of our article made the first sorties in his career on June 22. The junior lieutenant on the I-153 fighter went to reconnaissance, and then attack the advancing army. In the autumn he fought mainly in the skies over Rostov-on-Don, and in the winter of 1942 he began to retrain for British single-seat Hurricanes fighters.

In March 1942, the Sultan's aviation regiment was transferred to Yaroslavl, where he became part of the local troops. air defense. It was here that he won his first military victory.

On May 31, the ace military pilot Sultan spent the entire combat reserve on the Hurricane. Then he went on the attack on the Nazi fighter Junkers-88. He hit him from below with the left plane. As a result of the impact, the Sultan's plane got stuck in an enemy fighter on fire, but the pilot managed to get out of the cockpit in time and eject. Through a short time the pilot was summoned to Yaroslavl, to the local defense committee. They appreciated the feat of Amet-Khan Sultan, awarding diploma and nominal hours. The ceremony took place on Sovetskaya Square with a huge gathering of people, a crashed Junkers was put on public display nearby.

A little later, for this feat, accomplished in the airspace over Yaroslavl, hero-pilot Amet-Khan Sultan received the Order of Lenin. This is one of the military awards of the highest dignity. A few years ago in the city center took place Grand opening monument dedicated to this outstanding air victory of the Soviet ace.

Interestingly, the Sultan himself was convinced that he had made a piloting error when attacking a German bomber. He was worried that he had lost the plane, while many pilots destroyed enemy vehicles by landing on top of the enemy, causing irreparable damage with the landing gear. He claimed that it was a mistake, if he had landed his plane on top of the Junkers, he would probably have managed to land with the whole car.

Participation in the Battle of Stalingrad

In the summer, Amet-Khan was relocated near Voronezh. First, he flew on the Yak-1 aircraft, and then switched to the Yak-7B, on which he took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. By that time, the pilot had already managed to establish himself as a recognized ace, he was included in the ninth fighter aviation regiment, which by that time had already received the right to be officially called the Guards. It was a kind of elite of Soviet pilots, which was specially created to counteract the German aces.

In addition to the Sultan, the division included the best pilots of their time - Vladimir Lavrinenkov, Ivan Stepanenko, Alexei Ryazanov, who in the future became twice Heroes of the Soviet Union, as well as Boris Eremin and Ivan Borisov, who in the future received this title once.

During Battle of Stalingrad Amet Khan's plane was shot down, he had to escape with a parachute for the second time in his life.

Squadron Leader

In October 1942, Amet-Khan received the post of commander of the third squadron in the ninth fighter guards aviation regiment. In its composition, he fights until the very end of the war. The Sultan had a special tactic of attacking the enemy from a height. The command appreciated it so much that the hero of our article was even allowed to depict the figure of an eagle on the plane.

Having retrained to fly the Aerocobra, the Sultan took part in the liberation of Rostov-on-Don, fought deadly air battles in the Kuban, liberated Melitopol, Taganrog, Crimea. At the very beginning of 1944, in a duet with Ivan Borisov, he forced a fascist liaison aircraft of the Storch brand to land. It took the Sultan just a few minutes to get acquainted with the machine, which he saw for the first time, to go on his first solo flight on the Storch.

Deportation of Tatars from Crimea

In 1944, the Sultan received a vacation, going on which he witnessed one of the most tragic events in the life of the people of his mother. Arriving in Alupka, he found the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, which took place in May 1944. The younger brother of the hero of our article was arrested by the NKVD, he was convicted by a military tribunal, as he was a member of the auxiliary German security police "Shum", was a participant in war crimes in the Krasny concentration camp.

The commander of a detachment of Crimean partisans named Nikolai Dementyev transmitted another story about the Sultan's family. It was he who had to evacuate the relatives of the pilot. But the family refused to leave Crimea, and after that partisan detachment was ambushed by the Germans.

The dramatic meeting of Amet-Khan with his family is described in the book of Buta Butaev, compiled on the basis of a recording of conversations with the Sultan himself. It was this literary version that became the basis for allegations that the air ace was able to free his parents from deportation. There is no official confirmation of this, there are no documents. In fact, during the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, a certain role was played by the fact that a woman was married to a man of a different nationality, as was the case in the Sultan's family. Such families were not subject to deportation. Only the younger brother of the hero of our article named Imran answered for his actions.

End of the war

Returning from vacation, the Sultan switched to a modern La-7 fighter for that time. On it, he took part in the battles in East Prussia and during the bombing of Berlin.

He fought his last air battle on 29 April. Amet-Khan shot down a German Focke-Wulf 190 directly over Berlin's Templehof airfield.

In total, during the war, the ace pilot made 603 sorties. At the same time, 70 of them were aimed at attacking enemy equipment and manpower. Participated in 150 battles in the air, destroying 30 Nazi aircraft, he managed to shoot down another 19 as part of a group.

In 1943 he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At that time he had the rank of captain. He received another medal ("Gold Star") after signing the surrender of Germany, being already a major of the guard, he served as an assistant commander in the same regiment.

Career after the war

After the war, Sultan, like all aces pilots, went to study at the academy in Monino. Classes were difficult for him, the lack of education played a role. As a result, he turned to the command with a request to expel him from the academy, since he still does not have time for curriculum. The report was satisfied, in April the Sultan was transferred to the reserve.

But he no longer imagined life without heaven, he tried with all his might to return to this profession. He did not succeed in this, so the hero of our article fell into depression, began to abuse alcohol. Only the help and support of fighting friends helped him get out, at the beginning of 1947 he was admitted to the Flight Research Institute in Zhukovsky as a test pilot.

In a short time Sultan became one of the best testers. Already in 1952 he received a first-class specialty. In 1949, it was Sultan, together with Igor Shelest, who carried out the first automatic refueling of an aircraft in the air in the Soviet Union. Since 1951, he began to test aviation anti-ship missiles "Kometa". During the tests, the projectile could not immediately start, but Amet-Khan did not eject. He successfully started the engine, being already at the very ground, and saved the experimental car. For the successful conduct of these tests, he was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree.

air incident

A large number of The hero of our article performed flights in order to work out ejection from aircraft of various types. In 1958, during another such flight on a Mig-15 aircraft, a powder cartridge exploded in a catapult. Because of this, the fuel tank was pierced, both cabins were flooded with fuel, and there was a real threat of fire.

Test pilot Golovin did not have time to leave the plane due to damage to the ejection seat. In a critical situation, the Sultan decided to land the plane, he performed the maneuver flawlessly and saved the life of his comrade.

Social activity

The Sultan always worried about the people of his mother. In 1956, he, among the former Soviet and party employees of the Crimean ASSR, signed an appeal that dealt with the rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars. It was sent to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. But then it did not lead to any results.

In 1961, Amet-Khan received the title of Honored Test Pilot. In total, during his work at the institute, he mastered more than a hundred different aircraft, spent more than four thousand hours in the air. All this time he lived in Zhukovsky.

In 1971, he died during the next test flight on the Tu-16, which was used to test the latest jet engine. He was 50 years old.

memory of a hero

The memory of the hero is kept in many cities of Russia and former USSR. In Makhachkala, on Amet-Khan Sultan Avenue, his bronze bust is installed. A similar one can be seen in Alupka. The monument to the ace pilot was erected in the Dagestan village of Vachi.

There is a museum of Amet-Khan Sultan in Alupka. It was opened in 1993. It has a permanent exhibition dedicated to his biography. Many memoirs of war heroes are stored, archival documents, among the exhibits are models of aircraft from the Great Patriotic War, in particular the La-5, on which he fought. This aircraft was donated to the museum after the filming of the painting "Haytarma" was completed. "La-5" is the pride of the museum.

There was a trace in the cinema. A film about Amet-Khan Sultan directed by Akhtem Seytablaev was released in 2013. It is dedicated to the fate of the pilot.

* * *

When he came to the 9th Guards Aviation Wolf, they already knew about his feat - ramming a Nazi bomber. And still fresh in his memory was his unequal battle with the Nazis, in which Amet-Khan's plane was stitched by an enemy burst. The motor choked, and the pilot had only one thing left: to leave the burning car by parachute. He landed in no man's land. The Germans, in a hurry to capture the Soviet pilot alive, rushed to him, and Amet-Khan was already ready to join the battle with them in order to give his life on this piece of "no man's" land as expensive as possible - with a large number of destroyed Nazis. But I barely managed to put my pistol on a combat platoon, when 250 - 300 meters remained before the fleeing Germans, when I saw Soviet soldiers rising to attack from our position. "They discouraged the Nazis," he said, "to profit from Amet Khan."

Now I see that it was not in vain that they recaptured me, - Amet-Khan joked already in the circle of his new brother-soldiers. - In a good, apparently, I got the company, and thanks to them for that.

And the "company" of the pilots of the regiment also liked the lively, very agile, with an open smile, with an enviable sense of humor and genuine cordiality Ametka, as the Guardsmen affectionately called him.

At the beginning, Amet-Khan was assigned to the 3rd air squadron of Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Korolev, but soon I. G. Korolev himself recommended him to the position of commander of this squadron in connection with his appointment as regiment navigator.

Despite his youth, Amet-Khan was then the youngest commander in the regiment, he showed due will, perseverance and outstanding commanding abilities when it came to completing a combat mission. One could only marvel at his ability to see everything and everyone in the air. He was strict and precise in carrying out combat orders. But if necessary, he was not afraid to take the initiative.

Somehow, in the Gorodische area, the commander led 7 fighters to escort attack aircraft. When the enemy ground troops began to storm, Amet-Khan noticed that several Junkers were bombing our front line. Leaving a link to cover the attack aircraft, Amet-Khan with the rest of the fighters hastened to meet the enemy and started a fight with him. In a short fierce battle, our pilots shot down 3 enemy vehicles. After that, the fighters, led by Amet-Khan, returned to their attack aircraft and brought them safely to their airfield.

Having received new Yak-1 aircraft, Amet-Khan and the pilots of his squadron took part in the regiment's performance of a particularly important task - the destruction of enemy transport aircraft supplying ammunition and food to German troops surrounded in the Stalingrad region.

From October 10, 1942 to January 4, 1943, the regiment flew from the airfields of Zeta and Diligence. Amet-Khan participated in the defeat of a group of Ju-52 transport aircraft flying under the cover of Me-109 to Stalingrad. On that day, the pilots of the regiment shot down 4 Junkers and 1 Messer, 2 of them were shot down by Amet-Khan. After 2 days, Amet-Khan Sultan shot down an enemy He-111 bomber.

“As a pilot who perfectly owns the Yak-1 aircraft,” wrote regiment commander L. L. Shestakov, “Amet-Khan has no equal. As a commander, he is demanding of himself and his subordinates.”

“Comrade Amet-Khan,” wrote N. A. Verkhovets, deputy regiment commander for political affairs, “on the Stalingrad front alone he made 110 sorties, participated in 51 air battles and personally shot down 6 enemy aircraft ... Amet-Khan Sultan is a thunderstorm fascist air pirates. One name "Amet-Khan Sultan" confuses the Nazis. Amet-Khan is a vivid personification of the Soviet ace."

Amet Khan enthusiastically received the news of the liquidation of the Stalingrad group German troops, and then about the beginning of the offensive of our armies Southern Front.

Amet-Khan showed courage and courage in an air battle on March 25, 1943, when the battle for the liberation of the Don and the North Caucasus had already begun. Komesk led the four Yakovs that flew out to intercept enemy bombers. In the Keisu area, they met about 40 Junkers, which were covered by 6 Messers. Ahead of the dense formation of enemy aircraft was the flagship bomber, painted white.

Amet-Khan from above swiftly attacked the leading fascist. From 150 meters he opened fire and fired until he came close to him. The blow was accurate, the Junkers caught fire, and a few seconds later it exploded in the air. Seeing this, a group of enemy aircraft scattered, began to randomly go to the west. They failed to drop the bombs on the target.

When Amet-Khan left the attack and gained altitude, he noticed 2 Messers. Without hesitation, he entered into battle with them. The Nazi pilots tried to approach the "Yak" from different sides. But Amet-Khan constantly maneuvered, did not lose the advantage in height and fought offensively. The enemies left with nothing.

Amet-Khan, returning to the airfield, tried to stay higher. He always taught his pilots not to forget that enemy fighters could be encountered at any moment. It happened this time as well. Not far from the airfield, he noticed 2 Me-109s, which were on a collision course below their group. Having dived on the leading "Messer", Amet-Khan set it on fire.

The immortal feat in that battle was performed by Senior Lieutenant Pyotr Korovkin. When his supply of ammunition ran out, he came close to the Junkers and hit him with the left plane of his car. The bomber fell to pieces. However, the brave Korovkin also died. He was buried at the Frunze airfield. Now a square has been laid out in that place, in which an obelisk has been erected in honor of the heroes - pilots of the 9th Guards Regiment: Ivan Serzhantov, Pyotr Korovkin and Ivan Kupava, who fought in the fiery sky of Rostov.

"Height is the key to victory," Captain Amet-Khan wrote in a newspaper article of the Guard 3 days after the battle. - The one who is higher can dive on an enemy plane at any moment and, having developed a high speed, reach it. From a height it is more convenient to look around and conduct aimed fire.

Fascist aviation, with systematic raids on crossings across the Don, threatened to disrupt the advance of our troops. The front commander demanded to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the crossing. Shestakov's order was concise and brief: "The crossing must operate!" Just as short was the affirmative answer of Amet-Khan: "The crossing will work!"

At dawn, a group of 10 Aerocobras, led by Amet-Khan, flew to the crossing area. Visibility that day was excellent - "a million to a million," as the pilots said. They gained a height of 4500 meters and lined up in battle order. They were already in the air for about half an hour, when Amet-Khan noticed 3 groups of enemy aircraft following the crossing from the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. It was like walking in a parade. Ahead were 20 Heinkel-111s, followed by the same number of Messerschmitt-110s, and another 20 Heinkels closed the line. There were no cover fighters in sight ...

Amet Khan decided to attack without delay. The distance between our fighters and fascist bombers was shrinking every second. Komesk, making a U-turn, commanded: "To attack!" - and rushed to the enemy. Followers rushed after him. The Nazis opened barrage fire from machine guns mounted in the tail section of the aircraft. Coming to close range, the Guards fired the first short burst at the enemy. Immediately failed 4 "Heinkel". Amet-Khan climbed again over a group of bombers, and after the second strike, 2 more Heinkels went to the ground. In the third attack, one after another, 2 more enemy bombers were hit. In great confusion, enemy planes turned around and left towards the sea, without dropping a single bomb on the crossing.

Pressing on the closing "Heinkel", Amet-Khan felt how the engine of his aircraft began to lose the rhythm of normal operation, and then completely began to interrupt. In those seconds, the pilot was occupied with one thought: if only the engine would not stall, if only he could get the plane that was fleeing. He succeeded. A long fiery arrow pierced the fascist bomber.

Amet-Khan withdrew from the battle, handing over command to his deputy, but could no longer fly to his airfield. The damaged engine stalled, and the commander landed the car in the field.

By evening, Amet-Khan was already in his regiment and, having told his friends about the battle, he immediately discharged the clip of his pistol into the air with the traditional “For the Living” salute.

* * *

In August 1943, in connection with the transition of parts of the Southern Front to the offensive, the regiment took part in the battles to break through the German defenses on the Molochnaya River and liberate Taganrog.

On August 20, 1943, Captain Amet-Khan Sultan of the Guard shot down 2 enemy bombers in the Kalinovka area.

And the next day, flying at the head of 6 Airacobra aircraft to cover his troops in the Kalinovka-Dmitrievka area, Amet-Khan met 12 Ju-88 bombers in the Uspenskaya area at an altitude of 4000 meters. Having given the command "Attack in the frontal!", Amet-Khan, Golovachev, Safonov shot down one Junkers each, the rest of the fascist planes, in confusion, began to drop bombs over their territory.

At this time, the second group of bombers approached - 15 He-111 - which our pilots attacked with four from behind. As a result, Amet-Khan and Golovachev shot down another Heinkel each, which caught fire and fell in the Uspenskaya ...

Having shot down 6 enemy planes and not having their own losses, Amet-Khan's group returned to their airfield.

The commander of the front, Colonel General F.I. Tolbukhin, who was watching this battle, ordered that the hero - pilot and brave commander Amet-Khan Sultan be awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

"On personal example courage and heroism, - it was indicated in another representation of the command, - he taught his flight crew to mercilessly destroy the enemy.

Then there were new battles, heavy and bloody...

On August 24, 1943, the regiment received the good news that the commander of the Guards squadron, Captain Amet-Khan Sultan, was awarded the high rank of Hero of the Soviet Union, and a week later, on August 31, in correspondence from the Southern Front, published in the newspaper Pravda, among the best air heroes battles over Taganrog, the name of the Hero of the Soviet Union of the Guard Captain Amet-Khan Sultan was named.

Luck has always accompanied the commander, and not only in air battles. It happened that Amet-Khan got into exceptional situations and came out of them with honor. One of these cases occurred in the area of ​​Kiligey farms, in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Here is how V. D. Lavrinenkov writes about him in his book:

“On that day, a gale was blowing from the sea. When Amet-Khan and Borisov, having passed over the airfield, went further, we thought that the pilots wanted to take a better look at the area, take everything into account before landing. But after a few minutes we saw more than 2 , and 3 planes heard gunfire.The third was a small German monoplane, it flew so low that we could see how difficult it was to fight with a strong wind.

Amet-Khan pressed on the monoplane, releasing short bursts in his direction. Pressed to the ground by fire, the Nazi pilot went to land, and from fear he did not notice the airfield under him and landed right in the field.

At the same moment, Amet-Khan's "Aerocobra" turned towards the airfield. And after a few seconds, she touched the ground with three wheels, extinguished her speed and taxied to the headquarters building. Joyfully excited, Amet-Khan jumped off the wing and, smiling, walked towards me.

Accept the gift, my friend! The pilot of the Fizler-Storch never dreamed of such a thing! He probably flew to Evpatoria, and I landed him on the Lavrinenkov Peninsula ...

You're in luck, Amet-Khan! Happiness not only comes, but also flies towards you.

Well, this, Volodya, how else to say ... If I hadn’t chased after him, hell would he be here! And yet, it's done. Go! - he calmly finished, heading towards the car, which was not far away in the shelter.

Back in early 1943, the commander of the 8th Air Army set the task for aviators to master free hunting flights as one of the most effective ways to fight the enemy. The guards unanimously responded to this call, from the very better side Amet-Khan showed himself in free hunting.

"If you want your name to become as famous and honorable as the name of Amet-Khan, follow his example, listen to the advice that he gives to hunter pilots," the army newspaper wrote about him. Amet-Khan said: "Hunting is my favorite pastime. There is a place to show your abilities, knowledge and experience ... during the "hunt" the pilot should try to see everything, and go unnoticed himself ... Attack the enemy when he is less everything awaits your attack. When meeting with an air enemy, control the altitude and remember: whoever is higher wins."

Here are just a few examples of Amet Khan's free hunting flights.

On January 24, 1944, operating in the Nikopol direction, 4 "aircobra" planes flew out to hunt in the area of ​​Turkalli station. There they found an echelon in which there were 18 fuel tanks. The attack was carried out on tanks, resulting in 4 fires. The re-raid was made 50 minutes later. The leader of the four was Amet-Khan. The echelon was already dispersed. Then, for greater safety, Amet-Khan, stretching the formation of aircraft along the front, made 2 attacks on the remaining tanks, 6 of them caught fire. Acting decisively, the pilots inflicted great damage on the enemy with small means.

On February 8, Amet-Khan, at the head of a group, flew to the area of ​​operation of our troops, who were pursuing the retreating enemy on the right bank of the Dnieper. In the Borislav area, 2 enemy groups were found: 3 Junkers and 6 Heinkels, they attacked on the move. As a result of a short fight, Amet-Khan destroyed one bomber. After that, the flight was continued, and the pilots found a column of enemy troops moving along the road. During the assault, the group destroyed over 20 soldiers and officers.

On March 19, 1944, 2 "Aerocobras" from the squadron of Amet-Khan flew out to free hunt in the area north of Odessa and found a cluster of aircraft at an enemy airfield. Komesk decided to inflict an assault strike on the enemy. However, the flight to attack the airfield on the same day had to be postponed due to snowfall.

On the morning of the next day, Amet-Khan sent a couple of hunters for additional reconnaissance, who confirmed the previously received information. And then 6 "Aerocobras", led by Amet-Khan, flew out to attack. According to his plan, the group was divided into two: a strike of 4 aircraft, which he himself led, and a pair of guards, senior lieutenant Kireev, who covered.

The blow was sudden. The four of Amet-Khan made several attacks, a pair of Kireev, patrolling at an altitude of 600 - 800 meters, reliably covered the strike group. 3 Ju-52s and 3 He-111s were destroyed. Buildings and equipment were on fire at the airport.

Returning from a mission, Amet-Khan vigilantly examined the space. Noticing a steam locomotive on the railway track, the air hunter attacked and damaged it.

The year 1944 was remembered by Amet-Khan in that the regiment participated mainly in offensive operations of our troops, and this left a special imprint on the combat operations of the pilots. The Nazis were no longer so confident in the air, and our pilots gained experience, determination and strength.

Amet-Khan and his "eagles" were believed, they were hoped for and they were admired by the best pilots - attack aircraft of the front.

“... In the Crimea, the Nazis,” writes the brave attack aircraft, twice Hero of the Soviet Union M. G. Gareev, “had a lot of equipment, artillery, including anti-aircraft, and aircraft. It was not safe to appear in the sky without fighter cover. Most often On combat missions, we flew under the cover of the squadron of the Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-Khan Sultan. The fame of the feats of arms of this pilot thundered all over the front. Stories similar to legends were told about him. Ours admired him, and the Nazis were afraid like fire. Amet- Khan Sultan skillfully, loved height, speed and accurate strike ... Both in battle and in life, I really wanted to be like this wonderful person.

No less flattering reviews about the high fighting qualities of Amet-Khan Sultan and his pilots came in the days of fierce battles for the Crimea and from bomber pilots. Thus, the command of the 6th Guards Bomber Taganrog Aviation Division wrote to the commander of the 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Division:

"... The personnel of the division expresses its gratitude and thanks your fighters for the excellent provision of cover for our bombers - they did not allow a single loss of bombers from enemy fighters, and especially when the formation of bombers was stretched after bombing during anti-aircraft maneuvers, as well as individual lagging aircraft , knocked out by enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire, were reliably provided with cover. An example of this can be: Hero of the Soviet Union of the Guards, Major Amet-Khan Sultan, repulsed the attacks of the FV-180 on the stray Pe-2 of the Guard of Captain Paliy, accompanied him until the landing ... "

In his memoirs about the heroes - fellow soldiers, twice Hero of the Soviet Union A. V. Alelyukhin writes:

“Amet-Khan Sultan was especially famous. He was tireless in work, courageous in battle, bold in making decisions. Of his battles in 1944, I remember one when the six of Amet-Khan covered the actions of attack aircraft twice Hero of the Soviet Union Musa Gareev.

Stormtroopers made a second approach to the accumulation of fascist tanks. At this time, 12 dark dots appeared above the horizon.

Prepare for battle! - commanded Amet-Khan.

He believed in his fighting friends and boldly went to the leader. Near the same friend - Ivan Borisov. An experienced pilot turned out to be the leader of the fascist fighters. He not only defended, but also attacked. And yet, Amet-Khan managed to deceive the enemy and catch him in sight. The German went into a tailspin and crashed into the ground.

Amet-Khan looked around, made a slide. The stormtroopers continued their work. The fascist fighters were tied up in battle. But what is it? My heart went cold: a Nazi was attached to the tail of Borisov's car. Amet Khan threw his fighter down.

The fascist managed to give only one burst, as at the same second he began to smoke, having received a portion of lead from Amet-Khan. A friend's life was saved."

Flying in the Crimean sky, he could not help but pass over his native Alupka. From the air, the resort town was at a glance and seemed very small, as adults remember their native places, who left them as a child. Everything seemed to be as before. Here is the narrow street. And here is a painfully familiar house with steps on which he once took his first steps, and it seemed that someone ran across the yard, but it was difficult to see, although Amet-Khan passed right above the roof of his native house.

A few days later, when the Crimea was already free, Amet-Khan invited all fellow soldiers to his place in Alupka. We arrived together with the regiment commander Morozov in 3 cars. As soon as the car stopped, Amet-Khan jumped out of it and ran towards his father and his mother, who was hurrying after him. Amet-Khan picked up his mother, who was crying with joy, and carried him into the house. The pilots froze, watching this touching and joyful picture.

For questions and stories, this feast, rare for front-line soldiers, passed. But notes of painful memories of the days spent under the yoke of the Nazis also burst into the general joyful mood. The father kept trying to tell his son about it in detail, but the mother held him back: "Not about that, father, you say, it's better to listen to the son."

Relatives, acquaintances and unfamiliar residents of Alupka reached out to the house. Everyone wanted to hug the hero - fellow countryman.

When the guests went out into the courtyard, an enthusiastic crowd was waiting for them. They picked up Amet-Khan in their arms and with the words: "Glory! Glory!" started downloading it. Then they also glorified his friends - fellow soldiers ...

In the spring of 1945, Amet-Khan was appointed to the post of assistant regiment commander for airborne rifle service.

When there were fierce battles on the outskirts of Berlin, Major Amet-Khan Sultan of the Guards was presented a second time to the high rank of Hero of the Soviet Union.

It was one of the days of the final battles for Berlin, when Amet-Khan made the 603rd sortie since the beginning of the war. Beneath it was a fascist dogovo blazing in flames. Having the task of blocking the runway of the Tiergarten park, Amet-Khan, during a flight over the Tempelhof airfield, found 2 Focke-Wulf below him, who tried to storm the battle formations of our long-range artillery, which was shelling the Reichstag building. He had an advantage in height and immediately attacked the leading enemy aircraft. With the second burst, he managed to shoot down the Fokker. The plane crashed in the center of Tempelchovsk airport. The fascist pilot, jumping out with a parachute, landed in the area of ​​​​the firing positions of our battery, where he was taken prisoner by artillerymen.

Having shot down the enemy, Amet-Khan landed on the central Berlin airfield at a time when there was still shooting around.

I’m landing and I’m not sure yet, ”Amet-Khan recalled,“ ours or the Germans are in charge at the airfield. Sat down, but just in case the engine did not turn off. I look, our infantrymen are running towards the plane. The first, barely running up to the plane, joyfully shouted: "Ours, ours!". Before I could look back, I found myself in the arms of our fighters, kissing the red stars on my plane with tears of joy. It's impossible to forget...

Amet-Khan could not imagine his life without the sensations of flight and sky. And when the question arose of how to live after the long and difficult years of the war, he chose the sky and airplanes - he became a test pilot.

He really "taught airplanes to fly", year after year increasing the number of cars he tamed. By the 15th anniversary of the test work, he tested more than 100 types of aircraft.

In a relatively short period of time, he moved into the ranks of the country's leading test pilots. He gave testing work a quarter of a century.

The aviators of the country, workers of the aviation industry cordially celebrated the 50th anniversary of the remarkable pilot.

"Dear friend! - wrote his associates, well-known test pilots throughout the country, - your name is rightfully mentioned in the top ten most famous names of test pilots ..."

Addressing the hero of the day, the leaders and employees of the Design Bureau named after A. N. Tupolev wrote:

"We know you not only as a great pilot, your work is an example for all of us, we know you as modest, energetic, youthfully agile and great person, and therefore, admiring your professional qualities, we express our sincere love to you.

General and chief designers, hundreds of engineers, pilots, workers and engineering and technical workers sent their greetings to the hero of the day.

Amet-Khan was in the prime of life and energy when death overtook him at a military post.

In one of his appeals to former fellow soldiers, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel-General of Aviation V. D. Lavrinenkov wrote:

"I remember twice Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-Khan Sultan - a man of extraordinary courage. He was for all of us the personification of a pilot who embodied the best features of a Soviet air fighter. He was distinguished by an extraordinary love for flying, nothing, as they say, could knock him out of "saddles" - aircraft cabins. And all of us, his fighting friends, took the news that our Amet-Khan Sultan died in the line of duty as a great grief. He remained faithful to military duty to the end, his memory will always live in in our hearts, it will serve the cause of educating the next generation of aviators."

Busts of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, laureate of the State Prize and Honored Test Pilot of the USSR Amet-Khan Sultan were installed in Alupka and Makhachkala. Many schools are named after him. And in the city of Zhukovsk near Moscow, the street - the continuation of V.P. Chkalov Street - is named after him and it leads to where these great pilots left for the sky.