Pavel Varnavsky Soviet people: the creation of a single identity in the USSR as the construction of a common memory (based on materials from the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) In recent years, more and more studies have appeared devoted to the study of the national question in the USSR. Interest in this issue

Pavel Rychagov was born on January 2, 1911 in the small village of Nizhnie Likhobory near Moscow, now within Moscow, into a peasant family. As a child, he did not stand out among the village boys. He played lapta, flew a kite, went to school, and was fond of sports. After graduating from junior high school, he worked at a factory as a packer.

Since 1928 he served in the Red Army. He graduated from the Leningrad Military Theoretical School of the Air Force in 1930 and the 2nd Borisoglebsk Military Pilot School named after. Osoviakhim in 1931. As its best graduate, he was assigned to the 109th Fighter Aviation Squadron of the 5th Zhitomir Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Kyiv Military District. He served first as a junior pilot, then as a flight commander, and soon as a detachment commander.

In total, during his service he made more than 3,000 landings, including more than 500 at night, and flew more than 170,000 kilometers.

The character of Pavel Rychagov... He was revealed in flights, intense, everyday, sometimes simply fantastic.

One day Pavel flew out with a friend. We completed the mission, landing ahead. And then they discovered that one of the skis had taken a vertical position. What should I do? Rychagov handed the steering wheel to a colleague, climbed out of the cockpit onto the plane and, holding onto the aircraft strut, calmly put his foot into the landing position.

And what miracles Pavel performed during flight tests of new aircraft entering the squadron! Notes from Rychagov’s contemporary, aviation expert Ivan Rakhillo, have been preserved:

“Not a single pilot is able to withstand such a crazy load that Rychagov withstood. During one flight without landing, he performed up to 250 aerobatic maneuvers in the air. 40 figures at an altitude of 5000 meters. Then he climbed to 6000 - and here again 40, 7000 - another 40. Flight - without an oxygen mask, another would have lost consciousness at this altitude without figures. Having completed the required 40 figures, Rychagov rested a little and performed another 40 loops, coups, turns and combat turns: from the ground through binoculars it was visible how his tiny plane went on a rampage in a transparent, unattainable height. Then he descended to 6000 meters and here again spun 40 figures. On the floor below - another 40!.. At the ground, in order to rest and lightly entertain, he easily performed 20 - 25 figures and, finally, sat down. What kind of powerful health one must have in order to withstand such a flight!..”

He really flew excellently - on one day (testing) without turning off the engine, he made 110 takeoffs and landings without rest. One winter, one of the pilots landed clumsily and blamed all the blame on his skis: they say you can’t exactly calculate the landing on them. Rychagov threw his glove onto the runway, jumped onto the plane and took off. Having made a circle, he landed in such a way that his ski slammed that glove into the snow...

The brigade quickly started talking about Rychagov. In 1933, he became a flight commander, and a few months later he led an air squadron and brought it to the front lines. For personal success in mastering new aircraft, on May 25, 1936, Senior Lieutenant P.V. Rychagov was awarded the Order of Lenin. He celebrated the award in a unique way - he conducted a long flight 5 meters from the ground in an inverted position. When asked if it was scary to fly at such a height, he replied: “It’s scary for those who are not confident in their car and in themselves.”

Rychagov gave all of himself to his flight work. He couldn’t even imagine his personal life without aviation - he married. The next working day for the young began at one airfield, often simultaneously with sunrise and continued until sunset. The separations began when Paul began to “wander through wars.”

In October 1936, at the head of 14 pilots, Pavel Rychagov left for Spain. From 20 October 1936 to 6 February 1937 he was commander of the 1st Squadron and then commander of the 26th Group. He had the pseudonym "Pablo Palancar". Its pilots became part of the P.I. Pumpura air group, which by November 1936 consisted of about 50 I-15 and I-16 fighters. Until February 6, 1937, Senior Lieutenant P.V. Rychagov headed one of the units of this group operating in the Madrid area.

On November 4, Rychagov’s group fought its first battle. On this day, the pilots made 4 combat missions, shooting down 2 bombers and 3 fighters, and the group commander opened the account of his victories. The next day, the group shot down another 1 bomber and 3 fighters. On November 6, Rychagov scored 2 more aerial victories. Air battles over Madrid were extremely difficult. On November 7 alone, Soviet fighter pilots made more than 100 sorties.

On November 16, 1936, 13 Soviet pilots fought with a large group of enemy aircraft. As a result, the enemy lost 5 vehicles and was forced to turn back. Republican aviation losses amounted to 2 aircraft. In this battle, Pavel Rychagov shot down one car, but his Chaika was also damaged by a Junkers gunner with a tail number ending in “86”. After leaving the plane, he landed by parachute in the very center of Madrid.

The enthusiastic Spaniards carried Rychagov in their arms to the car and took him to the hospital. The next day, an important, richly dressed man entered his room. He warmly greeted Pavel, congratulated him on his victory, and in conclusion declared that he was giving the Soviet pilot a whole shipload of lemons and oranges.

Where do I need so much? - Rychagov was surprised.

“And that’s your business,” the Spaniard smiled. - You are now a very rich man and have the right to do with the gift as you wish.

Rychagov proposed sending a ship with goods to Spanish children evacuated to the Soviet Union. And so it was done.

After healing a little and transferring to a new plane, Pavel continued to fight.

In total, in battles over Madrid, he was shot down three times: on November 7 by a Ju-52 bomber gunner, and on November 16 and 19, but each time he was saved by parachute.

As of December 9, 1936, with 6 victories (3 Heinkels, 2 Fiats and 1 Junkers), he was the leader among Soviet pilots. At the same time, he had only about 7 hours of flight time on one downed enemy vehicle - a record figure among the pilots of his group.

Serious successes led to the fact that he was sent home ahead of schedule from Spain, having managed to add 2 more victories to his combat tally in January 1937.

On January 6, 1937, I-16s intercepted 14 Junkers under cover of 20 - 22 Heinkels and forced the enemy bombers to turn back. Soon I-15s arrived to help I-16. The combat diary lists the total number of Soviet fighters as 24, but squadron commanders report different numbers. Commander of the fighter group "T.K." (unfortunately, it was not possible to identify him) wrote that there were 15 I-16s and 10 I-15s, the commander of the I-15 squadron, P. Rychagov, noted that he brought 14 I-15s to the battlefield:

“Not expecting to catch up with them (the enemy bombers - author’s note) (my speed is 300 km, and the enemy’s is 280 km), I decided to take part in the I-16 battle that was taking place.”

The details of the battle, as in most cases, remained unknown. But we know something about the results. On the Republican side, Ivan Khovansky (his I-16 collided with an enemy plane at an altitude of 100 meters) and I-15 pilot Jesus Garcia Huergido were killed. The circumstances of his death remain a mystery. It is known that, while diving in pursuit of the Heinkel, his plane crashed into the ground.

The Republicans announced 7 Heinkels shot down (I-16 - 3, I-15 - 4, including the I-15 squadron commander who personally shot down 1 plane and set fire to 1). 4 enemy fighters fell on Republican territory. The Germans who participated in this battle, without declaring victories, admitted the loss of 2 pilots and aircraft from 3.J/88: von Gallera and Kneiding were killed by I-16 fire. It is unknown who controlled the other 2 planes that fell on republican territory.

During 4 months of intense fighting (Rychagov stayed in Spain from October 20, 1936 to February 6, 1937, made about 80 sorties (total flight time 105 hours), the I-15 squadron under his command shot down 40 enemy aircraft over Madrid, 8 of them were destroyed personally by their commander (in many sources the total number of Rychagov’s victories is given differently: from 15 to more than 20).

List of personal victories of Pavel Rychagov in Spain:

On December 31, 1936, for the courage and heroism shown in battles with enemies, Pavel Rychagov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (“Gold Star” No. 86) and awarded the Order of Lenin.

Georgy Zakharov, a participant in those battles, later recalled:

“We were lucky with the presenter. Many knew how to fly beautifully and fought superbly, but not every pilot could be a leader. Pavel was created by nature for this role.

What he did in battle was completely inexplicable. Pavel knew how to determine the only right moment when to attack, he always chose the direction of the strike at the enemy’s most vulnerable spot, and his leadership abilities were combined with the high skill of an ordinary fighter - this was clearly evidenced by the 20 planes he shot down.

Rychagov in my memory will forever remain one of the best fighter pilots I have known in my long flying life...

As soon as Rychagov appeared in people's field of vision, he was immediately surrounded by many people. I can say with confidence that in 1937 there would hardly have been another squadron commander who enjoyed such authority among his pilots and fame in the country. “Gold Star” of Hero, two Orders of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner for combat work - in those days we had few people with such awards.”

In February 1937, Pavel Rychagov returned to the USSR, where he was awarded the rank of major and appointed commander of the 109th separate fighter squadron.

From December 1937 to April 1938 he commanded Soviet aviation in China. He had the pseudonym “Battle General”, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner (03/8/1938) and the medal “XX Years of the Red Army” (02/23/1938).

In China, he did not fly himself, since he was required to have a different kind of skill than leading groups into battle. And he proved himself to be a commander capable of planning and carrying out unexpected attacks that were very noticeable to the enemy. Under his leadership, a series of raids were carried out on airfields in Hangzhou and Taiwan, which alarmed the whole world. The destruction of an air force base in Taiwan on February 23, 1938, where about 50 aircraft and a 3-month supply of fuel were destroyed, caused a state of shock among the Japanese. No planes took off from there for a whole month.

On April 8, 1938, he was awarded the rank of brigade commander. In May, he became commander of the Air Force and a member of the Military Council of the Primorsky Group of Forces of the Red Banner Far Eastern Front and the 1st Separate Red Banner Army.

...Summer 1938. Hassan. The enemy is still the same - the Japanese. But this time they committed aggression against our country, capturing the Bezymyannaya and Zaozernaya hills. Pavel Rychagov, commander of the Air Force of the Primorsky Group of the Far Eastern Front, showed impatience. He had never before had to command such a large air force (70 fighters and 180 bombers), and he again and again proposes to launch a massive strike on the enemy.

On August 6 at 16:00, under the cover of fighters, the first squadrons of our bombers appeared in the enemy’s defensive zone. Despite the dense fire of Japanese anti-aircraft batteries, the planes, maneuvering, descended to 300 meters and, as they say, smashed enemy positions point-blank. The area is small - therefore, in preparation for the operation, the pilots learned bombing from extremely low altitudes.

V.S. Blucher, who observed the actions of aviation from the command post, reported via direct wire to the People's Commissar of Defense that the Zaozernaya hill “gives the impression of not only being blown up, but literally scalped.” Massive air strikes then largely determined the success of ground forces.

For participation in the battles in the area of ​​Lake Khasan, he was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner (10/25/1938). On February 9, 1939 he received the rank of Divisional Commander.

In 1939, Rychagov was appointed Commander of the Air Force of the 9th Army, participating in the battles of the Soviet-Finnish War, and was awarded the third Order of the Red Banner (05/21/1940). Then he returned to the Far East.

On April 11, 1940, he was awarded the military rank of Komkor, and on June 4, the rank of lieutenant general of aviation. In June 1940 he was appointed deputy chief of the Red Army Air Force, and in July - first deputy chief of the Red Army Air Force.

In August 1940, he was a 29-year-old lieutenant general and was appointed Head of the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Force. Since March 1941, he was already the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st convocation. Marshal G.K. Zhukov, a man known to be very stingy with praise, also had a very high opinion of P.V. Rychagov as a leader.

High cheekbones, with a head of black hair, in a tunic fitted to the waist, at the Air Force Main Directorate he gave the impression of a front-line pilot who had arrived on a business trip rather than a military leader with the rank of General. Yes, Rychagov was young, but youth is energy. He took the matter seriously. The main task facing him was the introduction of a new generation of aircraft into operation.

He often traveled to the units that were the first to develop aircraft. He suggested, advised, hurried. In that harsh, dangerous situation (the repressions did not stop), his direct, explosive nature sharply manifested itself. At large meetings he always said what he thought. If he was convinced of an idea, he defended it to the end.

Thus, Rychagov urgently raised the issue of improving the flying skills of pilots. One day a group of military men was called to Stalin. He wanted to know first-hand how the development of new aircraft was going. Rychagov, who took the floor, spoke calmly at first. But then, when they talked about flight hours, he flared up: “30 hours is only enough for a pilot to crash. And he still needs to know how to fight. 120 hours are required at a minimum!”

Stalin, when he began to sum up the results of the meeting, remarked: “120 hours of flight time... Boyish reasoning. We are not going to throw fuel to the wind...” But, apparently, Rychagov’s efforts were not in vain: soon an order was issued to increase flight hours for combat pilots.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Air Force leadership was tense to the limit. Aviation personnel were destroyed, more and more people were promoted to positions. In particular, during the 3.5 pre-war years, the Air Force changed 5 chiefs. Moreover, their tenure in this post was constantly shortened. Loktionov, who replaced Alsnis, stayed in this position for about 2 years, Smushkevich - about a year, Rychagov - six months. If he had not received such a high appointment in 1940, it could have turned out that we would have known another talented aviation commander during the Great Patriotic War. After all, Rychagov had battles behind him in Spain, China, Khasan, and the Finnish company. And directing combat operations is a matter more familiar to him than the issues of building the country's air force.

Pavel himself never strived for power and did not hold on to positions. Already being the Chief of the Air Force, in great excitement he said more than once: “I came from the troops, I will go to the troops...” Leading the Air Force at that time was extremely difficult; on many issues it was necessary to contact Stalin personally. Directive instructions followed one after another, were not coordinated with each other, unrealistic tasks and deadlines for their implementation were outlined.

One day, the deputy commander of aviation of the Moscow Military District, General N.A. Sbytov, reported to Rychagov about disasters and accidents in units. He said that out of 25 new aircraft, only 8 were left. Leverages responded to him: when there is not a single aircraft left, we will report where it should be. Malenkov was responsible for the quality of the machines and very high arguments were required to impress Stalin.

Such an opportunity soon presented itself. At one of the military councils there was talk about the high accident rate in aviation. Rychagov, when he was given the floor, stood up and said:

There will be a lot of accidents, because you are making us fly on coffins!

This was completely unexpected for everyone, there was absolute silence... Everyone was waiting for what Stalin would say. He was silent for a while, and then said slowly and quietly, without raising his voice:

You shouldn't have said that! The meeting closes...

On April 12, 1941, Pavel Vasilyevich was removed from his position and sent to study at the Air Force Academy of the General Staff. In the silence of the classroom, Rychagov no longer expected anything bad, hoping to receive a new appointment in the future. He did not know that Beria was already intensively preparing to “uncover a new conspiracy” in the Red Army and that he would choose victims from among those to whom Stalin had lost interest for some reason: G. M. Stern, A. D. Loktionov, Ya. V. Smushkevich, K. A. Meretskov... Pavel was in this row.

...In June there were warm days in Sochi - a fertile time for vacationers. Pavel and his wife, completely carefree this time, enjoyed them for the first time in recent years. Every hour of rest is like a sip from the spring of happiness. Pavel said to his comrade in Spain, Emelyan Kondrat, later an aviation major general:

It was a vacation and, as you can see, we headed south together. Because my Maria is like Penelope. Her whole life is waiting. I travel through wars. And here is a short break, how not to take advantage...

The conversation took place at noon, June 21, 1941. And the next day, in the second half, they hastily took tickets for the evening train to Moscow, realizing that their place was at the front. But they didn’t get to the front. In Moscow, at the station, Pavel and Maria were asked to go to the military commandant. Maria left there alone. The people in civilian clothes who were in the room asked Rychagov to stay...

And a day later, on June 24, at the Central Airfield named after M.V. Frunze, Maria, the deputy commander of a separate special-purpose aviation regiment, was also arrested. The charge brought: “Being Rychagov’s beloved wife, she could not help but know about her husband’s treasonous activities.” Love is also suitable for arrest...

They were tortured in the capital, extracting confessions of treason and sabotage. In October, when the enemy was already on the outskirts of the capital, 20 participants in the “conspiracy” were transported to Kuibyshev. Beria’s secret dispatch flew there with a courier - “Cease the investigation, do not bring it to trial, shoot immediately!”

But the investigators did not yet know the contents of the “highest decision” and diligently continued to extract testimony. Maria was interrogated even on the morning of October 28, 1 hour before all those arrested were taken out in covered cars to be shot. Pavel Rychagov and Maria Nesterenko died together in the village of Barbysh (now the territory of the Gagarin children's park) near Kuibyshev (now Samara). The place of their burial is unknown.

On July 23, 1954, P.V. Rychagov was completely rehabilitated. A street in Moscow is named after him.

***

“...New I-15 fighters began to arrive to us. They say that their appearance was accelerated by the following aviation accident, humiliating for the prestige of our country. One of the prominent French leaders flew to Moscow on his passenger plane. Voroshilov decided to give him an honorary escort of fighters, the “famous” I-5, in the amount of 2 flights or 6 aircraft on the way back to the Soviet border. Immediately after take-off and climb, within sight from the Moscow Central Airfield, the Frenchman’s plane gave full throttle and easily broke away from our low-speed and low-power I-5s, powerlessly fluttering like sparrows. Of course, this did not add credibility to our power as an ally of France. Klim Voroshilov loudly swore and criticized such aviation technology, once again leaning towards the advantages of cavalry, where our Kuban and Don horses were half a corps ahead of everyone else.

Pashka Rychagov flew great: boldly, prudently and at the same time relaxed. He was one of the first to master the I-15 fighter with the M-25 engine and soon promised to show us what he was capable of. We egged him on in response, arguing that we couldn’t show much on our “coffins.” But the next day, during the flights, I immediately recognized Rychagov’s flying handwriting on takeoff. It was this thick, strong man who always lifted the car up so sharply and confidently. The start of the airfield was directed towards Post-Volynsky, to the west. Rychagov flew to Post-Volynsky, made a box around Zhulyan and, entering from the side of the bomb depot, put the plane on its side, with a bank of 90 degrees, the engine slightly up with the tail slightly lowered. It was in this position that Pashka rushed at an altitude of 20 meters above the parking of our aircraft at the airfield, raising an oblong cloud of dust - this was in July 1936. Then, having risen about 50 meters, Pashka made 2 barrels.

Everyone gasped at the capabilities of the car and the recklessness of the pilot. If the engine failed for a moment, they would have crashed into the ground during the campaign. But this was not hooliganism. The fact is that 2 months earlier, at a large meeting of aviation leadership in Moscow, at which Stalin was present, the first, sad for our aviation, results of military operations in Spain were analyzed. It was not accepted to talk about the backwardness of our material part and, as usual, one of Stalin’s lackeys began to blame it on the pilots, who seemed to be afraid to fly. Aviation management, on the other hand, justified itself by the mass of prohibitions that exist in our aviation in order to avoid flight accidents. Stalin did not cancel the bans, but thoughtfully stated that the technique must be mastered in such a way as to be able to play it in the air. This, as always a banal expression of our staff genius, was reported to us with deep respect by the commander of the Air Force of the Kyiv Special Military District F. Ingaunis, who was present at that meeting. So, it turned out that Pashka was not misbehaving in the air, but was following the leader’s instructions - that’s what it means to look at things.

Soon, 2 serious events happened in Pashka’s life. Firstly, he married the pilot Maria Nesterenko, a puny, black and dark, not so beautiful woman, sent to their detachment during the then noisy campaign for women to master tractors and airplanes. According to the ideological plan, these unnatural and dangerous occupations for women’s health, but very useful in case of war, were supposed to mean the complete triumph of women’s equality in the world’s first country of victorious socialism, which had recently adopted such a glorious Constitution, which, however, few people read and followed pay attention to her. Secondly, Pashka was sent to Spain, where he did not stay long, about 6 months, but managed to show himself well in battle. Our political workers were frothing at the lips that Pashka shot down either 10, or 20, or 30 planes in Spain.

Pashka himself, who returned from Spain with the rank of Captain, visited Paris itself, where, according to his stories, he looked into a brothel (and saw this there), on whose tunic the Order of Lenin sparkled with enamel and the “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union shone, in response He remained silent to our questions and just waved his hand. This spoke of Pashka’s decency and his sober head, although he loved to drink. Too many comrades died next to him: my good friend Kovtun, many of our other mutual acquaintances. Against this background, the rattling stories about the exploits of the “Spaniards” sounded like sacrilege. Although some of these pilots, who were pulled out of the Spanish air meat grinder, as exemplary exhibits, completely lost their heads and spun the incredible.

For example, the little blond pilot Lakeev from our fighter squadron also received a Hero. But he was unlucky - he didn’t get his last name. The selection of heroes was also carried out by last name: there were no Korovins and Deryugins among them, but there were euphonious Stakhanovs and militant Rychagovs, who were destined to turn the world of capital upside down. At the beginning of our serious war, most of the “Spaniards” had a very pitiful appearance and disposition, and practically did not fly. Why risk a head crowned with such great fame? These were division commander Zelentsov, regiment commander Shipitov, regiment commander Grisenko, regiment commander Syusyukalov. At the beginning of the Patriotic War, we expected from them examples of how to beat the Messers, who literally pecked us and whom these epic heroes in their stories destroyed by the dozens in the Spanish sky, but we heard from them mainly commissar’s encouragement: “Come on, come on, forward brothers. We’ve already flown away.”

I remember a hot day in July 1941. I am sitting in the cockpit of the I-153, at the airfield south of Brovary, where there is now a poultry plant, before takeoff. In a few minutes, I will lead the eight to attack the enemy in the area of ​​​​the Khatunok farm, which is now behind the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy. The day before, in this very place, we lost the pilot Bondarev, and in this battle I was almost shot down. German tanks accumulated in the Khatunka area, well covered by the fire of very effective German small-caliber Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns, which pierced right through our plywood aircraft.

A major general without a position, the “Spanish” Hero of the Soviet Union Lakeev, whose division, where he was commander, was burned on the ground by the Germans on the first day of the war, came up to board my plane, and he was hanging around our airfield. Lakeev was afraid to fly and was busy inspiring the flight crew. I decided to inspire me too: “Come on, come on, commissar, give them a hard time.” I really wanted to send the Hero, glorified in the press, poems and songs, away, but the commissar’s position did not allow me. Lakeev was sent away and shown a combination of a fist pressed to the elbow with the other hand by one of the pilots of the neighboring 2nd regiment, Timofey Gordeevich Lobok, to whom Lakeev suggested leaving the plane and giving him a place, the General, so that such a great value would fly out of the encirclement, when it came to this.

So, I won’t say anything bad about Pashka. He had a healthy inside and Spain didn’t spoil him too much. But on the other hand, Pashka was by no means a fool and knew well which side to approach where. It’s one thing to get into the career stream, and another thing to stay in it. While passing through Paris, Pavel not only hung out in brothels, but also wisely used the currency in his hands: he bought powder compacts, expensive perfumes and other souvenirs. At that time, these objects made a stunning impression in our poor country. As we knew, Pashkin’s wife, Manka Nesterenko, gave a good souvenir to the wife of the brigade commander Bakhrushin, and a very good one - to the wife of the district commander Yakir.

Let me digress a little: it’s not without reason that they say that at the pinnacle of success the seeds of destruction are often sown. I think that it was this gift and the closeness that arose with Yakir that ruined Pavel a few years later. Imagining Stalin's character, I am inclined to think that, even showering Rychagov with affection, he constantly kept in mind his connection with Yakir. All people close to the participants in the “military conspiracy” had to disappear. And Stalin could not have been unaware of Yakir’s relationship with Rychagov. There was a time when Rychagov and I lived in the same entrance of house No. 9, the first entrance for officers. And somehow the security officers who suddenly appeared at our entrance did not let me home, due to the fact that Yakir was visiting Rychagov on the second floor, and I lived on the first. I don’t know whether the security officers were guarding Yakir or watching him, but of course they informed him where he should go.

Soon Rychagov became the commander of the 2nd detachment. It is curious that this aviation unit has been numbered “2” since Tsarist times. The 2nd detachment, even before the revolution in Gatchina, which later went over with its commander Pavlov to the side of the Soviet regime, the 2nd squadron of the 81st assault brigade, the 2nd regiment of which I had to be commissar. That's why I know these details. As a detachment commander, Pashka was not arrogant. You could still drink beer with him completely calmly...

Pilot Maria Nesterenko and her husband commander Pavel Rychagov, future commander-in-chief of the Air Force.

I remember the scene at the airfield: his wife Maria Nesterenko, a good woman, but, unfortunately, childless, piloting the I-5, was landing. It was late autumn, with a strong wind, and Manya could not place the plane’s nose directly on the landing strip; her car was thrown in one direction or the other, in a zigzag, threatening to land almost on the head of the flight director, who was then her family husband Pashka Rychagov. Pashka was a guy with humor. He looked back at us and shouted: “Brothers, run up, my prostitute is flying.” We rushed in different directions, away from the landing strip, and Maria, who flew literally 10 meters from us, landed safely.

Further, Pavel’s career growth took on a wild character. After 2 months he became squadron commander. Then he was sent to China to restore order in our aviation units, where there were heavy losses in the air war with the Japanese. Then he received an aviation brigade in the Far East, which he commanded for six months. Then Rychagov commanded the military aviation of the Far East. In connection with the Khalkhin-Gol events, Zhukov remembers him well. Soon after this, Pashka became the commander-in-chief of the Red Army Air Force, receiving the rank of Komkor - he wore 3 diamonds. He completed this entire dizzying journey in 2.5 years, without any additional study or preparation. In all reports he was called a “precious nugget.” Tightly built and strong, Pashka really looked like a piece of some hard material.

The last time I saw Rychagov was at the gates of the General Staff courtyard, where I was summoned after China. A luxurious black lacquered ZIS drove up and from it, through the lowered window, Pashka Rychagov smiled at me. Everything on him was red: both the diamonds and, for some reason, his reddened face. “Hey!” Pashka greeted me, waving his hand, and I saluted, not without respect for the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, with whom I had recently been hanging around Khreshchatyk. A good stream carried Pashka, but he rode, having greeted me, straight to his death. God save us from lordly anger and lordly love, or as they say in the army: “Every curve around the authorities is shorter than every straight line.” The leadership position, still stained with the blood of his predecessor, the glorious Alksnis, turned out to be slippery for Pashka Rychagov.

As far as I know, I don’t know whether it’s true or they lied about Pashka, but the reason for his arrest is the following. In 1940, our industry for the first time produced a batch of modernized DB-ZF aircraft, long-range bombers, boosted. Rychagov decided to send them to the Far East. Allegedly, he was warned about bad weather along the route, but he ordered to fly. If the complete stupefaction from his own success still turned his head, it was no wonder. This happens quite often with us: as soon as a person gets to the top, he begins to play the fool. But it is also possible that Pashka was simply made a scapegoat, and the orders were given by someone higher up, say Tymoshenko himself. And was it even possible to predict the weather along the many thousand-kilometer Siberian route?

Our fathers - commanders were masters of all kinds of provocations. In any case, the new bombers went along the route, but did not arrive at their final destination. They got lost and, having run out of fuel, ended up somewhere in the Siberian taiga. I don’t know, maybe they’re slandering Pashka, or maybe he’s completely gone crazy, but they say that when he was asked to inform Defense Minister Tymoshenko about what had happened in order to organize a large-scale search and rescue of crew members, he responded in the sense that, to hell with them, since they can’t fly. The crews died. This was reported to Stalin, who did not like it when his favorites were more rude than himself. According to rumors, Stalin ordered a large-scale search and the planes, albeit with a significant delay, were discovered. Some pilots kept diaries indicating that they were still alive for almost a month and died of hunger without waiting for help.

Pashka was arrested and kept in prison for almost a year. He was a kind of victim of Stalin, thanks to whom he made his dizzying, but as it turned out, unbearable career for him. In the fall of 1941, on Stalin’s personal order, Rychagov, along with a group of arrested military men, was shot in one of the Volga prisons. The noise of the three-ton engine, started to muffle the sound of shots and screams of those being executed, was the last sound that Pashka heard in his short but stormy life. It would be better if his dizzying career did not exist and the dashing pilot Pashka Rychagov, for whom the Monomakh cap turned out to be too strong, would listen only to the roar of aircraft engines. How much more benefit could he bring in air battles? I reread what I have written and sometimes I am surprised myself: how much rubbish is found on the reverse side of the medal of our valiant aviation, which was shown to the people as an example of patriotism and courage. This is the property of despotism under which we lived: all the good qualities in people are mercilessly suppressed, which I have written about more than once on these pages, and all sorts of rubbish blooms in riotous colors and floats to the very top.

Take the Spanish epic, for example. How many young pilots with shining eyes besieged the headquarters of aviation units, wanting to fly to Spain to help the Republicans. But the background of this internationalism was simple: those of the “Spaniards” who managed to return immediately made a sharp leap up the career ladder: they became commanders of regiments and squadrons, sometimes without any ability to do so. They were awarded high awards that were then rare. Even those who were held captive by Franco for a year. For example, the pilot Zverev, who was hardly exchanged after being released from Franco captivity, shot down over enemy territory, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the authority of which, as the highest military award of the Civil War, was still high. I talked to Zverev. He himself did not know why he was awarded. In addition, for many, the path went through Paris - to get hold of some junk, but they would kill them - not me. In a word, the “Spaniards” were welcomed in 1936 - 1939 as the greatest heroes and many young pilots wanted to join their number.

Drawing historical parallels, sad, but still showing the intellectual growth and moral decline of our society, I will note that, perhaps, the “Spaniards” were as popular in those years as the people who fought in Afghanistan have become unpopular in our time. The “Afghans” were given few awards, almost no honors, military awards were given out slowly, as if they had been stolen, and they were appointed to new positions with a demotion. It’s like they’re not heroes, but sewer trucks. This is the logic of our system, which, even while elevating it, inevitably disfigures and destroys not only people, but also the concepts of internationalism and military duty. Everyone became victims: from Tukhachevsky to Rychagov and to the children of Stalin himself...”

(From the book of memoirs of military pilot Dmitry Panteleevich Panov - “Russians in the Snow.” Lvov, 2003.)