(25. 10. 1917)
By atrich Alexey deputy commander of a squadron of the 27 th Fighter Regiment (6-th Fighter Aviation Corps, Moscow air defense zone), Lieutenant. Born October 25, 1917 in the village Alekseevka now Krasnokutsk region Kharkov region in a peasant family. Ukrainetz. Member of the CPSU since 1941. Graduated from the 7 classes and 4-year workers' faculty of the Kharkov Institute of zootechnical. In the Red Army in 1935. Graduated Chuguyivske Military Aviation School in 1938.
In Private World War II from June 1941. August 11, 1941 Lieutenant Katrich AN. at 9.30 in the MiG-3 paired with Lieutenant Medvedev MI. flew to intercept enemy reconnaissance Do-215 going rate for Bologoye. Soon the slave engine overheated and he was forced to return to the airfield. Then Katrich alone rushed for "Dornier". About midway Bologoe, the enemy turned and walked along the railway line Moscow-Leningrad. Katrich overtook him over Ostashkov at an altitude of about 8000 m and a distance of 100 meters flashed machine gun burst from the tail of the motor the whole plane. Shooter of the cab returned fire, but did not cause harm to the fighter. Second burst Katrich arson is one of the engines, the third - killed arrow. The next place he intended to hit the cockpit, but ran out of ammo. Dornier "continued to fly. Then Katrich decided to ram. Rapidly converging with the bomber, came to him at a slight angle to the left side and the ends of the propeller of his plane damaged a stabilizer and fin. Then immediately put the gas and turned his fighter to the side, so as not to touch the plane "Dornier". Enemy aircraft swung, then collapsed on the wing and went down. At an altitude of 600 m the enemy pilot managed to align the plane, but not for long. Soon he hit the ground near the village and burned Starica. The crew led by Lieutenant R. Roeder died. Lieutenant Katrich landed safely at their base. The only damage to the fighter were bent the ends of two blades. It was the world's first high-rise ram.
September 12, 1941 in an air battle on the distant outskirts of Moscow Lieutenant Katrich again applied the ram and destroy enemy bombers. Landed on its airfield.
. W tion of the Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and medal "Gold Star" Alexei Nikolayevich Katrich awarded Oct. 28, 1941.
. In 1943, the Guard Captain Katrich AN
. received the Yak-1, built by the chairman of the kolkhoz "Chapaevets" Saratov Region IV Frolov. The Major War Katrich finished as the deputy commander of the regiment. Altogether during the war has made more than 250 sorties in the aerial battles shot down 14 enemy planes.
Fter the war he continued service in the aviation. In 1950 he graduated with honors from the Red Banner Air Force Academy in 1959 - the Military Academy of the General Staff. He has held senior positions in the Air Force, was the first Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation. One of the first Katrich in 1965 awarded the title of "Honored Military Pilot of the USSR.
Colonel General Aviation Katrich AN. lives in Moscow.
. H agrazhden Orders of Lenin, . October Revolution, . 4 Orders of the Red Banner, . Order of Alexander Nevsky, . 2 orders of the Patriotic War 1 degree, . Orders of the Red Star, . "For Service to Motherland in the Armed Forces" 3 degrees, . Order of Honor, . medals.,
.
Biography provided by AE Melnikov
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. Sources:
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