Andrei Borovykh achieved his first victory in his very first combat mission. Such immediate success was rare for pilots, and although Borovykh had served as an instructor for half a year, his triumph is attributed to his exceptional persistence and the audacity of his attacks. The “Hurricane” he was flying at the time had also undergone significant armament modifications. Following the widely recognized experience of B. Safonov, its four 7.7 mm Browning wing machine guns were replaced with four 20 mm SHVAK cannons.
On the Kalinin Front, Borovykh completed eight combat sorties, achieving three victories, which led to his appointment as flight commander and being awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Soon after, in an aerial battle near Zubtsov, he shot down a Ju-88 and a Bf-109 in full view of the Front Commander, Colonel General I. Konev, earning praise for his excellent conduct of the engagement. His name quickly became known throughout the front’s units, and with experience came composure and even greater confidence.
Early Life and Military Training
Andrei Borovykh was born in Kursk on October 30, 1921. He completed seven grades of school and worked as a chauffeur before the robust and intelligent young man was accepted into the Chuguyev Military Pilot School, renamed the Chuguyev Military Aviation School in March 1941, from which he graduated that same year. Despite his objections, he was kept at the school as an instructor, a position reserved for the best of the best.
Notably, the 1941 graduating class produced 54 Heroes of the Soviet Union, four Double Heroes, and one Triple Hero, who would collectively shoot down approximately 1000 enemy aircraft over the next three and a half years, making this graduating class unmatched in the history of the Soviet Air Force.
Borovykh conducted most of his combat sorties in aircraft whose flight and technical characteristics were significantly inferior to German planes, such as the Hurricane Mk.II and the Yak-7B. Compensating for the enemy’s superior machines required tactical proficiency and military cunning, qualities our ace never forgot. He stated: “A pilot must not only master the aircraft perfectly but also possess military cunning. Knowledge multiplied by military cunning is the key to success in battle, the key to victory over the strongest and most insidious enemy.”
In the fierce aerial battles on the Central Front, specifically during the Battle of the Kursk Salient, flying a Yak-7B, he shot down eight German aircraft. In one engagement, he parachuted from his burning plane, but the very next day, having barely returned to his regiment, he was back on a combat mission. In these battles, he was literally defending his homeland, as his parents, brothers, and sisters remained in the recently liberated Kursk. He would later learn that his father, Egor Grigorievich, had died during a German air raid on Kursk.
By the end of August 1943, Borovykh became a squadron commander and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Distinguished Service and Post-War Career
In the spring of 1944, his regiment was re-equipped with the Yak-3, a fighter superior to most contemporary German types. With this aircraft, Borovykh participated in Operation Bagration in Belarus, the liberation of Poland, and battles on the approaches to Berlin. Notably, this fighter never sustained a single hit while he flew it.
During the Great Patriotic War, the pilot completed approximately 500 combat sorties and engaged in 130 aerial battles. He personally shot down 32 enemy aircraft and another 14 in group engagements. He served with the 157th Fighter Aviation Regiment (157th IAP), part of the 273rd Fighter Aviation Division, 6th Fighter Aviation Corps, and the 16th Air Army.
After the war, Captain Borovykh was admitted to the Air Force Academy as part of the 23rd intake, among 20 two-time Heroes, often referred to as the “golden horde.” After graduating from the academy in 1951, he commanded a regiment and then a division. He mastered many types of jet combat aircraft and earned the title of Honored Military Pilot of the USSR.
In 1957, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. From 1958 to 1977, he held command positions in the Moscow Air Defense District, the Far Eastern Military District, and the Kiev Military District. Starting in 1968, Colonel General of Aviation Borovykh was appointed Commander of the country’s Air Defense Aviation. From 1977, he worked at the Institute of Military History and authored two books: “New Technology, Weapons and Man” (Moscow, 1972) and “The Reliable Shield of the Motherland” (Moscow, 1985).
He tragically died (murdered by hooligans) on November 7, 1989.
He was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (August 24, 1943; February 23, 1945). His decorations include two Orders of Lenin, five Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class, three Orders of the Red Star, the Order “For Service to the Homeland in the USSR Armed Forces” 3rd Class, and various medals.