Yevgeny Pepelyaev Colonel Yevgeny Georgievich Pepelyaev ( 18 March 1918 – 4 January 2013 ) was a Soviet fighter pilot of the Korean War , tallying 20 kills , second only to his compatriot Nikolay Sutyagin ' s 21 . Early career and World War II . Pepelyayev was born on 18 March 1918 in Bodaybo , Irkutsk , in Eastern Siberia , the son of a railroad worker . His elder brother Konstantin enlisted in the Soviet air force , and thus with the intention to follow the steps of his brother he worked in Odessa with the city aeroclubs . He graduated in 1938 from the 8th Military Pilots School and was sent to serve in a regiment deployed in the Far East . With the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941 , he was retained in the Far East despite several requests for a combat posting in the West , especially after his brother Konstantin was killed in action . In late 1943 he was still an instructor with the 162nd IAP . In 1945 he was deputy commander of the 300th IAP , and participated in operations against Japan in Manchuria . Pepelyayev flew 20 combat sorties in the Yak - 9T , claiming a locomotive and a truck destroyed on the ground before the end of the war in August 1945 . The 300th IAP was then assigned surveillance duties covering the deployment of the US troops in Korea until March 1946 , when the unit was sent back to the Soviet Union . In December 1947 he became the Executive officer of the 196th IAP , 324th IAD . This unit was among the first in the VVS to equip with the newest Lavochkin La - 15 . In July 1949 the regiment began to receive the MiG - 15 jet fighter . Korea . In June 1950 the Korean War began . By October 1950 Pepelyayev commanded the 196th IAP . Secretly the USSR sent several air regiments equipped with the MiG - 15 to the Chinese base of Antung in Manchuria to support Chinese ground forces . In December 1950 the 64th IAK ( Fighter Corps ) with two fighter regiments was created ; the 176th GvIAP and 196th IAP ( Pepelyayev ’ s unit ) . The division was put under the command of Colonel Ivan Kozhedub . The 196th IAP arrived in Manchuria in January 1951 , and re - deployed to Antung . On 20 May 1951 a force of 36 MiGs clashed with 28 Sabres , and both sides overclaimed , with the USAF claiming three MiGs and the VVS four F - 86s . In fact one MiG was lost and three Sabres were damaged . Captain James Jabara shot down one of the Pepelyayev ’ s pilots , Kpt . Viktor Nazarkin , and Pepelyayev claimed a F - 86 ; the burst fired by Pepelyayev hit the right wing of Sabre F - 86A 49 - 1080 flown by 1 / Lt . Milton Nelson of the 335th FIS , destroying the hydraulic lines of Nelson ' s aircraft . Nelson managed to bring his crippled Sabre back to Kimpo Air Base , where it was written off . On July 11 26 MiG - 15s of the 196th IAP led by Pepelyayev dogfighted with Sabres again , claiming F - 86A 49 - 1297 ( 336th FIS ) , which force - landed back at Suwon Air Base . The pilot was not injured though the F - 86A was written off . ( Official USAF records indicate the loss as a “ landing accident ” . ) On July 21 the 196th IAP intercepted a formation of " F - 94s " ( actually F9F - 2Bs of the USMC ' s VMF - 311 ) . Pepelyayev claimed two of the enemy aircraft , and his unit claimed five more . On 6 October 1951 Pepelyayev clashed with Sabres of 4th FIW at 8 , 000 metres , downing 2 F - 86s . The F - 86A 49 - 1319 of Captain Gill M . Garrett ( 334th FIS ) , ditched in Sokhoson Bay , while another F - 86A , 49 - 1267 ( 334th FIS ) , according to USAF official records was lost because of an " engine failure " . On October 16 Pepelyayev and his wingman Aleksandr Ryzhkov caught a pair of Sabres of the 336th FIS ( Douglas Evans and Nicholas Kotek ) and one 23 mm shell hit Kotek ' s F - 86A in the fuel tank . Initially that was not noticed by the US pilots , but during the return flight Kotek realised he was running out of fuel and was forced to bail out before reaching base . On 8 November 1951 two more American aircraft were claimed ; over Pkhenvon he spotted four F - 86s , and opened fire at 150 – 200 meters , downing F - 86A 49 - 1338 of Charles W . Pratt ( 334th FIS ) , who perished . A few hours later Pepelyayev intercepted a RF - 80A of the 15th TRS and shot it down - the pilot , Dennis W . Hill , ejected and was rescued . Over 3 days in late November Pepelyayev bagged four more American aircraft . On November 27 he downed a F - 80C of 7th FBS , 49th FBW , ( Bernard K . Seitzinger was KIA ) and the next day destroyed 2 F - 86s ; F - 86A 49 - 1166 and F - 86A 50 - 673 in flames ( Lt . Dayton Ragland POW . ) Pepelyayev scored his 14th kill on 29 November 1951 , when he claimed the F - 86A 48 - 301 of the 334th FIS over Syukusen . The Sabre managed to limp back to Kimpo , but the aircraft was written off on 9 December . On 1 December 1951 Pepelyayev forced Lieutenant Thomas T . Mounts to eject from F - 80C 49 - 855 , while on 7 January 1952 Pepelyayev led 18 MiG - 15s to engage a group of Sabres of the 51st FIW , and Pepelyayev hit the F - 86E 50 - 651 , forcing Charles E . Stahl to eject and be captured . Yevgeny claimed another F - 86 the next day , but his victim ( F - 86E 50 - 679 ) was only damaged and was repaired and returned to combat . His next three victories were one F - 80 on 1 December , a F - 86 on 6 December and another Sabre on 11 January 1952 ; these have no confirmation in USAF records . Avictory that was classified " probable " was confirmed by American sources : an F - 86 attacked by Pepelyayev on 15 January 1952 was one piloted by 1st Lieutenant Vernon D . Wright , who was captured . In total Pepelyayev flew 109 combat sorties , participated in 38 aerial combats , and was credited with 19 aerial victories against American aircraft ( 14 F - 86s , two F - 84s , one F - 80 and two " F - 94s " ) . During a 1993 interview Pepelyaev stated that he shot down 12 aircraft for sure , probably 15 , while independent research matching claims with American and Australian records puts the tally at 14 . He stated that the practice was , if a pilot shot at an enemy aircraft , he was given credit for shooting it down . Soviet verification procedures became much more stringent as the war progressed , as the Soviet high command was finding the numbers of claimed shoot downs to be dubious . . Pepelyaev was awarded the Order of Lenin twice , three Orders of the Red Banner , Order of the Patriotic War 1st and 2nd Class and two Orders of Red Star .