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How a Soviet Ace “Shot Down” Two American P-51 Mustangs

Paper Skies

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On April 17, 1945, the famous Soviet fighter ace Ivan Kozhedub shot down two American fighters that had mistakenly attacked him. Almost everyone knows this story as one that Kozhedub described in his autobiography. The only problem is... he didn’t.
In this video, I’ll show how Russia created and spread yet another fake story.

All content on Paper Skies is presented in historical context for educational purposes.

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#aviation #history

20 Comments

@PaperSkiesAviation Creator 1 day ago Pinned

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@AndyDoodle 1 day ago

Sorry for your loss

@brenatevi 1 day ago

I'm sorry about your nephew.

@danieljost3676 1 day ago

My deepest condolences for your loss. May he rest in peace.

@red1246 1 day ago

Damn, opening hits hard, sorry for your loss

@Eric_Hutton.1980 1 day ago

My condolences on the loss of your nephew.

@the_Carthaginian1 1 day ago

Rest well, Sir... may your name live on with the nation you helped to keep free.

@BurrWolf 1 day ago

We're sorry for your loss my friend, please take all the time you need, even if it's weeks or months or longer. We'll be here for you when you return. o7

@vito7428 1 day ago

We've all heard of young kids giving away their lives in war but I feel like it's extra sobering to see the face of a very real person who was born just a month after yourself(11.9.2003 here)who fought and died in a war that's currently still ongoing. All my condolences to your and your family for his passing

@dillonhunt1720 1 day ago (edited)

Interesting fact. The Western Allies ceased air opperations over Berlin on the 16th of April to hand over the airspace to the Soviets for their push into Berlin which started the same day. There is no way an air battle between the Soviets and Americans could have happened on the 17th. That's probably why Bodrikhin suddenly remembered the battle actually happened in March.

@CounterClaws 1 day ago

I'm sorry for your loss. Your nephew is a hero.

@Paul-p3z8f 1 day ago

Sorry for your loss.

@Kaggles-ih3pu 1 day ago

I'm sorry to hear the loss of your nephew. Rest in peace

@agusimron9268 1 day ago

My sincere condolences for your loss.

@LozzoAmiga 1 day ago

Condolences to you and your family for your loss. Another hero giving his life in the name of right and freedom for his friends, family and home. Rest in peace, friend.

@davideverling753 1 day ago

Rest in peace Nazar <3 Your sacrifice and valor will not be forgotten.

@MilesRowanVlogs 1 day ago

The killer detail here is not whether Kozhedub could have shot down two Mustangs. It’s when the story actually enters the historical record. If the episode is absent from his own memoirs and only appears decades later through editorial material, then the burden of proof changes completely. I document overlooked history and the physical evidence behind famous stories on my own channel, so this kind of source archaeology is irresistible. Dates drift, gun camera claims mutate, unit records refuse to cooperate. Brilliant work laying the evidence out properly. A legend doesn’t become a primary source just because it gets printed beside one.