Ivan "the Chimp" Kuchkov was a Sergeant in the Soviet Red Air Force and later infrantryman in the Red Army during the Second World War. He served as the bombardier on Lt. Sergei Yaroslavsky's SB-2. He was a short, stocky and muscular man who was extremely hairy. This led to him being nicknamed "the Chimp" but not to his face after he broke a man's jaw for doing so. His short stature but great strength made his slot as a bombardier a good fit since the space on the bomber was cramped and one needed to be strong to handle the bombs.

Kuchkov gave the impression of being a dullard but Yaroslavsky wondered if it were an act and he were reporting to the NKVD. Yaroslavsky was reminded of the commissar Khrushchev who also resembled a village pig butcher but who had been sharp enough to live through the various purges. The same might apply to Kuchkov.^[1]

Kuchkov was a habitual user of Mat and some suspected this was because he had been a Zek.

1. ↑ Hitler's War, pg. 410.

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