Ivan Yeremenko was born in Yekaterinograd (now Krasnodar) in 1910.

He joined the army in 1927, graduating from the Leningrad Military Air College in 1928 and then from Sevastopol Military Air College in 1929.

During the spring of 1937, Kaptain Yeremenko volunteered for service in the Spanish Civil War and he left Baku together with the second group of Soviet volunteers, which was sent to Spain. The group consisted of Mikhail Yakushin, Yeremenko, L. Rybkin, I. Trophimov, M. Petrov, S. Shelyganovand and I. Karpov.
They travelled through France with Dutch passports - they didn't speak either foreign language fluently! Not without adventures the Soviet fliers arrived at their destination in May 1937.

After arrival, an escuadrilla of I-I6 fighters, designated 1a/Gr. 21, was organised under the command of Yeremenko. Initially this unit performed defensive duties over Cartagena and Alicante covering ship and transports from insurgent air raids. During a period of forced inaction in June 1937, half of the group was sent to Los Alcazares airfield, where it was re-equipped with I-I5 biplanes. The new escuadrilla was designated 1a/Gr. 26 and was commanded by Yeremenko.

The escuadrilla had already become operational two days after the Brunete campaign began and where aviation played considerable role. The insurgents increased their presence in the air battles by using German and Italian units armed with the newest aircraft. But, Soviet fliers gained considerable success there, claiming numerous enemy aircraft shot down.

On 1 July, the escuadrilla was ordered to conduct reconnaissance flights over all of the enemy highway roads coming to Madrid from the west. In the morning, they started the planned flights; however, no results were gained at first.
As the day was tending to the evening, the command decided to conduct the last flight of the day by the whole escuadrilla.
Twelve aircraft took off along a road to Avila. Some 30-40 kilometres from the front line, over the region of Toledo, they met and engaged an equal number of CR.32s.
Mikhail Yakushin described the combat:

“I cannot describe the battle in full as this is impossible. 24 aircraft fought over the small space in the sky. All around, grey biplanes with black crosses and green ones with Republican insignia. Burning aircraft and parachutes appeared, but whose? Gradually, ours became all more numerous and only our I-15s remained in the air by the end of this battle. One of them reformed the escuadrilla with signals; this was aircraft of Captain Yeremenko which came from the east,...”

On the morning of 6 July a German Do17 was claimed shot down near Madrid by the Squadron leader Yeremenko together with his wingman Bozidar Petrovich.
The Nationalists side does not admit this loss.

At 08:35 on 9 July, he claimed a CR.32.

Around 17.00 on 12 July there was a big air combat west of Madrid. During this combat Bozidar Petrovich saved his leader Dimitrii Yermakov from the dangerous attack of a CR.32, probably piloted by the Nationalist ace Joaquín García-Morato, but the I-15 of the Serbian pilot was seen to crash, maybe out of control or shot down by a CR.32 flown by the Nationalist pilot Garcia Pardo. Petrovich lost his life in the crash.
Both Dimitrii Yermakov and Petrovich are credited with one CR.32 each in this combat.

On 25 July, he claimed a He111

He claimed two Meridionali Ro.37s on 22 August while flying an I-16.

At the end of August, his unit moved to Bajaralos, while in October it operated from Zaragoza.

During the night of 14-15 September, over the region of Sarihena, Yeremenko was flying an I-I5 when he shot down a Ju52/3m bomber from 2.G/22. This Ju52/3m was coded “22+61” with a Spanish crew consisting of Jose Muntadas Prim (some sources say Captain Carlos Muntadas Salvado-Prim), Carazo Calleja, engineer Sergeant Romero, radio operator Corporal Apricio Velasco, and gunner Jose Ramon Blasco Lavfn. The 2nd pilot was a Russian, Lieutenant Vsevolod Marchenko. Only Blasco survived to reach his lines after bailing out; Marchenko also parachuted safely, but was executed by Republicans. It was a unique occasion; thousands of kilometres from their mother country a Russian had shot down another Russian!
Vsevolod Marchenko was a Ukrainian who graduated from the Russian Naval College in 1911 and during the First World War, he transferred to aviation. During the Russian Civil War he served with the White Russian Army of Admiral Kolchak and was awarded the St. George Cross. He left Russia after the October Revolution in 1917, going first to Yugoslavia and then joining the Spanish Legion serving in Los Aicazares as a Captain. He became a pilot with the Madrid-Paris airline, and then during the Spanish Civil War he was a pilot on Ju52/3m bombers for Nationalist forces.

On 15 October 1937, he led a ground strike on Garapinilios airfield, Zaragoza. Taking part in the attack was following units and aircraft:
1a/Gr. 26 - twelve I-15s from Bujaraloz under the command of Antonov
2a/Gr. 26 - nine I-15s from Sariñena under the command of Aleksandr(?) Smirnov (this was a mixed Escuadrilla with Spanish and Russian pilots)
1a/Gr. 21 - six I-16s from Caspe under the command of Aguirre
2a/Gr. 21 - ten I-16s from Caspe under the command of Pleshchenko
3a/Gr. 21 - nine I-16s from Hijar under the command of (Boris) Smirnov
5a/Gr. 21 - seven I-16s from Escatrón under the command of Ivanov
6a/Gr. 21 - eleven I-16s from Puig Moreño under the command of Gusev
Only the I-15s took part in the main attack with the I-16s providing air coverage. About 60 planes were claimed destroyed and damaged but the real total losses were only three Ju52s, six CR.32s and three He46s. Other aircraft were damaged by fire. The Republican aircraft only suffered one damaged I-15. This aircraft was from the 1. Escuadrilla and it was unserviceable that afternoon.

On 28 October 1937, he was decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.

On 15 December, he claimed a Bf109B near Teruel. At this time he was flying the Polikarpov I-16.

By the end of 1937, he had claimed 14 victories, and in mid January 1938 he returned to the Soviet Union.

During 1939, he completed a course at the General Staff Academy, and in 1940 he was promoted to General Major.

He commanded an IAD and then a Composite Air Corps during the Great Patriotic War.

Yeremenko ended the war with 3 biplane victories and a total of 14. All of them claimed in Spain.

In 1949, he graduated fully from the General Staff Academy, retiring as a General Leitenant.

During his career he was decorated he was decorated with a second Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner (twice), the Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class (twice) and the Order of the Red Star.

He lived in Kiev until his death on 1 December 1986.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1937
	01/07/37 (a)	evening	½ (b)	CR.32	Shared destroyed	I-15		Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
	01/07/37 (a)	evening	½ (b)	CR.32	Shared destroyed	I-15		Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
	01/07/37 (a)	evening	½ (b)	CR.32	Shared destroyed	I-15		Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
	06/07/37	morning	½	Do17	Shared destroyed	I-15		Madrid-Brunete area	1a/Gr. 26
?	09/07/37	08:35	1	CR.32	Destroyed	I-15			1a/Gr. 26
?	12/07/37	morning	1	CR.32	Destroyed	I-15		W Madrid	1a/Gr. 26
?	25/07/37		1	He111	Destroyed	I-15			1a/Gr. 26
?	22/08/37		1	Ro.37	Destroyed	I-16			1a/Gr. 26
?	22/08/37		1	Ro.37	Destroyed	I-16			1a/Gr. 26
?	14-15/09/37	night	1	Ju52/3m (c)	Destroyed	I-16		Sarihena area	1a/Gr. 26
?	15/12/37		1	Bf109B	Destroyed	I-16		Teruel area	1a/Gr. 26

Biplane victories: 3 and 4 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 14 and 4 shared destroyed.
(a) Some sources states that the date was 30 June 1937.
(b) Some sources only credit him with one shared in this combat.
(c) Ju52/3m “22+61” from 2.G/22 shot down. Captain Jose Muntadas Prim, Carazo Calleja, engineer Sergeant Romero and radio operator Corporal Apricio Velasco were killed. The 2nd pilot Lieutenant Vsevolod Marchenko and gunner Jose Ramon Blasco Lavfn parachuted but only Blasco survived since Marchenko was captured and executed by Republicans.

Sources:
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Arde el Cielo - A. Arias Arias, 1995, A. Delgado Romero, Silla kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso
Carlos Castejon - Soviet Volunteer in the Spanish Civil War - Igor Gordelianov and Mikhail Zhirokhov with editorial assistance by Richard Karbowski, 2002 Small Air Forces Observer no. 100 kindly provided by Mikhail Zhirokhov
Chatos indut v ataku - S. Shingarev, 1971, Moskovskij Rabochij, Moskva kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso
En la primera batalla contra el fascismo - M. Yakushin, Bajo la bandera de la España Republicana, Editorial Progreso, Moscu' kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso
People And Planes - Predrag Jelic’, 2001 Aviation History November 2001 kindly provided by Massimo Cappone
The Legion Condor - Karl Ries and Hans Ring, 1992 Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 0-88740-339-5
Yugoslav Brothers in the Spanish Civil War - M. Zhirorkov and I. Gordelianov, 2000, Small Air Forces Observer Vol. 24 N. 2 (94) July 2000 kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso
Additional information kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso.