Lev Shestakov
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Lev Shestakov
Lev Lvovich Shestakov (russian: Лев Львович Шестаков; 28 December 1915 – 13 March 1944) was a Soviet flying ace who participated in Spanish Civil War and later World War II. Career Upon graduating from military college in 1936 he applied for combat in Spain, joining a Spanish Republican Air Force fighter squadron in 1937. Flying Polikarpov I-16s he claimed two solo plus one shared aerial victory over the span of 36 sorties. Shestakov joined 69th Fighter Aviation Regiment in September 1939, and was at the time one of the most famous Soviet aces. At the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Shestakov was serving with 69th Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Odessa front, and became the Regiment Leader on 16 July 1941. During the battle for Odessa 69th Fighter Aviation Regiment pilots achieved 94 air victories. The losses inflicted on the Romanian Air Force above Odessa in 1941 by Shestakov's fighter pilots compelled the Romanian High Comm ...
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Avdiivka
Avdiivka (, , is a city of regional significance in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast. The city is in the center of the region, just north of the city of Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city's population is officially estimated as ; in January 2017, BBC News estimated that the population ranged between 16,000 and 22,000. As of 3 August, 2022, only 2,500 people, or 10% of the city's pre-war population, remained in Avdiivka according to Vitalii Barabash, head of the city's military–civilian administration. Avdiivka is within the claimed boundaries of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, and it has seen fighting as part of the War in Donbas and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. History The presence of nomadic people in the area of Avdiivka dates back to at least the 9th to 13th centuries, as evidenced by a stone sculpture (or ''baba'') that was discovered in a mound. Avdiivka is one of the oldest settlements in Donetsk region. The first sett ...
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Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation. It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance ...
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Soviet World War II Pilots
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national republics; in practice, both its government and its economy were highly centralized until its final years. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital as well as that of its largest and most populous republic: the Russian SFSR. Other major cities included Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR), and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It was the largest country in the world, covering over and spanning eleven time zones. The country's roots lay in the October Revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian Provisional Government that ...
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Soviet World War II Flying Aces
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national republics; in practice, both its government and its economy were highly centralized until its final years. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital as well as that of its largest and most populous republic: the Russian SFSR. Other major cities included Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk (Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR), and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It was the largest country in the world, covering over and spanning eleven time zones. The country's roots lay in the October Revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian Provisional Government that ...
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Order Of The Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known since the mid-1960s in the former Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War. History The Order was established on 20 May 1942 and came in first class and second class depending upon the merit of the deed. It was the first Soviet order established during the war, and the first Soviet order divided into classes. Its statute precisely defined, which deeds are awarded with the order, e.g. shooting down three aircraft as a fighter pilot, or destroying two heavy or three medium or four light tanks, or capturing a warship, or repairing an aircraft under fire after landing on a hostile territory, and so on, were awarded with the first class. It was also given to some allied troops and commande ...
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Order Of The Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of Soviet Russia, subsequently the Soviet Union, until the Order of Lenin was established in 1930. Recipients were recognised for extraordinary heroism, dedication, and courage demonstrated on the battlefield. The Order was awarded to individuals as well as to military units, cities, ships, political and social organizations, and state enterprises. In later years, it was also awarded on the twentieth and again on the thirtieth anniversary of military, police, or state security service without requiring participation in combat (the "Long Service Award" variant). Award history The Russian Order of the Red Banner was established during the Russian Civil War by decree of the ...
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Order Of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. The order was awarded to: * Civilians for outstanding services rendered to the State * Members of the armed forces for exemplary service * Those who promoted friendship and cooperation between people and in strengthening peace * Those with meritorious services to the Soviet state and society From 1944 to 1957, before the institution of a specific length of service medals, the Order of Lenin was also used to reward 25 years of conspicuous military service. Those who were awarded the titles "Hero of the Soviet Union" and " Hero of Socialist Labour" were also given the order as part of the award. It was also bestowed on cities, companies, factories, regions, military units, and ships. Various educational instituti ...
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Ernst Gadermann
Ernst Gadermann (25 December 1913 – 26 November 1973) was a German physician in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. After World War II he became a well known cardiologist. Military career Gadermann joined the Luftwaffe in 1941, where he worked as a doctor in Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 " Immelmann" on the Eastern Front. In addition to his medical work, he was quickly coopted to the wing staff. Later he became an observer and gunner in the III. Group. During World War II he flew more than 850 combat missions in Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) aircraft as a rear gunner. From May 1944 until 8 February 1945, he flew with the most decorated German serviceman of the war, Hans-Ulrich Rudel. On this last mission, a 40 mm shell hit their Ju 87. Rudel was badly wounded in the right foot and crash landed inside German lines. Gadermann saved Rudel's life by pulling him from the severely damaged Ju 87 and stemming the blee ...
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Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945). The aircraft is easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage. Upon the leading edges of its faired main gear legs were mounted ram-air sirens known as ', which became a propaganda symbol of German air power and of the so-called ''Blitzkrieg'' victories of 1939–1942, as well as providing Stuka pilots with audible feedback as to speed. The Stuka's design included several innovations, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces. The Ju 87 operated with cons ...
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Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of military valour. Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the : the (army), the (navy) and the (air force), as well as the , the Reich Labour Service and the (German People storm militia), along with personnel from other Axis powers. The award was instituted on 1 September 1939, at the onset of the German invasion of Poland. The award was created to replace the many older merit and bravery neck awards of the German Empire. A higher grade, the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, was instituted in 1940. In 1941, two higher grades ...
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Hans-Ulrich Rudel
Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-Nazi activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, one battleship, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. He claimed 51 aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber. Rudel surrendered to US forces in 1945 and emigrated to Argentina. An unrepentant Nazi, he helped fugitives escape to Latin America and the Middle East, and sheltered Josef Mengele, the former SS doctor at Auschwitz. He worked as an arms dealer to several right-wing regimes in South America, for which he was placed under observation by the US Central Intelligence Agency ...
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Vladimir Lavrinenkov
Vladimir Dmitrievich Lavrinenkov (russian: Владимир Дмитриевич Лавриненков; 17 May 1919 – 14 January 1988) was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Forces who became a flying ace during the Second World War and was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Early life Lavrinenkov was born on 17 May 1919 in the village of Ptakhino, at the time located within the Smolensky Uyezd of the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian SFSR before the formation of the Soviet Union. After completing his seventh year of secondary education on Peresna he attended a trade school in the city of Smolensk. Upon graduating from the trade school in 1935 he was employed at a local aircraft factory, and in 1939 he completed training at the Smolensk aeroclub before he entered the military in February 1940. After he graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots in January the next year he served as a flight instructor at the Chernigov Military Aviation Pilot ...
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