Naum Semyonovich Shusterman (18 August 1912 – 25 April 1976) was a lieutenant colonel of the
Soviet Union
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 ...
, who served as the chief engineer of the 43rd Soviet Fighter Aviation Regiment during the
Great Patriotic War
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
.
Biography
Early life
Shusterman was born on 18 August 1912, in
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, then
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, to parents Shendlya and Simeon Shusterman. He had four sisters.
Military service
![Technical Personnel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Technical_Personnel.jpg)
At the age of 18, Shusterman attended the Military Aviation Engineering Academy of
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He remained there for three years, and learned numerous technicalities of military aircraft.
In 1932, Shusterman enlisted in the 16th Aviation Army of the USSR, where he served as an engineer of the 3rd rank.
Great Patriotic War
![43rd Soviet FAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/43rd_Soviet_FAR.jpg)
During the Winter War and the Great Patriotic War, Shusterman served as a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and later as a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
, holding the position of Chief Engineer of the 43rd Soviet Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Serving all over the
Eastern Front, he participated in the defense of
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
and
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, in the liberation of
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and in the capture of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
.
Shusterman became one of the few people who fought in the war from beginning to end.
Later service and discharge
In 1949, Shusterman was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He continued to serve as Chief Engineer until his discharge.
Shusterman, aged 42, was honorably discharged from the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
in 1954 on account of illness. His discharge conditions gave him rights to wear his military uniform.
Death
Even though Shusterman attended the 30th Anniversary of Victory celebrations in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in 1975, his health slowly began to deteriorate. He was admitted to the Kiev Military Hospital in February 1976, where he spent the final three months of his life.
On 25 April 1976, Shusterman died of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
. He was aged 63.
Personal life
Shusterman married Elizabeth Chernyak in 1934, and in 1936, they had their first son, Alexander. In 1937, Chernyak gave birth to twins, Arnold and Mikhail.
Awards and decorations
Shusterman received seven Orders, seven campaign medals, three service medals and six jubilee medals during his military career and personal life. In 1939, he received his first Order of the Red Star. He received an Order of Lenin in 1941, and another Order of the Red Star in 1942-1943. He was also awarded the Order of the Patriotic War twice (one of each class), and received an Order of the Red Banner towards the end of the war.
Shusterman received medals for his participation in the defence of Stalingrad, Kiev and the Caucasus, in the liberation of Warsaw and in the Capture of Berlin. He was also awarded the Medal for Battle Merit and the Medal for Victory.
List
*
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 b ...
*
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 th ...
*
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...
(three times)
*
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 partisan ...
, 1st class
*
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 partisan ...
, 2nd class
"Electronic repository of awards and other documents relating to the Great Patriotic War"
* Medal for Battle Merit
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
* Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad"
The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Сталинграда») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union.
Medal history
The Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad" was established on ...
* Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus"
The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Кавказа») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union.
Medal history
The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" was established on May ...
* Medal "For the Defence of Kiev"
* Medal "For the Capture of Berlin"
* Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw"
*
*Medal "For Impeccable Service"
The Medal "For Impeccable Service" (russian: Медаль «За безупречную службу») was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Int ...
, 1st class
*Medal "For Impeccable Service"
The Medal "For Impeccable Service" (russian: Медаль «За безупречную службу») was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Int ...
, 2nd class
*Medal "For Impeccable Service"
The Medal "For Impeccable Service" (russian: Медаль «За безупречную службу») was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Int ...
, 3rd class
* Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy"
The Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «30 лет Советской Армии и Флота») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on February 22 ...
*
*
*
* Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
* Jubilee medal "For Military Valour in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shusterman, Naum
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Soviet World War II pilots
Soviet engineers
Soviet Jews in the military
1912 births
1976 deaths
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner