Pyotr Mikhailovich Stefanovsky (russian: Пётр Михайлович Стефановский; 2 January 1903 — 23 February 1976) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was in charge of forming special fighter squadrons composed of Soviet test pilots and flew combat missions protecting the airspace above

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 ...

. He was promoted to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1944 and was awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

in 1948. Stefanovsky recounted his experiences as a test pilot in his book ''Триста неизвестных'' (Trista neizvestnykh, Three hundred of the unknown).

References

* 1903 births 1976 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Russian aviators Soviet World War II pilots Soviet Air Force generals Soviet major generals Soviet aviators Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet test pilots Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner {{Aviation-bio-stub