Sergey Ivanovich Safronov (russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Сафро́нов; 25 August 1919 – 29 September 1983) was a Russian aviator who was given 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 ...

. According to Thomas Polak, Safronov shot down 31 enemy aircraft during World War II.Polak, p
270
He was born in Pilekshevo,

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

on 25 August 1919. In 1938 Safronov joined the army. In 1939 he graduated from the Engels Military Air School. During

World War II 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 participated in air combats in

Kuban Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...

, shot down aircraft in the

Kursk Salient The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the la ...

, and participated in the battle in

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 ...

.Tsymbal, p
6
"Gagarin's flight commander was Sergei Safronov, Hero of the Soviet Union. He fought at Stalingrad, took part in bitter air combats in the Kuban, and shot down Messerschmitts and Junkers in the Kursk Salient. As a captain he was made a Hero .. By the end of World War II he had been promoted to Major. After the war ended, he worked in the Saratov aeroclub as a flying instructor. Yuri Gagarin was one of his students. He later became the flight commander of Gagarin. Safronov died on 29 September 1983 in Nizhny Novgorod.

Bibliography

* Polak, Tomas (with Christopher Shores). ''Stalin's Falcons: The Aces of the Red Star : A Tribute to the Notable Fighter Pilots of the Soviet Air Forces 1918-1953''.

Grub Street Until the early 19th century, Grub Street was a street close to London's impoverished Moorfields district that ran from Fore Street east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate north to Chiswell Street. It was pierced along its length with narrow entr ...

, 1999. , 9781902304014. * Tsymbal, Nikolay Andreyevich (Николай Андреевич Цымбал). ''First Man in Space: The Life and Achievement of Yuri Gagarin : a Collection''.

Progress Publishers Progress Publishers was a Moscow-based Soviet publisher founded in 1931. Publishing program Progress Publishers published books in a variety of languages: Russian, English, and many other European and Asian languages. They issued many scientific b ...

(

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 ...

), 1984.

References

1919 births 1983 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Soviet World War II flying aces People from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Soviet Air Force officers {{hero-USSR-stub