HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Stepan Pavlovich Suprun (russian: Степан Павлович Супрун; – 4 July 1941) was a Soviet test pilot who tested over 140 aircraft types during his career. He was also a fighter pilot and twice 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 ...
.


Early life

Suprun was born on to a Ukrainian family in the
Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fro ...
of the
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. ...
. In 1910 he and his family moved to the United States, and in 1913 they moved to Canada where he graduated from eight grades of school in Winnipeg and joined the
Young Communist League of Canada The Young Communist League of Canada (YCL-LJC) is a Canadian Marxist–Leninist youth organization founded in 1922. The organization is ideologically aligned with, but organizationally independent from, the Communist Party of Canada. The orga ...
before moving to the newly-formed Soviet Union in 1924. Originally he lived in Altai Krai before moving to
Alma-Ata Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of t ...
. He began working in Ukraine as an apprentice in a workshop in 1925, and from 1926 to 1928 he worked as a carpenter in the city
Sumy Sumy ( uk, Суми ) is a city of regional significance in Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel River in northeastern Ukraine with a population of according to the 2021 census, making it the 23 ...
. In 1928 he began working at a factory as a milling machine operator.


Aviation and military career

Having entered the military in October 1929, he graduated from initial aviation training in March 1930 in
Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
, where he underwent further training as part of the 83rd Training Squadron, and received instruction in flight from Sergey Denisov. Having completed the program in July 1931, Suprun was assigned to the 91st Fighter Aviation Squadron as a flight commander. In July 1933 he became a test pilot at the Red Army Air Force Scientific Research Institute, where he conducted tests of I-1B, I-21, and I-180 aircraft. One year after starting his work as a test pilot he began flying at the parades over Red Square. He met Aleksandr Pokryshkin (who later became a flying ace and thrice Hero of the Soviet Union) during a vacation on the coast of the Black Sea in 1935. In 1937 he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Sevastopol, and from 1937 to 1938 he visited the United States as part of a Soviet delegation.
Valery Chkalov Valery Pavlovich Chkalov ( rus, Валерий Павлович Чкалов, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕkaləf; – 15 December 1938) was a test pilot awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union (1936). Early life Chkalov was bo ...
praised him for his bravery during the delegation's trip. After returning to the Soviet Union he had the opportunity to conduct test flights on a captured the Bf-109, during which he discovered why pilots of the German plane would not dogfight certain Soviet fighter aircraft capable of making sharp turns. After the death of Valery Chkalov, Suprun was granted permission to start flying the I-180. During one landing after a test flight the right landing gear broke, but he survived the crash with only light injuries.


Second Sino-Japanese war

From July 1939 to January 1940 he was posted as the commander of a Fighter Aviation Group posted in China to provide defense against Japanese attacks on densely populated areas. His unit of roughly 50 aircraft was assigned to the city of Chongqing until they were transferred to Yunnan in December where they were tasked with protecting strategically important airfields and equipment. During the conflict Suprun made 83 sorties, flying the I-15 and I-16, of which seven were at night.


Return from deployment

Upon returning to the USSR in January 1940, he was asked by Moscow to be part of an aircraft-buying delegation to Germany in March. During the visit he conducted preliminary flights on German aircraft the Soviet Union was going to buy. With the help of Suprun, the Soviet Union was able to purchase a variety of aircraft, including the Bf-109, Bf-110, Do-215, FW-58, He-100, and
Ju-88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
. On 20 May 1940 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his role in testing new aircraft and his actions in China. He continued working as a testing aircraft, and throughout his career as a test pilot he conducted test flights on over 140 aircraft types.


World War II and death

Two days after the start of Operation Barbarosa, Suprun requested permission from the institute to create and command a regiment composed of test pilots. After his proposal was approved by Stalin, six regiments were formed out of the pilots from the institute; two were equipped with the
Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' ( Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...
for ground attack purposes, two were assigned
Pe-2 The Petlyakov Pe-2 (russian: Петляков Пе-2) was a Soviet twin-engine dive bomber used during World War II. One of the outstanding tactical attack aircraft of the war,Ethell 1996, p. 152. it also proved successful as a heavy fighter, as ...
dive bomber, and one received the
Pe-8 The Petlyakov Pe-8 (russian: Петляков Пе-8) was a Soviet heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber the USSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bomb Berlin in August 1941. ...
to become a long-range bomber unit. The unit Suprun was given command of was issued 32
MiG-3 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-3) was a Soviet fighter-interceptor used during World War II. It was a development of the MiG-1 by the OKO (opytno-konstruktorskij otdel — Experimental Design Departme ...
fighters and designated as the 401st Special Purpose Fighter Aviation Regiment. Despite being a regimental commander, he flew combat sorties, and he scored his first aerial victory on 27 June 1941, a Hs 126. He was killed in action on 4 July 1941 after engaging a Luftwaffe plane; it is unclear if he scored an aerial victory during his last dogfight and some sources indicate he shot down a Bf-109 right before his death. Sources also differ as to if he was shot down by enemy aircraft or ground forces. After his death he was awarded the gold star a second time, making him the first person to become a twice Hero of the Soviet Union during the war. His remains were originally buried in Talachyn district near his place of death, but in 1960 his remains were transferred to the Novodevichy cemetery. His brother Aleksandr was also a pilot who fought in the war. During a mission in October 1941 he managed to land his fighter with 118 bullet holes in it despite bad injuries.


Awards and honors

* Twice
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 ...
(20 May 1940 and 22 July 1941) * Two
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 ...
(25 May 1936 and 20 May 1940) *
Order of the Cloud and Banner The Order of the Cloud and Banner () also known as the Order of the Resplendent Banner is a military award of the Republic of China. It was instituted on June 15, 1935 and is awarded in nine grades for contributions to national security. The insig ...
of China (1939)


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Suprun, Stepan 1907 births 1941 deaths People from Sumy Oblast People from Sumskoy Uyezd Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Canada Ukrainian aviators Soviet test pilots Soviet World War II pilots Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Aviators killed by being shot down Soviet people of the Second Sino-Japanese War Canadian emigrants to the Soviet Union Soviet military personnel of World War II from Ukraine