Vladimir Ivanovich Bobrov (russian: Владимир Иванович Бобров; 11 July 1915 – 28 March 1970) was a Soviet fighter pilot and a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

in both

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

and 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 Sou ...

. By the most reliable estimates, his tally stands between 19 solo and five shared to 23 solo and eleven shared shootdowns during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the title

Hero of 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 1991.

Early life

Bobrov was born on 11 July 1915 in Luhansk to a working-class family. In 1930, he graduated from the tenth grade of the school. In 1932, he graduated from a

professional technical school A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

of factory apprenticeship, after which he worked as a foreman of locksmiths at the Lugansk steam locomotive repair plant. In 1934, he was called up to serve in the Workers and Peasants Red Army.

Military career

Polikarpov_I-16_with_spanish_republican_markings

In 1936, he graduated from the military school of pilots and became a pilot within the

Red Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

. He later served as a junior pilot within the Air Force of the

Belarusian Military District , image = Soviet Union Belorussian Military District.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = The territory of the Byelorussian Military District in 1991. , dates = 28 November 1918 – 6 May 1992 , country = (1918–1920) (1920–1991) (1922� ...

. From March 1938 to August 1938, Bobrov fought in the Spanish Civil War as a foreign volunteer for the

Republican Government Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

. Flying

Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 (russian: Поликарпов И-16) is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to attain ...

with the

Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics ('' Aeronáutica M ...

, he was credited with 13 solo and 4 shared aerial victories against

Aviación Nacional A Caudron C.286 of the Nationalist Spanish Air Force The terms "Aviación Nacional" ("Nationalist Aviation"), "Fuerza Aérea Nacional" ("Nationalist Air Force") and "Ejército Nacional del Aire" ("Nationalist Army of the Air") refer to military a ...

, while flying 126 missions, which includes 47 dogfights. After his return to USSR, he flew missions during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

. He later served in the 4th and 10th Fighter Aviation Regiments. In 1941 he graduated from the Lipetsk higher aviation advanced training courses for squadron commanders. On the same year, he joined the

Communist Party of Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

. Following the outbreak of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

in June 1941, Bobrov scored his first aerial victory of the war, when he shot down a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

Heinkel He 111 bomber, while flying a

Yak-1 The Yakovlev Yak-1 (russian: Яковлев Як-1) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, ...

. Soon he was hit by enemy fire, which resulted him in being badly burned and injured. As a result, he was hospitalized. In July 1941, he was appointed as commander of the 237th Fighter Aviation Regiment. After recovering, Bobrov took part in battles with the Northwestern,

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

, Kalinin and 1st Ukrainian fronts. In February 1942, Bobrov was assigned as commander of the 521st Fighter Aviation Regiment. From October 1942 to April 1943, he served as commander of the 21st Fighter Aviation Regiment and 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment. Postwar_P-39

On 4 April 1943, he became the commander of the 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment, where he flew the

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by t ...

. At the beginning of 1944, Bobrov was removed from the command of the regiment, according to some information, this happened due to the personal hostility of representatives of the highest command personnel. As a result, he served as pilot technique inspector of the 190th Fighter Aviation Division from March 1944 to April 1944. In May 1944, fighter ace

Alexander Pokryshkin Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

invited Bobrov to his 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Division, where he became the commander of the 104th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Bobrov's regiment took part in a number of offensive operations, including the breakthrough of the German defenses on the Neisse River and the

Berlin offensive The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

. By 24 July 1944, Bobrov flew 424 sorties, during which he conducted 112 dogfights, and was credited with 23 solo and 11 shared aerial victories. According to other sources, Bobrov was credited with a total of 43 solo and 24 shared aerial victories in both Spanish Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. He also flew a total of 577 sorties, during which he conducted a 159 air battles, in both the wars. On 11 August 1944, Bobrov was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but

chief marshal of aviation Chief marshal of the branch (russian: Главный маршал рода войск, Glavny marshal roda voysk) was a senior military rank of the Soviet Armed Forces. It was immediately above the rank of Marshal of the branch. Both ranks were ...

Alexander Novikov Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov (russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Но́виков; – 3 December 1976) was the chief marshal of aviation for the Soviet Air Force during the Soviet Union's involvement in th ...

and colonel general Konstantin Vershinin refused to present him the award.

Later life

After the end of the war, Bobrov continued to serve in the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

. In 1952, he completed refresher courses for commanders and chiefs of staff of air divisions at the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air for ...

. In 1960, he was transferred to the reserve with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. In 1966, Bobrov graduated from a law institute, after which he worked as deputy director of the Institute "Giprokommunstroy". He lived in Kharkov, where he died on 28 March 1970. By the decree of the

President of the USSR The president of the Soviet Union (russian: Президент Советского Союза, Prezident Sovetskogo Soyuza), officially the president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), abbreviated as president of the USSR (), was ...

of 20 March 1991, for “courage and military valor displayed during the Great Patriotic War,” Bobrov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the

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 ...

. The award was presented to his relatives.

Dates of rank

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

: 1936 * Captain, Red Air Force: 1939 * Major, Red Air Force: 1942 * Lieutenant colonel, Red Air Force: 1943 *

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

: 1948 *Major, Soviet Air Force: 1953 (demoted by two ranks) *Lieutenant colonel, Soviet Air Force: 1956 *Colonel, Soviet Air Force: 1958

Awards and honors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobov, Vladimir 1915 births 1970 deaths People from Luhansk Soviet colonels Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Suvorov, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross Soviet World War II flying aces Soviet people of the Spanish Civil War Russian people of the Spanish Civil War Soviet military personnel of World War II Russian people of World War II Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Spanish Civil War flying aces