Vadim Petrovich Shcherbakov (russian: Вадим Петрович Щербаков) was an officer in the Soviet Air Defense Forces (

PVO Strany The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...

). As a senior lieutenant, he was serving in the 260th "Bryansky" Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment. In 1966–1967 Shcherbakov's whole regiment was temporarily assigned as a Group of Soviet Military Advisors in Vietnam ( Группа советских военных специалистов во Вьетнаме) and in March 1966 was transferred to

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

, where the regiment was tasked with establishing a training center and training the NVA's 274th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment for combat duty. In North Vietnam Shcherbakov served as a SAM operator/instructor, and specialized as a fire control operator during combat deployments. For his service Shcherbakov received 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 highest Soviet decoration after returning from North Vietnam in 1967. American Task Force Russia: POW/MIA in their 18th report claims that formerly closed Soviet sources credited Colonel Shchbakov with 10 combat engagements and 6 kills. After Vietnam, Shcherbakov continued his service, eventually reaching 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 ...

. Very little is known about his biography except for multiple brief mentions in Soviet Officers' Vietnam War memoirs. He was still alive in 1991, when he was attending an annual meeting of the Russian Association of Vietnam War veterans. He was a retired Colonel at that time. Shcherbakov appears to have lived in

Engels, Saratov Oblast Engels ( rus, Э́нгельс, p=ˈɛnɡʲɪlʲs), formerly known as Pokrovsk and Kosakenstadt, is a city in Saratov Oblast, Russia. It is a port located on the Volga River across from Saratov, the administrative center of the oblast, and is c ...

, as of 2013.

Notes

References

*Davies, Peter. ''F-105 Wild Weasel vs SA-2 "Guideline" SAM, Vietnam 1965–73.'' Osprey 2011. . *Michel III, Marshall L. ''Clashes; Air Combat Over North Vietnam 1965–1972.'' Naval Institute Press; 1997, 2007. . *Toperczer, Istvan. ''MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War.'' Osprey Combat Aircraft #29. 2008 edition. . *Toperczer, Istvan. ''MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War.'' Osprey Combat Aircraft #25. 2nd edition 2008. . *Hobson, Chris. ''Vietnam Air Losses, United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961-1973''. Midland Publishing 2001. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Shcherbakov, Vadim Military personnel of the Vietnam War Soviet Air Defence Force officers Living people Recipients of the Order of Lenin Year of birth missing (living people)