Murad Akhmedovich Ozdoev (10 March 1922 – 25 February 1999) was an Ingush fighter pilot in the 431st Fighter Aviation Regiment during the Second World War and recipient of the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Presumed to have been killed in action after being shot down and forced to bail out in January 1944, he was taken prisoner by the Germans, and held as a POW until the prison camp where he was held was liberated by Allied forces on 8 May 1945. He then briefly lived in exile from Ingushetia before returning to Nazran, where he lived for the remainder of his life.

Early life

Ozdoev was born in 1922 to an Ingush family in

Nazran Nazran (; ) is the largest city in Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital from 1991 to 2000, until it was replaced by Magas, which was built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republic: Etymology The name ...

. After completing secondary school he studied at the Grozny aeroclub while working in local industries. After completing flight training in

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

he joined the Red Army in 1940, upon which he underwent further training at the Armavir Military Aviation School before being deployed to the warfront of the Second World War as part of the 431st Fighter Aviation Regiment.

World War II

Ozdoev totaled 69 combat sorties during which he gained three aerial victories, including a high-altitude Focke-Wulf Fw-189 which had been labeled by the Soviet Air Forces as a difficult target. Throughout the war he piloted Po-2, LaGG-3, Yak-1, Yak-7B and Yak-9 aircraft. During the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

, he shot down two Fw 190s in one sortie while escorting a group of

Petlyakov Pe-2 The Petlyakov Pe-2 ( — nickname «Пешка» (Pawn); NATO reporting name: Buck) was a Soviet Union, 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 ...

dive bombers. In Autumn 1943 he provided air support in the

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

and Leningrad-Novgorod offensives. While escorting a group of bombers on 25 January 1945 his plane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile from the ground, and he was presumed dead by his comrades who saw him shot down. In reality he had actually survived, unbeknownst to his colleagues, but was severely wounded and had been captured by the Germans. After he was captured by the Germans he was sent to a prison camp in Lodz, Poland and later relocated to a different prison camp in the Czech Republic. Throughout his imprisonment he attempted to escape twice but was unsuccessful; after both attempts he was tortured and badly beaten. On 8 May 1945 Soviet forces took over the prison camp and in June he was allowed to return to his regiment. Upon return he was welcomed by his comrades who were shocked he had survived the war, but he was soon demobilized in 1946.

Later life

In January 1946 Ozdoev was sent to the

Akmola Region Akmola Region (, ; ) is a centrally located regions of Kazakhstan, region of Kazakhstan. It was known as Tselinograd Oblast during Soviet Union, Soviet rule. Its capital is Kökşetau. The national capital, Astana, is enclosed by the region, but ...

of the Kazakh SSR where the rest of his family had been deported. His parents had been forced out of

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

just shortly after receiving a notice that their son was killed in action. Four years after the death of Stalin, Ozdoev returned to his hometown of

, where he lived for the remainder of his life. On 8 May 1995 he was belatedly honored with the title

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...

for his actions in the war. He died on 25 February 1999 at the age of 76. He had a son, Kazbek, who is a cousin of Mustafa Ozdoev, the father of footballer Magomed Ozdoev.

Awards

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

1st and 2nd class *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

Notes

References