Adil Huseyn oghlu Guliyev (; ; 22 November 192216 December 1992) was an Azerbaijani fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force who became a flying ace with twenty shootdowns during the Second World War. A recipient of the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

for his feats, he remained in the Soviet Air Force and retired with the rank of colonel in 1966. Later he became a director of Baku Airport.

Early life

Guliyev was born on 22 November 1922 in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

to a peasant family. He graduated from either School No. 14 or School No. 132 in Baku. He participated in the activities of the Baku Flying Club.

World War II

In 1941 he was drafted into the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. In April he became a student at the Stalingrad Military Aviation School, from which he graduated in the following year. On 7 July 1942 Guliyev became a sergeant in the 8th Reserve Fighter Aviation Regiment. From October 1942, Guliyev fought in combat, flying the

Yakovlev Yak-7 The Yakovlev Yak-7 (; NATO reporting name: Mark)Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1955-56 p. 188 was developed from the earlier Yak-1 fighter, initially as a trainer but converted into a fighter. As both a fighter and later reverting to its ori ...

. He served in the 653rd Fighter Aviation Regiment (which became the 65th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment). It was part of the 274th Fighter Aviation Division, which became the 4th Guards Fighter Aviation Division. Guliyev fought in missions over

Velikiye Luki Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-� ...

in November 1942. In the winter of 1943, the regiment was deployed to the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-c ...

in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (; ) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942. A much ...

area. In 1943, Guliyev became a

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

member. On 6 March, Guliyev claimed his first victory, a

Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the ...

. On 14 March, in the

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...

area, he was attacked by four Fw 190s. Guliyev downed one but his plane was shot down. He bailed out and was rescued by Soviet troops close to the front line. On 15 March he was awarded the

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 ...

. Shortly afterwards, the aviation division was transferred to the reserve south of Moscow. There the regiment and division became guards units. In May Guliyev flew missions over

Bryansk Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census. Bryans ...

, by which time he was a junior lieutenant and then a lieutenant. He fought in 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 ...

, during which he made 51 sorties and shot down three Fw 190s. He received his first

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 ...

on 9 October. The 65th Guards IAP was pulled out of combat in early October to receive the new

Yakovlev Yak-9 The Yakovlev Yak-9 (; NATO reporting name: Frank) is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and successful ...

fighter. From 30 November, Guliyev's unit was part of the

1st Baltic Front The First Baltic Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Прибалтийский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was commanded by Army General Andrey Yeryomenko, succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It ...

. The regiment became part of the

3rd Belorussian Front The 3rd Belorussian Front () was a Front of the Red Army during the Second World War. The 3rd Belorussian Front was created on 24 April 1944 from forces previously assigned to the Western Front. Over 381 days in combat, the 3rd Belorussian Fr ...

on 21 June 1944. During the month of June Guliyev made 34 sorties and shot down four fighters and a bomber. During the month Guliyev and his unit covered the attack of the 3rd Belorussian Front towards

Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

, conducted aerial reconnaissance and blocked German airfields. On 23 June Guliyev shot down an Fw 190. By this time he was a senior lieutenant. By the end of summer 1944 he had shot down 15 German aircraft. On 10 July, with his flight over

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Guliyev reportedly attacked a German formation of 17 bombers with fighter over. Guliyev shot down an Fw 190 and a Ju 87 during the battle. On 21 July 1944 Guliyev was awarded a second Order of the Red Banner for this action. At the end of July the regiment became part of the 1st Baltic Front again. He was awarded the

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 class on 19 August. By 10 September, he had reportedly made 141 sorties, participated in 38 air battles, and shot down fifteen enemy aircraft. On 17 September, Guliyev was awarded a third Order of the Red Banner. In February 1945 the regiment was moved to Memel, covering the 1st Baltic Front. Guliyev became a captain and deputy squadron commander and navigator in the regiment. On 21 February he shot down an Fw 190. On 23 February 1945 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

. In March the regiment, then based at

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

, began retraining on the

Yakovlev Yak-3 The Yakovlev Yak-3 (Russian language, Russian: Яковлев Як-3) is a single-engine, single-seat World War II Soviet Union, Soviet fighter aircraft, fighter. Robust and easy to maintain, it was much liked by both pilots and ground crew.Glan ...

. On 19 April, the regiment joined the rest of the division in 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–Od ...

. By the end of the war, Guliyev had shot down twenty German aircraft in 265 sorties and 64 air battles. On 31 July 1945 Guliyev was awarded the

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an Order (distinction), order of merit of the Russia, Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious ser ...

for his actions.

Postwar

After the end of the war, Guliyev continued to serve with the Soviet Air Force and graduated from 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 forc ...

in 1956. He became a deputy commander and later commanded an aviation regiment. He retired as a colonel in 1966 and lived in Baku. He worked as a director of Baku Airport and later was department head in the Azerbaijan Consumer Society. Guliyev published two books of memoirs, "''До встречи в Берлине''", or "''See you in Berlin''" in 1975 and ''Есть пламя!'', or "''There are flames!''" in 1985, respectively. On 6 April 1985 he received the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class a second time on the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II.TsAMO Anniversary card file, available online a
pamyat-naroda.ru
/ref> Guliyev died on 16 December 1992 and was buried in the

Alley of Honor The Alley of Honor (, Honorary ''Allée'') is a public cemetery and memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Alley includes burials of famed Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan-affiliated expatriates, including several Presidents, scientists and artists. There ...

. For his service to the Soviet Union, he received the Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, Order of Alexander Nevsky, Order of the Patriotic War and the Order of the Red Star.

List of victories

The data in this list is from Mikhail Bykov.

Awards

* Three

* Two

1st class *

* campaign and jubilee medals

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guliyev, Adil 1922 births 1992 deaths Soviet World War II flying aces Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Military personnel from Baku Soviet military personnel of World War II from Azerbaijan Azerbaijani memoirists 20th-century memoirists