Aleksey Smirnov (pilot)
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Aleksey Semyonovich Smirnov (; – 7 August 1987) was a fighter pilot and flying ace of the Soviet Air Forces during the Second World War. He gained 35 solo victories during the war and was one of the few people awarded 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 ...
twice.


Early life

Smirnov was born on to a Karelian family in the village of Paltsevo in the
Tver Governorate Tver Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Tver. The governorate was lo ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. After completing his seventh grade of school in 1934, he moved to the city of Kalinin in 1935 where he worked at a railway depot. In 1937 he graduated from training at the Kalinin aeroclub. He worked as a storekeeper from 1936 until he joined 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 1938. In December that year he graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation School of Pilots and was assigned to the 11th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which used the I-16. From February to March 1940 he participated in the
Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
as a senior pilot flying the
I-153 The Polikarpov I-153 ''Chaika'' () is a late 1930s Soviet sesquiplane fighter. Developed from the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the major Soviet fighter types ...
in the 153rd Fighter Aviation Regiment. After the end of the war with Finland he remained in his regiment. In 1941 he became a member of the Communist Party.


World War II

By the time Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Smirnov had been promoted to the position of flight commander in the 153rd Fighter Aviation Regiment. He saw combat during the first month of the invasion, flying both the I-16 and I-153 to conduct reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, and ground defense missions. While flying an I-153 on 9 July 1941 he shot down 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 ...
, gaining his first shootdown; however, he did not gain any more victories while flying the I-153. During a ground-attack mission on 21 August 1941 he was wounded during the flight but managed to return to his airfield. He was shot down on 14 September 1941 and parachuted out with a leg wound, but survived. In November 1942 the 153rd Fighter Aviation Regiment was honored with the
Guards designation Guards units () were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in wartime service ...
and renamed as the 28th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The unit was later re-equipped with
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 th ...
s and trained to fly them in Spring 1942. On 23 July 1942 Smirnov and five others flew a mission to protect Soviet troops in the
Semiluksky district Semiluksky District () is an administrativeLaw #87-OZ and municipalLaw #88-ZO district (raion), one of the thirty-two in Voronezh Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast. The area of the district is . Its administrative cente ...
of Voronezh from German bombing attacks. During the mission he shot down a
Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the ''Luftwaffe'' and became one of ...
and Bf 109, but was subsequently shot down; he was badly burned from the fire inside his plane, but after he parachuted out personnel from the 27th Tank Brigade rescued him; people from the brigade had also witnessed the shootdowns of the enemy planes and captured a German pilot. Smirnov was awarded the Order of Lenin for his performance on the mission. He was first nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 6 August 1943 for flying 297 sorties and gaining 13 solo aerial victories; he was a deputy squadron commander at the time. That summer he managed to shoot down three Fw 190s. The title was awarded to him on 28 September 1943. On 7 October 1943 Smirnov shot down a squadron commander of a group of He-111s. Leading a group of five other P-39s in the attack, he and his crew managed to down a total of six He-111s over the course of 20 minutes. On 9 October 1943 Smirnov shot down four enemy aircraft during three sorties over the course of a single day. On 5 September 1944 he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union again for flying 296 sorties and gaining 31 solo victories. As a squadron commander at the time of the nomination, he was awarded a second gold star on 23 February 1945. By the end of the war he was the deputy commander of his regiment, had flown 457 sorties, shot down one plane in a group, gained 35 solo shootdowns of enemy aircraft, shot down a hot air ballon, and engaged in 72 dogfights. The aircraft he shot down included the Ju 87,
Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the ''Luftwaffe'' and became one of ...
,
He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...
, He 126,
Fw 189 The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 ''Uhu'' (Owl) is a twin-engine twin-boom tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was one of the ''Luftwaffes most prominent short range ...
, Fw 190,
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 ...
, Me 110, and
Me 210 The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the Bf 110. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor fl ...
.


Postwar

Smirnov remained as the deputy commander of the 28th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment until March 1947; he then entered training at the Lipetsk Senior Officers Flight Tactical Courses, which he graduated from in November that year. He was then assigned as commander of the 54th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where he flew the
P-63 The Bell P-63 Kingcobra is an American fighter aircraft that was developed by Bell Aircraft during World War II. Based on the preceding Bell P-39 Airacobra, the P-63's design incorporated suggestions from P-39 pilots and was superior to its pr ...
. He left the position in April 1949 and took command of the 866th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which used the
Yak-3 The Yakovlev Yak-3 ( Russian: Яковлев Як-3) is a single-engine, single-seat World War II Soviet fighter. Robust and easy to maintain, it was much liked by both pilots and ground crew.Glancey 2006, p. 180. One of the smallest and lighte ...
. In February 1950 he relinquished command of the regiment and was made a flight inspector in the Moscow military district. In that position he flew the La-15,
MiG-9 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (, USAF/DoD reporting names, USAF/DoD designation: Type 1, NATO reporting name: Fargo) was the first turbojet fighter aircraft, fighter developed by Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich in the years immediately after World War I ...
,
MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate s ...
,
MiG-17 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5 an ...
,
Yak-15 The Yakovlev Yak-15 (; NATO reporting name: Feather, USAF/ DOD designation Type 2) is a first-generation Soviet turbojet fighter developed by the Yakovlev design bureau (OKB) immediately after World War II. The main fuselage was that of Yako ...
, and
Yak-17 The Yakovlev Yak-17 (; USAF/ DOD designation Type 16, NATO reporting name Feather) is an early Soviet jet fighter. It was developed from the Yak-15, the primary difference being tricycle landing gear. The trainer version, known as the Yak-17 ...
. In 1954 he retired from the Air Force, after which he worked as a teacher and
projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...
. He died on 7 August 1987 and was buried in the
Kuntsevo Cemetery The Kuntsevo Cemetery () is a cemetery servicing Kuntsevo, Moscow. It is located on the bank of the Setun River, to the south of the Mozhaisk Highway (the continuation of the Kutuzovsky Prospekt). The local five-domed church was commissioned in 16 ...
.


Awards and honors

* Twice
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 ...
(28 September 1943 and 23 February 1945) * Two
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 ...
(14 August 1942 and 28 September 1943) * Four
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 ...
(3 December 1941, 3 May 1942, 30 April 1943, and 22 February 1955) *
Order of Aleksandr Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky () is an order of merit of the Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious service. It was originally estab ...
(11 October 1943) * Two
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 (15 May 1945 and 11 May 1985) *
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 ...
(3 November 1953)


Memorials and commemoration

A bust of Smirnov was made by
Nikolai Tomsky Nikolai Vasilyevich Tomsky (; , – 22 November 1984) was a much-decorated Soviet sculptor, designer of many well-known ceremonial monuments of the Socialist Realism era. Biography Born in the village of Staro Ramushevo in Novgorod province, ...
in 1949. A bronze bust of him was installed in Rameshki village, Tver oblast in 1951, and a MiG-23P was named after him in 1985.


Footnotes


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Aleksey 1917 births 1987 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Soviet World War II flying aces Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery