Alexander Ivanovich Koldunov (; 20 September 1923 – 7 June 1992) was one of the highest-scoring flying aces of the Soviet Union during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and twice a recipient of the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Early life

Koldunov was born on 20 September 1923 to a Russian family. In 1931 the family moved to the Moscow area, and in 1940 he completed his ninth grade of school in addition to graduating from the local aeroclub. Koldunov joined the Soviet Army in February 1941. He graduated from the

Kacha Military Aviation School The Kacha Higher Military Aviation twice Red Banner order of Lenin School of Pilots named for A.F. Myasnikov (KVVAUL) (Качинское высшее военное авиационное дважды краснознаменное ордена ...

in 1943 and was assigned to the 8th Reserve Aviation Regiment before being sent to the war front.

World War II

In May 1943 Koldunov was transferred to the 866th Fighter Aviation Regiment and deployed to the war front. He was first 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 ...

on 2 August 1944, having been nominated for the title on 22 May 1944 for his first 15 shootdowns. On 7 November 1944 he was credited with shooting down of three USAAF

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

s of the 82nd Fighter Group in a 'friendly fire' incident near Belgrade during the air battle over Niš. In that episode he defended a column of Soviet ground troops that came under attack by American fighters. Accounts on the number of American and Soviet casualties widely vary, but it is certain that among the Soviet troops on the ground who were killed was lieutenant-general Grigory Kotov. By the end of the war, he had flown 412 sorties, fought in 96 aerial engagements, gained one shared shootdown and 46 solo victories. He was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union again on 12 June 1945, but it was not awarded until 23 February 1948.

Postwar

Remaining in military service after the war, he transferred from the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

to the

Soviet Air Defence Force The Soviet Air Defence Forces (; ) was the air defence branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Formed in 1941, it continued being a service branch of the Russian Armed Forces after 1991 until it was merged into the Air Force in 1998. Unlike Western ai ...

in the early 1960s. Koldunov was appointed as the Commander of the Moscow Air Defence District in November 1970. After a promotion to

Colonel-General Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a rank above full , but be ...

in 1972, in December 1975 Koldunov became the First Deputy Chief of the Air Defence Forces. In 1977 he was promoted to

Marshal of Aviation Marshal of the branch (or "marshal of the branch of service"; ) was from 1943 to 1974 the designation to a separate rank class in the general officer's rank group of the former Soviet Union's armed forces. However, at that time, marshal of ...

and the following year Koldunov was appointed to command the entire Air Defence Force. In 1984 he was promoted to

Chief Marshal of Aviation Chief marshal of the branch () was a senior military rank of the Soviet Armed Forces. It was immediately above the rank of Marshal of the branch. Both ranks were equal to general of the army. History The ranks of chief marshal of aviation, arti ...

, one of only a handful of officers to hold this very senior rank. Koldunov was dismissed in May 1987 after

Mathias Rust Mathias Rust (born 1 June 1968) is a German aviator known for his flight that ended with a landing near Red Square in Moscow on 28 May 1987. Then a teenage amateur pilot, he flew from Helsinki, Finland, to Moscow, without authorization. Accordi ...

, a civilian German pilot flew from Finland to Moscow and landed nearby the

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

. Koldunov died on 7 June 1992 and was buried at

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...

in Moscow.

Awards and honors

Aleksandr Koldunov 2023 cover of Russia 2

Soviet

* Twice

* Three

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 ...

* Six

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 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 ...

* 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 *

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 ...

Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...

Foreign states

* Yugoslavia – Order of the Partisan Star 2nd class * East Germany –

Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...

2nd class * Bulgaria – Order of the People's Republic 2nd class * Bulgaria –

Order of Georgi Dimitrov The Order of Georgi Dimitrov (or Order of Georgy Dimitrov, ) was the highest award of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It was instituted on 17 June 1950 and awarded to Bulgarians and foreigners for outstanding services to the defence and freedom ...

* Romania – Order of Tudor Vladimirescu 5th class * Mongolia – Medal "For Military Merit" * Hungary –

Order of the Flag The Order of the Flag () was an honorary award given to citizens, collectives, factories, administrative divisions, institutions and organizations in the People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () wa ...

* Vietnam –

Military Exploit Order The Military Exploit Order () is the highest military award of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of o ...

References

Bibliography

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Koldunov, Alexander Ivanovich 1923 births 1992 deaths People from Smolensk Oblast People from Smolensky Uyezd Candidates of the Central Committee of the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Tenth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Eleventh convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Soviet Air Force marshals Soviet Air Defence Force officers Soviet World War II flying aces Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Kacha Military Aviation School alumni