Ivan Dmitriyevich Borisov (; 1913 – 25 December 1939) was a Soviet military pilot who was posthumously 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 ...

Biography

Ivan Borisov was born in 1913. In December 1939, he served as a command

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

in the 1st squadron, of the 5 IAP-KBF, which was equipped with

Polikarpov 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 ...

s. On 23 December his squadron shot down a Finnish aircraft, a VL Kotka, near

Paldiski Paldiski is a seaside Populated places in Estonia, town in northwestern Estonia, located on the Pakri Peninsula and adjacent Pakri Islands, Pakri islands in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is the administrative centre of the Lääne- ...

. At 1245 (Finnish time), a

Blackburn Ripon The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was the basis for both the license-produced Mitsubishi B2M and the improv ...

IIF of LeLv 36 took off at Paldiski, the Ripon was flown by 24-year-old Kaj Uolevi Söderholm and his observer Esko Antero Huhanantti. The aircraft was not heard from since 1310 by the Mäkiluoto fort, which was located southwest of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. 35 minutes later, an explosion was seen in the air to the southwest. It was then reported by the Soviet radio that a Finnish reconnaissance aircraft at Pakri had been shot down by interceptors at 1405 and that both crew members were killed when they tried to escape the burning aircraft. It is believed that this was the aircraft that was shot down by Borisov's crew. In addition to this victory, Borisov flew nine more missions 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 ...

, but was shot down and killed on 25 December 1939, over the

Hanko Peninsula The Hanko Peninsula (; ) is the southernmost point of mainland Finland. The soil is a sandy moraine, the last tip of the Salpausselkä ridge, and vegetation consists mainly of pine and low shrubs. The peninsula is known for its beautiful archip ...

. He was awarded the Gold Star of the

on 7 February 1940.

References

1913 births 1939 deaths People from Mytishchi People from Moskovsky Uyezd Soviet Air Force officers Winter War pilots Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Aviators killed by being shot down {{hero-USSR-stub