Timur Mikhailovich Frunze (; 5 April 1923 – 19 January 1942) was a Soviet

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

and posthumous 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 ...

. He was the son of

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 ...

commander and People's Commissar for Military Affairs

Mikhail Frunze Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (; ; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Soviet revolutionary, politician, army officer and military theory, military theorist. Born to a Bessarabian father and a Russian mother in Russian Turkestan, Frunze at ...

Early life

Frunze was born on 5 April 1923 in Kharkov,

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

(now

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

), to Mikhail and Sophia Frunze. He was named after the founder of

Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of co ...

Tamerlane Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timuri ...

, whose war skills were admired by his father. His father was the revolutionary leader and reformer of the Red Army, who in January 1925 was appointed People's Commissar for Military and Navy Affairs and President of the Military Revolutionary Council. However, he died of surgery in October when Timur was only two years old. Timur's mother Sophia committed suicide in 1926. As a result, both Timur and his sister Tatyana were raised by their grandmother. Following the death of their grandmother in 1931, Timur and Tatyana were adopted by their father's friend

People's Commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English language, English transliteration of the Russian language, Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the pol ...

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov ( ; ), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (; 4 February 1881 – 2 December 1969), was a prominent Soviet Military of the Soviet Union, military officer and politician during the Stalinism, Stalin era (1924–195 ...

, who received permission for adoption by a special resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Voroshilov had no children of his own, and he permanently adopted Timur and Tatyana in 1931.Fitzpatrick. Page 70-71.Adoption was typical of the Soviet leadership at the time. The children of deceased but talented leaders and members of the intelligentsia were adopted into the families of members of the Politburo.

Military career

In 1938, Frunze became a member of the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

. After graduating from high school, he entered the Kachin Red Banner Military Aviation School named after A.F. Myasnikov. One of his friends in the aviation school was Stepan Mikoyan, the son of Soviet Politburo member

Anastas Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan (; , ; ; – 21 October 1978) was a Soviet statesman, diplomat, and Bolshevik revolutionary who served as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the head of state of the Soviet Union. As a member of th ...

.Mikoyan. Page 51-54.

World War II

Following the outbreak of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

in July 1941, many of the children of the Soviet leaders were among the first to volunteer to fight in the front. In December 1941, Frunze was assigned to the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was equipped with

Yakovlev Yak-1 The Yakovlev Yak-1 () was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 239. The Yak-1 was a man ...

s.Mellinger. Page 80-82. From 7 January 1942, the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment, as part of the 57th Mixed Aviation Division of the Northwestern Front, he participated in the offensive at the Demyansk Pocket. During this time, Frunze flew nine successful sorties to provide air cover for his airfield and ground troops in the area of

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 ...

. In aerial battles, he was credited with 2 solo and 1 shared aerial shootdowns of enemy aircraft. On 19 January 1942, while carrying out a combat mission to provide air cover for ground troops, Frunze, together with his flight commander, found 30 German bombers accompanied by eight escort fighters. Deciding to attack, the flight shot down a

Henschel Hs 126 The Henschel Hs 126 was a twin-seat parasol wing reconnaissance and observation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel. The Hs 126 that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a pro ...

spotter aircraft. In the ensuing battle with four

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 ...

s and Bf 110sIn the message to the Deputy People's Commissar of the NKVD

Vsevolod Merkulov Vsevolod Nikolayevich (Boris) Merkulov (; – 23 December 1953) was the head of NKGB from February to July 1941, and again from April 1943 to March 1946. He was a leading member of what was later derisively described as the " Beria gang". Earl ...

, Voroshilov indicated that it was an 'Me-115', which never existed, that shot down Frunze. Based on examination of combat records, the aircraft that were involved in combat against Soviet pilots were most likely modified versions of Bf 109 and Bf 110. the flight shot down a Bf 109. Soon three more Bf 110s joined the air battle, and Frunze's flight commander was shot down. Covering the damaged plane of his wingman, Frunze used up all the ammunition and was shot down. His aircraft went into a tailspin and crashed northwest of the village of Otvidino in Starorussky District, killing him. By the decree of the Presidium of the

Supreme Soviet of the USSR The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the S ...

on 16 March 1942, Frunze was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for "exemplary performance of command missions and for display of courage and heroism". In his memoirs, Stepan Mikoyan recalled that he last spoke to Frunze over the phone on New Year's Day 1942. The next time Mikoyan heard about him was a few weeks after news of Frunze's death was published.Mikoyan. Page 75. Kliment Voroshilov regretted that he had responded favorably to Frunze's requests to join the front instead of trying to advise him otherwise. He wrote:Fitzpatrick. Page 165.

"His parents left him in our care, and we betrayed this faith".

Frunze was buried at the Yamskoye Cemetery in the village of Kresttsy. After the end of war, in the 1950s, at the request of his sister Tatyana, he was reburied at the

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 ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Awards and honors

(16 March 1942, posthumous) *

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 ...

(16 March 1942, posthumous) *Streets and districts are named after him in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

(

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the ...

, Kresttsy,

Lipetsk Lipetsk (, ), also Romanization of Russian, romanized as Lipeck, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh (river), Voronezh River in the Do ...

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

, Zhukovsky),

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

(

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

) *A memorial plaque honoring him was installed at the former

Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization The Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization, abbreviated as the Young Pioneers, was a youth organization of the Soviet Union for children and adolescents ages 9–14 that existed between 1922 and 1991. History After the October Revol ...

camp in

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. *In the late 1940s, Soviet author

Arkady Gaidar Arkady Petrovich Gaidar (, born Golikov, ; – 26 October 1941) was a Russian literature, Russian Soviet writer, whose stories were very popular among Soviet children, and a Red Army commander.Arkady Gaidar. Biography. Timeline. Works by Arkady ...

's hugely popular children's book ''Timur and his Team'' featured a protagonist named Timur who led his friends to protect the empty homes of soldiers on the front from robbers. The character was named in honor of Frunze. The book gave birth to a voluntary movement among the youth, whose members were called “Timurites” (тимуровцы). Frunze, who died young at the beginning of the war, became an admired real-life role model for the Timurites because of his war experience, name and background. *A monument honoring him is located at the courtyard of the boarding school in

Volgograd Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...

. In 2016, Frunzenskyi District in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, was renamed to Nemyshlianskyi District, in order to comply with

Ukrainian decommunization laws Ukrainian decommunization laws were passed in 2015, in the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War. These laws relate to decommunization as well as commemoration of Ukrainian history, and have been referred to as " memory laws". They outlawed the ...

.Kharkiv renamed 5 metro stations and four districts

RBC Ukraine RBC-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 2006 as a division of the Russian media holding RBC Group (short for RosBusinessConsulting), it left in 2010 and in 2015 it completely came under the control of Ukrainian media businessman ...

(18 May 2016)
Another 48 streets and 5 districts "decommunized" in Kharkiv

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(3 February 2015)
Three districts renamed in Kharkiv
SQ (3 February 2015)
In Kharkiv, five metro stations and fifty streets have been communicated

Korrespondent.net The ''Korrespondent.net'' ( ; ; literally: ''Correspondent'') is an online newspaper in Ukraine launched in 2000. It is a sister project to the ''Korrespondent'' printed weekly magazine also containing the latter's reduced free online version. ''K ...

, 18 May 2016)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frunze, Timur 1923 births 1942 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Aviators killed by being shot down Soviet people of Romanian descent Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Soviet World War II pilots Military personnel from Kharkiv Soviet Air Force officers Kacha Military Aviation School alumni