Varlam Urdia ( ka, ვარლამ ურდია; 15 September 1906 – 30 October 1945) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

bomber and

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 ...

of Georgian origin who took part in numerous bombing campaigns and aerial dogfight battles against the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

during the

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 ...

. He took an active part in the bombing raids of German positions on the

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

by piloting PS-84 and

Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...

ground attack fighter aircraft during the

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 ...

and in aerial battles on the Caucasus front. For his service in 1942-43,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Urdia was awarded twice with the Order of the Patriotic War 1st Class and in 1944 with the

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 ...

for extraordinary heroism and courage demonstrated on the battlefield.

Early career

Urdia was born on September 15, 1906, in the small town of

Vedidkari Vedidkari ( ka, ვედიდკარი) is a village in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province of Western Georgia (country), Georgia. The village is located in 15 kilometers from Martvili. According to the data of 2014, 713 people live in the villa ...

in the western part of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. After seven years in the military service of 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 ...

he was admitted to the 11th School of Military Pilots (also known as Voroshilovgrad Military Aviation School) in

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. ...

where he qualified as a military pilot. From 1933, he relocated with his family to

Uman Uman (, , ) is a city in Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. It is located to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the east of the historical region of Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River. Uman serves as the administrative c ...

and served in various aviation units, progressing from a junior pilot to the rank of Air Force

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. In Uman he worked as the flight instructor at the 202nd Training Airbase (''202-я учебная авиабаза'') and held training exercises for the military pilots at the Zaporozhie Technical College of Aviation (''Запорожский авиационный техникум'') until 1938. Urdia gained his first combat experience as the fighter pilot during the

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

in September 1939 at the battle of Grodno against the Polish units under General Wacław Przeździecki. During the same year on December 20, 1939, Urdia was transferred to the military air base of

Lodeynoye Pole Lodeynoye Pole (, lit. ''the field of boats'') is a town and the administrative center of Lodeynopolsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Svir River (Lake Ladoga's basin) northeast of St. Petersburg. ...

in the squadron of 275th Fighter Aviation Regiment where he took part in the air raids on the

Finnish army The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...

positions during the Soviet aggression against Finland. In the course of the war, the Soviet command used the fighter aviation units to support the advance of the Red Army infantry and carry out the bombing raids on supply trains behind the Finnish defence lines. On May 19, 1940, Urdia was awarded with 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 ...

and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel for his role in the war against Finland. Before the outbreak of the

Second World War 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 ...

, Urdia was briefly posted in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

to train as the bomber pilot in

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

at the newly established Grozny Military Flight School of Rifle Bombardiers (''Грозненская военная авиационная школа стрелков-бомбардиров'') located on the small airbase near the city of

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

World War II

At the onset of the German attack on the Soviet Union in July 1941, Urdia was deployed to the warfront within newly formed 101st Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Air Defence Division (''101-я истребительная авиационная дивизия''). In the 101st regiment Urdia was assigned to the squadron of PS-84 bomber aircraft on the

during the Soviet effort to repel the German advance on the city of

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

which was a gateway to Hitler's main objective of

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, 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 o ...

. The PS-84 aircraft had flown with

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...

as a passenger plane but since the outbreak of the war it was primary used in military operations. The aircraft was renamed to Lisunov Li-2 in 1942 and equipped with a 12.7 mm (.50 in) UBK heavy machine gun and used for supply transportation and aerial bombing. The newly remodeled plane was able to carry smaller bombs inside its fuselage which were released from the freight hatch by the crew. However, its ability to maneuver inflight was limited and vulnerable to the anti bomber attacks by the German

Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messers ...

fighters with its roller-coaster aerial tactics. Between March and December 1942, Urdia flew PS-84/Li-2 aircraft for more than eleven nighttime bombing raids on German positions targeting artillery batteries, infantry dugouts and supply lines. His nighttime bombing raids were successful in inflicting losses on the motorized units of the Wehrmacht. For his role in the bombing raids on enemy positions has earned him 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 ...

First Class and promotion to the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. By the end of August 1942, Urdia flew number of missions on the Li-2 aircraft to supply the Soviet troops and continue aerial assaults on Wehrmacht's 6th Army which has reached Voronezh during the early stages of

Operation Blau Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the ''Wehrmacht'' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of Baku (Azerbai ...

. The primary aim of the commander of 101st division Major general Ivan Evsevev was to provide air cover for the Soviet ground troops during their counterattack on Stalingrad in October 1942. Il2 sturmovik

In September 1942, Evsevev was reassigned to command the 8th Fighter Aviation Corpus of the Anti-Aircraft Defence (''8-й истребительный авиационный корпус ПВО'') in the

Battle of the Caucasus The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet ...

where the German forces launched the

Operation Edelweiss The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis powers, Axis and Soviet Union, Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-D ...

to reach the

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 ...

oil fields A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presen ...

. In December, Evsevev transferred Urdia and other highly skilled pilots to the Caucasus where the situation was volatile as the German 4th Mountain Division of the

Army Group A Army Group A () was the name of three distinct army groups of the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'', the ground forces of the ''Wehrmacht'', during World War II. The first Army Group A, previously known as "Army Group South", was active from Oct ...

made territorial gains in the midst of

anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism or anti-Soviet sentiment are activities that were actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the Soviet Union. Three common uses of the term include the following: * Anti-Sovietism in inter ...

insurgency by the Chechen resistance under the leadership of

Khasan Israilov Hasan Israilov ( / ; ''Khasan Israilov''; 1910 – December 29, 1944) was a Chechen nationalist, guerrilla fighter, journalist, and poet who led Chechen and Ingush resistance and a rebellion against the Soviet Union from 1940 until his death i ...

. However, after the German defeat in Stalingrad the Wehrmacht began to retreat and establish a defensive line known as

Kuban bridgehead The Kuban Bridgehead (), also known as the "Goth's head position" (), was a German military position on the Taman Peninsula, Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Existing from January to October 1943, the bridgehead formed after th ...

in the Taman Peninsula from where the German command planned another attack on the Caucasus in order to finish the objective of capturing Baku. In April–July 1943, the German Luftwaffe began a massive aerial assault over the Taman Peninsula in an attempt gain air superiority and provide cover support for German troops on the defence line. During the air battle of

Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...

on the

North Caucasus front The North Caucasus Front, also translated as North Caucasian Front, was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. The North Caucasus Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. First Creation The ...

where more than 2,000 aircraft from both sides engaged in one of the largest aerial battles of the war, Urdia was reassigned to piloting of ground-attack aircraft (Sturmovik)

. In the series of large scale aerial battles, Soviet aircraft including Urdia's Ilyushin Il-2 were confronted by Messerschmitt 109 fighters,

Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...

Heinkel 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 ...

and twin-engined

multirole combat aircraft A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air def ...

Junkers 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 o ...

s. In the course of the entire battle the Soviets lost more than 1100 aircraft while German air-to-air combat losses were much lower. However by July 1943, the Luftwaffe was exhausted and no longer able to withstand the countless counteroffensive measures by the Soviets halted its attack, hence ending the battle and finally losing the objective of gaining air superiority over the entire region. For his role in the Kuban air battle Urdia was awarded with the Order of the Patriotic War First Class for the second time and went on flying Ilyushin Il-2 attacking

1st Panzer Army The 1st Panzer Army () was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II. When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (''Panzergruppe ...

and Luftwaffe bombers which were providing air cover for the retreating

SS divisions All ''Waffen-SS'' divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type. Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the higher-numbered units were divisions in name on ...

. In October 1943, Urdia was assigned to the North Caucasus Military District of the Soviet Air Forces (''Краснознамённый Северо-Кавказский военный округ'') but the details of his service and whereabouts from November 1943 is unknown. According to the archival documents on November 3, 1944, Urdia received the

for extraordinary heroism, dedication, and courage demonstrated on the battlefield. Urdiaarchivaldoc43

Death

The circumstances behind the death of Varlam Urdia remain unknown. On October 30, 1945, Urdia was killed during the mid-air explosion on his plane in Western Ukraine. The official Soviet document on the military loses among the officers of the Fighter Aviation Division after May 9, 1945 (''Список офиcерного состава Истребителной Авиаcии ПВО страни погибших после 9 Mая 1945 г.'') only states that Urdia was killed. Urdia's wife Mariam Gogoladze returned to her native

with their two daughters and son

Anzor Urdia Anzor Urdia ( ka, ანზორ ურდია, ; March 12, 1939 – September 29, 2011) was a renowned Georgian theater and film actor. He performed in a number of films, among them was the main role in the iconic Soviet film '' Data Tutashkh ...

, who would later become a well-known Georgian

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

and

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

actor.

Orders and decorations

Urdia received the following orders and decorations: *

(19.05.1940) *

(1st class – 13.06.1942) *

(1st class – 14.02.1943) *

(03.11.1944)

References

Bibliography

* * Битва за небо. (Воздушные сражения на Кубани сквозь призму поискового движения). Евгений Порфирьев. Краснодар 2012 год * Воздушные сражения на Кубани 1943 // Великая Отечественная война, 1941—1945 : энциклопедия / под ред. М. М. Козлова. — М. : Советская энциклопедия, 1985. — С. 165—166. — 500 000 экз. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urdia, Varlam 1906 births 1945 deaths Soviet World War II pilots Soviet Air Force officers Aviators killed by being shot down People of World War II from Georgia (country) People from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Mingrelians Military personnel from Georgia (country)

Early career

World War II

Death

Orders and decorations

See also

References

Bibliography