Zakhar Artyomovich Sorokin (; – 19 March 1978) was a Soviet fighter pilot and flying ace who flew in combat with prosthetic feet from 1943 to 1945, having lost his feet to frostbite in 1941 after crashing in

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

in his

MiG-3 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 () is a Soviet fighter- interceptor used during World War II. It was a development of the MiG-1 by the OKO (opytno-konstruktorskij otdel — Experimental Design Department) of Zavod (Factory) No. 1 in Moscow to rem ...

. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of the British Empire for his perseverance, and after the war he wrote several memoirs.

Early life

Sorokin was born on to a working-class Russian family in Glubokoe. His family moved to Krasnodar oblast in 1920, where he attended school and was employed as an assistant locomotive engineer while training at an aeroclub. After entering the navy in 1937 he graduated from the Yeisk Naval Aviation School in 1939. He then was assigned to the 72nd Mixed Aviation Regiment of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

, based in

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

World War II

Starting on 22 June 1941, Sorokin was engaged in World War II operations defending against Operation Barbarossa. The next month he was transferred to the Northern Fleet, where he flew in the squadron under the command of

Boris Safonov Boris Feoktistovich Safonov (); – 30 May 1942) was a Soviet Naval Aviation fighter ace of World War II who was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Early life Safonov was born to a peasant family in the village of Sinyavino, now in ...

. He was credited with his first aerial victory on 19 July 1941, and on 18 October 1941 he was promoted to deputy squadron commander. However, just one week later he was badly injured after a forced landing on the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

tundra, where he remained for four days before receiving medical attention, resulting in severe frostbite that ended up requiring his feet to be amputated. He received surgery in Kirov before returning to his regiment in March 1943. By the time he was promoted to the position of regimental navigator, the regiment had received the guards designation and been renamed as the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. On 19 August 1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, and in December that year he transferred to the 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where he was also the senior navigator. In total he flew 267 sorties, gaining 10 solo and one probable shootdowns during the war.

Postwar

Almost immediately after the war he was discharged from the military since his need for prosthetic feet was considered to be a disability. However, he was able to re-enter the military in 1952 and posted to the 614th Fighter Aviation Regiment, but soon returned to the reserve in 1955. As a civilian he lived in Moscow, joined the Union of Journalists of the USSR, and authored 15 books. He died on 19 March 1978 and was buried in the Kuntsevo cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorokin, Zakhar 1917 births 1978 deaths Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Soviet World War II flying aces Soviet amputees Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery Soviet Navy officers

Early life

World War II

Postwar

See also

References