Aleksandr Avdeyev (pilot)
Alexander Fyodorovich Avdeyev | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | Александр Фёдорович Авдеев |
| Born | 5 August 1916 Bolshaya Talinka, Tambov Governorate |
| Died | 12 August 1942 (aged 26) Novaya Usman, USSR |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union |
| Service/ |  Soviet Air Force |
| Years of service | 1938 – 1942 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Winter War World War II |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin Order of the Red Star |
Aleksandr Fyodorovich Avdeyev (Russian: Александр Фёдорович Авдеев; 5 August 1916 – 12 August 1942) was a Soviet fighter ace of World War II with 13 victories claimed. He participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940 (Winter War). He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on 10 February 1943.
Early life[edit]
He was born in the village of Bolshaya Talinka in Tambov Governorate. In the 1930s his family had to move to Lyublino (now a district of Moscow). There he has graduated from factory-and-workshop school and worked as a metalworker in a foundry. After work he attended an Air club in Podolsk. In 1938 he joined the army and attended the Borisoglebsk Military Air College.
World War II[edit]
From the beginning of the German-Soviet War he served on the Leningrad Front with 153 IAP as a Leytenant and was later promoted to Starshiy Leytenant and Flight commander. In 1941 he claimed 7 victories in 189 missions. Piloting a Polikarpov I-153 biplane, he shot down a future high-scoring German ace Lt. Walter Nowotny of JG 54 over Saaremaa on 19 July 1941 in Bf 109 E-7 (W.Nr. 1137) "White 2" over Riga Bay. In that fight Avdeyev's plane was also shot down and he subsequently spent a month in hospital due to injuries sustained during the crash.
In August 1942 he served as a P-39 Airacobra pilot on the Voronezh Front. On 12 August 1942 he was the first Airacobra pilot who used a ramming attack to down an opponent. His victim was possibly Fw. Franz Schulte of 6./JG 77, an ace with 46 victories. Both pilots were later buried in Novaya Usman, a village near Voronezh.
Avdeyev was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star.
External links[edit]
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- 1916 births
- 1942 deaths
- People from Tambovsky District, Tambov Oblast
- People from Tambovsky Uyezd
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
- Soviet Air Force officers
- Russian aviators
- Soviet military personnel of the Winter War
- Soviet World War II flying aces
- Heroes of the Soviet Union
- Recipients of the Order of Lenin
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Star
- Pilots who performed an aerial ramming
- Soviet military personnel killed in World War II
- Hero of the Soviet Union stubs