Misplaced Pages

#492507

40-863: Credited with 22 individual and 2 group victories by the end of World War II, he was twice made a Hero of the Soviet Union . Savitsky commanded the Aviation of the National Air Defense Forces during the Cold War , serving as deputy commander of the National Air Defense Forces from 1966 to 1980. Savitsky was born on 7 January 1911 in Novorossiysk , and was drafted into the Red Army in November 1929. He

80-504: A 20-year sentence in a Mexican prison for the assassination of Leon Trotsky , Ramón Mercader moved to the Soviet Union in 1961 and as Ramon Lopez was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Hero of the Soviet Union medal "for the special deed" by KGB head Alexander Shelepin . The only individuals to receive the title four times were Marshal Georgy Zhukov and Leonid Brezhnev . The original statute of

120-560: A bronze bust of his or her likeness with a commemorative inscription erected in his or her hometown. Fighter pilots Aleksandr Pokryshkin and Ivan Kozhedub were three times Heroes of the Soviet Union. A third award entitled the recipient to have their bronze bust erected on a columnar pedestal in Moscow, near the Palace of the Soviets , but the palace was never built. After his release from serving

160-613: A detachment commander. He transferred to the 32nd Assault Aviation Squadron of the VVS Siberian Military District a year later, serving in the same position. Appointed commander of the 61st Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Detachment of the VVS Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army in July 1937, Savitsky became assistant commander of the 29th Fighter Aviation Regiment, part of the 26th Aviation Brigade of

200-582: A foothold in the Perekop Isthmus . By the night of November 5, the troops reached the lower reaches of the Dnieper and captured a bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash Bay. The advancing troops, however, failed to dislodge the enemy from the last bridgehead he occupied on the left bank of the Dnieper south of Nikopol . As a result of the operation, the troops of the front had advanced 50–320 km to

240-541: Is some speculation that Zhukov's fourth Hero medal was for his participation in the arrest of Lavrentiy Beria in 1953, but this was not entered in the records. Brezhnev's four awards further eroded the prestige of the award because they were all birthday gifts, on the occasions of his 60th, 70th, 72nd and 75th birthdays. Such practices halted in 1988 due to a decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which formally ended it. By

280-486: Is still used both in surviving current Communist states such as Cuba and in some non-Communist post-Soviet countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and others. Individuals who received the award were entitled to special privileges, including: In total, during the existence of the USSR, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to 12,777 people (excluding 72 stripped of the title for defamatory acts and 13 awards annulled as unwarranted), including 154 people who received

320-653: The 16th Air Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front in January 1945, the corps provided air cover for the troops of the front during the Warsaw–Poznan , East Pomeranian and Berlin Offensives . Following the end of the war, Savitsky received his second Hero of the Soviet Union award on 2 June in Berlin. Yevgeny Savitsky was credited with flying 216 sorties with 22 individual and 2 shared victories. Postwar, Savitsky continued to command

360-801: The Donbass Strategic Offensive , the Melitopol Offensive , and the fighting for Left-bank Ukraine against German forces in the Nikopol region. During early 1944, the corps provided air cover for the reconcentration of the Russian troops to Sivash and Perekop in preparation for the Crimean Offensive , which began in April. After the capture of Sevastopol and the German evacuation of Crimea , Savitsky

400-672: The Group of Inspectors General of the Ministry of Defense , traditionally a retirement post for elderly generals. He died in Moscow on 6 April 1990. In his final Hero of the Soviet Union citation, Savitsky was credited with 22 individual and two shared victories for a total of 24. Research conducted by Russian aviation historian Mikhail Bykov in the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence found incomplete operational documentation for

440-556: The Soviet Far East for almost a year, serving as commander of the 25th Army during March and April while it provided air support to the garrisons guarding the Soviet border in Primorye . During this period, he underwent combat flight training in the new Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter near Moscow with the 172nd Fighter Aviation Regiment from late 1941 to early 1942 before flying

SECTION 10

#1732930625493

480-456: The 1970s, the award had been somewhat devalued. Important political and military persons had been awarded it on the occasions of their birthdays rather than for any immediate heroic activity. All Soviet cosmonauts , starting from Yuri Gagarin , as well as foreign citizens from non-capitalist countries who participated in the Soviet space program as cosmonauts, received a Hero award for each flight, but no more than twice. Apart from individuals,

520-534: The 2nd Air Army flew missions against Axis rail transport between Ostrogozhsk and Alexeyevka and Yevdakovo and Saguny. In November, Savitsky, now a colonel , became the commander of an aviation group of the 17th Air Army in the Southwestern Front , fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad . This assignment proved to be brief, and on 10 December Savitsky took command of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps, which he led for

560-714: The Fighter Air Defense in May 1953. Savitsky studied at the aviation faculty of the Voroshilov Higher Military Academy between January 1954 and November 1955, after which he resumed his command. In July 1960, due to Air Defense Force reorganization, he became commander of the Aviation of the PVO, being promoted to Marshal of Aviation on 6 May 1961. Appointed deputy commander of the PVO in July 1966, Savitsky held that position until April 1980, when he became an inspector of

600-628: The German 6th Army of Army Group A , behind a pre-prepared line on the Molochna River . This was a 2-3 deep defensive line, part of the Panther–Wotan line , with a developed system of trenches, long-range firing structures, numerous anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers. The main center of defense was the city of Melitopol . The goal of the Melitopol operation was to break through this line and to access

640-449: The Hero of the Soviet Union, however, did not provide for a fourth title; its provisions allowed for a maximum of three awards regardless of later deeds. Both Zhukov and Brezhnev received their fourth titles under controversial circumstances. Namely, Zhukov was awarded a fourth title in direct violation of the statute. He was awarded the fourth time "for his large accomplishments" on the occasion of his 60th birthday on December 1, 1956. There

680-681: The LaGG-3 with the VVS 25th Army. He was then transferred to command the 205th Fighter Aviation Division on the Voronezh Front on 5 May 1942, leading it during the Battle of Voronezh as part of the 2nd Air Army . From July to October, his division provided air cover for troops of the Voronezh Front, flying 373 combat sorties. During this time Savitsky flew the LaGG-3 and Lavochkin La-5 . Between 28 and 31 October,

720-567: The Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both to civilian and military persons. The award was established on 16 April 1934, by the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union . The first recipients of the title originally received only the Order of Lenin , the highest Soviet award, along with a certificate (грамота, gramota ) describing the heroic deed from the Presidium of

760-533: The Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Because the Order of Lenin could be awarded for deeds not qualifying for the title of hero, and to distinguish heroes from other Order of Lenin holders, the Gold Star medal was introduced on 1 August 1939. Earlier heroes were retroactively eligible for these items. A hero could be awarded the title again for a subsequent heroic feat with an additional Gold Star medal and certificate. The practice of awarding additional Orders of Lenin when

800-585: The VVS 2nd Separate Red Banner Army , in September 1938. Serving as the regimental commander from February 1940, he was transferred to command the 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment as a major in September 1940 before receiving command of the 29th Fighter Aviation Division of the Far Eastern Front in April 1941. After Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the Soviet Union began in June 1941, Savitsky remained in

840-491: The award twice (nine posthumously), three who received it three times, and two who received it four times. Ninety-five women were awarded the title. Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union, 44 people are citizens of foreign states. The great majority of them received it during World War II (11,635 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 101 twice Heroes, three thrice Heroes, and two four-time Heroes). Eighty-five people (28 posthumously) were awarded

SECTION 20

#1732930625493

880-628: The collapse of the Soviet Union, this title was succeeded in Russia by the title " Hero of the Russian Federation ", in Ukraine by " Hero of Ukraine " and in Belarus by " Hero of Belarus ". Azerbaijan's successor order is that of National Hero of Azerbaijan and Armenia's own hero medal is that of National Hero of Armenia , both modeled on the Soviet one. Melitopol Offensive The Melitopol offensive

920-792: The corps until October 1947, when he was made head of the Directorate of Fighter Aviation Combat Training, part of the Main Directorate of the Soviet Air Forces. He was soon made commander of the Fighter Aviation of the National Air Defense Forces in August 1948, simultaneously serving as commander of the 19th Fighter Air Army (renumbered as the 78th in February 1949 and as the 64th later that year). Dismissed in February 1952, he returned to command of

960-469: The crediting of Savitsky with a total of nineteen victories – eighteen individual and one shared. Details of these claims are listed below: His daughter, Svetlana Savitskaya became a Soviet cosmonaut who flew aboard the Soyuz T-7 in 1982, becoming the second woman in space some 19 years after Valentina Tereshkova , and, in 1984, the first woman to fly to space twice and to perform a spacewalk . He

1000-413: The days following his death stemmed from Colonel General Nikolai Berzarin 's pledge to nominate the discoverer of Hitler's corpse for the award. (Despite Soviet claims to the contrary , only Hitler's dental remains were ever certainly identified.) Over 100 people received the award twice. A second Hero title, either Hero of the Soviet Union or Hero of Socialist Labour , entitled the recipient to have

1040-528: The first-ever Trans-polar flight, was awarded the title on 24 July 1936. Valentina Grizodubova , a female pilot, was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union (2 November 1938) for her international women's record for a straight-line distance flight. Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya , a Soviet partisan , was the first woman to become a Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II (February 16, 1942), posthumously. According to Soviet war interpreter Elena Rzhevskaya , reports of several dead Hitler lookalikes in

1080-561: The lower reaches of the Dnieper , cutting off a large German force in the Crimea from the main German Army. During the offensive, which began on September 26, it was planned to deliver two blows - the main blow with the main forces north of Melitopol (4 armies, 2 tank and 2 cavalry corps) - and a secondary one, by the forces of the 28th Army , from the area south of Melitopol, bypassing the city from

1120-431: The offensive was temporarily stopped. After a thorough analysis of the situation and finding that Karl-Adolf Hollidt , commander of the German 6th Army was transferring significant forces from his southern flank to the northern, Fyodor Tolbukhin regrouped the main forces in the opposite direction and delivered a massive blow to the weakened enemy grouping. The transfer of troops of the 51st Army , tank and cavalry corps to

1160-878: The rest of the war, flying the Yakovlev Yak-1 , Yak-9 , Yak-3 , and Lavochkin La-7 . Until June 1943, the corps fought as part of the North Caucasian Front in the North Caucasus Strategic Offensive, before being withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK). After receiving replacement pilots and aircraft, the corps joined the 8th Air Army of the Southern Front (the 4th Ukrainian Front from 20 October) in late August, participating in

1200-489: The south west. The offensive was launched with virtually no operational pause at the request of the Headquarters, in order to prevent the enemy from settling on the defensive line. Without proper preparation and reconnaissance, and because of the fatigue of the troops and the depletion of materiel, the Soviet offensive stalled after 5 days with heavy losses, and an advance of only 2–10 km. From September 30 to October 9,

1240-630: The title for actions related to the Soviet-Afghan War , which lasted from 1979 until 1989. The first recipients of the award were the pilots Anatoly Liapidevsky (certificate number one), Sigizmund Levanevsky , Vasily Molokov , Mavriky Slepnyov , Nikolai Kamanin , Ivan Doronin , and Mikhail Vodopianov , who participated in the successful aerial search and rescue of the crew of the steamship Cheliuskin , which sank in Arctic waters, crushed by ice fields, on 13 February 1934. Valery Chkalov , who made

Yevgeny Savitsky - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-467: The title was also awarded to twelve cities ( Hero City ) as well as the fortress of Brest ( Hero-Fortress ) for collective heroism during the War. The last recipient of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" was a Soviet diver , Captain of the 3rd rank Leonid Mikhailovich Solodkov on 24 December 1991 for his leadership and participation in a series of unprecedented extreme depth diving experiments. Following

1320-541: The title was awarded multiple times was abolished by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1988 during perestroika . Forty-four foreign citizens were awarded the title. The title was also awarded posthumously, though often without the actual Gold Star medal presented. The title could be revoked only by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet . Most Soviet-bloc countries followed the Soviet example and instituted their own "Hero" awards. The Soviet-style "Hero" title

1360-454: The west and south-west, liberated almost the entire Northern Taurida and cut off the Crimean group of German troops from land, creating conditions for the upcoming liberation of Crimea and the south of Right-Bank Ukraine . 18 most distinguished units and formations received the honorary titles of Melitopol . For the liberation of the city of Melitopol, 87 soldiers received the title of Hero of

1400-497: The zone of the 28th Army made it possible to achieve the greatest success in the southern direction, and two weeks after the resumption of the operation, on October 23, Melitopol was liberated by the 51st Army in cooperation with the troops of the 28th Army. At the same time, the troops advancing north of the city also broke through the defenses and cut the Zaporizhzhia -Melitopol railway line. A mobile cavalry-mechanized group "Storm"

1440-591: Was a made a Hero of the Soviet Union on 11 May for his performance as commander of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps and for flying 107 combat sorties with fifteen victories. The 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps was withdrawn to the RVGK in mid-May and in June were transferred to the 1st Air Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front . During the summer of 1944 it fought in Operation Bagration and the subsidiary Vitebsk–Orsha , Minsk , Vilnius and Kaunas Offensives . Transferred to

1480-579: Was a successful Soviet offensive operation from September 26 to November 5, 1943, during the Second World War, as part of the second stage of the Battle of the Dnieper . It resulted in the liberation of Melitopol and the entire northern coast of the Sea of Azov . After the Donbas strategic offensive (August 1943) , the troops of the Southern Front (from October 20, 1943 - the 4th Ukrainian Front ) had driven back

1520-552: Was declared an honorary citizen of Novorossiysk, Sevastopol, and Vilnius. The asteroid 4303 Savitskij is named for him. Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union ( Russian : Герой Советского Союза , romanized :  Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza ) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union , awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to

1560-506: Was formed to advance through the gap south of Melitopol, as part of the 4th Guards Kuban Cavalry Corps and 19th Tank Corps , supported by aviation. On October 24, all German troops were forced to begin a general retreat. Pursuing the enemy, on October 30, Soviet troops liberated Henichesk and reached the coast of the Sivash Bay . On November 1, having overcome the Turkish Wall, they gained

1600-716: Was sent to the Red Army Air Force 7th Military School for Pilots in Stalingrad , graduating in May 1932, after which he remained at the school as an instructor pilot and acting flight commander. From February 1934, he served as a flight commander with the 18th Light Assault Aviation Squadron of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Military District in Kiev . Savitsky's squadron flew to Krasnoyarsk in February 1935, where he became

#492507