regimental commander
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Golovachev Pavel Yakovlevich (1917-1972) – Soviet ace pilot, participant in the Great Patriotic War, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. In total, during the war he made 457 sorties, took part in 125 air battles, shooting down 31 enemy aircraft personally and 1 more – as part of a group.
In November 1938, Golovachev was called up for service in the Workers ‘and Peasants’ Red Army. In 1940 he graduated from the Odessa Military Aviation Pilot School named after P. D. Osipenko. He served as a pilot in the 168th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, Golovachev was in the army. Continue reading
Callsign “Maestro”
Vitaly Ivanovich Popkov, the future Maestro and future Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, went to the front in early May 1942 after several reports.
From the very beginning, the young pilot’s service did not work out. He was almost immediately appointed “eternal orderly”. Vitaly Ivanovich appreciated humor and jokes, and he himself was not a blunder, to laugh. Pilots in one liberated village picked up a puppy, and the future twice hero taught him to carry out combat commands. Continue reading
