(6. 5. 1908 - 26. 6. 1941)
H ikolay Franzevich Gastello captain, commander of 2 nd Air Squadron, 42 th long-range aviation division. Born May 6, 1908 in Moscow in a working class family. Belorus. He worked as a locksmith in Murom Locomotive Works and the State Engineering Works Construction Machinery. In the mat in 1932 under a special set was called by the Red Army. In 1933 he graduated from Lugansk Air Force Pilot School. He served in the Bomber Brigade in Rostov-na-Donu. He fought in Khalkhin-in the 150-th speed Bomber Regiment. Member of Soviet-finlyadskoy war 1939-1940 the. In May 1941, Captain Gastello appointed commander of the 4 th Squadron, 207 th Aviation Regiment, long-range (42-I long-range aviation division, 3rd Bomber Aviation Corps, DBA).
. Member of the Great Patriotic War, the first day
. His first sortie made 22 June 1941 at 5.00. In the early days of the war the regiment suffered heavy losses. The remaining pilots and aircraft on June 24 were consolidated into two squadrons. Captain Gastello became commander of 2 nd Squadron.
. W tion of the Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello posmertno26 awarded in July 1941 for ground ramming (that is, in fact, he did not commit).
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June 26, 1941 in the afternoon Gastello flew headed management DB-3F to attack the German forces in the area Molodechno - Radoshkovichi, coming to Minsk
. Fighter cover was not. Our pilots have found a German convoy was driving on highway. Descending to 400 meters, they dropped bombs on tanks and vehicles pritivnika. After the attack Gastello ordered his wingman lieutenants Vorobiev and Rybasov return to the airfield, as he headed to another road, dirt. In her column, too, was a. Descending to extremely low altitude, he passed along it. Arrows Kalinin and Skarabahaty, firing from machine guns, wrecking 12 cars (including cars and staff bus). German anti-aircraft guns opened fire on airplane. From anti-aircraft shell hit the DB-3F on fire. Gastello turned on its territory. The fire blazed all the more. Knock down the flames could not slip. Gastello realized that its not to hang up, and decided to send a burning plane in located in the village Motski German troops. He opened his plane over the forest, but the village does not have lasted - the plane fell on the edge of the forest. However Gastello dead crew members: the navigator, Lieutenant AA Burdeniuk, gunner-radio operator Sergeant AA Kalinin and arrow Lieutenant GN Skarabahaty (the pilot of the same regiment, he volunteered in the combat radius instead of a full arrow). All of them posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War of 1 degree.
Explosion driven saw when flying up to Radoshkovichi (very large settlements, and mapped), and in a report tied to him bout. It was long thought that the crew of Captain Gastello died, making ramming enemy columns on the highway Maladzyechna - Radoshkovichi. At this place was even installed a monument to him. Many years after the war it became clear that there is another crew of 207 perished dbap - 1 squadron commander Captain A. Maslov (in 1996, all crew members were awarded the title Hero of Russia).
. Order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR captain NF Gastello ever enrolled in the lists of one of aviation regiments
. Monuments to him have been established in Moscow, Minsk, in smt Radoshkovichi Molodechno Minsk region and in the Voroshilovgrad Higher Military Aviation School navigators. On the building of the Moscow school Б•ї 270, in which he studied, a memorial plaque. His name called collective and state farms, factories, streets, Pioneer squads, mine Б•ї Kizel 30 in the city of Perm region, ship.
. Thank you very much for preparing the biography of Alexander Melnikov.
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. Sources:
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1) Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary. V.1. M.: Voeniz.1987.
2) Legendary Heroes-Komsomol. Vol V and VI. 1973.
