(8. 8. 1909 - 26. 6. 1941)
A eonid Illarionovich Ivanov, Lieutenant, Squadron 147 th Fighter Regiment. Born Aug. 8, 1909 in g. Kashira Moscow region. Russian. After seven years of railway school, he studied in high school, adult type and worked as a laborer at the same time tram. In the summer of 1930 he entered the factory "Red Proletarian" in Moscow, worked as a milling machine, he studied part-time Mechanical Institute "Stankin". In May 1932, on the mobilization of the party was sent to study in the 7 th Military Pilot School in g. Stalingrad. After three and a half years with honors from the school and was promoted to lieutenant. He served in the aviation wing of the Far East and the Far North. In February - March 1940 participated in sovetoko-Finnish War in the Murmansk area. For excellent achievements in the combat and political training in 1941 was awarded the Order of Honor. In the early days of the Great Patriotic War, fought on the northern front.
. W tion of the Hero of the Soviet Union Leonid Ivanov Illarionovich awarded posthumously July 22, 1941 for the selfless bravery and courage shown in air battles of Kandalaksha, and personally shot down two enemy planes.
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P on the plan, . has received the code name "Blue fox", . 150 thousandth of German-fascist army "Norway", . concentrated in the Arctic, . was to inflict surprise attacks by Soviet troops, . located on the line of the Soviet-Finnish border, . quickly destroy them, . capture Polar, . Kandalaksha, . Louhi, . and in the subsequent capture Murmansk and the Kola Peninsula and the suspension northern sea and land communications, . linking the Soviet Union from the outside world.,
. The main blow was inflicted on the enemy towards Kandalaksha
. Concentrated here ground forces launched an offensive July 1, 1941. But long before the sky turned a strong Arctic air battles, during which our pilots have added many bright pages in the history of Soviet aviation.
. Fighter squadron I-15 bis, under the command of Ivanov were "ordered to cover from enemy air strikes Kandalaksha
. In those days, this task was of paramount importance. Since June 24, the enemy continuously, several times a day, carried out raids on our airfields and industrial sites of Murmansk region. Despite the numerical superiority of the Nazis, Soviet pilots fought selflessly and repeatedly scored brilliant victories over the enemy.
. Day 26 June 1941 27 bombers and 18 fighters launched a raid on the star, our airfield
. The enemy planes were met by pilots Ivanova is on the approaches to the goal. Ivanov, first flew at the enemy. He attacked the lead and the short distance to give him a long line. "Messerschmitt-110 crashed into the lake. Build bombers was broken. Throwing a bomb outside the goal, they hurried away in a westerly direction. Only one vulture managed to break through to the airfield, but he was shot down by accurate fire of our anti-aircraft gunners.
The next day was even more tense. The pilots made on 4 - 5 combat missions and successfully repelled all attacks of the enemy, preventing the bombing of the assigned objects. In these battles, the squadron was shot down Ivanova three enemy bombers.
P oteryav hope to get to the airfield on the enemy bombers dropped to its ground attack fighters of their. By evening the group "Messers" appeared from behind the hills at a time when the squadron Ivanov after a long battle finishing landing at its airport. In the air there was only one Ivanov. When landing, he noticed the danger and by deploying its fighter, and ran towards the Nazis, knocked one of them, but I myself killed. The price of a brave pilot prevented a ground attack the airfield.
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Sources:
1) Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary. V.1. M.: Voeniz.1987.
2) Rumyantsev.N.M. People legendary heroism ". Saratov. 1968
