Sakharov Pavel. Biography. Pavel Ivanovich Astrov

Born on July 23, 1918 in the city of Ivanovo-Voznesensk (now Ivanovo) in the family of an employee. He graduated from 7th grade and a driver's school. Worked as a driver. In 1937 he entered the Ivanovo Aero Club. After graduation, he worked there as an instructor. Since 1940, Pavel Sakharov has been in the ranks of the Red Army. In 1941 he graduated from the Serpukhov United Military School of Pilots and Aircraft Mechanics. Assigned to the 20th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Since June 1941, Sergeant P.I. Sakharov has been in the active army. Until 1942, as part of the 57th mixed aviation regiment, he fought near Smolensk, on the Northwestern Front, and participated in the defense of Leningrad. In the spring of 1942 he was transferred to the 20th IAP of the Northern Fleet. From May 1944 - in the 78th IAP of the Northern Fleet.

By November 1944, the squadron commander of the 78th Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment (6th Fighter Aviation Division, Northern Fleet Air Force), Captain P.I. Sakharov, flew 137 combat missions, personally shot down 9 enemy aircraft in 18 air battles, and destroyed 2 warehouses. He took part in the sinking of transport and a coaster. His squadron shot down 14 aircraft, sank 15 and damaged 3 enemy ships.

On November 5, 1944, for the courage and bravery shown in battles with enemies, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After the war he continued to serve in naval aviation. In 1955 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. Since 1961, Colonel P.I. Sakharov has been in reserve. Lived in the city of Ivanovo. Died October 24, 1985. He was buried in Ivanovo at the Balino cemetery. The bust of the Hero is installed on the territory of the Northern Fleet Air Force Museum in the village of Safonovo.

Awarded the orders: Lenin, Red Banner (three times), Patriotic War 1st degree (three times), Red Star; medals. His name was given to a street in Ivanovo and a MiG-31 fighter in the 174th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Here is a photograph, yellowed with age. It shows part of an airplane cockpit, from which a young fighter pilot is vigilantly observing the sky, ready at any moment to rush upward and engage the enemy. This is Pavel Ivanovich Sakharov, photographed in 1943 in the Soviet Arctic, not far from Murmansk. There he spent his flying youth, there he became an ace, as his friends seriously called him, there he received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Pavel Ivanovich Sakharov was born on July 23, 1918 in the city of Ivanovo-Voznesensk (now the city of Ivanovo) in a working-class family. According to other sources, in the village of Melnikovo, Rodnikovsky district, Ivanovo region, but as a child he moved with his parents to Ivanovo. He graduated from 7 classes and a driver's school in the city of Vladimir. He worked as a driver at the Scientific Research Institute in Ivanovo. Without leaving work, he graduated from the Ivanovo Aero Club in 1939 and remained there to work as an instructor pilot. Since then, his life began to belong to aviation. Since December 1940 in the ranks of the Red Army. In July 1941, he graduated early from the Serpukhov United Military School of Pilots and Aircraft Mechanics and was assigned to the 12th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Since July 1941 on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. As part of the 57th Mixed Aviation Regiment, he fought on the Western Front. He received his baptism of fire in the battles near Smolensk, flying the I-153 “Chaika” fighter to cover his troops, reconnaissance and attack enemy troops.

From December 1941 to March 1942, he was a flight commander of the 13th reserve aviation regiment (city of Kuznetsk), mastered the Yak-1 fighter.

In the spring of 1942, Sergeant Sakharov returned to the front as part of the newly formed 20th Fighter Aviation Regiment and was appointed flight commander. In April, the regiment began its combat activities as part of the Shock Air Group on the Volkhov Front, carrying out the task of withdrawing the 2nd Shock Army from encirclement in the Myasnoy Bor - Kirishi area. After completing this task in June 1942, the regiment was relocated to the Northern Fleet.

Murmansk is the only ice-free port in the north of our country; the Soviet troops stationed there received everything they needed through it. Therefore, both the land and sea forces of Nazi Germany persistently rushed here.

Here, in the Arctic, Pavel Ivanovich Sakharov’s talent as a fighter pilot was fully revealed. Many times he accompanied with his flight, and then with his squadron, torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and attack aircraft, which carried out bold strikes on the enemy. He often flew to reconnaissance fascist airfields, ship convoys, and to attack enemy batteries and warehouses.

At the beginning of November 1942, Sergeant Sakharov won his first aerial victory, and was soon awarded the first military order - the Red Banner. In January 1943, he was awarded his first officer rank - "Junior Lieutenant". Fellow soldiers dearly fell in love with Pavel Ivanovich for his modesty, sincere attitude towards his comrades and subordinates, and for his heroism in battle.

On December 30, 1943, Sakharov and his wingman, junior lieutenant Shvechkov, returned to the airfield, handed over their cars and went to the canteen. We barely had time to have lunch when we heard a message that 2 German fighters had appeared in the area of ​​the neighboring airfield where our bombers were based. We instantly took to the air, our pilots gained altitude. Soon we saw fascist planes. A fight ensued.

The Germans turned out to be experienced pilots. They freely fought both vertically and horizontally. Our pilots decided to use a trick. Shvechkov imitated a fall and quietly walked away. Sakharov at this time continued to fight on turns. Having gained altitude, Shvechkov dived onto the Me-109 and opened fire. The German tried to dodge the tracks and ended up in Sakharov’s sights. After a well-aimed burst, the Messer fell into Lake Vaengskoye.

From April 1944 until the Victory, he fought as part of the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment and was the commander of the 3rd squadron. He began flying the American fighter P-40 Kittyhawk, which he mastered to perfection. The main combat work of the regiment consisted of bombing and assault strikes on enemy ports and ships, along the front line of defense. Captain Sakharov was one of the first pilots of the regiment to master the top-mast bombing method and did a great job of teaching this method to the pilots of his squadron.

At the final stage of the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, which began on October 23, 1944, North Sea pilots provided continuous assistance to the advancing troops. The battle for Kirkenes continued until October 25, when the city was completely cleared of the invaders. At this time, North Sea aviators carried out successive attacks on the defensive units of the Kirkenes fortress, suppressed the fire of artillery batteries, and stormed ships in the port and in numerous fjords.

The enemy could not resist the activity of our aviation. Over the course of 5 days, the Germans made only 37 sorties, 24 of which occurred on October 21, when an attempt was made to strike the Luostari airfield occupied by our aircraft. The pilots of the 78th Regiment, in collaboration with the Safonov Guards, defeated the Nazis, destroying a third of the enemy aircraft.

During the 5 days of the final battle in the Far North, pilots of the Northern Fleet flew 736 sorties. In air battles alone, they shot down about 20 fascist planes. They sank a transport, a steamer, 4 TFR, 6 MO, 2 minesweepers, 3 motorboats, 5 high-speed landing barges, a ferry with troops, blew up a barge with shells, damaged 4 transports, 3 TFR, 2 barges. This is not a complete list of victories won by aviators of the Northern Fleet in the battles for Kirkenes.

On October 25, 1944, the capital of our Motherland saluted the courage and perseverance of the soldiers and commanders of the 14th Army and the Northern Fleet. For the excellent military operations during the liberation of Kirkenes, the North Sea aviators were again thanked by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The Petsamo-Kirkenes operation ended with the liberation of the areas of Kirkenes, Neiden, Nautsi and Sarikoski. Northern Fleet aviation moved the fighting deep into the enemy's communications lines, continuing to destroy his transports and ships on which troops were evacuating. Until the end of October, North Sea pilots carried out more than 600 sorties, bombing and attacking German transport ships and ships in Tanafjord, Tyfjord, Gullfjord, and Porsangerfjord.

Our aviators carried out strikes on bases, coastal facilities, artillery batteries, ships and vessels continuously and several times a day. German planes were now rarely seen in the air. Over the last 6 days of October, the North Sea troops intercepted no more than a dozen of them.

With repeated bombing and assault strikes, the pilots suppressed heavy artillery batteries on the islands of Kielmes, Skugerei, Vadsey and Ilmes, and sank and damaged 35 ships at sea.

But the tension of the fighting did not subside. The Germans, who were withdrawing convoys with troops, military equipment and strategic raw materials, defended themselves fiercely. Each time, reaching the target, the North Sea troops were forced to break through a dense curtain of anti-aircraft fire from numerous warships, as well as powerful coastal batteries.

October 26th turned out to be a difficult day. More than 200 vehicles took part in a raid on an enemy convoy in Tanafjord. The Severomorsk soldiers acted successfully. A group of torpedo bombers of the 36th regiment, led by Hero of the Soviet Union Captain V.P. Rukavitsyn and Major I.T. Volynkin, damaged transport and a destroyer. Fighter-bombers of the 78th regiment under the command of captains V.P. Strelnikov and P.I. Sakharov sank a transport and several armed motorboats.

In the Arctic, Pavel Ivanovich Sakharov went through a glorious path from an ordinary pilot to a squadron commander, from a sergeant to a captain. There were 3 military orders on his chest, and on November 5, 1944, he was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 5054).

By the end of the war, P.I. Sakharov had 225 combat missions and 12 downed enemy aircraft. [ M. Yu. Bykov in his research points to 9 personal victories of the pilot. ] As a result of combat work, he sunk 2 vehicles, 1 coaster, 5 motorboats, destroyed 2 anti-aircraft artillery batteries, 13 vehicles, and an ammunition depot.

After the war, he continued to serve in naval aviation, in his regiment, then in the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment named after twice Hero of the Soviet Union B.F. Safonov. In 1948 he graduated from the Higher Officer Courses of Naval Aviation (Riga), in 1955 - the command department of the Air Force Academy. During his studies, he mastered flying Il-28 and MiG-15 jet aircraft. Later he was commander of the 781st Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Pacific Fleet Air Force. In 1958, due to health reasons, he was removed from combat work in fighter aviation. He continued his service in staff positions - deputy chief of staff for combat training of the 30th separate air defense corps. Since March 1961, Colonel P.I. Sakharov has been in reserve. Returned to his homeland. Lived in the city of Ivanovo. He worked at a melange plant. Died on October 24, 1985. He was buried in the city of Ivanovo at the Balino cemetery.

In his homeland, his name is immortalized on the Heroes’ memorials in the cities of Ivanovo and Rodniki; in the regional center, a street is named after the Hero, on one of the houses of which a memorial plaque is installed. In the village of Safonovo ZATO city of Severomorsk, a bust was installed on the Alley of Heroes - aviators of the Northern Fleet. His name was given to the heavy fighter interceptor MiG-31 from the 174th Guards Red Banner Fighter Aviation Pechenga Regiment named after twice Hero of the Soviet Union B.F. Safonov.

List of all known victories of captain P.I. Sakharov:
(From the book by M. Yu. Bykov - “Victories of Stalin’s Falcons”. Publishing house “YAUZA - EKSMO”, 2008.)