Photo of the future twice Hero of the SSR I.N. Stepanenko, 1944

The original photo is in very good condition. The size is 83*115 mm. The reverse side is signed. Guarantee of authenticity.

Ivan Nikiforovich Stepanenko (Ukrainian: Ivan Nikonorovich Stepanenko; April 13, 1920 — May 31, 2007) was a participant in the Great Patriotic War, deputy squadron commander of the 4th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 11th Mixed Aviation Corps of the 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945). Major General of Aviation of the Armed Forces of the USSR (1958), Lieutenant General of Aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (1999).

He was born on April 13, 1920 in the village of Nekhayki, now Drabovsky district of Cherkassy region (Ukraine). The Ukrainian. He graduated from the 7th grade of school. Since 1938, he worked as a locksmith at a factory in the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk (Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine). In 1940 he graduated from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Aero Club. In the Red Army since 1940. In 1941, he graduated from the Kachin Military Aviation School. He served in the Air Force combat units (Odessa Military District).

Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in June 1941 — May 1945 — pilot, flight commander, deputy commander and commander of the aviation squadron of the 4th Fighter Aviation Regiment. He participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, the battles in the Kuban and the Battle of Kursk. By August 1943, he had flown 232 sorties and shot down 14 enemy aircraft in aerial combat.

For his courage and heroism in the battles against the Nazi invaders, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Nikiforovich Stepanenko was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated April 13, 1944, with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 3617).

He participated in the liberation of Belarus and the Baltic States. By February 1945, the commander of the air squadron of the 4th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major I. N. Stepanenko, had flown 395 combat missions, and shot down 32 enemy aircraft in air battles.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 18, 1945, Major Stepanenko Ivan Nikiforovich was awarded the second Gold Star Medal (No. 74/II).

During the war, he fought on the Southern, Stalingrad, North Caucasus, Bryansk, 2nd Baltic and Leningrad fronts. In total, he flew 414 combat sorties on I-153, Yak-7 and Yak-9 fighters, shot down 33 enemy aircraft personally and as part of a group of 9 in 118 air battles. He was shot down 6 times in air battles (forced landings) and wounded twice. During the war, I. N. Stepanenko fought on an airplane with a caricature of Goebbels on board.

After the war, he continued to serve in the Air Force combat units. He graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in 1949 and the General Staff Military Academy in 1957. He commanded aviation formations, mastered the MiG-15, MiG-17 and MiG-23 jet fighters. Since 1976, Major General of Aviation (1958) I. N. Stepanenko has been in reserve. He lived in the city of Lviv, then in the city of Cherkasy (Ukraine). He died on May 31, 2007. He was buried in Cherkassy. Lieutenant General (1999), Honored Military Pilot of the USSR (1966).