Photo of Hero of the Soviet Union I.S. Polbin

The original wartime photograph is in very good collector's condition. The size is 50*83 mm. There are traces of pasting into the album on the back. Guarantee of authenticity.

Ivan Semyonovich Polbin (January 14 [27] 1905, village of Rtishchevo-Kamenka, Simbirsk province — February 11, 1945, Breslau, Lower Silesia) was a Soviet military commander, Major General of the Guards Aviation (October 25, 1943). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (November 23, 1942 and April 6, 1945, posthumously).

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the regiment under the command of Major Ivan Polbin was relocated to the west and had been fighting on the Western Front since July. Already in November 1941, he was presented with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (but then the award was replaced by the Order of the Red Banner) for his 30 combat sorties, skillful command of the regiment and great damage to the enemy. By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to the commanding staff of the Red Army" dated November 23, 1942, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and his bravery and heroism." In December 1942, he was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Red Army Air Force Inspectorate for Assault and Bomber Aviation, in February 1943 — Commander of the 301st Bomber Aviation Division, and in March 1943 - commander of the 1st Bomber Aviation Corps, which was transformed into the 2nd in February 1944. guards, and in December 1944 — in the 6th Guards. The corps took part in the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of the Dnieper, as well as the Kirovograd, Korsun-Shevchenko, Uman-Botoshan, Lviv-Sandomierz, Iasi-Kishinev and Vistula-Oder offensive operations.

On February 10, 1945, the commander of the 2nd Air Army, S. A. Krasovsky, presented Major General of Aviation I. S. Polbin to the Guards with the title of twice Hero of the Soviet Union for 157 combat sorties, personally shot down 2 German fighters, and for excellent leadership of the corps' combat operations. The next day, on February 11, 1945, Aviation Major General Ivan Semyonovich Polbin died in the sky over the fortress city of Breslau, making his 158th combat mission. The navigator, Lieutenant Colonel M. K. Zarukin, died along with Polbin, and the gunner, radio operator, foreman V. A. Orlov, parachuted out, after which he was captured, but was soon released.