Photo of the Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain N.G. Surnev.

The original photo is in very good collector's condition. The size is 60*102 mm. Guarantee of authenticity.

Nikolai Grigorievich Surnev (February 18, 1923, Bolshoe Gorodishche village, Kursk province — March 5, 1952, Uritsky district, Oryol region) was a Soviet serviceman, lieutenant colonel of the Guards of the Soviet Army, fighter ace of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union (1945), military pilot 1st class (1951).

Nikolai Surnev was born on February 18, 1923 in the village of Bolshoe Gorodishche (now the Shebekinsky district of the Belgorod region). After graduating from seven grades of Bolshygorodishchenskaya secondary school, from 1937 to 1940 he studied at the Belgorod Medical and Obstetric School, at the same time he attended classes at the Belgorod Aero Club. In 1940, Surnev was drafted into the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and sent to study at the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Fighter Pilots. The following year, the school was renamed the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots and switched to shorter training periods.

In December 1942, Nikolai Surnev completed his studies at the YAK-7B aircraft pilot school with a full course of combat use and was seconded to Moscow at the disposal of the head of the Department of Training, Formation and Combat Training of the Red Army Air Force.. He served in the 517th iap 282 iad, the 8th IAP (Bagai, Volga Military District), the 18th separate training aviation Regiment of the 17th Air Army. Since August 1943, after a number of reports about being sent to the active army, he was sent to the front of the Great Patriotic War, fought as part of 866 iap 288 iad 17 VA. He was wounded in battle.

On November 7, 1944, he took an active part in repelling the Allied raid on the Serbian city of Nis. American pilots mistakenly attacked a Soviet transport convoy, resulting in the death of 34 soldiers and officers (based on a report by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, General Alexei Antonov). According to report 866 iap 288 iad 17 VA dated 11/17/1944, 10 aircraft of the regiment were raised to repel the Allied attack. At 1:05 p.m., six Yak-9 aircraft took off, led by squadron commander Captain Bondar. Having determined that American Lightning planes were against them, the Soviet pilots tried not to engage in aerial combat with them — even when attacked by single and pairs of Lightning planes, they maneuvered vertically and horizontally, trying to prevent the Americans from firing. Having flown up to the leader of the group, Surnev made it clear by shaking the wings of the aircraft that these were Soviet planes - not the enemy, after which the Americans stopped the attacks and flew to their airfields. However, 3 Soviet aircraft were lost in this battle, two pilots were killed, and American losses totaled five aircraft.

At the final stage of the war, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Surnev was deputy squadron commander of the 866th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 288th Fighter Aviation Division of the 17th Air Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (squadron commander A. I. Koldunov, later twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Defense Forces). By March 1945, he had flown 177 combat missions and participated in 53 aerial battles, shooting down 18 enemy aircraft.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 18, 1945, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Surnev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal number 8655 for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and his courage and heroism." During the war, N. G. Surnev flew 260 combat missions, his flight time was 276 hours, and in 67 air battles he personally destroyed 23 enemy aircraft.

After the end of the war, Captain N. G. Surnev continued his service in the Air Force. After graduating from the Taganrog Higher Tactical Flight Training Courses for officers of the USSR Air Force in 1948, he served as deputy and squadron commander in the 28th and 472nd fighter aviation regiments of the Air Defense, in the directorate of the 15th Guards Fighter Aviation of the Stalingrad Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Air Defense Division with locations in the cities of Bryansk and Orel. I flew on jet planes. The last position is an inspector-pilot in piloting techniques and flight theory.

On March 5, 1952, Guard Lieutenant Colonel N. G. Surnev tragically died in a plane crash while testing the stability and controllability characteristics at maximum flight speeds of the latest modification of the MiG−15 bis aircraft at that time. Trying to save the combat vehicle and take it away from the settlement, the pilot did not use a parachute. The last message received at the command post from him was: "He died...". The MiG−15 crashed seven kilometers from the work settlement of Ledenskiy. N. G. Surnev was buried in the military section of the Troitsky cemetery in the city of Orel.