Photo from the personal file of the Hero of the Soviet Union Bendeliani Chichiko

An original and extremely rare photograph from the Hero's personal file in excellent condition. The size is 80*128 mm. Guarantee of authenticity.

The Chichikov Kitarovic Bendeliani (load. ჭიჭიკო ყაისარის ძე ბენდელიანი, 29 January 1913 — 20 July 1944) was a Soviet fighter pilot, hero of the Soviet Union. He was born on January 29, 1913 in the village of Chokhatauri, Kutaisi province, into a peasant family. The Georgians. In 1933, he graduated from the Chokhataur Agricultural College. He worked as a freight forwarder and at the same time studied at the Tbilisi Aero Club named after V. P. Chkalov. In the Red Army since September 1935. In 1937, after graduating from the 1st military school of pilots named after Comrade Myasnikov, he was sent to serve in the 43rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Kiev Special Military District. He served as a pilot, junior pilot, flight commander. In 1939, he was awarded the badge "Excellent Soldier of the Red Army" by order of the People's Commissar of Defense.

Participant of the Great Patriotic War from the first days. On July 31, 1941, Lieutenant C. K. Bendeliani carried out an aerial ram on an I-16 aircraft, for which he was awarded the Order of Lenin. His likely victim was the commander of 7./JG3, Oberleutnant Kurt Sochatzi, who was captured. He won his first aerial victory in the Battle for Kiev. Since November 1942, he served in the 237th IAP (which later became the 54th Guards IAP). He flew the Yak-1 and the Aerocobra. During the Battle of Stalingrad, he shot down 5 German planes in aerial battles. Participant of the Battle of Kursk. By June 1943, Major C. K. Bendeliani, navigator of the 54th Guards IAP (1st Guards Fighter Aviation Division, 6th Air Army, Central Front) of the Guards, had flown 385 sorties, conducted 72 aerial battles and shot down 7 enemy aircraft personally and 12 in a group.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 24, 1943, Major Bendeliani Chichiko Kaisarovich was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the heroism and courage of the Guard.

On July 20, 1944, the deputy commander of the 54th GIAP, C. K. Bendeliani, while covering a group of Il-2 attack aircraft, shot down 2 enemy fighters, but was shot down. Having managed to land the plane, he died of his wounds. According to the information provided by the Memorial database, he was buried in a mass grave in the cemetery of the village of Goloby in the Kovel district of the Volyn region of Ukraine. According to other sources, he was buried in the neighboring village of Byten in the same area. In 2008, his daughter brought his ashes to Georgia. During the war, he flew 410 combat missions, conducted 76 aerial battles, shot down 9 enemy aircraft personally and 12 in a group.