Photo of Red Army Air Force Captain V.P. Mikhalev, Hero of the Soviet Union

The original photo is in excellent collector's condition. The size is 75*110 mm. Rare. Guarantee of authenticity.

Vasily Pavlovich Mikhalev (March 2, 1917 — December 10, 2006) was a Soviet soldier, colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union, military pilot 1st class. He was born on March 2, 1917 in the city of Verkhneudinsk (Ulan-Ude) in a working-class family. He graduated from a 7th grade school, a factory apprenticeship school and an aero club. In 1937, as one of the best pilots, he was retained at the flying club in Ulan-Ude as an instructor pilot. In 1940, he was drafted into the Red Army. In the same year he graduated from the Ulyanovsk Military Aviation School of Pilots. He served as an instructor pilot at the same school. Member of the CPSU since 1941. In the spring of 1943, he underwent retraining, mastered the new Yak-7b fighter, and in May 1943 he joined the 508th Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Voronezh Front. In the first air battle on May 22, 1943, on the outskirts of his airfield, he shot down two enemy bombers (Ju 88), one of them with a battering ram. Landed on a damaged aircraft. For this battle, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree. A week later, Second Lieutenant Mikhalev was appointed squadron commander. In July, the regiment was withdrawn for re-formation. In the city of Ivanovo, the American P-39Q "Aerocobra" fighter was mastered. In October 1943, he left for the front near Kharkov. On October 20, 1943, Mikhalev made the second ramming of an enemy aircraft. As part of the 5th Air Army, he took part in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. He was wounded on June 1, 1944. At the hospital, I learned about the award of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 1, 1944, Senior Lieutenant Vasily Pavlovich Mikhalev was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and courage and heroism shown at the same time. Squadron commander of the 508th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 205th Fighter Aviation Division of the 7th Fighter Aviation Corps of the 5th Air Army. He finished the war with the rank of major and as deputy commander of the regiment. During the war, Mikhalev flew 159 combat missions, conducted 49 air battles, shot down 23 aircraft personally and 14 in a group: 24 of them bombers and 13 fighters. He continued his military service. He was one of the first to master a jet aircraft. He was one of the first in the country to receive the honorary title of "Military Pilot 1st Class". In 1950, he graduated from the Higher Tactical Flight Training Courses for officers. In 1958, with the rank of colonel, he retired from the post of assistant commander of the aviation division. He lived in the city of Kuibyshev. He worked as an equipment engineer at the Volgoenergomontazh Trust. Participant of the Victory Anniversary Parades. Vasily Pavlovich died on December 10, 2006. He was buried in Samara on the Alley of Heroes of the city cemetery.