Photo of Red Army Air Force Captain N.M. Kirtok, Hero of the Soviet Union

The original photo is in very good collector's condition. The size is 95*140 mm. There are traces of pasting into the album on the back. Guarantee of authenticity.

Nikolai Naumovich Kirtok (December 6, 1920, Marinovka village, Domanevsky district, Mykolaiv region, Ukrainian SSR — September 25, 2022, Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet ground attack pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union (06/27/1945). The Colonel.

He was born on December 6, 1920 in the village of Marinovka, Domanevsky district, Mykolaiv region, into a peasant family. The Ukrainian. Since childhood he lived in Odessa. He graduated from nine grades of school and the school of the Federal Law. He worked as a slinger and locksmith at the Odessa Agricultural Machinery Plant named after the October Revolution. Since 1938, he simultaneously studied at the Odessa Aero Club.

In 1939, he was drafted into the Red Army. After the outbreak of war in October 1941, together with the aviation school, he was evacuated to the city of Jizzakh, Uzbek SSR. In 1942, he graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. He served in the 43rd Reserve Aviation Regiment of the 1st Reserve Aviation Brigade.

In the battles of the Great Patriotic War since July 1943. He fought on an IL-2 attack aircraft as part of the 2nd and 5th Air Armies of the Steppe, 1st Ukrainian and 2nd Ukrainian fronts. Member of the CPSU since 1943. At first, he fought as a pilot, flight commander of the 66th Assault Aviation Regiment and the 140th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment. In October 1944, he was transferred as a squadron commander to the 143rd Guards Assault Aviation Regiment. He received his baptism of fire in the Battle of Kursk. Then he participated in the Battle of the Dnieper, in the Dnieper-Carpathian, Lviv-Sandomierz and Vistula-Oder offensive operations. N. N. Kirtok especially distinguished himself in the Berlin offensive operation. On April 24, 1945, he twice led Ilov groups to destroy enemy artillery and mortar batteries on the southwestern outskirts of Berlin. With a well-aimed bomb attack, cannon-machine-gun fire and rockets, six "Silts" created 3 strong explosions, 4 fires and suppressed the fire of 4 artillery batteries.

During the period from July 27, 1943 to May 11, 1945, Nikolai Kirtok made 210 successful sorties in the face of strong opposition from German anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft. His combat record includes 38 destroyed and damaged tanks and armored personnel carriers, 54 vehicles, 7 fuel tanks, a railway train with ammunition was destroyed; the fire of 6 anti—aircraft artillery batteries was suppressed. In group air battles, he shot down 1 enemy aircraft personally and 4 in a group. Senior Lieutenant N. N. Kirtok, squadron commander of the 143rd Guards Assault Aviation Regiment (8th Guards Assault Aviation Division, 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Army, 1st Ukrainian Front) of the Guards, made his last combat mission on May 10, 1945.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated June 27, 1945, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Naumovich Kirtok was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal (No. 6579) for exemplary performance of combat missions of the command to destroy enemy manpower and equipment and the courage and heroism of the Guard.

Guards Captain N. N. Kirtok is a participant in the historic Victory Day Parade on June 24, 1945 on Red Square in Moscow. After the war, he continued to serve in the Soviet Army, commanding a squadron until May 1946, when he was sent to the academy. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1951. He served at the Air Force Scientific Testing Institute as the head of the Tactical Aircraft Testing department. From 1954 to 1976 he served in the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Since February 1976, Colonel N. N. Kirtok has been in reserve. He lived in Moscow. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he worked as a design engineer at the Yakovlev Design Bureau. He died on September 25, 2022 in Moscow. He was buried with military honors on September 28 at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery.