Photo of a lieutenant of the Red Army Air Force. Novikov– Hero of the Soviet Union, 1943

The original wartime photo is in good collector's condition. The size is 52*78 mm. There are traces of pasting into the album on the back. Very rare. Guarantee of authenticity.

Konstantin Afanyevich Novikov (August 6, 1919, Medvezhye, Livensky District, Oryol province, Soviet Russia — January 9, 1958, Moscow, USSR) was a Soviet ace pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union (1943), Captain of the Guards (1944). He was born on August 6, 1919 in the village of Medvezhye, Livensky district, Oryol province[1]. In 1934 he graduated from the 7th grade of the school. Since 1934 he lived in Moscow. In 1935-1936, he worked as a locksmith at the construction of the metro, in 1936-1937 — as a locksmith at the I. V. Stalin Automobile Plant, in 1938-1939 — as a locksmith at the Moscow Paint and Varnish Factory. In 1937 he graduated from the Central Aero Club (Tushino). In the army since September 1939. Until January 1940, he studied at the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School of pilots. In 1940 he graduated from the Serpukhov Military Aviation School of pilots, in 1941 — Konotop School of Aerobatics and air combat. He served in the Air Force as a pilot (in the Western Military District).

Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in July-August 1941— he was a pilot of the fighter aviation regiment (Western Front). On August 18, 1941, he was seriously wounded in the chest and face, and was treated at the Tambov hospital until November 1941. Since November 1941, he served as a pilot in the emerging 805th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Morshansk, Tambov region). In July-September 1942 — pilot of the 805th Fighter Aviation Regiment, in September 1942 — pilot of the 862nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. He fought on the North Caucasian and Transcaucasian fronts. Participated in the battle for the Caucasus.

In September 1942 — May 1945— he was a pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, deputy commander and commander of the 131st (from February 1943 — 40th Guards) Fighter Aviation Regiment (217th Fighter Aviation Division). He fought on the North Caucasus, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. He participated in the defense and liberation of the North Caucasus, the Battle of Kursk, the Belgorod-Kharkov operation, the liberation of Left-Bank Ukraine, Kiev, Rivne-Lutsk, Proskurovsko-Chernivtsi, Lviv-Sandomierz, Sandomierz-Silesian, Upper Silesian, Berlin and Prague operations.

On September 27, 1942, near the village of Aki-Yurt (Malgobek district of Ingushetia), he rammed down an enemy aircraft, after which he landed at his airfield. He was wounded four times during the war. In total, he flew 468 combat sorties on I-16, Yak-1, LaGG-3, La-5 and La-7 fighters, personally shot down 28 and 5 enemy aircraft in 98 air battles as part of a group[2].

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 1, 1943, Lieutenant Konstantin Afanasyevich Novikov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. After the war, he continued to command an air squadron. Since August 1945, Captain K. A. Novikov of the Guard has been in reserve. In 1945-1947, he was a test pilot at the Flight Research Institute (Zhukovsky, Moscow Region), and in 1948-1949, he was a pilot at the Aircraft Factory No. 64 (Voronezh). In 1950-1952 he worked as a pilot in the Igarsky aviation group of Polar Aviation, in 1952-1953 — as a pilot at the Norilsk Combine. In 1953-1954— he was a hammerer at the Kolbinsky Forestry Enterprise (Mansky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory). Since March 1954, he worked as a loader in Moscow. He lived in Moscow. On June 15, 1957, at the registry office of the Shcherbakovsky district, he married Anastasia Ivanovna Chinyakova, born on November 20, 1924. He died on January 9, 1958. He was buried at the Pyatnitsky Cemetery in Moscow.