Photo of Major of the Red Army Air Force S.I. Safronov, Hero of the Soviet Union

The original photo is in good collector's condition. The size is 74*92 mm. The TASS newsreel. There are traces of pasting into the album on the back. Guarantee of authenticity.

Sergey Ivanovich Safronov (August 25, 1918, village of Pilekshevo, Nizhny Novgorod province[1] — September 29, 1983, Gorky), fighter pilot, participant of the Great Patriotic War, Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born into a peasant family. Soon Safronov's family moved to the Saratov region. After graduating from the seven-year school and the FSU school, he worked at the Gorky Machine Tool Factory as a planer, while at the same time studying at the local aero club. In 1937, as a helicopter pilot, he performed one of his first flights with V. P. Chkalov. In 1938, he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the Engels Military Aviation School. After graduating from college in February 1939, he served in the Far East. Since October 1942, he has been at the front. His first air battle took place near Stalingrad. Defending Stalingrad, he shot down seven enemy planes. He took part in the liberation of Kuban, Novgorod region, Pskov, Latvia, in the Battle of Kursk, fought on the North Caucasian Front as part of the 4th Air Army. He met the victory in East Prussia. The title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 24, 1943 for 65 combat missions, during which S. I. Safronov personally shot down 11 enemy aircraft and 2 in group battles. By May 1945, he had 160 combat missions to his credit, 16 personally shot down enemy aircraft and 2 in group battles. S. I. Safronov was wounded twice, twice concussed. He was awarded orders and medals for his courage and heroism in the fight against the German invaders. The squadron commander, Major S. I. Safronov, retired for health reasons in 1945. From 1947 to 1975, he worked at the Saratov Aero Club, and was a mentor to the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. In 1975, Sergey Ivanovich moved permanently to the city of Gorky. Safronov died on September 29, 1983, and was buried in Nizhny Novgorod on the Alley of Heroes of the Krasnaya Etna cemetery.