Photo of Minin Ya.K. – Hero of the Soviet Union, with a rare set of signs of the GVF

The original photo is in good collector's condition. The size is 60*90 mm. Guarantee of authenticity.

Yakov Kireevich Minin (April 22, 1922, Sherstin, Rechkovsky parish, Gomel District, Gomel Province — June 15, 1985, Moscow) was a pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union (1944), Major (1975).

He was born on April 22, 1922 in the village of Sherstin, Rechkovsky parish, Gomel District, Gomel province[1]. In 1937, he graduated from the 7th grade of the school, in 1939 — the 3rd year of the Gomel Automobile College and the Gomel Aero Club. In the army since October 1939. In 1942, he graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. Participant of the Great Patriotic War: in January 1943 — February 1944 — pilot, senior pilot, flight commander of the 667th Assault Aviation Regiment. He fought on the Kalinin, Northwestern, Voronezh, Steppe and 2nd Ukrainian fronts. He participated in the Velikiye Luki operation, the liquidation of the Demyansk bridgehead, the Kharkov operation, the Battle of Kursk, the Belgorod-Kharkov, Kirovograd and Korsun-Shevchenko operations. He flew 104 combat sorties on an IL-2 attack aircraft to attack enemy personnel and equipment, and shot down 3 enemy aircraft personally and 4 as part of a group in 19 air battles.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On awarding the title Hero of the Soviet Union to the officers of the Red Army Air Force" dated February 4, 1944, for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and the bravery and heroism shown at the same time", he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the medal "A golden Star."

In February 1944, he was seriously wounded, as a result of which he did not return to the front. In May-December 1944, he was a flight commander of the 129th separate aviation communications squadron (in the Kharkov Military District), flew 88 missions to the front line on Po—2 and S-2 aircraft. In January 1945, he graduated from the GVF Higher Flight Training Courses. Since January 1945— he has been a pilot of the 2nd Aviation Transport Regiment of the GVF. He flew Li-2 and C-47 aircraft to the front line.

After the war, he served as a pilot in military transport aviation. In September 1946, he joined the reserve with the rank of senior lieutenant. Since 1946, he worked as a ship commander in the GVF: in the 1st Air Transport Group of the GVF (Vnukovo), the Uzbek Directorate of the GVF (1949-1950) and the East Siberian Directorate of the GVF (1950-1959); flew Il-12 and Tu-104 aircraft. In 1959-1961, he was a test pilot at the GVF Research Institute; he participated in testing passenger aircraft. In 1960, he set 6 world aviation speed records on a Tu-104E aircraft as a co-pilot. In 1960, he graduated from the Civil Aviation Academy's Higher Flight Training Courses, and in 1968, he completed the 2nd year of the Civil Aviation Academy in absentia.

In 1961-1966 — commander of the ship of the Moscow Transport Department of the GVF, in 1966-1978 — commander of the ship in the Management of International Air Lines; flew on Tu-114 and Il-62 aircraft. In 1978-1980— he was the head of the Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry and Technology of Lubricants at the Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industry. He lived in Moscow. He died on June 15, 1985. He was buried at the Donskoy Cemetery in Moscow.