Photo of Red Army Air Force pilot V.M. Golubev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union

The original wartime photo is in good collector's condition. The size is 57*82 mm. There are traces of pasting into the album on the back. Guarantee of authenticity.

Viktor Maximovich Golubev (January 4 [17], 1916 — May 17, 1945) was an attack aircraft pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He was born in Petrograd into a working-class family. He spent his childhood and youth in Uglich, graduated from high school. He worked at a factory in Leningrad. In the ranks of the Red Army since 1936. In 1939, he graduated from the aviation department of the 2nd United Frontier School in Kharkov. In the Great Patriotic War from its first days in the assault aviation. He fought in the 285th Assault Aviation Regiment of the 228th Assault Aviation Division of the 16th Air Army.

Commanding a flight of Il-2 attack aircraft, he participated in the battles of Smolensk and Rostov-on-Don. During the Battle of Stalingrad (from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943), the attack pilots of his flight, and then the squadron, showed examples of heroism and skill, destroying the equipment and manpower of the Nazis rushing to the Volga.

By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On awarding the title Hero of the Soviet Union to the Commanding staff of the Red Army Aviation" dated August 12, 1942, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for "exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the struggle against the German invaders and his bravery and heroism" ( No. 693).

On February 8, 1943, "for their bravery in fighting the Nazi invaders, for their steadfastness, courage, discipline and organization, and for the heroism of their personnel in defeating the Fascist troops at Stalingrad," the 285th Assault Aviation Regiment was transformed into the 58th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment.

During the Battle of Kursk (from July 5 to August 23, 1943), the fame of masterful strikes against the vaunted German "Tigers", "Panthers" and "Ferdinands" of the stormtrooper pilot Hero of the Soviet Union, navigator of the 58th Guards Aviation Regiment of the Guards, Major V. M. Golubev, thundered along the entire front. In fierce battles on the Kursk Bulge, he repeatedly led six Il-2 attack aircraft into battle, which often managed to destroy dozens of enemy tanks in one flight.

On August 24, 1943, Major V. M. Golubev was awarded the second Gold Star medal for his courage and bravery shown in battles with the Nazi invaders. He became the first Hero of the 16th Air Army twice. By this time, he had 257 combat sorties on his combat account, during which he destroyed and damaged 69 tanks, 875 vehicles, 10 fuel tanks, many other military equipment, and disabled more than one hundred enemy soldiers and officers. According to other sources, he flew 157 combat missions.: 7 - on the Su-2, 150 - on the Il-2.

Since 1943, Guards Major V. M. Golubev has been a student at the Air Force Academy. On May 17, 1945, his life was tragically cut short during a training flight. He was buried in Moscow, at the Novodevichy Cemetery.