Vasily Mykhlik

Vasily Ilyich Mykhlik (Russian: Васи́лий Ильи́ч Мы́хлик) (1922-1996) was an aviation commander of the Soviet Army and pilot during the Great Patriotic War, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (February 1945, June 1945) and recipient of several other awards.^[1]

Biography

He was born on December 29, 1922, in the village of Soldatskoye, Kazankovska volost, Elisavetgrad district, Mykolaiv province, Ukraine. He spent his childhood and youth in the city of Krivyi Rig (Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine). In 1940 he had graduated from the 10-th grade of the school.

He began serving the army in November 1940. In 1941 he graduated from the Volsky Military School of Aviation for Mechanics. He served as an air mechanic in the 8-th Reserve Fighter Aviation Regiment (Saratov Region). He was trained as a pilot in the 2-nd separate training aviation regiment (March-December 1942) and was re-trained at The Training Center at the 224-th Assault Air Division (December 1942 - April 1943).

He took part in the Great Patriotic War: in May 1943 - May 1945 was a pilot, a deputy commander and a commander of an air squadron, a navigating officer of the 566-th assault aviation regiment. He fought in the Western, Bryansk, Leningrad and 3-rd Belorussian fronts. Participated in the Battle of Kursk, Orel, Krasnoselsko-Ropshin, Leningrad-Novgorod, Vyborg, Narva, Tallinn, East Prussian and Koenigsberg operations, the liquidation of the enemy's Zemland group.

January 31, 1944 was shot down in an air battle and landed behind the front line. February 3, 1944, along with the gunner-radio operator returned to his military people. During the war, he made 188 sorties on the Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft to attack the enemy's manpower and equipment.

Lived in Moscow. He died on December 29, 1996. Vasily Mykhlik was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.

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