Aleksandr Kolesnikov Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 16.08.1917 Country: Latvia

Biography of Alexander Kolesnikov

Alexander Nikolaevich Kolesnikov was born on August 16, 1917, in the village of Sidorovo-Kadamovsky, now part of the Shakhty city council in the Rostov region, in a working-class family. He soon moved to the city of Shakhty in the Rostov region with his parents. He graduated from the mining and industrial school in 1934 and worked as a master at the telephone station of the Artem Mine.
In 1937, he joined the Red Army and a year later graduated from the Voroshilovgrad Military Aviation School of Pilots, where he stayed as a pilot-instructor. On the first day of the war, Alexander Kolesnikov submitted a report to the command requesting to be sent to the active army. From October 1941, he commanded a squadron of assault aircraft. He fought near Moscow, Kalinin, Stalingrad, Rostov, and in 1944, in Crimea. He flew on bombing missions against the enemy 5-6 times a day.
Once, his squadron was assigned to destroy enemy artillery batteries. The mission was successfully completed, and the enemy positions were destroyed. Suddenly, they were attacked by 10 German fighters. A fierce battle ensued. Despite the numerical superiority, the enemy was forced to retreat in the face of the courage and bravery of the Soviet pilots. However, not everyone managed to retreat... In this intense encounter, Alexander Kolesnikov shot down 3 enemy planes.
By April 1944, as the commander of the 232nd Assault Aviation Regiment (239th Assault Aviation Division, 8th Air Army, 4th Ukrainian Front), Captain A.N. Kolesnikov completed 188 combat sorties and inflicted significant damage on the enemy's personnel and military equipment. On August 2, 1944, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor displayed in battles against the enemy. After the liberation of Crimea, the brave pilot continued to strike the enemy in the Baltic states. He completed a total of about 200 successful combat sorties.
After the war, Alexander Nikiforovich continued his service in the Air Force. In 1949, he graduated from the pilot-tactical officer courses. Since 1958, Colonel A.N. Kolesnikov has been in reserve and currently resides in Riga. He has been awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner (twice), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War of the 1st degree (twice), the Red Star, and various medals.