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Aleksandr KovalenkoFighter pilot
Date of Birth: 07.02.1909
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Alexander Kovalenko
Early Life and CareerAlexander Alexandrovich Kovalenko was born on February 7, 1909, in Kiev, in a working-class family. He completed 7 grades of an incomplete secondary school and worked as a glass blower at the Kiev Glass Factory "Chervona Guta." In 1932, he joined the Naval Fleet and graduated from the Kachinsk Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1933. He participated in the Soviet campaign in Western Belarus in 1939 and the Soviet-Finnish War in 1939-1940. When the Great Patriotic War (World War II) began in June 1941, he served in the Northern Fleet Air Force, flying the I-16 and Hurricane aircraft.
Combat and Heroic Exploits
By the beginning of May 1942, Captain Alexander Kovalenko, the commander of the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, had completed 146 combat sorties and shot down 8 enemy aircraft in 22 aerial battles. On June 14, 1942, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor displayed in battles against the enemy. Throughout the war, he flew a total of 207 successful combat sorties and participated in 38 aerial battles, personally shooting down 13 enemy aircraft and 6 in a group with his comrades.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1945, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kovalenko retired from the military and became a disabled veteran. He lived in Moscow and passed away on June 21, 1984. His name was given to a MiG-31 aircraft from the 174th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. A bust of Alexander Kovalenko is among the 53 aviators of the Northern Fleet who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. It is located on the Alley of Aviators of the Northern Fleet, which was opened on October 29, 1968, in the town of Safonovo, Murmansk Oblast. He was decorated with the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), the Patriotic War 1st Class, as well as various medals and a foreign order. He is buried at the Kuntsevo Cemetery.
