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Aleksandr TischenkoFighter pilot
Date of Birth: 20.11.1916
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Biography of Alexander Tishchenko
- Heroic Actions in World War II
- Post-War Service
- Contributions to Aviation
- Later Life and Legacy
Biography of Alexander Tishchenko
Early Life and Military CareerAlexander Trofimovich Tishchenko was born on November 20, 1916, in the village of Ukhozha, Krestinovskiy district, Kiev province (now Shelpakhovka village, Khestinovskiy district, Cherkasy region). In 1937, he graduated from a workers' faculty. In 1938, he joined the Red Army and a year later, he completed his training at the Odessa Military Aviation Pilot School.
Heroic Actions in World War II
Tishchenko distinguished himself in the battles for the liberation of Vitebsk, Orsha, Lepel, Borisov, Minsk, and Molodechno during the Great Patriotic War. By February 1945, he became a navigator in the 812th Fighter Aviation Regiment and completed 351 combat sorties, engaged in 83 aerial battles, and personally shot down 16 enemy aircraft. On May 15, 1946, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor.
Post-War Service
After the war, Tishchenko continued his service in the Air Force. In 1952, he graduated from the Air Force Academy and became a lecturer there. He obtained a candidate of military sciences degree. In 1960, Colonel A.T. Tishchenko retired from active duty. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner (three times), Alexander Nevsky, and Red Star (twice), as well as several medals. He passed away on April 8, 1976, and was buried in Monino, Moscow region.
Contributions to Aviation
Alexander Tishchenko began his career in aviation in 1938 when he joined the Red Army after a decade of work and attending a workers' faculty. He successfully completed his training at the Odessa Military Aviation Pilot School in 1939 and served in fighter aviation units in the Far East. He flew on planes such as the I-15, I-15bis, and I-153. In April 1943, he participated in combat operations on Yak-1 planes in the 812th Fighter Aviation Regiment in the Kuban region. Tishchenko achieved his first victory by shooting down a Ju-88 bomber but was also shot down and miraculously landed near friendly positions. He flew 40 combat sorties on the Kuban and shot down 4 German aircraft.
After a short rest and retraining on the Yak-9 plane, Tishchenko, now a squadron commander, took part in intense battles near Melitopol, over the Molochka River, and in Crimea. In June 1944, the regiment retrained on Yak-7B planes, and in the autumn, Captain A.T. Tishchenko was appointed as a navigator in the 812th Aviation Regiment.
His last victories were achieved in the skies over Germany while flying the new Yak-9U fighter. On April 25, 1945, the pilots of the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps engaged in 12 aerial battles and shot down 11 enemy aircraft. Tishchenko and other pilots led a surprise attack on the Newgruppen airfield, where 32 German planes were stationed, just 10 minutes before the first strike of the 16th Air Army's bombers on Berlin. Tishchenko and his fellow pilots successfully attacked the aircraft on the ground from a dive, destroying 4 planes and damaging 10. For their actions, Tishchenko, Lieutenant A.D. Ivanov, and Junior Lieutenants P.M. Kiselev and M.Ya. Leykin were recognized. The Soviet pilots suffered no losses.
By the end of the war, Tishchenko completed 397 successful combat sorties, participated in 90 aerial battles, and personally shot down 21 enemy aircraft and 3 in a group with fellow pilots.
Later Life and Legacy
After the war, Alexander Trofimovich Tishchenko graduated from the Air Force Academy, defended his dissertation, and spent many years engaged in scientific and pedagogical activities at the Y.A. Gagarin Air Force Academy. In 1960, he retired from the military with the rank of Colonel. He lived and worked in Monino and wrote several books about his experiences in the Great Patriotic War.
