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Alfons ShimenasCommander, 484th Fighter Aviation Regiment
Date of Birth: 29.02.1908
Country:  Latvia |
Content:
Biography of Alfonse Shiminas
Alfonse Shiminas, a commander of the 484th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. He received the first order for his participation in combat against Japanese invaders in the skies of China, and the second for his involvement in the Great Patriotic War.
Early Life
Alfonse Shiminas was born on February 29, 1908, in the city of Riga. During the early days of World War I, his family, consisting of his Lithuanian father, Joseph Mikhailovich Shiminas, Polish mother, Anna Antonovna Shiminas, and his two sisters, Jadwiga and Wacława, moved to Petrograd due to the German advance. Before his military service, Alfonse Shiminas obtained a specialization in optics and mechanics. He served in the Black Sea as a member of the Red Fleet. However, in 1930, he suffered a severe leg injury and was discharged from service. After the injury, Alfonse briefly worked at the State Optical-Mechanical Plant. It was during this time that a Komsomol vacation voucher arrived at the factory, directing him to the flight school. The management, not wanting to release their workers, decided to give the voucher to Alfonse Shiminas, expecting him to be rejected by the strict medical commission. To their surprise, he passed the commission and entered the Lugansk Flight School.
Combat Career
Alfonse Shiminas earned his baptism of fire in the skies of China, volunteering in the national liberation war of the Chinese people against Japanese invaders. He served in the group of Alexey Blagoveshchensky, who initiated the establishment of a night-fighting squadron on biplanes I-15bis, which included A.Z. Dushin and A.I. Shiminas. They utilized existing searchlights and divided the combat area into zones, taking into account the routes of enemy bombers, which typically followed the course of the Yangtze River and Lake Poyang. The success of this pair in their first combat sortie, when they shot down a TB-93 bomber and forced the others to drop their bombs before reaching the airfield, led the Japanese to abandon further night raids. Alfonse Shiminas was remembered by his comrades as a man who resembled a Frenchman with his small mustache, agile movements, constant gesticulations, and a talkative and argumentative nature. He was also known for being well-read.
Later Career and Disappearance
Upon his return from China, Alfonse Shiminas worked as a pilot-inspector for the Combat Training Directorate of the Air Force. In December 1941, at his personal request, he was sent to the front. On June 21, 1942, Major A.I. Shiminas, the commander of the 484th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1st Special Aviation Group, 8th Air Army), did not return from a combat mission. On that day, he took off with a group to attack the Millerovo airfield. Soon, his aircraft was damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and the pilot turned his smoking plane towards friendly territory. His fate after that remains unknown.
Alfonse Shiminas was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner. The first order was received for his participation in combat against Japanese invaders in the skies of China, and the second for his involvement in the Great Patriotic War.
