Anatoliy Volodin Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 02.02.1921 Country: Turkmenistan

1. Biography of Anatoly Volodin
2. Early Life and Military Training
3. Combat Experience
4. Actions of the "Hunters"
5. Post-War Career

Biography of Anatoly Volodin

Captain A.I. Volodin, a fighter pilot, completed 397 successful combat flights and engaged in 76 aerial battles, personally shooting down 22 enemy aircraft and 6 in a group with his comrades. On February 23, 1948, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor demonstrated in combat against the enemy.

Early Life and Military Training

Anatoly Volodin was born on February 2, 1921, in the city of Krasnovodsk (Turkmenistan), into a working-class family. He completed three courses at a road technical school and an aeroclub in Ashkhabad. Volodin joined the Red Army in 1940 and graduated from the Bataysk Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1942.

Combat Experience

From January 1943, Volodin fought on the frontlines of the Great Patriotic War as part of the 164th Fighter Aviation Regiment. He flew on La-5 and La-7 aircraft. In February 1944, he joined the 295th Fighter Aviation Division, where he became the commander of a separate squadron of "hunters." The squadron's commander was Major N.F. Krasnov, and it was later led by Senior Lieutenant N.M. Skomorokhov.

Actions of the "Hunters"

The tactics and actions of the "hunters" were developed during combat operations. The most effective composition for the group of "hunters" was determined to be a pair or a quartet. The pilots were assigned mission areas and possible flight paths of enemy aircraft. This allowed the aviators to demonstrate initiative and destroy targets at their discretion. The tactics of the "hunters" were discussed in theoretical conferences, which were attended by Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky, and Lieutenant General of Aviation V.A. Sudets. The squadron included pilots V.V. Kalashonok, V.V. Kirilyuk, S.F. Gubernskiy, A.I. Volodin, A.B. Sultan-Galiev, O.N. Smirnov, and others. In just the period from February 1 to 20, the squadron shot down 10 enemy aircraft. Additionally, they destroyed 46 military vehicles, 2 tankers, 4 wagons, and up to a platoon of enemy infantry through their ground attack actions.

Post-War Career

By the end of the war, Captain A.I. Volodin had completed 397 successful combat flights, engaged in 76 aerial battles, personally shot down 22 enemy aircraft, and 6 in a group with his comrades. On February 23, 1948, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his valor and military bravery in battles against the enemy. After the war, from 1946 to 1947, he remained in the reserves and worked as a civil aviation pilot. In 1947, he was again called into the ranks of the Soviet Army. In 1953, he graduated from the Military Institute and served in various command positions in the border troops. Since 1986, Major General A.I. Volodin has been retired and currently resides in Moscow. He has been awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (three times), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War 1st Class (twice), and several medals.