Arseniy Morozov Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 23.01.1922 Country: Russia

1. Arseny Morozov - Biography
2. The Heroic Deeds
3. The Brave Aviator
4. A Skilled Pilot and Scout
5. A Legacy of Courage

Arseny Morozov - Biography

Arseny Ivanovich Morozov was born on January 23, 1922, in the village of Slobodka, Kalinin District, Tver Region, in a peasant family. He completed 7 classes of an incomplete secondary school in the village of Ilinskoe, and in 1938, he graduated from the Kalinin School of Factory Apprenticeship named after G. V. Plekhanov. He worked as a locksmith at the Kalinin Spinning Mill and was involved in the aeroclub. In 1940, he joined the Red Army. In 1941, he graduated from the Bataysk Military Aviation School for Pilots. During the Great Patriotic War, he fought on the Southern, Western, and 1st Belorussian Fronts. Arseny Ivanovich Morozov, a Senior Lieutenant, served as the deputy commander of the 149th Fighter Aviation Regiment (323rd Fighter Aviation Division, 8th Fighter Aviation Corps, 4th Air Army, 2nd Belorussian Front). He completed 271 combat sorties, personally shooting down 13 enemy aircraft in 33 aerial battles and 9 aircraft as part of a group. Through airstrikes, he destroyed 4 aircraft on airfields, 3 railway cars with ammunition, and 18 trucks with cargo.

The Heroic Deeds

On February 23, 1945, for his courage and military prowess demonstrated in battles against the enemy, Arseny Ivanovich Morozov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was also honored with the Orders of Lenin and the Red Banner (twice). He was buried in the city of Kobrin, Brest Region, where a street bears his name. A memorial plaque is installed on the building of the vocational school where he studied. He is forever listed in the military unit's records.

The Brave Aviator

Arseny Morozov began his combat service in October 1941 as a private pilot after graduating from the Bataysk Military Aviation School for Pilots. On July 24, 1944, for the 271st and final time, he took his Yak-9 into the air to carry out a combat mission. In the area of Brest and Vysoke, he engaged in a battle with a group of enemy planes, destroyed two of them but was shot down himself. On July 23, 1945, for his courage and military prowess demonstrated in battles against the enemy, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Arseny Morozov's body was found under the wreckage by a local resident who reported the incident to the Soviet military authorities. The brave aviator was posthumously honored and buried in Kobrin, on the central square. His heroic acts are remembered in schools and enterprises. Visitors to the local museum are captivated by the portrait of the young officer with orders on his chest.

A Skilled Pilot and Scout

Arseny Ivanovich Morozov, as a Senior Lieutenant, flew on various types of fighters, completing 271 combat sorties, including 32 ground attack missions and 46 reconnaissance flights. In 33 aerial battles, he personally shot down 13 enemy planes and 9 as part of a group. In 28 ground attack missions, he destroyed up to 20 trucks and 3 railway cars with ammunition, disabling up to 150 enemy soldiers and officers. His reconnaissance missions provided vital information on enemy positions and movements. He was highly praised for his skills as a fighter and an excellent scout. Arseny Morozov always volunteered for the most challenging combat missions, defending his comrades and his homeland against the formidable enemy.

A Legacy of Courage

In his aviation unit, Arseny Morozov's feats of valor are well-known. He was permanently listed in the unit's records by the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR on June 7, 1967. His name was given to one of the collective farms for a long time. In Kobrin, Brest Region, where the Hero is buried, one of the central streets and a square bear his name, and an obelisk is erected there. In the city of Tver, his hometown, a memorial plaque is installed on Spartaka Street, House 39. Arseny's letters from the front to his mother, a distinguished collective farm worker, have been preserved. They reflect his determination to fly and fight for his country. Although he no longer takes to the skies since July 1944, he lives on in the hearts of the people, forever young and beautiful.