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Georgiy ProkopenkoFighter pilot.
Date of Birth: 25.04.1914
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Georgiy Prokopenko
Early Life and Military CareerGeorgiy Nikolayevich Prokopenko, a fighter pilot and Guards Major, was born on April 25, 1914, in the village of Zhitnoye, currently in the Romenky district of the Sumy region, in a working-class family. He completed two years of studies at a railway technical school and worked as an assistant locomotive engineer. In 1933, he joined the ranks of the Red Army and graduated from the Rogachev Military Aviation School for Pilots and Observers in 1936. As a volunteer, he participated in the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939 and was wounded before returning to the Soviet Union. In September 1939, he took part in the campaign of the Red Army in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. In June 1941, he began serving on the front lines of the Great Patriotic War, as a Captain in the 155th Fighter Aviation Regiment, flying the I-16. He initially fought on the Karelian Front and then on the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts. On July 10, 1941, he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, but he himself was wounded again.
War Efforts and Accolades
In the summer of 1942, Prokopenko's regiment advanced in the southern direction and participated in the battles for Stalingrad. They were then relocated to the North Caucasus Front. By July 1943, as a navigator in the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (235th Fighter Aviation Division, 10th Fighter Aviation Corps, 2nd Air Army, Voronezh Front), Guards Major G.N. Prokopenko had completed 189 combat sorties and shot down 11 enemy aircraft personally and 15 in a group.
The regiment continued to fight on the Southern Front. On September 8, 1943, for courage and military valor demonstrated in battles against the enemy, Georgiy Nikolayevich Prokopenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was soon appointed as the commander of the regiment. On July 14, 1944, Guards Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Prokopenko died while carrying out a combat mission northwest of the city of Ternopil. He completed a total of 217 combat sorties, engaging in 50 aerial battles and shooting down 15 enemy aircraft personally and 17 in a group with his comrades. He mastered the following types of fighters: I-16, LaGG-3, and La-5. He was buried in the city of Romny (Sumy region), and a street in the city was named in his honor. Prokopenko was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner (twice), Alexander Nevsky, Kutuzov 3rd class, and the Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad."
