Grigoriy German Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 25.02.1917 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Grigory Herman

Grigory Ivanovich Herman, a fighter pilot and Lieutenant, completed 209 combat flights and shot down 16 enemy planes in 37 aerial battles. On September 28, 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and valor in battle. He was born on February 25, 1917, in the city of Zhytomyr, in a working-class family. He graduated from an incomplete secondary school and worked as a secretary for the Komsomol organization of the Vinnytsia regional transport trust. In 1938, he joined the Red Army and graduated from the 9th Odessa Military Aviation School named after Polina Osipenko in 1940. From June 1941, he served in the active army. By September 1943, he had become the deputy commander of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (240th Fighter Aviation Division, 3rd Air Army, Kalinin Front). Grigory Ivanovich Herman completed 209 combat flights and shot down 16 enemy planes in 37 aerial battles. On September 28, 1943, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and valor in battle. After the war, he served in the Air Force. In 1949, he graduated from the Higher Officer Flight and Tactical Courses. From 1955, he was a Lieutenant Colonel in reserve. In his later years, he lived in the town of Shchyolkovo in the Moscow region. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner (twice), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War 1st class (twice), and various medals.

Grigory Ivanovich Herman - One of the Best Aces of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment

Grigory Ivanovich Herman was one of the best aces of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment and spent a significant part of his combat career in the 240th Fighter Aviation Division under the command of the renowned fighter pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union, future Marshal of Aviation Georgy Vasilyevich Zimin. His memoirs, taken from his book "Fighters," form the basis of the story about the pilot Grigory Herman.

In the summer and autumn of 1943, during the preparation and conduct of the Yelnya-Dorogobuzh operation, units of the 240th Fighter Aviation Division fought fierce battles for Smolensk, providing cover for advancing troops in the Dukhovshchina area. The most intense battles took place during the initial stage of our troops' offensive in late August and the first half of September. The enemy's aviation sought to halt our troops, launching continuous massed attacks on the combat formations of ground units. The burden of the fight in the air fell on the fighters of the 240th Division. During those days, Lieutenant Grigory Ivanovich Herman, the deputy commander of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, distinguished himself. From August 25 to 30, he made 7 combat flights and shot down 5 enemy planes. Some of the aerial battles conducted by our pilots at that time provide a fairly complete picture of the intense struggle in the air.

On September 4, 1943, an eight-plane formation of Yak-9 fighters from the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment took off to intercept enemy bombers. Lieutenant S.M. Brazhnets led the group. They encountered the Germans approaching Dukhovshchina. Up to 20 German bombers of various types, including Ju-88, He-111, and Do-215, were approaching the front line at altitudes ranging from 2000 to 3000 meters. The fighters split into two groups, with one section led by Sergey Brazhnets and the other by Grigory Herman. Since there were no German fighters nearby, both sections simultaneously attacked the enemy bombers.

The enemy's battle formation was disrupted. Turning around without dropping their bombs, they scattered among the sections and tried to escape towards Smolensk. But it was not to be. In a matter of minutes, S.M. Brazhnets shot down the lead Ju-88, while his wingman A.S. Korolyov shot down the right wingman. At the same time, Grigory Herman, reliably covered by I.G. Chalmev, attacked the Do-215 formation twice, shooting down one aircraft with each attempt. As a result, the formation was scattered within a few minutes, the bombing was disrupted, and two Ju-88s and two Do-215s were shot down. Our pilots suffered no losses.

On September 15, 1943, the pilots of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment engaged in a successful aerial battle with pilots from the famous German fighter squadron JG 54 "Grunherz" - "Green Heart." In a dogfight with Yak-9 fighters, two German pilots were shot down and killed: Sergeant Hans Grubert (with 35 victories) and Sergeant Joachim Grubert (with 4 victories), who were twin brothers. Lieutenant Grigory Herman and Lieutenant S.M. Brazhnets each destroyed an FW-190A-5. In mid-September 1943, during the height of the battles on the Kalinin Front, Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, the Commander of the Soviet Air Force, arrived. One of the days of his stay at the headquarters of the 240th Division, aerial reconnaissance reported via radio that a group of enemy bombers, up to 50 aircraft, had taken off from the Shatalovo airfield. These data were soon confirmed by the radar station.

Six squadrons were sent into the air. The fighters engaged in combat at an altitude of 2500 - 3000 meters, practically above the division's headquarters. German bombers were burning and crashing. One of our pilots shot down two of them in front of everyone. It was an impressive sight.

After the raid, A.A. Novikov ordered to find out the name of the pilot who shot down two planes. It turned out to be Lieutenant Grigory Herman, the deputy commander of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment.

Just a few days later, on September 28, 1943, an order was published by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, awarding the title of Hero of the Soviet Union to Grigory Ivanovich Herman and Georgy Vasilyevich Zimin (the commander of the 240th Fighter Aviation Division).

On October 7, 1943, the enemy made desperate attempts to stop the advance of our troops in the Nevlya area, deploying all of its reserves. The situation in the air became extremely difficult. During those days, an article titled "Hero - Fighter Grigory Herman" was published in the front newspaper, describing several battles he participated in. It is worth mentioning that after the September battle, where he, in front of Marshal of Aviation A.A. Novikov, crashed two bombers into the ground, Grigory Herman shot down two more "Junkers" and one "Focke-Wulf" the next day. By the autumn of 1943, the deputy commander of the squadron already had 21 enemy aircraft destroyed to his name.

Grigory Herman scored his final victories in the sky of East Prussia. In October 1944, the pilots of the 240th Fighter Aviation Division worked under high tension, providing cover for our 11th Guards Army, which was fighting for the defensive point of Kibartai, the railway station, and the border town of Eydtkuhnen. Meanwhile, other units broke through the second line of defense and cut off the Stalluponen-Goldap railway sections.

During those days, each pilot typically carried out 3-4 combat flights. Only during the aerial battles on October 18, 1944, did the pilots of the 1st Air Army shoot down 24 enemy planes. Hero of the Soviet Union Captain Grigory Herman distinguished himself, flying with his wingman Junior Lieutenant A.A. Solovyov, engaging in an aerial battle, and shooting down 2 FW-190s...