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Ivan PiatiuhinPilot, commander of a mixed aviation division, Heroes of the Soviet-Finnish War
Date of Birth: 25.10.1904
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Ivan Pyatykhin
Ivan Gavrilovich Pyatykhin was a pilot, commander of a mixed aviation division, and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Born in a working-class family, he received a secondary education and joined the Red Army in 1922. He initially served in the cavalry and later became a platoon commander. In 1925, Pyatykhin graduated from the Ivanovo-Voznesensk School of Command Personnel of the Red Army. He was a member of the Communist Party since 1925 and was transferred to the Air Force in 1929.
During the Soviet-Finnish War, Pyatykhin served as the commander of the 15th High-Speed Bomber Aviation Brigade of the Air Force in the 13th Army of the Northwestern Front. He completed 25 combat flights and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his successful bombing attacks in the areas of Viipuri, Keksgolm, and Sortavala. Despite losing 16 aircraft in battles and 6 in accidents and crashes, Pyatykhin skillfully led his brigade and inflicted significant damage on the enemy. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on February 7, 1940.
During the Great Patriotic War, Pyatykhin commanded the 75th Mixed Aviation Division of the Northwestern Front in June-July 1941. From July 1941 to July 1942, he served as the commander of the Air Force in the Oryol and then the South Ural Military Districts.
From July 22, 1942, Pyatykhin commanded the 15th Air Army. The army was formed on July 29, 1942, as part of the Bryansk Front and included the 286th Fighter, 225th Assault, and 284th Bomber Aviation Divisions, as well as three separate aviation regiments. The 15th Air Army saw its baptism of fire in the autumn of 1942, participating in defensive battles near Voronezh and in the elimination of enemy bridgeheads on the left bank of the Don River. In the winter of 1943, the army supported the front-line troops in the Voronezh-Kastornenskaya offensive operation.
During the war, Pyatykhin faced challenges in coordinating the actions of the bomber and fighter aviation. He sought to prevent the sending of bomber crews without fighter cover and reported this to the headquarters of the Red Army Air Force, resulting in a clear order to strictly prohibit such violations.
After the war, Pyatykhin commanded the Air Force in the Kharkov Military District from May 1943. On May 11, 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General of Aviation. He later commanded the Air Force in the Kiev and Archangel Military Districts and served as the assistant commander of the 6th Air Army in the Turkestan Military District. Pyatykhin retired from active service in October 1948.
