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Ivan PishkanCommander of the 2nd Squadron of the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment
Date of Birth: 15.06.1914
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Early Life and Military Service
Ivan Anikeyevich Pishkan was born on June 15, 1914, in the village of Potiivka, now the Bila Tserkva district of the Kyiv region, into a peasant family. He completed seven grades of secondary education and worked on a collective farm. In 1935, he was drafted into the ranks of the Red Army and graduated from a military aviation school for pilots.
World War II
Pishkan participated in the Great Patriotic War from June 1941. From May to June 1942, he served with the 792nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, flying a LaGG-3. Subsequently, until August 1942, he flew a Yak-1 in the 6th Fighter Aviation Regiment. From March 1943 onwards, he flew a Yak-7 in the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
From January 1945 until the end of the war, Pishkan flew a Yak-9 in the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Combat Record
By the end of October 1943, as a captain commanding the 2nd squadron of the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Pishkan had carried out 421 combat missions, including 180 reconnaissance flights. He had shot down 16 enemy aircraft personally and 35 as part of a group. For his courage and heroism, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on November 1, 1943.
By the end of the war, Pishkan had completed 575 successful combat missions and destroyed 20 aircraft personally and 35 in collaboration with his comrades.
Post-War Life
In 1946, Major Pishkan retired from active duty and lived in the city of Yalta. He passed away on January 15, 1974.
Awards and Honors
Pishkan was decorated with two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and several medals.
