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Mihail GaramHero of the Soviet Union
Date of Birth: 11.02.1918
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Mikhail Garam
Mikhail Alexandrovich Garam was born on February 11, 1918, in the village of Vlasovka, now in the Ichnya district of the Chernigov region in a peasant family. He was of Ukrainian descent. Garam joined the Communist Party in 1942.
Early Life and Training
In 1934, Garam completed 7 grades of schooling and enrolled in the Kiev Electrotechnical College. He worked as a mechanic at a telephone-telegraph station and also trained at an aeroclub. In 1939, along with his brothers Nikolai and Victor, he graduated from the 8th Odessa Aviation School named after P.D. Osipenko. After graduation, he was assigned to the Moscow Military District.
Service in World War II
Garam joined the Red Army in 1938 and fought under Moscow, South, and Southwest fronts during World War II. In September 1941, as a lieutenant in the 434th Fighter Aviation Regiment on the Northwestern Front, Garam, alongside his brother Victor, shot down two out of nine enemy aircraft in an aerial battle. Despite being wounded and flying a damaged plane, he managed to land safely on his airfield.
On September 26, Garam, as part of a group of five Yak-1 fighters, carried out a surprise attack on an enemy airfield, destroying 16 enemy planes on the ground, four of which were credited to Garam. On their way back, they encountered ten Me-109 fighters and engaged in a battle. Garam shot down three of the Me-109s before his own plane was damaged, and he was wounded. Despite this, he continued to fight, using the propeller of his plane to strike one of the Me-109s and send it crashing down. After landing safely, he lost consciousness.
After recovering from his injuries in the hospital, Garam returned to his regiment and fought alongside his brother Nikolai near Stalingrad. On February 22, 1943, Garam was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, along with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, for his 185 combat missions and 13 enemy aircraft shot down.
Later Service and Death
Garam received two Orders of Lenin, the Orders of the Red Banner and the Patriotic War 1st Class, as well as a medal during the war. He completed a total of 213 combat missions and personally shot down 19 enemy planes, with an additional 3 credited to his group. In an aerial battle near Izubra in the Smolensk region, Garam, now a Guards Major, was severely wounded.
Mikhail Alexandrovich Garam died from his wounds on June 28, 1944. He was buried in the village of Strelka in the Mosalsk district of the Kaluga region. A bust of the Hero was installed in his hometown, and streets in several villages of the Ichnya district were named after him. Out of the four Garam brothers, only Mikhail returned from the war.
