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Mihail IgnatievFighter pilot
Date of Birth: 21.11.1920
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Early Life and Military Career
Mikhail Trofimovich Ignatyev was born on November 21, 1920, in the village of Tetlega, now in the Chuguyevsky district of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine. After finishing elementary school, he worked as a turner in a machine-building factory in Kharkiv. In 1937, he graduated from a preparatory faculty and an aeroclub. He joined the Red Army in 1938 and completed aviation pilot training at the Stalingrad Military Aviation School in 1940.
Valor in World War II
Ignatyev fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War from June 1942. In early 1943, he participated in the battles for Kuban. By May 1943, as a deputy commander of a squadron in the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Ignatyev had flown 171 combat missions and shot down 10 enemy aircraft in 70 aerial battles, along with 7 group victories.
For his courage and military valor, Ignatyev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on August 24, 1943. By the end of the war, he had increased his tally to 28 victories (according to some sources, he had 17 individual and 7 group victories) in 389 combat missions and 100 aerial battles.
Post-War Life
After leaving the military in 1946 with the rank of captain, Ignatyev settled in Maikop, Krasnodar Krai. He worked as a quality inspector at the "Druzhba" furniture and woodworking factory. Ignatyev was decorated with the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner (three times), the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class, and several medals. He passed away on November 27, 1973.
