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Mihail TokarenkoFighter pilot
Date of Birth: 04.02.1919
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Mikhail Tokarenko
Early Life and CareerMikhail Tokarenko was born on February 4, 1919, in the village of Belyi Kolodez, Kharkov Governorate (now Volchansk district, Kharkov region) in a family of civil servants. He grew up in Ashgabat, where he completed 7 grades of school and joined an aero club. By order of the Central Committee of the Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol) of Turkmenistan, he was sent to the Balashov Civil Air Fleet School, which was converted to a military school in 1939. After graduation, he remained there as a pilot-instructor.
World War II
In August 1941, Tokarenko started serving on the front lines of the Great Patriotic War as a pilot on the biplane R-5, often used as a night bomber. He completed 85 combat missions on this aircraft. Later, he fought as part of the 516th Fighter Aviation Regiment (which was transformed into the 153rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment on February 5, 1944) of the 203rd Fighter Aviation Division of the 1st Assault Aviation Corps, flying the Yak-1. He distinguished himself during the intense battles near Kursk.
On July 7, 1943, Junior Lieutenant M. Tokarenko escorted the bombers operating near Cherkasskoye. In an aerial battle with 12 enemy fighters, he shot down 2 FW-190 planes. Despite running out of ammunition, Tokarenko made false attacks, driving away enemy fighters from his bombers. Thanks to his skillful actions, the bombers successfully completed their mission and returned to their airfield without losses. For his selflessness and heroism in this battle, Mikhail Tokarenko was recommended for a government award.
He continued to accompany the bombers during the battles for the Dnieper, the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky and Yasso-Kishinev operations, and fought on the Lvov and Sandomierz fronts. On one occasion, during the Yasso-Kishinev operation, Mikhail Tokarenko and a group of fighters took off to escort the bombers. The squadron "Ilov" was led by the future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Talgat Begeldinov. The bombers attacked their targets, dropped bombs, released rocket projectiles, and started to turn for a second attack. At that moment, an anti-aircraft shell detonated near the lead group. The blast wave was so strong that it threw the IL-2 aircraft up by 40 meters! The explosion pierced the tanks with shrapnel, and oil from below hit the pilot in the face. And he happened to be flying without goggles... His eyes were tightly shut. Begeldinov, passing command of the squadron, continued flying blindly, following the instructions of the airborne gunner. But he felt uneasy: how much would it take for a machine controlled by a blind pilot to enter a spin!..
At that moment, he heard an unfamiliar voice in his headset: - Pull the stick towards you. "13th", pull the stick towards you!
Begeldinov followed the command. And he heard the same voice again: - "13th", hold it like that. Don't be afraid, we'll make it...
Several minutes passed in flight. Begeldinov obediently followed all the commands of the stranger. And only when the plane reached its territory, he pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his eyes as best he could, and looked around. Flying alongside him was the "Yak" of the commander of the cover squadron, Senior Lieutenant Tokarenko. Realizing that the "Il" pilot was in trouble, he handed over the command of the fighters to his deputy (fortunately, the air was clear) and rushed to help his comrade. Standing next to the damaged aircraft, Mikhail, commanding through the radio, guided the STORM pilot as a blind man...
By January 1945, Flight Navigator Mikhail Tokarenko of the 153rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment had completed 332 combat sorties in support of ground troops, escorting our bombers and ground-attack aircraft, as well as engaging in independent air combat and reconnaissance missions. He shot down 18 enemy aircraft in 47 aerial battles. On April 10, 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage and military valor demonstrated in battles against the enemy.
In total, Tokarenko completed 465 successful combat sorties and personally shot down 20 enemy aircraft: He-111, 2 Ju-88, FW-189, Ju-87, 6 Me-109, 9 FW-190.
Later Life and Legacy
After the war, Mikhail Tokarenko continued his service in the Soviet Air Force, flying jet planes. In 1952, he graduated from the Higher Flight and Tactical Courses for officer personnel. He retired in 1963 with the rank of Major General. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner (three times), Alexander Nevsky, the Patriotic War 1st class, the Red Star (twice), and various medals. He lived and worked in Dnepropetrovsk. He passed away on March 3, 1984.
