Moisey Tokarev Fighter pilot Date of Birth: 09.11.1913 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Moisey Tokarev

Moisey Tokarev was a Soviet fighter pilot who was born on November 9, 1913, in the village of Yuzovka, which is now located in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. He came from a working-class family and completed his education at an incomplete secondary school and a factory vocational school. In 1933, he joined the Red Army and graduated from the Kharkov Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1936.

In the years leading up to World War II, Tokarev served in the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army and participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, where he was awarded the Medal for Courage. When the Great Patriotic War (World War II) broke out, Tokarev fought on several fronts, including the Voronezh, Southern, North Caucasus, and Transcaucasian Fronts. He showed great courage and skill in all his aerial battles. On June 23, 1941, he scored his first victory by shooting down a Me-109 fighter and a Ju-88 bomber.

By the end of 1941, Tokarev had completed 105 combat missions and received the orders of Lenin and the Red Banner. In 1942, he was assigned to the 862nd Fighter Aviation Regiment near Moscow, which had just been re-equipped with LaGG-3 aircraft. He participated in battles as part of this regiment and later fought on the North Caucasus Front, where he took command of a squadron.

In September 1942, as the commander of the 862nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major M.S. Tokarev conducted 160 combat missions, attacking enemy troop concentrations. He personally shot down 10 enemy aircraft and 2 more as part of a group in 32 aerial battles. On December 13, 1942, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Tokarev continued to fight selflessly and by the end of the battles in Kuban, he had shot down a total of 14 enemy aircraft. During the initial defensive battles near Kursk, he increased his tally of enemy aircraft shot down.

On July 8, 1943, as the commander of the 40th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Major M.S. Tokarev flew with a group of fighters to cover the troops. In an aerial battle against a superior enemy force of 10 enemy fighters, he remained undaunted and shot down 4 enemy aircraft. When he ran out of ammunition and tried to disengage from the battle, he was shot down and killed by the enemy. This happened near the city of Stary Oskol in the Belgorod region, where he was buried.

Moisey Tokarev had completed over 200 combat missions and engaged in 41 aerial battles, achieving a total of 22 victories. His name is commemorated by a street in Donetsk and a street and School No. 2 in Stary Oskol. He was awarded the Orders of Lenin (twice), the Red Banner, the First Class of the Patriotic War, and the Medal for Courage.