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Nikolay KitaevFighter pilot
Date of Birth: 22.11.1917
Country:  Belarus |
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Biography of Nikolai Kitaev
Nikolai Trofimovich Kitaev was born on November 22, 1917, in the village of Pichuga, Dubovsky District, Volgograd Region, into a peasant family. He completed 7 grades of school and vocational school. Kitaev worked as a repair equipment locksmith at the Stalingrad Tractor Plant. He also graduated from an aero club. In 1938, he joined the Red Army and graduated from the Borisoglebsk Military Aviation School for Pilots the same year. He served as a Junior Lieutenant in the Air Force of the Western Special Military District. Kitaev participated in the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, conducting numerous sorties against enemy forces. In December 1941, he joined the front lines of the Great Patriotic War.
Ace Fighter Pilot
During the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Kitaev served as the commander of the 40th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (217th Fighter Aviation Division, 4th Air Army, North Caucasus Front). By March 1943, he had completed 183 combat sorties and personally shot down 8 enemy aircraft, as well as 5 more in group battles. In recognition of his courage and valor in combat, Kitaev was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on May 1, 1943. He continued his service in the military until 1946, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In his final years, he lived in the settlement of Belynichi in the Mogilev Region.
A Skilled Fighter Pilot
Nikolai Kitaev's first combat missions in the Great Patriotic War were carried out on an I-16 aircraft in December 1941 as part of the 131st Fighter Aviation Regiment (later the 40th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment). The regiment was later reequipped with LaGG-3 aircraft and, in 1943, with the more advanced La-5. Kitaev flew alongside his comrades in the regiment from Moscow to the western border of the country. He fought in the North Caucasus, participated in the Battle of Kursk, and contributed to the liberation of Ukraine.
In 1943, Kitaev's combat sorties were particularly successful, with victories in every other battle, and more than half of the downed enemy aircraft being bombers. From May to November 1943, Guard Captain N.T. Kitaev conducted 118 combat sorties, engaged in 48 aerial battles, shot down 17 enemy aircraft (including 5 He-111, 1 Ju-88, 4 Ju-87, 4 Me-109, and 3 FW-190) personally, and 3 in group battles (2 He-111 and Ju-87). During the defensive battles on the Kursk Salient, he shot down 5 enemy planes.
In July 1943, Kitaev shot down two Ju-88 bombers and damaged two more during a cloudy and rainy day with intense aerial battles. By the end of 1943, having flown 320 combat sorties, engaged in 100 aerial battles, and achieving 27 personal and 8 group victories, Nikolai Kitaev had become one of the best Soviet fighter pilots.
A Tragic Ending
In one of his July missions, Nikolai Kitaev's aircraft was hit by a stray projectile while making a strafing run on an enemy column near the front line. He managed to land the damaged plane without releasing the landing gear but lost consciousness upon landing and was taken captive. Despite the hardships of captivity, Kitaev maintained his spirit and was liberated by Soviet soldiers in 1945.
Throughout the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Kitaev completed around 400 combat sorties. In 120 aerial battles, he personally shot down 34 enemy aircraft and 8 more in group battles with his comrades. In 1946, Guard Lieutenant Colonel N.T. Kitaev was demobilized. He lived and worked in the settlement of Belynichi in the Mogilev Region.
