VOROZEIKIN Arseny Vasilyevich

Born in the village of Prokofyevo, now in the Gorodetsky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. He attended elementary school in the village of Vyazovoye and completed sixth grade in the city of Gorodets. He worked at a sawmill in Balakhna. He joined the army in October 1931. He served in the cavalry and, after demobilization in 1933, returned to his homeland. He entered the Higher Communist Agricultural School in Gorky, but completed only the first year. He re-enlisted in the army in 1934, through party recruitment. In 1937, he graduated from the Kharkov Military Aviation Pilot School. He served as a junior pilot in the 53rd Bomber Aviation Regiment in Ivanovo. In January 1939, he completed a six-month course for pilot-commissars and transferred to political work: he served as a squadron commissar in the same regiment. From May 1939, he was a squadron commissar in the 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. As part of the regiment, he participated in the battles on the Khalkhin Gol River in 1939, conducting 30 air battles and shooting down six Japanese aircraft. In one of the battles, he was seriously wounded and was discharged, but, despite this, he returned to his unit. The Great Patriotic War found him in Yerevan. Instead of the front, he was sent to study, graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1942. In the active army since 1942, he took part in battles on the Kalinin, Voronezh, and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. He fought in Yak fighters. Fighting as part of the 728th Fighter Aviation Regiment. By September 1943, he had completed 78 combat sorties, fought in 32 air battles, personally shooting down 19 enemy aircraft and one in a group. By April 1944, he had flown over 300 combat sorties, bringing his aircraft kill tally to 45. He also shot down six aircraft over Mongolia. In July 1944, he was appointed commander of the 32nd Fighter Aviation Regiment. From 1944 until the end of the war, he served as a senior instructor pilot in the Frontline Aviation Combat Training Directorate. After the war, he remained in aviation and served as first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet Air Defense. In 1952, he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff. He mastered many types of jet aircraft. He was in the reserves from 1957. He lived in Moscow and was engaged in literary work. He is buried in Moscow at the Troekurovskoye Cemetery.

28.10.1912 -23.05.2001