Veterans Day

            Just a day before the Veterans Day one of the last heroes of WWII left this perishable world. Talgat Bigeldinov was a military aviator of the Soviet Army during the Second World War, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded in his 23 years old the second title Hero of the Soviet Union during the liberation of Krakow (Poland), crossing the Oder.

      

He was born in 1922, in May-Balik (Akmola region, Kazakhstan), in a peasant family. Talgat Begeldinov volunteered for the Soviet Army in 1940 and graduated from the Chkalov Military Aviation School in 1942. In the WWII he rose from ordinary pilot to commander of the 144th Guard Attack Aviation Regiment. In just two years Begeldinov made 305 sorties, flied almost 500 hours, destroyed a lot of Nazi Army equipment and manpower; shot down 7 planes, destroyed 21 tanks, 29 artillery shells, 64 vehicles with military supplies and equipment, 3 warehouses with ammunition, 2 locomotives, 7 railway carriages. 

In February 17, 1943, was his very first combat sortie remembers hero in one of his interviews to newspaper. Group of stormtroopers was led by the squadron commander Poshevalnikov, on his IL-2 a number "13" was listed - the number of downed enemy aircrafts. Not having time to settle down from the excitement of the first fight, they went up into the sky in the second and third time. All sorties were successful. Somedays they had to make four or five sorties a day. 

"In one battle against us rose to 60 enemy fighters!" recalls the ace and continued, "six out of nine of our machines returned to the airport. Forcibly separated from my companions, I went to the attack "Messer" and point-blank shot him. As it turned out, the helm was a German virtuoso air combat, Captain von Dietrich, behind whom were more than 200 combat missions, he was awarded the Cross for his deeds in Spain, France, and the Balkans.

Let us honor the memory of those who served during World War II. 

   RIP HERO!!!