Lozhechnikov, Andrei Alexandrovich

Andrei Lozhechnikov was born on December 13, 1907 in Bryansk . Since the early 1920s, he lived in Leningrad , graduated from seven classes of the school.

In October 1926 he was called up for service in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army . In 1927 he graduated from the Military Theoretical School of the Red Army Air Force in Leningrad , in 1929 - the 1st military school of pilots named after A. F. Myasnikov . Since June 1929, he served in the 5th Aviation Brigade of the Air Force of the Belarusian Military District ( Gomel ): junior pilot, senior pilot, and since October 1931 he was the flight commander . Since June 1933, the commander of a training squadron at the 11th military school of military pilots ( Lugansk ). Since March 1934, he commanded a detachment of the 14th light assault aviation squadron of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Military District ( Kiev ). In 1935 he graduated from advanced training courses for commanding officers at the Air Force Academy of the Red Army named after prof. N.E. Zhukovsky .

Since May 1938, he commanded a squadron in the 7th light assault aviation regiment of the 51st Air Force Brigade of the Kiev Military District . In September 1939 he participated in the Red Army Campaign in Western Ukraine . From February to March 1940 he participated in the battles of the Soviet-Finnish War ^[1] . In April 1940 he was appointed assistant commander of the 62nd assault aviation regiment ( Stryi , Lviv region ).

Since June 1941, he participated in the Great Patriotic War , fighting with 62 capes on the South-Western Front . Since August 1941, he commanded the 237th assault air regiment of the 60th air division of the Bryansk Front . In August-September 1941, pilots of his regiment made 248 sorties, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy in military equipment and manpower. Lozhechnikov personally shot down 1 enemy aircraft. On September 2, 1941, he participated in the attack of a German airfield, as a result of which about 20 aircraft were burned on the ground ^[1] .

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 11, 1941, for major command of the aviation regiment, exemplary performance of combat missions of the command at the front of the battle against the German invaders and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, Major Andrei Lozhechnikov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal number 448 ^[1] .

From the end of September 1941 he was in the 1st reserve aviation brigade (Voronezh), in November 1941 he was appointed commander of the 11th mixed aviation division on the South-Western and Bryansk fronts. Since February 1942 - Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the 13th Army of the Bryansk Front. Since May 1942, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. Lozhechnikov commanded the 227th Assault Air Division . The division fought as part of the 2nd Air Army , participated in the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation , in the Battle of Stalingrad , in the Middle Don , Zhytomyr-Berdichev , Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya , Rivne-Lutsk and Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operations.

The brave commander, A. A. Lozhechnikov, committed violations of military discipline, for one of which in April 1944 he was removed from the post of division commander. In June 1944 he was appointed commander of the 189th assault aviation division of the 17th Air Army on the 3rd Ukrainian Front . The division performed well in the Iasi-Chisinau and Bucharest-Arad offensive operations, it was awarded the honorary name "Nizhnedneprovskaya". However, in October 1944, the posts of the division commander were again removed and appointed lowering commander of the 839th assault aviation regiment of the 7th Air Army of the Karelian Front . Since December 1944 - pilot instructor in piloting technique of the combat training department of the 4th Air Army on the 2nd Belorussian Front. Since March 1945 he was in the hospital due to illness. In total, during the war he personally performed 101 sorties.

In August 1945, Colonel A. A. Lozhechnikov was sacked. He lived in Leningrad . He worked as an assistant director for the administrative and economic part of the Research Institute for High Frequency Currents, then as an assistant director for general issues at the All-Union Research Institute of the Ministry of Chemical Industry of the USSR .

He died on October 27, 1974, was buried at the Theological Cemetery in St. Petersburg ^[1] .

• Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union (09/11/1941);
• Order of Lenin (09/11/1941);
• two orders of the Red Banner (1940, 05/18/1943);
• Order of Kutuzov II degree (01/10/1944);
• Order of the Red Star (11/03/1944) ^[2] ;
• medals including:
• Medal "For the Defense of Moscow" (awarded on 08/02/1944);
• Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" ;
• Medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (awarded on 08/30/1945);
• other medals.

• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1987.- T. 1 / Abaev - Lyubichev /. - 911 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN comp., Reg. RCP No. 87-95382.
• Team of authors . World War II: Divisional Commanders. Military Biographical Dictionary / V.P. Goremykin. - M .: Kuchkovo field, 2014 .-- T. 2 .-- S. 663-664. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9950-0341-0 .
• The heroes of the Soviet Union are our countrymen. - Bryansk, 1965.
• Polynin F.P. Combat routes. - M .: Military Publishing, 1981.