Struzhkin, Ivan Vasilievich

He was born on March 25, 1914 in the village of Ulkino, now in the Babaevsky District of the Vologda Region, into a peasant family. Russian. He received his primary education at the Ulkinskaya school, and seven-year-old at the Babaevskaya railway school No. 25. In 1930-1934 he studied at the Leningrad Land Reclamation and Construction College. After graduating from college he worked in the city of Ivanovo as a hydraulic engineer.

In September 1935 he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to a flight school. In 1937 he graduated from the 11th military aviation school of pilots. He served in the aviation units of the Kiev Military District. From June 10 to September 8, 1939, as part of the 150th high-speed bomber regiment, he participated in battles on the Khalkhin-Gol river. He made 12 sorties and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the successful completion of missions. Then he served as the commander of the 9th high-speed bomber regiment, participated in the war with Finland.

He met the Great Patriotic War as a flight commander of the 125th high-speed bomber regiment. Since June 1941, he fought on the Western Front , performed 7 sorties. Since October 1, 1941 - on the North-Western Front . Was injured. Member of the CPSU (b) since 1941.

In the winter of 1942 he took part in the tests of a diving bomber Pe-2, which was equipped with skis for take-off in winter conditions. As the most experienced pilot on a Pe-2 aircraft, he most often carried out tasks for aerial reconnaissance of the enemy. Soon he became one of the best air reconnaissance of the Northwest Front. It was Senior Lieutenant Struzhkin who was able to detect and photograph the enemy airfield, receiving transport aircraft in the Demyansk boiler. The Nazis did not clean up previously wrecked cars, imitating the inaction of the airfield, and only the photographs delivered by Struzhkin managed to determine the truth. After the raid of our aircraft, the airfield finally ceased operations. By February 25, 1942, Senior Lieutenant Struzhkin made 123 sorties for reconnaissance and destruction of enemy personnel and military equipment. The crew under his leadership shot down 7 fascist aircraft, bombed dozens of enemy echelons, scouted several airfields, including artfully disguised ones, dropped millions of leaflets into the territory occupied by the enemy. Then presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union , but did not live up to his assignment. The last combat mission captain Struzhkin made April 6, 1942. In the sky above the Lychkovsky district of the Novgorod region, the aircraft was attacked by three Me-109s. The crew shot down one enemy plane, but our car was damaged. The commander ordered the crew to leave the faulty car. Until the very last, he himself fought for the survivability of the aircraft, but also had to use a parachute. In the air, the pilot was ruthlessly shot by German fighters.

By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 21, 1942, for the exemplary performance of command missions at the front of the struggle against Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism shown to this, Lieutenant Ivan Strozhkin was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union .

He was awarded the Order of Lenin , two Orders of the Red Banner , the Order of the Red Star . He was buried in the village of Russian Bolotnitsa, Demyansky district, Novgorod region . In April 2008, a monument was unveiled at the grave. The name of the Hero is currently carried by the streets in the city of Babaevo and the village of Lychkovo. Also the name of Hero of the Soviet Union I.V. Struzhkina is Lychkovskaya high school.

• Vologzhan - Heroes of the Soviet Union. Vologda: North-West Prince. ed. 1970.
• Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary / Prev. ed. collegium I. N. Shkadov . - M .: Military Publishing , 1988. - T. 2 / Love - Yashchuk /. - 863 s. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-203-00536-2 .
• Polynin F.P. Combat routes. M .: Military Publishing, 1981.

Ivan Vasilievich Struzhkin (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ". Date of treatment June 8, 2014.

Struzhkin Ivan Vasilievich . Website "Vologda Regional Library named after IV Babushkin" .