896th Fighter Aviation Regiment

Over the entire period of its existence, the regiment did not change its name:

• 896th Fighter Aviation Regiment;
• The 896th Fighter Aviation Kursk Regiment;
• Military unit (Field Post) 64375.

The 896 Fighter Aviation Regiment began forming on May 20, 1942, in the 8th Reserve Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Privolzhsky Military District at the Bagai-Baranovka airfield of the Saratov Region on the 015/174 state on Yak-1 airplanes. Finally formed June 2, 1942 ^[1] .

From June 2 to July 23, 1942, the regiment remained in the 8th reserve fighter aviation regiment , conducting the development of Yak-1 aircraft personnel and combat regimenting ^[1] .

In the period from July 24 to August 1, the regiment relocated to the Stalingrad Front and entered the command of the 8th Air Army of the Stalingrad Front. He did not conduct any combat work, he transferred all the Yak-1 to the other regiments of the 8th Air Army and departed to the rear for new aircraft ^[1] .

In the period from August 2 to August 6, the Yak-1 fighter was re-equipped in the 8th reserve fighter aviation regiment of the Privolzhsky military district at Bagai-Baranovka airfield and departed to the Bryansk front ^[1] .

Entered the 286th Fighter Aviation Division of the 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front. On August 9, the regiment as part of the 286th Fighter Division of the 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front entered combat operations against fascist Germany and its allies on the Yak-1 aircraft ^[1] .

The first known airborne victory of the regiment in the Patriotic War was won on August 12, 1942: Lieutenant A. Tryasunenko in an air battle in the area of ​​the village of Ivanovka was shot down by a German Me-109 fighter (Messerschmitt Bf.109) ^[1] .

From November 20, 1942 to January 24, 1943, there was no combat work. Reformed by the state 015/284 . Resumed combat work from January 25, 1943 as part of the 286th Fighter Division of the 15th Air Army of the Bryansk Front. March 20, 1943, together with the 286th Fighter Division, was transferred to the 16th Air Army of the Central Front ^[1] .

On July 27, 1943, the regiment was left without airplanes; from that time it did not conduct combat operations, remaining in the 286th Fighter Aviation Division ^[1] .

On February 1, 1944, the regiment began to overtake the Yak-1 aircraft into the army. The first batch - from the aircraft factory number 292 (Saratov) 20 Yak-1 fighters. On March 19, the regiment transferred 17 Yak-1b and 16 pilots to the regiments of the 283rd fighter aviation division of the 16th Air Force, and on March 27 the regiment was expelled from the active army, removed from the 286th fighter aviation division and redeployed to the ferry fighter aviation regiment ^[1] .

On April 2, 1944, the regiment arrived in the Kharkov Military District, where it became part of the 5th Reserve Aviation Brigade of the Kharkov Military District. On April 3, the regiment was reorganized by state 015/364 . On May 6, 1944, the regiment proceeded to distilling the Yak-9 aircraft into the army from Sokolniki and Rogan airfields of the Kharkov aeronautical hub ^[1] .

Participation in operations and battles

• Battle of Stalingrad - from July 24, 1942 to August 1, 1942.
• The operations of the 286th Fighter Division to destroy enemy communications in the area of ​​Kastron, Kshen, Marmyzhi, Zamlyansk ^[2] - from September 12, 1942 to September 15, 1942.
• Voronezh-Kastornoy operation ^[2] - from January 24, 1943 to February 2, 1943.
• Air operation to destroy aviation at airfields - May 6, 1943.
• The Battle of Kursk ^[2] - from July 5, 1943 to July 27, 1943.
• Oryol strategic offensive operation ^[2] - from July 12, 1943 to July 27, 1943.

As part of the active army

As part of the army the regiment was:

• from July 24, 1942 to August 1, 1942;
• from August 9, 1942 to March 27, 1944 ^[3] .

Post-war regiment history

After the war, the regiment from August 11, 1945 became part of the 178th fighter aviation division of the Air Force of the Kharkov Military District ^{[4] [5] [1]} .

On the basis of the directive of the General Staff Directorate Org / 10/14159 dated December 4, 1945 and the Directive of the Military Council of the Kharkov Military District Org / 1/0335 dated December 10, 1945. 896 the fighter aviation regiment was disbanded on January 18, 1946 as part of th fighter aviation division of the Air Force of the Kharkov Military District ^[1] .

• Captain , Major , Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Mikhailovich Serenko ^[1] , 05/20/1942 - 02/27/1945
• Captain Lapshin Alexey Sergeevich ^[1] , 02/27/1945 - 08/29/1945

To the 896th Fighter Aviation Regiment, on May 4, 1943, for the shown samples of courage and heroism in the struggle against the fascist invaders and in order to further consolidate the memory of the exploits of Stalin's falcons, the honorary name Kursky was assigned ^[6] .

For the displayed samples of courage and heroism, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the regiment's pilots as part of the 286th IAD are thanked:

• For the difference in battles with the capture of a large railway junction and the city of Nizhyn - the most important stronghold of the German defense on the roads to Kiev ^[7] ;
• For the difference in the battles for the capture of the regional and large industrial center of Belarus by the city of Gomel - an important junction of railways and a powerful stronghold of German defense in the Polissya direction ^[8] ;

  Gromakovsky Vladimir Alexandrovich , a regiment pilot from August to September 1942, won his first victory in the regiment on August 16, 1942, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 15, 1946 for courage and heroism shown in air battles with the German fascist invaders. Hero of the Soviet Union as a flight commander of the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 16th Air Army of the 1st Byelorussian Front, guard senior lieutenant. Gold Star number 8979.

Total for the years of World War II regiment ^[1] :

Destroyed during ground attack ^[1] :

Their losses ^[1] :

• Anokhin V. A., Bykov M. Yu. All Stalin's fighter regiment regiments. The first full encyclopedia. - A popular science publication. - M .: Yauza-Press, 2014. - 944 p. - 1500 copies - ISBN 978-5-9955-0707-9 .
• M. Yu. Bykov. All Aces of Stalin 1936-1953 .. - A popular science publication. - M .: Yauza-Press LLC, 2014. - 1392 p. - (Elite Encyclopedia of the Air Force). - 1500 copies - ISBN 978-5-9955-0712-3 .

• List of operations of the armed forces of the USSR in World War II

• Heroes of World War II
• Air Force combat composition
• 896th iap. World War II Aviators