Sergey Gritsevets
Encyclopedia
Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets (19 July 1909, Baranavichy Raion
– 16 September 1939, Vitebsk
) was a Soviet
major, pilot and twice recipient of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union
.
In 1931, Gritsevets joined the army, where he completed pilot training at a Orenburg
military school in 1932 and further air combat training in 1936 at a pilot school in Odessa
. In spring of 1938 Gritsevets volunteered to go to China
, where he was involved in combat against Japanese
forces attacking Wuhan
and credited with two or three kills in a fierce 30 minutes air battle in which a total of 21 Japanese airplanes were downed. Gritsevets flew a Polikarpov I-15
biplane
or I-16
monoplane
.
Later the same year, Gritsevets volunteered to serve in the Spanish Civil War
; he stayed there until the end of 1938, when all Soviet pilots were recalled. Flying an I-16
, he claimed 30 victories in Spain
, for which he received his first Hero of Soviet Union together with a Gold Star
on 22 February 1939.
On 29 May 1939 a group of 48 experienced pilots, including Gritsevets, were sent to Mongolia
to function as the backbone of a newly established air force to replace the former, which earlier had suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of Japanese forces and been decimated by NKVD
arrests. Here Gritsevets was involved in several counts of actions with Japanese planes. On 26 June, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol
, Gritsevets landed his I-16 alongside his commanding officer, Major V. Zabaluyev, whom an engine failure had forced down deep in hostile territory, 60 kilometers behind enemy Japanese lines. Zabaluyev climbed into Gritsevets airplane and together they escaped. For this, and other heroic action during the conflict
, he was awarded a second Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union 29 August 1939. All in all Gritsevets claimed 11 downed Japanese airplanes during this time.
On 12 September 1939 Gritsevets and 20 other pilots were sent back to Ukraine
in preparation of the invasion of Poland
on 17 September 1939. Gritsevets was killed on the 16 September 1939 in an accident in Bolbasovo near Vitebsk
, wherein his airplane was rammed by another while taxiing in preparation for take off.
Gritsevets is credited with downing 42 enemy planes before he died in an aviation accident in 1939, two of them while flying biplanes. He was awarded the Hero of Soviet Union (twice), the Order of Lenin
(twice), the Order of the Red Banner
(twice) as well as a Mongolian order he received in Ulan Bator before returning.
A monument in his honour was later erected in his birth town of Baranovichi
.
In his book Polikarpov I-15, 1-16 and 1-153 Aces, Mikhail Maslov writes:
"During his service in Spain, from 10 June to 26 October 1938, when all volunteer pilots were recalled to the USSR, Gritsevets commanded 5 Escuadrilla de Caza and then the whole group of I-16s. Having claimed a single kill over a Japanese aircraft attacking Hangchow on 29 April 1938, Gritsevets then volunteered for combat in Spain. Here he flew 88 sorties and fought in 42 aerial battles, and according to legend he shot down no fewer than 30 enemy aircraft. However, this tally probably reflects the total claimed by the unit whilst under his command because Gritsevets always stressed that enemy aircraft shot down should be credited to the unit as a whole, rather than to the individual. Nevertheless, official reports credit him with seven personal aerial victories in Spain.
"In any case, Snr Lt Gritsevets was judged to be a distinguished fighter pilot, and on 22 February 1939 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. That summer he became a squadron commander with 70th lAP and participated in the Khalkhin Gol campaign, where he increased his personal score by 12 more kills. On 23 August Gritsevets performed the heroic act of landing his 1-16 on the steppe amid enemy troops to rescue his CO, Maj V Zabaluev, who had been forced to bail out 60 kilometres behind Japanese lines. Six days later Sergey Gritsevets was again honoured with the Hero of the Soviet Union Star, bur he was killed in a flying accident at Bolbasovo airfield on 16 September 1939."
Baranavichy Raion
Baranavichy Raion is an administrative subdivision, a raion of Brest Voblast, in Belarus....
– 16 September 1939, Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
) was a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
major, pilot and twice recipient of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
.
In 1931, Gritsevets joined the army, where he completed pilot training at a Orenburg
Orenburg
Orenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 546,987 ; 549,361 ; Highest point: 154.4 m...
military school in 1932 and further air combat training in 1936 at a pilot school in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
. In spring of 1938 Gritsevets volunteered to go to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where he was involved in combat against Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
forces attacking Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
and credited with two or three kills in a fierce 30 minutes air battle in which a total of 21 Japanese airplanes were downed. Gritsevets flew a Polikarpov I-15
Polikarpov I-15
The Polikarpov I-15 was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika because of its gulled upper wings, it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force, and together with the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, was one of the standard fighters of the Spanish Republicans during...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
or I-16
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
.
Later the same year, Gritsevets volunteered to serve in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
; he stayed there until the end of 1938, when all Soviet pilots were recalled. Flying an I-16
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
, he claimed 30 victories in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, for which he received his first Hero of Soviet Union together with a Gold Star
Gold Star
The Gold Star medal is a special insignia that identifies recipients of the title "Hero" in the Soviet Union and its communist allies, and several post-Soviet states.-Soviet origin:...
on 22 February 1939.
On 29 May 1939 a group of 48 experienced pilots, including Gritsevets, were sent to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to function as the backbone of a newly established air force to replace the former, which earlier had suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of Japanese forces and been decimated by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
arrests. Here Gritsevets was involved in several counts of actions with Japanese planes. On 26 June, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
, Gritsevets landed his I-16 alongside his commanding officer, Major V. Zabaluyev, whom an engine failure had forced down deep in hostile territory, 60 kilometers behind enemy Japanese lines. Zabaluyev climbed into Gritsevets airplane and together they escaped. For this, and other heroic action during the conflict
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, he was awarded a second Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union 29 August 1939. All in all Gritsevets claimed 11 downed Japanese airplanes during this time.
On 12 September 1939 Gritsevets and 20 other pilots were sent back to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in preparation of the invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
on 17 September 1939. Gritsevets was killed on the 16 September 1939 in an accident in Bolbasovo near Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
, wherein his airplane was rammed by another while taxiing in preparation for take off.
Gritsevets is credited with downing 42 enemy planes before he died in an aviation accident in 1939, two of them while flying biplanes. He was awarded the Hero of Soviet Union (twice), the Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
(twice), the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
(twice) as well as a Mongolian order he received in Ulan Bator before returning.
A monument in his honour was later erected in his birth town of Baranovichi
Baranovichi
Baranovichi , is a city in the Brest Province of western Belarus with a population of 173,000. It is a significant railway junction and home to a state university.-Overview:...
.
In his book Polikarpov I-15, 1-16 and 1-153 Aces, Mikhail Maslov writes:
"During his service in Spain, from 10 June to 26 October 1938, when all volunteer pilots were recalled to the USSR, Gritsevets commanded 5 Escuadrilla de Caza and then the whole group of I-16s. Having claimed a single kill over a Japanese aircraft attacking Hangchow on 29 April 1938, Gritsevets then volunteered for combat in Spain. Here he flew 88 sorties and fought in 42 aerial battles, and according to legend he shot down no fewer than 30 enemy aircraft. However, this tally probably reflects the total claimed by the unit whilst under his command because Gritsevets always stressed that enemy aircraft shot down should be credited to the unit as a whole, rather than to the individual. Nevertheless, official reports credit him with seven personal aerial victories in Spain.
"In any case, Snr Lt Gritsevets was judged to be a distinguished fighter pilot, and on 22 February 1939 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. That summer he became a squadron commander with 70th lAP and participated in the Khalkhin Gol campaign, where he increased his personal score by 12 more kills. On 23 August Gritsevets performed the heroic act of landing his 1-16 on the steppe amid enemy troops to rescue his CO, Maj V Zabaluev, who had been forced to bail out 60 kilometres behind Japanese lines. Six days later Sergey Gritsevets was again honoured with the Hero of the Soviet Union Star, bur he was killed in a flying accident at Bolbasovo airfield on 16 September 1939."