Chronicle of courage

In memory of a veteran

On the bright day of the 80th anniversary of Victory, we always remember those that have already passed away but whose heroic deeds made the Victory possible. Many residents of Dubna, probably, will remember on 9 May Nikolay V.Kuznetsov, a retired major, a veteran of war and labor that suffered a stroke in the evening of 8 May, 1997, on the eve of the holiday that had always been special for him. He spent 9 May in intensive care and on 10 May, he passed away.

On that day, 8 May, Nikolay Vasilievich came to his native RCS JINR to congratulate his colleagues on Victory Day, joking, laughing and nothing foreshadowed trouble.

Brief information about his life path: he was born on 8 December, 1921, in the village of Orudievo, Dmitrovsky district, Moscow Region. His love for aviation led him to the aeroclub of Dmitrov city and later, during the Great Patriotic War, to the famous flight school - Kachinsk Red Banner Military Aviation School of pilots named after Myasnikov. To enter this School, he successfully passed 12 medical commissions. In 1944, he graduated from the School and was sent to the army.

From 1944 to 9 May, 1945, Nikolay Vasilievich fought in the 157th Brest Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment of the First Belorussian Front. He participated in the liberation of Brest, Warsaw and in the capture of Berlin and his unit accounted for downed airplanes, one of which he shot down personally.

Nikolay Vasilievich Kuznetsov's combat exploits were recognized with awards of the Motherland: the Order of the Red Banner, Red Star and Patriotic War II degree, Medals "For Combat Merits" (twice), "For the Liberation of Warsaw", "For the Capture of Berlin" and "For Victory over Germany", as well as many anniversary medals in honor of Victory and the Armed Forces of the USSR, among which was the Medal of Marshal Zhukov. His service in the Soviet Army lasted 20 years: from April 1941 to May 1961.

Here is what the retired Lieutenant General, Lenin Prize winner Alexander Brovtsin that was his squadron commander all through the war, wrote about N.V.Kuznetsov:

"Nikolay Vasilievich flew with me on combat missions, participated in air battles, had shot down enemy aircraft in the group.

From Brest to Berlin, Kuznetsov extensively participated in combat operations. His last combat sortie was made as part of a squadron to Berlin to escort Il-2 attack aircrafts operating against enemy troops leaving Berlin on 2 May, 1945. In this flight, as well as in some others, Nikolay Vasilievich stormed, shelled enemy ground troops together with Il-2 attack aircrafts.

He was a good pilot. He was courageously and actively engaged in combat missions, no matter how difficult they were."

And here is how his front-line friend, fighter pilot S.K.Chirva recalled about Nikolay Vasilievich:

"We'll remember the front years,
We'll remember the flights of war.
We'll never forget our friends
Dead, maimed or alive!"

What to say about Nikolay? Modest, taciturn, balanced, decent, always ready to come to the aid and rescue of a comrade. In air battles, he was collected, vigilant and aimed at victory. By virtue of his character he never boasted of his achievements but took them for granted!"

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, N.V.Kuznetsov continued his service in the 157th and afterwards, in the 86th Guards Aviation Fighter Regiment in Germany and Moldavia. He was a squadron commander and first-class pilot, quickly mastered new types of jet fighters (MiG). He was one of the first to make night flights in difficult weather conditions with modern combat machines. He was trained at the test pilot school in the city of Zhukovsky.

Nikolay Vasilievich was the first combat commander of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the USSR pilot-cosmonaut Evgeny Vasilievich Khrunov that twice came to Dubna for meetings with his mentor, held at the Cultural Centre "Mir". In the squadron commanded by Nikolay Vasilievich, the USSR pilot-cosmonaut Viktor Vasilievich Gorbatko, twice Hero of the Soviet Union that made three flights into space, served for some time.

Nikolay Vasilievich was an experienced pilot, one of the few in the regiment that made night flights in all-weather conditions, practicing elements of aerobatics on the new equipment of the first serial assembly. In night flights, pilots are often disoriented: it is not clear where the sky is and where the ground is, so it was very important to believe only the readings of the instrument panel of the airplane - it saved their lives. Once, when mastering a new technique, he got into a difficult situation and saving the airplane that did not have landing gear, landed it "on its belly". American pilots were guided by the attitude: "There are a lot of planes in America and I am one at my mother's" and ejected, while our pilots, risking their lives, tried to the last to save the first production prototypes, realizing what a huge design and production work is invested in these machines. This incident worsened his health and the medics forbade him to fly supersonic equipment.

In 1961, Nikolay Vasilievich retired from the Soviet Army with the rank of Major of Aviation. The squadron was taken over by his deputy N.N.Koryaev that had been a wingman of I.N.Kozhedub, three times Hero of the Soviet Union, during the war. From 1963 to 1990, he worked at JINR, 25 years of them - in the Supply Department of the RCS. For his conscientious attitude to work, he had numerous commendations, was awarded 18 times, was nominated to the JINR Board of Honor and was awarded the Medal "Veteran of Labor". Nikolay Kuznetsov had many times held lessons of courage in the city schools, had never refused to talk to children, understanding the importance of their personal communication with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the opportunity to hear the truth about the war firsthand. He always participated in public work and extensively helped the Veterans' Council of the city.

Nikolay Vasilievich was a good family man, a loving husband, father and grandfather. With his wife Faina Ivanovna Kuznetsova (Denisova) that was once his classmate, he lived in a happy marriage for 50 years.

Faina Ivanovna became a teacher, taught all through the war and in the postwar years - at the school. During the war, she dug trenches, took care of the wounded in the hospital, sewed masks for the front, worked with students on peat digging and in the fields. She was awarded the Medal "For Valorous Labor in the Great Patriotic War".

In memory of fellow soldiers, colleagues, friends and just acquaintances, Nikolay Kuznetsov lives as a kind, responsive, honest, hardworking, cheerful and at the same time courageous man, capable of heroic deeds.

Natalia IVANOVA